Some clarifications . . .

Thanks for the introductions. I believe I sent this to you all as part of your submission, but I wanted to post it here again for further clarification on what the blog will be going forward.

Clarification on the blog:

We will not post assns. on the blog every week, instead the assns for the blog will come as they do. they will be appropriately labeled as such. however, that doesn't mean that the blog won't be useful in the down weeks as well. it is just another forum that we can use to post interesting/intriguing/helpful links or posts or ideas. for instance, i will begin posting copies of our larger assns. (starting with next week's lit review) to the blog so that you may read them for clarification purposes if you are away from FerrisConnect). you may also post info here as you feel the need. many of you are in the same field or studying similar things and this can be a place for that sort of pertinent info as well. of course you will only be required to post here when i assign it, but i want you to know that as an author it is available to you in any way you see fit.

--Jamie

introduction

Hello All!

Sorry for the delay in my posting, I don't use my ferris e-mail account and I just figured out how to participate in the blog.
I am a consotium student with West Shore Community College in the Elementary Education program. I am married and I have three children ages 4, 7 and 9. I was in management for Family Video for ten years and was missing too much time and activities with my children. As I spent more time in my children's classrooms, I realized how much I enjoy working with children. I am currently working for Telamon Chase Migrant Head Start as an assistant teacher while I finish up my degree.

Hello Everyone!

My name is Greg Burns i am a junior here at Ferris State.  The reason that i took this class online while living on campus is because i also run track and with my busy days it helps out a lot to have to attend one less class. Like i said i run track but i don't really "run" i just pole vault and at the last track meet i qualified for Nationals! I still need to go higher to make sure that i make it to the meet but i'm well on my way. I grew up in southern Michigan and went to college down there for 2 years before attending Ferris. The reason that i came to Ferris was because i am going to go into Nuclear Medicine. I really don't have a lot of interesting things going on right now but i would love to message some of you and get to know you all. 

Introduction

Hello

My name is Mike Boyd and I'm a returning student. I currently live in Sault Ste. Marie Michigan with my wife Alice and my two children Connor and Liam. It is Connor and Liam who got me started back to going to school. I worked construction most of my life and after having the two boys I wanted to be closer to home. I hated to quit working construction for a truly do enjoy it and while investigating other options to meet for employment and keep me close to home I discovered I enjoyed teaching. And that is why I am finishing up my certification to teach Tech ED. I guess you'd say my hobbies and my interests include anything by families doing as long as they are included on usually content. I'm taking this class because it is required by my curriculum and I definitely need improvement with my written expression so it should be a good experience for me.
Mike

Hello

My name is Amy and I am a senior this semester at Ferris. I will be graduating in May with my Bachelors in Criminal Justice. I am taking 20 credits this semester as well as working full time. I have a 4 year old daughter I adore and got married in May 2008. I wish you all the best of luck!

Intro

Hello

My name is Amy and I am a senior this semester at Ferris. I will be graduating in May with my Bachelors in Criminal Justice. I am taking 20 credits this semester as well as working full time. I have a 4 year old daughter I adore and got married in May 2008. I wish you all the best of luck!

So this is blogging...

Well, to start my name is Alan Krukowski. I am doing a 3 and 1 program through Delta Community College working toward my Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice. This is the first online class i have taken so it should be interesting how this all pans out. For the last 7 years off and on, I have been a bartender at the Midland Country Club. For the last 6 years I have been in the Marine Corps Reserve. Currently, I am a platoon sergeant in charge of the welfare and training efficiency of 36 other Marines. I have done one combat tour in Iraq and a few training missions in other countries. I love to travel and have been to 13 different countries my favorite being Poland.

hey

hey everyone this is greg i'm just seeing if this works

Hey!

My name is Kristy and I am currently going for my Bachelors in dental hygiene here at Ferris. I work at a ski resort during the winter so i love the snow... but I am already getting sick of this -20 degree weather we are having. This class is a requirement for my program but I definitely need this class because English is not my strong subject. So I am hoping this will help change that!

all about me, condensed

Hi, my name is Whitney Franquist and I'm an elementary education major from Scottville. I'm slowly working my way towards my bachelor's degree via FSU's consortium program with West Shore Community College. Advanced composition is a required class for the program but I'm hoping to polish up my writing skills. I love literature and dabble in writing from time to time. There's nothing better than a good book and I'd really like to write a novel someday, I just haven't found my inspiration yet.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Teresa. I have worked at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City for almost five years as an RN. I started out on a general medical floor for 1.5 years and since have been working on the stroke/tele unit. I am taking this class as a requirement for completion of my Bachelor's of Science in Nursing. I currently have an Associate's Degree in Nursing from NMC in TC. Earning a BSN is a personal and professional goal, but I don't plan on immediate changes after completing the program. I hope to improve my writing skills and become more comfortable with APA format in this class.

The current focus in my life is that I am about 34 weeks pregnant with a little girl. This will be the first child for my husband and I. We are very excited and expecting her arrival around Feb 22nd.

Paula W. - Introduction

I posted this yesterday but apparently I was doing it wrong! It ended up as a comment attached to Jamie's Welcome Aboard post! LOL This is all new to me so bear with me. I figured out now how to post so I moved it here.

My name is Paula Whalen and I am a BSN student at the Flint cohort. I am married and I have 2 children, a boy 11 and a girl 14. I work third shift as an ICU nurse at Genesys. I work in the Medical ICU, so we see some very unusual things. Our favorite saying is "you couldn't make up the things we see". I have been there almost 8 years.

My family, including my parents, are active in showing dogs. My mom is a very active dog show judge and judges dog shows in many parts of the world. My daughter, Kacey, has a dog that finished last year at #7 for her breed and won best female in the sweepstakes at the national show last July. We have a beagle as a house dog but our family breed is the Affenpinscher. It is a relatively scarce toy dog that has a flattened face and weighs about 5 pounds.

We like to travel and have been lucky enough to take my kids to 4 foreign countries so far. The farthest that I have traveled was to India for 3 weeks on a medical mission.I hope this semester goes well for everyone!
January 12, 2009 12:16 PM

Introduction

Blogging is all new to me. Hopefully I do this right. My name is Sherry, I am working on my BSN and loving the online option. I have been a RN for almost 11 years and have worked at Genesys since graduating from nursing school. I am married and have two children, a 17 yr old son who thinks he is 20, and a daughter who will be 13 next month. My husband is going back to school this semester also. What a fun family we will be!!
I am hoping this semester will help me to regain the writing skills I used to have before becoming a nurse and then learned to "short hand" write. I hate that I have lost those skills and am very frustrated with the way the younger generations are headed in this area.

Sherry

Intro

Hi! My name is Lynda Tulik. I am a RN at Munson Medical Center in the Emergency Dept. I have been a nurse for 24 years, working the last 18 years in the ER. I moved to Traverse City 9 years ago from Grosse Ile (just south of Detroit). I am pursuing my BSN as a personal goal, not sure what I will do with it yet. I had intended to return to school for my BSN right after I graduated with my ADN, but then .....life happened. Oh well, better late than never. I am actually enjoying school now. I am married and have 3 children and 1 dog. I enjoy walking, riding my bike and reading in my spare time. I read a great novel over Christmas break, but doubt I will do any more pleasure reading until the end of this semester! I hope to be able to improve my writing skills through this course. I am looking forward to this semester and getting to know everyone.

Hi

My name is Renee Sinkiawic, actually it's Renee Morgan- I got married 4 weeks ago and have been too busy to change my name at FSU (I was told I have to change it on campus and I simply do not have time to do it right now). I have been a Registered nurse for 1 1/2 years and am currently working on my BSN. I have no acutal planned use for my bachellors degree, but am simply fulfilling a personal goal (I will be the first in my family with a bachellors degree when I'm done).

My husband and I have a 9 mo. old daughter that we adore. We also have two dogs that try to be her mommy.

In my spare time I like to read. Last night I finished James Rollins "The Last Oracle", my last "fun" book before starting another semester of school.

Just checking

Hi, I haven't used Blogger before, just experimenting right now.

First Day

Hello to all of you as we begin this new semester. My name is Randy and I am working toward a Technical Education degree. I live in the upper peninsula and enjoy the great outdoors, football, and automobile racing. I believe this might be my very first blog ever - so bear with me. I am glad all the hoopla from the holidays is over with and with the cold weather we are having, homework is another reason to stay inside.

Effective communication is so important in our lives and careers. I hope to gain knowledge in not only dispensing information better but also in assessing the messages of others. Getting a sound portrayal across to readers is critical in gaining their interest and I hope to be able to capture that ability.
Good luck to everyone!
Randy

Tentative Course Schedule

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

This schedule will evolve as the class progresses. Changes will be announced both on our blog and on FerrisConnect. Full instructions for the items on this list, including page numbers will be posted as they become available. Unless otherwise noted, all weekly writing assignments and discussion questions will be assigned on Monday and due by Sunday. All readings unless noted will be provided in handout form/online at our blog and on FerrisConnect.


1.12 Wk 1
Course intro, Getting started (Blogger/FerrisConnect)

• Discussion online
• Intro assignment (on blog)


1.19 Wk2

• Discussion online
• Website evaluation assn. (in your field of study)


1.26 Wk3

• Discussion online
• Professional Journals Assignment (field of study)


2.2 Wk4

• Discussion online
• Literature Review (Rough Draft)


2.9 Wk 5

• Peer Review Groups (on discussion board) Literature Review
• Action/Revision plan Lit. Review.


2.16 Wk 6
LONG ANALYTICAL REPORT assigned

• Discussion online
• Literature Review (Final Draft) DUE
• Long Analytical Report proposals


2.23 Wk 7

• Discussion online
• Summary of Crisis (Part of Rogerian Essay)

3.2 Wk 8

• discussion online
• Persuasive Plan for Rogerian Argument Essay, using Toulmin Model


MARCH 9-13 SPRING BREAK – NO “CLASS”


3.16 Wk 9

• Discussion online
• Rogerian Argument Essay (Rough Draft)


3.23 Wk 10

• Peer Workshops (discussion board groups), Rogerian Argument essay
• Progress Report and Brief Annotation Due (Long Analytical Report)


3.30 Wk 11
APA style, Documentation of sources, Revision
READ: handouts forthcoming

• Discussion online
• Rogerian Argument Essay (Final Draft)


4.6 Wk 12


• Discussion online
• Long Analytical Report, Rough Draft Due


4.13 Wk 13

• PEER workshop GROUPS Long Analytical Report (Rough Draft on discussion board)


4.20 Wk 14
Discussion conference w/ me (last Q’s about final Paper)
• Final Draft, Long Analytical Report DUE (4.26)


4.27 Wk 15
Course Wrap up

• Discussion online
• Semester “process” writing DUE

Syllabus

ENGL 321 – Advanced Composition
Spring 2009
Room# - online
Section #’s – V10, V11 & V14

Instructor: Jamie Thomas
Office: 013b ALU
Office Hours: T/R 10-11, W 10-12 & by appointment
email: thomaj21@ferris.edu
Office phone: 231.591.3076


MATERIALS

- a good college dictionary
- MLA/APA style handbook (may also consult www.mla.org)
- printing costs

Texts:

[No Required texts]

links to pertinent web sites and handouts provided by me on FerrisConnect


COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OUTCOMES

English 321, Advanced Composition, is an upper-division advanced composition course that builds on the rhetorical and stylistic skills/techniques developed in freshman and sophomore level writing classes. It offers students preparation for successful writing experiences professional contexts and for advanced academic work. This course is designed to help writers develop the thinking and organizing skills needed for effective written expression. Among other emphases, particular attention is given to such special skill requirements as found in the interaction of style, purpose, and audience in diverse and complex writing situations.


Learning Outcomes:

Upon Completion of ENGL 321, students should be able to

• analyze and define the purpose[s] of their writing, understanding the rhetorical contexts underlying the production of both academic and professional writing.
• locate, integrate, and document information appropriate to their writing.
• analyze and define the needs of their intended audience.
• analyze the writing task and choose appropriate methods of organization.
• produce effective written communication, demonstrating appropriate use of language, sentence structure, grammar, and mechanics.
• work effectively with others to produce and/or revise written materials, using instructor and peer feedback in the revision process and responding to others’ written texts for effective revision.


THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT ONLINE COURSES

Computer access and e-mail are, of course, critical to this course. Students should plan to use FerrisConnect e-mail (and their assigned Ferris e-mail addresses which can be set to relay to another e-mail address if you wish).

We will be using FerrisConnect as the platform for our course, as well as a class Weblog through Blogger.com that will be created and to which I will invite you. Microsoft Word is the software application students must use for all documents. Microsoft Office Suite is available to all Ferris State University students for a licensing fee of $25 and an additional $10 for the title. For details, contact the Ferris office in the University Center at 231-995-1734 or toll free 866-857-1954.


Computing Skills: You need to have these computing skills before this class begins:
• E-mail with attachments
• FerrisConnect access, login, navigating, discussion boards, attaching text files
• Microsoft Word: all basic word processing skills, margins, fonts, indents, page numbering, and so on
• Microsoft Word: comment feature (we can do some tutoring on this during class)




IMPORTANT NOTE: I cannot personally help you with computer problems. Make sure you have phone numbers and backup help for emergencies. There are links on the Ferris homepage to TAC (Tech Support) and you can visit http://www.ferris.edu/webct/knowledge/qna10.cfm for questions regarding connecting to FerrisConnect. It is also a good idea to have a second place to work from if/when your computer crashes. Computer problems do not constitute excuses for not submitting work on time.



Format Issues:
• All rough and final drafts must be typed.
• The drafts must be clearly marked as to their assignments.
• All documents must be dated (with a date on each page after the first one in the footer).
• All letters and memos must follow the formats detailed in the text.
• A letterhead of your design should be used on the first page of letters and memos.
• Headers and bullets must be used to make the document easier to read.
• All pages other than the first page should be numbered and include appropriate material in the header or footer (your name, the company name, or the name of the document).
• Good design and layout is an important part of a document and will be evaluated.

GRADING
You must complete all major assignments for the course in order to receive a passing grade. Late work will be deducted 1/2 letter grade for each day it is late. You will be expected to participate professionally—turn in your work on time, collaborate, and pull your load, meaning willing participation in all facets of virtual-classroom life, and sincere effort to improve your own writing and that of your peers through any peer review, revision, and online conferencing. Rudeness in any form will not be tolerated. Offenders will be asked to leave the “class”.

Your final grade will be determined, primarily, by your written work. Roughly, I will follow these percentages:


Weekly Discussion posts 15%
Weekly writing, drafts, response, blog
assignments (1-2 pgs. ea.) 30%
Literature Review 15%
Rogerian Argument Essay 15%
Long Analytical Report 25%



Scale:
94 - 100 A 77 - 79 C+ 0-63 F
90 - 93 A- 74 - 76 C
87 - 89 B+ 70 - 73 C-
84 - 86 B 67 - 69 D+
80 - 83 B- 64 - 66 D


Specific requirements of individual assignments may change, but in all cases, my evaluation will consider content, originality, command of language, mechanics and maturity of thought. (Please note that effort is not considered in the determination in your grade.) More specifically, assignments will be considered roughly as follows:

Topic/Purpose Development: 50% 

Organization and Support: 30% 

Style and Mechanics: 20%

WEBLOG

During the first week of class, I will create a weblog through Blogger.com. My hope is that our blog will provide an outside forum where info can be shared and conveyed, assignments changed and verified, and virtual “lectures” conducted. In essence, it will be a place that mirrors our FerrisConnect site; you will be able to find our schedule and evolving info there, which will be especially helpful if FerrisConnect ever breaks down (which is inevitable). Also, you will post responses to short assignments there, this will help facilitate “classroom” dynamics.

DISCUSSION BOARD
Along with the weekly readings and writing assns., you will be expected to answer/respond to short discussion questions. These questions will be my way of sparking virtual "discussion" of topics that will arise. It will also be a forum whereby students can "meet" to bounce ideas off of each other, respond to the poetry in an informal manner, ask questions, bring up ideas, etc. The discussion board will be governed by professional behavior and an attitude of discovery - that is, a place where ideas can be not only formed but tested.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

While students are not required to attend this course in a literal classroom, students are required to participate in this course consistently. Students who disappear (i.e. don’t turn in work) for more than three weeks (either consecutively or nonconsecutively) may be subject to automatic failure of the course.

Welcome Aboard

WELCOME ABOARD!


English 321, Advanced Composition, is an upper-division advanced composition course that builds on the rhetorical and stylistic skills/techniques developed in freshman and sophomore level writing classes. It offers students preparation for successful writing experiences professional contexts and for advanced academic work. This course is designed to help writers develop the thinking and organizing skills needed for effective written expression. Among other emphases, particular attention is given to such special skill requirements as found in the interaction of style, purpose, and audience in diverse and complex writing situations. This is the “company line” as it were, what Ferris State outlines the course. There are outcomes quantifying the anticipated course learning experience on our syllabus as well, and they are accurate and a good demarcation of our learning goals, but these are also jargonous practical terms. Let’s face it—most success in writing will depend upon how well you communicate your ideas, orders, reports, etc. I used to work as an associate editor at a literary journal where the editor kept especially bad cover letters for the bulletin board in the office. From that I learned this: write well, sound good, blend in, stand out by not making someone’s cork board. There is no shortchanging the importance of fostering one’s written communication skills.

So we will use as much discussion and actual writing as possible (through our Blog and the Discussion Board) to come to terms w/ the readings and also w/ our writing selves. If it helps we can think of the Blog and discussion board as virtual classrooms—and interaction is a key component.

The writing you engage in will be the kind you’ll find in the practical world, and hopefully will allow you to concentrate as often as possible on your field of study. Some may be new, some may be practice—but all writing is muscular, that is, you get stronger by putting up the reps. Be sure as well that I will work as hard as I can to make sure that the atmosphere of our class is one of interaction and the free exchange of ideas. I don’t expect that we will always agree with one another, but as long as we remain courteous, constructive, and professional then we can truly have a place where ideas collide in an energetic yet positive way.

I hope that you enjoy yourselves in your learning. Always feel free to contact me by phone/email whenever you have questions, concerns, suggestions, or ideas. Good luck and here’s to a great semester.

Best,

Jamie Thomas