Syllabus

English 3360: Current Approaches to Composition and Literature
Fall 2008

Click here to return to the course home page. You will find instructor contact information there, as well as links to the schedule and assignments.

Course Description
English 3360 is an amalgam of writing workshop, teaching practicum, and composition theory course. Its purpose is to introduce you to the current research in literacy, writing, and the teaching of writing to the end of helping to prepare you to be a more effective, reflective, and informed language arts teacher in either an elementary, middle, or secondary public school. To this end, we will complicate and question our ideas of literacy and language:

• What is literacy?
• In America today, what does it mean to be literate?
• How can we encourage and develop our students various stages and forms of literacy?
• As teachers, what are our beliefs about literacy and language, and how do they impact our roles/strategies in the classroom?
• How can we respect the various forms of literacy that students bring to our classrooms, at the same time that we are preparing them for the various cultural, professional, technological, social, and civic discourses that they will need to participate in to be fulfilled members of our society?

Course Goals

1. to recognize and understand the complex relations among literacy, learning, and language use.
2. to become familar with local curricular guidelines and expectations, the TEKS, TExES competencies and expectations, national Standards for English language Arts (SELA), and a wide range of professional resources, locally and globally.
3. to be able to apply the theoretical principles that inform the TEKS, TExES competencies, and the national SELA.
4. to understand the ways that contexts for teaching and/or learning are influenced by global and local factors such as divergent notions of literacy; matters of race, gender, class, economics; cultural and environmental elements, and socio-cognitive development.
5. to gain insight into process pedagogy and wht workshop model of writing instruction.
6. to develop a critical vocabulary for teaching writing and literature at an age-appropriate level.
7. to understand the multiple aims of writing assessment and teacherly response.
8. to develop criteria for assessing student writing.
9. to develop strategies for teaching writing and literature in a high stakes testing environment.
10. to articulate the theoretical principles behind the methods that inform one's pedagogy.
    

Texts and Materials

1. Calkins, Lucy McCormick. The Art of Teaching Writing. New Edition. Heinemann, 1994.
2. Strickland, Kathleen & James. Engaged in Learning: Teaching English 6-12. Heinemann, 2002.
3. NCTE/IRA. Standards for the English Language Arts. NCTE, 1996.
4. A few library reserve articles
5. Portable storage medium (e.g. flash drive) to save and transport files to and from class.
6. A few dollars on your SandDollar card for printouts.

Grade Distribution
Your grades will be based on the following assignments:

1. Essay: 30%
2. Writing reflection: 10%
3. Interview Report: 20%
4. One Week Lesson Plan: 20%
5. Responding to Student Writing Activity: 10%
6. Workshop & Class Activities: 10%

For more information on the assignments, see the Assignments page.

Submitting assignments: All final drafts of the major assignments must be submitted through WebCT (rough drafts and in-class assignments are handed in to the instructor). If you do not have a WebCT account already, please go to Island Online (http://islandonline.tamucc.edu/islandonline.php) and select "Login Help" for instructions on obtaining your WebCT account.

Course Policies

Attendance/Late Work
The majority of reasons for missing class or turning in work late are legitimate, but many are not and, as much as I hate to say it, people do lie. I do not wish to be in the business of judging excuses or having to be suspicious that a student is lying to me.

So the responsibility of determining if your reason is legitimate or worth it is up to you. These policies will allow you to miss class or turn in late work without having to tell me why or fear that you will suffer dire consequences. They are not penalty-free, however. Instead, they function as a safety net. If you do have problems that require late work or absences, they will keep you from failing the course outright just because you get sick or run into technical difficulties or whatever the problem--as long as you use them sparingly. But they are set up so that you will think twice, will weigh the pros and cons, before using them.

• There is no such thing as "excused" or "unexcused;" these policies will apply no matter what the reason.
• You may take a maximum of six (6) absences with no consequences other than missed in-class work and participation credit. After six absences, your final grade drops by half a letter grade for each day missed.
• To be considered present, you must be in class on time, participate in all class activities, and remain in class for the entire period. Leaving early, coming in significantly late, or refusing to participate in in-class activities will result in an absence and missed in-class work.
• Please keep the contact information for another student in class to find out about what you missed
• You may turn in out-of-class written work up to one week past the due date. However, your grade will automatically drop one letter grade for each day late. That means each day, not each class period.
• In-class work may not be made up or turned in late.
• No late work will be accepted for any reason after the scheduled final exam time.

In-class Conduct
In general, treat each other and the instructor with respect and follow simple standards of common courtesy. Here are a few specifics:

• Please turn off all cell phones or other electronic communication devices while in class.
• Use the computers only for 3360-related purposes.
• Do not talk or make excessive noise (this includes typing or clicking the mouse) while the instructor or another student is speaking to the class as a whole.
• When group work is assigned in class, you must work in a group, not as an individual.
• During group work time, please stay on task and work cooperatively with other group members.

Academic Honesty/Plagiarism
The university will not tolerate plagiarism or any other form of intellectual/academic dishonesty. Plagiarism is a serious violation of departmental and University policies, but it is sometimes difficult to understand what plagiarism actually is. Often, students commit unintentional plagiarism (not citing sources properly, for example), because they are unaware of the standards that apply. Regardless, work that is turned in for the course that is plagiarized will be failed. If you are unsure about your use of sources, please consult with me or visit the writing center (in the TLC, in Library 216) for advice on source documentation BEFORE the item is due. For this course, you must use either APA or MLA citation style. Any grammar handbook and many web sites have directions on correct citation. Click here for an excellent review of the various forms of plagiarism, good for any teacher to review/use. It is long, but worthwhile.

Click here for site on MLA documentation rules and here for APA documentation rules.

Acceptance of Diversity
We are the most diverse campus, in terms of racial identity, in the Texas A&M system. This means that we are all meeting and working with people who are different from ourselves in terms of their identities: whether that is defined by their race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, and/or religion. Respecting and accepting difference is vital to your success in this class, on this campus, as a future teacher in your own classroom, and in the global community.

Student with Disabilities
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment which provides reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you are a student requiring an accommodation, please contact the Office for Students with Disabilities at (361)825-5816 or visit the office at Driftwood 101.

About the TExES Exam
Do not rush into the professional development segment of your career by attempting to take your TExES certification exams too soon. The College of Education can give you advice on when to take your professional development exams and will be your main source of information about the TExES if you are working toward EC-4 certfication. For those of you who will be taking the English Language Arts & Reading (ELAR) 4-8 or 8-12, please do the following:

* finish at least 80% of the course work in the major before attempting the ELAR TExES exam.
* Make an appointment to see the English department TExES coordinator if you have not done so. Contact Dr. Vanessa Jackson(FC 286, x5828). She controls registration for the exam and the mandatory review sessions.
* Review the study guide carefully. Click here to obtain TExES Study Guides.
* Attend at least one TExES review session, preferably two. Try to attend one about a year before you plan to take the exam, then again right before your exam. Review sessions usually take place the Saturday one week before the exam. Dates and times will be announced in class.

Academic Advising
The College of Liberal Arts requires that students meet with an Academic Advisor as soon as they are ready to declare a major. The Academic Advisor will set up a degree plan, which must be signed by the student, a faculty mentor, and the department chair. The College's Academic Advising Center is located in Driftwood 203E, and can be reached at 825-3466. If your major is in another College (e.g., Education), please contact that college for information and requirements about advising.

Questions?
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this syllabus, please speak with me as soon as possible. You are responsible for understanding and adhering to the policies of this course and TAMU-CC.