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So, what’s the deal with this class?

Let’s face it: writing is a skill that you need in order to experience success in the workplace and in life. There’s no escaping it—you’ll be sending emails and texts and writing essay exams, cover letters, memos and more the rest of your life. For many students—especially those who don’t like writing or feel they can’t do it —this might sound intimidating, perhaps impossible. Yet, anyone can learn how to become effective and efficient communicators using the written word. This principal is the driving force of this course. From the first day of class to the last you will write, write, and

rewrite. Through learning about the writing process, through authoring mult ip le draf ts, holding personal conferences, and sharing your work, you will learn to think deeply and improve your own writing. Moreover, you will learn and experience how writing opens doors to critical thinking and creative engagement, skills we will practice through fun (it’s true) and interesting writing projects. Everything we do in this course is all to help you prepare for the personal and academic writing and thinking you wi l l do throughout college and your own life. Through it all, you will leave

this class a better writer, thinker, and student. Want more specifics? Here’s the official catalog description of COR-115:

Students learn rhetorical strategies to read and write in response to academic t e x t s i n v a r i o u s d i s c i p l i n e s. Thematically linked to COR 110, the course teaches students to engage with ideas and work through difficult texts by posing meaningful questions and analyzing both what a text says and how it says it. Students learn to think and effectively communicate through critical reading, critical writing, speaking and reflection.

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What is Composition?

Grade Breakdown

Writing Resources

Nitty-Gritty Details

Course Calendar

In this class, you’ll learn to write. More importantly, you’ll learn how to use words as a conduit for discovering more about yourself. In the process, you’ll see how writing can help reflect your best self in

college, at work, and in life.

questions?concerns?contact me

here:>>>

email: bsigurdson@champlain.edu

phone/text: 715.937.0507

office/office hours: Aiken 100/TBA

Course Website: Canvas

COR-110 Cohort: Ciaran Buckley

An Overview of the Course, Expectations, Assignments, and Objectives

Your Instructor: Brett Sigurdson

Textbook: Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck

Klosterman ISBN:978-0743236010

Champlain College

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The Nitty Gritty... Everything that you need to succeed in this course

Attendance As a student in this class, you are expected to contribute to your fellow students’ edification and growth. As s u c h , y o u m u s t m e e t c e r t a i n expectations so that we may all benefit from your experiences, opinions, and perspectives. This starts with attendance.

Repeated absences will negatively affect your grade. You may miss a maximum of six class periods. More than six absences will lead to automatic failure. Keep in mind, I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences—if you miss, you’re absent. However, if an emergency will keep you from attending class for multiple days, please reach out to me and let me know. I will try to post homework in Canvas every day, though I’m not always timely. Should you miss class and need homework info, a workshop partner, etc., please reach out to someone in class for immediate help.

Class Participation We’re going to talk—a lot. About writing, rhetoric, and ideas, about things that you might believe are right and things you might believe are wrong. Because these things largely extend from a personal reaction, I want to know your p e r s p e c t i ve , yo u r t a s t e s , yo u r interpretations, your ideas. You should want the same from your classmates.

So, please show up for class ready to talk and discuss. Part of your grade will depend on your participation in class. Students will receive an overall participation grade based on 1) completed writing notebooks, 2) engagement in small-group activities, 3) attending class on time and being clearly prepared, 4) being engaged in class material and/or discussions, 5) proper communication with me. On several occasions throughout the semester I will share a rubric outlining the students’ performance with a letter grade. Please know our classroom is a safe place. You should feel comfortable sharing your ideas without feeling judged.

Assignments This class will consist of four medium-sized papers, several short discussion assignments (worth 25 points each), writing workshops, writing notebooks (more on those below) and class participation. In total, we’ll have at least 800 points for this class. To keep up with things, please check Canvas daily. There you will find information on the class, inc lud ing d ig i ta l cop ie s o f a l l assignments, your grades, links to important websites, and postings concerning class discussions and topics of interest to our work.

Writing Notebook Please bring a notebook solely for fast-writing assignments beginning the second day of class and continuing until the end of the semester. Your notebook will be the place where you explore your ideas, doodle, react to writing prompts, and hopefully plant the seeds of ideas

for future writing projects. The type of notebook that you provide is of little significance. What matters is that you’re comfortable writing in it and that you use it only for this class. I will require you to turn in your writing notebooks an unspecified number of t imes at least twice throughout the semester, something which will count towards your overall grade. Note: I have a strict deadline for notebooks. If I leave campus without your writing notebook, you will not receive points for the assignment. If you will be away from class, you can send it to class with someone.

Late Work Writing is about making choices and this is something that will be reflected in my classroom. All assignments are absolutely due on the specified date unless you have permission from me. However, I will allow you to turn in an assignment up to seven days past the due date without penalty to your grade. If you choose to do this, I will not provide any feedback for your paper, something that may hinder any revision attempts. You must let me know, in writing—through either an email or a note submitted in class—at least 24 hours before the assignment is due that you will submit your assignment under these conditions.

Otherwise, if you do not notify me of your decision to take the extra week, I will not accept late work. Note: This policy only pertains to our major papers.

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“You’re a Genius all the time”

Jack Kerouac

In addition to skills and knowledge, Champlain College aims to teach students appropriate Ethical and Professional Standards of Conduct. The Academic Honesty Policy exists to inform students and Faculty of their obligations in upholding the highest standards of professional and ethical integrity. All student work is subject to the Academic Honesty Policy. Professional and Academic practice provides guidance about how to properly cite, reference, and attribute the intellectual property of others. Any attempt to deceive a faculty member or to help another student to do so will be considered a violation of this standard.

The penalty for plagiarism in this course may include, but is not limited to, failure of COR 115 For questions or concerns, I encourage you to consult a reputable source, the Writing Center, or me.

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The Nitty Gritty... Everything that you need to succeed in this course

Final Portfolio Writing is a process. You’re not going to sharpen your ability to write by getting one shot at it. Therefore, you will be encouraged to improve the assignments that you submit throughout the semester until the last week of the course. On the final day of classes, you’ll submit to me a portfolio of all your major assignments, edited and sculpted to (I hope) perfection. Here’s how it will work: after you submit an assignment to me, I’ll respond with comments and a grade—the grade you would receive if you didn’t do any more work on it. If you’re satisfied with your work and the grade do nothing more. However, if you feel that you can do better, continue to work on the paper throughout the semester through revision, visiting with the Writing Center, and meeting with me. At the end of the semester, you’ll submit your work to me in a portfolio with a cover letter. The work that you submit should be your very best. The portfolio will stand as the bulk of your grade for the class.

Students Requiring Accommodations

If you believe that you require accommodations in this class, please contact Counseling and Accommodation Services as soon as possible. You will be able to schedule a meeting with Denise Myers and have your documentation reviewed. During that meeting, Denise will provide you with letters for your faculty, w h i c h w i l l d e t a i l y o u r n e e d e d

accommodations. It is the student's responsibi l i ty to seek and secure accommodations prior to the start of a test or project.

Contact: Denise Myers, Counseling and Accommodation Services, via phone ( 8 0 2 . 8 6 5 . 5 4 8 4 ) o r e m a i l (dmyers@champlain.edu). Her office is located in Skiff Hall, room 100.

Class Philosophies This is not a difficult class, though it’s not easy either. The most successful students in my courses aren’t necessarily the best writers; rather, the most successful students simply do the work. To succeed in this class, you simply need to show up, do each assignment, push yourself to create your best work, and revise, revise, revise. While the quality of your work takes precedence over anything else in terms of your grade, the above-mentioned things will lead to quality work.

Here are some other things to keep in mind:

1. No matter what, you each have something to gain from this class. I expect all my students to push themselves. 2. If you tell me before, it’s an explanation. If you tell me after, it’s an excuse. I’m up for working with you in the case of the former, less so in the latter. 3. At any point during the semester, I will be happy to respond to questions or concerns regarding this course, your performance, or your grade. Please feel free to visit me during my office hours or to make an appointment. 4. I reserve the right to change assignments, due dates, etc. on the syllabus with proper warning.

5. You have a number of ways to contact me. I expect you to work with me if you are having problems with your work or the course. Please don’t w a i t u n t i l t h e e n d - o f - c o u r s e evaluations to share your issues or struggles with this class. 6. Finally, let’s face it: technology breaks. servers go down, transfers time out, files become corrupt. The list goes on and on. These are not considered emergencies. They are part of the normal production process. An issue you may have with technology is no excuse for late work. You need to protect yourself by managing your time and backing up your work.    

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WORKSHOPS One of the most important aspects of this course is

learning that writing isn’t just about you—it’s really about the reader. The best way to find out if your paper is successful is to get feedback from other people. To that end, we’ll spend a number of class sessions doing workshops throughout the semester.

Though you’ll participate in a few kinds of workshops, you’ll always do the same three things:

1. Read and respond to line-level things such as misspellings, inconsistencies, etc. 2. Write a few sentences about at least one thing that is working at the end. Write a few sentences about one thing that could be better. 3. Go over feedback with partner. Ask writer if he/she has questions. We will spend one class period during week three going

through how to workshop effectively.While many of you may be against letting peers read your work, this is a required part of

my class and one that you’ll soon come to see has enormous value to you.

Each workshop will be worth 10 points. If you miss a workshop due to absence, you can still get the points by finding a partner with whom to exchange papers. You must read a paper as well as exchange your own. Each partner must verify he or she workshopped in order to get the points.

If you don’t have a paper to share, don’t come to class. Use the time to work on your paper.

I expect you to take workshops seriously. They aren’t a time to talk or do work for other classes. In order to realize the true value of workshops, you’ve got to come prepared each time ready to talk about your revised work

Ultimately, it’s up to you to take advantage of the workshop experience. You must come to class ready to get good feedback and offer it to your partner. Simply participating in workshops doesn’t guarantee your paper will improve. You’ve got to be an active participant in the workshop process. Ask questions. Listen. Ask more questions. Do this until there are no more questions

‘Get black on white.’

Guy de Maupussant

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The Writing Center

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Week One [9/2–9/4] W: Bring Writing Notebook, Buy Books F: Read Syllabus; My Life Sounds Like This

Week Two [9/9–9/11] W: Writing Badly and the Spirit of Inquiry. F: The Writing Process

Week Three [9/16–9/18] W: Workshop F: Workshop; My Life Sounds Like This Due

Week Four [9/23–9/25] W: Audience/Purpose/Genre. Personal Essay F: Personal Essays

Week Five [9/30–10/2] W: Personal Essays F: Workshop

Week Six [10/7–10/9] W: Workshop F: NO CLASS—Work Day. Personal Essay Due

Week Seven [10/14–10/16] W: The Joy of Research. Exploratory Essay F: How to Research

Week Eight [10/21–10/23] W: NO CLASS—Conferences/Work Day

F: NO CLASS—Conferences/Work Day

Week Nine [10/28–10/30] W: Citations F: Quotes/Paraphrases/Attributive Tags

Week Ten [11/4–11/6] W: Workshop F: Workshop. Exploratory Essay Due

Week Eleven [11/11–11/13] W: Ethos/Pathos/Logos. Blended Response F: Summaries. Read/Analyze College the Easy Way

Week Twelve [11/18–11/20] M: Research Responses. W: Ideas Responses

Week Thirteen [11/25–11/27] W: NO CLASS—Thanksgiving Break F: NO CLASS—Thanksgiving Break

Week Fourteen [12/2–12/4] W: How to Paragraph F: How to Punctuate

Week Fifteen [12/9–12/11] M: Workshop W: Workshop. Blended Response Due

Final Portfolio Due Week of Dec. 14. Date TBA

This is a broad overview of this course’s trajectory. This will most likely evolve and change as we progress and figure out where we need to spend more or less time. Specific homework will be given each day in class. You should read each chapter before the day it is listed on the schedule.

Though the plethora of portable devices (laptops, tablets, smart phones, etc.) available to us can make our lives easier and more enjoyable, they are of limited application in the classroom. I have no patience for cell phones or off-topic computer use in my classroom.This is disrespectful to me and your classmates. If I see you using a cell phone or computer for use other than notes, recording homework, or an appointment, you will be given an absence. If you must text or call someone during class, simply let me know and step outside the classroom.

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The Champlain Writing Center provides free one-with-one writing support for all members of the Champlain community. Writing center consultants work with students on a wide-range of writing topics, including brainstorming ideas, topics selection, understanding assignments, essay organization and sentence-level revisions. The consultants are also trained to work with the writing you do outside of class as well. For example, the staff is prepared to discuss creative writing projects, cover letters and public writing composed by the students, staff and faculty at Champlain.

The Champlain Writing Center has two locations. The first is located on the second floor of the Miller Information Commons and is open between 1-4 Monday-Friday. Evening hours are also available in the SMART space, located in Coolidge Hall between 5-8 Sunday-Thursday.

Champlain College is taking precautionary measures to ensure that this class can continue in a "virtual environment" even during an extended emergency such as severe weather, contagious disease, physical infrastructure failure, campus closure, or similar incident. This course will continue either online through a college-provided learning management system (Canvas), or through some other process unless cancelled.

In the event of such an emergency, students are expected to continue instructor-designated class activities, as directed by the instructor. Due to the nature of the "virtual environment" learning activities may differ slightly from the on-campus course. In order for this emergency preparedness plan to be effective, you are asked to ensure that you will have a computer and internet access at the location in which you will reside during an extended campus closure, prepare yourself with the basic skills of logging into Canvas via the dashboard, finding your course(s) and entering them, and participate in a "warm up" online activity in the "virtual environment" when directed to do so by your instructor.

Business Continuity

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√ Recognize rhetorical strategies and analyze how a text makes a specific point to an audience with a specific purpose.

√ Develop meaningful arguments for a variety of purposes and audiences by synthesizing multiple sources of evidence.

√ Establish authorial voice through control of tone, style and an awareness of their political, philosophical and social values.

√ Work in small groups. √ Effectively and appropriately

engage in discussion. √ Reflect on learning.

Course Objectives...course calendar...

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Helpful Words >>>

“A good writer is basically a story-teller, not a scholar or a redeemer of mankind.”

—Isaac Bashevis Singer

“Proper words in proper places, make the true definition of a style.”

—Jonathan Swift

MajorAssignments

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Paper Two:Personal Essay. Following the lead of writers like Chuck Klosterman, you’ll write a personal essay about an experience that speaks to some universal truth about the human condition. 100 points. Due 10.9

Paper Three: Exploratory Essay. This isn’t the typical research paper. You’ll write a first-person narrative of your research process. What did you discover? How did your understanding of the topic change as you encountered new sources? To explain all of this, you’ll consider various organizational strategies for moving from one source or grouping to another. The paper will lead to a tentative, considered thesis or claim based on all the evidence you’ve examined and carefully demonstrate the complexity of the research issue.100 Points. Due 11.6

Paper Four: Blended Response. You’ll be introduced to strategies for reading and summarizing difficult material and responding to it as a way to enter the scholarly conversation. You’ll learn standard research methods as you prepare this paper, and you’ll be encouraged to explore academic arguments in areas of your own personal or professional interest. 100 Points. Due 12.11

Final Portfolio: This isn’t so much an assignment as a second chance for you to improve upon all of the assignments above—both in terms of quality and in terms of your overall grade. For more on how the portfolio will work, turn to page two of the syllabus. Due Finals Week

Paper One: My Life Sounds Like This. We’ll start with something fun, something to give you a different perspective on your favorite music, your life, and writing. 100 points. Due 9.18

Note 2: You will submit all assignments to me via Canvas, where I will grade them and return them to you via the same manner with feedback and a rubric. If you’re unsure how this works, don’t worry. We’ll go over it in class.

Necessary small print: COR 115 is offered in partial fulfillment of the New England Association of Schools and College’s

requirement that one-third of a student’s education at a NEASC-accredited institution be comprised of general education courses.  According to NEASC, which is Champlain College’s accrediting body, “The general education requirement . . . ensures adequate breadth for all degree-seeking students by showing a balanced regard for what are traditionally referred to as the arts and humanities; the sciences including mathematics; and the social sciences.  General education requirements include offerings that focus on the subject matter and methodologies of these three primary domains of knowledge as well as their relationships to one another.”

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Grade Scale ≥ 100=A+ 93–99=A 90–92=A- 87–89=B+

83–86=B 80–82=B- 77–79=C+ 73–76=C

70–72=C-

63–69=D

0–59=F

Note 1: The content of these assignments, the point values, a n d e ve n t h e a s s i g n m e n t s themselves may change as we go through the semester.

Feeling depressed? Anxious? Get help.

As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. It is my goal that you feel able to share information related to your life experiences in classroom discussions, in your written work, and in our one-on-one meetings. If you come to me with non-course-related concerns, I will seek to keep information you share private to the greatest extent possible.  However, I also have a mandatory reporting responsibility related to my role as a faculty member. Please understand that I am legally required to share with designated Champlain College offices information regarding sexual misconduct such as sexual assault, sexual exploitation, and partner or relationship violence. Here is the college policy that applies in this area: http://catalog.champlain.edu/content.php?cataoid=15&navoid=472  If you need to talk to someone, my door is always open. You can also access confidential support by contacting Counseling and Accommodation Services.  The Director, Skip Harris, can be reached at 802-651-5961 or sharris@champlain.edu, and his office is in Skiff Hall.