The "DISCOVER College Writing 1" Course Blog

Welcome to the "DISCOVER College Writing 1" Course Blog!  We will be using this course blog as an online site for our writing community. Throughout the semester, I will post videos, podcasts, documents, websites, and links to blogs that will provide you with strategies, tips, and helpful resources for the course assignments. While I will be linking many resources here, I will continue to use Blackboard for Announcements and formal assignment submissions. The “DISCOVER College Writing 1” Course Blog is the place to check daily for updates and information. I hope you will find the blog calendar function especially useful. 

 
At least once a week, I will require that you post reflective writing and drafts at a blog you will create that will be linked at the blogroll. We will create blogs in class, and you are encouraged to design with care and consideration as we compose. These blog posts will be where you do the Rhetorical Analysis work for your Researched Project (20%--200 points). Your blog posts will serve as a repository for the research you will be conducting to write the final Reseached Paper.  In other words, your individual blogs will serve as mini prewriting exercises to prepare for and compose your final Researched Paper. Remember, blogs are living, breathing, and evolving documents. You can choose to keep your blog “private,” but you must allow the CW1 community access to your blog (I will provide a class list of emails for the community) access to your blog. I encourage you to read one another’s blogs for inspiration, feedback, and a sense of community.  

Blogging allows writers to reflect upon ideas and share them with a wider community for consideration and conversation. As my friend and colleague dr. bonnie kyburz writes, “Most writers share in this way. Most knowledge evolves in this way, and it’s not always pretty, so make an effort to be polite and respectful of your peers. Write with care in all venues.” Consider the rhetorical situation whenever you write—most especially respect for your audience, awareness of your purpose, and consideration of how you present yourself in your writing. As dr. kyburz reminds us, “all writing is a kind of performance, and public writing is perhaps especially so.” Remember that what you write says something about who you are as a writer and as a person, so you will want to avoid rants or attacks. Consider how what you write will be read by your audience and how your audience might interpret your writing. Most of all, I hope the course blog and your individual blogs help each and every student feel a part of our writing community.

If you miss class, contact a classmate, check Bb announcements, and the blog calendar (scroll down). The blog allows students to keep up with their work and participate even when they have to miss class.

Essential Concepts for Blogging (and Writing)

As you complete all of your writing assignments, keep in mind three key elements:

Claims require evidence. Back up what you say with evidence to support your claims.

Meaning has context. Explain your evidence to your reader. Explain to your reader how your evidence supports your claim. Don’t expect your reader to be able to connect the dots. It’s your job as a writer to explain connections and meaning.

Writing is revision. On the one hand, this is great because it means we always have the chance to clarify and strengthen what we have written. On the other hand, this can feel frustrating because it seems we are never done with a piece of writing. Writing is a process. The more you do it, the better you get it at.

Be diligent about keeping up, doing thoughtful work, and not allowing yourself to be complacent about your writing. While we will be doing a significant amount of writing in class, you should count on doing at least three (3) hours of writing outside of class each week. The Lewis University Catalog suggests that students “are expected to do at least two hours outside of class for every hour in class." Time it out carefully. Break it up over time. Write thoughtfully, considerately, and often.

Course Policies

Attendance is required because I will be assessing your progress based on the skills I teach in class. You are responsible for completing in-class work and assigned homework even if you miss class. Attendance is defined as more than sitting in a chair. Attendance is defined as:

• ·       coming to class on time prepared for the day’s work,
• ·       paying attention during class (cell phones off and put away),
• ·       listening to the instructor and classmates,
• ·       taking notes during lectures, discussion, and in-class activities,
• ·       answering questions,
• ·       participating respectfully in in-class activities and the blog,
• ·       submitting all assignments on or before due dates.

Students who miss class are required to notify me by email within 24 hours (preferably before the absence) and to check with a classmate for the day’s assignment. Simply sending me an email stating that you will be absent does not excuse you from keeping up with the coursework. This is your responsibility. Students who are not in attendance of class (as defined above) can expect up to 100 points to be deducted from their final grade.

Plagiarism and Cheating are serious offenses at Lewis University and all suspected cases will be reported to the Director of First Year Writing.  Plagiarism is representing someone else’s words, ideas, or structures as your own; it is a serious academic offense and will result in failure of this course.  This policy refers to all written assignments, including but not limited to the Vocabulary Procedure, Quizzes, Blogs, In-Class Writing Assignments, Reflections, and Formal Papers. etc.  Plagiarism deprives you of the opportunity to wrestle with some difficult texts and deprives me of the opportunity to watch you grow as a critical reader and writer.  I’ve read what other people think; I’m more interested in reading what you think.  When in doubt, credit your source.