Syllabus for 10208

1. Syllabus English 102-08 Spring 2019
Introduction to College Writing
Instructor: Johanna Tollefson
Email: jtollefson@uidaho.edu
Office: Brink 101
Phone: 208-885-6156 (leave a voicemail with your name and my name; do not text this number)
Office Hours: Tuesday Thursday 1:00- 2:30
Course time & place: 11:30pm-12:20pm, MWF, TLC 247
COURSE GOALS & LEARNING OUTCOMES
English 102 is an introductory composition course that focuses on applied principles of expository and
argumentative essay writing, including summaries, critiques, and syntheses of texts, and the research essay.
Emphasis is placed on clear, concise, and vigorous prose.
1. Demonstrate awareness and application of rhetorical strategies in the writing produced by others
and yourself.
• How writers use rhetoric:
o Comprehend college-level and professional prose and analyze how authors present their
ideas in view of their probable purposes, audiences, genres, modalities.
• Use rhetoric yourself:
o Accurately assess and effectively respond to a wide variety of audiences and rhetorical
situations and articulate your rhetorical purpose for writing, who you are writing for, what
you are saying, and how you’ve decided to present it (genre and modality).
o Use evidence for a rhetorical purpose in writing a research paper.
2. Apply effective research skills appropriate for your rhetorical purpose.
• Locate, evaluate, organize, and use research material collected from a variety of sources, including,
but not limited to the following:
o scholarly library databases;
o other official databases (e.g., federal government databases);
o informal electronic networks and internet sources;
o print and online books and journals;
o and primary sources.
• Use evidence appropriately according to the rhetorical situation (e.g. paraphrase, summary, quote,
attributive tags, in-text citation, etc.).
• Correctly cite and document source material according to a current style manual.
3. Demonstrate critical thinking.
• Productively incorporate a variety of perspectives when considering or composing an argument.
• Present ideas as related to, but clearly distinguished from, the ideas of others.
• Write critical analyses and syntheses of college-level and professional prose.
4. Demonstrate your understanding that writing is a process.
• Apply a variety of strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proofreading.
• Revise your writing using additional invention and re-thinking after initial draft is produced.
• Give and receive constructive feedback from peers.
5. Compose arguments that meet college-level expectations for academic compositions.
• Compose a focused claim supported with logical and clear reasons and evidence.
• Synthesize arguments made by other rhetors to develop and support your own claim.

2. • Apply current citation rules in situations like paraphrasing, summarizing, citing and documenting
borrowed material.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
Nicotra, Jodie. Becoming Rhetorical. ISBN 1-305-95677-X
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Unit Writing Projects. There will be four “major” writing projects:
• Unit 1: Discovering your Topic exploratory essay
• Unit 2: Opposition essay
• Unit 3: Annotated Bibliography
• Unit 4: Multimodal/media research project
Journals. At the beginning of the semester, each student will submit their favorite song to a list. Every Friday,
a song journal entry is required. Pick a song from the list and follow the journal prompts- basically, listen,
answer questions, and submit. They are private entries, but at some points in the semester, I will ask for in-class
discussions about your findings.
Library Week. Week 8, Oct. 7th
-11th
, is Library week. Class will be held in the library and taught by a librarian.
More info on this will be discussed in class prior to week 8.
GRADING BREAKDOWN
You will receive scores on all four major essays, which will be turned in portfolio style: including every draft
of the assignment. Individual drafts will not be submitted for grading. All of these scores will be posted on
BbLearn under the MY GRADES link (on the left side).
Journals will be submitted electronically on bbLearn. Twelve entries are required, and they will also count
towards participation. Journals can be used to bring up participation and attendance points with two extra,
excellent, journals being considered to erase one absence, up to two absences. (12 required, up to 16 can be
submitted).
Library week is graded by the librarian. There are a few short quizzes and assignments found in the Library
Week module on bbLearn.
Unit 4 Assignment- 45points
Unit 3 Assignment- 40 points
Unit 2 Assignment- 30 points
Unit 1 Assignment- 30 points
Journals -15 points
Library Week- 40 points
-200 points possible
More Extra Credit Opportunities. In November, Tommy Orange, the author of There There, the supplementary
text used for this course, will be on campus as the U of Idaho Fall ‘19 Distinguished Vising Writer. Extra credit,
up to 15 points, can be awarded for attending his talks with short essay responses. More info coming.

3. COURSE WEBSITE
All work will be submitted through the course BbLearn site unless otherwise stated. All assignment sheets and
other course materials will also be posted on the BbLearn site. Log on into BbLearn
(http://bblearn.uidaho.edu) using your University of Idaho NetID and password and locate English 101.
COURSE POLICIES
Attendance. Attendance in English 102 is mandatory. Being present in class is the key to success in the course.
Compiling more than six unexcused absences is grounds for failure of the course. An excused absence is an
official note specifying the days and reasons you were required to miss class. Excused absences must be in
writing from an official such as a doctor or a university instructor or administrator (in the event of athletic
events or field trips). You are responsible for making up work you miss due to absences.
Attendance means being physically present, awake, coherent, and fully prepared for class, with the day’s
assignments completed. It means being respectful with your technology. If you do not meet all of these
conditions, you can be marked absent for the day. You are responsible for making up work that you miss.
Classroom citizenship. The classroom is a learning community. Be respectful of your fellow students and your
instructor. If you have a problem with anything in the course, speak to me about it privately after class or meet
me during my office hours. Disruptive behavior during class may result in expulsion from a class meeting or
the entire course.
Email etiquette. I welcome your emails and questions – if you have questions about the course, your work,
meeting times, etc., please contact me at the address listed above or on the BbLearn home page. Generally, you
can expect a response during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 8 AM-5 PM).
Deadlines. The due dates for all homework assignments and drafts are posted on the schedule on the course
BbLearn site. Late work will not be accepted without prior arrangement.
Original Writing. All work for this class must be written for this class. Reusing an assignment you completed
for another class, or back in high school, constitutes academic dishonesty.
Academic Dishonesty. Academic dishonesty, including inappropriate collaboration, will not be tolerated in this
course. There are severe sanctions for cheating, plagiarizing, and any other form of dishonesty to include
suspension or expulsion from the UI. Please read the document labeled “Statement on Plagiarism” on our
BbLearn site for more information on plagiarism.
The public nature of class writing and discussion. Please consider every piece of writing you do for this class
to be “public property.” Part of becoming a good writer is learning to appreciate the ideas and criticisms of
others, and in this course our purpose is to come together as a writing community. Remember that you will
often be expected to share your writing with others, so avoid writing about things that you may not be prepared
to subject to public scrutiny, or things that you feel so strongly about that you are unwilling to listen to
perspectives other than your own. This does not mean that you are not entitled to an opinion, but that you adopt
positions responsibly, contemplating the possible effect on others.
Center for Disability Access and Resources Reasonable Accommodations Statement
Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have documented temporary or permanent
disabilities. All accommodations must be approved through the Center for Disability Access and Resources

4. located in the Bruce M. Pitman Center, Suite 127 in order to notify your instructor(s) as soon as possible
regarding accommodation(s) needed for the course.
Center for Disability Access and Resources
Phone: 208-885-6307
Email: cdar@uidaho.edu
Web: http://www.uidaho.edu/current-students/cdar
UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO CLASSROOM LEARNING CIVILITY CLAUSE
In any environment in which people gather to learn, it is essential that all members feel as free and safe as
possible in their participation. To this end, it is expected that everyone in this course will be treated with mutual
respect and civility, with an understanding that all of us (students, instructors, professors, guests, and teaching
assistants) will be respectful and civil to one another in discussion, in action, in teaching, and in learning.
Should you feel our classroom interactions do not reflect an environment of civility and respect, you are
encouraged to meet with your instructor during office hours to discuss your concern. Additional resources for
expression of concern or requesting support include the Dean of Students office and staff (208-885-6757), the
UI Counseling & Testing Center’s confidential services (208-885-6716), or the UI Office of Human Rights,
Access, & Inclusion (208-885-4285).