AU 2019

Course Description, Course Policies & Course Assessment & Course Schedule, p.
pp. 1-2 Procedures, pp. 3-5 Assignments, pp. 5-6 7-9

ENGLI 1101: English

Composition I, “What’s
Writing Got to Do With It?”
IAI Number: IAI C1 900 | Prof: Dr. Jacinta Yanders (aka Dr. J) |
Pronouns: She/Her | Email: yandersj@cod.edu | Class Time: TTH |
Classrooms: BIC 3555 (T)/SRC 3004 (TH)| Office Hours (BIC
2444E) : MWF 8-9:30am & TTH 2-4pm

So why are we
here?
For as long as I can remember, I've
always enjoyed expressing myself
through language. Words have the
capacity to open up numerous
paths and possibilities, despite
whatever else may be going on in
the world.

Despite my appreciation for language, and writing in particular, it'd be inaccurate to say that I've
never been annoyed by the task of writing. Like many of you (I imagine) I’ve sometimes found it
difficult to abide by writing “rules’ and to make my own communication style comply with academic
conventions and expectations.

Thus, I completely understand when students tell me they dislike writing or “We are here to
they think they're no good at it. After all, I've written my fair share of imagine”
formulaic standardized test essays, but not nearly as many as some of you
have probably endured.
- Sean Michael
If you hate writing right now, I get it. I hear you. Morris

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BUT…our goal in this class (well, one of them) is to reclaim and

reimagine the writing experience. We'll work toward that goal by
doing a lot of writing, reading, thinking, listening, revising, and
sharing together. Now I'm not suggesting that you'll love writing
“The purpose of
by the end of the semester, but ideally, you'll come to see it as education, finally,
more than a hurdle or burdensome task. Instead, you'll see writing
as a vast field of expressive pathways that will allow you to convey is to create in a
your own voice and explore your own curiosities. You'll also see person the ability
that, whatever career path you might be on, growing as critical
thinkers, readers, and writers will be extremely beneficial and that to look at the
expressing yourself through language can be a personal joy as well.
world for himself,
Also, if this is your first English class in a long time, welcome back!
to make his own
You might not think your time away from the classroom will
benefit your writing, but it will! We'll talk about how. decisions, to say to
himself this is
Course Description
Introduces key concepts in rhetoric and writing, including black or this is
situation and context, audience, genre, purpose, and white, to decide for
persuasion. Students apply these concepts in writing
projects that demonstrate how reading and writing are himself whether
embedded in multi-faceted academic, personal, social,
political, and/or professional purposes. These writing there is a God in
projects unfold through a deliberate process of inquiry, heaven or not. To
feedback, and revision.
ask questions of
General Course Objectives
• Practice writing as a process involving inquiry and the universe, and
invention, composing, response from instructor and then learn to live
peers, revision, and editing according to appropriate
conventions with those
• Analyze rhetorical situations as they relate to
discourse communities
questions, is the
• Identify particular audiences and appropriate way he achieves
rhetorical moves, strategies, and/or responses
• Demonstrate engagement with intellectually his own identity.”
complex writing situations, accounting for multiple - James Baldwin
perspectives via readings, visual media, and other
texts
• Create texts, including essays, in print and/or digital
formats that respond to varied rhetorical situations
• Use suitable methods of citation
• Produce reflective writing for self-assessment



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Accessibility
Knowing that we all learn differently, I've tried to design this class in such a way that it is accessible
to a variety of learning needs and experiences. If there's some way in which your access and ability in
this course could additionally be supported, please let me know. In order to receive accommodations
from COD’s Center for Access and Accommodations, you can visit them in the Student Services
Center, Room 3249. You can also call them at 630-942-2154 or email them at access@cod.edu. If
you’d like to learn more about what the Center does, check out their website: www.cod.edu/access.

Basic Needs
Sometimes circumstances can occur that limit one’s access to basic needs, such as food and shelter.
Additionally, any number of events can occur that may negatively impact one's mental health. We’re
all human beings, and I do not expect you to try to leave your humanity at the door. Should you find
yourself faced with such challenges, please do know that you can talk to me. Together, we can try to
identify a path in which your needs can be met. I will also provide a list of local resources on our
Blackboard site.

Inclusive Language
Language is important, and how we address one another conveys respect (or lack thereof). In
addition to abstaining from using slurs and other forms of derogatory language in this class, please
be sure to refer to one another by the correct names, with the correct pronunciations, and with the
correct pronouns.
"Words mean things. Language constructs reality. Communication
is political. Word choice reflects intent. Language defines social
problems & imagined solutions. In sum, words mean things. Don’t
let anyone tell you words don’t mean things. " - Sarah J. Jackson

Community
Given the variety of backgrounds we all carry, it’s important to cultivate an atmosphere that respects
and appreciates what each of us has to offer. Doing so will not only allow us to better learn from one
another, but it will, on the most fundamental level, make being in this class a more enjoyable
experience. You will be asked to complete collaborative tasks in class from time to time. As such, it’s
worthwhile to get to know one another. Be respectful, support one another, and have fun!
 
P.S. The devil does not need an advocate.

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Attendance
Being present in class
improves your grasp on
the material, increases the
likelihood that you will be
able to apply your
learning to the
compositions you create,
and allows me to observe
and provide feedback on
your growth,
development, and
participation in the
course. Be in our
classroom as much as you
can be.
Timeliness and Grace:
Sometimes life happens,
and you can’t be here.
“Grace Days” are
automatic extensions you
can request on any
assignment except the
final if needed. You get
three Grace Days for the
semester. You may choose
to use all three days at
once, divide them as
needed, or not use them
at all. Simply send me an
email to let me know if
you wish to use them. If
further extensions are
needed, it’s important to
talk to me sooner rather
than later so that we can
make an appropriate plan.
"Just know that everyone’s writing is
terrible. Until it’s not. No one’s stuff is
right immediately. You gotta work it.
Refine it. Shape it. Spend time with it.
It’s a relationship. Between you and
what comes from you. Not easy.
Gonna be terrible before it’s not. And
that’s okay." - Ava DuVernay
Content and Comfort
We may work with ideas in class that are contrary to your own
experiences. The classroom isn’t an apolitical space, and it’s
important to engage with varied POVs generously. If you’re
concerned about specific types of content potentially preventing
you from engaging healthily, please speak with me.
Technology
Technology can be an incredible educational tool. However, to
(mis)quote Uncle Ben, “With great power comes great
responsibility.” While I do not believe 100% undivided attention
is a plausible goal, it’s important to be thoughtful about when and
how you use technology in class. Please be respectful of the
people around you, some of whom may become distracted by
what’s on your screen.
Citation
The cliffnotes version is this: when you use other people’s
material in your own work, you should cite it (this includes
paraphrases, summaries, and quotations). That being said, I
know that citation can be tricky to wrap one’s head around and
get right, especially in contemporary digital contexts. We’ll
discuss this more in class, but for now, remember that citation is
an act of both power and respect. We should always operate
intentionally in our citational practices.
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Required Materials
There’s no textbook for the class. All readings will be linked online, posted on Blackboard, or handed
out in class. That being said, please come to each class meeting with writing utensils and paper. If you
have electronic devices, feel free to bring those as well (keeping in mind the above Tech advisory, of
course). We will likely make use of your devices from time to time.

***Reasons to Go to Dr. J’s Office Hours:

1. You have a question about something discussed in class

2. You have a question about an upcoming assignment

3. You have a question about feedback you’ve received

4. You have a question about course policies

5. You want to bounce your ideas off Dr. J before you start writing or while you’re
writing

6. You need one-on-one assistance with some aspect of writing that we aren’t
spending time on in class

7. You’re having a hard time in class and/or in life, and you want to talk to Dr. J
about how to find a way forward

8. ***Additional possibilities TBD

“Quest: an act or instance of seeking”

– Merriam Webster
Assignments

Quest #1: Who Are You?

Quest #2: What Do You Think About This?
Quest #3: What Would You Tell Yourself?
Quest #4: What Does This Mean?
Quest #5: What Path Should We Take?
Quest #6: What Should We Learn?
Quest #7: Who Are You Now?

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Philosophy of this Class (Adapted from Clint Smith III):

 
Read critically | Write consciously | Speak clearly | Tell your truth

Assessment
For the better part of my academic career, I was an A+-seeking overachiever who thought that letter
grades were precise indicators of my educational merit and were more important than any other sort
of growth I might experience in a given class. I now know that letter grades do more to hinder
learning than to support it. In fact, studies have shown that students learn better when provided with
feedback alone rather than feedback and grades or grades by themselves.

(If I give you feedback and grades together, you probably just look at the grade, right? Right.)

Learning isn’t really supposed to be about grades (or about the stress that often results from grades).
As such, I will not put grades on any of your work, but I will provide feedback on everything you
submit. This feedback will be geared toward pushing your thinking forward and will provide you with
opportunities to revise and develop before submitting your final drafts. Feedback and revision are at
the crux of what we want to emphasize in the writing process.

To determine your final grades in this class, we will utilize an assessment method known as contract
grading. The way contract grading works is fairly straightforward. Your grade is determined by the
labor you put in. If you complete all of the work assigned for this class on time and in accordance
with listed requirements while also participating productively in class meetings, you will receive at
least a B as your final grade. If you do not complete all of the work or if you consistently submit late
work outside of your Grace Day allotment without coming to me and developing a plan for further
extension, your grade will fall below a B. If you go above and beyond the assignment requirements
while also demonstrating continuous engagement and thoughtfulness in class, you will receive an A.

In this class, I want you to feel free to take risks in

your writing style without focusing on what type of
grade will result from such risk-taking. Writing is a
process, but it’s not necessarily linear. Instead, it
should be messy and explorative, full of stops and
starts and recalibration. Hopefully, in taking the
focus off grades in our class, you will be willing to
embrace the mess.

We’ll spend some time in class at the start of the

semester discussing the contract in more depth.
Hyperfocus on letter grades can induce anxiety, but
I also know that taking a less traditional path can
also potentially produce uncertainties. I happily invite you to share any concerns you have with me.

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Student Work
All assignments should be typed and submitted via Blackboard unless otherwise notified.

Course Schedule

Week 1: How do we think and feel about writing?

August 20th In-Class: Today, we’ll work on building our foundation as a
community of writers.
August 22nd In-Class: Today, we’ll discuss “good writing”
Week 2: How do we analyze and expand upon new
information?
August 27th In-Class: Today, we’ll discuss how we process and keep track of
information
Assignment Due: Who Are You?
August 29th In-Class: Today, we’ll discuss tailoring our writing to meet particular
needs and audiences
Week 3: How do we start writing?
September 3rd In-Class: What Do You Think About This? Workshop
Reading Due: Shitty First Drafts by Anne Lamott (PDF on
Blackboard)
September 5th In-Class: Today, we’ll consider how writing can be used to paint a
picture
Assignment Due: What Do You Think About This? Draft
Week 4: How do we utilize feedback and revise?
September 10th In-Class: What Do You Think About This? Writing Group Meeting
September 12th In-Class: Today, we’ll discuss how writing can provide direction
Assignment Due: What Do You Think About This?
Week 5: How do we make space for new stories?
September 17th In-Class: What Would You Tell Yourself? Workshop
September 19th In-Class: Today, we’ll discuss how the narratives we construct can be
both limiting and freeing
Viewing Due: The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie

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Week 6: How do we persuade most effectively?

September In-Class: Today, we’ll consider how we make our case(s)
24th Reading Due: Rhetorical Appeals
September In-Class: Today, we’ll discuss how to organize our writing
26th Assignment Due: What Would You Tell Yourself? Draft
Week 7: How do we share experiences?
October 1st In-Class: What Would You Tell Yourself Writing Group Meeting
October 3rd In-Class: Today, we’ll consider the messages that are regularly being
broadcast to us
Assignment Due: What Would You Tell Yourself?
Week 8: How do we make meaning? Pt. 1
October 8th In-Class: Today, we’ll explore implicit meanings
Reading Due: Backpacks v. Briefcases by Laura Bolin Carroll
October 10th In-Class: What Does This Mean? Workshop
Week 9: How do we make meaning? Pt. 2
October 15th In-Service Day (No Class)
October 17th In-Class: Today, we’ll take a closer look at the meanings being
conveyed in our local cultures
Assignment Due: What Does This Mean? Draft
Week 10: How do we express our beliefs?
October 22nd In-Class: What Does This Mean? Writing Group Meeting
October 24th Today’s class is canceled because Dr. J will be at a conference. Live
your best lives (and turn in your assignment).
Assignment Due: What Does This Mean?
Week 11: How do we contend with other people's beliefs?
October 29th In-Class: What Path Should We Take? Workshop
October 31st In-Class: Today, we’ll consider how memory can influence our
writing
Week 12: How do we argue?
November 5th In-Class: Today, we’ll discuss how effective arguments work
November 7th In-Class: Today, we’ll see if we can argue effectively
Assignment Due: What Path Should We Take? Draft

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Week 13: How do we review and look ahead?

November 12th Conferences
November 14th Conferences
Week 14: How do we synthesize what we've learned?
November 19th In-Class: What Path Should We Take? Writing Group Meeting
November 21st In-Class: What Should We Learn? Workshop
Assignment Due: What Path Should We Take?
Week 15: How do we incorporate our own voices?
November 26th In-Class: Today, we’ll discuss how we can use the tools we have to
solve problems
November 28th Thanksgiving (No Class)
Week 16: How do we think and feel about writing?
December 3rd In-Class: What Should We Learn? Writing Group Meeting
December 5th In-Class: Today, we’ll think about where we go from here
Assignment Due:  What Should We Learn?

Final Assignment Due Thursday December 12th: Who Are You

Now?

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