There are three main objectives to this course:

1. Think Critically. Technically, I'm not here to teach you how to write—you already know how to do that or you wouldn't be in college. Instead, I'm here to teach you a particular kind of writing. Chances are that in high school you learned one kind of writing, perhaps a kind that valued intelligent and accurate summary or that stressed the formal control of a five-paragraph essay. One of the most important things to remember in this class is that you are learning a new kind of writing, one that focuses on critical thinking. After all, as you move on in your college career and out into the world, you won't be expected to write 5-6 page papers, but you will be expected (no matter the course, no matter the career) to be able to think critically. Thinking crtically involves certain skills, the very skills you will be learning in this class. Some of these skills include connective thinking (the ability to draw connections between seemingly disparate arguments), projects (the ability to articulate something you want to achieve in a paper), and action horizons (the ability to imagine yourself as a political actor in the world, recognizing the complexity of the problems our world faces and working towards solutions). For help on these skills, see the resources page.

2. Write Proficiently. You are expected to write clean prose—perhaps not beautiful prose and certainly not literary prose, but prose that is relatively free from error. Your papers should not have typographical errors, which only suggests carelessness. This is not my anal-rententivity; this is training for the professional world. You should also learn to recognize and avoid common grammatical errors (such as the misuse of the apostrophe) and, finally, you should be able to locate and correct your "patterns of error"—those errors you are prone to make again and again. The Writing Program takes error very seriously. If your writing continues to be filled with error by the end of the semester, you will not pass this class. In order to help you learn to write proficiently, we will use a number of strategies, including my comments on your written work, workshops in class, and oral presentations on common grammatical errors. For help on these issues, see the resources page.

3. Learn collaboratively. This is not like most classes you will have this semester. Our format is never based on lectures, nor are you expected to regurgitate facts from the readings. Rather, the class is founded on the idea that collaborative learning is inherently valuable. This, too, is a skill you will need in the professional world. We will often work in small groups, we will always explore the readings through discussion, and we will employ peer revision of our work. For help on these skills, see the resources page.

• The New Humanities Reader
• The Prentice Hall Reference Guide to Grammar and Usage

Please bring all texts to every class

• 30 pages of typed work (6 out-of-class essays).
• Three brief oral presentations in class, one on grammar.
• A final exam (in-class, essay format, graded pass/fail). You must pass the final exam to pass the course.
• All students must make 14 posts to the cross-section forum, 7 new threads and 7 substantive replies to existing threads.
• All rough and final drafts should be kept in a folder. I will collect this folder twice during the semester.

Please note that items in bold are Writing Program policies

• Rough and final drafts must be typed.
• Rough or final drafts will not be accepted by email without prior permission. When such permission is granted, papers will only be accepted in Word, WordPerfect, PDF, or Rich Text Format (RTF).
• Please turn off all cellphones during class.
• One half a letter grade on the final paper will be deducted for late rough drafts, one full letter grade for late final drafts. Grades are deducted per class that work is late.
• Your final grade for the course will reflect the level of achievement you can sustain at the end of the term. It will not be based on an average of all your grades.
• Students whose work exhibits significant punctuation, grammar, spelling, syntax, or other errors (generally, three or more errors per page) risk failing the course.
• Individual papers with three or more errors per page will be returned for revision before a grade is assigned. These papers will then be considered late and will be subject to appropriate grade reductions.
• After four absences you risk failing the course. These four absences should cover sickness and documented emergencies—that is, even “excused” absences count towards this total. Attendance at all classes is expected.
• Students must abide by the University’s code on plagiarism.
• All final grades are subject to departmental review.