Winter Qtr 17 | General Syllabus

Lecturer Benjamin | [email protected] | Contact me through Canvas

Office: Basement of Shields Library RM 87
Office Hours: T & TH 2:30 to 4, Virtual Office Hours By Appointment

What is this class? UWP 101 is

an advanced composition course for upper-division students planning to attend
graduate school or enter the job force.
The course focuses primarily on continuing your development as
proficient writers of exposition. During this course, you will be reading essays and articles, writing responses and
papers, and studying thinking and writing processes. One of the primary aims of this course is
to help you develop a greater awareness of and
control over your own writing process.

What are the goals of the course Like

what am I going to learn/do here?

How to make rhetorical decisions: Understanding yourself as an

author, your purpose(s) for writing, and how to approach an audience(s) considering tone, mechanics, message, design, & medium.
Explore what it means to make meaning through language: How
is writing tied to your understanding of the world and how can
you voice your understanding in a coherent, cohesive, and convincing manner?
How to evaluate evidence and to choose appropriate evidence
for strengthening your arguments in specific communities.
Practice deep reading skills.

Which materials do I need?

What should I bring to class?

Positive attitude
Questions about the readings
Annotated readings
Laptop/Pencil/Notebook
Inquisitive and critical mind
Willingness to experiment

Am I ready for this

class?

Satisfactory completion of the

Subject A requirement and a
passing grade in one of the following: UWP 1, ENL 3 or its
equivalent.
If youre enrolled in the College
of Letters and Science or in the
College of Engineering you
must have completed a minimum of 84 units before enrolling in UWP 101.
Note: You may NOT take the
UWP Composition Exam during
the same quarter in which they
are enrolled in UWP 101.
Still not sure? Consult your academic advisor

But, Im already a good

writer, why is this class
required? Writing is a skill and
an art that can always be improved.
Furthermore, humans are writing
more now than ever. Clear, concise,
coherent and persuasive writing is
one of the key skills needed in todays information economy. This
course will help you become an experienced and marketable writer,
so gear up to practice and refine
your writing skills.

How will my work be assessed?

A

You submit work that

excels at responding to
the assignment requirements. You demonstrate originality and
sophistication. Your
papers are stylistically
accomplished, carefully
edited and free of
grammatical and mechanical errors.

Your work meets all of

the requirements of the
assignment at a high
level. Though your assignment still needs
revision, it presents
complete, appropriate
content, is wellorganized and demonstrates a clear attention
to stylistic issues.

Your work meets the

basic requirements of
the assignment. The
assignment may have
some organizational
lapses, but is logical
overall. The style is
straightforward with a
few lapses, but may be
repetitive or unremarkable.

Your work requires significant revision. Often,

D assignments lack clear
organization, require
further development of
content, and/or have
mechanical and stylistic
errors that impede the
readers understanding

Your work does not respond to the needs of

the assignment. May be
off-topic or incomplete.

Grade Distribution
A+

100-98

4.00

97-95

4.00

A-

94-90

3.70

B+

89-87

3.30

86-84

3.00

B-

83-80

2.70

C+

79-77

2.30

76-74

2.00

C-

73-70

1.70

Which criteria are used to grade my papers? Your work in

D+

69-67

1.30

66-64

1.00

the class is assessed according to the University Writing Program

Grading Standards. A copy of the full assessment document can be
found here. Note: A grades are not easily earned in this course.

D-

63-60

0.70

How can I be sure I earn a passing grade? Writing is a pro-

cess, you will be required to prepare multiple drafts before a final

draft will be due. Take your peers and lecturers critiques seriously, produce multiple drafts, and dont wait until the last minute.
Drafts & reflections will be worth 25% of the three major projects.
Submit all work & go to class!!! HINT: A students routinely come to office hours. Note: You must earn a C
or higher to satisfy the Upper-Division Writing Requirement. The requirement also requires you write 6000words for the course.
F

59 and below

0.00

If I dont submit a major writing assignment, can I still pass the course? No. All writing assignments must be submitted in order to pass this course. Be sure that you submit everything on or before the
due date.
I turned in my daft, am I finished? All writing in this course must be revised. Final drafts should include a
reflection about the changes you made from your initial draft to your final draft. The lecturer will also be
checking the revision history in Google Docs. You should work in 1 single Google Doc during the entire assignment.

What are the assignments? This semester we will explore what it means to witness and testify. Most of our knowledge comes from the testimony
of others. We will explore how we use and gather
other peoples testimony (information), organize it
into new knowledge, and then disseminate our
knowledge to others.

What is a Serial Log & Discussion? Youll be required to listen to Season 1 of NPRs show Serial.
Each week youll listen to roughly 1 hour of the podcast and take notes in a Google Doc. Each week there
will be a discussion post due that will relate the episode(s) in regards to concepts learned in class.

What are the Weekly Blog Posts? Youll be responsible for creating and updating your own WordPress
blog. Each week, you will write at least 1 blog post. Some posts will be free posts where you will practice
writing on any subject of interest to you. Other posts will address a specific course concept, or practice a specific style of writing covered in class. Blog post links must be submitted in the assignment tab in Canvas for
credit. Topics for blogposts will only be explained in the class period before they are due. You are always welcome to include additional posts.

What is the Descriptive Narrative? Testify about something you geek out about

This assignment will be a multi-layered project. You will explain the object/topic/
activity to an audience. You will also tell a traditional linear story about the object/
topic/activity and how it has helped you deal with a problem in your life.
This is a narrative and should include a traditional story arch and show use of some
literary devices: alliteration, metaphor, simile, foreshadowing, imagery, etc.
Will include 2 to 3 sources

What is the Observation Essay? Think of this assignment as a short documentary.

Explore a topic or issue through the lens of a place

Observe and record activities of a particular place
Relate that information to a global problem/question that interests you that is unrelated to the space
through the use of metaphor/synonym/divergent thinking.
Should include 4 to 5 scholarly sources on the thing you geek out about.

What is the Remediation project?

Reinterpret either your observation essay or descriptive narrative into a new medium (podcast, flyer,
poster, website, blogpost, etc.).
Reflect on how the switch in medium changes the rhetorical nature of the original writing. How does
changing the medium of a piece create new rhetorical challenges, constraints, and contexts for the message you are disseminating?

What can I expect on the Midterm? The midterm will take place in class. You will be supplied with 3
writing prompts that asks you to explore a particular writing studies concept we have covered in class. You
will be expected to be able to define the concept and show how the concept is applied.

What can I expect for the Final? The final will ask you to make a convincing argument using solid evidence. HINT: the final will be a synthesis of a particular case we studied all semester.

What are the course policies I will be expected to follow?

Classroom Conduct?

Conduct yourself courteously and professionally.

Treat others with respect and practice good listening skills.
When its your turn to talk, be sure your comments positively contribute to the classroom experience.
Respond to questions when asked by Lecturer Benjamin.
Be attentive and focused on the work in class.

What about plagiarism?

Your integrity is on the line.

Academic honesty requires that you submit your own and original writing for this course.
Cite all sources you use in in-text citations and include a bibliography.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated: any suspected dishonesty will be reported to Student Judicial Affairs.
See this chart for more information: http://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2014/09/16/did-i-plagiarizethe-types-and-severity-of-plagiarism-violations/

Can I turn in late work?

All work is due at the before class on the date and time listed in Canvas.
You must submit your own work on Canvas before class.
Invalid excuses for late work include: writer's block, busy computer labs, uncooperative printers, lastminute technology failures, responsibilities to extra-curricular organizations and activities, a bothersome
work schedule, etc.
Major writing assignments submitted late, will be penalized one third of a letter
grade per calendar day (not class period) late. Assignments more than 7 days late will
not be accepted
Minor assignments (in-class work, workshop memos, reflections, etc.) will not be
accepted late.
You must come to class prepared. Failure to prepare for class will result in missed
opportunities.
Late work ends up at the bottom of the grading pile, so if you submit something late, you will likely receive a graded version well after your peers do.

Can I keep my cell phone on and check it during class?

Your phone must be silenced and put away during the entire class period.
If your phone rings, or you are using your phone, you will be asked to leave the class for the day.
If you routinely break the no-phone policy, you will be asked to check in your phone with the lecturer
before attending any further classes.

Is attendance mandatory?

Yes! This course is centered around you your learning and success depends upon your active participation in the course. Group work and workshopping assignments are essential to your success in this
course.
Routinely missing class periods in this course will result in an F. It is nearly impossible to pass this
course if you do not complete daily/weekly assignments. Often these assignments are only introduced
and explained in class.
If you miss a class, do not contact the lecturere for what you missed. Please consult a classmate. It is your
responsibility to gather the information the first time it is told to the class.

Are there other resources available to me?

Where can I get additional help during the course?

Come to office hours.

Exchange your information with a peer and ask them questions about course content outside of class.
Visit the Student Academic Success Center. The Student Academic Success Center (SASC) is a large, multiprogram Student Affairs department providing essential services, programs, and information for UC Davis
students. Programs include: Academic support services in tutoring, retention, study skills, mathematics,
science, writing/ESL , Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), Guardian Scholars Program (GSP), Mathematics Diagnostic Testing Project, Reentry and
Transfer Student Services, Veterans Affairs
(VA), TRiO Scholars Program, MURALS, International Student Resources, and PreProfessional and Pre-Graduate Advising. In
addition, it employs over 200 students as peer
advisers, student assistants, tutors, and readers. For more information visit http://
success.ucdavis.edu/index.html
Aslo visit the writing support at Dutton Hall.
Here is their website: http://
success.ucdavis.edu/academic/writing.html

If I have a diability, where can I receive additional support?

This course is meant to be inclusive of individuals of

all abilities.
Please let the lecturer now of how he can be inclusive to your particular abilities.
For additional information on disability services
please visit https://sdc.ucdavis.edu/