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Sample Syllabus

Welcome to College Writing!

One of the most important things you will ever learn to do is to write papers. You will have to write papers no matter what your major. Once you are out of school, you are likely to still be required to know how to write. WIU promises that all students will have the opportunity to develop these essential writing abilities during their time here. This course is one of several designed to do just that. This course will use personal writings and interests as a route into public academic writing. As such, the paper topics will be based on your interests and concerns. You will learn to develop them into a number of specific formats. Each of these papers build on the ones before it, so each paper is more challenging, and more important, than the papers that came before. As such, I promise you will always have your papers returned, with feedback, before your next paper is due.

Required texts:

Policies:

  1. Attendance is required. You cannot pass this class if you miss more than 5 meetings for any reason.
  2. You must pay frequent attention to the above website. All handouts and assignments will appear there, as will news pertinent to the course.
  3. All writing assignments are to be word processed. Papers are due at the start of class. LATE PAPERS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. If you do not have a paper the day it is due, you receive a 0 on that assignment. If you expect to be absent on the date a paper is due, it is YOUR responsibility to get that paper to me on or before the due date. DO NOT put the paper in my mailbox.
  4. In order to pass this course, you must receive a grade of C- or better on EVERY paper. A lower score will necessitate a rewrite, for which you can only gain a C-.
  5. Rewrite: You are allowed one rewrite during the semester, of any paper except the final. Rewrites can only help you: the better grade will be recorded. Rewrites are due one week after the original paper is returned. A paper that was handed in late can be 'rewritten' for half credit. All rewrites are due ONE WEEK from when the paper is returned to you.
  6. Participation in group and whole class discussions is vital, and will form part of your overall grade.
  7. Tardiness: If you are more than 10 minutes late, you have missed the class. Please be courteous enough not to interrupt those who arrived on time.
  8. Cell phones: As per WIU policy, all cell phones must be turned off before coming into class. In case of emergency (dying parent, etc), inform me ahead of time, and put the phone on vibrate. If there is a call, please leave class for the day before answering it. No texting in class, under any circumstances.
  9. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the willing or unwilling attempt to pass of the work of another as your own. It is plagiarism to copy an essay from the internet, and it is plagiarism to have your room mate write a paper for you. It is also plagiarism to use a paper in one class that you wrote for another without the express permission of both instructors. Any instance of plagiarism will result in a failure of the assignment. Plagiarizing a major paper will also result in failing the course. More to the point, everything else that I can do, up to and including your expulsion, I will do. If you are unsure whether or not you are plagiarizing, give credit just to be safe. To illustrate this situation, I have given credit to a professor for the introductory paragraph at the start of this syllabus, though I do not believe that I would be plagiarizing if I did not. I am being careful, and you should too. Better to attribute something unnecessarily than forget to.

Student rights and responsibilities: See http://www.wiu.edu/provost/student/

*The introductory paragraph of this syllabus is partially paraphrased from a similar syllabus created by Dr. Alice Robertson, who has my thanks.

Grading process

Grading scale:

Extra Credit: There are two ways to gain extra credit. Regardless of how well you are doing, it is always, as a rule of thumb, wise to take extra credit. The first way to get extra credit is to hand in all papers on time and save your coupon for the end of the semester. The second way to gain extra credit is with additional drafts. When handing in a paper (other than the in-class essay), every additional edited draft is worth 2 additional points, to a maximum of 3 additional drafts (6 additional points). In order to get this credit, you must have edited based on that draft and the draft must have the editor's comments and signature written on it.

"In accordance with University policy and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), academic accommodations may be made for any student who notifies the instructor of the need for an accommodation. It is imperative that you take the initiative to bring such needs to the instructor's attention, as he/she is not legally permitted to inquire about such particular needs of students. Students who may require special assistance in emergency evacuations (i.e. fire, tornado, etc.) should contact the instructor as to the most appropriate procedures to follow in such an emergency. Contact Disability Support Services at 298-2512 for additional services."

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