English Department.docx

1、English DepartmentEnglish DepartmentHandbookGuidelinesforInstructorsUniversity of Detroit MercyRevised August 2005TABLE OF CONTENTSI. Welcome from the Chair 4II. Course Purposes and Goals 5III. Course Descriptions 5 English 130 5 English 131 7IV. Tips for Successful Teaching 9V. Placement into Class

2、es 10 VI. Course Policies 11 Number of Papers 11 Format of Papers 11 Writing Prompts 11 Instructional Techniques 11 Peer Review 12 Guidelines for Peer Response 13VII. Writing Center 15VIII. Computer Instruction 16 IX. Library Instruction 17X. General Policy Issues 18 Syllabus 18 Class Size 19 Attend

3、ance Policy 19 Midterm Grades 19 Dead Week 19 Final Exams 20XI. Grading 20 General Guidelines 20 Commenting on Papers 25 Marking Sentence-Level Errors 25 Tabulating Grades 26XII. Plagiarism 27XIII. Program Responsibilities 28 Pre-Service Seminar 28 Diagnostic Essays 28 Conferences 29 Assessment Port

4、folios 29 In-Service Meetings 30 Classroom Visits 30 Course Evaluation Forms 30 Instructors Attendance 31 Classroom Management 31 Book Orders 31XIV. Resources 31 Computer 31 Online Rhetoric Handbook 31 Textbook Sites 32 Adjunct Instructor Handbook 32 Scholarly Journals 32 Professional Societies 32We

5、lcome from the Chair of the English Department As instructors of composition, full-time and adjuncts alike, long-term or first-term teacher here, you are a valuable part of our Department and the larger University. As the Department notes in its Prioritization Report, each member of our Department s

6、erves an important role in socializing all UDM students into the conventions of the academic discourse community. Our primary purpose is to teach the UDM student body to think critically about, to appreciate, and to master the conventions of the English languageboth in texts written by others and as

7、 producers of written texts themselves. Especially through our 100-level composition courses, we provide UDM students with the foundation of academic writing, and critical reading and thinking skills that they need to participate in a university-level education. As full-time instructors, you play a

8、critical role, particularly in the Departments continuing efforts to improve itself and its offerings to majors and non-majors alike. We are a dynamic Department, continually assessing ourselves as well as responding to changes in the larger culture. For example, in the nineties, we moved to include

9、 multicultural subjects and methods in our literature and composition courses. In the last several years, we also have moved to incorporate the study of electronic writing and texts in our curriculum. Currently, we are engaging in a University-wide dialogue concerning Writing Across the Curriculum a

10、nd how we might incorporate the best thinking in this area to better service the needs of our students. As adjunct instructors, you are part of a team of faculty who share not only common goals but who also work side-by-side in teaching courses at all levels. I think I speak for all faculty, includi

11、ng our Writing Program Director, in welcoming you and letting you know that we are here to assist you in your teaching here at the University as well as in achieving your career goals. As instructors of composition, you are with us in the front lines of our endeavors, and we will be consulting you a

12、bout changes you think need to be implemented in our curriculum throughout the course of this year. It is your commitment that means so much to the success of our students, and for that you have our unqualified admiration and respect.Dr. John FreemanChair, EnglishI. Course Purposes and Goals First-y

13、ear composition courses treat writing as a negotiation between writers and readers; such writing is shaped by specific purposes, expectations, and situations. Students practice writing as a way of thinking, learning, and discovering knowledge, as well as a means of communicating it. Composition cour

14、ses emphasize both the processes and the products of writing, including both personal and academic writing. Students develop their rhetorical abilities to assess situations in order to decide what kind of writing will work well in those contexts. Through rhetorical analyses of texts by professional

15、and student writers, students learn to improve their writing and their reading skills. Composition courses are workshops in which students work through drafts and revisions with the help of their classmates and the teacher, in some cases publishing their writing for others. Students should be encour

16、aged to reflect on themselves as readers, writers, scholars, and members of society in contemporary America. Students should have an understanding of the influence of language upon how we engage with, interpret, and shape the world.II. Course DescriptionsEnglish 130, College WritingEnglish 130 provi

17、des entering first-year students the opportunity to master the elements of college writing: focus, coherence, development, organization, and critical thinking in writing. Students learn various planning and revising techniques as they write about their personal observations and experiences of cultur

18、es and differences in a short-essay format. College Writing emphasizes the writing process-from invention strategies through development of claims. Students work to acquire an understanding of audience and context for their writing. In other words, students learn to develop reader-based prose for co

19、llege writing. College Writing instructors support the connection between reading and writing. Readings are employed to generate ideas and responses from students. Assignments in English 130 should ask students to respond to readings; analyze readings as to authors purpose; identify and respond to t

20、he needs of their audience; and to master various rhetorical contexts. College Writing should involve students in frequent brief-writing exercises and assignments. Instructors should focus on sentence- and paragraph-level constructions as a first step to building confidence in their charges. Emphasi

21、s is on revision and writing workshops. Instructors and tutors work with students one-on-one and in small groups to refine students writing. Instructors address grammar and style issues as the need arises and always in the context of student writing. Formal research and instruction in documentation

22、are not appropriate at this level.Because computer literacy skills are important foundations for English 131 and other courses in the curriculum, instructors will provide students opportunities to compose in computer labs. Whenever possible, English 130 sections will meet in computer labs. Desired O

23、utcomes.In ENL 130, students are expected to:1. Understand writing as a recursive process2. Understand writing as a learning process3. Understand how to question ideas through critical thinking processes4. Demonstrate an ability to read actively, analyze, question, and respond to readings5. Be able

24、to use those readings to generate ideas in their own writing6. Be able to recognize and appreciate differences in voice, tone, and style in other writers works7. Recognize the importance of audiencefor their writing: identifying their audience, evaluating its needs, wedding those needs to their own

25、rhetorical purpose and goals8. Put their work into context with other texts; i.e. integrate their own ideas with those of others9. Know and be able to work through various invention techniques (e.g., brainstorming, clustering, free-writing, among others)10. Develop a claim (topic sentence/thesis)11.

26、 Support that claim with anecdotal/cultural or textual evidence12. Understand the importance of ascertaining and responding to audience needs 13. Recognize the importance of different forms of supporting details such as fable, lore, anecdotes, as well as statistical data14. Develop an understanding

27、of organization (e.g., development of ideas, coherence in a piece of writing, use of transitions when necessary to maintain coherence) 15. Be adept at constructing basic paragraphs (e.g., introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs) and know the uses of topic sentences and transitional devices16.

28、Understand the revision process; i.e. it takes multiple drafts to create a meaningful text 17. Learn to critique their own and others work18. Be able to recognize and put into effect various rhetorical strategies (e.g., personal essay, expository, definition, and argumentative)19. Understand the col

29、laborative process of writing 20. Be able to write clear and grammatically correct sentences (avoiding fragments, comma splices, and run-ons). They should be able to consult handbooks as a means of learning proper usageRequired Textbooks:A handbook. Suggested handbooks include:A Writers ReferencePre

30、ntice Hall Reference Guide to Grammar and UsageBlair HandbookSuggested Textbooks: St. Martins Guide to WritingAllyn & Bacon Guide to Writing Suggested textbooks and handbooks for ENL 130 are available in the Director of Writings office. All other textbook choices must have pre-approval by the Direct

31、or of Writing.English 131, Academic WritingAcademic Writing immerses students in college-level researched writing. Students refine their writing process strategies by writing a variety of essays that require responses to texts, broadly defined, with a special emphasis on decoding the hidden assumpti

32、ons underlying both written and visual texts. At least one paper should require library and Internet research, and all students must demonstrate the ability to document sources according to the MLA style sheet in order to contextual ideas and address specific audiences. Practice in citing, integrating, and documenting sources should begin as