Texas Womans University

ENG 1003.3: Introduction to Writing

FALL 2013
Tuesday/Thursday 11:00-12:20 (ASB 105)
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his
language, that goes to his heart. Nelson Mandela
Contact Information: Professor Downs
Office: CFO 128

Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday 12:30-2:00

or by appointment

Phone: (940) 898-2254

Email: hdowns@twu.edu

Please use email or office hours for non-emergency situations. Otherwise, I may be available on the office phone. Last
name/class number+ section should be included in email subject lines. Thank you!

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Required of all freshmen who do not meet entrance requirements for ENG 1013. Includes intensive
instruction and exercise in syntax, punctuation, spelling, and vocabulary development. English
1003 does not satisfy any English requirement, and hours earned will not count toward graduation
requirements. Three lecture hours, week. Credit: Three hours.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
EXEMPLARY EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES; FIRST-YEAR COMPOSITION PROGRAM AND COURSE OUTCOMES

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS

The following textbooks are required components of this class and the entire First-Year
Composition sequence, including ENG 1003, ENG 1013, and ENG 1023. You must have the St.
Martins Guide by the second week of class to keep from falling too far behind. You may purchase
your textbook at the TWU Bookstore, at KB Books (across from Lowry Hall), or Voertmans (on
Hickory near UNT).
Axelrod, Rise B., and Charles R. Cooper. The St. Martins Guide to Writing. 10th ed. ISBN-13: 978-14576-5415-2.
Axelrod, Rise B., and Charles R. Cooper. Sticks & Stones and Other Student Essays. 8th ed. (Note: This
small text should come with the above textbook for free if you order using the above ISBN
number or buy it through the bookstore.)
Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. 2nd
ed. ISBN: 978-0-393-93361-1.
Texas Womans University. First-Year Composition Essay Reader. (You can download this ebook. It
will cost $1.99.)
You will also need access to the following:
flash drive, Pioneer network storage, or internet cloud service (i.e. Dropbox.com,
Google Docs, Icloud.com) for keeping copies of drafts
internet access outside of class (for accessing Blackboard and other links I provide
for the class)
Pioneer Portal (for email purposes)
Blackboard (for supplemental handouts and materials)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Here is how your grade will be calculated:
Major Assignments (70%)

Writing Narrative. (10%; 400-600 words). Students write a self-reflective

narrative examining their prior experiences with writing. (SMG, Ch. 1)

Remembering an Event. (15%; 600-800 words). After reading examples of other

narratives, students write a narrative about a significant event in their life, honing
their skills with chronological organization and cues. (SMG, Ch. 2)

Reading Journal (25%; ~300 words/entry, 800-1000 word paper). Students

maintain and update a journal of their impressions, responses to, and thoughts
about a series of short stories. At the end of the series, they re-read their entries
and write a reflection about the overall experience, drawing on those journals for
material and quotes as necessary. How did their impressions or thoughts change or
evolve over the reading experience? (SMG, Ch. 12, 13, 19)

Revision & Process Reflection [Group]. (20%; 1000-1200 words). Students

annotate and revise a paper, then compose a new writing narrative reflecting on

their writing and revision process, with attention to pre-writing, planning, drafting,
peer-review, revision, and editing. Students should draw from and selectively quote
from previous materials, metacognitive reflections, and journal entries as needed to
back up the narrative.
Exams/Tests (Total: 20%)

FYC Pre-Test. (10%) This in-class writing assignment will take place during
the first week of regularly scheduled classes. You should try to do your best
work on this assignment, but if your score is low, you may have options for
improving the pre-test score through additional work during the term.
FYC Post-Test. (10%) This exam will take place during regular class
sessions in the last week of regularly scheduled classes. You should try to do
your best work on this assignment, as there will not be any time left in the
term to make up points.

Minor Assignments (20%)

Required student conferences (one in week 7, one in week 12)

Peer reviews/Workshop participation
Quizzes

PROGRAM AND COURSE POLICIES

Syllabus Changes
This document is subject to change. The instructor may modify portions of this syllabus
(particularly the calendar of assignments) to adjust to issues in the classroom, learning needs of
students, availability of resources, changes in university or department policy, or other pedagogical
reasons. When changes occur they will be announced on the class Blackboard site and an amended
version of the syllabus will be made available on Blackboard for upload. Handouts and assignment
prompts distributed to students during the term, physically or virtually, are considered extensions
of this syllabus.
Attendance
Student success in this program depends a great deal on whether a student shows up and
participates: Missing a writing class isnt like missing a lecture, where a friend who takes good
notes can help you get caught up. Missing a writing class is more like missing team practice or a
workout; someone can tell you that everyone ran laps or practiced batting or did drills, but that
isnt going to help you get caught up on the workout that you missed. Similarly, being told about a
dinner isnt the same as eating. For the most part, what happens in writing classes benefits only the
people who fully participate in them. The act of giving an effective peer review sharpens your own
ideas of how to write better; the act of analyzing and discussing a text in class teaches you a process
you can use on other texts; the pre-writing, researching, and sentence strategy exercises in a
writing class help students write better papers.
For this reason, if you miss a class, you need to understand that you will probably not be able to
make up the missed experience, and there will probably be consequences in terms of your
understanding or performance later, even if the absence is excused. Yes, if you have an excused
absence, documented through Office of Student Life, you can make up things like quizzes or make
up missed points somehow, but you will have still missed an in-class experience in which students

and the teacher clarified the next writing assignment, practiced new sentence patterns, practiced
tricks for annotating sources, and so forth. (Note: We assume in this class that you have read and
understood the TWU Student Handbook, which will tell you that the Office of Student Life only
approves absences due to illness, hospitalization, official school activities, recognized holidays, or
death in the immediate family. It will also tell you that having excused absences doesnt absolve you
from having to make up the work you missed and that you may fail a class due to excessive
absences even if they are excused.)
Unexcused absences hurt more: If your absence is unexcused, you will not be able to make up
anything you missed, including pop quizzes or point-bearing activities. Disruptive behavior that
makes teaching or learning difficult or a pattern of non-participation or lack of preparation can lead
to you being marked absent even if you are there physically. If you miss the equivalent of two
weeks of classes (2 class sessions for a class that meets once a week, or 4 class sessions that meets
twice a week), you can be failed in this course.
We dont want you to fail, though. We want you to succeed. If you know in advance you have to miss
a class, talk to me ahead of time and we can try to minimize the side effects.
What Is the Official TWU Attendance Policy?
TWU Attendance Policy: Consistent and attentive attendance is vital to academic success, and is
expected of all students. Grades are determined by academic performance, and instructors may give
students written notice that attendance related to specific classroom activities is required and will
constitute a specific percentage of students' grades.
Instructors are strongly encouraged to keep a record of student attendance. They should note
absences due to documented student illness, serious illness or death in the student's immediate
family, pregnancy or related conditions, official school activity, state-recognized religious holiday,
active military service that is of a reasonable brief duration, or other verified absences deemed
appropriate by the instructor. Students must consult with instructors regarding the completion of
make-up work.
Absences do not exempt students from academic requirements. Excessive absences, even if
documented, may result in a student failing the course. An incomplete may be granted if the
student has a passing grade, but only if the instructor determines that it is feasible for the student
to successfully complete remaining assignments after the semester. Pursuant to university policy,
such determinations are within the discretion of the instructor.
Pre-Test and Post-Test
To assess how our First-Year Composition program is doing, we will ask you to complete two
written in-class tests, one near the beginning of the term and one near the end. These tests are
required of all composition students. Completion of the two exams is worth a combined 20% of
your grade. If you do not do well on the first test, we will provide opportunities for you to make up
some of the points you lost through additional work, but the second test occurs late enough in the
term that no such opportunities can be offered for it.
Final Exam Session
Although we will be taking the post-test before the date of our scheduled final exam meeting, we
are still required to meet during the allotted final exam time.
During the Final Exam time slot, we will have an Open Reading where you can share some of your
work over the course of the semester or a creative work (not to exceed 10 minutes). Although

attendance is mandatory, participation is optional and will earn you five bonus points on your
lowest scoring Major Assignment. Feel free to try your hand at fiction, creative non-fiction, or
poetry for this exercise.
Grading
Essay and final grades will follow an A-F grading system. Letter grades can be interpreted as
follows: A-Excellent; B-Good; C-Average; D-Below Average (but passing); or F-Failure. To receive
credit on a completed paper, you must have completed and submitted on all of the pre-writing,
planning, and draft work associated with that assignment.
Late assignments
As a rule, the first-year composition program does not accept late assignments. Absence is not an
excuse for late work. If you must miss class when an assignment is due, turn it in prior to the due
date. I may accept a late assignment, but only in extremely extraordinary circumstances and with
prior approval. However, even with approval, your grade on the work will be reduced half a lettergrade for each class day the assignment is late.
Email Correspondence
Instructors in the first-year composition program only reply to emails sent from TWU accounts.
Also, emails are written communication, and you should be aware of your audience. Craft a subject
line that reflects the main purpose of your message, use appropriate language, and sign your name
(first and last) as well as indicate your class by section, day, and time. I will make every effort to
reply to emails in a timely fashion during the week; however, I do not normally respond to student
emails on weekends.
Professional Etiquette
Your classmates are paying to be here and most of them are trying to get things right the first time,
which can demand concentration. Your teacher is trying to help them. For these reasons, please be
professional in all activities associated with this class. Often, the same rules you follow in a movie
theater work for the classroom: Turning off or silencing cell phones, using the class printer before
class begins (instead of while someone is talking!), putting away ear-buds, saving your text
messaging until after class is over, all help everyone else around stay focused, too. I dont want to be
the Etiquette Police, but if I see these activities, I will politely ask you to stop; if you continue, I may
ask you to leave the classroom (at which time you will be marked absent) so that other students can
focus on the lessons.
The Write Site
I encourage you to visit TWUs writing center The Write Site, which is located in CFO 129. The
Write Site is open Monday through Thursday from 9-5 pm and from 9-1 pm on Fridays. There are
evening hours in Blagg-Huey Library Sunday through Wednesday from 7-9:30 pm. Write Site
services are free to TWU students. At the Write Site you can schedule up to two hours of
appointments per week to work with a writing consultant, who can assist you with any phase of
the writing process. As you meet with a consultant, youll discover ways not only to improve the
assignment youre currently working on, but also realize how to improve as a writer. To make an
appointment, go online to www.twu.edu/writesite, call 940-898-2341 or visit CFO 131.
Sharing Writing/Ideas
Writing is public. Even when writing is in draft form, professional writers circulate copies of what
they are working on for feedback. Even when writing is meant to be private, it leaks into the public
realm with startling regularity. For this reason, writers need to become comfortable sharing their

writing with others and hearing, seeing, or reading reactions to it. In this class, you can expect to
share your work with your peers, either face-to-face and one-on-one or, at times, with the entire
class at once. This sharing is intended to provide you with models of effective writing, feedback to
improve your writing, and give you experience offering feedback. It is imperative we all respect
this process and come to class prepared to share writing and comment constructively.
Manuscript Preparation
Major writing assignments should be printed from a digital file (double-spaced) in black ink using a
Times New Roman font (no larger or smaller than 12pt). Use MLA guidelines for spacing, margins,
heading, and page numbering. Print a hard copy of your work before closing the program youre
using. Always save your work on your hard drive and email it to yourself. You should also save
your work on a separate flash drive. (Computer labs are located in the following areas: MCL Mega
Lab (218), Technology Resource Center (MCL 221), Blagg-Huey Library (Lab), Student Center (Rm.
112), and University Housing (Guinn Commons).
Additional University/Program Information

Academic Dishonesty Statement: Honesty in completing assignments is essential to the

mission of the University and to the development of the personal integrity of the
student. In submitting graded assignments, students affirm that they have neither given
nor received unauthorized assistance, and that they have abided by all other provisions
of the Code of Conduct in the TWU Student Handbook. Cheating, plagiarism, fabrication,
or other kinds of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result in
appropriate sanctions that may include failing an assignment, failing the class, or being
suspended or expelled. Suspected cases in this course may be reported to Student Life.
The specific disciplinary process for academic dishonesty is found in the TWU Student
Handbook. The TWU library link, Avoiding Plagiarism, Will aid students in completing
their assignments with integrity.

Turnitin Statement: In an effort to ensure the integrity of the academic process, Texas
Womans University vigorously affirms the importance of academic honesty as defined
by the Student Handbook. Therefore, in an effort to detect and prevent plagiarism,
faculty members at Texas Womans University may use a tool called Turnitin to
compare a students work with multiple sources. It then reports a percentage of
similarity and provides links to those specific sources. The tool itself does not determine
whether a paper has been plagiarized. Instead, that judgment must be made by the
individual faculty member.

Disability Support Policy Statement: If you anticipate the need for reasonable
accommodations to meet the requirements of this course, you must register with the
office of Disability Support Services (CFO 106, 940-898-3835, dss@twu.edu ) in order to
obtain the required official notification of your accommodation needs. Please plan to
meet with me by appointment or during office hours to discuss approved
accommodations and how my course requirements and activities may impact your
ability to fully participate.

Dropping this Course: Students may drop a course without penalty before the census
day of each regular semester. However, after the census date, students enrolling fall
2007 or later (at TWU or any Texas public higher education institution), are allowed
only 6 unexcused drops during their undergraduate academic careers. Drops after the

census day will count toward the 6-drop limit unless they are supported by timely,
appropriate documentation and excused by the university review process. Drop forms
are available in the Registrars Office and require the signature of the student,
instructor, and academic advisor.
What follows is a skeletal outline of reading and writing assignments for the semester. This
calendar does not include all the many ways well think and write about writing; its simply a guide.
This calendar is subject to change.

Schedule

Abbreviations:
SMG = St. Martins Guide to Writing;
TSIS = They Say/I Say;
TWU = TWU ebook;
S&S = Sticks & Stones.
Week 1: Aug. 26-29
Tuesday: Go over syllabus, sign forms
Thursday: Take writing diagnostic (required pre-test)
Homework: Read SMG Ch.1/ skim SMG Ch.11 with special attention to
invention strategy ideas
Week 2: Sept. 3-6
Tuesday: Discuss writing narratives; practice invention strategies for WA #1: Writing Narrative.
Homework: Compose Writing Narrative assignment, bring draft to next
class
Thursday: Share drafts in class, reflect on challenges encountered during drafting, and discuss
strategies for improvement.
Homework: Complete Writing Narrative
DUE: WRITING NARRATIVE - Submit online through Turnitin.com by midnight on
Sunday, September 8th
Week 3: Sept. 9-1

Tuesday: Reflect on writing experience; introduce the Remembering an Event assignment

Homework: Read examples of Remembering an Event from S&S and TWU/
Annotate a reading/ Bring notes to next class
Thursday: Discuss readings. Brainstorm Guide to Writing Chapter 2 events
Homework: Complete Invention and Planning sections of Guide to Writing
Ch. 2 (pgs. 33-45)
Week 4: Sept. 16-20
Tuesday: Troubleshooting; Share plans for essays in class; discuss examples

Learn why its useful to review and revise during the planning stage.
Homework: Complete Remembering an Event draft, bring to next class
Thursday: How to format dialogue; review cohesion and cuing strategies from SMG, Ch. 13.
Self-review and in-class revision.
Homework: Revise draft. Read it aloud to a friend or family member. Take
notes on your audiences reaction/ Read the Writer at Work section of
SMG Ch. 2/ TSIS Chapter 12
Week 5: Sept. 23-27
Tuesday: Discuss Writer at Work and Critical Reading Guide/peer review process.
Conduct peer reviews.
Homework: Reflect on peer comments and decide what revisions to make;
use editing guidance from SMG Ch.2 to fine-tune draft
DUE: REMEMBERING AN EVENT Submit online through Turnitin.com by
midnight Wednesday, September 25th
Thursday: Metacognitive reflection on writing process (using reflective prompts at end of
Ch. 2)
Homework: Read first reading for practice midterm online/ Read SMG Ch.
12/ Annotate the first midterm reading and bring it to class
Week 6: Sept. 30 - Oct. 4
Tuesday: Review and discuss annotations.
Homework: Get a good nights sleep! Review your notes.
Thursday: Practice midterm.
Homework: On way out the door, sign up for a conference appointment on
conference schedule.
Week 7: Oct. 7-11
Tuesday: Classes canceled this week to make room for required Office Hour Conferences. You
must attend your appointment to avoid being marked absent for the week. Bring copies of all
work completed so far to your appointment.
Thursday: Classes canceled this week to make room for required Office Hour Conferences.
Homework: Short Story #1
SMG Ch. 13
Week 8: Oct. 14-18
Tuesday: Discuss Journal Paper assignment. Demystifying analysis: an everyday, useful
activity
Homework: Journal Entry #1, bring to next class

Thursday: Discuss journal entries, Read Short Story #2, brainstorm journal ideas
Homework: Read Short Story #3; writes journal entries
Week 9: Oct. 21-25
Tuesday: Discuss paper ideas, go over format
Homework: Journal Paper Outline
Thursday: Peer-review Outlines, begin work on Rough Draft
Homework: Journal Paper rough draft
Week 10: Oct. 28 Nov. 1
Tuesday: Rough Draft peer review
Homework: Journal Paper final draft
DUE: JOURNAL PAPER- submit to Turnitin.com by midnight on Wednesday,
October 30th
Thursday: Discuss Revision & Process Reflection assignment. Sign up for conferences.
Homework: Reflect in writing on experiences with each of the three
previous assignments. What worked? What didnt? Which do you feel most
comfortable trying to improve? Why? Bring notes to conference.
Week 11: Nov. 4-8
Tuesday: Classes canceled to make room for required Office Hour Consultations. You must
attend your appointment to avoid being marked absent for the week. Bring copies of all
work completed so far to your appointment.
Thursday: Classes canceled to make room for required Office Hour Consultations.
Homework: Plan brief (5-min) presentation to class on project youre
revising: Reflections on previous writing experience, plan for changes in
your re-envisioning
Week 12: Nov. 11-15
Tuesday: Presentations
Homework: Complete your planned revisions
Thursday: Finish presentations
Homework: Complete reflections on revision/ Attach to revision and bring
as rough draft
Week 13: Nov. 18-22
Tuesday: Review editing from SMG Ch. 2: How would we apply those steps to another
paper? Begin final drafts.
Homework: Finish Revision and Process Reflection

DUE: REVISION AND PROCESS REFLECTION- submit to Turnitin.com by midnight

on Wednesday, November 20th
Thursday: Reflection, other activity TBA
Week 14: Nov. 25-26

November 27-29: Thanksgiving (Holiday)

GOBBLE GOBBLE

Week 15: Dec. 2-6

Tuesday: Exam prep and review: Post-test first reading distributed at end of class. Sign-up
for Open Reading Extra Credit class
Thursday: Take post-test exam in class
FINALS WEEK -- Week 16: Dec. 9-13
Attend final exam session- Open Reading Class

End of Semester
WOOHOO!
Happy Holidays. Stay safe, and have fun!