ENGL 101B W23 Hancock

Participation – 10%

Your participation consists of two parts: attendance, and participation in class discussion. Participation can take multiple forms. Occasionally, students will be given be small assignments involving minor exercises and activities that are conducted in class. Students will not be graded on these assignments, but completion will contribute to participation mark. The participation mark will also be a measure of participation in classroom discussions. If you feel uncomfortable participating in such discussions, that’s fine—not everyone excels under the same conditions, and there are certainly circumstances where I’m not comfortable speaking in groups either. Likewise, you can't always be present in class, and I won't penalize you for that absence. However, it does mean you're responsible for showing that you're keeping up with class concepts and discussion. Instead, post your responses to the discussion board. (And in general, use the discussion board for posting any thoughts you didn't have a chance to voice in class.) Finally, sometimes I'll ask you to bring examples of a particular kind of media to class. You'll do so by posting a link to the text to the discussion board for that lecture (the same place you'll post responses to the exercises). Providing these examples before the start of that lecture will count towards participation as well. In fact, the sooner you post the examples, the more likely I will be able to incorporate them into the lesson.

Attendance -- I will be keeping track of attendance, and using it to gauge leeway when it comes to extensions and other such issues. Further, you can’t participate if you’re not present (unless, again, you’ve made other arrangements). As students, you are under a lot of pressure and will not always be able to attend; I recognize that, and would appreciate a head’s up if you can’t make it class, particularly for multiple absences or a continual lateness.

After your third absence, you must post a response to the discussion board for the classes you've missed. So for example, if you miss four classes, you should post a response to the exercise from the lecture for one of those classes. It doesn't have to be the fourth class—it could be any of the four— but it would have to be at least one, and at least one more for any absence after that point. (All lecture slides will be posted within 24 hours of the lecture.)

Assignments

Further information regarding each of the assignments will be posted to the course assignment page as their due dates approach. Students will be required to write three essays. For the first essay, the student will select one cultural artifact, and apply one of the major rhetorical methods studied in class up to that point to that artifact. Students cannot choose an artifact discussed in class, unless they can convince me they're going deeper than the class discussion. Further, for the second essay, students must choose two new methods and at least one new artifact. (eg. If a student chose a film for the first essay, they cannot choose another film for the second essay.) The third essay will be a reflection on what the student has learned over the course of the term, with particular focus on drawing connections between the methods and concepts they have not addressed in the other essays.

The essays must follow proper essay format; in particular, there must be a thesis, a developed argument, at least two scholarly sources, and proper MLA citation. Additionally, the essays are to be double-spaced, use 12 point Times New Roman font, and have 0.79 inch margins. Students are encouraged to submit essays with original and well organized arguments which should engage in a close reading of the artifact within the framework of the thesis of the essay. Further, if the student is experiencing any difficulties with the essays, they are encouraged to seek the guidance of the instructor.

Late Assignments

Late assignments will face a penalty of 2% deducted per school day. In general, I tend to pretty generous with extensions, but all extensions must be asked for within 48 hours of the assignment's due date, with a reason for the extension, and a proposed length for the extension. Extensions for draft workshops will not be granted except for emergency or illness.

Accessibility Statement

The AccessAbility Services office, located on the first floor of the Needles Hall extension (NH 1401), collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the AS office at the beginning of each academic term.

Mental Health Support

All of us need a support system. The faculty and staff in Arts encourage students to seek out mental health supports if they are needed.

On Campus

• Counselling Services: counselling.services@uwaterloo.ca / 519-888-4567 ext 32655
• MATES: one-to-one peer support program offered by Federation of Students (FEDS) and Counselling Services
• Health Services Emergency service: located across the creek form Student Life Centre

Off campus, 24/7

• Good2Talk: Free confidential help line for post-secondary students. Phone: 1-866-925-5454
• Grand River Hospital: Emergency care for mental health crisis. Phone: 519-749-433 ext. 6880
• Here 24/7: Mental Health and Crisis Service Team. Phone: 1-844-437-3247
• OK2BME: set of support services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning teens in Waterloo. Phone: 519-884-0000 extension 213

Full details can be found online at the Faculty of ARTS website Download UWaterloo and regional mental health resources (PDF)

Download the WatSafe app to your phone to quickly access mental health support information

Territorial Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that we are living and working on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (also known as Neutral), Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes 10 kilometres on each side of the Grand River.

For more information about the purpose of territorial acknowledgements, please see the CAUT Guide to Acknowledging Traditional Territory (PDF).

Emergencies and Absences

In the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines and grading percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other circumstances beyond the instructor’s control. Relevant changes to this course will be posted onto the course website or can be obtained by contacting the instructor via email. You are expected to read your @uwaterloo.ca email on a frequent basis. Personal emergencies should be communicated to me as soon as possible, but attend first to you and your family’s well-being. Whatever happens to be your particular situation is not my business and all I need to know is there was a medical emergency. You do not need to provide any details. For extended absences I would like a note from a doctor, but again no details about why you were away ever need to be provided in these notes and you do not need to disclose the reason to me.

Grade Concerns and Incompletes

Should your grades concern you then you must speak with me within the first 3/4 of the term; the last quarter of the term will not provide sufficient time to markedly improve your final grade.

Finally, I will not grant an incomplete in the course; if you have concerns about completing your term please write to me as soon as possible.

Academic Honesty

All work in this course should be original. Any material that you paraphrase or quote must be cited according to an accepted style format (MLA, in this course). Over citing will not be penalized and, in fact, I’m always happy to see you’re doing research. If you’re not sure if you should cite something, go ahead and cite it. We can chat about it later, but when in doubt give credit. Remember you want to give credit for words and ideas.

Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. See the Office of Academic Integrity webpage for more information.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.

Grievances and Appeals

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 - Student Appeals.

I will not accept any AI-created submissions; I reserve the right to check all assignments with AI authorship detection software.

The Writing and Communication Centre

The Writing and Communication Centre works with students as they develop their ideas, draft, and revise. Writing and Communication Specialists offer one-on-one support in planning assignments, synthesizing and citing research, organizing papers and reports, designing presentations and e- portfolios, and revising for clarity and coherence.