Course Syllabus

FALL 2021

T-TH 4:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.

Tuesday and Thursday in Ansin 201 unless otherwise noted (due to holidays or general Boston wandering).

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Instructor: Dan DiPaolo                                  Email: dipaolo74@gmail.com

Office Hours: By appointment (message me and we’ll easily set something up)

Office Location: Virtual

Personal Phone for Emergencies: (412) 610-5894

Mailbox: WLP Dept. 180 Tremont, 10^th Floor.

 

REQUIRED TEXTS

• Emerson WLP. Writers and Readers: Creating Meaningful Essays and Supportive Writing Communities (SC)
• Joseph Harris. Rewriting: How to Do Things with Texts (RW)
• Other readings will be posted to the Canvas course page or handed out in class. You will be responsible for bringing all assigned readings to class (HO)

 

“If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them.” — George Orwell

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION/OBJECTIVES

In life, success in finding whatever you want to be wherever you go will be determined by your ability to clearly express yourself, your needs, and goals. The work of Introduction to College Writing focuses on thoughtful writing that is done with an awareness and understanding of all the working parts of a basic academic essay and cultural analysis that appears in academic work as well as in the larger public sphere. In this course you will learn how to closely examine texts of all sorts (including images, film, music, and other media) and respond to those texts in a meaningful way – most notably through writing.

This course will ask you to consider evocative concepts such as language, identity, power, and communication, and how such concepts relate to your own experience in the world, and the larger implications of these concepts. Through four main writing projects, you will explore writing as a process (including drafting, peer review, and revision), be asked to be critical readers of other’s texts and, in turn, your own, and be challenged to understand the rhetoric of intellectual inquiry. Together, we will work to help you develop your writing into a powerful tool for communication that will translate and carry over into other forms of expression.

Throughout the semester we will write extensively. The only way to improve as a writer and communicator in general (whether your chosen medium is words, images, film, video or other art forms) will be the practice of constructing a sound and powerful argument.

In this course you will be asked to hand in not only formal papers, but also practice your writing through in-class exercises, class logs and writing in peer reviews. By delving into the writing process and being entirely immersed in it, you will greatly strengthen your technical skills as a writer, and more importantly become a confident, interested writer or artist with something to say and the means to say it.

Collaboration will play a vital role in this course. Writing can often be viewed as a solitary, and at times, isolating endeavor. The goal of this class is to improve as individual writers working within a community of writers, professionals and artists. We will work extensively together sharing ideas and creative feedback, and becoming active participants in the process to learn from and provide support to one another. This class should become a place where ideas are respected and we communicate and collaborate with one another to achieve common goals.

 

WRITING PROJECTS & GRADING

Throughout the semester, you will complete seven major Writing Assignments (WAs) that will be evaluated based both on your execution and demonstrated awareness of class concepts and on the effort invested in the work. For each major Writing Assignment (WA), you will be put into peer review groups with classmates to give and receive written or oral feedback. In addition to these major projects, you must respond to weekly exploratory writing prompts given in the classroom.

 

• Unit 1: COMING TO TERMS – 20%
  • WA #1 – 3 (short essays) + peer reviews + writer responses.

• Unit 2: STAGING A CONVERSATION – 20 %
  • WA #4 – 5 (5-page essays) + peer reviews + writer responses.

• Unit 3 REVISING & RE-ENVISIONING – 20%
  • WA #6 (revision of an earlier essay – 3-page essay) + peer reviews + writer responses.

• Unit 4: TAKING AN APPROACH ACROSS PLATFORMS – 20 %
  • WA #7 (final essay project) + peer reviews + writer responses.

• Class Participation – 20 %

Because this course emphasizes the development of better communications skills, participation in class discussions will be an integral part of your learning experience. I ask you to bring comments, questions and a respectful manner to the class each day as we explore the course texts together.

(All writing assignments (WAs, peer reviews, and discussion prompts) must be completed and submitted by the class meeting when they are due. Late assignments will be marked down a half grade per day unless prior arrangements have been made. Mid-term notification will be sent to any student at risk in passing the course.

 

COURSE POLICIES

WRITING ASSIGNMENT FORMAT

For ease of reading, grading, and peer review, all works (except for freewriting and other in-class writing exercises) must meet the following requirements:

• Include a left-justified header with your name, date, the course number, and the assignment.
• Use Times New Roman 12-point font.
• Double spaced with 1-inch margins
• Numbered pages
• Use proper MLA citations (if requested in the assignment).

All papers must meet the minimum guidelines for each assignment and should be proofread and spell checked carefully. Those that do not may be marked down or returned for completion.

 

ATTENDANCE

The Emerson First-Year Writing Program requires regular attendance at class meetings. Accordingly, you need to be present to participate in discussions, activities, and workshops. Per department policy, more than three unexcused absences may lower your final grade and five or more unexcused absences may lead to a failing grade. With this in mind, you are expected to arrive on time for class, and tardiness and unexcused absences will lower your participation grade.

The following are considered excused absences: religious holidays with prior notification, medical situations, and extenuating circumstances. No documentation is needed for single absences. Documentation is required for ongoing or excessive absences to be excused. In the case of any prolonged absence, a student should also contact the Dean of Students.

Per the Academic Affairs handbook: “attending an out of class activity or event for another course may not be used as an excuse to disregard a given class’s attendance policy. A faculty member may not require a student to attend specified out-of-class activities that conflict with the student’s schedule for another class.” In addition, per Emerson College policy, athletes are not provided with special accommodations to attend either practices or games.

 

TECHNOLOGY

The use of Canvas is a component of this class and will allow us to share information with each other. Failure to understand the course website is not an excuse for late assignments, so please let me know ASAP if you experience any difficulty.

Cell phones are always to be turned off during class and it is only permissible to use laptops during class time when so designated. Please bring paper and a writing utensil to class every day.

 

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

It is the responsibility of all Emerson students to know and adhere to the College’s policy on plagiarism. If you have any questions concerning the Emerson plagiarism policy or about documentation of sources in work you produce in this course, you should speak to your instructor.” For more resources and syllabus support, please visit the Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning web site:

http://www.emerson.edu/about-emerson/offices-departments/citl/faculty-resources

 

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Every student in this class will be honored and respected as an individual with distinct experiences, talents, and backgrounds. Students will be treated fairly regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identification, disability, socio-economic status, or national identity. Issues of diversity may be a part of class discussion, assigned material, and projects. The instructor will make every effort to ensure that an inclusive environment exists for all students. If you have any concerns or suggestions for improving the classroom climate, please do not hesitate to speak with the course instructor or to contact the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at 617-824-8528 or by email at diversity_inclusion@emerson.edu

 

DISABILITIES

Emerson College is committed to providing equal access to its academic programs and social activities for all qualified students with disabilities. While upholding this commitment, we require all Emerson students to meet the high standards of achievement that are essential to the College's programs and services. To advance these dual aims, the College will provide reasonable accommodations to disabled students who request accommodations through the College's Disability Services Office (DSO), if the DSO determines that accommodations are both medically necessary and reasonable. Please note that a requested accommodation will only be approved as 'reasonable' if it does not compromise any essential requirements of a course.

Students who wish to request a disability accommodation must submit their request to the DSO, and not to faculty, since only the DSO is authorized to approve or deny any requests for accommodations. College employees and student's family members cannot request accommodations on a student's behalf. Rather, students who wish to request accommodations must themselves contact the DSO since Emerson's philosophy is that its students are independent and self determined and students with disabilities — like non-disabled students — have control over their lives here at Emerson and are ultimately responsible for making their own decisions. Students who know at the start of a semester that they will need accommodations must submit their accommodation requests to the DSO within the first two weeks of the semester. If a student becomes ill or disabled during the course of a semester, or discovers after the start of a semester that he or she needs a disability accommodation, he or she is encouraged to submit his or her request to the DSO as soon as possible since the process of approving accommodations takes time, and approved accommodations will not be granted retroactively. The Associate Director for Disability Services can be reached at: 617-824-8592, dso@emerson.edu, 5th Floor 216 Tremont Street.

 

WRITING FOR A SAFE AND INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM

Our class is a learning community and a space for intellectual exploration and expression. Many of the topics we discuss may be emotionally charged. In addition, as we explore various genres of nonfiction, you may find yourself reading or writing about difficult or disturbing personal experiences. Please be sensitive to yourself and your classmates. A diversity of opinions contributes to an environment for intellectual expression and exploration. However, I will challenge opinions that discriminate or work in opposition to diversity and inclusivity and will encourage you to explore and develop your understandings of power-and-privilege dynamics in the classroom and within larger society. The success of the class as a whole depends on each one of us supporting, encouraging, and respecting other people in the class. Continuing discussion on these larger topics outside of class is highly encouraged, but please be mindful of the privacy of your peers.

 

WRITING PROJECTS, CONFIDENTIALITY and MANDATORY REPORTING

As you read and write this semester, I hope you find that our class community allows you explore topics that are important to you. Please see me if you have questions or concerns involving writing about sensitive topics. I am happy to discuss your ideas and writing projects throughout term.

As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. I also have a mandatory reporting responsibility. 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. I will seek to keep information you share private to the greatest extent possible. However, I am required to share information regarding sexual misconduct on or off campus and information about a crime that may have occurred on Emerson’s campus with the college Title IX Coordinator. Should you ever have questions about these issues or need someone to talk to, please see the confidential resources below.

 

CONFIDENTIAL RESOURCES

• Emerson College Violence Prevention and Response: (617) 824-8857
• Emerson College Counseling and Psychological Services: (617) 824-8595
• Boston Area Rape Crisis Center 24-hour helpline: (800) 841-8371
• Safelink 24-hour helpline (abusive relationships/stalking): (877) 785-2020
• The Network/La Red tnlr.org (617) 742-4911
• GLBTQ Domestic Violence Project glbtqdvp.org (800) 832-1901
• Additional on/off-campus resources at emerson.edu/vpr

 

OTHER RESOURCES

THE WRITING AND ACADEMIC RESOURCE CENTER (WARC)

The WARC (http://www.emerson.edu/writing_center) is a great place for getting extra feedback on your writing, receiving help with time management, reviewing proper MLA citation or even brainstorming how to start a new project (in this course or any other). The WARC offers free individual tutorial sessions for all students, and while there is no limit on how many sessions you can attend, you should always call in advance in order to set up an appointment. You can reach the WARC at (617) 824-7874.

PURDUE ONLINE WRITING LAB (OWL)

Purdue OWL (http://owl.english.purdue.edu) is a great source of information on writing, with regularly updated MLA and APA formatting and style guides.

THE EMERSON COLLEGE IWASAKI LIBRARY

The library is an excellent resource, and you should become familiar with the services offered there. They provide and outstanding collection of books, access to online databases (in the library or remotely), and a great staff of reference librarians who are available to help you with your work for this class. You can access library services online (www.emerson.edu/library) or in person on the 3^rd floor of the Walker Building.

THE COUNSELING CENTER

Beginning your first year of college can be a stressful, exciting, and challenging time, and it can help to have a safe space to talk about your concerns. The counselors at the Emerson College Counseling Center with help you with any of the stresses of college or other concerns you might have. You can call the center at (617) 824-8595, go in person to the office at 216 Tremont Street, 2^nd floor, or check out the website (www.emerson.edu/counseling_center).

 

CLASS SAFETY POLICIES

*Please note this syllabus is subject to change at my discretion.