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Attendance:

Because our course foregrounds discussion, deep engagement with the readings, and close attention to each other’s writing, attending class is crucial for your own success and for that of the course.  Please arrive on time. Over the course of the semester, you may miss two class sessions without penalty (excluding excused absences). I will excuse your absence if you bring me a note from a doctor or health professional, a signed letter from a University team or program, or documentation of a family emergency. Once you have reached your limit of two unexcused absences, I will lower your final Daily Engagement grade by one letter for each additional absence (i.e., an “A” grade will become a “B”). If you miss class, please ask another student to share his/her notes and tell you about what you missed. If you have a substantial number of unexcused absences, or are regularly late to class, you may fail this course even if you’ve completed the written work. Finally, please make sure to arrive on time for class. Arriving late causes you to miss important material and is disruptive to others. I will count three late arrivals as one absence.

Religious Observances:

If a class session or due date conflicts with your religious holidays, please notify me so that we can make alternative arrangements.  In most cases, I will ask you to turn in your assignment ahead of your scheduled absence, but in accordance with UM policy on religious/academic conflicts, your absence will not affect your grade in the course.

Participation:

Effective participation entails being an engaged reader.  Your writing for this class (and elsewhere!) will be best served when you practice active reading strategies such as:

· Underlining or flagging important passages and key phrases.

· Writing key words at the top of various pages.

· Writing notes in the margins of pages or in your notebook.

· Jotting down questions that you want to raise about the reading.

· Listing pages or specific passages that contain especially confusing or intriguing material.

Effective participation also entails being an engaged listener and balanced contributor. If you tend to talk a lot in class, please be aware of leaving room for other students to speak.  If you tend to be quiet in class, make an effort to add regularly to our conversation. Participation can take many forms, including:

· Offering a comment or reflection about the readings during class.

· Posing a question or responding to others’ questions.

· Identifying a passage or section that you find difficult to understand.

· Sharing an insight from your writing assignment.

· Making links between our discussions and events in the wider world.

· Listening carefully and respectfully to other students’ contributions.

Sequence of Major Essays:

· Over the course of the semester, I will ask you to produce four formal essays, each of which will involve a process of drafting, peer review, revision, and self-assessment. Here is a brief description of each major essay.  We’ll discuss each of these assignments in much greater detail as the semester proceeds:

Late Submission of Formal Essays:

Unless you notify me in advance about extenuating circumstances that will prevent you from submitting your essay on time, I’ll lower your grade for the assignment by one-third of a letter grade for each day that it is late.  For instance, if you submit a “B” paper two days late, your grade will become a “C+.”

Peer Review Workshops:

Writing is a social process; both giving and receiving feedback about writing enables us to develop our abilities as writers.  In this spirit, peer review workshops will play a central role in our course.  By identifying what is working and not working in each other’s drafts, you will help each other to clarify and strengthen your arguments.  Commenting on others’ work is also one of the best ways to improve your own writing; identifying strengths and weaknesses in your peers’ drafts will heighten your awareness of strengths and weaknesses in your own work.

We’ll have a range of different kinds of workshops throughout the semester.  For some of these workshops, I’ll ask you to read each other’s work during class and offer each other oral feedback.  These workshops will focus on shorter pieces of writing such as your thesis statement, a paragraph that incorporates quotes from another scholar, or a paragraph that addresses counter-arguments.

For workshops that focus on the four formal essays, I’ll assign you to a particular peer review group and ask you to do the following:

· Bring two physical copies of a complete draft of your assignment by the date and time specified on the syllabus. Drafts will typically be due two days before the scheduled workshop.

· Before the workshop, read your group members’ drafts and offer each group member feedback by completing a worksheet and providing annotations on the physical paper. We’ll practice providing useful feedback during class, and I’ll distribute guidelines for writing each set of peer review letters.

It is crucial that you attend class on days when peer review workshops are scheduled. If you miss a workshop, you’ll not only miss an invaluable opportunity to improve your own draft; you’ll also deprive your group members of feedback on their drafts.

If you miss a peer review workshop, you must arrange to receive feedback on your draft. You can meet with a tutor at the Sweetland Center for Writing or arrange for another student to read your draft. You must then write a response to the feedback that you receive and submit your response with your final essay. If you do not arrange to receive feedback on your draft, you will not receive credit for completing the draft/peer review.

Please bring a complete draft of your essay for peer review workshops.

· A draft is a work-in-progress, and you’ll be substantially revising your drafts based on the feedback that you receive.  However, your peers can only offer you helpful feedback if you give them a full-length draft in which you have done your best to meet the requirements of the assignment.  Furthermore, your peers will need adequate time for carefully reading and responding to your work.

· Except in cases of extenuating circumstances, if you submit your draft after the required submission time, you will not receive credit for completing the draft.