FCWR 101: Writing I: Foundations of College Composition

Fall 2014

Instructor: Misak
Office: Rm 100 Balding House
Office Phone: 516-686-7557
Email: jmisak@nyit.edu

Course Materials:
Across Cultures, Gillespie

Catalog Description:
A course introducing students to the fundamentals of college composition. Topics include writing process, rhetorical
strategies, basics of critical reading and thinking, analytical writing, and argumentative writing. This course serves as a
foundation to prepare students to succeed in other academic writing contexts. Coursework includes a computer lab
component. Prerequisite: WRIT 100 or English Placement Exam.

Course Objectives:
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of academic writing. Students explore analytical and
argumentative/persuasive writing, learning how to develop their thinking and writing through the use of various
rhetorical strategies. The course also examines writing as a process, encouraging students to develop productive
writing strategies that can be adapted to various academic and professional writing contexts. One of our main goals
this semester involves dispelling the myth that good writers are born, not made. Most professional writers will tell you
that their best work happens in the revision stage after a concentrated effort to re-envision and reshape the raw
material of an early draft. Following their lead, we will focus on all stages of the writing process, from invention
strategies and idea development, to drafting and feedback, to revising for improved content and style. In preparation
for the researched writing required by Writing 2, this course will introduce students to the process of locating and
evaluating sources through the Information Literacy assignment.

Learning Outcomes:
In this course, you will focus your efforts in four major areas: the writing process; conventions of organization and
mechanics; critical thinking, reading, and writing; and composing in electronic environments. You will develop skills in
each of these four areas. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Process (Core Outcomes: Communication, Literacy, Critical Thinking)
1.1 Develop flexible strategies for generating, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading to create an improved
product
1.2 Work collaboratively and learn to critique their own and others works

Writing I Syllabus 2
2. Conventions of Organization and Mechanics (Core Outcomes: Communication)
2.1 Identify a specific purpose for writing and adapt to audience needs, expectations and interests
2.2 Focus thoughts with a clear thesis supported by concrete, specific evidence and examples and leading to a well
developed, well thought out essay
2.3 Use the paragraph effectively as an organizational unit for the essays introductory, body, and concluding
elements.
2.4 Choose words carefully and purposefully; construct sentences carefully and meaningfully; demonstrate careful
attention to academic writing style; and be proficient in mechanics and grammar

3. Critical Thinking, Reading, Writing (Core Outcomes: Literacy, Critical Thinking)
3.1 Use writing and reading in print and digital formats for inquiry, learning, and complex thinking
3.2 Consider and integrate ideas with secondary sources using proper attribution

4. Composing in Electronic Environments (Core Outcomes: Literacy, Communication)
4.1 Use electronic environments for drafting, reviewing, revising, editing, and sharing.
4.2 Adapts writing to take advantage of the rhetorical possibilities offered by electronic writing environments.

Methods of Assessment Will Include:

1. Group work and peer commenting: will assess process, conventions of organization and mechanics, and
composing in electronic environments.
2. Responsive writing activities: will assess critical thinking, reading, writing; conventions of organization and
mechanics; and composing in electronic environments
3. Major essay writing: will assess process; conventions of organization and mechanics; critical thinking, reading,
writing; and composing in electronic environments.

Assignments:
[You can revise this information to fit your course, but you must use these three category headings.]

Group Work and Peer Commenting: Students will be organized into peer commenting groups in which you will share
and comment on each others drafts. A main objective is to encourage each other to engage the writing process when
drafting, revising, and editing essays. This activity may involve online group participation. Stay tuned for more
information.

Responsive Writing Activities (Collaborative Audience Awareness Activities): Students will be asked to write several
(8-10) focused responses (approximately 1-2 polished pages each) to select course readings. You will share this writing
with peers who will write short (1-2 developed paragraphs) yet thoughtful replies. A main objective is to learn how to
write to specific, real audiences and to develop critical thinking skills by writing thoughtful responses to your peers
ideas and views. This activity may involve an online writing component. Stay tuned for more information.

Three- Four Essays: You will be drafting three to four major essays, each of which will be 3-5 typed, double-spaced
pages in length. These essays will be planned (outlined), drafted, revised, and edited in and out of class, and you will
be commenting on other students' work.
Writing I Syllabus 3

[Describe the essay assignments here. Note that you should not have essays assignments like narrative essay,
definition essay, description essay, comparison/contrast essay. Instead, structure essay assignments that ask
students to combine these rhetorical strategies to achieve the purpose/focus of the essay. Some examples:
analyzing a current event/issue, writing an evaluation of an article, or writing a film or drama review. You must also
include an argumentative/persuasive essay.]

1. Two or Three Analytical Essays
2. Argumentation and/or Persuasive Essay


Grading:
Grade Scale:
100-94 A 79-77 C+
93-90 A- 76-74 C
89-87 B+ 73-70 C-
86-84 B 69-67 D+
83-80 B- 66-60 D
59-below F

Course Policies:
1. Come to class. This is a workshop class that requires your daily attendance and active participation. Four
absences will reduce your final grade by a full letter. If you accumulate five or more absences, you will be
withdrawn from the class or receive a failing grade. Repeated tardiness will count as absences (3 tardies = 1
absence).
2. Make your deadlines. Late assignments will not be accepted. Know and keep your deadlines. All due dates are
posted in this syllabus.

3. Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Policies. Each student enrolled in a course at NYIT agrees that, by taking such
course, he or she consents to the submission of all required papers for textual similarity review to any commercial
service engaged by NYIT to detect plagiarism. Each student also agrees that all papers submitted to any such
service may be included as source documents in the services database, solely for the purpose of detecting
plagiarism of such papers.

Plagiarism is the appropriation of all or part of someone elses works (such as but not limited to writing, coding,
programs, images, etc.) and offering it as ones own. Cheating is using false pretenses, tricks, devices, artifices or
deception to obtain credit on an examination or in a college course. If a faculty member determines that a student
has committed academic dishonesty by plagiarism, cheating or in any other manner, the faculty has the academic
right to 1) fail the student for the paper, assignment, project and/or exam, and/or 2) fail the student for the
course and/or 3) bring the student up on disciplinary charges, pursuant to Article VI, Academic Conduct
Proceedings, of the Student Code of Conduct.

4. Original Work. All of your assignments must be created originally for this class only. Work submitted for other
courses or created before the start of this course will not be accepted.

5. Computer Access. According to university policy, all students are required to own or have access to a computer
system off campus with connectivity to the Internet and an installed or current version of Microsoft Office. NOTE:
Microsoft Works is not compatible with Microsoft Office.

6. Cell phones. Please turn off all cell phones and other electronic devices before the beginning of class.

7. Library Resources
Writing I Syllabus 4

All students can access the NYIT virtual library from both on and off campus at www.nyit.edu/library. The same
login you use to access NYIT e-mail and NYITConnect will also give you access to the librarys resources from off
campus.

On the left side of the librarys home page, you will find the Library Catalog and the Find Journals sections. In
the middle of the home page you will find Research Guides; select Video Tutorials to find information on using
the librarys resources and doing research.

Should you have any questions, please look under Library Services to submit a web-based Ask-A-Librarian
form.

8. NYIT Withdrawal and Incomplete Grade Policy. A student may withdraw from a course without penalty through
the end of the 8th week of class during a 14- or 15-week semester and through the 8th meeting during an 8week
course cycle. After this, the student must be doing passing work in order to receive a W grade. Students who are
not passing after the 8th week or equivalent will be assigned the grade of WF.

It is the students responsibility to inform the instructor of his/her intention to withdraw from a course. If a
student has stopped attending class without completing all assignments and/or examinations, failing grades for
the missing work may be factored into the final grade calculation and the instructor for the course may assign the
grade of WF. The grade of F is used for students who have completed the course but whose quality of work is
below the standard for passing.

Withdrawal forms are available in departmental offices and once completed must be filed with the registrar.
Students should be reminded that a W notation could negatively impact their eligibility for financial aid and/or
V.A. benefits, as it may change the students enrollment status (full-time, part-time, less than part-time).
International students may also jeopardize their visa status if they fail to maintain full-time status.

The temporary grade of Incomplete (I) shall change to a failing grade (IF) if the student does not complete the
work by the end of the allotted time. Grades of IF become part of the student's CUM.


The Department of English Writing Center and Writing Workshop Computer Lab:

Discuss your essays with Professors of English. While the Writing Center can help you with grammar and punctuation,
it is not primarily an editing service. Rather, you can work with writing instructors to address specific writing concerns
or issues. The Writing Center is a place to get additional support for your writing, servicing all students at all levels of
writing and at any stage of the writing process. You can also sign up to use the Wireless Laptop Writing Workshop, a
writing computer lab with laptops and wireless access to the Internet. The Writing Center and the Writing Workshop
lab are located in Balding House. Give us a call at 516-686-7557 and visit us at 101 Balding House.




Weekly Schedule (Subject to Change):

Week One: Introduction to Course
Sept 3: Syllabus, reading and writing guidelines, writing sample

Week Two:
Sept 8: Handout: The Rain Makes the Roof Sing Discuss: How to listen to other cultures
Sept 10: Handout: Bricklayers Boy Discuss: Identity through writing

Writing I Syllabus 5

Week Three:
Sept 15: Paper Writing Guidelines How our words influence readers and how to use this effectively
Sept 17: Due: Paper 1 Proposal Read: Konglish

Week Four:
Sept 22: Due: The Mistress of Make Believe Discuss: Childhood influences
Sept 24: Homework: Bring in a paper or assignment from grade school (or write from memory on it)
Discuss: What does our younger self have to say about us?

Week five:
Sept 29: Read: Homework on autobiography In Class: Autobiography and the personal narrative
Oct 1: Read: Handout: The Interpretation Machine Discuss: How we create when we read and how to write with
that in mind.

Week Six:
Oct 6: Due: Paper #1 (Persuasive) Discuss: Research strategies
Oct 8 LIBRARY VISIT

Week Seven:
Oct 13: Read: Is That Video Game Programming You? Discuss: Video games influence on societyuse as a medium.
Oct 15: Read: All Writing is Autobiography Discuss: The (not so) personal narrative. Using fiction to tell the truth

Week Eight:
Oct 20: Read: The Pleasures of the Text Discuss: Technology and its effect on society
Oct 22: Due: Paper #2 (Personal Narrative) Discuss: The Research Paper

Week Nine:
Oct 27: Read: Focusing on Friends Discuss: Social interactions, off and online.
Oct 29: Due: Paper #3 (Research/Technology) Proposal Read: People Like Us Discuss: Our place in society

Week Ten:
Nov 3: Read: Short Story handout (TBA) . Discuss: Fiction vs. Non-Fiction Due: Annotated Bibliography
Nov 5: Read: Short Story handout (TBA) In Class Fiction Writing

Week Eleven:
Nov 10: Due: Paper #3 (Research/Technology) In Class: Movie TBA
Nov 12 Read: Handout Digital Media Discuss: Movie

Week Twelve:
Nov 17: Read: Handout Blog Posts and Reviews. Discuss: Writing for Web 2.0.
Nov 19: Discuss: Facebook, Google+, Instagram, and other ways we wont be communicating in 5 years

Week Thirteen:
Nov 24: Due: Paper #4 (Blog, News Article, or Creative) Read: One Voice Discuss: Writing and speaking
Nov 26: Open Class No Classes Scheduled

Week Fourteen:
Dec 1: Class TBA