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WRT 101: Writing I, CRN 11165

Pima Community College North East Learning Center, Fall 2010
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:00-6:25 p.m.
Instructor Information
April Conway
Email: arconway@pima.edu Phone: 206-7645 Office: NEC Conference Rm: NE-112
Office Hours: By Appointment.
Course Information
Description.
Principles and practices of writing. Includes writing college-level essays, review of basic writing skills,
written works including a variety of essay types with an emphasis on argumentation, and documented
inquiry.
Prerequisite(s): WRT 100 or 106 with a C or better, or required score on writing assessment test.
Required Text
Nadell, Judith, John Langan, and Eliza A. Comodromos. The Longman Writer: Rhetoric,
Reader, Handbook. 7th ed. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2008.
Performance Objectives. Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to do
the following:
1. Generate, organize, and select ideas and develop them into coherent
paragraphs and essays.
2. Use a variety of writing styles for different audiences, and improve writing by
correcting errors, restructuring, and rewriting.
3. Write essays and other works to include drafts and in-class writing for 7,000
words total semester output.
Course Outline.
I. Writing College-level Essays
A. Process of prewriting, writing, revising, and editing
B. Organization and outlining
C. Writing several essays
D. In-class writing
1. Preparing for in-class writing
2. Writing one or more in-class essays
3. Other in-class writing exercises
E. Reading, analyzing, and discussing model writers
1. Professional/academic writings

2. Student writings
II. Review of Basic Writing Skills
A. Mechanics
B. Sentence structure and variety
C. Paragraph development
III. Written Works
A. Drafts
B. Essays
1. Narrative/descriptive
2. Expository
3. Persuasive
4. Research
C. In-class writing
Other Requirements
Computer and Internet Access. This is a computer enhanced course and will
require that you have some access to a computer outside of the classroom. If
you do not have access to a computer at home, make sure to schedule time in
the computer labs on campus. If you foresee a problem with this, please let me
know.
MyPima. This course will rely on MyPima throughout the semester. If you are
absent you may check for assignments on MyPima. If you are unsure of how to
use MyPima or have questions, please let me know early in the semester.
Email. Students are expected to have and check Pima Email at least once a day.
Memory Stick / Disk / Electronic Storage. Students will need a system for
getting work electronically to class. Email will work fine. Just make sure you
know how to attach files.
Course Policies
Take Responsibility for your learning.
Learning does not just happen on its own. It takes hard work and time. For this class,
taking responsibility means at least doing the following:
Read and know the syllabus. This will be your guide for the semester. If you
have questions about any of the information make sure that you ask early on.
Manage your time effectively. If you know that you tend to procrastinate, let
me know. I can help you develop strategies to help you manage your time.
Expect to write multiple drafts of each essay. While it might seem daunting,
drafting is an essential component of becoming a skilled writer.
Ask for help. If there is something you do not understand, ask for help. There
are a multitude of resources (on and off campus) available to you
Know Pima policies and deadlines. Make sure that you know the procedures
and deadlines for withdrawing from this class because it is your responsibility.

Attendance.
Class work, discussions, and activities cannot be made up.
More than 3 absences will result in a lower final grade. More than 4 absences
may result in a withdrawal from the class. Please plan accordingly.
In-Class .
Attend class prepared. My expectation is that everyone has completed every
assignment before arriving to class. Students that are obviously unprepared will
not be allowed to participate in class activities and will lose the associated
points.
Participation is required. Students are expected to participate in class
activities. Choosing not to participate in more than half of the activities during a
given class period will result in a half of an absence for that class period.
Develop a community of learners. We are a diverse group of individuals and
can learn a great deal from each other. For this to work, each of us will need to
be respectful of others, open to approaches and perspectives different from our
own, and able to provide and accept appropriate and constructive criticism.
The Student Code of Conduct will be used as the guide for appropriate student
behavior: http://www.pima.edu/studentserv/studentrights/studentconduct/index.shtml. In addition to these guidelines, I do not allow the
following:
o Cell Phones (text messaging, answering calls, taking pictures, playing
games, etc.)
o Surfing the internet. If you are given an assignment that requires use
of the computers in class, you must stay on task. Surfing unrelated
sites, checking email, chat, etc. will not be counted as participating in
the assignment.
Submitting Work. Students are expected to follow these guidelines for each writing
assignment.
All submitted work must be typed. You must also do the following:
o Use a standard font (Arial, Times New Roman) in 11 or 12 point size and
regular style (not bolded)
o Use standard margins (1 or 1.25)
o Make sure your name, date, and the course appear at the top of every
document.
All students must turn work in on time. Assignments due in class are expected
at the beginning of class.
o Assignments turned in late but during the class period will incur a 5%
penalty.
o Assignments turned in late but within the same day will incur a 10%
penalty.
o Assignments turned in the following class period will incur a 20%
penalty.

o No assignments will be accepted more than one week after the

original due date.
All drafts must be turned in to receive credit for the final draft.

Do not plagiarize. At this institution, plagiarism is defined as: The representing of the
work of other persons as one's own, including but not limited to the use of work by
others and information downloaded from the Internet, is plagiarism. The use of another
person's words, ideas, or information without proper acknowledgement is also
plagiarism. 1 To avoid plagiarizing, you will be citing works you refer to, paraphrase,
and directly quote. Plagiarized work will at least be given a grade of zero and cannot be
made up. Depending on the severity of the plagiarism, students may also fail the
course.
ADA policy. Pima Community College provides reasonable academic accommodations
to those students who qualify under the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).
Appropriate medical documentation will be required to determine eligibility. Please
contact the campus Disabled Students Resource (DSR) office at 206-7699 to begin the
accommodation request process.
Optional Reporting Statement. Pursuant to Arizona law (A.R.S. 13-3620), College
personnel, including faculty, staff, and administrators, who learn in the course and
scope of their employment that a minor (defined as under 18 years of age) has been the
victim of physical or sexual abuse, are required to report this information immediately
to law enforcement.(PCC SPG-1505/BB)
Class Cancelation policy. In addition to posting class cancellation on the classroom
door, whenever possible, I will email a notification to students through MyPima.
Grades
Attendance & Participation
Final Essays
Writing Autobiography
Travel Writing
Compare and Contrast
Editorial
Final Portfolio Reflection
Other Assignments
In-Class Activities
Homework
Grade Distribution.
A=90%-100% B=80%-89% C=70%-79%

100 points
500 points

200 points
200 points
D=60%-69% F=0%-59%

Assessment Method Essays, projects, and group work will be graded by rubrics.
Other Grades
The Grade of Incomplete (I) will be given at the discretion of the instructor only
when the student has completed at least 80% of the course work with a grade of C or
better. The student must request the I before grades are turned in.
The Grade of W designates an official withdrawal. It is the students responsibility to
withdraw officially from the course. A W has to be initiated by the student by filling
out a withdrawal form. This needs to be done before the official withdrawal deadline,
November 15. Students who stop attending class and do not withdrawal from the class
officially will receive an F at the end of the semester.
Resources
Tutoring Center
The East Campus Tutoring Center is located in L-125. They are open Monday-Thursday
8:30am-7:00pm and Friday-Saturday 9:00am-2:00pm. Call 206-7863 to check for
writing tutor availability.
Library
The East Campus Library is open Monday-Thursday 8:00am-9:00pm, Friday 8:00am5:00pm, and Saturday 9:00am-3:00pm.

Tentative Course Outline (Fall 2010) WRT 101 Conway

Class
9/9 TR
9/14 T
9/16 TR
9/21 T
9/23 TR
9/28 T

Reading

9/30 TR

Chapter 7

10/5 T
10/7 TR
10/12 T
10/14 TR
10/19 T

Chapter 11
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 13

10/21 TR
10/26 T
10/28 TR
11/2 T
11/4 TR

Punctuation [p. 698-718]

Chapter 16
Verbs, Pronouns, Modifiers

Chapter 1
Chapter 3
Chapter 4-5
Chapter 12
Chapter 6

12/9 TR
12/14 T
12/16 TR

Other Prep
MyPima intro

Bring 2 rough draft copies of

writing autobiography to class
Writing
Autobiograph
y

Bring 2 rough draft copies of travel

essay to class
Travel Writing

Bring 2 rough draft copies of

compare and contrast essay to
class

11/9 T
11/11 TR
11/16 T
11/18 TR
11/23 T
11/25 TR
11/29 T
12/2 TR
12/7 T

Essay

Compare/
Contrast
Veterans Day; No Class
Chapter 19 [p. 461-492]
Chapter 19 [p. 493-526]
Chapter 20 [p. 529-558]
Chapter 20 [p. 559-579]
Thanksgiving: No Class
Chapter 21
Bring 2 rough draft copies of
editorial essay to class
Editorial
Portfolio
Essay: In Class