EXWR 100-01

 spring 2000

 Course Description

instructor Jan Cooper
office King 139D
phone x8613
email Jan.Cooper@oberlin.edu (I'm happy to receive messages anytime--I check my email frequently every weekday and often during the weekends.)

course website http://www.oberlin.edu/~jcooper/bwhome.htm

textbook Reflections on Language, by Hirschberg and Hirschberg, available at the South Hall bookstore

other materials needed a folder to store all materials collected for the course, access to a computer that you can use to send and download email attachments in Word 6 or above

class time & place Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 3:30-4:20 am, King 235

What is this course about?

The underlying assumption behind this course is that good writers have a detailed understanding of how language works--both how the specific language(s) they write in work and how people in general process linguistic activity. Hence the majority of our readings will focus on various ways of analyzing how language operates. The writing assignments will give you an opportunity to test what you have read by comparing it to your own language experience. Among the goals of the assignments are:

• experiencing writing as a process with several stages, more than just the write-one-draft-and-correct-the-spelling approach many people take
• discovering how you can use informal, personal writing at certain stages of that process as well as formal, impersonal writing
• closely examining how writing for different situations and different readers results in very different kinds of writing
• realizing that writing is a social activity. Part of learning to succeed at college level writing is developing ways of drawing other people into your writing process (without violating the Honor Code)

A familiarity with newer technologies of writing is also essential to being an educated writer today; therefore we will be using the Internet for some readings and I will encourage you to develop computer word processing, emailing, and research skills, both outside of class and in class.

course requirements

• Arrive promptly and attend all classes for the full time allotted (do not schedule other appointments at this time!). Missing more than 2 classes during the semester without an official excuse puts you in danger of failing the course. If you are absent it is your responsibility to contact me immediately to find out what you missed and hand in any make-up work.
• Meet with the instructor or tutors when there are scheduled appointment times.
• Participate in class discussions and out-of-class group sessions.
• Hand in all assignments as an emailed attachment in Word by 6pm on the scheduled due days.
• Save all notes, false starts, writings, hand-outs, class comments, etc. that you've collected during the semester for an evaluation folder due at midterm (Friday, March 24) and the end of Reading Period (Tuesday, May 16). Folders are due at my office in King 139D by noon on the deadline days.

grading All writing courses in the Expository Writing Program are graded Credit/No Entry. Because this course emphasizes revision, I also do not letter grade single pieces of writing. Instead I will give you written or oral comments on specific pieces of your writing to help you determine how best to improve them. At midterm, however, I will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the writing in your folder with you in individual appointments. If at any time you have questions concerning the progress you're making, please make an appointment to discuss your work with me.

A Cautionary Word about the Writing Requirement

The Expository Writing Program intends for this course to give students the writing instruction that will enable them to achieve certification in other Writing Intensive or Writing Certification courses. It is possible that you might demonstrate sufficient skill in academic writing to earn certification in this course, but passing Basic Writing does not automatically entitle you to it. Unless you are taking Basic Writing in sequence with the old English Composition (EXWR 101) or English Composition: Special Topics courses (EXWR 103), or the new Expository Writing colloquia (EXWR 111-119), you should not assume that this course will fulfill one of your two Writing Certification requirements.

If you have any questions about the Writing Requirement or any particularly strong reasons for wanting to earn certification through this course, please talk to me about them as soon as possible.