| Pre-freshmen Writing Mr. Blackwood 2008-winter pre-freshmen program www.mikeblackwood.net email@mikeblackwood.net office phone 3290-2451 office # 722 International Studies Hall Course Structure: Students will do in-class writing and peer editing; small-group and whole-group discussions and activities will also be done. Text: College Writing (paragraph to essay) Author- Zemach and Rumisek We will likely cover all chapters, time permitting. More info will be given in class. Students are not required to purchase this text, though it is recommended. The professor will provide handouts and other relevant photostatic copies. Participation: Active participation in class is required, understandably in English. Students are expected to use English when communicating their ideas and opinions, doing exercises, and completing any writing assignments given by the instructor. Please note that a large part of participation includes attendance. You should arrive on time for class, ready to begin work. If you are late (coming in after class has begun generally constitutes ˇ°being lateˇ±), or absent (showing up well after class has begun implies a general absence from the day's activities), you will be penalized. This is not harsh; it is practical. Arriving late disrupts classroom activities, causing classmates to lose focus (their minds and mouths begin to wander), while absences deprive classmates of your participation. Excused absences do not mean excused work; furthermore, students who do not complete an assignment by a given deadline will receive a zero for that assignment and could receive a "fail" for the course. FYI: (for your information) 1) I expect English to be spoken during class. People who speak another language will be considered absent. "You reap what you sow." 2) Please be aware that deadlines are final. If late work is accepted, it will be penalized. 3) Please write your name, PFW (for "Pre-freshmen Writing"), the time of the course (either 9am, 10:30am or 1pm), the type of assignment, as well as the date on ALL work submitted. Failure to do so will result in a headache for me and lost points for you. 4) If you were absent for the first day of class, I'm expecting common sense to prevail for the understanding that it WAS the first day of class for the university, your classmates and the teacher. To be absolutely fair, I should accept no late homework and (though it's obvious and needs not to be mentioned) you were absent for the days in which you were not present (amazing, isn't it?). Please bring any doctor's excuses and other official papers you may have to show why you were absent. Also remember that, even if the absence is excused, excused absences don't imply excused work. Course Outline and Goals: Outline: This course is designed to stimulate students' thinking of the world around them, as well as providing the chance to employ their communication skills through writing and discussion. Special effort has been taken to establish process in addition to product goals. Goals: The goals for this course include, but are not limited to, critical thinking, a willingness to explore ideas contrary to one's own beliefs, as well as knowing when information or data are relevant to an issue and how to utilize that information in an adademic writing setting. In addition to these general concepts, the instructor also wishes to address student concerns for self-discovery. Other Resources: I maintain some web pages of world issues; they are Blackwood Nsites, Bread-n-Roses, Countries/Islands, Almavore.com, Muckrakers and Blackwood Review. These sites are organized and maintained through <http://www.mikeblackwood.net> and <http://www.almavore.com> |