Lee Gould Fall, 2002
Office hours: Van Meter 107, 5:00 – 6:15 p.m. TTH and by appointment
Telephone: 410-825-7458 (h), 410-337-6216 (w)
gould8@juno.com or lgould@goucher.edu
Welcome to English 201! This course will help you write college-level, research-based essays; your writing will be evaluated for College Writing Proficiency. The course focuses on various types of source-based writing that emphasize independent research. The theme “Exploring Your Major” allows you to work in the area that interests you; your writing will tie in with what you are doing in your major area of study. You will be reporting your findings as a novice in your profession: as one gaining authority as a writer and as a working member of your field.
The course will operate as a workshop in which you write, discuss and revise. Short informal exploratory papers will help you understand the relationship between thinking and writing; formal papers will rely upon interviews as well as written sources. In regular conferences with me (one-half hour every other week), you will have the opportunity to work on your writing style. This conference replaces one class session. As part of our emphasis on style and revision, grammar, sentence structure and diction will be discussed as necessary.
Policies: Attendance is crucial. Come to every class. Arrive on time. Keep up with readings and writing assignments. Absences in excess of three will be penalized 1/3 of a grade point or 3.3 points. Attendance at conferences are mandatory and considered part of your attendance.
Copy: All copy for peer review and conferences must be typed. Drafts must include Works Cited page. Bring the required number of copies to class. You may not participate if you arrive unprepared.
Assignments: You will write one-page exploratory essays, process papers, two different kinds of drafts, and research papers. The research papers average 8 pages. Occasional announced quizzes are also given.
All final research papers are to be accompanied by copies of drafts and notes; in addition, photocopies of source materials from sources other than our data bases must be submitted. Papers are due within the first ten minutes of class. Late papers are penalized five points for each day (including week-ends) late.
E-mail submissions: In general, email submissions are not accepted. However, exploratory papers due when you must be absent from class may be submitted as long as they are sent by the time the class is scheduled to meet. Drafts, under unusual circumstances and with permission obtained in advance, may be submitted by email. No final copy can ever be submitted by email.
Folders: Hand in your first paper with notes and drafts in a folder; keep all of your work in that folder.
College Writing Proficiency: Students whose work shows mastery of the skills indicated on the Writing Proficiency Criteria (attached) will receive CWP.
Plagiarism: The goal of English 201 is to help you become the authority, the owner and developer of your intellectual property. Thus you will want to separate the ideas of others from those you develop. The ownership of intellectual property, both the ideas and the language in which these ideas are expressed, is an important issue that we will be concerned with all semester. Whenever you use another’s ideas, words, or style and give the impression that these are your ideas, words, or style, you are guilty of plagiarism. You also take away from your own authority. Your challenge and your responsibility is to report your findings in your own voice and point of view, and, at the same time, develop your arguments by interpreting and emphasizing the work of others. In the process, you will use material created by others. In English 201, you will credit the sources of these words and ideas completely and correctly. Full documentation in the correct style of your chosen field is a vital component of good research and a requirement of this course.