This course requires that you complete seven major writing assignments. For each of these, you will be expected to follow the specific instructions of your instructor. For the most part, you can find these guidelines by clicking on the pencil buttons above. However, from time to time, there may be additional instructions provided by your instructor in class. These verbal instructions should never be in conflict with or contrary to the guidelines provided in this online syllabus. Therefore, if you think that there are conflicting instructions, please bring this to your instructor's attention as soon as possible.

Rough Drafts and Rough Draft Workshops: For some of these assignments, you will be required to have both Rough and Final Drafts. For the purpose of this course, a "Rough Draft" is defined as a version of the completed assignment that is subject to revision. As such, it must meet the page requirement and include whatever accompanying work is required for the assignment, such as a Works Cited or Audience Analysis. If your draft does not meet these definitional requirements, it will not be considered for participation in the Rough Draft Workshop. You will be required, as part of the Rough Draft Workshop, to exchange drafts with your peer-editor at the beginning of the workshop, to critique in class the drafts that you have been assigned to edit, and then to return the drafts and exchange criticisms before the end of the workshop. (We will go over this procedure in more detail in class.) Failure to participate in a Rough Draft Workshop will result in a reduction of assignment grade by one full letter (e.g., from an A to a B). If you arrive late to a Rough Draft Workshop, you will not be able to participate in the workshop, and your assignment grade will be reduced by one full letter.

Final Drafts will be collected during the class period that they are due. A Final Draft that is not turned in during the class period in which it is due will be accepted during the next class period and will be marked down one full letter grade. A Final Draft that is turned in one week late will be marked down three letter grades (e.g., from an A to a D). Final Drafts will not be accepted electronically or through mail. A Final Draft, if satisfactorily completed, that is turned in three class periods late will be automatically given an F grade. No Final Draft that is two weeks late will be accepted.

The Writing Center: Please visit the website of the Writing Center. The Writing Center offers English 101 students free tutorial assistance. I encourage you to take advantage of its services. The tutors at the Writing Center may be able to help you with specific aspects of your writing, such as grammar, punctuation, style, and organization. However, they are not teaching assistants and are not authorized to offer you advice in regard to the content of your essays. Although the assistance that they provide may enable you to improve your writing, their assistance does not guarantee you a higher grade. Moreover, you alone are responsible for all aspects of your writing.

Structured Argumentation: The essays that you will be writing for this course require a subordinate structure of argumentation. For general guidelines on preparing a well structured argument, I strongly encourage you to take into consideration the guidelines that I have provided for you in Essay Structure and Development. In addition, you may want to print out the following pamphlets provided by Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University:

• How to Write a Thesis Statement.
• Paragraphs and Topic Sentences.

Grammar, punctuation, and spelling will be taken into consideration during the determination of your essay grades. When you receive your graded assignment, note the errors that I have marked and consult The MLA Handbook or an English dictionary. You may also find the online Guide to Grammar and Writing a useful resource. Both Word and WordPerfect have spell-check features. Alternatively, you might want to make use of SpellCheck.net. As a writer, your objective should be to recognize and correct your own errors. Do not depend solely upon any single reviewer to catch all of the errors in your rough drafts.

Your rough and final drafts must fully comply with MLA standards. They should be typed, using an acceptable font and print size (such as Times New Roman, 12 pt.) and double-spaced, and they should be formatted in accordance with MLA guidelines. Failure to follow MLA guidelines may result in a lower grade. MLA guidelines are exhaustively provided for you in your MLA Handbook. If you have purchased a new copy of the MLA Handbook, you have an access code by which you can locate every feature of the handbook online. An online audio-visual introduction to MLA Citation and Documentation has been prepared for students of the University of Maryland. For additional assistance on the Internet, see the following:

• Citing Sources Using the MLA Handbook by the staff of McKeldin Library, University of Maryland.
• Using Modern Language Association Format by the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University.
• MLA Documentation by the Writing Center of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• MLA Style: A Quick Guide, by Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University.
• Sample MLA Research Paper, published in The Beford Handbook, 6th ed. (2002), by Diana Hacker.
• EazyPaper: As a last resort, this software is available that purports to enable the user to meet all MLA citation and documentation rules. (Question: How would you know that it works unless you compare the results with the MLA Handbook?)

Computer Difficulties: We all have had (or will have) difficulties with our computer equipment. Such difficulties should be anticipated, and every computer user should take precautions not to lose valuable work. Failure to take adequate precautions or to anticipate difficulties does not constitute a legitimate excuse for turning in late work. If you do not have a working computer or printer, of if you lack needed software, you may want to use one of the Computer Labs available to you on campus.

The essays that you write for this course require the use of published sources to support your argument. Although the internet can be a useful tool in academic research, for most academic disciplines your main source of information will be the library and the databases to which the library subscribes. I encourage you to use sources published by reputable presses and in scholarly journals. Most of these journals are now available through electronic databases and are made available to you online by the University of Maryland Libraries. If you use a web-only published source (i.e., one that has not previously been published by a reputable press or in a scholarly journal), it will not be recognized as legitimate (and, thus, will not be counted towards meeting your required minimum number of sources) unless, along with your assignment, you turn in a completed evaluation of the website. Answer all of the questions on the Web Site Evaluation Checklist, provided by McKeldin Library staff.

Your writing assignments will necessitate extensive library research. Plan on spending many hours this semester in the library or logged into library databases. You will be expected to attend an instructional class (Library Day) in McKeldin Library. (See the Course Calendar for the scheduling of this class.) The information and guidance that you receive during Library Day is essential for satisfactorily meeting the research requirements of the writing assignments. Do not miss this class day! If you must miss it, make arrangements beforehand with a fellow student to guide you through the research methods. In addition, read closely this handout, which has been prepared by McKeldin Library User Education.

McKeldin Library staff have worked together with the Department of English to provide a very useful online English 101 Library Day Tutorial. We will take a brief look at this tutorial during Library Day, but it is to your advantage to become thoroughly familiar with the various resources provided on and from this webpage.

Other Written Work: During this course you may be asked to complete critiques of other students' writings, language and grammar skills exercises, and various worksheets. Much of this work you will be asked to complete outside of class. These worksheets and exercises will not receive a grade; instead, they will receive credit if they are completed. No worksheets or exercises will be accepted after their due date, unless accompanied with a documented excuse and turned in immediately upon your return to class.

Participation is measured by the apparent or demonstrated preparation that you make for each class session and the quality of your participation in class discussions and workshops throughout the semester.

Food, Drinks, and Electronic Equipment: You may bring drinks into the classroom, as long as you take responsibility for spills and trash. Food in the classroom, however, is more apt to cause distractions. Therefore, eating will not be permitted during class time. You may use your laptop computer or pad during class, except for during Rough Draft Workshops and other periods specified by your instructor. Use of any electronic devices during the meeting period is a privilege granted by your instructor; any use not directly related to the course will result in forfeiture of this privilege. Cell phones and iPods should be turned off before entering the classroom.

When you miss a class, you may miss the explanation of an assignment, the clarification of an argumentative strategy, or the opportunity to complete an in-class assignment or to turn-in a homework assignment (cf. para. 12, above). Furthermore, absences may hurt your grade by diminishing your class participation. For a T/Th schedule, this course allows four discretionary absences. Note, however, that even though an absence may not affect your grade as an absence, missing a workshop, conference, session of library instruction, or the opportunity to turn in an assignment will affect your grade, unless your absence is excused. Every unexcused absence beyond the allowance of four will result in your final course grade being dropped one full letter (e.g., from a B to a C). (Most students who have failed this course would not have failed had they not accumulated excessive absences.)

The University's policy "Assignments and Attendance on Dates of Religious Observance" provides that students should not be penalized because of observances of their religious beliefs. Students shall be given an opportunity, whenever feasible, to make up within a reasonable time any academic assignment that is missed because of individual participation in religious observances. Students are responsible for obtaining material missed during their absences. Furthermore, students have the responsibility to inform the instructor of any intended absences for religious observances in advance. The student should provide written notification to the professor within the first two weeks of the semester. The notification must identify the religious holiday(s) and the date(s).

For a single class meeting missed: If you miss only one class meeting for illness, you may submit a self-signed note to the instructor (that is, a note from a health care provider is not required for a single class missed, and the Health Center will not provide written excuses for a single absence). Each note must also contain an acknowledgment by the student that the information provided is true and correct (in this way, it must follow the Code of Student Conduct or may result in disciplinary action). However, such documentation will not be honored as an excused absence if the absence coincides with a Major Scheduled Grading Event, which for ENGL 101 is a paper due date. If you know you will miss class, make an effort to alert your instructor and make arrangements in advance. Also, your documentation must be presented to the instructor upon returning to class.

For multiple but non-consecutive meetings missed: If you miss more than one class meeting for a medical concern, but these absences are not consecutive, you should provide documentation from a health care provider upon returning to class after the first of these absences that details future dates to be missed or provide a note from a doctor that states specific dates missed (the note must state specific dates, rather than broadly name a time frame—that is, for example, documentation must say that the student missed class on 9/12, 9/16 and 9/20 for a medical concern, rather than say that the student may have missed class repeatedly between 9/11–9/21).

For multiple consecutive (more than one in a row) meetings missed or for an absence that involves the missing of a major grading event: If you will have a prolonged absence (meaning more than one absence for the same illness) you are required to provide written documentation of the illness from the Health Center or from an outside health care provider upon returning to class. In cases where written verification is provided, the Health Center or outside health care provider shall verify dates of treatment and indicate the time frame that the student was unable to meet academic responsibilities. No diagnostic information need be provided on this note.

Absence due to participation in a University Event: If your absence is not due to an illness but is, rather, due to your participation in an official University event, you must provide documentation for this absence prior to the absence; the documentation should be an official form from the University.

Tardiness: Any student ten or more minutes late to class will be considered absent, unless she or he provides documentation to excuse the tardiness. Excessive tardiness will have a negative impact upon participation credit. If you arrive after attendance has been taken, it is your responsibility to meet with me immediately after the class is dismissed in order to have your attendance status corrected.

Plagiarism, whether it is submitting someone else's work as your own, submitting your own work completed for another class without my permission, or otherwise violating the University's code of Academic Integrity, will not be tolerated. You are expected to understand the University's policies regarding academic integrity. These can be found at the website of the Office of Student Conduct. Please visit this website, click on the "Students" link, and read the information carefully. Be assured that University of Maryland faculty have access to a diverse range of tools and programs designed to facilitate the detection of purchased, downloaded, and shared papers, as well as less obvious forms of plagiarism. On behalf of all honest students, please privately report any suspected form of academic dishonesty to your instructor. Your right to privacy will be honored, and a report of the alleged misconduct will be submitted to the Student Honor Council for further investigation and judicial review.

You will be asked to write and sign The Honor Pledge, a statement of integrity, on the cover sheet of each formal paper you turn in to this class. The Honor Pledge is as follows: "I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized (or unacknowledged) assistance on this assignment. Moreover, I have not taken or 'borrowed' the ideas or words of another without properly citing that source."

If you have questions about procedures, if a problem occurs, or if you want to request flexibility in connection with a course requirement, write a memo to your instructor that makes clear what you are asking for and provides all the information that he needs to make a decision.

If you have a registered disability that will require accommodation, please see the instructor immediately. If you have a disability and have not yet registered it with Disability Support Services in the Shoemaker Building (4-7682 or 5-7683 TTY/TDD), you should do so immediately.