christopher b. wachal

Department of English
Loyola University Chicago
6525 N Sheridan Rd.
Chicago, IL 6062
Office: Crown Center 418 (Hours by appt.)
Email: cwachal@luc.edu

OBJECTIVES

The primary goal of this course is to make you a better writer. Becoming the best writer you can be entails a number of intermediate steps – becoming a more critical reader and thinker, learning to research effectively, developing persuasive arguments, learning to revise – each of which we will take up in due time.

REQUIRED TEXTS

- You Are Here: Readings on Higher Education for College Writers, Russel K. Durst, Prentice Hall, 2003.
- The Bedford Handbook - Sixth Edition, Diane Hacker, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005.
- Additional handouts and online readings.

ASSIGNMENTS

Paper #1 (4-5 pages) – due Friday, February 16
This paper will be a response essay in which you should briefly summarize one of the articles we read in class and provide your opinion on its subject. Where do you agree with the article’s author? Where do you disagree? What evidence does the author miss? What unique perspective do you bring?

Paper #2 (6-8 pages) – due Friday, March 23
The second paper will be an issue-oriented argumentative paper. Using our class readings, you will argue for a position on one of the conflicts in contemporary higher education. The goal of this paper is to explore and understand multiple perspectives on a current debate and argue for your particular position.

Paper #3 (10 page minimum) – due Friday, April 27 (proposal due Friday, April 13)
Your final paper will be a ten-page research paper exploring connections between the issues we discuss in class and the mission of Loyola University Chicago. You will be required to write a one-page proposal based on external research and class discussion. This proposal will be due three weeks before the paper is due.

Weekly Informal Essays – due in Blackboard’s digital dropbox by 4:00 every Friday
Each week you will be expected to write a short (500 word or two page) informal essay. This is your chance to try out new argumentative strategies or interesting new positions on issues we have encountered in class. These need not follow any strict rules of structure or grammar. They are simply your chance to try out new ideas. These essays will not be graded on the usual “A,B,B+…” scale. Instead each will receive a check-plus, check, or check-minus grade for you to gauge how successful your argument was. You can miss two weeks of informal essays without penalty. Missing more than two will result in a substantial grade deduction. Missing four or more weeks will earn you no credit toward your final grade. During select weeks surrounding due dates for major papers you will not be required to turn in informal essays. I will announce these dates in class.

GRADING

A - 93-100	C - 73-76	Paper #1 - 15%
A- - 90-92	C- - 70-72	Paper #2 - 20%
B+ - 87-89	D+ - 67-69	Paper #3 - 30%
B - 83-86	D - 63-66	Class Participation - 25%
B- - 80-82	F - 62	Weekly Informal Essays - 10%
C+ - 77-79

Each paper will be graded on organization, style, clarity, and persuasiveness. Organization and style concern how well your ideas are presented. Clarity involves the depth and rigor of your ideas. Persuasiveness will be judged on how well your evidence and ideas support the main idea of your paper.

COURSE POLICIES

ATTENDANCE
This class will function almost exclusively as a group discussion. Missing class, therefore, will severely inhibit your ability to participate in class discussion for both the time you miss (obviously) and for subsequent class discussion. It is because full participation from everyone in class is so important that it comprises a full quarter of your final grade for this course.

Participation is not the same as just showing up and staying awake. Coming to class but contributing nothing to the class is only marginally better than not showing up at all. Everyone is expected to come to class on time and be prepared to contribute to class discussion.

LATE PAPERS
Papers turned in after the end of class the day on which they are due will be docked a half-letter grade for each day they are late. It is to your advantage to turn in all your work on time. Note: I will not accept papers via email. This is simply an ineffective way to operate the course. If you would like me to look at a draft of a paper, then email is acceptable. Otherwise I expect all papers to be physically in my hands by the time they are due.

PAPER FORMAT
All papers should be printed in black ink on white paper. The text should be twelve point, Times New Roman font. The paper should be formatted to have one-inch margins on all sides and double-spaced. Anything other than this format will result in a grade deduction.

PLAGIARISM POLICY

Plagiarism is never acceptable in this or any other course. For our purposes, plagiarism is defined as any attempt to represent work which is not yours as your own. This includes, but is not limited to: buying a paper online, having a friend write your paper, copying from other papers, failing to cite sources, quoting without attribution, and turning in a paper from another course. If you are found to have plagiarized in any way, you will receive no credit for that paper and may be referred to the Administration for further action.