Diagnostic Essay
Your first essay will be a short 3-5 page diagnostic essay designed to gauge your creative and critical thinking skills and to provide me with a sense of your strengths and areas for improvement as a writer. This essay will not be formally graded; you will simply receive full credit for submitting a completed essay on the assigned due date. Failure to submit the essay on time and completed will result in no points for the Diagnostic Essay.
Four Essays
For each of your essays, with the exception of the Academic Research essay, you must complete 4-8 pages, typed and double space pages; the Academic Research essay will require 8-10 typed and double-spaced pages. More specifically, your formal essay writing will require you to:
1. Produce a personal narrative essay by exploring the main experience or experiences that influenced you about your selected topic.
2. Offer a well-reasoned and properly justified and supported media critique essay of a piece of media of your choice.
3. Advance a well-reasoned and well-supported argument with credible, relevant sources (at least four) on an academic discipline of your choice in an Academic essay.
4. Develop a reflexive essay in which you review your work over the course of the semester and analyze and explain how your writing has evolved.
Final Exam
Your final exam will be your Reflexive Essay which will due during the designated final time for this course.
Participation
Throughout the course you will be required to participate in a number of class discussions, as well as, complete a number of writing journal assignments. Participation accounts for a hefty portion of your final grade so don't forget to stay on top of these assignments.
Class Discussion: Over the course of the semester you will be required to take part in 14 class discussions (one for each week of the course). These discussions will be centered around a question that I will pose to the class. You will create your own response (100 to 300 words) to the posed discussion question. You will then respond to at least two of your class mates responses (100 words).
Journal Entries: Over the course of the semester you will be required to complete 14 journal entries (one for each week of the course). These journal entries will be in response to a text that we look at for that week. These responses will be required to be 1-2 pages.
Grades
You will receive a letter grade based on the the final point breakdown which is as follows:
Diagnostic Essay: 50 pts
Personal Narrative Essay: 100 pts
Media Critique Essay: 100 pts
Academic Research Essay: 150 pts
Reflexive Essay: 100 pts
Class Discussion: 100 pts
Journal Entries: 100 pts
Total Points Possible: 700 pts
Grade Scale and Standards:
A 93-100% C+ 77-79%
A- 90-92% C 73-76%
B+ 87-89% C- 70-73%
B 83-86% D 61-69%
B- 80-82% F less than 60%
A: Shows superior writing skills and a definite trend toward improving writing through significant revision. Very strong in all major areas: content, organization, style, and grammar and mechanics. All required work is apparent and well-organized. Class attendance and participation is exceptional.
B: Shows above average writing skills and improvement through revision. Strong in all major areas with some minor flaws. All required work is apparent and well-organized. Class attendance and participation is above average.
C: Shows average writing skills and some improvement through revision. Average in all major areas with some definite flaws. Most required work is apparent. Class attendance and participation are average.
D: Shows below average writing skills and very little if any improvement through revision. Writing is below average in all major areas with numerous flaws. Missing a good portion of required work. Class attendance and participation is below average.
F: Shows inferior writing skills and a serious lack of effort. Serious problems in major areas. Missing most required work. Serious problems with class attendance and participation.