W 350- Advanced Expository Writing

Fall 2010
Section: 8670
Instructor: Rebecca Gerdes
Time: TR 2:30-3:45
Room: DW 1260
Email: rgerdes@iusb.edu*

Phone: cell 574-261-5696, home 574-855-3413

Office: DW 3181
Office Hours: MW 11:45-12:45; T 1:00-2:00
and by appointment

* I will reply to ALL emails by 8 pm each evening. If I do not reply to an email by then, you can
assume I did NOT receive it and it is YOUR responsibility to get in contact with me another way, I
recommend by calling my cell phone.
Required Texts:
1. The Art of the Personal Essay, edited by Phillip Lopate
2. Additional Essay available under resources in Oncourse

Course Description:
The Essay Form
From book reviews to Blogs, from self-discovery to savage critique, the essay continues
to be the most flexible, variable, and fun prose form available to writers. In this class you will be
studying some of the great essays of the past and present, taking them apart to see how they
work, and adapting some of the techniques you admire into your own essay writing. You will
have the opportunity to expand your repertoire as an essayist by trying out various approaches to
the essay formthe list, the observational essay, the rantand by studying conventions of
voice, audience, and argument that animate the academic essay. You will also have the
opportunity to practice some research techniques and to learn from other writers in a workshop
atmosphere.
Grades:
Your course grade will be based on the following:
400 pts total
Participation:50 pts
Short Essays (6 total):25 pts each
One paragraph quotation analyses (5 total): 10 pts each
Journal Review: 50 pts
Academic Essays (2 total): 50 pts each
In class assignments and assignments preparing for class may be collected for points at any time.
The grading scale is as follows:
98-100 = A+ 78-79 = C+
93-97 = A
73-77 = C
90-92 = A70-72 = C88-89 = B+
68-69 = D+
83-87 = B
60-67 = D
80-82 = BBelow 60 = F

Policies and Procedures:

Late and Incomplete Work:
-Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day they are listed as due on the
syllabus. I will not accept late work without previous arrangement. Students who miss class
on the day an assignment is due must still have their assignment turned in before class starts,
via dropping it off or email. 20% will be deducted from any late work (unless previous
arrangements have been made).
-Assignments that are incomplete (not meeting minimum length requirements) are
unacceptable. Four pages means four FULL PAGES. 20% will be deducted from any
assignment not meeting length requirements.
Attendance:
- I expect you to be here, on time, and prepared to contribute to class discussion in a
meaningful way. You are allowed three absences. After your third absence, you will fail
the course.
- I do excuse absences, but only if you get in touch with me personally (either by email or
phone) BEFORE class.
- Tardiness is disruptive and unacceptable. Three tardies of ten minutes or more will count as
one absence.
Cell Phones:
- Turn them off.
- If I see a student texting during class, I will require all students to leave their cell phones on
my desk while in class.
Class Participation and Respect:
- We will be discussing some sensitive issues in this class and I expect us all to behave like
adults. The use of abusive or hateful language, racial or sexual slurs will not be tolerated in
this class.
- There are numerous ways to participate in class. I pay attention to contribution during large
and small group discussions, engagement with discussed topics in writing assignments, and
whether or not a student comes to class prepared.
Religious Observances:
- If any student will require academic accommodations for a religious observance, please
provide me with a written request to consider a reasonable modification for that observance
by the end of the second week of the course. Contact me after class, during my office hours,
or by individual appointment to discuss the issue. If after discussion we reach no consensus,
either party or both should seek the advice of the Department Chair or the Dean, and if no
consensus is reached, then the advice of the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs (VCAA).
Either the instructor or the student may appeal the VCAAs decision to the Office of
Affirmative Action within ten business days of the determination.
Plagiarism
- Please refer to the Department of English Statement on Plagiarism at
http://www.iusb.edu/~sbeng/fyw.shtml for the specific policies governing this course. It is

the responsibility of the student to know of the prohibited actions such as cheating,
fabrication, plagiarism, academic, and personal misconduct, and thus, to avoid them.

All students are held to the standards outlined in the code. Please reference the entire
code for a complete listing (www.dsa.indiana.edu/Code/). Any violation may result in
serious academic penalty, ranging from receiving a warning, to failing the
assignment, to failing the course, to expulsion from the University.
Do not do it. I will catch you, and it is not a fun process for anyone to go through, myself
included.
Equal Access:

If you have a disability and need assistance, special arrangements can be made to
accommodate most needs. Contact the Director of Disabled Student Services
(Administration Building, room 149, telephone number 520-4832), as soon as
possible to work out the details. Once the Director has provided you with a letter
attesting to your needs for modification, bring the letter to me. For more information,
please visit the web site for Office of Disabled Student Services
(www.iusb.edu/~sbdss/services.shtml)