Email:  kfowler@ramapo.edu; Website: http://orion.ramapo.edu/~kfowler/

Office hours:  Fowler:  Mon./Thur. 3:30-5:00; Wed. 5:00-6:00 and by appointment at other times.

Note: Reading and Writing Assignments listed below are due on the day they are listed. They are to be completed before you come to class. All assignments will be returned to you as soon as I can read them and give feedback (generally within two weeks). Save everything! You will need to include earlier drafts along with my comments and peer comments in your Writing Portfolios.

Note: Your first assignment is to read through this entire syllabus before you meet with me for your initial conference so that you have a clear sense of the entire course and how each activity connects to the others -- and so that I can answer any questions that may arise. The syllabus is your contract for the semester. You are responsible for reading all of it and following it precisely. I have tried to make the syllabus as clear and as complete as I can so there are no surprises. I have posted the syllabus on my website so you can check it there for more details or if you mislay your copy.  Please Note:  If you wish to print out another copy of the syllabus use the compact form to save paper.  You can print a compact form of just the assignment calendar-- or of the entire syllabus.  Any changes will be announced in class and reflected on the website.  Also on the website are additional resources to assist you in your learning process. If you are unclear about anything, ask!!        Environmental Links           Writing/Research Links

Note:  Many of our activities are long-range and multi-step.  It is essential to plan ahead and start early on on such tasks as reading reserve material (limited access), doing your research for the International Environmental Paper (ordering Interlibrary Loan Materials can take several weeks), reading the novel, etc.  Be alert and conscientious!

This is a course in writing, reading, and thinking focusing on inquiry and thoughtful exploration and exposition of issues around a central theme: the environment. We will be exploring systems and processes: those of learning, of writing, of relating, and of the environment itself. You will be reading a number of essays with an environmental theme from our reader, Forest of Voices:Conversations in Ecology.  These will be supplemented by a science fiction short story by Kim Stanley Robinson entitled "Glacier," and Jamaica Kincaid's novel, Annie John. You will be viewing in class a documentary video: Cadillac Desert; and two films:Soylent Green; and Gattaca.  In addition, you will be maintaining a regular reading journal, communicating by electronic mail with your group members -- and with me as needed -- and doing a number of writing tasks including short reaction pieces, formal abstracts, critical essays requiring research and documentation and a major research paper. This larger research project will be done in conjunction with your small group and will result both in an individual research paper and a group oral presentation. There will be a written assignment of one kind or another for virtually every class.  Many of the shorter pieces will be steps along a process of developing a larger, revised final draft. You will be integrating these pieces and reflecting upon them twice during the semester in a Writing Portfolio.

Goals: clear, thoughtful, and complex thinking, analytical reading, research and documentation skills, and crisp, concise, logical and persuasive writing. This course is a great deal of work but by its end, you should be able to:

* Read, analyze, and respond critically, imaginatively, and comfortably to college text material

* Do academic research, make appropriate, thoughtful, and analytical use of your research, and document that research

* Write clear, effective prose with a minimum of angst

You will also have collected a Writing Portfolio (submitted in two stages) in which you can take pride and which you can continue to build throughout your college career -- and beyond -- allowing you to monitor your own growth and development as a thinker and a writer.

NOTE:  While College English will help you acquire a solid foundation in college-level writing, reading, and research skills, these skills can only be kept current and further developed by continued practice and experimentation in subsequent courses.  Keep reading, writing, and learning.  This is meant to be your first course in writing at Ramapo -- but not your last!

(Have these and your texts with you every class! This is a workshop course that wonít function without the appropriate tools)

Two 3.5 high-density "flippy" data disks for IBM compatible computers (Note: flippy must be marked HD; Double Density Disks (DD) will not work in the lab). One is to record all your papers on as well as your reading journal entries if you keep your journal electronically. The second is to back up your documents. Regular back-up is essential survival! Both should be labeled with your full name, and College English and A (Primary) or B (Back-up).

Diskette Case: A proper case designed to hold diskettes is a must because diskettes are very vulnerable to dust, moisture, dropping, demagnetizers, etc. Keep your diskettes protected at all times. Your work is too precious to risk.

Two slim three-ring looseleaf binders (no larger than 1/2") 1) to use for the reading journal and to assemble the pieces to your writing portfolio and 2) for collecting, and carrying handouts, information sheets, syllabus.

Working pens, pencils, erasers       Forest of Voices (always!)        A questing mind          A sense of humor
A lot of energy             A willingness to take risks             A desire to share and to collaborate in the learning process

Note:: I have placed on reserve a short story: Kim Stanley Robinson, "Glacier" in Robin Wilson, ed., Paragons: Twelve Science Fiction Writers Ply Their Craft, St. Martin's 1996. 143-164. Check the library's OPAC (on-line book catalog) for Fowler, College English Reserve list to find out the access number of the story and then ask for the text by story name, the book title, and the access number at the circulating desk on the 3rd floor of the library.  You will be tested on this story at the Midterm.

Note:: Bring with you The Mayfield Quick View Guide to the Internet for Students of English, Version 2.0 on all days we are in the computer room.  Bring your Rules for Writers to class when specified on the calendar. Bring Jamaica Kincaid's, Annie John with you on the days we will be discussing and writing on the novel.

1) Reading Journal

It is essential to keep ahead of the assigned readings. To help you engage closely with the texts, I am asking you to maintain a regular reading journal. These will be reactions to specific readings or directed questions -- not general personal journaling although you may, if you wish, include such material in addition to the reading entries. For almost every reading you will be creating a journal entry. You may write your journal entries on 3-hole notebook paper to be kept in your loose leaf binder or you may maintain your journal on computer, printing out each entry and inserting the hard copy in your loose-leaf binder. We will be making frequent use of the journal and you should have it with you at every class. We will also do frequent short in-class writings which will be inserted into the binder as well. Note:: Your journal is a major writing responsibility and will be submitted as part of your writing portfolio. The grade for the journal items will be based on thoughts, ideas, insights, quantity, and reflectiveness. They will not be graded for mechanics or spelling, but do try to write as legibly and comprehensibly as you can without "fussing" over the journal entries.  See "Keeping a Reading Journal" in A Forest of Voices for more detailed guidelines.

2)  Electronic Mail (E-mail)
Make sure that you have a current electronic mail account (students are entitled to an email account at Ramapo -- see CCIS to arrange to have your set up if you do not have one). Provide your email address to me and to the members of your small group.  You should check your mail regularly and you should send at least one message a week to the members of your small group. The message can be personal --- describing something which you have done or experienced or heard about. Or the message can be a reaction to an idea or an event on campus or in the news. (Environmental observations and news would be especially appropriate to the theme of this course). Or you can use the e-mail to comment on things going on in class, to discuss your on-going writing efforts and to respond to others in your small group. The entry should be at least a paragraph in length. You may also send email messages to me if you have questions or information you need to report. Please check your mail regularly because I will periodically be sending you information and updates through email. Respond to the messages you receive from your group mates, from me, and from your peer facilitator. At first the entries may feel stilted or forced but as you begin corresponding regularly, you will find that ideas on what to write about will come easily. My email address is kfowler@ramapo.edu.  Please label each message with the subject and the date and be sure you sign your name to the entry so that we do not have to decode your e-mail code name.

Note: I will review your messages regularly and try to respond to them periodically. I do sometimes fall behind on my messages as my inbox begins to overflow. Be patient. Keep writing even if I do not respond immediately. If the message you are sending needs immediate attention please mark it URGENT at the top in the "subject" field.

3) Attendance:

This is a workshop course and each class will be an important step in the work of the course. You will be doing drafting, revising, getting feedback, etc. on your writings in every class. Attendance is essential so that you will not miss out on these opportunities or deprive your classmates of your insights and assistance in their efforts. The schedule of activities throughout the semester is tightly interlinked and interdependent. Donít fall behind! Difficulties in catching up can quickly concatenate. If you have to miss a class take immediate steps to get back up to speed. Attendance will be a factor in your class participation grade.

Note: Class will be cancelled twice (see assignment calendar for dates) because you are required to attend two mandatory individual conferences with me and because I am requiring you to attend an extended class the day we watch one of the films.  (see assignment calendar for dates).  Schedule a conference appointment with me during the class  preceding conference week.  We will meet for approximately 15 min.  Note:  Your attendance at the conferences will count in your attendance record.

Storm or other emergencies:   We will stay on schedule even if class must be cancelled. Keep up with the assignments.  Keep going on the long-range activities.  If we were to do peer work in class get 3 peers to read and comment on your paper.

More than six absences will result in an F for the course, no matter what the circumstances (other than class cancellation). This is inflexible Writing Convening Group policy. Leaving early, coming late, or leaving class and returning, damage your learning and cause distractions to other students who are trying to learn. You will be marked 1/2 absence for tardiness over seven minutes or leaving before the class is over. If you are late even by a few minutes you are to take your seat quietly near the door in order to minimize disruption.

4) Computer Class:

All papers will be word processed and we will be doing some of our in-class writings directly on the computers.  Please purchase and bring to all classes two high density labeled 3.5 "flippies" (data disks). One will be for your main work -- the second will be for back-up. We will meet frequently in the DBS computer lab (behind the tutoring area and in E-217 or E-233 on the second floor of E-wing).  (See assignment calendar for dates).  Check the syllabus before each class. There may be schedule shifts, however, so if you do not find us in the classroom, look for us in the Computer Room; vice-versa if you expect class to be in the Computer Room but we do not seem to be there, check the classroom. I will not accept the excuse "I could not find the class!" The classroom door will be posted if class is meeting elsewhere on campus for some special event or if class needs to be cancelled for some reason. If all else fails, recheck the syllabus to make sure, we are not scheduled elsewhere -- like the library.

5) Class Participation:

In class we will be using a number of learning techniques including large group discussion, small group exploration and problem solving, sharing and critiquing of one another's papers, brief in-class writings, and reading aloud. I expect all of you to participate actively in all of these forms of engagement. Participation is important and will count as 15% of your grade. Attendance counts here too but simply attending without engaging will not serve.

6) Class Decorum:

Class decorum is essential. Be respectful of the opinions and contributions of your classmates. Learning must take place in an atmosphere of trust, respect and openness. We will be discussing very controversial live topics as well as making ourselves vulnerable in discussing our own writing behaviors, cultural backgrounds and general ideas. In the course of learning we may very well be guilty of ignorant remarks, revealing comments, or statements which may be misinterpreted. This is an essential part of opening ourselves up to learning and to trying to get at an understanding of "truth." I do not ask that we agree with one another but only that we respect one another in general discussions and that we treat each other with special care in small group work. I say "we," because as a teacher I am also always a learner (it's the best part of teaching) and I am certainly neither omniscient nor exempt from making gaffes of various kinds. We need to work together cooperatively to help each other become better writers, better thinkers, better readers. Be constructive and respectful in your responses and suggestions to others and open-minded good listeners to suggestions and responses made to you. I will not hesitate to ask anyone to leave who chooses not to behave in a responsible and respectful manner. Your conduct will enter into your participation grade.

7) Writing Portfolios:

You will be responsible for a variety of writing assignments during the semester including reaction papers, summaries (abstracts), personal essays, analytical essays involving research and documentation and the individual research paper.
See Assignment Calendar for details.  These will be done in multiple phases and drafts throughout the semester. You will receive feedback from me and from your small group on most of these pieces. The topics and guidelines are on the day by day breakout below. You will be sharing these papers with your classmates in small groups.

All drafts and phases of writing assignments must be word processed or typed and must be submitted when they are due or they will be stamped late and be downgraded. Peer group work on your papers is essential to your growth. You cannot get feedback if you do not have a text for your group members to respond to! In recognition of human emergencies I will accept one and only one paper up to one week late without penalty. No paper will be accepted after the final day of class.  Feel free to meet with me and/or with your peer facilitator or with other tutors in the writing center as you write and/or rewrite these papers. Papers are to be prepared according to the new MLA format which can be found in Rules for Writers and/or at the MLA documentation website.

Peer group work on the papers which you write is essential to help you improve your writing skills. Bring to class with you five copies of all papers (including the final draft) which are over two pages in length so that the group can follow along as you share your writing. Peer comments, my comments, and your response to these comments must accompany the document when it is resubmitted in the Writing Portfolio.

Writing Portfolio 1 will be due Mar. 29. See that date for contents. Writing Portfolio 1 will be graded as a whole and will count 30% of the semesterís grade. Content, style, mechanics, presentation, and the self-assessment material will all be counted in the grade.

Writing Portfolio 2 will be due May 10. See that date for contents. Writing Portfolio 2 will be graded as a whole and will count 30% of the semester's grade. Note: since you are turning this in on the last day of class there will be no opportunity for revisions at this stage so make sure it is exactly as you want it.

Content, style, mechanics, presentation, and the self-assessment material will all be counted in the grade.

8) In-class Writings/Quiz/Midterm/Kincaid Test/Final Exam:

There will be two full-period in-class writings (Mar. 26 and Apr. 30), an announced quiz , possible unannounced quizzes, a midterm on Kim Stanley Robinson's "Glacier," (Mar. 12). a test on Jamaica Kincaid, Annie John (Apr. 2)  a group oral report on the research done on a country/region (The International Environmental Project -- see below, 8. Begins Apr. 16) and a final exam. The quizzes will be short answer; the midterm and the Kincaid test will be part short answer, part essays, the final will be just essay. The quizzes, along with class participation, will count 10% of the semester's grade. The midterm, the Kincaid Test, and the final exams will each count 5% of the overall grade. The in-class writings will be incorporated into the writing portfolio grades.  (See assignment calendar for dates)

9) International Environmental Project:

Country/Region Options: Two groups in the same class may not research the same country.  Choose one of the following countries/regions:

1) The Caribbean: Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands -- with special attention to Antigua  2) France 3) Iran 4) Ghana 5) Alaska (with special attention to the Arctic Wildlife Refuge) 6) El Salvador  7:  Beijing and the surrounding area in the People's Republic of China  8) The North Atlantic: the ocean environment itself.

Individual Research Paper (Draft 1: Due Apr. 16; Draft 2: Due Apr. 26; Draft 3: Due May 7) and a Group Research and Oral Presentation (to be presented Apr. 16). Be ready!  Note:  These are two different assignments (although related) and you will receive two different grades for them.  You should plan on a 30-minute presentation (approximately 5 minutes apiece for each member of your small group -- plus a smidgeon).  You may if you wish take up to an hour.  Your small group is to choose one of the seven countries/regions listed below (only one group per country/region; first come, first served). You are responsible, as a group to research thoroughly the current environmental concerns of this country/region. While your central focus is the environmental issue be sure to consider this issue within the context of the social, political, economic, cultural, and religous issues impacting on the environmental issues and pay special attention to the intersection of race, class and gender with this environmental issue. You will each be focusing on one specific environmental issue and preparing a thoughtful and well-researched and defended analysis of that issue in terms of its context and making concrete suggestions for strategies to address it.  See Fowler's Supplemental Research Paper Guide for more details.

Ramapo Library Home Page        Environmental Links        Writing Research Links    Basic Tutorial in Web Research (USC)

Note:: These countries/regions are immensely complex in the issues they present (and in some cases huge). Do not attempt to cover everything -- your paper will simply be general and shallow. Choose a very specific focus early and concentrate your research in depth on this topic. For example, if you chose Mexico, you might end up examining issues of water pollution in Mexico City as your primary focus - or even more specifically PCB pollution in Mexico City water. Your individual research and paper will be a part of your Writing Portfolio II. The research will be on recent sources only (within the last 10 years -- the more recent the better), must draw from at least 7 different sources and will include material from a variety of newspapers, scholarly journals, and internet resources, as well other possible sources. You may not solely rely on internet resources and I will count the web as one resource. Even so do not rely solely on one website -- explore a variety of web resources to get multiple perspectives and different kinds of emphases on the information. We will be discussing the selection and interpretation of research materials during the semester. You will prepare your individual paper as if it were a brief to be presented to your countryís delegation to the World Environmental Congress.

The group will serve as the country's delegation, folding together the information gathered from the research of each student and preparing as a team to present on the concerns and needs of your country to the World Environmental Congress (the rest of the class) on Apr. 16 and the following classes. (Be prepared for the first date; I will decide which group goes in which order. ) If your group is unprepared or incomplete when you are called to present you will lose points just as you would if you were unprepared or absent when called upon by the World Environmental Congress to make your presentation -- so be ready and be here. The group should plan on creative and interesting and persuasive ways to convey the information to the "Congress." Having each student read aloud their individual paper is not as vivid or effective an approach as other possible means of testifying -- you may use a/v materials (videotapes, cds, audiotapes, slides, projections, etc.) to assist your presentation but you must let me know by the class before the first presentations what equipment you will need for your presentation. Note: You cannot let the materials present for you -- they should only be support or illustration for the information and analysis that you are presenting as a group.  If you are showing, for example, a 10-minute video clip, that should be in addition to the core 30-minute presentation.  The group should prepare a 1-2 page handout (collectively) on the dimensions and solutions of the problem to be handed out to the class. If you wish to handout supplemental material such as photographs or charts, you are welcome to do that. Your grade as a group will be based on the presentation, the handouts you have prepared for the class, the annotated bibliography, and the way that you have collectively approached the material. Everyone in the group will receive the same grade for the group presentation which will count 10% of your overall individual course grade. Your grade on the separate individual paper will be a key part of the Writing Portfolio 2 and will be based on the quality, depth, and extent of your research, the way in which you have used your sources to make your argument, the quality of your own analysis and the style in which the paper is written. Hence, the grade on the individual effort and on the group effort may be quite different.  Note:  If you submit a final draft of your individual research paper without proper MLA documentation and a Works Cited page in MLA format, you will fail Writing Portfolio 2 and you may face charges of plagiarism -- so find out what you need to know early!!

The individual will be responsible for various stages to this paper including a formal scholarly abstract of one of your research sources. The group will be responsible for submitting an annotated bibliography on a minimum of 15 sources (collectively) that you have identified as valuable to your topic. That will be due Mar. 5.  (See assignment calendarfor dates).  Draw on environmental links for a starting place for your research -- but remember the internet counts as only one source!

Include a Source Folder:   Turn in with each draft of the research paper a folder with photocopies of all pages from which you quote in your paper as well as photocopies of the title pages of all books that you have used and the first pages of all articles (whether from newspapers, scholarly journals etc.) and the main page of all websites that you use in your Works Cited List.  Label each photocopy with the full bibliographic citation in MLA format.  This should be in the same form that the work is then cited in your Works Cited list.  Note you will be updating and resubmitting this source folder with each draft of the research paper.

Plagiarism and cheating are theft of another's words or ideas and can result in penalties as serious as expulsion from the college. See the Student Handbook for guidelines on plagiarism and cheating. If you have any doubts about how to present material from other sources, please come see me for help. If I find a paper which I believe has been plagiarized I will forward it to the Vice President's Office for action.  Please do not put yourself -- or me -- in this position!

For a very clear and helpful guide to how to quote and paraprhase without plagiarism, see the University of Wisconsin's Guide to Quoting, Paraphrasing and Avoiding Plagiarism at http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/QuotingSources.html