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Course Policies
Course Policies
ENC 1102 Online, Sections 91 & 92, Spring 2003
Writing, Researching and Reading the World Wide Web
Instructors: Terra Williams, taw7971@fsu.edu (section 91) &
Charlie Lowe, cel4145@fsu.edu (section 92)
First-Year Writing courses at FSU teach writing as a recursive and frequently
collaborative process of invention, drafting, and revising. Writing is
both personal and social, and students should learn how to write for a
variety of purposes and audiences. Since writing is a process of making
meaning as well as communicating, FYW teachers respond to the content
of students' writing as well as to surface errors. Students should expect
frequent written on the content of their writing from both teacher and
peers. Classes rely heavily on a workshop format. Instruction emphasizes
the connection between writing, reading, and critical thinking. Everyone
will give thoughtful, analytical responses of the readings. Both reading
and writing are the subject of class discussions and workshops, and students
are expected to be active participants of the classroom community. This
course will greatly exceed the Gordon Rule of 7,000 words.
In this particular class, we
will be exploring many aspects of digital culture and electronic communication,
including virtual communities, gaming, the history of the internet, hyperfiction,
file trading, blogging, etc. We will read many articles from the web which
discuss the topics listed above and others, and
use the articles to help explore our own ideas about the digital culture
we are a part of. In addition to the topics covered in class discussions
online, you'll be encouraged to expand your research to explore aspects
of digital culture and electronic communication not covered in this class.
We'll put theory about electronic communication into practice by making
heavy use of the class website as our virtual class space, our own virtual
community. You'll also develop an understanding of writing for the web
by keeping an individual online journal or "blog" and through working
on the required writing projects.
Students will be responsible for:
- Visiting and contributing to the
class website on a regular basis.
- Checking email on a daily basis.
- Keeping an online journal on a blog site.
- Submitting drafts for writing projects.
- Keeping up with assigned readings.
- Workshopping drafts via email with peers.
- Scheduling and attending two phone conferences
with their instructor.
Because this course is online, expect that you will be doing more work
on your own than you would in a face-to-face class. Expect that you might
spend an average of 6-8 hours per week on this class. This is quite reasonable
considering that in a face-to-face class, you'd be averaging about five
or so hours of work on your own a week. And since we are minus two-and-a-half
hours of face-to-face time... Well, you can do the math.
Know, too, that much of your writing for this class will be public. Our
class weblog and your individual blog site will be accessible to anyone
on the Internet.
This course will also be team taught using one
website. That means you'll be online with a large group of students, and
you'll discuss readings and other issues with two teachers. However, feedback
on your writing projects and your grades will come from the teacher assigned
to the course section for which you signed up.
Course Materials
The only texts that you will need for this course are on the Web. However,
you will need:
- Almost daily access to a computer with a reliable Internet connection.
- A floppy disk (or 2) for making backups.
- A 45 minute phone card for conferences, if you live outside of Tallahassee.
- A reliable email account.
- A word processor.
- IE 5.0, Netscape 6x, or Mozilla 1.0 or newer browser.
If you don't have a writing handbook, you might want to purchase The
Longman Writer's Companion (used by all First Year classes) through
Bill's Bookstore or the FSU
Campus Store.
Writing Projects
Each half of the semester, you'll complete two formal writing projects:
essay1 and essay2. You'll
begin each time by writing 2 exploratory
drafts. You'll then build upon one of the exploratory drafts and develop
it-- through research and multiple revisions--into a finished text.
Individual Blog Sites
The blog posting will act as:
- A place to reflect on digital culture and electronic communication.
- A journal for other class members to read your work.
- A place where you can engage in dialogue with texts.
- A place to explore ideas which will be developed into one of the writing
projects.
- A journal for the instructor to review your work.
See Posting to Your Blog Site for information
about requirements.
Class Website Participation
The class website is our virtual classroom space. Your participation--in
posting blogs to the class website, posting
initial comments and replies--is
our substitute for normal classroom interaction.
Revision
First Year Writing advocates a process approach to writing in which revision
of writing over multiple drafts is a major component. In each of the major
writing projects, you will complete subsequent drafts. After the completion
of an individual draft, the instructors will provide revision assignments
which you must follow and complete on time in order to receive full credit
for your work. Know that failure to signficantly revise between drafts
and/or complete all the drafts for an assignment is grounds for failure
for the project.
Grading
You will receive grades twice during this semester: one mid-semester
after completion of essay1 and one at the end
of the semester after completing essay2. Each
time you receive a grade, you'll actually get two grades -- one grade
based on the final product; one grade that combines everything else --
blogging, commenting, revision, peer review, etc.
- essay1 = 20%
- Blogging, et. al. for the first half of the semester = 30%
- essay2 = 20%
- Blogging, et. al. for the second half of the semester = 30%
You must participate fully in each of the following aspects of the course
in order to pass this class:
- Maintaining an individual blog site.
- Posting blogs and comments to the class website.
- Completing research and revisions of both of the two formal writing
projects.
Timely completion of all the minimum requirements for the course entitles
you to a C. To make an A in the course, you must
go above and beyond the minimum requirements. For example,
- Taking the intiative to post more frequently to your individual blog
site.
- Occasionally blogging items of interest to the class website.
- Posting more frequently to the class website comment boards.
- Striving for increased quality in blogging and commenting.
- Producing the best writing projects in the class.
The instructors will stick closely to the Course
Calendar -- it is important that you keep up. If you take a look at
Week 1, you'll see "Tuesday, January 7 by 9pm."
All assignments listed under a given day in the course calendar are always
to be completed by 9pm of that day. You may certainly complete them earlier,
when possible, but it's important that you complete them on time. Much
of what you do for this class quickly leads to another assignment. And
often, your postings and comments are part of a larger discussion that
will not wait for you. It will also be difficult for you and/or the instructors
to keep up when late work is completed. Consequently, the
instructors do not give credit for late assignments of any
type--blog postings, commenting, drafts, etc--except in the case of an
extreme emergency--such as serious illness or the death of a close family
member--or serious illness (you may be asked to provide documentation).
Assignments must also meet the minimum word count to receive credit.
For example, you will be asked to write an exploratory draft of at least
500 words. You may certainly write much more, but less will receive little
or no credit.
Attendance
While your grade is based upon your participation in the class website,
your individual blogsites, etc., there's a double indemity clause here:
more than two weeks of absences is grounds for failure in the class. For
you, this means that if you disappear for a total of two weeks or more,
you'll be in danger of failing the course. For example, if you disappear
for a week here, five days there, and four days over there, and it adds
up to two weeks or more, you might plan on not passing.
Computers and Technology
You don't need to know many computer skills for this course. You'll
need to know how to use the following:
- A word processor.
- A browser.
- Email.
- A search engine.
A few times during the semester, you will be asked to learn a new computer
technology. Don't start late. Find a tech savvy friend to give you a hand
if you fear you'll have problems. You'll need
to learn how to:
Some of you will have computer problems over the course of this semester.
Problems with computers will not be an excuse
for failing to complete work on time for this course. If your Internet
goes down, use another computer. If
your computer breaks, use another computer.
If your computer gets a virus, use another computer.
In other words, find a way to complete the assignments on time. If you
fail to complete an assignment because of a personal computing problem,
do not bother to inform the instructors.
In fact, for all assignments in this class, realize that if you wait
until the last minute, you run the risk of getting burned. Always complete
your work early and make frequent backups to multiple media. Post early
to your blog and the class website in case your Internet access or the
hosting server goes offline.
Do Not Plagiarize
Plagiarism is grounds for suspension from the university as well as for
failure in this course. It will not be tolerated. Any instance of plagiarism
will be reported to the Director of First-Year Writing and the Director
of Undergraduate Studies. Plagiarism is a counterproductive, non-writing
behavior that is unacceptable in a course intended to aid the growth of
individual writers. Plagiarism is included among the violations defined
in the Academic Honor Code, section b), paragraph 2, as follows: "Regarding
academic assignments, violations of the Academic Honor Code shall include
representing another's work or any part thereof, be it published or unpublished,
as one's own."
To avoid plagiarism, make sure that all writing for this class follows
good citation practices.
ADA
During the first week of class, students needing academic accommodations
should register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability
Center (SDRC) and bring a letter to the me from SDRC indicating the need.
This and all other class materials are available in alternative format
upon request.
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