Service Learning Syllabus: CPN 103
Academic Writing in the Community II
Spring 2005
taught by John Suarez, Lecturer,
Dept. of English and Coordinator of Service Learning at SUNY Cortland

Texts and other items
1. Kennedy, Mary Lynch, Noralyn Masselink, and Victoria Boyton. The Cortland Composition Handbook, 2004.
2. Raimes, Ann. Universal Keys. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2004
3. Ford, Jon and Marjorie Ford. Citizenship Now. New York: Pearson Longman, 2003.
4. Manila Folders (3)
5. Stapler
6. $25 (approximately) for WebCT printing and for making copies
7. SUNY Cortland Email account

Course Description

CPN 103: Academic Writing II, Writing in the Community. Focus on analysis, synthesis, and research with a service-learning internship. Not open to students with credit for CPN 101. Three lectures, one two-hour field experience. Prerequisite: CPN 100 or CPN 102. (4 cr. hr.)

Service-Learning Component. You have probably performed community service (CS) already: you may have volunteered at a soup kitchen or at a literacy agency, or you may have helped during a storm or flood. Activities such as these offer a chance for experiential learning, one form of which is service-learning (SL). With SL, students apply classroom lessons to their CS, and they draw lessons from their CS which they then apply to their class. In other words, SL uses community service to improve learning, and learning to improve community service.
Begin your CS promptly by contacting your agency rep as soon as possible. If you have not yet submitted your placement request, send it to me today. (At the end of last semester, I sent you a list of our community service agencies and a request that you email me your prioritized list of 3 agency preferences.) One of the requirements for this course is 30 hours of documented community service. I will review your Community Service Time Log once a week; by the end of the semester, it should show 30 documented hours of community service, including supervisor comments.

Composition Component. Thematic Focus: The concept of information.
In CPN 103, you analyze information and you use it to synthesize your own unique messages. You also use information about a CS-related topic to argue a particular point of view. Information is the raw material with which you inform, grab the interest of, and persuade your reader or listener. To use this raw material effectively, you need to understand what it is.
So, what is "information"? From where do we get it? How "raw" is it?
To answer these questions (and others), we will examine selections in our reader, written materials from your community service site, and your community service notes. We will link our answers to our study of grammar, punctuation, and style. This work should help you to communicate more effectively at your community service site and in your academic, professional, and personal lives.

Technology Component
Web CT. Web CT is a computer-based way of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of communication, which, in turn, improves learning. It provides us with a way of accessing course materials quickly and easily. Much of this course's materials will be available only through WebCT. Those materials include
Syllabus and ScheduleAssignments Readings (or links to) current news itemsSample quizzes
PowerPoint helps you compose and delver messages for oral presentations. You will make at least two oral presentations in our class this semester.

Expectations:
Ø A commitment to
ü 30 hours of quality community service throughout the semester.
ü The timely and thorough completion of paperwork for
- The agency, such as reports and incidental paperwork
- Class. Note - your class work is in the "public domain." That class work includes formal essays, journal entries, and prep work for your essays.
ü Be an active learner, both in the classroom and at your service site.
An active learner constructs knowledge by representing information in different ways and by experimenting with skills. An active learner tries to discover or invent concepts on his / her own. In so doing, she develops a deeper understanding of those concepts and she develops stronger course skills. Many of the techniques we use in class, such as peer review and reading circles, help you to learn actively.
To construct knowledge, an active learner finds information. This syllabus (your "owner's manual" for this course), WebCT, and our texts provide a wealth of information. In addition, our library's computer databases offer virtually unlimited information. You will need to use all of these sources during the semester.
An active learner seeks help in strengthening weak and strong skills. SUNY Cortland's ASAP (Academic Support and Achievement Program) provides such help. Its tutors offer expertise for which many businesses pay independent companies a lot of money. According to the Syracuse Post-Standard, two local women operate their own training companies through which they teach organizational skills; each earns as much as $75 /hour. You've already paid for such expertise at SUNY Cortland, so take advantage of it.
During the 2002-2003 academic year, 2,449 students and many instructors (including me) did so, roughly half of us for help with writing projects. By midterm, demand is so great that you will be waiting weeks for an appointment. The folks at ASAP are in Van Hoesen, #A-11 & A-12; call them today at 4309.

Evaluation of Student Performance: Here are the major parts of your CPN evaluation

Essays - 65 points
Analysis = 10
Synthesis = 15
Argumentative Research = 25
Midterm in-class essay = 05
End of semester in-class essay = 10.
Routine Assignments = 35
Journal entries = 10
Quizzes = 10
Homework = 10
Community Service = 05

Written assignments (including drafts) will be graded on the Essay Evaluation Rubric, found at WebCT. That rubric reflects the Expected Outcomes listed in the Cortland Composition Handbook (CCH), pages 44-45.

Comments - In your essays' margins, I will ask questions intended to prompt further thought on issues such as content, organization, and style. I will also make revising and editing comments, pointing out as many as two mistakes of each kind (e.g. comma splice), after which I will put an arrow pointing downward, indicating that there are other such goofs. I expect you to find and correct all of them. At the end of the essay, I write comments that highlight "what works" in the essay and what needs refinement.

Requirements. Unless specified otherwise, these requirements apply to all assignments, including drafts:
1. Word-process all work, using 12-point, Times New Roman font (or equivalent)
2. Double-spaced all work
3. Use 1.25" margins
4. Staple all multiple-page work. Do not submit paper-clipped or creased-corner work.
5. Meet the requirements listed in CCH, page 86, including
a. Numbered paragraphs
b. MLA format for
1) Heading
2) Header
3) Parenthetical Citations
4) Work(s) Cited page
c. Correct mechanics
6. Folders with final versions of major essays need annotated copies of all your sources.
7. Computers occasionally misbehave, so
a. Save often on two media (e.g., hard drive and "memory stick")
b. Print a hard copy of all your work

Policies

Ø To pass CPN 103, all five of the following requirements must be met:
- Earn an "acceptable" rating from the Portfolio Committee (Please refer to the Cortland Composition Handbook, pages 83-90)
- Earn at least a grade of "C- " from me
- Pass at least one of the two in-class essays
- Complete 30 documented hours of community service.
- Pass the Composition Library Instruction Program (CLIP) quiz

Ø Late work - Although I will occasionally accept a late assignment, please remember that it will not receive full - if any - credit. If you cannot be in class when an assignment is due, make arrangements to deliver your assignment to me. If an emergency prevents you from getting work to me on time, bring me proper documentation of that emergency. On rare occasions, I may ask you to rewrite a graded assignment. The grade that I record will be the average of the original and rewrite grades. I have higher expectations for a rewritten piece, so it does not automatically receive a higher grade; it may receive a lower grade.

Ø Plagiarism. Using someone else's comments without giving her/him credit is plagiarism. It is a serious crime. A SUNY Cortland student who is accused of plagiarism goes through a Judicial Board procedure for handling such situations. If convicted, that student would, at the least, fail the course.

Ø Attendance. You are allowed three unexcused absences. All others require a doctor's note or other official document. Each unexcused absence beyond three will cost you one-half a letter grade in the final evaluation. "Email attendance" is also an important part of this course, so check your SUNY Cortland email regularly.
If you miss a class meeting at which I returned an assignment, meet me during my office hours so that I can return that assignment to you.

If you are a student with a disability and wish to request accommodations, please contact the Office of Student Services, located at B-40 Van Hoesen Hall, or call (607) 753-2066 for an appointment. Information regarding your disability will be treated in a confidential manner. Because many accommodations require early planning, requests should be made as early as possible.

Project Descriptions
Minor pieces (in addition to daily homework assignments) -

Ø Writing Journal entries help you examine your writing process and your use of information. These 2- to 3-page musings begin with a specific item, event, or idea; they lead you to a revelation. A journal entry is a polished piece of writing: its evidence, focus, and mechanics should be ready for "prime-time."

Ø Community Service Notes help you link course work with your community service. Each entry should have the following 3 parts: a description of the location, including the people present; an account of important events, and your response to a weekly prompts. Entries are due each Wednesday, beginning February 02.

Major Writing Assignments (Refer to the assignments' instruction sheets for details.)

Ø Analysis Essay. In a 500- to 600-word essay, explain how the author(s) of a published article, essay, or CS document used techniques such as organization or figurative language to sway readers' thinking or behavior. This is an objective piece; you will explain, but not evaluate the authors' use of rhetorical elements. Due: Mon, Feb 14.

Ø Synthesis Essay. Using information from a selection in our reader (or your notes from a guest speaker's chat) and information in an article that you find through one of the library's databases, develop a unique idea in a 500- to 600-word essay. Due:

Ø Argumentative Research Essay. Promote a particular point of view on, or propose a solution for, a CS -related issue with this 600- to 700-word project. Part of the essay involves an analysis of the issue; part involves the synthesis of information from at least five sources found through library research. Use a Rogerian approach. Due:

Ø In-class Essays. You will have two major in-class pieces, one at midterm and one at the end of the semester. You will prepare for each essay by annotating a reading selection before the day of the essay. To pass CPN 103, you must pass at least one of these essays to pass the course (in addition to other minimum requirements listed on page 4 of this syllabus). Dates:

Major Course Readings are from Citizenship Now. This list excludes students' own research
1. "Media, Literacy, and Democratic Citizenship," by Jeffrey Scheuer.
2. "Pictures in Our Heads," by Elliot Aronson and Anthony Perkins
3. "Independent Media Alternatives," by David Barsamian
4. Also - current news items, as appropriate.

Related Readings:
1. Coles, Robert. A Call to Service. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 1993.
2. Hannaford, Carla. Smart Moves: Why Learning is Not All in Your Head. Arlington, Virginia: Great Ocean Publishers. 1995.