Class Homework for 4.21.11

Instead of a reading assignment this week, your homework for class will consist of bringing a hard copy of your draft to class with all of the following directions completed:

1. It's time to dust off those rhetorical analysis skills! But this time, you are going to be rhetorically analyzing your own argument instead of someone else's. To complete this part of the homework, identify the rhetorical devices you used in your argument. Underline or highlight places where you have used a pathos driven narrative, specific example, precedent, testimony, inductive or deductive reasoning, figurative language, etc. Be able to describe to someone what effect you think the strategies you have used will have on your audience (which means you must have a specific audience in mind). If you have a hard time finding any rhetorical strategies in your own essay, you have found a gap that needs to be revised. 
2. Identify and write out in a outline-style sentence list that briefly states the lines of reasoning you developed throughout your argument. If you cannot concisely identify the lines of reasoning, or if they do not build logically, you have identified a candidate for content revision. 
• Example: A. Establish that prairie dogs are in danger in X location. B. Establish the need to protect prairie dogs from harm for Y reason. C. Propose a solution, such as banning the housing development in X location and creating a prairie dog safe haven. 
3. Identify and underline or highlight your counter-arguments in a different color than you used on your rhetorical devices. On the back, answer the following questions: Have you presented a strong counter-argument? Do you have a source that supports that counter-argument, or is your information about the opposing view from one of your supporting sources? Do you provide a strong rebuttal?
4. Underline all of your source citations in a third color, then answer the following questions: Have you used one source or a few sources much more often than the others? Are these sources well integrated? Is their connection to your argument clear?
5. Finally, review your findings from this homework, as well as your grader commentary. Now make a list of your top three priorities for revision. Do you need to narrow your topic and strengthen your lines of reasoning? Do you need to find a few more strong sources so that you are not leaning on a few too much? Do you need to develop a counter-argument or incorporate common ground? Do you need to add rhetorical devices to strengthen the delivery of your argument? Decide what is lacking, and what will make your draft stronger and write your priority list on the back of your draft.

Brief Assignment Eight: Sentence Level Revision

In this assignment you will substantially revise a paragraph from your researched argument focusing on sentence level revision and using the chapter 42 of the e-handbook as a guide. Include in your assignment:

1. Your thesis statement, for context
2. Your original paragraph
3. The revised paragraph
4. A paragraph evaluating your revisions and their impact on the audience, purpose, and meaning of your draft as a whole

Below is a review of some sentence level constructions to look for as you revise your paragraphs. If you need any additional explanation, your e-handbook is a great resource for information and examples, especially chapters 30-46. 


Sentence style:

• Emphasis- are the ideas that you want to emphasize at the end of your sentences?
• Climactic order- are ideas arranged in increasing order of importance?
• Conciseness- are there redundant words that you can eliminate? Are there any empty words or meaningless modifiers (absolutely, awfully, definitely, great, literally, really, very, etc.)
• Replace wordy phrases- See page 685 of the e-handbook for a list of concise replacements for wordy phrases.
• Coordination- make the precise relationship between ideas clear with the appropriate coordinators, either coordinating conjunctions or semicolons. 
• Subordination- have you distinguished minor ideas from major ones with the appropriate subordinating conjunctions or dependent clauses?
• Sentence variety- are the length of your sentences varied? Are the openings of your sentences varied, or do you finding several sentences in a row the same way?
• Eliminate expletives- avoid starting sentences with there or it followed by a form of to be or other linking verb. 

Sentence Clarity and Grammar- Revise for:

• Sentence fragments
• Sentence sprawl
• Misplaced and dangling modifiers
• Faulty parallelism
• Unclear pronoun reference
• Pronoun agreement
• Incorrect pronoun case
• Omitted commas
• Superfluous commas
• Comma splices
• Apostrophe errors
• Words easily confused

Homework for 4.14.11

The focus for this week's class will be on sentence level revision. You have practiced critiquing drafts for large scale, conceptual and organizational issues. Now, building on our sentence style work from last week, we will continue to look for ways to incorporate improvements to your drafts at the sentence level.

• First Year Writing Chapter 8: pp. 286-305
• Bring a body paragraph from your draft to class for a sentence level revision exercise. The body paragraph must be printed out for peer review work.

Reading Homework for 4.7.11

• Chapters 42-45 from the E-handbook.
• Grammar Girl- Mixing verb tenses: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/mixing-verb-tenses.aspx

The quiz over this reading will ask you to revise a list of five sentences that I will provide based on the sentence style skills learned from the reading and the grammar girl podcast.

Additional Guidelines for BA7: Source Integration

Your assignment will need to include:

• Original source passages- one to two sentence passages where you have incorporated a direct citation into your argument.
• Evaluation of original passages- how well have you integrated the source into your passage? Do the sources currently help strengthen your argument? What role do they play? Do they help define a concept? Present a counterargument? Have you used too many sources? Do you rely on a few sources excessively? 
• Strategies for Revision- How might you integrate the source material in a way that will be more effective for your readers? What signal phrases can you use to better specify the information you are citing (remember there is a table with signal phrases in chapter 15 of your e-handbook)? Is the quoted portion longer than necessary?
• Revised source passages
• Evaluation of revisions- How do these changes enhance the quality of your source integration?

Make sure that each section is clearly labeled.

Simple surface level changes, such as changing around a few words or signal phrases, alone will not be sufficient in this assignment. You have the ability to try different strategies and receive feedback before your next draft is due. Chapter 15 from the e-handbook has important information about ways to integrate source material, and will help you think critically about and voice the choices you make in regards to your revisions. Make sure you not only direct your reader to the changes you have made, but specifically relate why those changes will make your argument more effective. This will require you to make connections to your argument as a whole.  

Homework for 3.31.11

• Read Chapter 8 pp. 256-285 from your First Year Writing textbook
• Bring one body paragraph from your researched argument to class for a revision activity

Additional Guidelines for Draft 2.1: Researched Argument

Below is a list of questions to help ensure that you have included all of the necessary components for your researched argument:

1. Does your introduction include a strong, clear, and specific thesis statement?
2. Is your argument focused on a narrow topic? Does you essay advance a specific argument rather than inform on your topic?
3. Are the specific rhetorical strategies you have selected to create your argument best suited to convince your selected audience?
4. How have you established your own credibility in your argument?
5. Have you fairly considered and addressed counterarguments? Do you cite sources that strongly present the counterargument?
6. Have you incorporated logical appeals into your argument?
7. Does you argument include six scholarly sources? Have you effectively integrated these sources into your writing and argument?
8. Have you considered the contexts of the articles you quote?
9. Is your your argument clearly organized? Does the design (five paragraph, headed sections, etc.) support your argument or distract from it?
10. Do your language choices consider the needs of your audience? Have you removed technical jargon, overly formal language, and cliches? Have you balanced your use of specific and general language?

Additionally, make sure to include a works cited list that reflects all of the sources you use in your argument, whether quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. Works cited and in-text citations should be in MLA format which you can review in your e-handbook or at Purdue's Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

Also be sure to include a conclusion that summarizes your main points and restates your thesis. 

Reading Homework for 3.24.11

Chapter 8 (pp. 239-255) of your First-Year Writing textbook


Thoroughly read the assignment description for Draft 2.1, start drafting your argument, and bring any questions you have on the assignment to class with you Thursday.

Additional Guidelines for BA6

1. This assignment should be in essay format- include a short introduction and conclusion.
2. Make sure to address all of the questions in the prompt
3. Focus on analyzing the way the visuals function within the text
4. Provide specific suggestions for improvement
5. Consider the visual within the context of the overall argument
6. Use specific evidence from the text to support your assessment of the effectiveness of the visuals
7. In your conclusion, offer an evaluative statement of the visuals' effectiveness in the article

Reading Quiz Question Guide for 3.10

1. What are the four topics for making an audience attentive?
2. What are the four topics for making an audience receptive?
3. What is insinuation and when should you use it in your argument?
4. List three types of narratives you can use in an argument to state your position.
5. How do you find out what a visual argument has to say? In other words, what elements do you look for in a visual to understand the meaning of the image?

Additional Guidelines for BA5

For Brief Assignment 5 due this Tuesday:

Remember, all assignments, unless instructed otherwise, should be like a MINI ESSAY. What does this mean? Well, you should include the following:
1. An Introduction
2. A thesis statement
3. A body supporting your thesis
4. A conclusion
5. Follows MLA in-text citations and works cited

This assignment is a mini-rhetorical analysis of an argument, so evaluate HOW the author presents their argument effectively or ineffectively.
Answer questions like: 
What is the author's argument? What is the author's purpose? What sources do they rely on? How does this evidence demonstrate the authors’ ideology? Do they make appeals to emotion, ethics, and/or logic?


Go beyond whether or not you agreed with the argument to evaluate its effectiveness logically. What underlying premises or assumptions does the author make that reveals their theoretical framework? Remember, a theoretical framework refers to how the writer views the world and what type of knowledge the writer values. Remember to provide evidence from the text that supports your claims and to integrate this evidence effectively into your writing. 

Reading Homework for 3.10.11

The reading homework in Raider Writer is out of order with the material you will need to have covered to complete the assignment. So for now, I will assign the correct reading that corresponds with your brief assignment. I will post the changes here on the blog each week, so it will be important for you to keep updated on the correct reading for both class quizzes and discussion, and the brief assignments. 


The reading assignment for next class is the following:
First-Year Writing: Chapter 7 pp. 201-235; E-Handbook: Chapter 10


I will post guiding questions for the quiz, as usual, no later than Wednesday.

Class and Office Hours Week of March 1st

This week on Monday (February 28) and Thursday (March 3) my office hours are cancelled. I am out of town for a conference this week and you will have a substitute instructor on Thursday, Mrs. Melissa Aday. If you have any questions on revising your drafts, don't hesitate to email me, as I will be checking my mail frequently Monday and Tuesday. 


As I did last week, I will post potential quiz questions to the blog no later than Wednesday afternoon to help you focus your reading homework. Your assigned reading for 3/3 is from the First Year Writing textbook, chapter 5, pages 153-166. I will also post an extra credit question related to your reading. These extra points will accrue and can be used to make up points on quizzes missed due to absence or to supplement lower quiz scores from the beginning of the semester. 

Potential Quiz Questions for 2/24

The answers to the following questions can be found in your E-handbook reading and the Grammar Girl Podcast on the serial comma:

1. What are the four purposes of constructing an argument?
2. What are the three characteristics of an arguable statement?
3. What are the three major types of appeals used in an argument?
4. Identify three types of logical appeals.
5. What is the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning? Be able to define each.
6. When must you use a serial comma?

Additionally, from your First-Year Writing reading, focus on the John Stuart Crossfire example, as we will discuss this in class. 

Extra Guidelines for Peer Critiques

The following questions can be used to guide you as you read the drafts you are assigned to peer critique. In addition to the questions asked of you in the assignment prompt, these questions will help you break down your commentary by specific areas of the draft. These questions can be useful for organizing your own thoughts on the drafts, targeting specific issues within each critique. Notice that none of these relate to the small editing issues within a draft. You will need to focus on the larger issues presented here rather than commenting on specific spelling, grammar, or mechanical issues. The exception would be identifying a pattern in those type of errors that you can briefly mention.


Overall thoughts: What are the main strengths and weaknesses of the draft? What might be confusing to readers? What will readers need to know more about?

Assignment: Does the draft carry out the assignment and meet the stated criteria?

Thesis: Does the draft follow through with what the thesis promises?

Audience: Does the draft interest and appeal to its intended audience?

Major Points: Do any points need to be explained more or less fully? Do any points seem confusing? Should any be eliminated or added? Are they well supported?

Organization and flow: Is the writing easy to follow? Are the ideas presented in an order that will make sense to the reader? Do effective transitions ease the flow between paragraphs and ideas?

Paragraphs: Which paragraphs are clearest and most interesting? Which need further development?

Homework for 2.24.11

• E-handbook Chapter 11
• First Year Writing Chapter 5 pp. 135-153
• Bring a copy of your literature review to workshop as a class
• Note: If you do not bring a copy of your literature review to class, you will be counted absent
• Grammar Girl: The Serial Comma
• http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/serial-comma.aspx

Draft 1.1: The Literature Review Assignment Checklist

• Have I explained my purpose for the review?
• Have I explained the significance of the scholarly work I reviewed?
• Are my sources scholarly and reputable?
• Have I synthesized the sources, providing insight into the significance of the scholars' contributions and their relationship to each other?
• Have I reached the 1500 word count minimum?
• Do I have at least eight sources?
• Have I correctly provided in-text citations and a works cited list in MLA format?

Your literature review should include:
    a. an Introduction with a clear Thesis that identifies a common theme (i.e. "Though most scholars within field ABC believe that XYZ is true, there are a few scholars who refute those claims")
    b. a Body which discusses particular themes within the works (remember you are not discussing one author per paragraph, but one theme per paragraph)
    c. a Conclusion that readdresses your thesis or calls for further research

Reading Homework for 2.10.11

1. E-handbook chapters 13, 15, and 17
2. Grammar Girl Podcast # 3: First, Second, and Third Person
• http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/first-second-and-third-person.aspx

You will be quizzed over the content of both the e-handbook reading and the Grammar Girl podcast.

Brief Assignment Four Checklist: Annotated Bibliography

Remember that the focus of your annotations should be on evaluating the sources rather than summarizing their content. While a brief amount of summary is appropriate, you want to spend most of your time evaluating the accuracy, usefulness, and quality of the source through the evaluation criteria we discussed in class and which can be reviewed in your e-handbook chapter 14. 

• Have I created entries for at least six scholarly sources located in the TTU library database?
• Do my source citations follow MLA format correctly?
• Are my annotations at least 100-150 words long?
• Do my annotations evaluate the accuracy, usefulness and quality of the source?
• Have I discussed the context in which the source appears?
• Have I considered the assumptions the author makes about the subject?
• Have I made effective and specific references to the source in order to support my discussion of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the source? 

Annotated Bibliography Guide

This example and explanation of an annotated bibliography comes from the Purdue Online Writing Lab website:

Stem Cell Research: An Annotated Bibliography

Holland, Suzanne. The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate : Science, Ethics, and                        Public Policy. Boston: MIT Press, 2001. Print.

This is the annotation of the above source. In this example, I am following MLA 2009 (3rd ed.) guidelines for the bibliographic information listed above. If I were really writing an annotation for this source, I would offer a brief summary of what this book says about stem cell research.

After a brief summary, it would be appropriate to assess this source and offer some criticisms of it. Does it seem like a reliable and current source? Why? Is the research biased or objective? Are the facts well documented? Who is the author? Is she qualified in this subject? Is this source scholarly, popular, some of both?

The length of your annotation will depend on the assignment or on the purpose of your annotated bibliography. After summarizing and assessing, you can now reflect on this source. How does it fit into your research? Is this a helpful resource? Too scholarly? Not scholarly enough? Too general/specific? Since "stem cell research" is a very broad topic, has this source helped you to narrow your topic?

Senior, K. "Extending the Ethical Boundaries of Stem Cell Research." Trends in                        Molecular Medicine 7 (2001): 5-6. Print.

Not all annotations have to be the same length. For example, this source is a very short scholarly article. It may only take a sentence or two to summarize. Even if you are using a book, you should only focus on the sections that relate to your topic.

Not all annotated bibliographies assess and reflect; some merely summarize. That may not be the most helpful for you, but, if this is an assignment, you should always ask your instructor for specific guidelines.

Wallace, Kelly. "Bush Stands Pat on Stem Cell Policy." CNN. 13 August 2001. 17 August 2001. Television.

Notice that in this example, I chose a variety of sources: a book, a scholarly journal, and a web page. Using a variety of sources can help give you a broader picture of what is being said about your topic. You may want to investigate how scholarly sources are treating this topic differently than more popular sources. But again, if your assignment is to only use scholarly sources, then you will probably want to avoid magazines and popular web sites.

Notice that the bibliographic information above is proper MLA format (use whatever style is appropriate in your field) and the annotations are in paragraph form. Note also that the entries are alphabetized by the first word in the bibliographic entry. If you are writing an annotated bibliography with many sources, it may be helpful to divide the sources into categories. For example, if I were putting together an extensive annotated bibliography for stem cell research, I might divide the sources into categories such as ethical concerns, scholarly analyses, and political ramifications.

For more examples, a quick search at a library or even on the Internet should produce several examples of annotated bibliographies in your area.

Topic Ideas

The annotated bibliography will be due next week and you will need to select a topic in order to complete this assignment. Thinking of a topic can be difficult when you have no specific limits, so I have included a list of possible topic ideas below. Of course you don't have to choose one of these and they are all broader areas that would need to be narrowed, refined, and focused on a problematic issue. However, they are here to help get you started on choosing your topic. 

• Identity theft
• Genetically modified food
• Online voting
• Canadian or Mexican prescriptions ordered online
• Insider trading
• Televised trials
• National identification cards
• Standardized tests
• Farm subsidies
• Minimum wage
• Insanity plea
• Investigative journalism (does it create stories that aren't there?)
• Facebook and other online social media's impact on face to face interactions
• Bilingual education

Additionally, below are some questions to ask yourself when brainstorming for your own topic:

• What do I already know something about?
• What would I like to explore more fully?
• What subjects do I care about?
• What would I like to become an expert on?
• What subjects evoke a strong reaction from me?

If you would like to get feedback on a possible topic, don't hesitate to email me or visit me in my office hours to discuss your ideas.

Synthesis: Making Connections

Below are some questions to think about as you read through the three articles on language that will help you make connections between the sources. Considering these questions will help you to identify a theme or idea that runs through all three that you can build your thesis around. While you may not cover all of these questions in your assignment for each source, answering them in your preliminary readings will aid in critically understanding each source, ultimately making your final product better. 

• What positions do the sources take on the issue?
• What key terms to the sources identify and define?
• What background information do these sources provide?
• How do these sources address their audience?
• How do the sources agree?
• How do they disagree?
• What evidence do the sources use to support their assertions?
• How do the sources address opposing points of view?
• How do the sources organize their main ideas?

Reading Homework for 2.13.11

Chapters 12, 14, and 61 of your e-handbook.
No Grammar Girl this week.

Brief Assignment Three Checklist

• Have I focused on an idea or theme that runs through each article?
• Have I thoroughly explored the connections between the articles?
• Have I used MLA format correctly for my in-text citations and works cited list?
• Have I included a conclusion that effectively pulls my analysis together?
• Does my assignment have a thesis that supports the common element between the three texts?
• Does my introduction include the names of the articles and their authors?
• Does the body of my essay include evidence from the text to support the theme I have identified?
• Is my assignment between 400 and 600 words?

Reading Homework for 1.27.11

1. "Synthesizing Sources" & "Synthesis Writing"- These two documents will be emailed to you as pdf. attachments.

2. Three articles from the New York Times that relate to impacts of the recent Tucson shooting:

• “Cowgirl Country” by Rebecca Traister         http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/magazine/23fob-wwln-t.html?_r=1&ref=arizonashooting2011 
• “State’s Budget Crises Cut Deeply Into Financing for Mental Health Problems” by Marc Lacey, Kevin Sack, & G. Sulzberger                           http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/us/21mental.html?ref=arizonashooting2011
• “After Shooting, Fresh Look at Protecting Law Makers” by Carle Hulse and Ashley Parker  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/us/politics/10security.html?ref=us

We will use these three articles to practice synthesizing sources together in class. As you read these articles, imagine that your topic is an examination of the political and social impacts of the Tucson shooting. Pay attention to commonalities and differences between the sources. Ask yourself how they, together, contribute to the topic as a whole. Remember to bring a copy of each article with you to class and any notes you have taken on the articles so we can get right into discussion. 


3. Grammar Girl Podcast #2- Affect vs. Effect

BA 2: Analysis of Lit Review Checklist

• Have I described the organization of the literature review I am analyzing?
• Have I identified and discussed the author's purpose for writing the literature review?
• Have I discussed the way that the author groups his/her research?
• Have I discussed the kinds of information the author provides about the selected sources?
• Have I cited relevant examples from the literature review to support my analysis of the organization?
• Have I integrated my quotations effectively into my writing?
• Did I properly use MLA formatting for my in-text citations and works cited?
• Have I discussed the rhetorical effect of the organization?
• Do I have a strong conclusion that pulls my analysis together?
• Is my analysis well organized?
• Have I carefully edited for grammatical and mechanical mistakes?
• Is my tone appropriate?

Grammar Girl Podcast #2

Affect vs. Effect:

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/affect-versus-effect.aspx

Reading Homework for 1.20.11

Textbook Reading (for quiz)
Chapter 3 of the St. Martin's Handbook: The Rhetorical Situation


Additional Reading
Literature Review- "(Extraordinary) Bodies of Knowledge: Recent Scholarship in American Disability History" by Susan Birch
This article will be sent to you as pdf. document in an email attachment.
We will examine the structure and components of this literature review together in class to help prepare you for the work you will do on BA2 and the literature review you will write for Draft 1.1.

Brief Assignment 1 Checklist

• Did I answer all of the questions in the prompt?
• Have I reviewed my writing to make sure it is grammatically and mechanically correct?
• Have I thoroughly explored and reflected on my writing weaknesses?
• Did I use my previous writing experiences to contextualize the writing weaknesses I have identified?
• Did I support my reflection with evidence? Did I directly refer to past writing experiences?
• Have I provided an overall evaluative statement of my writing experiences and what I need to work on to be successful in this course?
• Is my reflection organized effectively?
• Did I maintain a professional tone?

Grammar Girl Podcast #1

Every week we will be spending a small portion of the class working on a grammar concept through Grammar Girl podcasts and articles. This will benefit your writing throughout the semester and therefore each concept we cover will be included in the following week's quiz, along with the assigned textbook and e-handbook reading. I will post the link to the podcast and corresponding article each week so that you can review the lesson outside of class as well.


Active Voice Versus Passive Voice Podcast:
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/active-voice-versus-passive-voice.aspx

Additional Class Policies

OFFICE HOURS
Students are encouraged to come to my office hours. These hours are reserved for answering your questions and concerns, so please feel free to stop in. Topics suitable for discussion during office hours include, but are not limited to, help revising assignments, clarification on assignments, brainstorming on assignment topics, concerns about commentary and/or grades, and any other general class related questions. If you cannot attend these office hours, you may set up an appointment with me via email or brief after-class conversation. During an office hour visit the classroom conduct rules apply, including the restriction on cell phone use and texting.


EMAIL
Our primary source of communication outside of the classroom will be through email. Since I teach more than one course, when you email me, make sure that you include your section number in the title and the subject of your inquiry. If you are sending an email attachment, make sure that your name is part of the attached document title. Also, it is important that you adhere to proper email etiquette: Make sure your messages have a professional tone. In addition, only use email to ask quick questions. If you are confused about an assignment or would like some explanation about a grader’s comments on an assignment, you will need to meet with me during office hours. If you are having technical difficulties with Raider Writer, email me right away and let me know. It is possible you could encounter technical issues, so avoid waiting until the last minute to submit your assignments. I will check my email between 8:00am and 5:00pm, Monday through Friday.  Please allow at least 24 hours for a response.  I will respond to any emails that I receive over the weekend on Monday.


CLASS PARTICIPATION
Active class participation is expected from all students in order to succeed in this course. Students will receive a participation grade at the end of the semester that will be an average of the grades accumulated over the semester for class participation. In order to promote preparedness for effective discussion and class activities, there will be a quiz over the reading each week. Class participation also includes completed in-class activities and homework (other than that listed on your Raider Writer Syllabus).


GRADE APPEALS
If you feel your assignment has been unfairly or incorrectly evaluated, you may appeal the grade. To appeal a grade, you must complete the following steps within 7 days of receiving the assigned grade:
1. Draft an argument in favor of the grade you feel you should have earned on the assignment. The argument should include an honest evaluation of the assignment’s strengths and weaknesses, both in general and in regard to the assessment criteria. This argument must be thorough and well thought-out, written in an appropriate tone, and be carefully proofread. You must include direct quotations from the assignment criteria and instructions, the Critical Thinking Rubric, the grader's commentary, and your own writing.
2. Submit a copy of the argument to me within 7 days of the document being graded via email with “Grade Appeal” in the subject line. 
I will review your argument and your submission will be re-evaluated according to the assignment criteria and Critical Thinking Rubric. I will reply with a decision as soon as possible. There is no re-appeal process. My decision is final. You are allowed to appeal two grades during the semester. Draft grades may not be appealed.


CLASS CONDUCT RULES AND PROCEDURES
Be prompt. Class begins on time, therefore a student is considered tardy if he or she is more than 10 minutes late and absent if more than 20 minutes late.
Be prepared with all supplies and textbooks. Students are expected to bring their textbooks to every class.
Be kind and respectful. All actions should reflect kindness and respect for both the instructor and all the other students. I will not tolerate rude or disrespectful behavior directed at any member of this class.
Be mentally present. Use of electronic devices during class will not be tolerated. If your phone rings or if I see you using a cell phone, iPod, or other electronic device during class, you will be asked to leave and will be counted absent or tardy for the day. 
Actively participate in class. Class is a much more enjoyable experience when we engage in class discussion. I reserve the right to call on any student to participate.