John

Tiedemann writ 1633

Email: John.Tiedemann@du.edu TR 2:00–3:50
Office hours: Wed., 2–4; Thurs., 4–6 Sturm 476
Book an appointment: Blog: http://persons-places-things.blogspot.com/
https://tiedemann.setmore.com
Office: AAC 380U

• writ 1733: persons, places, things...

 THE CLASS
One of the great challenges — and great joys — of doing sustained research is the opportunity it
presents to discover the full depth, richness, and complexity of just one single object of study. In this
section of WRIT 1633, you’ll take on that challenge, devoting the full quarter to researching and
writing about a single person, place, or thing, in order to create a digital longform nonfiction text
about it.

Much of our time in class will be spent discussing examples of such texts, but the majority of our time
will be devoted to creating texts of our own. We’ll conduct our research and writing in stages, with
more research taking place during the first half of the quarter and more writing and revising during
the second.

The end result of your efforts will be the composition and online publication of a text of which you
can truly be proud, because it will likely be very different from anything you’ve created before. And
along the way you’ll develop research and writing skills that you’ll be able to use in classes across
campus and in the world beyond.

TEXTS
There is no required textbook for this class. Copies of (or links to) all of our readings will be posted on
our course blog: http://persons-places-things.blogspot.com/.

Your own texts are a central element of this class — so please bring your laptop to every class
meeting.
 GOALS AND FORMAT
• Goals
By the time students gets to college, they have likely had experience writing research reports,
position papers, and perhaps some fiction or poetry, too. But many will not have had the opportunity
to combine those skills — i.e., the critical skills that go into writing, say, a report and the creative skills
that go into composing, say, a short story — to make something genuinely original. One goal of this
class is give you practice in combining critical and creative skills. Another goal is to give you practice
doing a variety of forms of research, e.g., participant-observation, interviewing, reportage, and
library research. A third goal is to give you practice developing, for yourself, the structures that your
writing will take, rather than relying on prefabricated patterns (e.g., the 5-paragraph essay). Finally, it
is a goal of this class to give you practice not only in editing your work (i.e., identifying and correcting
errors and infelicities), but in truly revising it: i.e., seeing and realizing new and exciting possibilities in
what you’ve drafted.

• Class-time and homework

Some of our time will be spent discussing assigned readings, but most of our time will be devoted to
drafting and revising your own writing, as well as providing feedback to each other. You can also
expect to spend approximately four hours each week working at home, perhaps more. Finally,
because a quality piece of writing results from many revisions, you will write in stages and revise with
guidance from me and your classmates.

• Conferences
Each of you will meet with me individually for two conferences, where we’ll discuss strategies for
revising your work. I’ll send around a sign-up sheet the week before the conferences take place.
These conferences are required, and you’ll receive a grade for the preparation you do beforehand.
Each conference is worth 50 points toward your final grade.
Apart from the required conferences, I’m also available to meet by appointment between 2 and 4
on Wednesdays and between 4 and 6 on Thursdays. (I can usually find other days to meet, too.) The
best way to make an appointment is online, on the “Meeting with Me” tab on our blog.
 POLICIES
• Participation
For each class meeting, you will receive up to five points toward your final grade:
Ø Homework: All writing assignments are to be shared with me via Google Drive by the start of class
on the day they’re due. A student will receive 2 points for posting a complete and manifestly
thoughtful draft. (By “manifestly thoughtful” I mean clear, coherent, and on topic.) They will
receive zero points should they fail to share the assignment when it’s due.
Ø Class discussion: A student will receive 3 points for the day when they make more than one
thoughtful, fully elaborated contribution to discussion. They will receive 2 points when they
contribute only once or when contributions aren’t fully formed. They will receive one point if they
attend class but don’t speak. A student will receive no points if they fail to attend class, if they
distract their classmates, or if they waste valuable class time by checking email, Facebook, etc.,
or otherwise disengaging from class.

• Attendance
As the above indicates, there are no “excused” absences from class. If you miss class, you will not
receive credit for class discussion for that day (though you can still receive credit for the day’s
homework by posting it on time).

• Late Work
Assignments are due when they are due. Late drafts will receive neither credit nor feedback.
• Technology in the classroom
You’ll need to use your laptop in class, but you are only to use it to work — so no surfing the web, no
email, no social media, etc. You are not permitted to video-record, audio-record, photograph class
in any way. And, before class starts, you are to turn off your phone, put it away, and leave it there. I
won’t be reminding students to observe these rules. If a student breaks them, I’ll simply deduct their
participation points for the day. If a student breaks them repeatedly, we’ll need to discuss whether
they are better off taking the class at a later date, when they’ve matured.
• Civility and Tolerance
The Writing Program affirms DU’s Code of Student Conduct (http://www.du.edu/ccs/code.html),
which in part “expects students to recognize the strength of personal differences while respecting
institutional values.” Because writing courses rely heavily on interactions between all members of the
class, students and faculty must act in a manner respectful of different positions and perspectives. A
student who behaves in an uncivil or intolerant manner will be asked to stop and/or formally repri-
manded and/or subject to action by the Office of Student Conduct.
Becoming educated requires encountering new ideas and information, some of which may conflict
with an individual’s existing knowledge or perspectives. I expect students to engage such materials
thoughtfully, in ways that reflect the values and mission of the University of Denver.

• Plagiarism
The Writing Program follows the Council of Writing Program Administrators policy “Defining and Avoid-
ing Plagiarism,” which states, “In an instructional setting, plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately
uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without
acknowledging its source” (http://wpacouncil.org/node/9). DU’s Honor Code also maintains that all
members of the University must responsibly use the work of others. Students who have plagiarized a
project will receive an F on that project, and I will inform the Executive Director of Writing and the
Office of Student Conduct, which may take further action. Any documented acts of plagiarism after
the first may be subject to more severe actions.

• Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

The Writing Program will provide reasonable accommodations to every student who has a disability
that has been documented by The University of Denver Disability Services Program
(http://www.du.edu/studentlife/disability/ or 303.871.2455).

• Email
I usually respond to email within a day or two during the week, less often on weekends.
 GRADES
I’ll give you suggestions for revision and a provisional grade at each stage of the drafting process.
Those provisional grades will change depending upon how effectively you revise. You have until a
week after you’ve received a provisional grade on a draft to revise it for a new grade. The final draft
of your project is due by noon on Friday, June 8.
Here’s your total grade breakdown:
Stage 1 draft: 100 points
Stage 2 draft: 100 points
Stage 3 draft: 100 points
Class presentation: 100 points
Final and complete draft: 200 points
Reflective essay: 200 points
Class participation: 5 points per class x 20 = 100 points
Conference prep: 50 points per conference x 2 = 100 points
TOTAL 1000 points
Here’s the scale I’ll use to calculate your final grade for the course:
A 930-1000
A- 900-929
B+ 870-899
B 830-869
B- 800-829
C+ 770-799
C 730-769
C- 700-729
D+ 670-699
D 630-669
D- 600-629
F 0–599
 CALENDAR
T Jan. 8 Introduction
R Jan. 10 Jason Fagone, “Jerry and Marge Go Large;” Chavie Lieber, “A Higher Purpose.”
T Jan. 15 Claire Carusillo, “War, All Dressed Up“; Daniel Oberhaus, “Death in Space.”
R Jan. 17 • Stage 1 draft due
T Jan. 22 Studio time + a reading: Eli Saslow, “The White Flight of Derek Black.”
R Jan. 24 Studio time + a reading: Mariah Blake, “Welcome to Beautiful Parkersburg, West
Virgina.
T Jan. 29 Research day.
R Jan. 31 • Stage 2 draft due
T Feb. 5 First conference week
R Feb. 7 First conference week
T Feb. 12 Studio time + a reading: Alison Gopnik, “How an 18th-Century Philosopher Helped Solve
My Midlife Crisis”
R Feb. 14 Studio time + a reading: Vanessa Veselka, “Green Screen.”
T Feb. 19 • Stage 3 draft due
R Feb. 21 Studio time + 2 readings: John Branch, “Snowfall”; Butler & Duzyj, “La Gran Fuga.”
T Feb. 26 Studio time + 2 readings: Grabell & Emanuel, “Returning to the Roots of Case Farms’
Workforce”; The Washington Post, “1968 Riots”
R Feb. 28 • Complete draft due
T March 5 Second conference week
R March 7 Second conference week
T March 12 Presentations
R March 14 Class cancelled

FINAL DRAFTS DUE ON MEDIUM BY 11:59 P.M. ON SATURDAY, MARCH 23.