Course Description: A course devoted to improving the student's writing and critical reading. Writing  essays for a variety of purposes from personal to academic, including the introduction to argumentation, critical analysis, and the use of sources. The class experience consists of a combination of lectures, discussions, peer reviews, student presentations, and in-class exercises. Students will complete extensive writing and reading assignments to develop clear, effective communication of ideas in writing.

Learning Objectives: Through a sequence of reading, writing, and workshop exercises, you will:

• become familiar with the composing process and learn to adjust it to accomplish various writing tasks
• develop analytical reading and critical thinking skills
• develop expository and argumentative writing skills
• show mastery of sentence structure and mechanics, avoiding serious grammatical errors by using revision and editing strategies 
• conduct research including critical reading, use of library resources, evaluation and synthesis of divergent views, and use MLA citation methods
• use collaborative learning in various contexts

Basic Communication (BC2) - SUNY GE Learning Outcomes: Students will produce coherent texts within common college-level written forms; demonstrate the ability to revise and improve such texts; research a topic, develop an argument, and organize supporting details; develop proficiency in oral discourse; and evaluate an oral presentation according to established criteria.

Required Texts with Accompanying Websites:

• Cooley, Thomas. The Norton Sampler. 6th ed. Norton Sampler web site.
• Hacker, Diana. A Writer's Reference. 5th ed.
  Writer's Reference web site

General Requirements:

Attendance: You are expected to be in class. Attendance sheets will be passed every class - make sure you sign it. If you miss more than two classes (the equivalent of 3 class periods) your grade may be lowered. If you have a legitimate emergency, please contact me as soon as possible, and be prepared to provide some material evidence of the emergency. If you know you are going to miss a class, it is your responsibility to contact me before class (preferably via telephone).

Tardiness: If you arrive late it is up to you to make sure you sign the attendance sheet. It is up to you to see that I receive an assignment on time, even if you are unable to be in class. It is also up to you to find out what the assignment is for the next class if you do miss a class. Assignment and due dates will always be available on the class web site, so there is no excuse for not knowing that something is due.

Individual Conferences: Once during the semester class will be canceled and I will be meeting with each of you individually to discuss your writing and assist you with essays that you are working on at the time. Although there are no grade points associated with these individual conferences, missing one will count as two regular class absences. It is during these private meetings that I can be of the most assistance to you personally, so they are extremely important.

Late Assignments: Late assignments will receive a lower grade than those received on time. See the specific policies on the Assignments page. All due dates are printed on the assignments and will be available on the class web site. I will try to remind you prior to the due date of each assignment when it needs to be handed in; however, if I occasionally forget, it remains your responsibility to be aware of the due date, and you will still be subject to loss of credit.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
"All individuals who are diagnosed with a disability are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As such, you may be entitled to certain accommodations within this class. If you are diagnosed with a disability, please make an appointment to meet with Student Disability Services (SDS), 209 Alumni Hall, ext. 2137." See the Americans with Disabilities Policy. I will make every effort to accommodate your needs: please be sure to communicate with me regarding any special needs you may have.

In-Class Behavior: Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. This includes beepers, cellular phones and personal conversations that distract the class. Anyone disrupting the class will be told to leave. Arriving late is also disruptive, so out of respect for others please be on time. Sharing one's work and ideas in class is never easy, but it is certainly worthwhile. I expect you to treat your classmates and their work with utmost, unflagging respect. Anything short of that will not be tolerated.

Plagiarism: "Plagiarism means using another's work without giving credit. You must put others' words in quotation marks and cite your source(s) and must give citations when using others' ideas, even if those ideas are paraphrased in your own words." Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001 The Regents of the University of California. At SUNY College at Oneonta plagiarizing can result in no credit for the assignment in which plagiarism occurred, a failing grade for the course, or, potentially, dismissal from the college. For a guide to plagiarism see Avoiding Plagiarism from UC Davis.

Help: Please do not hesitate to call me and we can arrange a meeting time and place outside of my office hours. I want you to do well in this course, and I'll do my best to help make that happen.

Learning Support Services: Students who feel themselves in need of some additional assistance with their writing beyond what I can provide,  are strongly encouraged to take advantage of  the Learning Support Services at SUNY Oneonta.