<English 604 Syllabus: Spring 2008>

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Spring 2008
Jackie Grutsch McKinney
Office: RB 279
Office Phone: 765-285-8381
Office Hours: Fridays 11-1 and by appointment

Stuart Selber claims in his book Multiliteracies for a Digital Age that students ought to have three types of computer literacies: a functional literacy (How do I use this program?), a critical literacy (What are the limits of this technology? Who do those limit affect?) and a rhetorical literacy (How do I make this technology work for me?). He firmly places the teaching of these literacies within the writing classroom, which means that teachers need to have these literacies as well.

This class aims to introduce you to different technologies and ways of working with these technologies for three reasons: so you can enhance your teaching, so you have the know-how in order to teach your students specific programs, and so you can compose in the various media used for your own professional development. At the same time that we’re developing these functional literacies, we’ll also examine the technologies critically and rhetorically since you ought to know not only how to use a technology but why and when.

This is a hands-on class. We'll read and discuss important texts like other graduate courses, but we'll spend quite a bit in-class time exploring technology. Your participation online, in discussion, and on computer is necessary for the class to be successful and for you to get anything from the course.

Required Texts
Stuart Selber: Multiliteracies for a Digital Age
Cynthia Selfe: Multimodal Composition: Resources for Teachers
Lee-Ann Kastman Breuch: Virtual Peer Review
Hewett & Ehmann: Preparing Educators for Online Writing Instruction
Gunther Kress: Literacy in the New Media Age
Edward R. Tufte: Envisioning Information
Williams & Tollett: The Non-Designer's Web Book, 3rd edition
And additional readings (see schedule)

Attendance Policy
You are expected to be in class, on time, and prepared each week. If you are unable to make a class meeting, please let me know.

Grading and Late Work
Late work is not acceptable (unless you have documentation of an extremely dire situation: accident report, hospital bill, etc.).  If you have to miss class on a day an assignment is due, please arrange to have a classmate bring it to class for you, bring it to me before class, or email it to me before class.

Classroom Expectations
Respect for others is expected. Any behavior that distracts (eating, talking while others are talking, etc.) or is disrespectful (personal attacks, etc.) is unacceptable. Students may be asked to leave the classroom if they choose to act in such a way. Cell phones, pagers, IM, and email should be turned off during class time. In the case of an emergency, you may be reached during classes or conferences at the department phone number (285-8580). 

Plagiarism/Academic Misconduct
Using someone else's ideas or words as your own on any assignment is plagiarism.  It is a violation of the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities as defined in the student handbook (or at www.bsu.edu/sa/dean/stucode/) and will be treated as such. If you are concerned about inadvertently violating this policy, please see me before completing the assignment.

Special Needs
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible.

Writing Center & Optional Conferences
You are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the Writing Center.  The Writing Center offers free one-to-one assistance on all of your writing projects for all of your classes. The Writing Center is located in RB 291. It is open Monday-Wednesday 10-7 and Thursday & Friday 10-5. You may drop by or make an appointment by calling 285-8387.

Alternatively, if at any point in the course you’d like to meet with me to discuss an assignment, reading, paper revision, or another aspect of the course, you may.  You are welcome to come during my office hours, or we can arrange another meeting time.  As a professional courtesy, I expect you to show up if you ask me to make a special appointment to meet with you.

Assignments
Online Professional Teaching Portfolio
Geek of the Day Presentation
Blog
Watson Conference abstract & presentation (or similar conference paper or journal article): CFP