Composition and Rhetoric at Miami University
English 111, Composition and Rhetoric, is a writing course designed to teach you the rhetorical skills you need to compose, revise, and critically analyze persuasive texts both within in the university and in the wider world. In this class, you will learn to:
As a Miami Plan Foundation course, English 111 meets the broad goals of a liberal education: to nurture your intellectual capabilities to think critically, to understand diverse contexts, to engage with other learners, and to apply knowledge and skills learned through effective reflection and action. The intellectual skills developed in this course will help you in your academic writing at the university but also in your future civic, social, and professional endeavors.
- Develop flexible and effective strategies for generating ideas; researching topics; composing drafts; revising, peer responding, editing, and proofreading writing via print and digital media
- Conduct research-based inquiries, use invention techniques effectively to explore your own ideas, engage different perspectives, and develop findings into sustained arguments or narratives.
- Locate, evaluate, integrate, and cite secondary sources of information effectively and ethically, using appropriate academic citation methods.
- Produce effectively organized writing that is stylistically appropriate, demonstrating careful attention to proofreading and meeting conventional expectations for particular audiences in specific contexts.
- Write effectively and persuasively for diverse contexts, audiences, purposes, and genres
- Develop critical awareness of the unique affordances and limitations of diverse writing technologies and modalities of communication, both digital and non-digital.
- Reflect critically on your own writing practices and rhetorical decisions.
As a Miami Plan Foundation course, English 111 meets the broad goals of a liberal education: to nurture your intellectual capabilities to think critically, to understand diverse contexts, to engage with other learners, and to apply knowledge and skills learned through effective reflection and action. The intellectual skills developed in this course will help you in your academic writing at the university but also in your future civic, social, and professional endeavors.
Required Texts/Materials
- Andrea Lunsford and John Ruszkiewicz, Everything’s an Argument, 5th edition (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010). ISBN-10: 0-312-53862-6 -—> Should be available at campus bookstores
- College Composition at Miami (Volume 65). 2013. Plymouth, MI: Hayden-McNeil.—> should be available at campus bookstore
- Free Online Coursepack (PDFs and web readings available through course website on niihka)
- A laptop computer with wireless access — bring to class, fully charged every class period
Policies
Attendance
Regular attendance is essential for success in this course. This is a hands-on, workshop-oriented class, and much of the learning of the course takes place in class or on the basis of class lectures, discussions, and activities. Therefore, attendance in this class is mandatory.
You are allowed up to three unexcused absences. Every unexcused absence beyond this limit will result in your final grade being lowered by 50 points (the equivalent of a half a letter grade). Even if you are absent, your work is due on the assigned due date or it will be counted as late (see late paper policy). Not showing up for your midterm conference with me will count as an absence as well. You should always inform me, ahead of time when possible, if you will miss class.
Tardiness
You are expected to arrive on time to class every meeting. Should tardiness become an issue, note that two late arrivals equals one absence.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is using someone else’s writing, ideas, and/or original material without acknowledgment of the source. The writing you submit for this course must be your own original writing — that is, produced originally for this class. To copy someone else's writing without acknowledging that use is an act of academic as well as professional dishonesty, whether you borrow an entire report or a single sentence.
My policy is in accord with Miami University’s position on Academic Integrity. For further details about the Academic Integrity policy — including a detailed list of examples of academic dishonesty and procedures and penalties for dealing with instances of academic dishonesty — see http://www.muohio.edu/integrity/undergrads.cfm.
Late work
All assignments must be turned in on time. Final grades on papers will be downgraded one whole grade for each day late (for example A to B) unless you have made prior arrangements for an extension with me (in exceptional circumstances).
Respect/Community
While we will often engage in vigorous and lively debate in this class, personal insults or attacks on an individual person’s race, class, gender, sexuality, or disability will not be tolerated.
Distractions
Please refrain from using technology in distracting ways during class. These distractions include texting, IMing, facebooking, gaming, tweeting—you get the point.
Access/Accommodations
I am committed to maximizing your learning potential and making this course as accessible as possible. If there is any way that I can adapt this course to better meet your unique needs as a learner, please let me know! If you have a documented disability, I am especially interested in providing any accommodations that have been best determined by you and the Office of Disability Resources (http://www.units.muohio.edu/oeeo/odr/; 513-529-2541) in advance.
Regular attendance is essential for success in this course. This is a hands-on, workshop-oriented class, and much of the learning of the course takes place in class or on the basis of class lectures, discussions, and activities. Therefore, attendance in this class is mandatory.
You are allowed up to three unexcused absences. Every unexcused absence beyond this limit will result in your final grade being lowered by 50 points (the equivalent of a half a letter grade). Even if you are absent, your work is due on the assigned due date or it will be counted as late (see late paper policy). Not showing up for your midterm conference with me will count as an absence as well. You should always inform me, ahead of time when possible, if you will miss class.
Tardiness
You are expected to arrive on time to class every meeting. Should tardiness become an issue, note that two late arrivals equals one absence.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is using someone else’s writing, ideas, and/or original material without acknowledgment of the source. The writing you submit for this course must be your own original writing — that is, produced originally for this class. To copy someone else's writing without acknowledging that use is an act of academic as well as professional dishonesty, whether you borrow an entire report or a single sentence.
My policy is in accord with Miami University’s position on Academic Integrity. For further details about the Academic Integrity policy — including a detailed list of examples of academic dishonesty and procedures and penalties for dealing with instances of academic dishonesty — see http://www.muohio.edu/integrity/undergrads.cfm.
Late work
All assignments must be turned in on time. Final grades on papers will be downgraded one whole grade for each day late (for example A to B) unless you have made prior arrangements for an extension with me (in exceptional circumstances).
Respect/Community
While we will often engage in vigorous and lively debate in this class, personal insults or attacks on an individual person’s race, class, gender, sexuality, or disability will not be tolerated.
Distractions
Please refrain from using technology in distracting ways during class. These distractions include texting, IMing, facebooking, gaming, tweeting—you get the point.
Access/Accommodations
I am committed to maximizing your learning potential and making this course as accessible as possible. If there is any way that I can adapt this course to better meet your unique needs as a learner, please let me know! If you have a documented disability, I am especially interested in providing any accommodations that have been best determined by you and the Office of Disability Resources (http://www.units.muohio.edu/oeeo/odr/; 513-529-2541) in advance.
Grading scale
A 1000-940
A- 939-900
B+ 899-870
B 869-840
B- 839-800
C+ 799-770
C 769-740
C- 739-700
D+ 699-670
D 669-640
D- 639-600
F 599 and below
A- 939-900
B+ 899-870
B 869-840
B- 839-800
C+ 799-770
C 769-740
C- 739-700
D+ 699-670
D 669-640
D- 639-600
F 599 and below