Course Information

English 131A5: Composition and Exposition

Alex Romero

Email: abr321@uw.edu
Office: SAV 417
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday, 1pm-2pm

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About the Course

Course Overview

Welcome to English 131! This course is designed serve as a generative environment in setting goals towards developing rhetorical and research skills for composing ethically and critically across different contexts and genres. We will incorporate a variety of texts to gain a better understanding of writing as a social action with ties to language, culture, and identity.

This section of 131 will center around the genre of horror. The horror genre, despite its rich history and popularity in media, is a largely underrepresented and underutilized genre in academia. As such, by operating within a less popular academic genre and using a variety of texts, we’ll be able to not only immerse ourselves in a rich genre and emotion, but also discover how horror is an effective way to bring multiple themes and positions into a larger discourse about how we perceive the world. At face value, while horror is certainly seen as an entertaining genre, its capability to elicit a range of emotions through thematic elements is also an appropriate framework in which to learn critical analysis skills, synthesis, contextual recognition, and reflection.

There is a sense of vulnerability required from all of us since horror is mostly associated with feelings of fear, anxiety, and uneasiness that the material can create. But it’s precisely those feelings in which we can begin to deconstruct our preconceived notions of fear, and why we feel certain ways about horror media and its themes.

Due to the nature of this genre, we must be especially mindful of the inherent triggers and sensitive topics largely present in horror. We will not show any graphic images and minimize discussion of graphic topics. The exploration of the genre and themes will be held in a scholarly–and respectful–manner. You can expect to engage in civil, constructive discussion, and to be aware of how your previous experiences color your perceptions as we engage with the course texts and as you develop your skills as a writer.

Course Outcomes

Outcome 1: Develop the ability to recognize and write for different audiences and contexts
Outcome 2: Incorporate multiple types of evidence in order to generate and support our writing
Outcome 3: Produce complex, persuasive arguments that demonstrate stake and value
Outcome 4: Learn strategies that will allow us to revise and edit our writing both effectively and efficiently

Required Texts

The Glassy Burning, Floor of Hell by Brian Evenson

Writer, Thinker, Maker, Second Edition (Optional)

Attendance

You are expected to be an active participant in class, so come prepared to contribute to the discussion and participate in activities. When you miss a class, you miss the opportunity to be a member of the class community. If you are absent, come to my office hours to see what you missed and/or ask another class member for notes.

Make up all missed work in a timely manner. However, you will be allowed to miss up to two days of class throughout the quarter without negatively impacting your participation grade.

Academic Integrity

Plagiarism, or academic dishonesty, is presenting someone else's ideas or writing as your own. In your writing for this class, you are encouraged to refer to other people's thoughts and writing--as long as you cite them. As a matter of policy, any student found to have plagiarized any piece of writing in this class will be immediately reported to the College of Arts and Sciences for review. If you are struggling with an assignment, please contact me so we can avoid plagiarism issues.

Grading

In this course, you will complete two major assignment sequences, each of which is designed to help you fulfil the course outcomes. Each assignment sequence requires you to complete a variety of shorter assignments leading up to a major project. These shorter assignments will each target one or more of the course outcomes at a time, help you practice these outcomes, and allow you to build toward a major project at the end of each sequence. You will have a chance to revise each of the major projects using feedback from your instructor and writing conferences.

Toward the end of the course, having completed the two sequences, you will be asked to compile and submit a portfolio of your work along with a critical reflection. The portfolio will include the following: one of the two major projects, two short assignments, and a critical reflection that explains how the selected portfolio demonstrates the four outcomes for the course. In addition to the materials you select as the basis for your portfolio grade, your portfolio must include all of the sequence-related writing you were assigned in the course (both major projects and all the shorter assignments from both sequences). The grade for complete portfolios will be based on completion and the extent to which the pieces you select demonstrate the course outcomes. The portfolio will be worth 70% of your final grade.

The rest of your final grade (30%) will be determined by your participation in the course, both inside and outside the classroom. The breakdown is as follows:

Completion of all assignments/readings/in-class activities
Completion of all discussions
Individual writing conference attendance. You will be required to meet with me twice a quarter for about 15 minutes to discuss feedback and/or future projects. We will have one conference in the middle of the quarter to gauge your progress. Then, we will schedule another conference toward the end of the quarter to wrap up any questions you may have, assess potential projects, make the stakes of the argument, and/or go over feedback that would be helpful for students finishing their portfolios.

Course Schedule

Sequence 1

Short Assignment 1: Horror Personal Narrative

250 to 500 words, due 01/12

Short Assignment 2: Genre Analysis

400 to 600 words, due 01/19

Short Assignment 3: Synthesis

400 to 600 words, due 01/26

Major Assignment 1: Discourse Essay

1000 to 1250 words, due 02/02

Sequence 2

Short Assignment 4: MP Proposal

300 to 500 words, due 02/09

Short Assignment 5: MP Draft

600 to 800 words if doing a traditional essay, due 02/16

Short Assignment 6: MP Revisions, due 02/23

Major Project 2: Genre Reinterpretation, due 03/01

1250 to 1500 words if doing a traditional essay

Syllabus Resources

Access and Accommodations

Your experience in this class is important to me. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please communicate your approved accommodations to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are welcome to contact DRS at 206-543-8924 or uwdrs@uw.edu or disability.uw.edu. DRS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructor(s) and DRS. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.

Providing the Religious Accommodations language is required to be included in all syllabi and/or to link to the Religious Accommodations Policy page for students to read.

Campus Unit: Office of the Provost
State law requires faculty to include language about religious accommodations in syllabi. The following language closely mirrors that of the law itself and was developed in close collaboration with Faculty Senate and the AGs office.

Religious Accommodations

Required Syllabus Language: “Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.

Notice to Students - Use of Plagiarism Detection Software

Notice: The University has a license agreement with SimCheck, an educational tool that helps prevent or identify plagiarism from Internet resources. Your instructor may use the service in this class by requiring that assignments are submitted electronically to be checked by SimCheck. The SimCheck Report will indicate the amount of original text in your work and whether all material that you quoted, paraphrased, summarized, or used from another source is appropriately referenced.