English 111 Course Policies: Section OC (T/Th 2:00-3:15)

Instructor: Heidi McKee
Time/Location: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-3:15
Office Hours: Wednesdays 9-11 a.m., and by appointment
Office: Bachelor 364
Office phone: 529-2635
Home Phone: 523-8403 Please call between 7am and 9pm.
Email: mckeeha@muohio.edu

Texts and Materials (required):
College Composition at Miami, Vol. 59
The Everyday Writer, 3rd. Edition (Lunsford)
Writing as Citizens of a Diverse World, 3nd Edition (Miami Dept. of English, eds.)
Laptop computer with wireless connectivity & charged battery & Microsoft Office software
Notebook & pen/pencil
You also must check and use your MyMiami Email Account (username@muohio.edu address)

Texts and Materials (recommended):
External Hard Drive (with a laptop you want a secure and reliable way to back up--this will be useful not only for this class but for all your classes at Miami)
External storage device (usb key, dvd's, etc.)

Grading: You must hand in every major writing project, complete most (ideally all!) of the other daily assignments, and come to class prepared and actively participating in order to pass the class. If you earn less than a C- in this course you will need to enroll again in a subsequent semester.

A general description of the qualities of A-F writing project is available on pp. 126-129 of College Composition at Miami. For each project, I will provide the criteria by which your writing will be graded. If at any time you have a question about your grade in the class, please make an appointment with me so we can discuss the issue. As the course progresses, each writing assignment will be graded. However, towards the end of the semester, you may choose one of the four previous projects to revise which I will then regrade.

Dropping/Withdrawing
Dropping and withdrawing from a course are separate formal administrative procedures—merely ceasing to attend class is not the same as dropping or withdrawing from a course. Before choosing either option, a student should meet with his/her instructor and advisor. For more information, see the Student Handbook section on "Registration Procedures" (http://www.miami.muohio.edu/documents_and_policies/handbook/academic_regulations/acadregspii.cfm).

Attendance: Your presence in class is crucial to your participation in the writing process, particularly for discussing and sharing writing with your classmates. Ideally you will never miss a class, but to allow for the unexpected you may have two unexcused absences. If you have more than two unexcused absences, your grade will be substantially affected because of the activities and work you will miss. If an assignment is due on a day that you miss because of an unexcused absence, that assignment will be docked (see Late Work). You are expected to be in class from 2:00-3:15. Arriving tardy or leaving early three times will equal an unexcused absence. (Absences are excused only for extraordinary circumstances--see the Student Handbook section on "Classroom Attendance" for more information (http://www.miami.muohio.edu/documents_and_policies/handbook/academic_regulations/acadregspvii.cfm). In addition, conferences with me are required as part of class attendance. I will hold three or four 20-30 minute conferences with each of you during the semester. All conferences are held in my office unless otherwise specified. Several times in the semester class will be held online rather than face-to-face. Your attendance in these online class sessions are required. (See course schedule.)

Late Work: Assignments are due at the start of class. Any work handed in after I have collected it or checked for it will be considered at least one day late. All late work will be docked as follows 10% per weekday past due date. Any late work may be turned in to my mailbox in the English Department office on the third floor of Bachelor Hall. Many in-class writing assignments and activities may not be turned in late (unless an absence is excused).

Make-up Work: Prior to any absence, you must make arrangements for make-up work. Also, if you are involved in school activities or participate in religious observances, please bring me a list of the dates you will miss class.

Free Extension Policy: ONCE a semester you may ask and receive an extension on an assignment. You must make arrangements with me at least the day before the assignment is supposed to be due. (I suggest you save this extension for major writing projects. The way it works is you contact me and say you'd like an extension and I ask you, "What would you like the new due date for you to be?"--provided it's something reasonable, I'll be glad to accommodate.) As an individual, you may not receive an extension on a collaborative group assignment because others are counting on you.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a serious offense. Please read pages 130-133 of College Composition at Miami for a discussion of plagiarism. In addition, we will discuss plagiarism, including plagiarism in relation to digital writing, in class. If you ever have any questions or concerns about plagiarism--for example you're writing a research paper and are not sure how to properly cite a source--please contact your instructor. More information is also available in the Student Handbook in the section on "Academic Dishonesty" (http://www.miami.muohio.edu/documents_and_policies/handbook/academic_regulations/acadregspv.cfm).

Presentation of Written Verbal Work: The curriculum on this course focuses on writing for a wide variety of purposes and contexts using a diverse array of media. Although many projects will have multimodal elements (e.g., pictorial, aural, etc.), some assignments will require all or some of the components to be purely written verbal (e.g., words on a screen or page). Such traditional writing assignments need to have one-inch margins and use 12-point font. When you hand in a draft include ALL previous drafts and writing assignments that contributed to the development of that particular essay. All writing projects will also be uploaded to the course Blackboard site and sometimes to the group site on the Unixgen server (a computer storage space I will explain later in the semester).

Students with Disabilities: If you have documented disability that requires accommodations, please let me right away so that I can do my best to ensure that your learning needs are appropriately met. If you are unsure of your status, contact the offices listed below. According to Miami Policy, "Students with learning disabilities and /or attention deficit disorders who need accommodations must submit documentation specific to their disability to the LD coordinator at the Rinella Center, 14 Campus Avenue Building, 529-8741, http://www.units.muohio.edu/saf/lrn. Students with physical disabilities must contact the Office of Disability Resources, 19 Campus Avenue Building, 529-1541, http://www.units.muohio.edu/odr .

Policy or Schedule Changes: Any changes to these policies or to the schedule of assignments will be announced in class. If you have missed a class session, it is your responsibility to inquire whether any schedule changes have been made. If you have any questions or concerns about course policies and/or assignments, please contact me via phone, email, or in person so I may clarify any aspect of the course that is unclear.

Technology: I speak from experience when I advise you to save everything and back-up your files often. (As I listed in the materials section above, I strongly recommend purchasing an external hard drive.) Also printers have an uncanny ability to jam when you are most in a rush, so if paper documents are called for in an assignment, I also suggest that you print out all assignments at least the night before class, which means you should plan on completing assignments well in advance of the deadline. For this class, you must frequently check your Miami email account.