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Bridging the Gap:

Connecting the Sciences and the Humanities


English 10600-E09-16012
First-Year Composition, Fall 2015

Instructor: Katherine Hummel


Office: HEAV 404
Email: hummel3@purdue.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Monday
Conference
HEAV 225
ENGL 1060009E-16017

Tuesday
Computer Lab
BRNG B275
ENGL 10600E09-16012

Syllabus Approach: Documenting Realities


Course Time: M-F 3:30 - 4:20 p.m.
Course Website: Blackboard

Wednesday
Classroom
KNOY B016
ENGL 10600E09-16012

Thursday
Conference
HEAV 223
ENGL 106000E9-161018

Friday
Classroom
HEAV 105
ENGL 10600E09-16012

Course Description
English 106 at Purdue offers a personalized learning environment in three different settingsthe
traditional classroom, the computer lab, and conference-style class sessions. Our class will expand on this
personalized learning by linking this section of ENGL 106 with TECH 120. Through this pairing, the goal
of this course is to immerse you in the world of technology from a humanities perspectivehow it shapes
us as humans and how it calls the nature of the human into question. Using Purdues Documenting
Realities syllabus approach, this course will examine the various methods that society uses to document
and present the world and will challenge you to define reality in all of its mutable forms. We will
explore the intersecting relationships between reality, documentation, technology, and what it means to be
human through various genres of writing that will expand your critical reading and thinking skills and
equip you with the rhetorical knowledge needed to succeed in your respective majors.

Course Goals
Introductory Composition at Purdue is designed to help you:
build confidence in your abilities to create, interpret, and evaluate texts in all types of media
understand, evaluate, and organize your ideas
hone and expand critical thinking skills
understand what it means to write in different contexts for different audiences
develop, articulate, and support topics through a variety of research methods
become an effective writer who can respond credibly, accurately, and convincingly to a variety of
writing situations

Instructors Philosophy
In my role as a composition instructor, I believe I serve a dual role in the classroom as both an
advocate and a facilitator. I am first an advocate of writing, as I strive to present myself as
an authority on writing, critical reading, critical thinking, and research. As the semester moves
forward, I also perform the role of facilitator, deliberately leaving class activities and lesson
plans open after a few weeks so that my students interests and needs can direct our
conversations and goals within assignments. I adapt this approach to encourage students to learn
by doing, working on collaborative in-class projects and presentations in order to limit the

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standard, linear lectures in favor of student-directed conversations.My practice of collaboration


comes from my belief that, ultimately, students will learn more from each others experiences
than they will from my interpretation of course materials. While I can provide a clear framework
for the class, the students retain the responsibility to explore each others values, cultural
backgrounds, and voices via discussion-based and listening-based activities.
Required Texts
The Norton Field Guide to Writing by, Norton, 2013 (ISBN)
They Say, I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, Norton, 2014 (ISBN 978-0393935844)
NOTE: Both textbooks can be purchased or rented for a reduced price as a package through
campus bookstores. It will likely be cheaper to buy them together at Purdue than separately
through websites such as Amazon.com.
Composing Yourself, 2014-2015 by Blackmon, Haynes, and Pinkert, Fountainhead Press, 2014.
NOTE: This text is available only in campus bookstores. You must each purchase a new
copy of this book; no used copies are acceptable. There are no exceptions to this policy.
Secondary texts TBA. Likely choices will be Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, or Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

Required Materials
You will be expected to bring your books to class every day, along with a writing utensil and paper for
taking notes. You must also have the following materials:
a binder, folder, or notebook in which you will keep your assembled coursework
a supply of binder clips or large paper clips for turning in lengthy assignment packets
a flash drive or other storage device
an account on Dropbox.com for electronic assignment submissions

Grade Breakdown
Email Assignment
Unit 1: Visual Rhetorical Analysis
Mini-Paper #1: Close Reading
Unit 2: Literary Analysis
Mini-Paper #2: Library Profile
Unit 3: Researched Argument
Annotated Bibliography
Unit 4: Website with Infographic
Presentation
Homework Assignments
In-class writing
Quizzes (announced and unannounced)
Reading Responses
Participation and Professional Behavior
Total Points for the Course

Due Dates (tentative)


September 4th
September 18th
September 25th
October 16th
October 26th
November 13th
November 17th
December 11th

*NOTE: pop quizzes are


fair game. Reading
responses will always be
announced in advance.*

Points
50
100
50
100
50
100
50
150
50
100
100

100
1000

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What does Participation and Professional Behavior mean?


A significant portion of your grade relies on your participation in class and your ability to conduct
yourself professionally. Participation can be earned in a variety of ways:
active contribution to large-group class discussions
active contribution to small-group discussions
thoughtful/constructive feedback in peer review assignments
being prepared for class and ready to engage in new material each day
I consider professional behavior to be the presence of respectful conduct in class. Discriminatory or
hateful language will not be tolerated. Keep class discussions polite, even when you disagree with another
student, and speak as you would at any job or other professional setting. This category also includes your
level of preparation for this class. Turning in pre- and post-conference forms, bringing materials to class
each day, and engaging in course discussions will be considered as part of your professional behavior.

E-mail Etiquette
For this class, I expect you to check your e-mail daily for updates, reminders, or additional readings that
may be due. In any e-mail you send to me, I expect you to conduct yourself professionally. This means
including a subject line, greeting, short message with your question or an indication of your purpose, and
an appropriate closing. E-mails without subject lines or messages will not be read. Any attachment
uploaded to Dropbox or sent via e-mail must include your last name as part of the file name like this:
Hummel__First Draft.docx
Unidentified attachments will not be opened. When you submit anything to me electronically, I
understand Internet connection issues and other technical difficulties may arise. I will respond to let you
know I have received your e-mail. If you do not receive an e-mail from me to confirm your submission,
please resubmit your assignment to achieve full credit.

Technology Etiquette
I realize that cell phones, laptops, and tablets play a large role in the classroom environment, especially
with our own classes in the computer lab. That said, I have a zero-tolerance policy for cell phone use and
inappropriate Internet use during class time. I expect your phones to be on silent during class and your
headphones/music players to be put away at the start of class. If I notice excessive cell phone use or you
are not using the computer lab for class activities, you will receive one verbal warning and your
participation grade will be reduced. If your behavior continues to be disruptive or does not improve, you
will be counted absent from class that day.

Grading Scale
Rubrics will be provided for each assignment with a description of the quality of work expected for
particular grades. The following is a letter grade/point value scale you can use to track your grade
throughout the semester.
93-100 (A)
90-91 (A-)
87-89 (B+)
84-86 (B)
80-83 (B-)
77-79 (C+)

74-76 (C)
70-73 (C-)
67-69 (D+)
64-66 (D)
60-63 (D-)
Below 60 (F)

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Descriptions of Grades
A to A- : You did what the assignment asked at a high quality level, and your work shows originality and
creativity. Work in this range shows all the qualities listed below for a B, but it also demonstrates that you
took extra steps to be original or creative in developing content, solving a problem, or developing a verbal
or visual style.
B+ to B-: You did what the assignment asked of you at a high quality level. Work in this range needs
little revision, is complete in content, is organized well, and shows special attention to style and/or visual
design.
C+ to C- : You did what the assignment asked of you. Work in this range tends to need some revision, but
it is complete in content and the organization is logical. The style, verbal and visual, is straightforward but
unremarkable.
D+ to D- : You did what the assignment asked at a low level of quality. Work in this range tends to need
significant revision. The content is often incomplete and the organization is hard to discern. Verbal and
visual style is often non-existent or chaotic.
F: Dont go here. I usually reserve the F for people who dont show up or dont do the work. If you give
an assignment an honest try, I doubt you would receive an F. If you feel you put in your best effort and
still received an F, you might consider dropping the class.

Assignment Submissions and Format Guidelines


Your work must be presentable. If you hand in sloppy or poorly proofread documents, they will be
returned to you for correction. You need to use 11- or 12-point in a readable serif font (preferably Times
New Roman or Garamond) and your papers must be double-spaced with one-inch margins unless I
instruct you otherwise. We will default to MLA style in this class, unless you request to use an alternative
style, and I expect your papers to be formatted accordingly.
All papers should have the following in the top left corner of the first page:
Your name
Name of instructor
English 10600-E09-16012
Date assignment is due
In the header of every subsequent page, you must put your last name (only) and the page number.
Examples will be provided prior to the literacy narrative assignment. Online examples can be found on
the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/. Select MLA 2009 Formatting
and Style Guide and MLA Sample Paper for details.
In general, assignments you submit electronically will be due by midnight, while hard copies of papers
and project packets will be due at the beginning of class. Any changes to due dates or submission times
will be announced in class or via-email.

Drafts and Revising


I will review one draft of your papers before the final due date, and one draft of your paper will be peer
reviewed in class. Beyond these reviews, drafts should be taken for further assistance to the Writing Lab
in HEAV 226. Their hours of operation are Mon - Wed: 9:00 am - 9:00 pm; Thu: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm and
Fri: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm.

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Missed or Late Work


The penalty for late work is a 10% reduction of the assignments overall point value for each day that it
is late. If you turn in a 10-point assignment one day late, you will only lose 1 point. However, some
assignments are worth 150 or 200 points, and turning them in late may reduce your grade by a full letter
grade. Late work may be accepted under extenuating circumstances and only if you consult with me
before the class period in which the work is due. If you need an extension, you must ask at least 48
hours before the assignment is due. With that said, if you find yourself overwhelmed and unable to
complete an assignment, please come talk with me...but do so BEFORE the assignment is due. Extensions
will be granted on an as-needed basis, and I reserve the right to deny extensions for any assignment.

Attendance
You must attend class regularly. Much of what you may miss cannot be made up. In order to participate
in discussions, activities, peer reviews, and in other instruction activities, you must be present. I realize
that sometimes you have illnesses or circumstances beyond your control, so I am allowing you three
absences without attendance penalty. I expect you to let me know before class via e-mail when you are
going to be absent. I often schedule specific group activities, and I need to know how many students will
be participating.
If you miss more than three classes, your final grade will be lowered by half a letter grade. This
means if you have 4-5 absences, the highest grade you may obtain is "A-." If you have 6-8 absences, the
highest grade you may obtain is "B," and if you have 9-11 absences, the highest grade you may obtain is
"C." If you have 12 or more absences, the highest grade you may obtain is "F." Also, please be aware that
missing a conference counts toward your absences. Conferences will be held for a minimum of 10
minutes or a maximum of 25 minutes, so you should have no excuse for skipping conferences, except in
emergency situations. Additionally, if you are more than 20 minutes late to class, I will count you absent
for the day.

Campus Emergencies
The website on Emergency Preparedness is at www.purdue.edu/ehps/emergency_preparedness/. Check
the course website and your e-mail for updates about class cancellations during inclement weather.

Grief Absence Policy


If you have a death in the family, you (or your representative) should contact the Office of the Dean of
Students. That office will then notify your instructors. (See the Grief Absence Policy for Students at
http://www.purdue.edu/odos/services/griefabsencepolicyforstudents.php.

Disability Resource Center (DRC)


Students with disabilities must be registered with DRC in the Office of the Dean of Students before
classroom accommodations can be provided. If you are eligible for academic accommodations because
you have a documented disability that will impact your work in this class, please schedule an appointment
with me within the first three (3) weeks of the semester to discuss any adjustments you may need.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism (also see Composing Yourself pp.93-95)


Plagiarism is the act of using another persons work and calling it your own. You can plagiarize by
purchasing a paper from someone and handing it in as your work, by stealing another students electronic
file, by downloading someones work from the Internet, by copying material from a book or magazine
article without citing the source, by cutting and pasting material from websites, and by using anothers
ideas without proper attribution. We will have discussions throughout the semester about plagiarism. I
want to stress that I value learning and honesty in the classroom. I also want to stress that I do report

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known cases of plagiarism to the Dean of Students. You will receive, at the very least, a zero on that
particular assignment; in some cases, you may fail the entire class.

Regarding Diversity and Inclusion


In this course, each voice in the classroom has something of value to contribute. Please take care to
respect the different experiences, beliefs and values expressed by students and staff involved in this
course. I am committed to the concept of a safe zone, I support Purdue's commitment to diversity, and I
welcome individuals of all ages, backgrounds, citizenships, disabilities, sex, education, ethnicities, family
statuses, genders, gender identities, geographical locations, languages, military experiences, political
views, races, religions, sexual orientations, socioeconomic statuses, and work experiences. For more
information, visit the Division of Diversity and Inclusion website. https://diversity.purdue.edu/

Class Schedule
This schedule is a general overview of the semester and is subject to change. All updates to the
schedule will be posted on the course website.
Week
Week 1
Week 2

Theme
Introduction to Course
Understanding Rhetorical Situations

Visual Analysis: Understanding the Realities of Space and Place


Visual Analysis Paper due Fri. 9/18
Weeks 5, 6, 7, 8 Literary Analysis: How is Technology Documented in Literature?
Literary Analysis Paper due Fri. 10/16
Research as Access to Reality
Weeks 9, 10
Arguing for Your Reality
Weeks 11, 12
Researched Argument Paper due Fri. 11/13
Digital Realities: Creating an Online Web Space
Weeks 13, 14
Data Visualization: How Does Online Documentation Manipulate Reality?
Weeks 15, 16
Website with Infographic and Presentation due Fri 12/11
Weeks 3,4

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