Eng 103, Spring 2007, Essid
Policies and Grading 

Attendance:
Success in this class depends upon your working with your classmates. For that reason, you are to come to class every day. I will pass a sign-up sheet daily. Do not be late for class, either--if you miss the roll, you've used a skip; that said, let me know if you are charging across campus from another class in North Court! That's an exception, though you should still tell the other teacher about my policy and be sure that s/he does not hold you in the other class late.

A collaborative writing class demands your presence--your work and participation influences the entire group. After three skips, you lose a +/- grade per absence. More than six absences will result in your failing the class with a grade of "V" (failure for reasons of excessive absence), with no excuses or exceptions. Student athletes should let me know in advance about away games--you are responsible for getting me a schedule for your sport.

Portfolios:
You will complete three writing portfolios, and they will contain:

• One short essay and all drafts marked by your editing group
• One longer essay and all drafts marked by your group
• Other notes and materials you used in writing the papers
• The portfolio's grade will depend upon your having edited drafts and final drafts--always bring work to class for the draft workshops; you do not need complete drafts to participate

You will also need to follow certain conventions for each paper you write:

• Use MLA format for all sources; see our guide pages on documenting sources
• Include a title page with your name and the title of the essay. The title should be a descriptive one that sums up the idea of the paper's thesis
• Make margins no larger than 1.25" and type size no larger than 12 points in Times or Times New Roman fonts
• Keep an eye on my "Pet Peeves" list and other materials I give you about assessment (including a few sly ways to catch me making mistakes and thus to earn you extra credit).

Conferences & The Writing Fellows:
I do not hold mandatory conferences for your papers, but I will set aside extra office hours as needed when the due dates for portfolios approach. For drafts you submit, I'll be happy to meet with you to discuss my written comments. Writing Fellows from my Eng. 383 class will help us with a few papers this semester. They will provide comments and meet you individually. Any group member who misses a conference with a Writing Fellow loses a letter grade on his or her portfolio, no exceptions.

Late Work:
There is no penalty for late drafts, but I will not read any drafts past the deadline listed on the class schedule. Kate will only look over such work as her schedule permits.

For portfolios, however,all late work will lose one FULL letter grade per day late (a portfolio earning a grade of C becomes a D after one day late, an F after two days). I will also reduce the grade for incomplete portfolios (missing drafts, commentary from editors, or final revisions). In my last section of 103, a student earned a final grade of D for the course and had to repeat 103; she wrote average prose but never bothered to write drafts or pay close attention to others' writing!

Plagiarism & Cheating:
Do not copy others words or ideas without attribution. That's theft, and even if I suspect it I will turn your work over to Honor Council for an investigation. Pay close attention to Writer's Web pages on using sources, paraphrasing, and citing sources. Ask me or Kate if you are uncertain about proper citation.

Unless writers ask prior permission, they are not permitted to submit a paper written for another class. Doing so without permission will result in referral to Honor Council for cheating. The writer must provide the name of the class and professor for which the paper is or was being written. Eng. 103 instructors reserve the right to refuse submission of the paper after contacting the other faculty member.

Grading:
You must earn a grade of C or better in Eng. 103 to avoid repeating the course. I will make you repeat this class based on late work, missing work, or poor attendance. For information about how I grade papers, see these two pages: What is an "A" paper? and my Pet Peeves in Writing.

Note that I will take a "sequential" approach to grading your papers in regard to grammar, usage, and style. For each paper, I hold you accountable for more topics from Writer's Web. See each assignment sheet for details.

Your final grade for Eng. 103 will be determined as follows:

• Three Portfolios: 75%
• Participation: 25% (in-class discussions, editing, in-class writing)

Participation:
This is a major part of the class and I expect active engagement. On the first day of class, everyone begins with a participation grade of A. It is up to each of you to maintain that grade by lively and engaged participation. I use the "Socratic Method" for our reading discussions (Monday each week and a bit more on W and F). That means I will directly call upon class members for answers to questions I pose. Be ready and be caught up on all work.

If you are not at your best when called upon, you will still have other opportunities to participate. Wednesdays and Fridays will be our days for the Editing Groups or for guided work with sample papers. Work in the group will count as part of the participation grade. I will assess your participation in the group by the way you mark others' work and (later in the semester) by your comments in the online draft conferences.

The Writing Center:
The Writing Center is staffed by trained student-tutors who are good readers of essays. They can assist you with planning, revising, or documenting sources in your assignments. I will refer some of you to get additional assistance on your work from the Writing Center's tutors. In these cases, you are required to attend the tutorial. I also provide extra credit for your participation grade if you visit the Center on your own.