01.09.07

Writing 2: Winter 2007

Posted in Archived Classes at 5:04 pm

Writing 2: Academic Writing
Memory Across the Disciplines
Winter 2007

Catalog No. 47449
Meets: TR 1pm – 2:50pm
Location: GIRV 2115

Instructor: Kim Knight (kimberly_knight@umail.ucsb.edu)
Office Hours: M 2pm – 3pm, R 3pm – 4pm South Hall 2509

Course website.
Course wiki.

Course Description

Welcome! Writing 2–Introduction to Academic Writing is designed to help you successfully navigate the challenges of writing for college level courses. Our course theme is “memory” and we will read a variety of essays that will provide an introduction to the topic in the Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities, the three major divisions of disciplines in the university system. Although strengthening critical reading and writing skills will be our primary focus, you will also be evaluated on class participation and the contributions you make to group assignments.

Required Texts
(Available at the UCSB bookstore, unless otherwise noted.)

Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. 6th Edition. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2007.

Course Reader available at Associated Students.

Required Accounts
(all required accounts are free-of-charge)

Email Account, “umail” or otherwise, that you check frequently.
Username for course wiki.
Username for Writely.

Course Policies.
Assignments.
Course Schedule.
Tools.

Download a .pdf file of the Winter 2007 Syllabus.

Notes About the Schedule

Posted in Archived Classes at 5:03 pm

The weekly schedule is subject to revision – check the course website for the most up-to-date information. Sources for readings are abbreviated as follows: WR=A Writer’s Reference; R=Course Reader; O=Online. Bring books or a printout of online readings to each class meeting.

Because most of the work for Writing 2 will be turned in electronically, many due dates fall outside of our scheduled Tuesday and Thursday meetings.

For units one and two, each week is divided into two parts:Tuesdays we will workshop important writing skills and Thursdays we will discuss the content of the week’s reading in relation to writing skills and the current paper assignment. Although we may not discuss the content of readings in-depth until Thursday, you should still do the readings for each Tuesday as we will use this material for our skills workshops. For unit three, we will discuss materials and repeat skills workshops as necessary during each class meeting.

Wiki User’s Guide

Posted in Archived Classes at 5:42 am

Download a .pdf file with step-by-step instructions for using the course wiki. Wiki User’s Guide

Unit One: Sciences

Posted in Archived Classes at 3:16 am

Unit One – The Sciences: How Memory Works

In unit one, we will attempt to define memory through various lenses of the sciences. How did early psychoanalysts, such as Freud, define memory? How does neuroscience think about memory? How do we understand memory today? The goal of unit one is to synthesize various readings in a summary paper that defines memory from at least two different perspectives. Read the rest of this entry »

Unit Two: Social Sciences

Posted in Archived Classes at 3:10 am

Unit Two – Social Sciences: Collective Memory

In Unit II we will explore the topic of memory from the perspective of the social sciences.
We will begin by defining the notion of “collective memory.” We will then proceed to identify various representations of collective memory, such as archives, exhibits, and media representations. The goal of this unit is to conduct independent research for a paper that analyzes an iteration of cultural memory. Read the rest of this entry »

Unit Three: Humanities

Posted in Archived Classes at 3:07 am

Unit Three – Humanities: Representations of Memory

In Unit Three, we will examine the ways in which the arts represent memories. We will begin by encountering attempts to visualize memory and to make it audible. We will then move on to attempts to convey memory through the written word. The goal of this unit is to utilize outside research in a close reading of one or more texts that address memory. Read the rest of this entry »

Assignments

Posted in Archived Classes at 3:02 am

Participation, including critical responses, homework, conferences, etc.: 25 points
Unit One: 25 points
Unit Two: 25 points
Unit Three: 25 points
Total: 100 points possible

Late critical responses will not be accepted. 1 point will be deducted from preparatory work, including drafts, for each day they are overdue. Late final drafts will be marked down 1/2 grade for each day the assignment is overdue. No late papers will be accepted for Unit Three.

Participation 25%

Posted in Archived Classes at 2:58 am

This class is structured around workshops and in-class discussions and your participation is necessary for our success. Missing classes hurts your peers and inhibits their learning. Therefore, it is important that you come to every class prepared and on time. To be “prepared” means that you have thoughtfully engaged with the reading, completed any assignments, and that you are equipped with the supplies necessary to participate in class (books, paper, writing instruments, etc.)

Because your presence in class is important, three or more absences will impact your final grade. In most circumstances, six absences will result in failure. Two instances of tardiness will equal one absence.

Cell phones are to be turned off and kept out of my sight. If your phone rings during class, or if I see you text messaging or checking your messages during class, you will be marked absent. No exceptions.

In addition to attendance at scheduled class meetings, you are required to conference with me (during office hours or by appointment) at least once after you have completed the first draft of paper one. We will discuss your progress on the current paper and in the class in general.

Critical Responses

Posted in Archived Classes at 2:56 am

Writing 2 has a minimum writing requirement. To help fulfill that requirement and to help prepare you for class discussions, you are required to complete a critical response on each of our assigned readings (excluding assigned readings from Diana Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference).

Critical responses should meet the following minimum requirements:

  • a minimum of 100 word prose response, plus one discussion question.
  • posted in the course wiki in the appropriate article prior to the beginning of class.
  • each entry should include the student’s automatic signature via the wiki (see the Wiki User’s Guide on the course website).
  • bring one copy to class for your reference; this may be handwritten or typed.

To post your critical response in the course wiki, find the appropriate article listed in the sidebar. Then follow the instructions for editing a page.

If you are having trouble coming up with a response, let the text guide you. What parts of the text did you find interesting? Was there anything you found yourself in strong agreement or disagreement with? What parts of the text confused you? What questions would you like to ask the author? How does this text relate to other texts we’ve read? Etc.

Critical responses are recorded as part of your participation score.

Unit One Paper 25%

Posted in Archived Classes at 2:50 am

Unit One: Sciences – How Memory Works
Summary & Response Paper

Throughout history, memory has been one of the fundamental criteria for defining “the human.” Our memory functions separate us from other life forms and contribute to the formation of our identities as individuals. An exceedingly complex biological and psychological process, memory is still the subject of study for contemporary science. For paper one, you will have two tasks: Read the rest of this entry »

Unit Two Paper 25%

Posted in Archived Classes at 2:50 am

Unit Two – Social Sciences: Cultural Memory
Analysis Paper

As we discovered in Unit One, memory is an important factor in the the way that we as individuals relate to our own past. Additionally, memory has an important social function. Collective, or cultural memory, as defined by Ann Rigney (2005), is a social construct that has important consequences for the way we conceptualize historical events and for our relations to those around us. No longer viewed as a naturalized phenomena, we now think of cultural memory as the product of “mediation, textualization, and acts of communication” (Rigney p. 14). Read the rest of this entry »

Unit Three Paper 25%

Posted in Archived Classes at 2:50 am

Unit Three – Humanities: Representations of Memory
Close Reading and Research Paper

Topic:
As life becomes increasingly digital, our cameras, our televisions, even our coffee makers, have memory. As computerized memory becomes ubiquitous, the status of human memory becomes increasingly subject to scrutiny. Questions arise about the verity of memory or about where one draws the line between one’s digitized and one’s “real” memories. Your challenge for paper three is to analyze the artistic representation of memory in one or more texts or artworks. Your goal, as a cultural critic, is to understand what the film/story/poem/art installation/object says about memory and to speculate on why it matters. Read the rest of this entry »

Winter 2007 Course Policies

Posted in Archived Classes at 2:48 am

Course Policies

Attendance:
This class is structured around workshops and in-class discussions and your participation is necessary for our success. Missing classes hurts your peers and inhibits their learning. Therefore, it is important that you come to every class prepared and on time. To be “prepared” means that you have thoughtfully engaged with the reading, completed any assignments, and that you are equipped with the supplies necessary to participate in class (books, paper, writing instruments, etc.)

Because your presence in class is important, three or more absences will impact your final grade. In most circumstances, six absences will result in failure. Two instances of tardiness will equal one absence.

Cell phones are to be turned off and kept out of my sight. If your phone rings during class, or if I see you text messaging or checking your messages during class, you will be marked absent. No exceptions.

In addition to attendance at scheduled class meetings, you are required to conference with me (during office hours or by appointment) at least once after you have completed the first draft of paper one. We will discuss your progress on the current paper and in the class in general.

Email Policy:
Please be aware that I respond to most email messages within 24 hours Monday – Friday. If you send me an email and I do not respond during this time frame, chances are that I did not receive it. It is your responsibility to re-send the email or to contact me another way.

Online Etiquette:
As we will undoubtedly discover in class, the finer points of online communication can be tricky. Emotions are difficult to express and read. Our many online assignments will require vigilance to ensure that we are always preserving an atmosphere of mutual respect. Disagreements may arise and consensus may not be possible. We can, however, respect each person’s right to an opinion. Name-calling or menacing behavior will not be tolerated.

Academic Honesty:
From the UCSB General Catalog: “Materials submitted to fulfill academic requirements must represent a student’s own efforts. Any act of academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism or other forms of cheating, is unacceptable and will be met with disciplinary action.”

Plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the plagiarized assignment and possible disciplinary action by the university. We will review the proper way to use outside sources in order to avoid plagiarism; however, I encourage you to meet with me if you are at all uncertain about whether your writing could be misconstrued as plagiarism.

Late Work:
Late critical responses will not be accepted. 1 point will be deducted from preparatory work, including drafts, for each day they are overdue. Late final drafts will be marked down 1/2 grade for each day the assignment is overdue. No late papers will be accepted for Unit III.

Revision:
One round of revisions each is permitted for Units 1 and 2. Revision applies only to the final paper and does not include the preparatory work. Those wishing to revise must either conference with me or visit CLAS and must make a substantial effort to engage with my feedback. Revised papers are due two weeks after the date grades are distributed in class. Grades on revised papers may improve as much as one full letter grade and will not decrease.

Other Important Information

  • The deadline to drop Writing 2 is Friday, January 12th at 11:59 PM.
  • If you are a student with a documented disability and would like to discuss special accommodations, please see me during the first two weeks of class.
  • Campus Learning Assistance Services (CLAS) offers help with any phase of the writing process (please note: they are not an editing service). Tutors are available on a walk-in or appointment basis.