Melissa Garza

Syllabus Rough Draft

Syllabus and Essay Assignment for First Year Composition
Learning Outcomes (from WPA outcomes)

Locate and evaluate (for credibility, sufficiency, accuracy, timeliness, bias and so on)
primary and secondary research materials, including journal articles and essays, books,
scholarly and professionally established and maintained databases or archives, and
informal electronic networks and internet sources
Use strategiessuch as interpretation, synthesis, response, critique, and design/redesign
to compose texts that integrate the writer's ideas with those from appropriate sources
Develop a writing project through multiple drafts
Learn to give and to act on productive feedback to works in progress
Practice applying citation conventions systematically in their own work
Develop facility in responding to a variety of situations and contexts calling for
purposeful shifts in voice, tone, level of formality, design, medium, and/or structure
Understand and use a variety of technologies to address a range of audiences

Assignments

I would like to sequence my assignments in a similar manner to that of the textbook I am

using Remix- Latterell
The assignments are scaffolded so that the students are able to build on to the skill set
from the previous assignment.
o The assignments are as followso Critical narrative essay- asks student to connect personal experiences to larger
cultural context
o Critical analysis essay- to evaluate the impact or significance of an object or
practice
o position paper (with argument)- take on your own research and develop your own
positions on issues
o Final digital portfolio- the culmination of everything done in this course. Also
included will be workshop/peer reviews to show the students progression with
their assignments

Grade Breakdown

Daily class assignments/ Participation- 20%

Essay assignments
Essay 1- 10%
Essay 2- 20%
Essay 3- 20%
Portfolio- 30%
The Essay Assignment- A Critical Narrative Essay
Your essay should be informative and supported by research. While you are expressing your own
opinions you must also state why you believe what you believe when connecting your personal
experience to a larger theme.
Write a critical narrative essay that engages with one of the seven topics discussed in Remix by
Catherine Latterell. You may choose form Identity, Community, Competition, Romance,
Entertainment, Nature, and Technology. I would like you to use as a prompt any of the
assumptions in the chapter. For example you might want to discuss the assumption
Technologies bring progress or peril. Your paper would then discuss how technology has
brought either progress or peril or both to your life and then connect your experience to the larger
cultural contexts. Perhaps you could suggest how advancements in technology have both helped
and hindered certain aspects of culture at large like human interaction or language. Try to keep
the scope of the topic small and focus on making the essay as vivid as possible. I want you to
focus on a particular occurrence in your life rather than a generality.
The purpose of this essay is to build your writing proficiency and your confidence. By bringing
in a first draft and workshopping it with me and your fellow students, I hope that you will feel
confident and prepared when it comes time to write your final draft. Also, writing about yourself
gets the writing process going. No one knows more about you than you. Additionally, writing
about the larger cultural implications will not only help you think and write critically, but also get
you to think about these assumptions, challenge them, and come to your own conclusions about
these everyday yet complex topics.
Grading
Your grade will be based on how well you connect your experience to the larger cultural context.
I want you to really think about and engage with your topic. Your workshop and your rough draft
will also figure into your final grade. I want to take into account all the work you did and not just
the final product. For your benefit, and the benefit of your grade it is highly recommended you
attend class workshops. You will get the opportunity to have your rough draft looked over by
classmates and get their feedback on grammar, style, analysis etc. The workshop is a time for

you to communicate with your classmates and get their opinion on how you are progressing and
vice versa.
Rewrites- Any paper may be rewritten for a higher grade. Rewrites are due two weeks after the original
assignment was returned. You must submit both the rewrite and the original assignment together. Rewrites
need to be more than incorporating your teachers comments. They need to be new papers all together.
Late Work: All assignments are due either at the start of class or on Black Board by the time designated.
Assignments turned in late will be docked three points each day it is late.
Paper Format
All out-of-class work must be typed and printed, and must follow this format:
Adhere to MLA guidelines
Double spaced
12 point font
Name, Date, Word Count in upper left hand corner
Title that is creative and relevant to your essay
Attendance
You cannot participate in class if you are not present. As such, having more than FOUR absences will
negatively affect your grade by three points per absence. If you must be absent for a legitimate reason
please let me know as far in advance as possible. If you are constantly late to class, please strongly
reconsider if this class is right for you. Any arrival more than 15 minutes after class will be considered an
absence. Please avoid leaving class early. If you have to leave early let me know as far in advance as
possible.
Personal Electronics
Please silence all phones, computers, and any other electronic device. There is not cause for use of these
devices in class, so please keep them closed. Anyone caught on their device will be considered absent for
the day.

Safe Spaces
We will work together to create a safer classroom for every student enrolled in this course. We
will treat each other with common decency and respect. Derogatory or abusive comments made
regarding race, class, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, size, appearance, age, religion,
ethnicity, political orientation, or nationality are grounds for dismissal from the classroom
community. Enthusiasm is encouraged; hostility is not. If you experience any discomfort in our
classroom or on campus more generally, please see me during office hours.
Academic Honesty
Students at Texas A&M University-San Antonio are expected to adhere to the highest standards
of academic honesty and integrity. Academic Dishonesty for which a student is subject to penalty
includes cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, multiple submission, misrepresentation of
academic records, facilitating academic dishonesty, unfair advantage, violating known
safety requirements and ethical misconduct. This includes holding other students to the same

standards and reporting any incidents of alleged violation of the honesty policy to the instructor
involved or, if necessary, to the appropriate academic department head. All students are
responsible for being familiar with the Academic Dishonesty Policy which may be found in the
Texas A&M University-San Antonio Student Handbook. Please see the following website for
further details: http://www.tamusa.tamus.edu/studenthandbook/academic-dishonesty.pdf.
Considering the potential consequences of academic misconduct, it is obviously in students best
interests to avoid even the appearance of such behavior. If you are ever unclear whether a
specific act might constitute academic misconduct, especially plagiarism, please contact me.
Nonacademic Misconduct
The University respects the rights of instructors to teach and the rights of students to learn.
Maintenance of these rights requires campus conditions that do not impede the exercise of those
rights. Some examples include the following: physical or verbal abuse or threats; sexual
misconduct or harassment; theft of property or services; and disruptive activities (see p. 19 of the
student handbook for the complete list). Such incidents will be adjudicated by the Dean of
Students.