University Writing CC_1010_044

Fall 2017
Tues. & Thurs. 2:40-3:55
Location: Mathematics 307
Instructor: Julia Sirmons
Email: jks2167@columbia.edu
Office hours: Thurs. 5-7 at the Writing Center, 310 Philosophy Hall, or by appointment
Mailbox address: 310 Philosophy Hall

Syllabus

Course Description
University Writing is designed to help undergraduates read and write essays in order to
participate in the academic conversations that form our intellectual community. We will
give special attention to the practices of close reading, rhetorical analysis, research,
collaboration, and revision. Students will learn that writing is a process of continual
refinement of ideas and their expression. Rather than approaching writing as an innate
talent, this course will teach writing as a unique, learned skill that can be practiced and
developed. Over the course of the semester, you will read and discuss texts from a
number of fields, complete regular informal reading and writing exercises, write several
longer essays, and prepare an editorial for a public audience.

The Contemporary Essays section of University Writing asks you to read and write
about works which are generally more current and public-facing than the foundational
texts you will likely worth with in other Core Curriculum courses. Nevertheless, you may
find productive and compelling points of connection and transfer in your thinking and
writing for these other classes. This particular section of UW focuses particular attention
on exploring the implicit assumptions and definitions underlying writing and discussion,
and this may be a particularly fruitful area of resonance between our class and your
other coursework. The work you produce for UW must be unique, and distinct from the
work you complete to satisfy requirements for other courses, but you may find that UW
is an opportunity to explore similar ideas and questions in a more contemporary,
outward-facing context.

To do this kind of work, we must consider not only what texts communicate, but how
they communicate their messages, and how these two things are related. In other
words, how does the how affect the what? How does the form of a text relate to its
content? For us to be thoroughly and thoughtfully engaged in significant and pressing
conversations, we must be able to respond to these questions not just about written
texts, but also about communication in other media. Therefore, each of our first 3
progressions will focus on communication and argument in a different medium. Well
treat complex images and sounds as texts objects which have intellectual projects
and points of view, and which can be read closely and formally analyzed just as one
does with written essays. These media texts will serve as both objects of inquiry and
interlocutors for your writing for the class. Engaging with such diverse vehicles for
communication and conversation helps us become public thinkers and and critics who
engage rigorously and ethically with ideas, with others, and with the world.

Note: Your syllabus is a reference document to be frequently consulted. In it you will

find course policies, all major due dates, and a schedule of readings. This syllabus is
also available on the Courseworks site. To get started, log in to [http://
Courseworks.columbia.edu].

Requirements
Complete four revised essays ranging from 750-3000 words, each accompanied
by at least one draft. Students must submit all four final essays in order to pass
the class.
Attend and participate in all classes and required conferences.
Prepare reading and writing exercises as assigned.
Submit all of your writing assignments on Courseworks/Canvas
For some exercises and drafts, youll also be asked to post drafts and exercises
to our class Google Drive, so that the class can comment and collaborate on
your work
For some exercises, you will be asked to bring hard copies to class to continue
and share your work.
For your Progression 4 essay, you will also be required to submit a hard copy of
your essay for comment.

Assignments
You will do at least three types of writing in this course: exercises, drafts, and final
essays. These assignments will connect with one another in a developmental sequence
called a progression.

Exercises: (100-400 words) Exercises will help you develop skills and ideas as you work
toward your essay draft. Exercises prepare you for the work you will do in the following
class session, and act as stepping stones on the way to your drafts.

Drafts and proposals: (750+ words) You will write one or more drafts prior to submitting
a final version of your essay for a progression. The stronger the draft at any stage of
composing, the more useful will be the feedback you receive. Drafts can be more useful
when you make the subtext of your writing process explicit. Your draft can be a
conversation with me if you have questions or uncertainties about parts of your draft,
or specific feedback you need, write them down in the draft.

Final essays: (750+ words; must have a title, word count, and a works cited page) A
final essay is the most public kind of writing you will produce for this course. Your essay
should aim to persuade astute, interested readers who are unfamiliar with the texts you
engage; you need to convince them of why your argument is significant. Final essays
should adhere to MLA style.
Required Texts
The syllabus, course description, requirements, readings, assignments, and links to
resources are available on CourseWorks/Canvas: https://courseworks.columbia.edu/

Additional readings will be assigned from The Morningside Review,

morningsidereview.org, which is the journal of selected essays from Columbias
Undergraduate Writing Program.

Optional Text:
Hacker, Diana. A Pocket Style Manual. 7 Edition. Available at the University Bookstore.
th

As a student at Columbia, you can download bibliographic software that will archive and
organize your textual references and generate formatted citations in many formats. You
can download one of those programs from CUIT: http://library.columbia.edu/research/
citation-management.html

Course Schedule:

PROGRESSION ONE WRITING, LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION: SINGLE-TEXT ANALYSIS

Date Topic Due

Tues. 9/5 Introduction to UW; What is an read Epstein, The Interesting

(Interesting!) Interpretive
Problem?

Thurs. 9/7 Coming to Terms: Read Harris, Coming to Terms

Understanding and Fairness in and Smith, Speaking in
Approaching Authors Tongues; exercise 1a

Tues. 9/12 Parts and Wholes: Following and Read Wallace, Tense Present;
Evaluating an Authors Project exercise 1b

Thurs. 9/14 Revising Towards the Formal P1 Exploratory Draft due by

Draft class time on 9/14

Tues. 9/19 Refining Revision Read Klempay, The Definitively

Non-Standard English of David
Foster wallace, & Perricone,
The Unarticulated Identity;
exercise 1c

Date Topic Due

Thurs. 9/21 Considering Introductions: Read sample Ferrante

Orienting a Reader to Your introductions; exercise 1d

Project; Citing Sources

P1 Formal Drafts due Friday
9/22 by 11:59 pm

PROGRESSION TWO IMAGES AND FRAMES: THE CONVERSATION ESSAY

Date Topic Due

Tues. 9/26 The Moves of Intellectual Read Smith, Brief Interviews

Conversation: Contexts, with Hideous Men; exercise 2a
Coincidences and Departures

Thurs. 9/28 Finding Your Space in a Read Butler, Torture and the
Conversation via Fundamentals: Ethics of Photography: exercise
Representation & Ontology 2b

Extended Drop in Oce Hours

& Writing Lab, Teachers
College Library, 2nd Floor, 5-7
pm

Tues. 10/3 What is an Exhibit Read Williams, Cluster Fuck &

(Controversy)?: A Portal Into an Sontag, Regarding the Pain of
Intellectual Conversation Others; exercise 2c

P1 Final Papers due Tues. 10/3

by 11:59 pm

Thurs. 10/5 Finding and Testing Exhibits Exercise 2d (project proposal v.

(Controversies) 1)

[NOTE: as you look for your

own exhibit, you may want to
consult the optional
conversation readings. These
are Ouelette, Take
Responsibility for Yourself,
Cobb, Black Like Her & Bazin,
Ontology of the Photographic
Image; all available in folder on
Courseworks ]

Mon. 10/9 Exercise 2e (project propsal v.

2) due by 4 pm

Tues. 10/10 Workshopping Exhibits: The Exercise 2f (read and comment

Interesting and the Feasible on your workshop group
members drafts)
Date Topic Due

Thurs. 10/12 Proposal Workshops: Finding a Exercise 2g

Viable Project

Fri. 10/13 UW Event: Jelani Cobb For one-day final draft extension
(Professor, Columbia Journalism coupon, submit a 200 word
School): 1-3 pm [Location TBA] response to the event by
Sunday 10/15 @ 11:59 pm

-P2 Exploratory Draft due by

11:59 pm

Mon. 10/16 Exploratory Draft Conferences

Tues. 10/17 Intellectual Conversations at the Exercise 2h (Read & respond to

Essay, Paragraph, and Sentence
partners workshop draft)
Level

-Exploratory Draft
Conferences, contd

PROGRESSION THREE VOICES AND SOUNDS: THE RESEARCH ESSAY

Date Topic Due

Thurs. 10/19 Introduction Read Gopnik, The Caging of

America & Zizek & Dolar, A
Voice and Nothing More; ex. 3a

Fri. 10/20 Optional Session: Visual Close P2 Formal Drafts due by 11:59
Reading Boot Camp [3-4 pm, pm
Teaachers College LIbrary]

Tues. 10/24 Staking Out Research Trails: Read Clover, Thank God for
Assembling an Annotated Juries & TBA Ex. 3b
Bibliography via a Seed Text

P2 Formal Draft Meetings

Wed. 10/25 Forma Draft Meetings

Thurs. 10/26 Trekking Further Afield: Tools Read MacGillis, The Last Shot
and Tips for Research, Moving & Fagone, What Bullets Do to
Across Disciplines and Kinds of Bodies; ex. 3c
Expertise

Extended Oce Hours &

Revising Session, 5-8 pm; Last
chance for P2 formal draft
feedback

Sat 10/28 P2 Final due by 6 pm

Date Topic Due

Tues. 10/31 Zooming Out: From Exhibits to Read Attali, Listening; listen to
Research Questions assigned podcast episode &
complete ex. 3d

Thu. 11/2 Assessing and Representing Ex. 3e (Group presentation plan)

Voices: Podcast Exhibit Project
Presentations

Fri. 11/3 P3 Annotated Bib & Project

Proposal due at 11:59 pm

Tues. 11/7 ELECTION DAY HOLIDAY

NO CLASS

Thurs. 11/9 Identifying Major & Minor Voices; Read excerpt of Alexander, The
Library Visit [Class will be in New Jim Crow & second
Butler Library, Room TBA] reading TBA; ex. 3f

Fri. 11/10 P3 Exploratory Drafts pt. 1due

@ 11:59 pm

Tues. 11/14 Exploratory Draft Workshops Ex. 3g (Response to group

members request for feedback)

Thurs. 11/16 Balancing and Integrating Read Kolker, A Severed Head,

Dierent Kinds of Expert Two Cops, and The Radical
Sources Future of Interrogation & Serial
Killers Should Fear This
Algorithm ; ex. 3h

Mon 11/20 Post Exploratory Draft pt. 2 to

Google Sites by 2 pm

Tues. 11/21 NO CLASS - WORK ON Respond to group members

FORMAL DRAFTS requests for feedback on
Google Sites by 6pm

Wed. 11/22 P3 Formal Drafts Due by 11:59

pm
Thurs. 11/23 THANKSGIVING BREAK - NO
CLASS

PROGRESSION FOUR AUDIENCE AND PUBLICS: THE OPINION ESSAY

Date Topic

Tues. 11/28 Elements of Revision; Pondering Read, Gordon & Wallack,

Audience
Date Topic

Thurs. 11/30 Form & Style in the Opinion
Piece, Finding a Target
Publication
Facts, 360 B.C. - A.D. 2012;
Read Boylan, Trans Deaths,
White Privilege; Huppke,
your assigned essay from Op-Ed
packet, ex. 4a

Extended Oce Hours &

Writing Lab, Teachers College
Library, 5-8 pm, Last chance
for feedback on P3 Formal
Drafts

Sun. 12/3 P3 Final Essays Due @ 11:59

pm

Tues. 12/5 Reading a Publication In Search Exploratory Draft, Pt. 1:

of an Audience; Manifesting Publication Analysis
Publics

Wed. 12/6 Exploratory Draft, Pt. 2:

Annotated Essay & Outline due
by 4 pm

Thurs. 12/7 Last Class: Group P4 Response Worksheet for

Workshops; Class Reflection Colleagues' Drafts

Sun 12/10 P4 Formal Drafts Due @ 2 pm

Mon. 12/11 Formal Draft meetings

Tue. 12/12 Formal Draft meetings

Thurs. 12/14 P4 Final Essays due @ 11:59

pm

Fri 12/15 If you want written feedback on

your P4 essay, place a hard
copy and a self-addressed,
stamped envelope in my box in
the Writing Center by 4 pm

Course Policies
Attendance
The discussion and workshop elements that are at the center of this course cannot be
made up, so attendance is vital. Because each class session builds on previous ones
and prepares you for your increasingly complex assignments for each progression,
absences of any kind should be avoided.
In accordance with Columbia University regulations, there will be distinctions made
between excused absences and unexcused absences. Excused absences due to
religious observance, athletic commitments (e.g. away games), and illness will not incur
a grade penalty providing that proper documentation is submitted correctly. In the first
two weeks of class, students will also not be penalized if they have been attending a
different section of University Writing and elect to change their section. Please see the
specific requirements below for how you should document absences you wish to be
excused.

Documentation for excused absences

Religious observance: By the fourth class session, send an email to your instructor
copied to your academic advisorin which you outline all of the dates you will be
absent for the semester. Create a plan with your instructor to make up work or
reschedule deadlines.

Athletic commitments: Only participation in athletic competitions will count as excused

absences; practice sessions do not. Prior to any absence, you must submit to your
instructor a completed and signed Columbia University Intercollegiate Athletics
Academic Absence Notification Form. Create a plan with your instructor to make up
work or reschedule deadlines. Here is a link to the form:
http://www.college.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/
intercollegiate_athletic_academic_absence_notification_form.pdf

Illness: For an absence due to illness to count as excused, please provide a signed
doctors note. You should bring the note to class on the day you are able to return. If you
can, email your instructor to indicate that you will be unable to attend class.

Section changes: If you change your section of University Writing in the first two weeks
of class, you must provide your new instructor a completed and signed University
Writing Attendance Confirmation form. Please see Mr. John Stobo in the
Undergraduate Writing Program office, 310 Philosophy Hall, for a copy of the form.

All other absences, including those due to late registration, are considered unexcused.
Unexcused absences will affect your grade according to the chart below. Please also
note the lateness policy in the next section to understand how latenesses count toward
your total number of absences.

Number of unexcused absences Grade Penalty

1-3 You may incur 1/3 of a letter on the final
grade for the progression per absence.
4 1/3 of a letter, course grade
5 full letter, course grade
6 2 full letters, course grade
7 F or UW, course grade
Lateness
Because lateness is disruptive to the entire class, if you arrive once class is underway
or depart before the class session has ended, you will be marked as late. Two
latenesses count as one absence in calculating your final course grade.

Conferences and Office Hours

You will have three required 20-30 minute conferences with me during the semester;
one for each of the first three progressions. You have the option of an additional
conference for the fourth progression. You may also be required to participate in a group
draft workshop outside of class. Conferences and workshops give you the opportunity to
discuss your ideas, to work through your drafts, to prepare for presentations, or to
revise your essays. You are welcome to come and see me in office hours or by
appointment to discuss any aspect of the course.

If you are unable to make conferences or my office hours in the scheduled times, please
email me your availability and well schedule an alternate time.

Assessment and Response

All of the writing you submit on time for this class will receive some sort of written or
recorded response from me and/or your classmates. While writing exercises and
preliminary drafts will not receive grades, they will be important for your development as
a writer and thinker, and you are expected to complete them all.

During the first three progressions, I will write marginal comments and typed end-
comments to one preliminary draft as well as your final draft. For your final progression,
you will receive end-comments on your final draft that respond to the essay as well as
your development over the course of the semester.

My comments are designed to help you assess your draft and prioritize goals for the
next stage of your writing. Just as important, my comments will offer you practical
strategies designed to further your ongoing development as a writer. If you have any
questions about my comments, please make an appointment with me to review them.

Essay Grading
Each final essay will receive a number grade out of 100 possible points. At the end of
the semester, I will adjust these numbers for each essays weight, total them, round to
the tenth place, and assign a course grade as follows:

A+ 97.5-100
A 92.5-97.4
A- 89.5-92.4
B+ 87.5-89.4
B 82.5-87.4
B- 79.5-82.4
C+ 77.5-79.4
C 72.5-77.4
C- 69.5-72.4
D 59.5-69.4
F 0-59.4

Each final essay for the progression will receive a letter grade from A (or A+) to F. Your
final course grade will be computed on the 4.0 scale.

Each letter grade signifies the following:

A essays not only fulfill the goals of the progression, but push beyond those goals in
surprising ways. This is more likely to be possible when the writer has found something
compelling to write about and has taken great care to attend to his or her language and
form. A essays reflect excellence and artistry.

B essays come in two basic varieties: the solid B and the striving B. The solid B is
a good, competent paper. The striving B may excel in certain areas, but it is sufficiently
uneven to preclude it from receiving an A. B essays reflect superior understanding of
the progressions goals.

C essays reflect struggle in fulfilling the progressions goals. This kind of essay may
show a fair amount of work, but it does not come together well enough to be a
competent paper.

D essays may appear to have been hastily written, incomplete, or thrown together.

F essays fail to meet the minimum level of expectations for the progression.

Late and Missed Assignments, Drafts, and Final Essays

Keeping deadlines is an important aspect of this class, as it gives you the time to
develop and revise your ideas, and it gives me the time to offer you productive
feedback. If you turn in work late, I may not be able to provide you feedback.

Please complete all of your writing exercise on time, as missed exercises can impact
the quality and grade of your essay. I may not be able to provide feedback on late
exercises.

Once or twice during the semester, youll have the opportunity to attend and respond to
an out-of-class event, and receive a coupon for a one day extension on a final essay
deadline. These coupons can only be applied to future essay deadlines - you cant
apply it retroactively.

Feedback and revision are critical components of this class. If you do not hand in a
preliminary draft at least 48 hours before the deadline of the final draft, your final essay
grade will be lowered by one whole grade (e.g. from a B to a C). Your grade on the final
essay will be lowered by 1/3 (e.g. from a B- to a C+) beginning the minute after its
deadline. The grade will continue to go down by a third every 24 hours until the essay is
submitted. All work must be submitted to Courseworks by the deadline in order to be
considered on time. According to the policy of the Undergraduate Writing Program,
failure to submit the final draft of any essay by the end of the semester will result in an
automatic failure for the course.

Final Grades
Your course work for the semester will be weighted as follows:

Progression 1:
One-text essay (Critical Response) (1200-1500 words) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15%
Progression 2:
Conversation Essay (1500-2000 words) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25%
Progression 3:
Research Essay (2400-3000 words) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35%
Progression 4:
Editorial Essay (approx. 750 words, dependent on publication). . . . . . . . . .20%
_____
TOTAL: 95%

I will add the remaining 5% weight to whichever essay receives the highest grade.

Participation
As in all seminars, your participation will contribute to building a vibrant learning
community. While there is no separate grade for participation, I may adjust a final grade
up or down by of a letter grade to account for exceptionally productive or disruptive
participation.

In this class, we are developing and refining our work together as we share and discuss
ideas and drafts in various stages. Full participation thus requires both courage (i.e. the
willingness to test out tentative hypotheses and developing work in a public setting) and
good faith (generosity, attentiveness, and a sense of common purpose when we
respond to our colleagues writing and thinking). When differences arise, it is most
useful if, when speaking and sharing, we honestly relate personal experiences and
reactions. When we are listening to others, we practice our empathy and good faith to
different experiences and perspectives.

Academic Integrity
University Writing will provide you with strategies for working ethically and accurately
with sources and adhering to the Columbia Undergraduate Honor Code [http://
www.college.columbia.edu/ccschonorcode]. We will discuss source use practices that
prevent plagiarism, a serious academic offense that runs counter to our academic
communitys core values of honesty and respect for others. Here is a partial list from the
Columbia University Undergraduate Guide to Academic Integrity [https://
www.college.columbia.edu/academics/academicintegrity] of some of the forms
plagiarism can take:
Verbatim copying without acknowledgement copying a whole paragraph or
larger sections; in effect, claiming that the writing is your own.
 Copying select phrases without acknowledgement using your own words to
pad the selectively copied words of others.
Paraphrasing text without acknowledgement rewriting text in your own words,
but using the idea or argument as your own.
Using data gathered by another, claiming it as your own even if you submit an
analysis of the data that is yours alone.
Final drafts that contain plagiarism will receive a zero, may result in failure of the
course, and the case will be reported to the director of the Undergraduate Writing
Program and the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards [http://
studentconduct.columbia.edu/]. That office initiates the deans discipline process and
determines whether to apply sanctions, which range from a warning to expulsion from
the university.

If you have read this far, please claim credit for your diligence and attentiveness by
emailing me a GIF of the cartoon character of your choice.

The Writing Center

I encourage you to visit the Writing Center, where you can receive free individual
consultations on your writing at any stage in the writing process, including
brainstorming. Writing consultants work with all members of the Columbia community on
any academic or nonacademic writing. You can make an appointment and view drop in
hours on their website: [www.college.columbia.edu/core/uwp/writing-center].

Other Support Services

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Columbia University provides students who register with the Office of Disability Services
(ODS) [http://www.health.columbia.edu/ods/news/ds-programs.html] with a range of
support options and will provide you with a letter stating the accommodations to which
you are entitled, without disclosing any other information about you. If you know or
believe you have a disability of some kind, please consult with Disability Services and
your advising dean as soon as possible; University Writing instructors need official
documentation from the ODS in order to provide accommodations, and we cannot make
retroactive accommodations.

Counseling and Psychological Services

The Office of Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) http://
www.health.columbia.edu/cps/index.html provides many kinds of support for student
wellness and academic success.