Materials
- McLeod, Jarvis, & Spear. Writing
About the World (WATW), 3rd Edition, Thomson.
ISBN#141300238-2 (Available at the University Bookstore)
- Hacker, A Writer’s Reference, 5th Edition, ISBN #0312412622 (Available at
the University Bookstore)
- Additionally, there may be required
reading materials on reserve at the library
- From time to time you will be asked to
provide outside writing sources to share with class
- Paper, pens, pencils,
- A means of copying your papers for
distribution to colleagues
- Portfolio folders and large envelopes
- Course Website: www.writingcures.com
- An activated umail account
- Collegiate
Level Dictionary such as The
Course Objectives
- According
to the UCSB General Catalog Writing 2 is, “A writing course focusing on
developing analytical skills, synthesizing multiple sources, sustaining
coherent arguments, and revising for clarity and style.” By the end of the semester you will be
expected to:
- Understand
the composing process (invention, planning, writing, revising, editing).
- Respond
thoughtfully to the rhetorical concerns (audience, purpose, tone,
organization, development, coherence) and the rhetorical demands of
communication in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
- Write
grammatically correct sentences and observe the conventions of written
English.
- Approach new and complex reading
material with confidence, and be able to analyze university-level texts
(identifying underlying assumptions and points of view, distinguishing
fact from opinion, drawing inferences, and reaching independent
conclusions).
- Demonstrate effective oral
communication skills in formal and informal contexts.
- Understand the collaborative nature of
writing and do effective collaborative work.
Requirements to pass this course
Prepare, attend, and participate
- ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY. We will begin class from time to time
with a short “quick-write” associated with the unit we are working on;
these will not be announced. Please
come to class prepared and on time, with your cell phone turned off, as
there will be no opportunity to make up these in class writing
opportunities. Furthermore, missing
your panel presentation and/or your final presentation may result in
failure of this course. Other excessive
absenteeism (more than two classes) will seriously affect your grade. Tardies and early exits count in this
too. Two of either equals one
absence.
- This is not a lecture course; it will be
conducted as a workshop.
Write
- Depending on the grade you choose to
receive in this class, you will be completing 2-4 written assignments in
addition to the investigative project.
You will have at least one written assignment from each of the
three disciplines (humanities, social sciences, and sciences). These need
to be word processed. See assignment section for specific information on
each of the assignments. These need
to be of appropriate quality work to receive credit (to be discussed
further).
- You will be given deadlines for each
draft. If a re-write is needed, the
re-writes are due one week after you receive your paper back. Assigned
work is due at the beginning of class on the date noted in the schedule
and is to be word processed for credit.
- All
work is due at the beginning of class. Please plan ahead. I’m not especially
sensitive to last minute computer malfunctions. I do not accept late or hand written work. If you anticipate a problem with the due
date, you must communicate with me at
least one class session in advance of a due date. An
NCR for unexcused late work (any single assignment) WILL LOWER YOUR GRADE.
- In addition, you will be posting your
response to the readings on our blogspot at least 24 hours prior to class
meeting and participating in blog discussion groups.
Participate in a public panel discussion during class in which you act as an expert on a selected topic.
Do an investigative project. During this quarter you will be engaged in research on an issue of your choice which is connected to gender. This can be in any of the three disciplines (humanities, social sciences, or sciences). The research should involve library work, interviews, the media, and the Internet. Your assignment in class can pertain to and be counted as part of your research for this project. If so, you need to plan these projects accordingly so they all fit your purpose for the project. Near the beginning of the semester (by the end of week 3), you will need to have scheduled a 10-15 minute conference with me to discuss your project. All project topics and presentation modes must be approved by me and all must be completed to pass this course. Your project will include:
A. A scrapbook to include your notes, newspaper and magazine clippings, people you’ve spoken with, letters, surveys, and a log of your discoveries. Depending on the items you’ve shared with class and which assignments you choose to do, these may be included as part of your scrapbook.
B. A feature article or essay of 7-9 pages in which you present your research to class. Keep in mind the audience of the publication you might choose to submit your work to. Look at the publication to determine which tone you choose and the level of formality that is appropriate to your target audience.
C. A presentation that allows you to creatively present your knowledge. Ideas include a video, photographic essay, panel discussion, short story, advertising campaign, skit, exercise, guest speaker, song, or another lively approach.
Open Class Meetings We will open each class and spend approximately 5-10 minutes to discuss current news events, articles, ads, songs, movies, TV shows, or any other media that pertain to gender issues. Please provide some of these materials (they may be part of your scrapbook). During open meetings we will also discuss works in progress.
Blogspot and Umail.
Umail accounts are free to all students.
Please activate your account. I
will activate a Ulist that will be my way of sending you information and
communicating with you between classes and for generating an invite list to our
blogspot. You are responsible for the
information disseminated on the Ulist and through individual umail. Please check your account regularly. When you get the invitation, join the
blogspot and participate in our postings by reacting to a reading for class,
begin a discussion, ask for advice from your peers on an assignment, etc.
Grading
Work in this course will be graded on a “contract” basis. Each individual will earn credit (CR) or no credit (NCR), and credited work accumulates toward satisfying the contract for a particular final grade. Work that receives NCR may be revised once, within one week, for credit. If not completed or revised appropriately, the work will revert to a 0.
For a
grade in the C range
- Participate actively in class meetings and blogspot discussions
- Participate in a panel discussion
- Present a final portfolio to include
- A cover letter for the portfolio as a whole
- Investigative project (scrapbook, feature article, and presentation materials); rough draft, final draft, and cover letter for the project
- Two final, revised drafts, (your choice, from the assigned four assigned writing assignments as long as investigative project, and the other two are all from DIFFERENT categories) initial drafts, and cover letters for each of the additional projects.
For a grade in the B range
- Complete all of the above AND
- Include an additional assignment (final, rough, and a cover letter) in your portfolio. This third assignment can be from any of the three categories.
For a
grade in the A range
- Complete all of the above AND
- Include
an additional assignment (final revised draft, a rough draft, and a cover
letter) in your final portfolio. This
means that you will be submitting all of the assignments listed.
I will factor in quality of class participation (based on my
notes and the evaluations turned in by your classmates) in order to arrive at
plus or minus grades. An excessive
number of absences or lack of participation will lower your grade below the
range that you anticipate. If all required written work for a given
contract is not completed on time and recorded as CR, you cannot earn a grade
in the range for which you contract. You will earn a lower grade.
Drop Deadline
- The last day to drop Writing 2 is 4/7. Students who miss the drop deadline must
petition the Writing Program director to drop, and requests are not easily
granted.
Students with
Disabilities
- Disabled Students
Program (DSP) provides a wide array of academic support services to
eligible students with documented disabilities. These services
include note takers, readers, sign language interpreters, facilitation of
access, and adaptive computing equipment.
If you have a disability and would like to discuss accommodations,
please contact them (893-2668) directly and/or me as soon as possible.
Plagiarism
- Don’t do it! You
are responsible for the content and integrity of all of your work in this
class. Cheating and plagiarism will,
at a minimum, result in an F for the project and may result in failing
this course or expulsion from the University. Plagiarism is defined as the act of
using the ideas of work of another person or persons as if they were one’s
own, without giving proper credit to the sources. This includes, but is not limited to,
failure to use quotation marks when quoting from outside source,
submitting a paper written by a friend or purchased from a term paper
service, or retyping another student’s paper and submitting it as one’s
own.
Your success in this class is important to me. I am available during office hours and by
appointment outside of office hours. I
have included my email address. Please
use it. I hope that you feel free to
contact me if you have any questions about class policy, assignments, or where
you stand grade-wise.
Tentative Course Calendar
(I reserve the right to modify this schedule
in order to meet specific requirements of individual classes; changes will be
announced in class so bring this with you to each class session)
Responses
to readings must be posted on the blogspot 24 hours before class time
Assignments
are to be word processed and due at the beginning of class unless prior written
arrangements have been made with me.
Course
Introduction and Review of the Writing Process
Week 1
Monday 4/3 Welcome!
Introduction to course and to each other
Writing
diagnostic
Wednesday 4/5 Syllabus Quiz
WATW 1-14
Discuss
Rhetoric
Signups
Contracts due
Think about conferences
for project
Humanities
Week 2
Monday 4/10 WATW
336-346 (
Summary
and revision strategies
Scrapbook: bring in a published film analysis
Discuss major assignments for this section: film analysis and interview
Wednesday 4/12 Movie
review activity
Panel
1: Gender: From Fairytales to the Media
Week 3
Monday 4/17 Film Analysis Due
Scrapbook: bring in published interview
Discuss aspects of an interview
Panel 2:
Labels
Wednesday 4/19 SPRINGTIME
Assignment
Social
Sciences
Week 4
Monday 4/24 Interview Due
WATW
196-201 (de Beauvoir Women as Other),
Review Assignment for this section: Letter to the Editor
Check up
Wednesday 4/26 Scrapbook: bring in editorial
Panel
3: Sexist Language
Week 5
Monday 5/1 Editorial Due
Read ERES Steinem
Wednesday 5/3 Panel
4: Names and Personal Identity
Scrapbook:
bring in feature article related to Gender
Discuss assignment
Health
Sciences
Week 6
Monday 5/8 WATW 568-577 (Rubin et al, The Eye of the Beholder)
Feature article vs research
Discuss Survey assignment
Panel
5: Disclosure of Sensitive Information
Wednesday 5/10 Scrapbook: Bring in raw surveys
Panel
6: Money
Week 7
Monday 5/15 WATW
582-595 (Weisstein Psychology Constructs
the Female)
Feature Article Due
Wednesday 5/17 Raw Survey
due
sign up for administration of your survey
Presentations
Week 8
Monday 5/22 Presentations
Surveys
Wednesday 5/24 Presentations
Surveys
Week 9
Monday 5/29 MEMORIAL
DAY
NO CLASS
Wednesday 5/31 Presentations
Survey papers due
Week 10
Monday 6/5 Presentations
Thursday 3/16 Presentations
PORTFOLIO DUE with cover letter
Final Celebrate,
Evaluations, & Return Portfolios
12-1:50 Tuesday, 6/13 12-3
3-4:50 Friday, 6/16 12-3
Overview
of assignments
All assignments are to be word processed,
double spaced, 12 point font Times New Roman, 1” margins; also all assignments must have a header in
the upper right corner, to include: Your Name, Writing 2, Dr. Emmerling, Date,
Assignment
Humanities
Analysis of a film in which patterns of male/female
communication can be observed as well as relational communication between
same-sex friends. Make observations regarding the kind of relationships and
bonds between same sex friends, gender related values that characters exhibit,
and gender specific communication that the characters’ actions
illustrate. The paper should be 3-5 pages. Due date 4/17
Cross generational interview: This
assignment is to encourage you to explore generational, cultural, familial
attitudes, values, and behaviors between generations through interpersonal
dialogue. Choose a person to interview
face to face (no phone interviews) and make arrangements for a quiet place and
undisturbed time to conduct your interview.
The interview should last about an hour to an hour and a half. Hopefully this will be a pleasant and
enjoyable conversation and not be a rigid interview. Engage the person in conversation and
elaboration. Plan questions ahead of
time focusing on a particular family lore.
Probably 6-8 questions should prepare you. Feel free to add other questions as the
interview unfolds, or questions related to the topic area that our authors
perhaps do not cover. Your challenge is
to plan good questions. Conduct the
interview keeping notes either during or after to help you remember specific
points or comments your interviewee makes.
Report your interview results in a coherent paper (about 3-4 pages)
which speaks to what you learned. Please
no scripts of questions and answers but summary comments about the interview
regarding both planned and unplanned questions.
Do include a list of the preplanned questions you designed somewhere
inside or attached to the paper. Introduce
your paper by describing the person and the setting briefly and close by
commenting on highlights of the interview experience. Paper should be 3-5 pages. Due Date:
4/24
Social Sciences
Write an Editorial for a publication you read. An
editorial is a short essay in a newspaper or magazine. The purpose of the editorial is usually to
express an opinion based on your observations and research. It differs in tone and length from letters to
the editor and feature articles. In this
assignment, you will choose a magazine or newspaper that you read regularly and
compose an editorial for that publication.
Choose a timely topic which the publication covers regularly and one
that sparks your interest. The topic of
your editorial should be something of importance to you. You do not have to pick a global topic such
as abortion or capital punishment (in fact I discourage it). Your topic can be something closer to home,
such as are women safe on campus? What
are the dating rituals on campus—who pays for what? Is there equity in collegiate sports at UCSB? If not, what responsibility should the
university take to ensure this? This is
a tiny list of possibilities is hopefully a mere springboard for you to find
your own topic. If you are having
trouble choosing a topic, please contact me.
Effective editorials come from the heart and the mind. Some students have mentioned that editorials
are “cop outs” for not having to present research. Make sure your editorial is not a cop-out. While footnotes are not necessary, you will
want to incorporate sources that will support your point and you will want to
give proper credit to those sources. The
number of sources is not critical. Just
make sure they are effective. Editorials
are written in a compelling and lively tone yet they present pertinent facts
and observations. As you plan your
paper, remember that you will be writing to an audience who reads this
publication. The more you can use the
lingo and relate to your audience, the more effective it will be. Draft due 5/1
Health Sciences
Compose and conduct a
survey (only for use in our class)
and report your results in a paper. This
survey is an attempt to gather information about health and gender. Choose a
topic. Isolate some particular goals for
your survey. Develop questions which
address your goal. Do you want open or
closed questions? Do you want to use a
Likert scale (1-5)? Write clear question
for your respondents. Report the results
in a 3-4 page paper which will include:
the purpose of your survey, a summary of the results, and
speculation/interpretation of your findings.
Include a copy of the survey with the tabulated results. Raw survey is due 5/17, paper 5/31
Cover Letter for Portfolio:
For your final
portfolio, I am asking that you spend some time reflecting on the work you have
done for the quarter. Please describe
your fairly recent experiences as a writer.
These need not be limited to our class.
In what ways, this quarter, have you been thinking about your writing
and reading, about yourself as a reader and writer?
Ways to begin: Look back through your work. What do you see there that interests
you? What patterns do you see?
Which areas of the
reading and writing have engaged you and which have given you the most grief,
and why do you think that is?
How have your ideas
for your drafts come about? How has it
changed through peer editing/my comments, etc?
Do you find overlap
between your writing assignments/activities for other courses you are taking
and assignments for this course? Do your
different college instructors seem to be emphasizing similar or not-so-similar
things about the nature of writing at the university level? If you are noticing differences, how are you
responding to and managing these different demands?
What are you
noticing about likeness and differences between your writing of drafts and your
daily and in-class writing? Are these
two areas of writing quite distinct for you, or do they tend to merge…and why,
do you think?
What do you consider
to be your strengths and your weaknesses as a wrier? Please give examples from your writing. How have you worked with difficult areas in
your writing? How has your sense of your
own abilities as a writer changed since you wrote your in-class piece the first
day of class?
What helps you write
well? You might consider the role of
these…
The subject or ideas you’re
exploring
The amount of time you have to write
Opportunities to revise your work
Classroom discussions and
activities; ideas from your classmates and me, etc.
This is to be in a letter format, addressed to me. This is not a class evaluation but rather an introspective look at you, your writing, and an understanding of your writing process.