WRT 150:

Strategies in
Writing

Professor Information
Name
Office
Phone
E-mail
Office Hours


Class Section



Credits

Corinne Cozzaglio Martinez

Our Classroom
(616) 723-7381
ccozzagco@gvsu.edu
M 9:00 9:50 a.m.
(or before/after class, or by appt.)

-11
M/W, 10:00 11:50 AM
M- CON 210 (lab) / W- LSH 230

4 credit hrs.

Course Description*

WRT 150: Strategies in Writing is a unique course in that it is not meant to just act as a foundation to your writing
skills and general college education. Alright, it is that. But it is also part of a first-year writing curriculum designed
to aid you in a smooth entrance to authentic academic discourse.
Therefore, in this course, you are on an adventure of your own making. I am merely a tool at your disposalone of
many guides you will come to for advice along the way. As a learner, you are on an individualized quest toward this
thing called academic writing. As such, I have designed our course to resemble a Choose Your Own Adventure of
sorts. We will all do similar types of writing, playing at common themes you may face in the future, but each of you
may come to our projects with different purposes, you may intend to write for different audiences, or have
different rhetorical situations in mind. Use this opportunity to learn what will be of use to you. On your way, I
challenge you to hack this course to your own purposes. Dont sit idly by as education happens to youinstead,
work to make this course what you want, nay need, it to be.
To that end, in this course, I am not the gatekeeper who decides whether you pass for a college writer. You are
empowered to prove that yourself. You dont have to worry about whether I like you or even agree with you. What
I mean is, the work that you do in this class will not be graded by me. Or rather, it will not be graded by me alone.
Your final grade will be determined by your engagement with the public dialogue found in higher education; you
will prove your membership to this academic community at GVSU by submitting a portfolio of your work to an
audience of at least 2 college professors.

Course Goals & Learning Outcomes

WRT 150 is part of GVSUs General Education Program. The goal of this program is to prepare you for intelligent
participation in public dialogues that consider the issues of humane living and responsible action in local, national,
and global communities. Specifically, WRT 150 is designed to help you learn:
1.
2.
3.
4.

General academic writing conventions for language, development, organization and format.
A full range of writing processes, including invention, planning, organizing, revising, and editing.
Familiarity with at least one academic citation and documentation system (such as MLA or APA).
Collaboration, the process of working together and sharing the workload equitably to progress toward
shared objectives, learned through structured activities that occur over a significant period of time.
Effective collaborators are interdependent, interactive, accountable, and reflective.
5. Written communication, the practice of creating and refining messages that educated readers will value,
using thoughtful writing processes to develop effective written materials for a variety of audiences and
purposes, and entering larger discussions by using formats and conventions that are important to their
readers.

Textbooks & Materials

WRT150: A Guide to First-Year Writing at GVSU, 14th ed., 2015-2016. (aka: The Green Book or GB)
Graff, G., & Birkenstein, C. (2014). They say / I say. NY: W.W. Norton & Co.
In addition to The Green Book, you should have some way to stay organized, both digitally and in RL, and you
should always come to class ready to write with college-ruled paper and a pen(cil).

For help with mechanical/citation issues: Lunsford, A. (2014). EasyWriter. New York: Bedford/St. Martin.

Assignments

During the semester, we will work our way through four projects, which you will narrow down to the three best
representations of your writing (to include in your final portfolio). Nota Bene: these are brief overviews & tentative
dates, official assignment will be provided in class.

Projects

Choose Your Own Adventure Options

You will introduce yourself to me via a letter, telling me
about yourself, your goals, and your writing concerns.

We will work through drafting 4 papers of your choice

throughout the first half of the semester. These will be the
basis for your portfolio.

Once weve written 4 papers through a revised draft, you

will decide which 3 to focus on for the rest of the semester.

After midterms, we will focus on polishing 3 of your 4

essays to build your portfolio for your final letter grade.

To help your writing, we will do work each day intended to

aid you in developing your writing. This is why attendance
is so crucialengaging in the work of our class will
strengthen your papers, and thus your final portfolio.

Weeky Concepts

1-2 pgs.

wk 1

5-8 pgs.
each

wks 2-8

1-2 pgs.

wk 9

wks 10-14

1-2 pgs.

wk 15

Throughout the semester, you will be expected to present

a hot topic of note for reflection, writing, & conversation.

Drafts Due

15-24 pgs.
total

You will also write me a letter at the end of the semester to

reflect on what you will have learned.

Length

5 mins.

weekly

varies

daily

Each week will be focused on a theme, a concept to do with writing that you will need to consider as you write. We
will work through invention, action, development, order, connections, intros & conclusions, synthesis, analysis,
meta-commentary and voice. Each of these topics is meant to offer specific, practical advice to help you with your
essays and hence your final portfolio.

Understanding Grades in WRT150

WRT 150 is a graded coursebut not in the way you may be used to. The entire purpose of the course is to help
you develop as a writer. That means that it is not how you write at the beginning of the semester that mattersit is
where you can take your drafts by the end of the semester. Therefore, at the beginning of the semester, you will see
only qualitative feedback (that is, commentary that is meant to help you grow). You will only see quantitative
grades twice: first at midterms, then at the end of the semester.

Your midterm grade, estimated as it is while you

are only partway through your adventure with
academic writing, may not reflect your final
outcomes at all. Its like trying to guess what place
youll get in a race thats only half over, which isnt
possible to do consistently or reliably. But GVSU
policy requires midterm grades be recorded;
therefore, I will submit a grade that reflects the
level your drafts currently demonstrate plus only
clearly foreseeable improvements. It is not
uncommon for students to retain midterm grades
at the end of the semester. However, with strong
effort in revision (which is the whole point of the
course, after all), it is entirely possible to raise
your midterm grade. Use the chart here to
understand midterm grades.

A
B
C
D

Not awarded as a midterm grade except, perhaps, in

rare cases of demonstrated mastery.
Drafts demonstrate at least a highly revisable upper C
level. Presuming vigorous continued effort and
engagement, you are predicted, but not guaranteed, to
achieve a B, possibly an A.
Drafts demonstrate between a highly revisable D level
and a solid C level. Any letter grade D through A is still
possible. Most students will see a C at midterms.
Most likely reasons: Your writing does not foreseeably
demonstrate a passable level yet, usually indicates
need for increased effort or engagement with course
resourcesor you already have 4 absencesor you
have late/incomplete work. See me if you dont know
why you got this grade or how to improve it.

Each student in WRT 150 across GVSU will turn in a final portfolio of three papers at the end of the course. The flat
letter portion of your grade will be based solely on your final portfolio. Though overall effort and participation can
theoretically bear on those portfolios on the borderline, mercy and wrath are not generally part of this grading
process. You have a whole semester to work on that portfolio, so it will be graded with that in mind. Review basic
descriptions of A, B, C, D, and F level portfolios in the Green Book (starting on pg. 14). You need at least a C to
satisfy the GVSU Writing Skills Requirement, though those of you who make the effort may be able to achieve the B
or A level.
This is the part of your grade determined not by me, but by a team of two, or sometimes even three faculty
members as part of a portfolio group. Only you, then, have control over this part of your grade by being sure to
put enough work and effort in so that your portfolio can only be seen as the best possible representation of your
work. Merely producing an ok, or technically sound portfolio, is not enough to earn more than a C. See GB pgs. 10-
11 for more details on portfolio grading.
While a flat letter grade is directly based on your final portfolio, the +/- part of your grade is determined by a
number of factors spanning the semester: attendance, adherence to due dates, engagement with readings,
participation and attentiveness, and overall effort. Note, then, that your grade can be adjusted up or down a half
letter grade based on these factors. Put in consistent effort throughout the semester, as your proof to me that you
deserve the + of whatever grade the portfolio group gives you.
Failure to comply with the academic honesty, attendance, due dates, and other policies outlined in this syllabus
could result in failure of the course, regardless of work produced by the end of it (See GB pg. 23).

Course Policies
According to the Green Book, All papers in your portfolio must have been assigned for the class and seen by your
teacher in draft form before final submission (p. 12). Do your own work, and do NEW work (you cannot turn
anything in in this class that you have already turned in to any other instructor.) Plagiarism is not writing. It is
cheating. Ramifications for plagiarism can be found in the GVSU Student Handbook. Dont worry, we will spend
time learning proper source use to avoid any unintentional plagiarism.

Basically, come to class every day, and come on time. If you are quite late, it will result in an absence. More than 4
absences, excused or not, will prompt a failing grade. Let me say that againyou cannot miss class more than 4
times if you want to be allowed to turn in a portfolio at the end. See the GB, pg. 7, for more on this policy.
Make sure you complete the assignments due on the day our class meets. These assignments are bolded in our
course schedule. Reading assignments are posted on Bb. Before coming to class, you must read the assignment and
bring it, either digitally or printed, to class. If youre not prepared, dont come to class (see above).
Be an active member of our class. Engage in class discussions, share writing excerpts, ask questions, and involve
yourself in the learning process. It not only makes the class more interesting and helps you stay awake, it is also
part of taking responsibility for your educational adventure, and it is your way to hack your education. Go on,
control the conversation. Why let me have all that power?

Since you are in college, I expect that you have learned how to manage your own schedules and assignments (or
will learn very quickly!). Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date. If youre not prepared,
dont come to class (see above). If you come unprepared, you will be asked to leave and marked as absent rather
than disrupting or slowing down the rest of us.

Available Support Services

The Fred Meijer Center for Writing, with locations at the Allendale and Pew/Downtown Grand Rapids, is available
to help you with writing in any of your classes. Also, through your Gmail account, you have access to online
consultations through GoogleDocs. Writing consultants, who are fellow GVSU students, are trained to help you
with all stages of your writing process, from brainstorming to organizing to editing your papers. The Center's
services are free and appointments are available. Simply bring a draft of your paper, the assignment sheet, and
your questions/concerns about the writing to any of the Center's locations:

Lake Ontario Hall 120 Mon - Thurs, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. & Fri 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. & Sun 2 - 6 p.m.
ALLENDALE: Knowledge Market: Mary Idema Pew Library (1st floor) Sun Thurs, 6 - 11 p.m.
Online via Google Docs Mon Wed, 8 p.m. - 12 a.m.
Center 101 Mon - Thurs, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
PEW CAMPUS Eberhard
Knowledge Market: Steelcase Library Mon - Thurs 2 - 7 p.m.
DOWNTOWN: CHS Building 100 Tues - Wed, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

In addition to many online resources, the GVSU University Library has 3 campus locations where you may access
library materials: Mary Idema Pew Library Learning & Information Commons (Allendale), Steelcase Library (Grand
Rapids, Pew), and Frey Library (Grand Rapids, Center for Health Sciences).

We have a team of librarians who partner with WRT 150 teachers to support your research needs. Our library
liaison is: Gayle Schaub
.
Our highly trained student consultants work one-on-one or in small groups to help with your library research,
writing, or oral presentations. You can make an appointment at www.gvsu.edu/library/km or can simply come
into the Knowledge Market. For locations and times see the librarys homepage: gvsu.edu/library/.

If there is any student in this class who has special needs because of a learning, physical, or other disability, please
contact me and Disability Support Resources (DSR) at (616) 331-2490. Furthermore, if you have a disability and
think you will need assistance evacuating this classroom and/or building in an emergency, please make me aware
so that the university can develop a plan to assist you. It is the students responsibility to request assistance from
DSR.