ENGL 1050-155 (43830) - Dr. Phil Savage
A foundational writing course offering you practice and guidance in the strategies and behaviors that contribute to success in written communication and information literacy. Emphasis on the production, reception, and revision of writing for varied audiences, situations, and information needs.
This course fulfills the requirements for WMU Essential Studies, Level 1: Foundations in Writing. Accordingly, students enrolling in English 1050 will undergo an assessment that gauges their ability to
Your position paper, a piece of writing that is worth 26% of your overall course grade, will serve as the basis for this assessment. Rubrics developed by WMU Essential Studies will be used to evaluate both outcomes.
Additionally, this course will enable you to
This project asks you to compose a "four-note" wellness gallery. Each of the four notes that form this gallery will include two parts: (1) a meaningful image that you have captured or composed; and (2) a well-developed written annotation that articulates the meaning behind your image. Put differently, each of the four notes will pair an image with text, making meaning through the visual component and through the written component. The gallery will focus on the concept of wellness; however, each note in your gallery will respond to a specific prompt that addresses wellness in a unique way. The ultimate goal of your entries will be to share your unique perspective of wellness with your peers. To that end, the gallery will be hosted on a public-facing software application called Miro.
This project is the first in a sequence of assignments focusing on the concept of equity. An autoethnography is a kind of writing that places the writer's individual identity into conversation with the writer's community identity, in order to call for increased equity in a way that is supported by research. A key feature of autoethnographies is triangulation—or, a systematic process of role-taking and rigorous comparison. With each role comes a new perspective and, when the perspectives are compared to one another, insights emerge. To help you develop similar insights, your autoethnography will triangulate the roles of equity advocate, observant reporter, and knowledge maker. Through triangulation, each role will be synthesized into one single coherent piece of writing—your autoethnography. The topic of your autoethnography will carry forward and play a crucial role in your next project, the position paper
While working on your autoethnography, you will be required to complete a 50-minute English 1050 Library Lab. In-person and asynchronous options are available. The lab has been designed by Western Michigan University Library faculty members. The purpose of this lab is to introduce you to the research honeycomb model and ask you to apply the model to your work making knowledge through your autoethnography. Prior to the lab, you will watch a video on the research honeycomb and complete a handout that applies the model to your autoethnography. During the lab, you will be given a second assignment that must be submitted to our course eLearning dropbox. In-person attendees must pre-register for a library lab using Waldo Library's Event Calendar registration system HERE.
This major project asks you to think back to the issue(s) surrounding equity or inequity that you revealed in your autoethnography and consider the power, privilege, and policy dynamics associated with this topic. Using your autoethnography as a content seed, you will use a generative artificial intelligence (GAI) platform to compose a first draft of your position paper, which should communicate a stance about the power, privilege, or policy associated with this topic. You will revise this first draft of your position paper, so that the paper:
Ultimately, you will keep the human in the writing loop to produce a compelling six-page, double-spaced position paper for an audience of peers unfamiliar with your position.
To help you articulate your vision for reworking your position paper, you will craft a five-part remix plan. This plan is an adapted kind of proposal that asks you to write a proposal abstract and then a rationale for your choice of situation, audience, mode, and medium.
The final major project asks you to rework and revise the position that you built in your position paper, adjusting your position to a specific writing situation and audience. You will align your choices of mode and media with your targeted audience. (Note: Your project will be delivered in a medium that exceeds the written word.) Your "re-mix" will require careful changes—including the cutting of text and the addition of qualifiers—to your earlier position. Your project will be public-facing, and you will identify the stakeholders for whom you have crafted it.
Reflecting on curricular and co-curricular projects occurs across our university, and this group of assignments contains six different reflective writing tasks designed to help advance your ability to reflect in writing and on the competencies in written communication that you are developing as you progress through this course. Separate assignments will be distributed for the six different writing tasks: one reflective email, two responses (one written and one video recorded), two writer's memo, and one reflective letter. These tasks are supported by a series of questions that appear at the end of the chapters of your textbook. Use these questions to guide your reflective writing for each task. This portion of your grade is worth 6% overall, and it will be assessed for completion and graded pass or fail, based upon the thoroughness demonstrated in your response.
Many successful pieces of writing undergo substantial revisions that respond to reviews conducted by the friends, colleagues, or supervisors of the writer. Reviews help the piece and the writer. The piece becomes more successful, as in-process feedback helps shape the piece and smooth-over its rough spots. The writer becomes more successful as this feedback cultivates an awareness that will inform future writing. This term, you'll use our Eli Review platform to regularly review the work of your peers.
At least once during the semester, you will meet with your instructor for a Writing PACE Meeting that will focus on your Writing Performance And Critical Exercises. The meeting will make use of our writing feedback and review platform, Eli Review, and it will address the rate and quality of your peer review writing activity. The first Writing PACE Meeting will occur after five Eli Review task cycles have been completed. This meeting will help you strategize about how you can improve on your peer review practice and Eli Review assignments throughout the semester.
You will be allowed to revise one project (either your four-note wellness gallery or your autoethnography) for a replacement grade. Revisions will be submitted at the end of the semester and must be accompanied by the original graded project. Four-note wellness gallery revisions will be submitted as a Word document to an eLearning dropbox. If points were deducted from the original because of a late submission, those deductions will transfer to the revision.
| Assignment | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Four-Note Wellness Gallery | 20% |
| Autoethnography | 22% |
| Position Paper | 26% |
| Remix Plan | 2% |
| Remixed Position | 12% |
| Peer Reviews via Eli Review | 10% |
| Writing P.A.C.E. Meetings | 2% |
| Reflections | 6% |
| Revision: Four-Note Gallery or Autoethnography | Replacement Grade |
| Grade | Range | Grade | Range | Grade | Range | Grade | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 93-100% | BA | 88-92% | B | 83-87% | CB | 78-82% |
| C | 73-77% | DC | 68-72% | D | 60-67% | E | 0-59% |
Attendance is required and will be tracked. The expectation is that you will not miss more than three classes during the term. Students who meet this expectation may have their final course grade raised three percentage points at the end of the term.
All writings are due at the beginning of class or at the designated time on eLearning, Eli Review, or another designated software application; anything turned in later in the class or later than the designated time is considered late. Late projects must be submitted in a timely manner and may have their final grade dropped by one grade (e.g., from an A to a B/A).
Your wellness gallery, autoethnography, position paper, and reflective letter must be submitted to pass the course.
If you experience difficulty completing your work for this course, we might meet to discuss the first-year writing "'C' Contract" option. The meeting will provide you with more detailed information about this alternative learning arrangement, which uses a grading contract that is standard across sections of first-year writing.
Like attendance, regularly logging into and progressing through our course eLearning site is required. ELearning allows your course instructor to view: (1) your eLearning logins, including the date of the login and the time of the login; and, (2) your progress moving through the content and learning activities posted to our course eLearning site. Success in this class is dependent upon your regular logging into and progressing through our eLearning site. At minimum, you should plan on logging in to our eLearning site once every two days.
In order to succeed in this course, you will need computer access for work and correspondence. If you do not have a personal computer, on-campus computer labs are available for your use. To locate one of these labs, visit: https://go.wmich.edu/s/article/List-of-Computer-Labs-at-WMU.
Technology should only be used during class time when it directly supports our daily learning objectives—meaning that, once class begins, you should put away your technology devices (cell phones, tablets, laptops, music players, etc.), unless I instruct you to do otherwise. In general, the use of technology to text, talk, video chat, image grab, listen to music, answer emails, or complete work for another course is considered inappropriate and will not be allowed during our class time.
Because inappropriate use of technology can disrupt our work together and interfere with your learning, I may ask you to stop using technology inappropriately and redirect you to our coursework if I see you using technology inappropriately during class. On rare occasions, I may ask you to leave the classroom and return once you are ready to use technology appropriately; or, I may require a meeting involving you, me, and the Director of First-Year Writing, Dr. Brian Gogan.
Generative AI composition tools (such as Claude, Copilot, Gemini, GPT) may only be used when your instructor gives you permission to use them. In this course, we will be using generative AI tools to develop ideas for and to revise our writing projects. We will also use these tools to draft our position papers. Whether we use these tools for invention, revision, or for drafting, we will work to keep human writers in the composition loop. We will also discuss the important concepts of accountability, accuracy, authenticity, and expertise as they inform your use of generative AI tools in conjunction with our class.
If you would like to use these tools for certain tasks in this class (for instance, data-collection or brainstorming) outside of the ones your instructor assigns, please discuss your intentions with your instructor beforehand, as use of these kinds of tools to produce work in this class requires instructor approval.
Western Michigan University's Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities considers any unapproved collaboration with or use of AI composition tools (including but not limited to Claude, Copilot, Gemini, GPT) to complete coursework to be in violation of expectations for academic honesty.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the use of these emerging technologies, please discuss them with me.
Classroom engagement is an important aspect of your learning in this course. When you come to class you are expected to engage in discussions, participate in class activities, contribute your thoughts, and share your ideas in a respectful manner. Prepare for our class by writing, reading, thinking and completing all assignments to the best of your ability. During our class, plan on being fully present, active, and engaged. The rule here is simple: Be a positive contributor to our learning environment by remaining engaged.
Because disengagement can disrupt our work together and interfere with your learning, I may call on you to contribute to our classroom environment and redirect you to our coursework if I see that you are negatively influencing the learning environment in our class. On rare occasions, I may ask you to leave the classroom and return once you are ready to respectfully contribute to our learning atmosphere; or, I may require a meeting involving you, me, and the Director of First-Year Writing, Dr. Brian Gogan.
Western Michigan University requires use of "@wmich.edu" email addresses for all student-faculty correspondences.
Western Michigan University is committed to creating and sustaining an environment that honors the inherent dignity and worth of all members of the WMU community. Respectful behavior expressed verbally, textually, visually, and physically should be the norm in all university communications and venues including classrooms, meetings, offices, workplaces, forums, events, social media, and residential communities.
As an institution of higher education, we welcome a diverse range of perspectives and opinions and uphold the importance of civil debate. We fully support the free exchange of ideas and beliefs, as well as the expression of provocative or unpopular ideas. It is through this process that we generate knowledge and deepen our understanding of humanity.
Freedom of thought and expression may create conflict, strong emotions, and divergent ideological positions. While these effects are expected and welcomed, all members of the community have a responsibility to behave in a manner that does not harm others nor create a hostile environment. Behavior that attacks, humiliates, belittles, or conveys hatred towards others diminishes our thriving and safe university environment.
Each member of our academic community is encouraged to be thoughtful and sensitive in their choice of words and behaviors. We should be aware of how our behavior affects others. Furthermore, we carry a responsibility to challenge those who communicate intolerance, hatred, and bigotry. Words and actions matter. Everyone is asked to do their part in creating a healthy and positive university community and a culture that truly values each member's uniqueness, experiences, and perspectives.
As the university civility statement recognizes, words matter, and it matters that teachers of writing practice and model the use of inclusive language. Inclusive language is both a strong professional practice and an ethical obligation that asks teachers of writing to use language and formulate constructions that do not exclude one aspect of humanity. For instance, rather than using a gendered pronoun, attempt to revise your language to use a non-gendered and inclusive construction.
Students and instructors are responsible for making themselves aware of and abiding by the "Western Michigan University Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, and Stalking Policy and Procedures" related to prohibited sexual misconduct under Title IX, the Clery Act and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Campus Safe. Under this policy, responsible employees (including instructors) are required to report claims of sexual misconduct to the Title IX Coordinator or designee (located in the Office of Institutional Equity). Responsible employees are not confidential resources. For a complete list of resources and more information about the policy see www.wmich.edu/sexualmisconduct.
You are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the University policies and procedures that pertain to Academic Honesty. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. The academic policies addressing Student Rights and Responsibilities can be found in the Undergraduate Catalog and the Graduate Catalog at https://wmich.edu/registrar/catalogs. If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Rights and Responsibilities. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s) and if you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with me if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of your work.
In addition, students are encouraged to access the Student Code, as well as resources and general academic policies on such issues as student rights, diversity, and religious observance:
Both in compliance with and in the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), I would like to work with you if you have a disability that is relevant to the work in this course. If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss reasonable academic accommodations, please contact me at the beginning of the semester. You may also contact the Office of Disability Services for Students at 269-387-2116 or at http://wmich.edu/disabilityservices.
If you have questions, comments, concerns, etc., please visit me during my office hours, schedule an appointment, or email me.
If you want to receive more guidance and support on the inquiry and information-seeking processes that accompany the writing in this course, consider seeking support from University libraries: https://wmich.edu/library/help
If you want to gain additional feedback on your writing, you can make an appointment with Western Michigan University's Writing Center. To schedule an appointment with the Writing Center, go to: https://wmich.edu/writingcenter
Writing Center appointments may last up to 50 minutes. Drop-ins may last up to 25 minutes or longer if no one else is waiting to use the drop-in service. Writers may make two appointments weekly and a drop-in each day they have no appointments. No back-to-back appointments or drop-ins are allowed.
Call (269-387-4615) or email (writing-center@wmich.edu) with any questions.
If you have concerns about a grade, workload, or an aspect of the class, please bring it to my attention—I'm here to answer your questions.