Composition I Course Calendar · Loibner-Waitkus NOTE 1:1 You may have noticed that weeks are not listed traditionally. The dates run Monday to Sunday. That’s to account for procrastination. Rather than make something due on or before 11:59 p.m. (23:59) on a Saturday night, it makes more sense to make things due on or before 11:59 p.m. on Sundays. That means any assignment listed as due that week—reading responses, essays, and your one portfolio assignment—should be turned in on or before 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, just before the new week starts. For instance, Reading Response #1 on “The Deer at Providencia” by Annie Dillard listed as due during Week Three, which is indicated as “September 5-11,” is not due until on or before 11:59 p.m. Sunday, September 11. NOTE 2:2 Each time a reading response is due, it is indicated on the calendar and includes the title of the essay and the page it is on in your textbook: UA-PTC Composition Mix. However, three of your reading responses come from The Loibner-Waitkus Primer, which you can view or download a PDF of by going to “Course Resources” in Blackboard. If you see “The Loibner-Waitkus Primer” next to the essay you are supposed to write your reading response on, that means it’s in The Loibner-Waitkus Primer, not your textbook. Don’t get overwhelmed by The Loibner-Waitkus Primer. We will only be covering around 10% of what’s in it, but you may want to look through it. It’s full of stuff I’ve created over the years and some of the best writing (not mine) on the planet. NOTE 3:3 To complete a reading response, read the assigned essay in your textbook or The Loibner-Waitkus Primer. Go to the class on Blackboard, and choose “Course Content.” Click on the “Reading Responses” folder, and select the reading response you wish to complete. Here’s the hardest part: Once you have selected the appropriate reading response, click “Create Blog Entry.” For some reason, students struggle to locate the “Create Blog Entry” button. Once you locate and select “Create Blog Entry,” all that is left to do is give your response a title and type your response in the box poorly labeled “Entry Message.” NOTE 4:4 “But what the hell am I supposed to write?” I can hear everyone collectively scream. When it comes to reading responses, the writing is the easy part. They aren’t graded for grammar or content. If it’s clear you read the assigned essay and have thought about it, you will receive ten points without worry. You can write what you want as long as you are responding to what you are assigned to read. What did you like? What didn’t you like? What did the writer do well? What do you think they could have done better? Did you get any ideas for your own writing—or even any ideas unrelated to writing that you’d like to explore? Just keep in mind it is a blog, so everyone can see your responses. Be careful not to start a riot by trolling other students.
WEEK ONE: AUGUST 22-28
Welcome to the class! · COMPLETE COURSE AGREEMENT.
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