ENG 206: Critical Literacies and Community Writing
Spring 2023
Chapman University
Instructor: Daniel Strasberger
Class Meeting Day(s) & Time(s): Tuesdays/Thursdays from 8:30 to 9:45 am
Classroom: Smith 104
Office Hours: Any time via appointment
Email Address: DStrasberger@chapman.edu
What to expect in Critical Literacies and Community Writing?
Writing is more than just the words on the page; writing is a way of sharing thoughts and ideas with an audience, a way to connect with a community. Over the course of the semester, through study of rhetoric, various writing assignments, and community engagement, we will learn how to enact change in the world around us.
A unique aspect of this course is the engagement with the community, not just in the classroom but everyone around us. Community engagement empowers us as writers and rhetoricians, through direct participation in the community around us in order to develop an authentic understanding of rhetorical choices, as well as a deeper understanding of different audiences outside of our Chapman community.
Chapman University Safety Protocol
Learn about the safety guidelines, testing procedures and vaccine resources for both Chapman University and Orange County. Guidelines for keeping healthy are based upon recommendations from the CDC and local health authorities. By working together and following these guidelines, we can help protect the health of everyone on campus and in our community.
This information is offered to help you know your risk, protect yourself, take action if exposed to COVID-19 and take action if you are sick or test positive.
Based on where we are currently, we have streamlined our protocols to FOUR basic tactics:
Masks - Take action if exposed. If exposed, wear a mask for 10 days to reduce the risk of spread. At the medium COVID-19 community level, face coverings are highly recommended if you have symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19. Masking is recommended but not required on public transportation. Vulnerable people, consider wearing a mask in crowded indoor public places. The California Department of Public Health offers this guidance on masking.
Vaccination - Protect yourself. Based on the advice of California public health agencies, the university recommends but does not require that all faculty, staff and students who are eligible get an updated booster with protection against Omicron variants. To be considered up to date with your COVID vaccinations at Chapman, individuals must be current with their primary series plus the updated (bivalent) booster as outlined by the CDC. Submit proof of having all vaccinations and boosters for which you are eligible or file a personal declination.
Testing - Take action if you are sick or exposed to COVID-19. Testing is not required to return to campus from a break. The university continues to provide on-campus testing at no cost to Chapman community members at the COVID-19 Testing Center. Students and/or faculty in certain programs (e.g. Dodge College) are required to get tested according to program requirements. Report an off-campus COVID-19 test. Also, see additional testing regulations.
Daily Health Survey - Take action and stay home if you are sick. Faculty, staff and students must complete the health screening daily. Visitors to campus must complete the Visitor Health Survey.
Learning Objectives
Students will engage with texts in multiple settings, including electronic media, where they will explore concepts specific to communities, and joining the public discourse on important matters. Through readings, discussions, class activities, public blog posts, and connecting with communities through various writing projects.
Attendance
As this course is discussion- and workshop-based, teamwork is pivotal to its success. An absence not only negatively affects your own learning process, but also everyone in your class and on your team. Therefore, you are expected to come to class and to do so on time. Every student will start off with full credit for Participation, however attendance and participation is important. If you have missed more than 5 classes, this is where the 10% of your grade will be deducted, regardless of sharing or participation. Each additional class will deduct 5% of your overall grade. This can result in negative points in this grade section. However, in the world we live in today, issues arise. If there is any reason, please email me and I can excuse the absence if necessary. You are only penalized for unexcused absences, so communication goes a long way.
You are responsible for all readings and assignments for any absence. Please email me about their absence within 24 hours of the end of the class to receive any updates missed during that session.
Preparation
Showing up to class is only one part to the success of the course. It is also important that you come to class prepared, reading all assigned texts before the start of the class, bringing all relevant materials to every session, and stays awake and alert the entire class period. Neglecting to do so will negatively affect your participation grade.
Grading Scale and Assignments
Assignments and Grades
• Students are responsible for all administrative procedures: adds, drops, withdrawals, etc.
Area of Evaluation
Percent
Participation 10%
WordPress Blog Post Discussion 15%
Rhetorical Analysis 15%
Open Letter 15%
Community Outreach 15%
Autoethnographic Study 25%
Final Reflection 5%
Total 100%
A (100-93%) = 4.0 (excellent)
A-(92.9-90%) = 3.7
B+(89.9-87%) = 3.3
B (86.9-83%) = 3.0 (very good)
B-(82.9-80%) = 2.7
C+(79.9-77%) = 2.3
C (76.9-73%) = 2.0 (satisfactory)
C-(72.9-70%) = 1.7
D+(69.9-67%) = 1.3 (unsatisfactory)
D (66.9-63%) = 1.0
D-(62.9-60%) = 0.7 (minimum passing)
F (59.9-0%) = 0.0 (failing)
Area of Evaluation
The grades will be determined by each of the following:
• Class Participation: 10% of the grade
In this course, participation is a vital tool to the success of the class. It is important that you come to class prepared and ready to participate. This means each you should participate in the class discussions, small group discussions, and peer workshops. The goal is to learn to critically analyze the texts, develop skills in constructive criticism, and helping peers to do the same.
This section will also be designated for smaller assignments. These are credit/no-credit assignments will include drafts of writing assignments, writing prompts, and any other extra assignments done during class time. Credit will be designated for timeliness and meeting of assignment’s criteria. You may be asked to improve on the assignment if it does not meet the criteria. At the end of the semester, the credits will be added up at the percentage will reflect the credit’s average.
• WordPress Blog Post: 15% of the grade
Community Writing means allowing your writing to connect with those around you. To achieve this, over the course of the semester you will create a personalized WordPress blog site to post short compositions responding to a weekly prompt throughout the semester. Posting online is a good resource, allowing you to connect with digital communities.
For each post you are required to write, at minimum, 300 words. Posts should be specific, using quotes from the readings and examples to connect with the community. All posts are due by 11:59 p.m. on the Saturday of the week assigned. If there are peer responses are requested for that week, they will be due the following Monday by 11:59 pm. Peer responses are 100 words each. The posts are graded with a 2-point system: 1 point for the post and 1 point for the response. Posts will be deducted 0.5 points for late posts or missing comments.
• Rhetorical Analysis: 15 % of the grade
Select a piece of rhetoric from a community you are a part of - such as an editorial piece, open letter, speech, interview, protest, or action and analyze the rhetorical impact of the rhetorical situation. This piece should a minimum of 1000 words. This assignment will be due on Monday, February 27th by 11:59 pm.
• Open Letter: 15% of the grade
You will write an open letter to a specific community you are a part of, taking a firm stance on a topic related to the chosen person. The letter should address the issue, created to connect to a specific audience. This piece should will be between 800 to 1250 words. This assignment will be due on Monday, April 10th by 11:59 pm.
• Community Engagement Project: 15% of the grade
This semester, we will be engaging in the community through a workshop with high school students.
We will work through its connection to Chapman’s Iluminacíon Program, which is designed to connect our college classroom with high school classrooms in the local area. The goal of this is to create workshops to help dispel the stigma of college for high schoolers, and to give you a different perspective into education. This semester, we will have two workshops on March 2nd and March 9th, which we will discuss when the date gets closer.
• Autoethnographic Study: 25% of the grade
You will create an investigative study into a sub-community you are a part of, researching a driving question as you explore this community's shared values, beliefs, and experiences and use these findings to shed light on what life is currently like for this community. This piece should be between 2500 and 3000 words. The Study itself is due by the time of the final on Thursday, May 18th by 10:45 am.
o Multimodal Presentation: At the end of the semester, before the due date of the Autoethnographic study, you will be able to present your findings to the class in order to get feedback before turning in your assignment. This will count for 5% of the grade. These will be presented on the 13th and 14th weeks.
• Final Reflection: 5%
This semester, instead of a sit-down final, you will write a Final Reflection on your experience with the course and the community engagement. You will be given a prompt at the end of the semester which will be due on Thursday, May 18th by 1:15 pm.
Late Assignment Policy
All assignments are expected to be submitted on time. For every class period an assignment is late, it will receive an automatic 10% reduction on the grade. Note: If assignment is posted at 12:00 am after it is due, that will count as a single class period.
**I will happy to discuss participation grades with anyone at any point in the semester. You have the ability to revise either the Open Letter or the Rhetorical Analysis; just schedule a meeting with the professor to discuss what you can improve on. No submission will be accepted without discussing the paper first.**
Campus Services
Just because we are in the digital world, does not mean Chapman University is closed down. Here are a few services the school offers:
• Student Services
o Check out all that Student Services has to offer, including Career and Professional Development, Disability Services, Health and Health Education, Counseling, International Student Services, Residence Life/First Year Experience, and the Veterans Resource Center.
• Academic Resources
o Some of these are included above, but this link can also give you access to Academic Advising, the Registrar, Online Course Syllabi, and more.
• Tutoring and Learning Center (TLC)
o Find tutoring hours, testing center information, and learning resources.
• Libraries
o Familiarize yourself with all of the great services our libraries offer.
• Student Employment Services
o Find job opportunities and employment information.
• Information Systems and Technology (IS&T)
o Get access to the service desk, wireless information, and email help.
• Software available to students
o Look at all of the great software you can access just by being a Chapman student. Enjoy!
• Chapman University Safely Back
o Stay up-to-date on all the CU Safely Back information.
Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
Course Objectives:
Students in ENG 206 will explore the idea that “learning to write is a complex process, both individual and social, that takes place over time with continued practice and informed guidance” (WPA Outcomes Statement, 2008, http://wpacouncil.org/positions/outcomes.html/). Students who successfully complete the course should be able to write for varied audiences and purposes as part of public discourse, including multi-literacies and multimedia venues. This course fulfills the learning outcome of the Written Inquiry component of the General Education program (GE 7WI).
Course Description:
This course provides an opportunity to explore public discourse, to see how dominant cultural expressions shape members of communities as well as how individuals and groups shape cultural messages. Students will critically observe and analyze written work addressing social issues, particularly issues regarding literacy and the societal concept of “success.” The course is based upon the idea that bringing the “texts” in their lives to attention as material for reflection and deliberation provides students an opportunity to identify the rhetorical patterns used to enact community aims and to empower students to develop a voice in this public forum. Students will also contribute to conversations regarding social issues by observing and engaging with specific communities.
Citizenship, Community, Service (GE), Service Learning Outcome: Student examines the theoretical and/or applied aspects of community service through coursework and/or through active engagement in a service-learning experience and demonstrates:
• the ability to apply discipline‐specific and/or interdisciplinary knowledge and critical thinking skills to community issues
• critical self‐reflection of the student’s own assumptions and values as applied to community issues
• knowledge and sensitivity to issues of culture, diversity, and social justice as applied to community engagement.
General Education Learning Outcomes WI/Written Inquiry:
Students will compose texts that:
Establish active, genuine, and responsible authorial engagement; communicate a purpose—an argument or other intentional point/goal; invoke a specific audience; develop the argument/content with an internal logic/organization; integrate references, citations, and source material logically and dialogically, indicating how forms of evidence relate to each other and the author’s position; compose with rhetorically effective use of language, form and genre, voice and tone, and style.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
• Learn and use key rhetorical concepts through analyzing and composing a variety of texts
• Develop facility in responding to a variety of situations and contexts calling for purposeful shifts in voice, tone, level of formality, design, medium, and/or structure
• Use composing and reading for inquiry, learning, critical thinking, and communicating in various rhetorical contexts
• Read a diverse range of texts, attending especially to relationships between assertion and evidence, to patterns of organization, to the interplay between verbal and nonverbal elements, and to how these features function for different audiences and situations
• Locate and evaluate (for credibility, sufficiency, accuracy, timeliness, bias and so on) primary and secondary research materials, including journal articles and essays, books, scholarly and professionally established and maintained databases or archives, and informal electronic networks and internet sources
• Develop a writing project through multiple drafts
• Develop flexible strategies for reading, drafting, reviewing, collaborating, revising, rewriting, rereading, and editing
• Experience the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes
• Learn to give and to act on productive feedback to works in progress
• Develop knowledge of linguistic structures, including grammar, punctuation, and spelling, through practice in composing and revising
• Understand why genre conventions for structure, paragraphing, tone, and mechanics vary
• Gain experience negotiating variations in genre conventions
• Practice applying citation conventions systematically in their own work
Campus Policies
Chapman University’s Academic Integrity Policy
Chapman University is a community of scholars that emphasizes the mutual responsibility of all members to seek knowledge honestly and in good faith. Students are responsible for doing their own work and academic dishonesty of any kind will be subject to sanction by the instructor/administrator and referral to the university Academic Integrity Committee, which may impose additional sanctions including expulsion. Please review the full description of Chapman University's policy on Academic Integrity.
Chapman University’s Students with Disabilities Policy
In compliance with ADA guidelines, students who have any condition, either permanent or temporary, that might affect their ability to perform in this class are encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Services. If you will need to utilize your approved accommodations in this class, please follow the proper notification procedure for informing your professor(s). This notification process must occur more than a week before any accommodation can be utilized. Please contact Disability Services at (714) 516-4520 if you have questions regarding this procedure, or for information and to make an appointment to discuss and/or request potential accommodations based on documentation of your disability. Once formal approval of your need for an accommodation has been granted, you are encouraged to talk with your professor(s) about your accommodation options. The granting of any accommodation will not be retroactive and cannot jeopardize the academic standards or integrity of the course.
Chapman University Statement on Diversity & Inclusion
Chapman University is deeply committed to enriching diversity and inclusion through on-going efforts to cultivate a welcoming campus climate for all members of the Chapman community. We strive to provide an inclusive academic curriculum, promote equity and access in recruitment and retention, and develop meaningful outreach programs and partnerships with our diverse local communities. We value diversity and inclusion in the learning environment and believe it is vital to the fulfillment of the university mission. It is our conviction that an inclusive learning environment facilitates complex, critical and creative thinking and that differences in identities, values, beliefs and perspectives are fundamental to a comprehensive education.
At Chapman the term diversity implies a respect for all and an understanding of individual differences including race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, genetic information and any other characteristic protected by applicable state or federal law, so that all members of the community are treated at all times with dignity and respect.
Equity and Diversity Statement
Chapman University is committed to ensuring equality and valuing diversity. Students and professors are reminded to show respect at all times as outlined in Chapman’s Harassment and Discrimination Policy. Any violations of this policy should be discussed with the professor, the Dean of Students and/or otherwise reported in accordance with this policy.
Religious Accommodation at Chapman University
Religious Accommodation at Chapman University is consistent with our commitment of creating an academic community that is respectful of and welcoming to persons of differing backgrounds. We believe that every reasonable effort should be made to allow members of the university community to fulfill their obligations to the university without jeopardizing the fulfillment of their sincerely held religious obligations. Please review the syllabus early in the semester and consult with your faculty member promptly regarding any possible conflicts with major religious holidays, being as specific as possible regarding when those holidays are scheduled in advance and where those holidays constitute the fulfillment of your sincerely held religious beliefs. Please see the full description of Chapman University's policy on Religious Accommodation at https://www.chapman.edu/about/our-family/leadership/provosts-office/religious-accomodation.aspx
Student Support at Chapman University
Over the course of the semester, you may experience a range of challenges that interfere with your learning, such as problems with friend, family, and or significant other relationships; substance use; concerns about personal adequacy; feeling overwhelmed; or feeling sad or anxious without knowing why. These mental health concerns or stressful events may diminish your academic performance and/or reduce your ability to participate in daily activities. You can learn more about the resources available through Chapman University’s Student Psychological Counseling Services here: https://www.chapman.edu/students/health-and-safety/psychological-counseling/.
Fostering a community of care that supports the success of students is essential to the values of Chapman University. Occasionally, you may come across a student whose personal behavior concerns or worries you, either for the student’s well-being or yours. In these instances, you are encouraged to contact the Chapman University Student Concern Intervention Team who can respond to these concerns and offer assistance: https://www.chapman.edu/students/health-and-safety/student-concern/index.aspx. While it is preferred that you include your contact information so this team can follow up with you, you can submit a report anonymously. 24-hour emergency help is also available through Public Safety at 714-997-6763
Class Meeting Day(s) & Time(s): Tuesdays/Thursdays from 8:30 to 9:45 am
Classroom: Smith 104
Office Hours: Any time via appointment
Email Address: DStrasberger@chapman.edu
What to expect in Critical Literacies and Community Writing?
Writing is more than just the words on the page; writing is a way of sharing thoughts and ideas with an audience, a way to connect with a community. Over the course of the semester, through study of rhetoric, various writing assignments, and community engagement, we will learn how to enact change in the world around us.
A unique aspect of this course is the engagement with the community, not just in the classroom but everyone around us. Community engagement empowers us as writers and rhetoricians, through direct participation in the community around us in order to develop an authentic understanding of rhetorical choices, as well as a deeper understanding of different audiences outside of our Chapman community.
Chapman University Safety Protocol
Learn about the safety guidelines, testing procedures and vaccine resources for both Chapman University and Orange County. Guidelines for keeping healthy are based upon recommendations from the CDC and local health authorities. By working together and following these guidelines, we can help protect the health of everyone on campus and in our community.
This information is offered to help you know your risk, protect yourself, take action if exposed to COVID-19 and take action if you are sick or test positive.
Based on where we are currently, we have streamlined our protocols to FOUR basic tactics:
Masks - Take action if exposed. If exposed, wear a mask for 10 days to reduce the risk of spread. At the medium COVID-19 community level, face coverings are highly recommended if you have symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19. Masking is recommended but not required on public transportation. Vulnerable people, consider wearing a mask in crowded indoor public places. The California Department of Public Health offers this guidance on masking.
Vaccination - Protect yourself. Based on the advice of California public health agencies, the university recommends but does not require that all faculty, staff and students who are eligible get an updated booster with protection against Omicron variants. To be considered up to date with your COVID vaccinations at Chapman, individuals must be current with their primary series plus the updated (bivalent) booster as outlined by the CDC. Submit proof of having all vaccinations and boosters for which you are eligible or file a personal declination.
Testing - Take action if you are sick or exposed to COVID-19. Testing is not required to return to campus from a break. The university continues to provide on-campus testing at no cost to Chapman community members at the COVID-19 Testing Center. Students and/or faculty in certain programs (e.g. Dodge College) are required to get tested according to program requirements. Report an off-campus COVID-19 test. Also, see additional testing regulations.
Daily Health Survey - Take action and stay home if you are sick. Faculty, staff and students must complete the health screening daily. Visitors to campus must complete the Visitor Health Survey.
Learning Objectives
Students will engage with texts in multiple settings, including electronic media, where they will explore concepts specific to communities, and joining the public discourse on important matters. Through readings, discussions, class activities, public blog posts, and connecting with communities through various writing projects.
Attendance
As this course is discussion- and workshop-based, teamwork is pivotal to its success. An absence not only negatively affects your own learning process, but also everyone in your class and on your team. Therefore, you are expected to come to class and to do so on time. Every student will start off with full credit for Participation, however attendance and participation is important. If you have missed more than 5 classes, this is where the 10% of your grade will be deducted, regardless of sharing or participation. Each additional class will deduct 5% of your overall grade. This can result in negative points in this grade section. However, in the world we live in today, issues arise. If there is any reason, please email me and I can excuse the absence if necessary. You are only penalized for unexcused absences, so communication goes a long way.
You are responsible for all readings and assignments for any absence. Please email me about their absence within 24 hours of the end of the class to receive any updates missed during that session.
Preparation
Showing up to class is only one part to the success of the course. It is also important that you come to class prepared, reading all assigned texts before the start of the class, bringing all relevant materials to every session, and stays awake and alert the entire class period. Neglecting to do so will negatively affect your participation grade.
Grading Scale and Assignments
Assignments and Grades
• Students are responsible for all administrative procedures: adds, drops, withdrawals, etc.
Area of Evaluation
Percent
Participation 10%
WordPress Blog Post Discussion 15%
Rhetorical Analysis 15%
Open Letter 15%
Community Outreach 15%
Autoethnographic Study 25%
Final Reflection 5%
Total 100%
A (100-93%) = 4.0 (excellent)
A-(92.9-90%) = 3.7
B+(89.9-87%) = 3.3
B (86.9-83%) = 3.0 (very good)
B-(82.9-80%) = 2.7
C+(79.9-77%) = 2.3
C (76.9-73%) = 2.0 (satisfactory)
C-(72.9-70%) = 1.7
D+(69.9-67%) = 1.3 (unsatisfactory)
D (66.9-63%) = 1.0
D-(62.9-60%) = 0.7 (minimum passing)
F (59.9-0%) = 0.0 (failing)
Area of Evaluation
The grades will be determined by each of the following:
• Class Participation: 10% of the grade
In this course, participation is a vital tool to the success of the class. It is important that you come to class prepared and ready to participate. This means each you should participate in the class discussions, small group discussions, and peer workshops. The goal is to learn to critically analyze the texts, develop skills in constructive criticism, and helping peers to do the same.
This section will also be designated for smaller assignments. These are credit/no-credit assignments will include drafts of writing assignments, writing prompts, and any other extra assignments done during class time. Credit will be designated for timeliness and meeting of assignment’s criteria. You may be asked to improve on the assignment if it does not meet the criteria. At the end of the semester, the credits will be added up at the percentage will reflect the credit’s average.
• WordPress Blog Post: 15% of the grade
Community Writing means allowing your writing to connect with those around you. To achieve this, over the course of the semester you will create a personalized WordPress blog site to post short compositions responding to a weekly prompt throughout the semester. Posting online is a good resource, allowing you to connect with digital communities.
For each post you are required to write, at minimum, 300 words. Posts should be specific, using quotes from the readings and examples to connect with the community. All posts are due by 11:59 p.m. on the Saturday of the week assigned. If there are peer responses are requested for that week, they will be due the following Monday by 11:59 pm. Peer responses are 100 words each. The posts are graded with a 2-point system: 1 point for the post and 1 point for the response. Posts will be deducted 0.5 points for late posts or missing comments.
• Rhetorical Analysis: 15 % of the grade
Select a piece of rhetoric from a community you are a part of - such as an editorial piece, open letter, speech, interview, protest, or action and analyze the rhetorical impact of the rhetorical situation. This piece should a minimum of 1000 words. This assignment will be due on Monday, February 27th by 11:59 pm.
• Open Letter: 15% of the grade
You will write an open letter to a specific community you are a part of, taking a firm stance on a topic related to the chosen person. The letter should address the issue, created to connect to a specific audience. This piece should will be between 800 to 1250 words. This assignment will be due on Monday, April 10th by 11:59 pm.
• Community Engagement Project: 15% of the grade
This semester, we will be engaging in the community through a workshop with high school students.
We will work through its connection to Chapman’s Iluminacíon Program, which is designed to connect our college classroom with high school classrooms in the local area. The goal of this is to create workshops to help dispel the stigma of college for high schoolers, and to give you a different perspective into education. This semester, we will have two workshops on March 2nd and March 9th, which we will discuss when the date gets closer.
• Autoethnographic Study: 25% of the grade
You will create an investigative study into a sub-community you are a part of, researching a driving question as you explore this community's shared values, beliefs, and experiences and use these findings to shed light on what life is currently like for this community. This piece should be between 2500 and 3000 words. The Study itself is due by the time of the final on Thursday, May 18th by 10:45 am.
o Multimodal Presentation: At the end of the semester, before the due date of the Autoethnographic study, you will be able to present your findings to the class in order to get feedback before turning in your assignment. This will count for 5% of the grade. These will be presented on the 13th and 14th weeks.
• Final Reflection: 5%
This semester, instead of a sit-down final, you will write a Final Reflection on your experience with the course and the community engagement. You will be given a prompt at the end of the semester which will be due on Thursday, May 18th by 1:15 pm.
Late Assignment Policy
All assignments are expected to be submitted on time. For every class period an assignment is late, it will receive an automatic 10% reduction on the grade. Note: If assignment is posted at 12:00 am after it is due, that will count as a single class period.
**I will happy to discuss participation grades with anyone at any point in the semester. You have the ability to revise either the Open Letter or the Rhetorical Analysis; just schedule a meeting with the professor to discuss what you can improve on. No submission will be accepted without discussing the paper first.**
Campus Services
Just because we are in the digital world, does not mean Chapman University is closed down. Here are a few services the school offers:
• Student Services
o Check out all that Student Services has to offer, including Career and Professional Development, Disability Services, Health and Health Education, Counseling, International Student Services, Residence Life/First Year Experience, and the Veterans Resource Center.
• Academic Resources
o Some of these are included above, but this link can also give you access to Academic Advising, the Registrar, Online Course Syllabi, and more.
• Tutoring and Learning Center (TLC)
o Find tutoring hours, testing center information, and learning resources.
• Libraries
o Familiarize yourself with all of the great services our libraries offer.
• Student Employment Services
o Find job opportunities and employment information.
• Information Systems and Technology (IS&T)
o Get access to the service desk, wireless information, and email help.
• Software available to students
o Look at all of the great software you can access just by being a Chapman student. Enjoy!
• Chapman University Safely Back
o Stay up-to-date on all the CU Safely Back information.
Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
Course Objectives:
Students in ENG 206 will explore the idea that “learning to write is a complex process, both individual and social, that takes place over time with continued practice and informed guidance” (WPA Outcomes Statement, 2008, http://wpacouncil.org/positions/outcomes.html/). Students who successfully complete the course should be able to write for varied audiences and purposes as part of public discourse, including multi-literacies and multimedia venues. This course fulfills the learning outcome of the Written Inquiry component of the General Education program (GE 7WI).
Course Description:
This course provides an opportunity to explore public discourse, to see how dominant cultural expressions shape members of communities as well as how individuals and groups shape cultural messages. Students will critically observe and analyze written work addressing social issues, particularly issues regarding literacy and the societal concept of “success.” The course is based upon the idea that bringing the “texts” in their lives to attention as material for reflection and deliberation provides students an opportunity to identify the rhetorical patterns used to enact community aims and to empower students to develop a voice in this public forum. Students will also contribute to conversations regarding social issues by observing and engaging with specific communities.
Citizenship, Community, Service (GE), Service Learning Outcome: Student examines the theoretical and/or applied aspects of community service through coursework and/or through active engagement in a service-learning experience and demonstrates:
• the ability to apply discipline‐specific and/or interdisciplinary knowledge and critical thinking skills to community issues
• critical self‐reflection of the student’s own assumptions and values as applied to community issues
• knowledge and sensitivity to issues of culture, diversity, and social justice as applied to community engagement.
General Education Learning Outcomes WI/Written Inquiry:
Students will compose texts that:
Establish active, genuine, and responsible authorial engagement; communicate a purpose—an argument or other intentional point/goal; invoke a specific audience; develop the argument/content with an internal logic/organization; integrate references, citations, and source material logically and dialogically, indicating how forms of evidence relate to each other and the author’s position; compose with rhetorically effective use of language, form and genre, voice and tone, and style.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
• Learn and use key rhetorical concepts through analyzing and composing a variety of texts
• Develop facility in responding to a variety of situations and contexts calling for purposeful shifts in voice, tone, level of formality, design, medium, and/or structure
• Use composing and reading for inquiry, learning, critical thinking, and communicating in various rhetorical contexts
• Read a diverse range of texts, attending especially to relationships between assertion and evidence, to patterns of organization, to the interplay between verbal and nonverbal elements, and to how these features function for different audiences and situations
• Locate and evaluate (for credibility, sufficiency, accuracy, timeliness, bias and so on) primary and secondary research materials, including journal articles and essays, books, scholarly and professionally established and maintained databases or archives, and informal electronic networks and internet sources
• Develop a writing project through multiple drafts
• Develop flexible strategies for reading, drafting, reviewing, collaborating, revising, rewriting, rereading, and editing
• Experience the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes
• Learn to give and to act on productive feedback to works in progress
• Develop knowledge of linguistic structures, including grammar, punctuation, and spelling, through practice in composing and revising
• Understand why genre conventions for structure, paragraphing, tone, and mechanics vary
• Gain experience negotiating variations in genre conventions
• Practice applying citation conventions systematically in their own work
Campus Policies
Chapman University’s Academic Integrity Policy
Chapman University is a community of scholars that emphasizes the mutual responsibility of all members to seek knowledge honestly and in good faith. Students are responsible for doing their own work and academic dishonesty of any kind will be subject to sanction by the instructor/administrator and referral to the university Academic Integrity Committee, which may impose additional sanctions including expulsion. Please review the full description of Chapman University's policy on Academic Integrity.
Chapman University’s Students with Disabilities Policy
In compliance with ADA guidelines, students who have any condition, either permanent or temporary, that might affect their ability to perform in this class are encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Services. If you will need to utilize your approved accommodations in this class, please follow the proper notification procedure for informing your professor(s). This notification process must occur more than a week before any accommodation can be utilized. Please contact Disability Services at (714) 516-4520 if you have questions regarding this procedure, or for information and to make an appointment to discuss and/or request potential accommodations based on documentation of your disability. Once formal approval of your need for an accommodation has been granted, you are encouraged to talk with your professor(s) about your accommodation options. The granting of any accommodation will not be retroactive and cannot jeopardize the academic standards or integrity of the course.
Chapman University Statement on Diversity & Inclusion
Chapman University is deeply committed to enriching diversity and inclusion through on-going efforts to cultivate a welcoming campus climate for all members of the Chapman community. We strive to provide an inclusive academic curriculum, promote equity and access in recruitment and retention, and develop meaningful outreach programs and partnerships with our diverse local communities. We value diversity and inclusion in the learning environment and believe it is vital to the fulfillment of the university mission. It is our conviction that an inclusive learning environment facilitates complex, critical and creative thinking and that differences in identities, values, beliefs and perspectives are fundamental to a comprehensive education.
At Chapman the term diversity implies a respect for all and an understanding of individual differences including race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, genetic information and any other characteristic protected by applicable state or federal law, so that all members of the community are treated at all times with dignity and respect.
Equity and Diversity Statement
Chapman University is committed to ensuring equality and valuing diversity. Students and professors are reminded to show respect at all times as outlined in Chapman’s Harassment and Discrimination Policy. Any violations of this policy should be discussed with the professor, the Dean of Students and/or otherwise reported in accordance with this policy.
Religious Accommodation at Chapman University
Religious Accommodation at Chapman University is consistent with our commitment of creating an academic community that is respectful of and welcoming to persons of differing backgrounds. We believe that every reasonable effort should be made to allow members of the university community to fulfill their obligations to the university without jeopardizing the fulfillment of their sincerely held religious obligations. Please review the syllabus early in the semester and consult with your faculty member promptly regarding any possible conflicts with major religious holidays, being as specific as possible regarding when those holidays are scheduled in advance and where those holidays constitute the fulfillment of your sincerely held religious beliefs. Please see the full description of Chapman University's policy on Religious Accommodation at https://www.chapman.edu/about/our-family/leadership/provosts-office/religious-accomodation.aspx
Student Support at Chapman University
Over the course of the semester, you may experience a range of challenges that interfere with your learning, such as problems with friend, family, and or significant other relationships; substance use; concerns about personal adequacy; feeling overwhelmed; or feeling sad or anxious without knowing why. These mental health concerns or stressful events may diminish your academic performance and/or reduce your ability to participate in daily activities. You can learn more about the resources available through Chapman University’s Student Psychological Counseling Services here: https://www.chapman.edu/students/health-and-safety/psychological-counseling/.
Fostering a community of care that supports the success of students is essential to the values of Chapman University. Occasionally, you may come across a student whose personal behavior concerns or worries you, either for the student’s well-being or yours. In these instances, you are encouraged to contact the Chapman University Student Concern Intervention Team who can respond to these concerns and offer assistance: https://www.chapman.edu/students/health-and-safety/student-concern/index.aspx. While it is preferred that you include your contact information so this team can follow up with you, you can submit a report anonymously. 24-hour emergency help is also available through Public Safety at 714-997-6763