WRITING for REAL: Rhetorics of the Service-Learning Contact Zone
Syllabus
WRITING for REAL: Rhetorics of the Service-Learning Contact Zone
GOALS OF THE PROGRAM IN WRITING AND RHETORIC
The goals of PWR , Stanford's first-year writing program, are simple to state: we aim to guide Stanford's first-year students in writing academic arguments and research-based essays, using rhetorical principles that will enable them to enter courses in many fields, analyze the discourses they find there, and, on the basis of their analyses, begin to participate effectively in those discourses, whether oral or written. Find PWR's web site at http://pwr.stanford.edu.
In this community-based class, we explore the dynamic between research and communication in academic settings and in public ones. The class will provide you with opportunities to engage in purposeful research, writing, and speaking in a variety of rhetorical situations, employing a variety of media. Roughly half of the work that you do for the class will directly benefit the work of local nonprofit agencies. Your academic projects in the class will relate directly or indirectly to your community work.
This class will encourage you to
understand and practice the process behind the "finished" written or spoken product;
consider interdisciplinary approaches to thinking,, research, writing, and speaking;
read and write, listen and speak with attention to audience and purpose;
recognize and practice rhetorical stagegies that include the use of visual and mutimedia rhetoric;
consult in research a wide range of primary and secondary sources, within and beyond the academic community;
determine effective organization and strategies of argumentation in speaking and writing according to their audience and purpose;
develop a comfortable and confident prose style as well as a presence in oral delivery, each well suited to varieties of audiences and purposes;
collaborate with other students and with community members in research, writing, and revision;
understand that knowledge in general and writing in particular (including student writing) are real, having value and consequences.
THE COMMUNITY WRITING AND SPEAKING PROJECTS
This course includes a Community Writing and Speaking component. In partial fulfillment of the requirements for this class, you will 1) research and write practical documents for a local community non-profit organization and 2) reseach and present an oral project. on behalf of the organization. I will not be the sole reader of your writing or the sole audience for your speaking in this class, and a grade will not be either's sole purpose.
The Community Writing and Speaking Projects bring the philosophy and practice of service-learning to this class. You will find other service-learning courses across various disciplines throughout the University, but in the context of this PWR class, service-learning focuses definitely and specifically on writing and speaking. While satisfying a portion of the writing requirement of this class, CWP offers you the opportunity to write something of specific and tangible use for a non-profit organization outside the university. CWP/CSP work, both written and oral, generally target much larger audiences, and to different kinds of readers/listeners, than college writers and speakers are accustomed to. With the Community Writing and Speaking Projects, you make a contribution to the larger community; what you write and what you say stand to have a real impact on people and policies.
Our class will be offered placements with local non-profit or governmental organizations that need writers and speakers to complete a variety of tasks. CWP writig possibilites include newsletter articles, press releases, interviews, profiles, histories, reports, fact sheets, reviews, grant proposals, and various kinds of writing for organizations' web sites. After we discuss possible placements with you, you will be assigned one agency to work with, based to the extent possible on your preferences. The written and spoken work that you ultimately produce for your organization, if it is good enough according to the agency's standards, will appear in print or be incorporated into important in-house documents or programs.
The Community Writing and Speaking Projects involve independent work and require a very high degree of reliability on your part since they are essentially an internship, and your agency will be counting on you to fulfill a real writing and speaking needs. In addition to contributing in important ways to the work of area non-profit agencies, and hence to the well-being of the community, your CWP/CSP projects will aloso make impressive additions to your résumé. In the past, some CWP placements have led to internships and other work opportunities.
Click here for more about Community Writing. Click here for examples of students' past Community Writing projects.
Required Texts and Reading Assignments
Carolyn Ross and Ardel Thomas. Writing for Real: A Handbook for Writers in Community Service. Longman Publishing, 2003. (See Table of Contents.)
Lester Faigley. The Penguin Handbook. Longman Publishing 2002. 
Please complete readings by the dates assigned -- the quality of your written work and of class discussions will depend upon your doing so.
The majority of assigned readings for this course will be found in Writing for Real and in photocopied handouts.
Faigley's The Penguin Handbook will serve as a helpful reference source, guiding you through research, evaluation, and documentation of outside sources as well as effective implementation of visual and oral rehetorics.
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In choosing the assignments that I have this quarter, I have in mind certain learning objectives, but, as far as academic assignments are concerned, specific topics will be up to you. The exception to open topics, of course, will be the Community Writing and Speaking Projects. The topic of your community projects will be determined by your agency in accordance with its needs. When topics are open, determining your own topic is a crucial step in the writing process; if you are not actively involved at the point of topic selection, the chances for a compelling piece of writing growing out of it seem pretty slim. Topics not directly related to your Community Writing Project should arise from your interest and a sense of purpose -- from the questions you ask yourself, and out of your need or desire to know.
Your first writing for the quarter will be an essay for yourself and for the class. The second writing will be the Community Writing Project. The third will be the research paper. (If the opportunity exists within an agency and the project is comparable to a complex, academic research paper, the second writing and the research paper may be dedicated to Community Writing.) You will also be asked to include in your writing portfolio, submitted at the end of the quarter, a cover letter and brief project introductions, assessing your own learning and progress as an academic and community-based researcher and writer in the class.
Contextual Analysis: The Progressive (or Leap-of-Faith) Essay. This essay will provide practice in blending personal and analytical writing, drawing upon visual and written texts. Length of finished essay: 5-7 pages; part #1 due 4/3; part #2 due 4/8; complete draft due 4/15, revision due 4/24.
The Community Writing Project. A written project on behalf of your community agency, approximately 1000 words; draft due 5/13, revision due 6/3.
The Community Speaking Project. A public speaking project on behalf of your community agency; "draft" due 5/1-5/6; final videotaped project due by 6/3.
The Research Paper (related directly or indirectly to the Community Writing/Speaking projects and our course theme). Approximately 12 pages (no fewer than 10 pages, no more than 15), excluding footnote and bibliography pages. This is a documented argument, analysis, or interpretation, using at least 12 outside sources and incorporating 2 or more media beyond words on the page.
Increments of research project:
3 topic ideas due 4/17
Topic Form due 4/22
Research proposal due 4/24
Library Workshop, 4/24 (meet at 11:00 in the lobby of Green Library; take the Green Libarary Virtual Tour prior to the real thing!)
Working annotated bibliography due 4/29
Formal outline with tentative thesis due 5/22
Research paper draft due 5/29
Revised research paper due with portfolio 6/9 (Monday of Exam Week)
Grant Application Letter. Students in each agency group will have the opportunity to apply on behalf their agencies for a project grant of $1,000, sum made available to this class through a grant from the Haas Center for Public Service. The winning proposal will be determined by an outside committee. Due by 6/11.
Portfolio Cover Letter and Introductions. to each of the first four projects above, describing your learning process and your development as a writer/speaker. Due with writing portfolio on 6/9.
Informal Writing: A class and community journal for field notes and reflections related to community-based work and research (meaningful entries at least twice weekly).
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Each student will be asked to collaborate with another student in giving a 10- to 12-minute presentation on one key reading (to be determined early in the quarter, by lottery) to initiate, focus, and illuminate class discussion. Students are encouraged to use simple PowerPoint slides or other multimedia to aid them in giving these presentations. (See Presentation Assignment Sheet for details.)
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I will collect students' portfolios at the end of the quarter. In evaluating your work, I will use your portfolio to reference the full range of your performance and progress in each assignment and in the class as a whole. It is important that you save all work for the class in an organized sequence and special location (a three-hole binder works well) so that you can access it all easily at the end of the quarter. (See Portfolio Checklist.)
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TECHNOLOGY IN "WRITING FOR REAL"
In "Writing for Real," technology will facilitate teaching and learning in our class in many ways. As a matter of course, please have up-to-date copies of your work accessible to you in class (available to ftp from your Leland space or stored on a floppy disk or CD). I may ask you to submit some of your writing in electronic as well as in print form, since some of my comments may be in the form of typed annotations. All major assignments will contribute to an enhancement of technological literacy, asking that you integrate multimedia elements with traditional text or spoken delivery. Everyone will be asked to submit at least one project to post on our class web site at the end of the quarter.
Our classroom: Wallenberg 125: Our classroom in Wallenberg Hall features cutting-edge technology that will facilitate class discussion, student collaboration, research, community outreach, oral presentation, and mutimedia work.
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Room 125 Technology: Flexible Furniture 2 Wall Displays with computers running Microsoft Windows Networked laptops running Microsoft Windows Collaboration Stations with plasma screens iSpace Software SmartPanel Video cameras and microphones
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Our Class Web Site: I am making every effort to drastically reduce paper consumption in this class. You will find class materials posted on the class web site http://www.stanford.edu/~cbross/W4R/index.html. These materials include the course syllabus, calendar of due dates, schedule of reading assignments, project assignment sheets, supplements to assignments, conference schedules, and links to a number of other useful resources.
Email: We will be using email to communicate outside of class on a regular basis -- so make sure that you check your email regularly.
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Conferences, Peer Review, and Revision
There will be at least three scheduled conferences this quarter. The first is a peer review conference (to include you, me, and your peer review partner) in which we will discuss drafts of the Progressive/Lap-of-Faith Essay. The second conference will be an individual or small group conference -- depending upon whether your Community Writing Project is individual or collaborative &endash; to discuss your Community Writing Project draft. The final conference will be a peer review conference to discuss research paper drafts. Attendance at all scheduled conferences is required. Rescheduling missed conferences is usually impossible, so make note of the time you sign up for, as well as the conference location, and show up on time please.
You are, of course, welcome to come see me at other times; if you can't make it during office hours, I will be more than happy to arrange an alternate time with you.
Each student will give and receive a written and spoken peer review of the Leap-of-Faith Essay and the research paper at the draft stage. You will be provided with peer review guidelines.
Having the opportunity to revise your work after feedback is crucial. Everyone will have the opportunity to revise the Progressive/ Leap-of-Faith Essay, the Community Writing Project, and the Research Paper following peer, agency mentor, and/or instructor review and discussion of drafts in conference. It is essential, with the Community Writing Project, that you get feedback from your agency mentor before you submit your final work. With all three assignments, you will be graded on your revisions.
All written work (including drafts and journals) submitted over the quarter, with the exception of peer reviews, must be typed. Finished essays must be titled, and all essays (including drafts) must be double-spaced with numbered pages. Depending on the nature of the assignment, I may ask you to include a one-paragraph statement of audience and purpose with your essays.
***Please try to print all work (including revisions) on recycled paper or on both sides of the page!*** Back to Top
CLASS, PWR, AND UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Unless you have received my permission at least 24 hours in advance of the due date, late work will be graded down, at the rate of one full grade per class meeting. After one week, I reserve the right not accept late work at all. You will not pass this class unless you submit each of the four major assignments.
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The PWR attendance policy is strict. It reads as follows:
Because PWR courses make use of writing activities, in-class workshops, and small group discussion, your consistent attendance is crucial to your success. If you must miss a class for religious holidays, medical reasons, or valid University-related activities, you must let your instructor know as far in advance as possible of the absence and obtain information about the work you must do to keep up in class. If you miss a class for any other reason (sudden illness, family emergency, etc.), you should get in touch with your instructor as soon as possible and arrange to make up the work missed. If you do not take responsibility for communicating with your instructor about absences, your instructor will contact you by phone or email and issue a warning about your standing in the course. Should you miss a second class, your work in the class will be seriously compromised, and a continued pattern of absences may jeopardize your enrollment in the class. The best policy, therefore, is to be in class, on time, every day!
The specific policy for this class is as follows. One unexcused absence is allowed. At the second unexcused absence, students will receive no credit for class participation. With three unexcused absences, students must drop or they will not pass the class. Please let me know of anticipated absences in advance.
Students who are late to class also put their grades at risk. If you are late to class 3 times, you will receive no credit for class participation.
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The PWR policy on plagiarism reads as follows:
PWR Policy: Students are responsible for living by the Honor Code and for maintaining honesty in scholarship. Work submitted for a course must be the student's own (or a group's work, if students have collaborated on an assignment). The use of someone else's words or ideas without acknowledgement and as your own contradicts PWR goals and principles. As such, PWR will take reasonable precautions to prevent it and all measures prescribed by the Stanford Judicial Affairs Office for remedy and redress.
Any written work submitted to PWR classes may be sent by the PWR instructor to one or more databases for the noncommercial purpose of checking the writer's use of sources. These databases check student writing against published works and other submitted student writing to ensure academic integrity, specifically that works and ideas have not been borrowed without appropriate citation.
You are expected to be familiar with and to abide by Stanford's Honor Code and Stanford's Fundamental Standard.
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Unless you specifically request that I do otherwise, I will not assign letter grades to individual assignments. Instead, I will give written narrative evaluations of each of the major assignments at their revised stages. (You may further revise your work from early in the quarter, if you wish and if there is time, for inclusion in your portfolio.) Narrative evaluations, along with conferences, should give you a pretty clear picture of how you're doing and how specifically you might improve your writing. If you would like a grade along with a narrative evaluation, please indicate this when you hand in revisions.
At the end of the quarter, I will assign a letter grade to your portfolio of writing for the entire quarter, and this will account for approximately 80% of your final grade. At that time, I will also assign a letter grade for class participation (which includes class and conference attendance, in-class participation, and participation in conferences and peer reviews); class participation will account for 10% of your final grade. I will also assign a letter grade for informal writing (your class journal), which will account for 10% of your final grade.
In assigning portfolio and final grades, I will take into account your effort and engagement, the demonstrated development and improvement of your individual writing skills and style over the quarter, and your overall accomplishment relative to that of others in the class.
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The PWR policy concerning grade disputes reads as follows:
If you have a complaint about this PWR course or wish to question a grade, please write a memo to the Director of PWR, Andrea Lunsford (lunsford@stanford.edu), and the Associate Director of PWR, Marvin Diogenes (marvind@stanford.edu), explaining the problems you are having with the course, the reasons for your dispute, and so on. You may arrange to meet with them to discuss your dispute. You may want, for example, to ask them to read an assignment again, reconsidering your work in light of points you have made about it. Many misunderstandings or problems can be worked out in such a meeting.
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RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS
Take advantage of the many resources available to you, in general and as Stanford and PWR students! Follow the link to some of the more pertinent ones.
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