Instructor: Megan Lucchesi CRN # 10063

Email: lucchem@wwu.edu

11:30-12:50, Wednesday & Friday HU 109 ; Monday  HU 104

Office Hours: HU 377 Monday 1:00-2:00 & Thursday 12:00-1:00 and by appointment

 

Welcome to English 101 Throughout the span of this quarter you will be creating unique projects that are in response to your own personal research and critical reading. Leave your preconceived notions of English 101 at the door—for we will be pushing ourselves as analytical readers, writers, and thinkers in many non-traditional ways.

So, what does this mean for you? In this class your will:

• Learn to view writing not as a one-time activity, but a PROCESS.
• Develop the skills of brainstorming, group collaborating, outline writing, peer reviewing, revising, and editing
• Engage with texts that range from traditional academic articles, to web publications and multimedia pieces
• Gain an understanding for the complexities of literacy by exploring different mediums and genres
• Learn how rhetoric is used to create meaning and influence in written, spoken and visual texts through projects that push us to span multiple genres, mediums and disciplines.

This is not a course that will teach an established set of rules for “correct writing.” Instead, students learn that writing is a multi-stage process of meaning-making, and a means of achieving rhetorical exchange between writers and audiences. The texts you encounter in this course are diverse. You will read texts both in print and digital media. You will compose and create in both traditional and multimedia formats. You will become familiar with, and explore a wide range of genres relevant to contemporary academic and professional life. The purpose of this? You will investigate what literacy means.

Together we will develop tools necessary to ask complex and intriguing questions leading to original research that has a real-world value. This quarter you will experience how student writing can really matter.

Required Materials

There are no required textbooks for this class. We will instead be engaging with various downloadable readings and web videos—all of which will be available to you on Canvas. I DO require:

• Physical or digital copy of class reading materials
• Pencils and/or pens
• Journal or lined notebook paper
• A composition or ringed notebook that is exclusively for this class

Grading

All English 101 classes use contract grading. This means as long as you sufficiently complete all requirements of the course, and attend class you are guaranteed a C. All students start at a C, and have equal opportunity to either lower or raise that grade. As long as all requirements are met, you will earn a C.

Requirements Include:

• Turning in all major projects on time, and in the proper formatting described in the project’s rubric
• Consistent engagement in class through quizzes, discussions, group activities, and writing exercises
• Attending all assignment workshops
• Attending all class sessions

Optional Opportunities to Raise Your Grade:

• Extension Projects
  • I reserve the right to send back Extension Projects, and ask for revision and resubmission if I deem that there was not enough thought and effort put into the project
• Excellence Points
  • These can be given on any formal project, and are defined as when a student goes above and beyond the requirements of the assignment

The contract does not focus on the critique of writing quality. The contract’s core value is labor— how much time and work you put into the class. Writing is a process, and takes work. This contract is designed to foster this the type of work ethic needed to grow as a writer. Further explanation of our grading contract can be found on the Grading Contract Handout in given to you and on Canvas.

Class Climate

First and foremost we are a community of writers. Writing is a personal exercise by nature. In order for all of us to feel comfortable and safe in the classroom, I am committed to fostering an inclusive space where all students feel they and their ideas are respected. While conflict and debate is an essential part of an academic environment, that does not mean we stop treating people in a civil and gracious manner. All discussions will be approached with an open mind, and any hate speech will not be tolerated . This is an exciting opportunity for you to connect with your fellow classmates through peer reviews, group collaboration, and discussions— I for one am extremely excited to learn from the work you produce in this space. If you feel at any time that any one of us is not fostering a positive and welcoming classroom environment, then please contact me.

Project List & Deadlines

Project 1: Literacy Sponsorship Narrative…WS Draft due BEFORE CLASS 1/16, FINAL Draft due ON WORDPRESS BY 11:59pm 1/17

Project 2: Partner Literacy Collage…WS Draft due BEFORE CLASS 1/23, FINAL Draft due ON WORDPRESS BY 11:59pm 1/25

Project 3: Pre-proposal Letter…NO WORKSHOP, FINAL Draft due VIA EMAIL BY 11:59pm 1/30

Project 4: Research Proposal…WS Draft due BEFORE CLASS  2/6, 90 SECOND PITCH due via YOUTUBE AND CANVAS 2/8, FINAL Draft due ON CANVAS BY 11:59pm 2/10

Project 5: Research Update I …NO WORKSHOP, FINAL Draft due ON RESEARCH WORDPRESS BY 11:59pm 2/15

Project 6: Partner Research Poster…FIRST Draft of TEXT due IN CLASS 2/20 SECOND Draft of FINISHED POSTER due BEFORE class 2/22, FINAL Draft due ON RESEARCH WORDPRESS BY 11:59pm 2/25

Project 7: Research Update II… NO WORKSHOP, FINAL Draft due on RESEARCH WORDPRESS BY 11:59pm 3/2

Project 8: Author Statement…WS Draft due IN CLASS 3/13, FINAL Draft due ON WORDPRESS BY 11:59 3/14

Project 9: Research Webtext…

• Draft of your home page and pages covering the homepage, scholarship summary, data finding, list of sources  due BEFORE CLASS 3/11
• Draft of pages covering analysis of data, conclusion and importance  IN CLASS 3/13
• FINAL Draft (link)  of your webtext due ON  CLASS WORDPRESS BY 11:59 pm 3/15

 

Homework Schedule  

HW: 1/9

 

• Letter to Me

• Watch YouTube videos by Cynthia Selfe

• Read 2 narratives from the Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives*

• Complete worksheet Annotating Digital Literacy Narratives

 

HW: 1/11

 

• Complete the literacy timeline

• Read Brandt “Sponsors of Literacy” up to “Sponsorship and the rise of literacy standards”

• Fill out Says/Does outline for this section of Brandt’s essay

 

 

2

HW: 1/14

 

• Install Read & Write and use it to read Brandt’s “Sponsors of Literacy” to the end

• Bring rough draft of Project 1

• Workshop drafts submitted to Canvas before class starts

 

 

HW: 1/16

 

• Project 1 DUE at 11:59 THURSDAY

 

HW:1/18

 

• Bring draft of collage and design reflection for workshop (final due Friday)

• Read CRAP slides from Canvas

• Watch CRAP video from YouTube

 

 

3

MLK DAY NO CLASS

 

HW: 1/23

 

• Watch YouTube video “Theory vs Thesis”

• Project 2 due to WordPress Friday night

• Submit extra blog post for Project 1 excellence point tonight

• Extension Projects A and B due Friday night

 

HW: 1/25

 

• Take the Writing Habits Questionnaire

• Read an article from Young Scholars in Writing and fill out analysis worksheet

• Project 2 due tonight

• Unit 1 Extension Projects due tonight

 

 

 

4

HW: 1/28

 

• Read “Topics to Questions”

• Write 3 draft research questions on index cards

 

 

HW: 1/30

 

• Send Project 3 Pre-proposal email

• Bring a printed copy to class

• Watch Quant/Qual research video on YouTube

 

 

HW: 2/1

 

• Find, print, read, and bring 2 relevant scholarly sources related to proposed research topic

 

5

HW: 2/4

 

• Bring rough draft of full research proposal (minus data-gathering documents)

 

 

HW: 2/6

 

• Post 90-second video to YouTube and imbed as well on class WordPress blog

 

 

HW: 2/8

 

• Submit Project 4

• Submit request for participants through Google form

• Look at the example student webtexts and write a post for the class WordPress blog explaining which example Webtext you liked the best and why (150 words min)

 

 

6

HW: 2/11

 

• Read Collin Purrington’s guide to research poster design. Be prepared to discuss the following sections:

 

“Designing Conference Posters” ”Why give a poster instead of a talk” “Motivational advice” “What to put in each section”

HW: 2/13

 

• Project 5 due Friday night

 

• • Each students posts 2 blog posts to their group’s WordPress site
  • Then one group member posts to the CLASS WordPress blog providing a link to their group’s website.

 

• Unit2 Extension Projects will be due next Wednesday

 

 

HW: 2/15

 

• Project 5 due tonight

• Bring full draft of Project 6 poster text

 

7

President’s Day NO CLASS

HW: 2/20

 

• Bring full poster design for workshop

• Bring large printed draft (11×17) or

• Bring it on a laptop if not in lab

• Unit 2 extensions C and D due tonight

 

HW: 2/22

 

• Bring a digital version of your poster on a USB

• Prepare a 2-3 minute presentation for the class about your poster, and be prepared to answer questions

 

 

8

HW: 2/25

 

• Research poster due by 11:59 tonight

 

 

HW: 2/27

 

• Kairos reading and worksheet

• Bring rough draft of project 7

 

 

HW: 3/1

 

• Bring part 1 of the Webtext text

• Project 7 due Saturday

 

 

9

HW: 3/4

 

• Draft Section 2 of Webtext

• Unit 3 Extension projects E and F due on Wednesday

 

 

HW: 3/6

 

• Accessibility course completion and Accessibility audit worksheet due Thursday night

• Unit 3 extension projects E and F due tonight

 

 

HW: 3/8

POSTER SHOWCASE!!!

 

10

HW: 3/11

 

• Author Statement workshop draft

 

HW: 3/13

 

• Author statement due at midnight tonight

• Webtext and project summary due at midnight Friday

 

 

HW: 3/15