General Policies

1. All essays must be word processed and must be in the format found in this MS Word template.
2. Credit may be lost if you do not follow the instructions on each assignment. Because these are written out on each assignment, please do not ask me for information about an assignment unless you have read it and still don't understand something.
3. Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date. I do not accept assignments via email.
4. First drafts of essays will be accepted after the due date, and I will return them with comments, but you will lose an automatic 3% from your grade. Three of your essays will be reviewed by your classmates - if you fail to bring your draft to the peer review class, you will also lose half the credit for that peer review. Peer reviews cannot be made up.
5. Final drafts of the first four essays will lose 1% per day for each day they are late (I don't count weekend days).
6. The final draft of the argumentation/research essay will receive 5% per day deduction for lateness (I do count weekend days for this essay).
7. First drafts must be turned in with all grammar logs.
8. First drafts must be turned in with all final drafts.
9. Save ALL of your assignments, drafts, reading journals, and grammar logs.

Ad Analysis Essay (5%)
650 words - (approximately 2 pages)

Narrative/Descriptive Essay (5%)
650 words - (approximately 2 pages)

Compare and Contrast Essay (15%)
1000 words.

Truman Essay (15%)
1000 words.

Research Essay (20%)
For this essay you will be required to conduct research on a controversial topic and present a documented argument supporting one view on the argument. 1500 words.

Peer Reviews (10%)
Several times during the course you will be working together with classmates to read and comment on one another's essays. You will be given a form to use to help you analyze essays. You will also be required to complete a form evaluating your own essay. Credit for peer reviews is given if you 1) attend class on the day of the review 2) give peer review forms and feedback to your classmates and  3) turn in a review form for your own essay. Peer reviews cannot be made up if you miss class.

Reading Response Journal (10%)
The reading journal consists of written responses to reading assignments  from the course textbook, The Norton Sampler.  Your responses should consist of personal reflections on the readings. I do not want to read summaries of the contents: remember, I have read all the readings and I know what they are about. There a several purposes for the response journal: 1) it insures that everyone in the class does the reading every day, which makes for better discussion; 2) it keeps you writing on a regular basis; 3) it provides you with examples of good writing techniques and styles; and 4) some essays may actually inspire you to think about ideas you haven't considered. It is perfectly fine for you to express dislike about an essay you read, but your response should have some content to it: for example, point to specific things you like or dislike, agree or disagree with and explain why. Your response might also consist of thoughts and ideas the essay inspired in you. You will also find questions at the end of most essays which can be used as jumping off places for your reading responses. There is no right or wrong way to respond to something you've read, so long as there's evidence you put some thought into your reading and your response.

Your reading responses will be
1) word processed with your name and the title of the essay on the top of the page
2) at least 150 words in length
3) written using complete sentences and proper grammar and punctuation
4) collected every day
5) accepted ONLY on the day they are due. Late responses are not accepted.

I will not be grading your responses, though I may write comments. You will get full credit so long as you turn all of them in and turn them in on time.

Grammar Log (10%)
Learning to recognize grammar (and mechanical) errors and knowing how to correct them is an important part of the writing process. "Teaching" grammar in class is largely ineffective. The best way for you to learn what your specific grammar and mechanical problems are is to find and correct them yourself. Consequently you will be keeping a log in which you identify the errors, count how many times you've made the error, then write/revise the sentence to read correctly. I will mark the first occurrence of each error in each essay, then you will be required to go through the essay and find the other instances. More details will be available on the grammar log sheet handout I will give you.

Final Exam (10%)
The exam will consist of a short in-class essay and questions covering grammar, punctuation, and rhetorical techniques covered in the class.