Course Syllabus

English 1010Course Syllabus

Fall 2020 | August 31-December 10 | Mondays and Fridays, 12:30-1:20, and online

Contact Information

Instructor

R. Elle Smith

she/her pronouns

rebecca.smith@usu.edu

Office Hours: Mondays from 11 AM - 12 PM. One "roving" office hour that will change every week. 

My office hours can be accessed through this link:
https://usu-edu.zoom.us/j/4968851338?pwd=UlRDSm5XaGZTS3A1aHBBb01BWmtHQT09

Meeting ID: 496 885 1338
Passcode: Writing

For a printable syllabus file, please click here. To review a working copy of the course schedule, please click here. Please note that the most up-to-date information regarding assignments will be available in Canvas.

Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that USU and all in-state USU institutions reside on the original territory of the eight federally recognized Tribes of Utah, tribes that have been living, working, and residing on this land from time immemorial. These tribes are the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Indians, Navajo Nation, Northern Ute Tribe, Northwestern Band Shoshone, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, San Juan Southern Paiute, Skull Valley Band of Goshute, and the White Mesa Band of the Ute Mountain Ute.

We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this land, and we honor and respect the Indigenous peoples still connected to the land on which we gather. Please let’s take a moment of silence to pay respect to the Indigenous peoples of past and present.

Purpose and Course Objectives

Welcome to English 1010! In this course you will further develop the skills you need to succeed in college courses where reading, writing, and thinking are important. As you can imagine, then, this course lays an important foundation that will help you thrive in nearly every course you will take at Utah State. I am thrilled to be on this journey with you as you embark on your college career.

This is a blended web broadcast course, which means you will participate in live, synchronous class meetings, through Zoom, as well as complete online work on your own. In this class, you should plan to attend the live, virtual class sessions on Mondays and Fridays. On Wednesdays, we won’t meet together for class,but you will have specific learning tasks and assignments to complete. I’ve carefully planned this semester so that all our work—both what we do in class and what we do in our asynchronous learning—will help you achieve your learning goals. Please note that you must attend the live class sessions in order to pass the class.

Many assignments in this class require participation with your peers and instructor, and you will need to meet specific, regular due dates in order to successfully complete the class. Remember that each assignment, whether large or small, contributes to your ability to improve your writing and become a stronger learner and more effective writer.

In this class, we’ll explore how various opportunities for communication allow us to consider what, how, when, why, and with whom we communicate. We’ll practice various strategies for effective communication and produce dynamic documents geared toward communicating messages with specific purposes to specific audiences. Although this is not a creative writing class, I hope you’ll see how making choices when we write allows us to think critically and creatively about problems and solutions. We’ll also examine how reading, writing, analysis, and critical thinking are interconnected; we’re all taking part in an “ongoing conversation” that started before we joined and will continue after we leave. Understanding our place in this broader conversation allows us to draw on what others say in order to make our own contributions more meaningful.

Course Catalog Description

Students learn skills and strategies for becoming successful academic readers, writers, and speakers: how to read and write critically, generate and develop ideas, work through multiple drafts, collaborate with peers, present ideas orally, and use computers as writing tools.content here.

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will gain knowledge and skill in the following categories:

1. Rhetorical Awareness
2. Critical Thinking
3. Information Literacy
4. Composing Processes

For descriptions of these outcomes, please visit the Learning Outcomes page.

Required Materials

• Laurie McMillan. Focus on Writing: What College Students Want to Know
  • ISBN-13: 978-1-55481-388-9
  • This book is available as an ebook or as a paperback. Either format is fine for this class.
• An electronic device, such as a tablet or laptop, as well as high speed internet to access course meetings and learning materials, and to submit assignments. If you have concerns about technology and internet resources, please let me know as soon as possible.

Our Learning Pact

What you can expect from me:

As your teacher, I commit to the following:

• I will offer engaging learning opportunities. I work diligently to create an environment where students have many opportunities to read, write, and think about ideas and issues that affect them in school and in their own lives.
• I will provide prompt and meaningful feedback. I provide feedback on all assignments through various methods, including rubrics, comments, annotations, and voice/video response. I grade shorter assignments within 1-2 days of submission. For longer essays, I take up to one week.
• I will communicate with you respectfully and promptly. When you email me, I will respond as soon as I can. During the school week (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), I commit to never responding later than 24 hours, and I often respond much sooner. You may not receive a reply from me on weekends until Monday morning. If, for some reason, 24 hours have elapsed without a response from me, please email me again.
• I will model curiosity and humility. I love to learn! It’s unusual for me to find myself uninterested in a topic or idea. I love to explore new information and learn new things, and I hope you will share in building good creative energy and curiosity in the class. At the same time, I will be the first to admit that I don’t know everything. If you have a question that I don’t know the answer to, I’ll freely admit it, and we’ll work together to find the answer or solution. Learning is a lifelong process. Anyone who claims to have all the answers is probably lying. :)

What I will expect from you:

• You will attend and access the class regularly. Your regular engagement with this course is absolutely critical to your success, particularly in a blended web broadcast course. You should attend our live class sessions and engage in assigned online work.
• You will maintain an open line of communication with me so I know how to support you. If you have concerns about assignments, due dates, attendance, or anything else, you should email me so we can work together to find solutions and strategies.
• You will respect yourself and others. Sometimes in class we may engage in challenging readings or ideas. You may disagree with various things we read or with the perspectives of other people in the class. This is a dynamic, important, wonderful part of how we learn in college! We can disagree and still treat others with respect, which is my expectation for each person in the class. I am committed to ensuring that all perspectives are respected and honored. However, no language that degrades a person’s race, gender/gender identity, sexuality, class, country of origin, disability, and/or religion will be permitted in class or assignments.
• You will do your best to have patience with technology. Technology is not perfect—and neither are we! We will work together to resolve concerns and problems with technology.

• You will give yourself grace and patience. College is a busy time, and you’ll see many demands on your time, from your other courses to jobs, family, and social responsibilities. Additionally, you may experience additional stresses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. You should expect to make mistakes, and you should be ready to engage with them to move forward. Remember that I am your partner in learning! We will get through this together.

Assessments

Please consult the following table for a broad overview of assessments and points. Please see Canvas for specific assignment details and due dates.

Grades

Your final grade is calculated by averaging your scores on your assignments and taking that total out of 1000 points. Canvas calculates these percentages automatically. The following scale shows the percentages necessary for a particular grade; passing scores are highlighted in blue).

Late Work

Each assignment in the class has a due date and an “available” date. To receive maximum credit on an assignment, it must be submitted by the due date. The available date for each assignment extends one week past the due date. You may submit late assignments until the available date for reduced credit (10% on smaller assignments; 5% on larger assignments). After the available date has passed, no late work will be accepted. No exceptions.

In order for me to meet the university’s grading deadlines, no late work will be graded after the first day of finals (December 14). No exceptions.

If I don’t have an assignment from you, I enter a zero in the gradebook the next day. This can help alert you that you have a missing assignment. You can still submit the assignment late through the availability date.

Attendance at Synchronous Class Sessions

'Synchronous' means that we will all meet via Zoom at the same time. Attendance to these broadcasts is expected and will be calculated into your final grade. Just as with a face-to-face class, you should attend meetings promptly and treat the broadcasts as a formal and respectful learning space. Our synchronous meetings will be a mixture of discussion, group work, and lecture. If you are unable to attend a synchronous meeting, please let me know via email, and you may complete an alternative activity within 48 hours for up to three missed classes. If your circumstances are regularly preventing you from attending synchronous meetings, please meet with me.

Course Fee and Computer Lab Access

The English Department will not be collecting course fees for the 2020-2021 academic year. However, all students enrolled in English courses have access to the English Computer Lab, RWST 102. Hours of operation will be posted on the door. In accordance with USU COVID-19 guidelines, those hours and room capacity may be limited.

Additional Course, Department, & University Policies

Mental Health

Mental health is critically important for the success of USU students. As a student, you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce your ability to participate in daily activities. Utah State University provides free services for students to assist them with addressing these and other concerns. You can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus at Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) <https://counseling.usu.edu/>.

Students are also encouraged to download the “SafeUT App” <https://healthcare.utah.edu/uni/programs/safe-ut-smartphone-app> to their smartphones. The SafeUT application is a 24/7 statewide crisis text and tip service that provides real-time crisis intervention to students through texting and a confidential tip program that can help anyone with emotional crises, bullying, relationship problems, mental health, or suicide related issues.

Students with Disabilities

USU welcomes students with disabilities. If you have, or suspect you may have, a physical, mental health, or learning disability that may require accommodations in this course, please contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) as early in the semester as possible (University Inn #101, 435-797-2444, drc@usu.edu). All disability related accommodations must be approved by the DRC. Once approved, the DRC will coordinate with faculty to provide accommodations.

Commitment to Diversity

The Department of English at Utah State University is a diverse community of teachers, scholars, and students who work together towards a better understanding of the English language and its manifestations in literature, writing, and culture. Our engagement with stories, texts, and communicative practices from across places, time periods, and discourse communities leads us to value a wide range of perspectives. Accordingly, our community is committed to inclusion and welcomes people of all abilities, ages, ethnicities, gender identities and expressions, nationalities, races, religions, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We believe that engagement with diverse viewpoints through a free and respectful exchange of ideas makes us better thinkers, communicators, problem-solvers, and citizens.

Our classes prepare students to thrive in a technologically and culturally complex world. Students learn how to conduct cultural and historical analysis, collaborate ethically, communicate effectively, formulate well-reasoned conclusions, and create a variety of texts. Students and teachers alike can expect to participate in exciting, thought-provoking conversations in which all parties make evidence-based arguments, listen to the views of others, and test their own assumptions. While such intellectual rigor is challenging at times, it leaves no room for discrimination, intimidation, or harassment. Our department is committed to inclusivity, equality, and compassion.

Academic Freedom and Professional Responsibilities

Academic freedom is the right to teach, study, discuss, investigate, discover, create, and publish freely. Academic freedom protects the rights of faculty members in teaching and of students in learning. Freedom in research is fundamental to the advancement of truth. Faculty members are entitled to full freedom in teaching, research, and creative activities, subject to the limitations imposed by professional responsibility. USU Policy 403 <http://www.usu.edu/hr/files/uploads/Policies/403.pdf> further defines academic freedom and professional responsibilities.

Academic Integrity: "The Honor System"

The University expects that students and faculty alike maintain the highest standards of academic honesty. The Code of Policies and Procedures for Students at Utah State University (Student Conduct<https://studentconduct.usu.edu/studentcode>) addresses academic integrity and honesty and notes the following:

Academic Integrity: Students have a responsibility to promote academic integrity at the University by not participating in or facilitating others' participation in any act of academic dishonesty and by reporting all violations or suspected violations of the Academic Integrity Standard to their instructors.

The Honor Pledge: To enhance the learning environment at Utah State University and to develop student academic integrity, each student agrees to the following Honor Pledge: "I pledge, on my honor, to conduct myself with the foremost level of academic integrity". Violations of the Academic Integrity Standard (academic violations) include, but are not limited to cheating, falsification, and plagiarism.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes knowingly "representing by paraphrase or direct quotation, the published or unpublished work of another person as one's own in any academic exercise or activity without full and clear acknowledgment. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials." The penalties for plagiarism are severe. They include warning or reprimand, grade adjustment, probation, suspension, expulsion, withholding of transcripts, denial or revocation of degrees, and referral to psychological counseling.

Grievance Process

Students who feel they have been unfairly treated [in matters other than discipline, admission, residency, employment, traffic, and parking - which are addressed by procedures separate and independent from the Student Code] may file a grievance through the channels and procedures described in the Student Code: Article VII Grievances <https://studentconduct.usu.edu/studentcode/article7>

Sexual Harassment

Utah State University is committed to creating and maintaining an environment free from acts of sexual misconduct and discrimination and to fostering respect and dignity for all members of the USU community. Title IX and USU Policy 339 address sexual harassment in the workplace and academic setting.

The university responds promptly upon learning of any form of possible discrimination or sexual misconduct. Any individual may contact USU's Office of Equity for available options and resources or clarification. The university has established a complaint procedure to handle all types of discrimination complaints, including sexual harassment (USU Policy 305), and has designated the Title IX Coordinator as the official responsible for receiving and investigating complaints of sexual harassment.

Utah State University is committed to supporting students who have experienced sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, and stalking. As a faculty member, I am designated as a Resource Connection Employee, which in part means that I am not considered a confidential resource, but that I can help provide you with access to resources (due to the recent changes in Title IX guidelines, further clarification on my role as a Resource Connection Employee is forthcoming). While you have a lot of freedom in what you write this semester, please also keep in mind that your class writing is not private, and what you write I will read. If I read that you are experiencing any form of sexual misconduct, I will reach out to you to ensure you are safe and have the resources you need. I may recommend that you contact the Office of Equity for available options and resources. Sharing the information allows the Title IX Coordinator to connect students to support and resources and gives them the opportunity to file a report.

If you prefer to talk with a confidential resource, you can contact the USU Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information (SAAVI) office, USU Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), or the Logan-based organization CAPSA. You can find more information about USU’s resources at <https://www.usu.edu/sexual-respect/> and about CAPSA at < https://www.capsa.org/>. If you would like additional help accessing these or other resources, please let me know and I will be happy to help you connect with the resources you need.

Withdrawal Policy, "I" Grade Policy, and Dropping Courses

If a student does not attend a class during the first week of the term or by the second class meeting, whichever comes first, the instructor may submit a request to have the student dropped from the course. (This does not remove responsibility from the student to drop courses which they do not plan to attend.) Students who are dropped from courses will be notified by the Registrar’s Office through their preferred e-mail account.

Students may drop courses without notation on the permanent record through the first 20 percent of the class. If a student drops a course following the first 20 percent of the class, a W will be permanently affixed to the student’s record (check General Catalog <https://catalog.usu.edu/misc/catalog_list.php?catoid=12> for exact dates).

Students with extenuating circumstances should refer to the policy regarding Complete Withdrawal from the University and the Incomplete (I) Grade policy in the General Catalog.

No-Test Days Policy

For classes that meet for a full semester, a five-day period designated as "no-test" days precedes final examinations. During this time, no major examinations, including final examinations will be given in order that students may concentrate on classwork, the completion of special assignments, writing projects, and other preparation for duly scheduled final examinations. Approved exceptions include final papers, weekly chapter quizzes, quizzes, projects, and examinations associated with a lab that does not meet during final examinations. This policy does not apply to classes that meet only during the second 7-week session of the semester or to classes offered during the summer term. Complete information related to Final Examination Policies <https://catalog.usu.edu/content.php?catoid=12&navoid=3311> can be reviewed in the General Catalog.

Assumption of Risk

All classes, programs, and extracurricular activities within the University involve some risk, and some involve travel. The University provides opportunities to participate in these programs on a voluntary basis. Therefore, students should not participate in them if they do not care to assume the risks. Students can ask the respective program leaders/sponsors about the possible risks a program may generate, and if students are not willing to assume the risks, they should not select that program. By voluntarily participating in classes, programs, and extracurricular activities, students do so at their own risk. General information about University Risk Management policies, insurance coverage, vehicle use policies, and risk management forms can be found at http://www.usu.edu/riskmgt/.