Thursday, April 23 2009

Today’s  Agenda

ALL CELL PHONES AND MESSAGING TECHNOLOGY MUST BE TURNED OFF

In class with you today you are to have the following:

Three copies of the revised paper,  the argument.

We only have two class meetings left, and we have quite a bit of work to do in that time. However, if you stay organized and focused, you should have no trouble getting your portfolio ready for next Friday. Today we are going to begin with a conversation about our papers, and we will be performing some proofreading of the documents that you have with you today.

The second half of the class is going to involve a conversation on the portfolio. In particular, we will be talking about the letter that you will be including at the beginning of this document.  I will end class today by letting you know exactly what will need to be in the portfolio. I will be giving you several shorter assignments to complete over the course of the week. This is to ensure that, when you walk through the door next Tuesday, you are ready to compile most of the portfolio, and then we can move into a discussion of the final examination.

Paper drafts:

• Group Discussion

• Class Discussion

General areas of concern:

• Appropriate sources

• Appropriate Citation

• Topic VS. Argument. I am seeing some improvement here, but there is still a lot of room for growth in some papers.

Proofreading Rounds:

1) Eyeballing it!

i.      Are the paragraphs constructed appropriately? 6-8 sentences long? Focused on one topic? Is a quote or citation included? *NEW: HAS THE AUTHOR MADE A REASONABLE EFFORT TO TRANSITION FROM ONE IDEA TO THE NEXT?

ii.      Use of quotes and citations. When the author uses quotes or citations, do they follow the three-step process?

EMAIL ME THE FINAL DRAFT ON MONDAY BY NOON, OR BEFORE.

The Portfolio:

The purpose of the portfolio is two-fold. First, it demonstrates your solid progression and advancement as a writer in this course over the past 13 weeks. Second, it clearly communicates to an unknown reader how you have worked this semester and what you have accomplished.

Historically, I get VERY busy with students as this week progresses, and it is extremely likely that if you wait to see me until Wednesday or later of next week that I may simply be too overwhelmed with other students to help you. So, if you plan on seeing me, do so early and often — not later. While I DOUBLE my number of available office hours during this part of the year (above and beyond the call of duty) I cannot guarantee to that I will see you if you do not make an earnest effort to come to my office.

You will present your portfolio in a 3-ring binder with tabbed  dividers.

Portfolio Content

1)      Cover Letter

• 3-4 page formal letter to the committee clearly outlining your progression as a writer this semester. The structure of the document is at the end of this listing.
  

• You are entirely responsible for this document. At this point, after an entire academic year of Rhetoric and Composition, you need to demonstrate the good judgment of  knowing when and how it is appropriate to get help with your writing. I will be expanding my office hours next week to help you with this document, but you must come see me for assistance — I will not seek you out. Why do I do it this way? Because it is now up to you to demonstrate that you understand the writing process.
  

2)      All Graded Drafts of the Précis on Hertsgaard’s “The Oblivious Empire”. THIS INCLUDES DRAFTS THAT RECEIVED A GRADE OF “NO GRADE” OR WHICH I REFUSED TO GRADE. YOU WILL ALSO INCLUDE A CLEAN COPY OF YOUR FINAL DRAFT. THAT IS, YOU WILL MAKE THE CORRECTIONS I SUGGESTED ON THE FINAL DRAFT, AND INCLUDE THAT CORRECTED VERSION IN THIS DOCUMENT.  THE ORDER WILL BE AS FOLLOWS: CLEAN COPY, VERY FIRST DRAFT, SECOND DRAFT, THIRD DRAFT, ECT…

3)      All Graded Drafts of Guided Argument on Hertsgaard’s “The Oblivious Empire.” THIS INCLUDES DRAFTS THAT RECEIVED A GRADE OF “NO GRADE” OR WHICH I REFUSED TO GRADE. YOU WILL ALSO INCLUDE A CLEAN COPY OF YOUR FINAL DRAFT. THAT IS, YOU WILL MAKE THE CORRECTIONS I SUGGESTED ON THE FINAL DRAFT, AND INCLUDE THAT CORRECTED VERSION IN THIS DOCUMENT.  THE ORDER WILL BE AS FOLLOWS: CLEAN COPY, VERY FIRST DRAFT, SECOND DRAFT, THIRD DRAFT, ECT…

4)      All Graded Drafts of Your Argument on a Topic of Your Choosing.THIS INCLUDES DRAFTS THAT RECEIVED A GRADE OF “NO GRADE” OR WHICH I REFUSED TO GRADE. YOU WILL ALSO INCLUDE A CLEAN COPY OF YOUR FINAL DRAFT. THAT IS, YOU WILL MAKE THE CORRECTIONS I SUGGESTED ON THE FINAL DRAFT, AND INCLUDE THAT CORRECTED VERSION IN THIS DOCUMENT.  THE ORDER WILL BE AS FOLLOWS: CLEAN COPY, VERY FIRST DRAFT, SECOND DRAFT, THIRD DRAFT, ECT…

5)      6 of your best BLOG posts or in-class journal assignments.

6)      6 Other homework assignments. (these can be blog posts too)

Basic Structure:

1)      Begin with a paragraph that introduces the reader to who you are, where you are coming from, and what it is you have focusing on in class this semester

2)      Introduce the three major papers that you will be presenting in your portfolio: the précis, the guided argument, and the argument. You will be briefly mentioning again how you have improved as a writer as you have gone through the drafting process of these papers

3)      Next, you move into your body paragraphs: a couple on the précis, a couple on the guided  argument, and a couple of the argument. In each of these paragraphs, you will be providing specific examples – quoted – from the drafts that shows your improvement over time.

4) Conclude by explaining to me how and why you think the skills you have learned in this course will be of value to you in your future endeavors at Husson University. The more specific you can be here, the better off you will be.

Homework for this week:

Revise and Resubmit your arguments for MONDAY.

For THURSDAY, you are to come to class with your portfolio completed and organized. We will be spending this very important day going over our letters and prepping for the final examination.

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