ENG 101 Syllabus

Designing a Demystyied and Accessible Syllabus for FYC

Syllabus Statment

While syllabuses do serve the rhetorical purpose of a student-instructor contract and course expectations, only viewing the syllabus as an evaluative or outlining genre can cause students anxiety and be inaccessible. Instead, reframing our syllabi with "warm" language and universal design can bring a human touch to our syllabi, inviting students to actually read them instead of just scanning them for the things they can "get in trouble for" and the correlating consequences.

We can "warm up" (Binder & Carnell) our syllabi by intentionally choosing human-centered language rather than the typically contractual legalese that is inaccessible, out of content, and anxiety-invoking for students. Creating warm syllabi prioritizes both clarity and an emphasis on how the content relates to the student reading the syllabus. The syllabus should set up the rhetorical situation of the classroom by clearly outlining the exigencies of the course and how the student will be an active rhetor engaged in the co-construction of meaning in the classroom, not a passive audience of a hierarchical lecture.

I strongly believe if we are "just scanning" through our syllabi on the first day of the course, we are likely not framing them in a rhetorically efficient and audience-aware way. While it is the student's responsibility to read through the document to understand the full agreement of the course, I aim to create a more accessible, accommodating, and engaging re-genre of the traditional syllabus through the syllabus zine.

Inspired by Chican(e) Punk Pedagogy and applications such as Olivia Hernadez's presentation on zines in her Hispanic serving FYC course, my zine provides another modality for framing the rhetorical outline of the course, bringing "warmth" to the traditional block-text syllabus. By including QR codes, illustrations, and interactivity through physicality, the syllabi zine condenses syllabus content into a student-centered genre that acknowledges high context cultural inventory characteristics, such as the valued use of nonverbal elements in interaction as a significant part of communication and knowledge being embedded in the situation.

FYC Syllabus: Based on Writing About Writing Curriculum

Course Description

In this course, you will learn what writing is and how it does what it does. You will learn how writing is part of rhetorical situations that shape how writers create and structure messages and how audiences digest those messages within particular contextual constraints. You will also learn about the writing process and how to develop one that works for you.We will also explore what writing looks like across disciplines and how writing solves problems in variety of contexts. You will leave this course with a broader set of terms for thinking about and discussing writing. You will also develop your own theory for writing that you can use to work through writing situations and to grow as a writer.This course will demand a lot from you and from me, and our success will depend on our mutual and individual efforts. We will write this course together and our direction and focus for the course will emerge from our reading and writing assignments, your drafts, and our class discussions.

ENG 101 Learning Outcomes

Outcome 1: Identify and analyze how a variety of print, digital, and multimodal texts are rhetorically situated, locating their purposes, claims, evidences, biases, intended audiences, and constraints.Outcome 2: Read, summarize, analyze, and synthesize a variety of college-level print and multimedia sources to support and respond to a variety of ethical and objective writing goals across contexts.Outcome 3: Collect secondary and primary source materials for a variety of writing goals and evaluate and analyze those materials for currency, thoroughness, reliability and reasoning. Collect primary source materials about individual writing habits.Outcome 4: Define writing coherently across contexts, express ideas in coherent sentences and paragraphs, and practice drafting, revising, editing, reviewing, and discussing coherent writing.Outcome 5: Cite and document source material for a purpose, context, and audience, utilizing an appropriate and expected style manual, guidelines, and writing conventions. Outcome 6: Design flexible writing plans and heuristics for writing across contexts that accommodate a variety of purposes, audiences, and constraints.

ENG 101 Course Objectives

Students will learn how all writing is rhetorically situated.
Students will learn that writing is a process that requires drafting, revision, reviewing, and discussion.
Students will learn how to conduct academic research about writing.
Students will learn how to engage in academic conversations about writing
Students will learn how to further develop writing knowledge and skills for a variety of disciplinary writing.
Students will learn how to further develop their critical reading and critical thinking skills
Students will learn how to analyze and evaluate media and scholarly texts.
Students will learn how to summarize, synthesize, and cite sources.

Required Texts: None

This course supports and value OER. Links and files to selected articles and readings are provided to students in Canvas. See the course outline for selected article titles.

Course Requirements and Assignments

Rhetorical Situation Paper: 15%Drafts and Writing to Learn Assignments: 15%Peer Reviews for Assignments: 10%Writing Process Assignment: 15%Reading Discussion Posts: 25%Writing in the Disciplines Assignment: 15% Course Reflection and ePortfolio: 5%

Attendance

If you miss more than six classes, you will be in danger of earning a failing grade per CWU policy. Please talk to your instructor about absences as soon as possible. Give the instructor a heads-up if you know you will be missing classes. Talk to your classmates to get caught up on missed class content. I take attendance every day in class. I will send a check in email if your absences are causing you to be at risk of failing. It is your responsibility to keep track of your absences.

Missed Assignments/Make-Ups/Extra Credit

I will accept late assignments in some situations. I understand that sometimes life comes first. If you have an issue with meeting a deadline, please let me know so we can discuss a plan. All late work is technically unacceptable until we discuss a plan.

Revision for Credit

I aim to give you quality feedback on every scaffolded assignment. In most cases, I will let you know where you lost credit and allow you to revise your low-stakes assignments for full credit. You must let me know what you revised to receive credit. You won't have this opportunity for every assignment, but most discussion posts will include directions on how to earn full credit. As for high-stakes assignments, you can use my feedback to significantly revise one of your papers in the portfolio for a revised grade. This is only an option if you communicate clearly with me. Typically, I will only offer this revision opportunity to students who received a grade less than 70% on a high-stakes assignment.

Religious Observance

In compliance with RCW 28B.137.010, Central Washington University  makes every effort to deal reasonably and fairly with students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. Students must present written notice to their instructor within the first two weeks of class listing the specific dates on which accommodations are required. Contact the Dean of Student Success at (509) 963-1515 for further information or questions.

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism and Cheating of any kind on an examination, quiz, or assignment will result in at least an "F" for that assignment (and may, depending on the severity of the case, lead to an "F" for the entire course) and may be subject to appropriate referral for further action. I assume that you will adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity for this course. In other words, don't cheat by giving answers to others or taking them from anyone else. I will also adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity, so please do not ask me to change (or expect me to change) your grade illegitimately or to bend or break the rules for one person that will not apply to everyone.With the rise of artificial intelligence and text generation programs like chatGPT, it is important to emphasize authenticity and transparency in our writing. While AI can be a helpful writing tool, texts that are fully generated by AI cannot produce assignments that fulfill the rubrics and grading criteria. Our assignments are primarily reflective and require you to bring in your unique perspectives and experiences in order to engage with each other in meaningful conversation. A robot cannot do this. What you have to say is way more valuable than having perfect grammar or a fancy vocabulary. We will have ongoing conversations about writing and AI this quarter. This is new to all of us, and moving forward, we will be talking about how AI is changing our lives, work, and writing. We will negotiate an ethical relationship with AI via class discussion.

University Writing Center

The University Writing Center (UWC) is a free resource for CWU undergraduate and graduate students. The UWC's most popular service is the individualized writing consultation: a trained writing consultant will spend time with you reviewing your work and making recommendations for revision. You can bring your work to the UWC at any point in the process--even if you have not yet started writing. Your consultation will be most helpful if you take the time to:

prepare: identify specific issues on which you want feedback
participate: actively discuss your paper with the consultant
reflect: decide which of the possibilities raised during the consultation are helpful to you
act: revise your paper

The UWC will help with writing in any subject, including out-of-class writing such as job application letters. The UWC will also help you organize oral presentations. After each consultation, you will receive a Record of Consultation (RoC) form that summarizes what was discussed. It is best to make an appointment; however, the UWC does accept walk-ins. The UWC does not write, proofread, or grade papers. For more information or to make an appointment, visit the UWC website. If students want to schedule a 30 to 50 minute Zoom consultation, they will need to call the WC to schedule an appointment. The phone number for the WC is 509-903-5163. The WC also offers screencasting feedback. Students can upload their work to the WC website and make a screencasting appointment to review the screencasted feedback. Links for those WC opportunities are provided below. I encourage you to embed these links somewhere in your LMS or syllabus.

Faculty Resources
Links to an external site.
Screencasting
Links to an external site.
You can also contact Academic Success at tutoring@cwu.edu with any questions

Diversity Statement

We are here to learn in a climate of civility and mutual respect. No forms of prejudice or discrimination will be tolerated, including those based on age, color, disability, gender, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, or veteran status. Keep in mind that, while we will not and do not need to agree on every issue or topic, we must respect the rights of others to hold different views (so long as those views do not violate the rights of others). Find out more at Diversity Education Center or by calling (509) 963-1685.

Student Accessibility Services

CWU is committed to being a fully accessible campus and inclusive environment for people with disabilities. CWU considers the diversity of its students, faculty, and staff to be a strength and critical to its educational mission. CWU expects every member of the university community to contribute to an inclusive and respectful culture for all in its classrooms, work environments, and at campus events. Dimensions of diversity can include sex, race, age, national origin, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, intellectual and physical ability, sexual orientation, income, faith and non-faith perspectives, socio-economic class, political ideology, education, primary language, family status, military experience, political beliefs, cognitive style, and communication style. The individual intersection of these experiences and characteristics must be valued in our community. Student Accessibility Services (SAS) accomplishes this through the following means:

Acknowledging disability as an aspect of human diversity;
Cultivating awareness of the environment’s disabling barriers;
Collaborating on and proactively facilitating accessible environments and experiences;
Educating faculty and staff to create and maintain access in their spheres of influence;
Shifting to an inclusive-minded attitude;

If you anticipate or experience any barriers to learning, discuss your concerns with the instructor. Students with disabilities should contact Disability Services to discuss a range of options to removing barriers, including accommodations. Student Disability Services is located in Hogue 126. Call (509) 963-2214 or email Disability Services, ds@cwu.edu, for more information.

Copyright

This course may contain copyright protected materials such as audio or video clips, images, text materials, etc. These items are being used with regard to the Fair Use doctrine in order to enhance the learning environment. Please do not copy, duplicate, download or distribute these items. The use of these materials is strictly reserved for this online classroom environment and your use only. All copyright materials are credited to the copyright holder.

Third-Party Software and FERPA

During this course you might have the opportunity to use public online services and/or software applications sometimes called third-party software such as a blog or wiki. While some of these could be required assignments, you need not make any personally identifying information on a public site. Do not post or provide any private information about yourself or your classmates. Where appropriate you may use a pseudonym or nickname. Some written assignments posted publicly may require personal reflection/comments, but the assignments will not require you to disclose any personally identity-sensitive information. If you have any concerns about this, please contact your instructor.

Technical Difficulties in the Virtual Classroom:

If you are experiencing difficulties with Canvas or any of the applications supported within Canvas, please contact Multimodal Learning. See http://www.cwu.edu/multimodal-learning/staff
Links to an external site.
for a listing of Multimodal Learning staff members and their specialties.
If you are having difficulties with VPN or accessing the CWU portal, please contact the IS Service Desk:
E-mail: cwuservicedesk@cwu.edu
Web: http://www.cwu.edu/its-helpdesk/
Links to an external site.
Links to an external site.
Phone: (509) 963-2001

CWU uses an academic alert system for students who fall behind. These alerts are designed to connect students with advisors. Students on academic alert will receive an email notification about your alert(s). Students’ advisors will also receive an email notification of your alert(s). This program is designed to help students find the resources they need.

Additional Resources Available for Students Having Non-Academic Challenges:

Student Counseling Services – crisis appointments available – 509-963-1391 – www.cwu.edu/medical-counseling/counseling-clinic
Links to an external site.
Mental health crisis support outside of normal business hours – 1-800-273-8255; Text HOME to 741741
Wellness Center – confidential sexual assault and other victim advocacy – 509-963-3213 – www.cwu.edu/wecare
Links to an external site.
, www.cwu.edu/path
Links to an external site.
Disability Services – registration for accommodation – 509-963-2214 –

www.cwu.edu/disability-servicesLinks to an external site.

Student Expectations

The Right Priorities: You will get the most out of this course if you approach our discussions and assignments with the following qualities: (1) Be curious. (2) Be teachable. No matter your personal style or interests, always be curious, and always ask how a reading/assignment can help you grow or how it can help you sharpen your talents; and always be teachable, and display a willingness to learn, rather than a resistance to material you find difficult.
Collaborative Learning: This course will require you to participate in class discussions and workshops, to interact with other students, and to form groups and complete assignments with others. It is an expectation of this course that you will learn from other students, that other students will learn from you, and that you might even learn new things about your own writing. I understand that this can be frightening or even frustrating, but college is a learning laboratory where you should be constantly challenged (even when you don’t immediately see the benefit of those challenges). Trust me when I say that the “real world” requires a great deal of collaboration in the work environment. Use this as a learning opportunity.
Write to engage. Always. No matter the assignment, remember that you’ve got at least one reader: me. Just as I’ve broken apart information in this syllabus and in each module, for better readability and reader engagement, make sure that you are writing with an audience in mind. Nobody likes to read an “information dump” on their page (sorry if that creates a disgusting visual). Read back over your work before posting…if you find yourself tuning out, or skimming, or getting bored, then chances are that I—the reader—will experience the same reaction.

New Work

This course will only consider new work. This is not a place to re-submit work that you wrote in a previous course, nor is it the place to force work that you’ve been assigned from other ventures (the campus newspaper, for instance). While I hope that you all achieve success outside of this class, assignments in this course must be originally written for this course. With that being said, if you are seeing opportunities where your classes intersect, you are welcome to explore those connections and continue projects initiated in past classes. Quotes from past work must be directly cited so that I know what projects you are building off of and what is new work. This does not mean turning in an old high school history essay with a few quotes from our class readings thrown into it. Please talk to me if you have questions about this.

Viruses

A virus can spell disaster. Your use of a reputable anti-virus program is a requirement for participation in this course (good ones include McAfee or Norton).Also, back up your files: "My hard drive crashed." "My modem doesn’t work." "My printer is out of ink." These are today’s equivalents of "My dog ate my homework." And these events really do occur and they are really inconvenient when they do. However, these are not valid excuses for failing to get your work in on time.

Basic Net Protocol

Be courteous and considerate in emails and postings. Being honest and expressing yourself freely is very important but being considerate of others online is just as important as in the classroom.Do not use all caps. This makes the message very hard to read and is considered "shouting." Check spelling, grammar, and punctuation (you may want to compose in a word processor, then cut and paste the message into the discussion or e-mail).Break up large blocks of text into paragraphs and use a space between paragraphs.Never assume that your e-mail can be read by no one except yourself; others may be able to read or access your mail. Never send or keep anything that you would not mind seeing on the evening news.If you want to send a personal message to the instructor or to another student, use e-mail rather than the discussions (see above E-mail Protocols).

References

Hernandez, Olivia. "Chincanx Punk Pedagogy & Multimodal Zine Making." Composition Everywhere All at Once, Two-Year College English Association PNW, 21 Oct. 2023, Yakima Community College, Yakima. Conference Presentation.

Binder, April; Carnell; Lucinda. "Developing Inclusive Syllabi: Part of a Culturally Sustaining Practice." Faculty Workshop, Multimodal Learning, 19 Apr. 2024. Central Washington University. Workshop.

Martin, Dan. "English 101 Course Syllabus." Canvas Course.

Halverson, Claire. "Cultural Context Inventory Characteristic Sheet." 1993. Handout.

Ozment, Kate. "Making the Syllabus Zine." Women in Book History Bibliography. 1 Feb. 2020.

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