introduction & goals ....................

1
texts & materials ........................... 2
assignments .................................. 2
grading ......................................... 3
class policies ................................. 3
resources & tutorial support........ 4
college policies ............................ 4
tentative schedule ...................... 5

EN102
section 1922 Winter 2015 M/W 4:30 - 6:00 pm 223 Cook Hall
Corinne Cozzaglio Cook Hall 508 ccozzagl@grcc.edu - (616) 723-7381

EN 102 will ask you to move beyond yourself. Rather than focusing on subjective writing as
you did in EN 100 or 101, in EN 102 we will write with the intent of investigating the world
around us and the thoughts of others in it in order to come to some (slightly more) objective
understanding. You will engage in writing to explain relationships, analyze images, evaluate
texts, and search for the cause of phenomena in the world.
However, just because we will attempt to be more objective in our writing does not mean
that you should be some disembodied head whose experiences are irrelevant. Academic
writing is not meant to be a solitary act, though it can feel that way. In this class, you are
each writers, and I want you to think of yourself as such. Every writer has room for
improvement, even the best. Writing well means practicing, getting feedback, pushing
yourself beyond where youve gone before, and choosing to write about things that are
meaningful to you and the world at large.
To this end, we will run class as a writing workshopsimilar to the types of writing workshops
professional writers pay thousands of dollars to attend. We will engage in sacred writing
time, and you will organize yourselves into writing groups to share advice as readers and
fellow writers. Expect to read and write extensively. Class time will be spent discussing
assigned readings, writing (of course!), and working together.

1. Through active engagement with the writing process (drafting, revising, finalizing, selfreflection, and self-assessment) students will learn to:
a. Write in a variety of forms/genres
b. Select and maintain an appropriate focus, voice (tone/style), and conventions
(grammar, usage, mechanics for the intended audience
c. Build meaning with substantive depth of development
d. Make intentional structural choices that enhance meaning
e. Implement objective writing that takes into account a variety of perspectives.
2. Through active reading of various genres students will learn to:
a. Analyze, evaluate, and appreciate the rhetorical strategies other writers use
b. Apply a variety of those strategies in their own writing
c. Develop a greater sensitivity to words, their connotations, and their effects

3. Through formal writing students will learn to implement critical thinking and sound
research skills to:
a. Evaluate research sources using a variety of criteria
b. Demonstrate proper MLA formatting, citation, and documentation
c. Integrate voice/style with research
d. Synthesize new ideas and make powerful, innovative connections
4. As a demonstration of their learning, students will produce a minimum of 4 finalized
essays, including 1 research paper of 4-5 pages minimum.

For this class you will need:

The Composition of Everyday Life (CEL), brief 4th ed. (Eds. Mauk/Metz)
Some way to stay organized, both digitally and in RL
Enough 2-pocket folders with 3-hole fasteners to turn in portfolios + for Sacred Writing
Always come to class ready to write with college-ruled paper and a pen(cil).

During the semester, we will work our way through four portfolios. Each portfolio will have one
larger essay focused around a specific chapter from CEL, along with two shorter pieces on
related topics. A general idea of the project breakdowns can be seen below. (NB: these are
brief overviews & tentative dates, official assignments will be provided in class.)

Portfolio 1 (150)

Explaining Relationships essay

Personal Declaration of Independence
Something else
Author Letter + Final Drafts

w3
w2
w3
w4

100
20
20
10

Portfolio 2 (150)

Analyzing Images essay

Magazine Image Audit
Response to Killing Us Softly
Author Letter + Final Drafts

w6
w5
w6
w7

100
25
15
10

Portfolio 3 (200)

Evaluating (a Text) essay

Sporking
RAIDS analysis of a review
Author Letter + Final Drafts

w9
w8
w9
w 10

100
70
20
10

Portfolio 4 (200)

Searching for Causes essay

Annotated Bib
Interview
Author Letter + Final Drafts

w 13
w 12
w 14
w 14

100
60
30
10

Sacred Writing

Journals (40 pgs x 2 pts)

Sacred Writing Invitation

TBD
TBD

80
20

Intros & Exits

Craigs List Ad Introduction

Final Reflection Letter

w1
w 15

25
25

Participation

Attendance & Participation

Weekly

150

points

** Your final grade is made up of 1000

points, but final grades are posted as
letters, and your transcript will reflect
GPA grades. You can see the pointpercent-letter-gpa breakdown at right.

1000 930
929 900
899 870
869 830
829 800
799 770
769 730
729 700
699 670
669 630
629 600
<600

percentage
> 93%
92.9 90
89.9 87
86.9 83
82.9 80
79.9 77
76.9 73
72.9 70
69.9 67
66.9 63
62.9 60
< 60%

letter

gpa

A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DE

4.0
3.67
3.33
3.0
2.67
2.33
2.0
1.67
1.33
1.0
0.67
0.0

Writing workshop doesnt work without writers. The opportunity to write and participate in
class is as much a part of the learning process as turning in papers. Participation is
A B S O L U T E L Y E S S E N T I A L . Come to class prepared to discuss readings, the topics/chapters
at hand, and your writing. Plan to express your ideas, frustrations, questions, confusions, etc.,
even if youre not able to articulate them without some hesitationsometimes ambivalent or
ambiguous remarks spark the liveliest discussions.
Plan for catastrophesave absences until absolutely necessary. If you are absent, you miss
valuable time with your writing group and will have difficulty keeping up with the work. You
are still responsible for obtaining notes and completing work you miss.

As a department, weve agreed to adhere to a definition of plagiarism & share it with our
students. In the spirit of transparency, heres the GRCC English Depts Plagiarism statement:
When you submit work as your own but that work in any way borrows ideas, organization,
wording or anything else from another source without appropriate acknowledgment of
the source, you are guilty of plagiarism. Copy or resubmitting your own work from another
assignment is self-plagiarism and not acceptable. Unless an assignment has been given as
collaborative homework, all of the work you turn in must be your own. If the work is
collaborative, the names of all participants must be on it.
In this class, the consequences for plagiarism are:
a zero on any assignment that is plagiarized
failing the course for plagiarism on any subsequent assignment
For the record, I will happily help you avoid plagiarism by answering questions and pointing
you towards resource that will help you properly cite sources.

Deadlines are a fact of life in any profession. As this is your second composition course, and
you are now a professional student, I expect that you have both learned to manage your
own schedule and that you will take our deadlines seriously. Therefore, I will accept only one
portfolio late, which can only be a maximum of one week late and will be docked 15%. Any
other assignments turned in late will be given a zero. No exceptions.
All portfolios must be turned in on the due date at the start of class. If you have to miss on a
deadline, email me these assignments before class starts, and it will not be considered late. It
should still be turned in as a hard copy during our next class. If it is turned in or emailed to me
after class starts, it will become your one allowed late portfolio and be docked 15%.

Always email me if you will miss class; also, feel free to email with any questions or concerns.
Im here to help, and email is a main means of communication in our digital world, so it is
important to use this tool. When you e-mail me, include a subject line and sign the message.
Also, GRCCs spam filters are very strong, so please use your student email. Ill reply to e-mails
within 48 hours; if you don't get a reply by then, resend it.

The Language Arts Lab in 501 Cook can help you at any stage of the writing process on any
piece of writing. They do ask that you bring the assignment sheet, so they can help you meet
the requirements Ive given you. Most tutoring sessions last approximately 30 minutes and
occur on a drop-in basis, so you dont need to make an appointment. Be aware of busy
times. Try to go first thing in the morning or in the late afternoon/evening.

Students with disabilities who wish to request accommodations must be registered with the
Disability Support Services Office (DSS) in Room 368 of the Student Center. Contact DSS at
(616) 234-4140 for more information. Once you are registered with DSS, you will receive an
Accommodations Agreement to present to me to verify your registration. Please see me as
soon as possible so we can have a private conversation to discuss accommodations.

This class uses Blackboard (http://bb.grcc.edu). You may use Bb to access assignments,
download or print course materials, and check your grades. The IT Customer Support Team
can assist with Bb, password resets, Novell and student e-mail accounts. Hours and other
helpful information is at http://www.grcc.edu/itsupport/students.

Students are responsible for all communications sent via Blackboard and to their GRCC
email account. GRCC student email can be accessed through the student email portal
(http://email.grcc.edu) and Blackboard at http://bb.grcc.edu

All GRCC students are held accountable to the Student Code of Conduct, which outlines
expectations pertaining to academic honesty (including cheating & plagiarism), classroom
conduct, and general conduct. The Code can be found in full on the GRCC website:
http://cms.grcc.edu/studentconduct/studentcodeofconduct.

I reserve the right to change this syllabus due to unforeseen circumstances. Students will be
given notice of relevant changes in class, through Blackboard, or via GRCC e-mail.