First-year Writing – A Dissenting Teaching Portfolio

Launching into the new world of college writing can be strange and disorienting. Many of the expectations you met with and the rules you were taught in high school simply don’t apply in college, which means that college-level writing can often seem mysterious and overwhelming. On top of that, many professors won’t actually spend time in their classes teaching you how to write. They’ll assume that you learned “enough” in high school or even First-year Writing, so they may even put the burden of learning on you without providing resources for you to succeed.

This course provides an introduction into the world of college-level writing by guiding you through the process of writing about writing. By considering our own writing practices, habits, and voice, we can come to a better understanding of both writing as a practice and writing as our practice. By considering the writing practices and stances of others, we can learn how to grow and develop writing muscles in the areas that interest us the most.

One of the goals of this course is to help you come to know yourself as a writer. Although many of you may not yet consider yourselves writers, you might also be surprised by how much writing you actually do in a day! This semester, we’ll work together to recognize and develop our writerly identities, stretching and exercising those muscles in new and interesting ways. Through this course, you’ll learn how to take stock of your own skills and knowledge while collecting a variety of resources to continue to grow as a writer, no matter the situation you’re met with in the future.

The semester begins with reconsidering our writing habits. From there, we’ll examine mentor texts, or writing examples, to study, questioning details of style, voice, tone, and audience that in turn give us a clearer sense of our own writing style and preferences. Finally, we’ll spend time analyzing and writing about our own writing voices, expanding our horizons and discovering exactly what makes our writing minds tick.

Required Texts:

The Norton Field Guide to Writing, 2nd edition: Richard Bullock: free PDF available on eLC.
Other short readings available as PDFs on eLC.

General Goals

In English 1101, students will learn to:

take responsibility of their own engagement and commit to excellence in their work;
write papers in and out of class using processes that include discovering ideas and evidence, organizing that material, and revising, editing, and polishing the finished paper;
think critically so that they can recognize the difference between opinion and evidence and so that they can support a complex, challenging thesis;
address papers to a range of audiences; understand the collaborative and social aspects of the writing process and demonstrate an ability to critique the writing of themselves and others;
develop a sense of voice appropriate to the subject, the writer’s purpose, the context, and the reader’s expectations;
understand how genres shape reading and writing and produce writing in several genres;
compose unified, coherent paragraphs that develop topic sentences with detailed support;
follow the conventions of standard edited English [as necessary] and MLA documentation;
use electronic environments for drafting, reviewing, revising, editing, and sharing texts;
understand and exploit the differences in the rhetorical strategies and in the affordances available for both print and electronic composing processes and texts.

Accessibility, Accommodations, & Mental Health

If you plan to request accommodations for a disability, please register with the Disability Resource Center (DRC). The DRC can be reached by visiting Clark Howell Hall, by calling 706-542-8719 (voice) or 706-542-8778 (TTY), or by visiting https://drc.uga.edu. You’re encouraged to make the instructor aware of any accessibility needs the first week of the class, but DRC letters or other accessibility concerns can be brought to the instructor at any point during the semester.

I assume that all of us have different ways of learning, and that the organization of any course will accommodate each student differently. For example, you may prefer to process information by speaking and listening, so that some of the materials I provide may be difficult to absorb. Please communicate with me as soon as you can about your individual learning needs and how this course can best accommodate them, regardless of whether or not you have an official DRC letter. Please feel free to contact me at any point during the semester if accessibility concerns arise.*

*Borrowed from Margaret Price, Mad at School

Course Requirements

You will complete a minimum of three written projects (approximately 1,000-1,500 words each). In addition to the three major projects, you will create a final electronic portfolio that counts as 30% of your final grade. In class, you will engage in both small and large group discussions, workshops, in-class writing exercises, and other activities as assigned by the instructor. A Slack discussion board will be available to facilitate class community and a Google doc will be available for communal notetaking. I will split the class into small groups by the second week of class, and each group will take notes on a designated class period.

Participation

What counts as engagement in the course? A lot of things! We all learn and pay attention differently. Here’s an incomplete list of things that count as participating in this course: showing up to class on time;* taking notes in class; annotating the readings; contributing to class discussions (large or small group);* submitting note cards with discussion questions at the beginning of class; engaged listening; completing reflection journal posts before or after class; answering/asking questions; bringing the assigned reading to class;* reflecting on class topics in your head; discussing course topics with classmates, the instructor, family, or friends outside of regular class time; reading extra materials about our topics outside of class; and much more!

Does this mean you have to engage in all of those activities to fully participate in the course? Absolutely not! Find a selection (two or three nonmandatory in addition to the mandatory ones) that works for you and that allows you to get the most out of the course, and run with it. A short assignment early in the course will ask you to list the ways you expect to participate during the semester, and you’ll have opportunities to self-evaluate. All I ask is that some of the forms you choose have a physical or visible/aural aspect to them: in other words, I can’t grade participation if it only happens in your head and nowhere else. Intellectual participation should be a component of what you do in this course, but not your sole outlet. Do you have an idea about participation that doesn’t appear on this list? Run it by me in an email—I’ll likely approve it.

* = mandatory participation methods

Absences:

The Official First-year Writing Office Policy™: Because writing skills develop slowly over time, students’ regular attendance is essential in First-year Writing. As stated in First-year Writing Guide at UGA, on the fifth absence (MWF classes) or the fourth absence (TTH classes), no matter what the reason, students will be administratively withdrawn with a W before the withdrawal deadline of the semester or with a F after the withdrawal deadline. (Religious holidays and military duties do not count as absences, but the student must alert the instructor beforehand if they will be absent.)

However, we’re all human, and we all have needs that can’t be conveniently scheduled. More on this in class.

Late Work, Extensions, & Revisions:

Work submitted more than 1 hour after the deadline will receive a zero (0). However, I am very generous with extensions. You are busy humans and I only see a very small part of your lives: if our class is approaching a deadline and you think some extra time would be beneficial to you for any reason (including and especially your own sanity), please contact me as soon as possible. I have never rejected an extension request: I’d rather that you take a little extra time to complete a strong assignment with your health intact than that you rush your work and stress out over a deadline.

All writing is a work in progress! Each Major Assignment goes through multiple drafts, but I will allow you to revise after a grade is given if you are still unhappy with your work. All you need to do is send me an email outlining what changes you plan to make. Within a week of sending the email, submit the revised assignment along with a short reflection paragraph that discusses the changes you made and how the assignment is improved.

Responsibility & Respect

I acknowledge that racism, classism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, and other forms of oppression exist. My intention is to facilitate a classroom that is an anti-racist, inclusive, and brave space for all students. Any critical examination of oppression requires us to recognize that
we have been systematically taught misinformation about our own group as well as about members of other groups. It also means that, if we are a part of a dominant group (that is, white, male, upper/middle class, able-bodied, cis-gender and/or heterosexual), we have unearned privilege that carries into the classroom and for which we are responsible. Being responsible means examining our words and actions and considering how we can be allies to others. We cannot be blamed for the misinformation that we have learned and for taking unconscious advantage of our privilege, but we will be held responsible for repeating misinformation or
engaging in oppressive behavior once we have learned otherwise.

It is my intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well-served by this course, that students’ learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity we all bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit.

Everyone in the class (including the instructor and each student) is to be treated with dignity and respect. The development of a supportive learning environment is essential for the success of this class. A supportive learning environment is fostered by listening to the ideas and views of others, being
able to understand and appreciate a point of view that is different from your own, articulating clearly your point of view, and linking experience to readings and assignments. Our classroom environment will be characterized by openness and acceptance of all voices and points of view. I appreciate your contributions to making this a safe and respectful class for learning and growth.*

*Borrowed and adapted from Dr. Jennifer Elkins

Contacting the Professor:

The best way to contact me is via email. Please wait at least 48 hours for a response, though I will likely answer you before then. You are also more than welcome to come by office hours for any reason (really: I love to chat with you all!), reach out to me via the instant message function on eLC, or by posting on our Slack channel.

A minimum of four times at regular intervals throughout the semester, you will be offered an opportunity to anonymously provide feedback on the course and my instruction. Though you should of course feel free to contact me at any point with concerns, do know that you’ll have a space to do so anonymously if that is a more comfortable option for you.

Grading:

Each Major Assignment will be graded in four areas. The Final Portfolio will be graded in three areas. Attendance and Participation will be assessed regularly throughout the semester by both professor and student.

Major Assignment 1: My Writing Practice (10%)

Access the full prompt here.

Process: 50 points. You will complete a planning document, a rough draft, a peer review, a conference, and a grading draft. Each is worth 10 points.
Organization: 20 points. You should pay attention to both global (large-scale) and local (small-scale) organizational concerns. This includes: the coherence and logic of the essay as a whole; paragraph-to-paragraph relationships; the internal focus of each paragraph; sentence-to-sentence logic; old-to-new informational flow.
Reflection: 20 points. You should be able to detail what you learned through the writing process, how your writing practices will change in response to your new experiences, and how you think your new knowledge will transfer to other contexts.
Student Goals: 10 points. You will grade yourself (0-10) on a specific aspect of the assignment, chosen by the time of the one-with-one conference. I retain the right to modify the grade, but only after a discussion with you.

Major Assignment 2: Author Style Analysis (20%)

Access the full prompt here.

Process: 50 points. You will complete a planning document, a rough draft, a peer review, a conference, and a grading draft. Each is worth 10 points.
Organization: 20 points. You should pay attention to both global (large-scale) and local (small-scale) organizational concerns. This includes: the coherence and logic of the essay as a whole; paragraph-to-paragraph relationships; the internal focus of each paragraph; sentence-to-sentence logic; old-to-new informational flow.
Evidence: 20 points. You are required to support your claims about an author and their writing style based on specific examples from both primary and secondary sources. You should expect to use a variety of source integration methods, including quotation, summary, and paraphrase. You should have at least two primary sources and at least two secondary sources.
Student Goals: 10 points. You will grade yourself (0-10) on a specific aspect of the assignment, chosen by the time of the one-with-one conference. I retain the right to modify the grade, but only after a discussion with you.

Major Assignment 3: Discovering My Style (20%)

Access the full prompt here.

Process: 50 points. You will complete a planning document, a rough draft, a peer review, a conference, and a grading draft. Each is worth 10 points.
Organization: 20 points. You should pay attention to both global (large-scale) and local (small-scale) organizational concerns. This includes: the coherence and logic of the essay as a whole; paragraph-to-paragraph relationships; the internal focus of each paragraph; sentence-to-sentence logic; old-to-new informational flow.
Evidence: 20 points. You should support your claims about your own style using a variety of sources, not limited to the papers written for this course this semester. You should expect to use a variety of source integration methods, including quotation, summary, and paraphrase.
Student Goals: 10 points. You will grade yourself (0-10) on a specific aspect of the assignment, chosen by the time of the one-with-one conference. I retain the right to modify the grade, but only after a discussion with you.

Final Portfolio (30%)

Access the Final Portfolio Guide here.

The final portfolio consists of seven elements: the biography, the introductory reflective essay (IRE), two revised major assignments, a revision exhibit, a peer review exhibit, and a wild card. We will complete the bio, the revision exhibit, and the peer review exhibit at various stages throughout the semester. The other elements will be completed after Unit 3, though you can be preparing for them at any point.

Process: 50 points. At various points throughout the semester, you’ll be asked to submit drafts of the portfolio exhibits. These will likely (and should) be revised before final submission, but the point breakdown will be as follows: biography (7 points); IRE (8 points); Revised Project 1 (7 points); Revised Project 2 (7 points); Peer Review Exhibit (7 points); Revision Exhibit (7 points); Wildcard (7 points).
Evidence: 30 points. While the IRE is the primary exhibit in which you’ll need to focus on evidence, both the Peer Review Exhibit and the Revision Exhibit require that you be aware of your sources. As before, you’ll use a variety of source integration methods, including quotation, paraphrase, and summary. More information can be found in the Final Portfolio Guide.
Significance: 20 points. The IRE should clearly articulate the significance of what you learned and how your writing practice has changed over the course of the semester. The conclusion, especially, should seek to identify how the knowledge you’ve gained will transfer to other contexts–academic, professional, social, and/or personal. Your wildcard, too, should be able to identify an important concept from our course and present it in a teachable format that clearly articulates its importance to the practice of writing.

Attendance & Participation (20%)

Access the Course Schedule here.

Attendance: 10 points. Your attendance grade will be based on your attendance percentage. There are __ class meetings this semester. Divide the number of classes you’ve attended by the total number of classes to determine your attendance percentage. You can also find this percentage on eLC on the “Attendance” tab.
Participation: 10 points. Participation will be assessed jointly by Professor Fontenot and yourself four times throughout the semester. The participation grade will be the average of the four scores.

Administrative Notices:

Course Plan: The course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary.

Audio & Visual Recording: Students may not create audio or video recordings of classes, with the exception of situations governed by UGA Disability Resource Center Policies. When applicable, students with DRC directives or serving as note takers on behalf of the DRC must provide the instructor with a signed Audio Recording Agreement from the DRC before recording in class. All students in the class must be notified by the instructor that another student is creating recordings.

Academic Honesty and Plagiarism: All academic work must meet the standards contained in “A Culture of Honesty” <http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/honesty/acadhon.htm>. Students are responsible to inform themselves about those standards before performing any academic work.