Syllabus

ENGL 130W: Academic Writing
Fall 2022

Instructor: Dr. Kim Jaxon
Office Hours by appointment. Feel free to email with questions; we can also find a time to meet in person or via Zoom that works for you.
Email: kjaxon@csuchico.edu
Email for sharing Google Docs: kjaxon@mail.csuchico.edu

Teaching Associates (TAs):

• Lauren Wassam
• Sel Hartman
• Marisa Cala-Keck

We acknowledge and are mindful that CSU, Chico stands on lands that were originally occupied by the first people of this area, and we recognize the Mechoopda and their distinctive spiritual relationship with this land and the waters that run through campus. We are humbled that our campus resides upon sacred lands that once sustained the Mechoopda people for centuries.

---

Course Description

Welcome! English 130, “Academic Writing,” is a core General Education and W (writing intensive) course (Area A2) that introduces you to the challenges of university level writing, reading, and critical thinking. To do this, instructors focus on: developing your ability to read, engage with, connect to, and make a variety of texts; deepening your research and inquiry processes and skills; using writing to effectively respond to situations and communicate with others; and helping you through the writing process in a social, collaborative, revision-focused environment.

In W-courses, students use writing to inquire into and respond to course topics, engage in rigorous study about a body of knowledge essential to various audiences, and communicate that knowledge clearly to those audiences. A grade of C- or better is needed to pass this course. You got this. 

Our Section of 130: Tracing our Literacies

Our section of Academic Writing is an invitation to closely study your reading and writing practices, with an emphasis on celebrating and supporting language diversity and your own goals for research and writing. We’ll engage in research methods and consider how our various disciplines support research. We will weave the practices of academic writing–research, citation, revision, editing, etc–throughout a variety of papers and multimodal compositions.

Required Materials:

• Readings available as pdfs in a platform called Perusall. You’ll need access to the readings in class so we can work with the ideas. To Join:
  • Go to perusall.com, click Login, and then either log in using your Facebook, Twitter, or Google account, or create a Perusall account using your email address and setting up a password.
  • Select I am a student and enter our course code (shared in class)
• If you have a laptop, bring it to class each time.
• A note about Data ethics: I take the privacy and security of student data seriously. Here is a helpful link to information about Google’s privacy policies. You can find links to manage your activity and stay informed about the way Google uses your information. Link to Perusall’s privacy statement here. I do not track user information on my WordPress site and you will not need to log in to use.

Determining Your Final Course Grade:

• Reading and Annotating in Perusall 70 points
• Peer response (in class) 30 points
• Tracing Your Literacies (data collection & paper) 15 points
• Literacy Interview (interview & paper) 25 points
• Digital Literacies (data collection) 5 points
• Schooled Literacies (data collection, summary, & paper) 40 points
• Project: Choose Your Own Adventure (Curated Resource & Poster Session) 50 points

Total: 235 points

(Grade: 95-100%=A, 90-94%=A-, 85-89%=B+, 80-84%=B, etc)

Attendance: Seriously, I am not a fan of attendance policies. They are uninviting and too much like school for me. Over 20 years of teaching, I have tried out every possible configuration, including no policy at all. This is the one I’ve landed on that makes me, and hopefully you, the most comfortable: you may miss class 4 times for any reason. After 4, you’ve missed more than two weeks of class and you’ll need to retake the course. You’ll notice that there are quite a few days where you’ll need to be in class for credit (such as peer response days). Our job as a class: create an environment where you want to be here and missing is simply due to some life going on…

I look forward to working together this semester!

---

Campus Support

Wildcat Basic Needs Program

Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect their performance in the course, is urged to contact the Wildcat Basic Needs Program. Furthermore, please notify the professor if you are comfortable in doing so. This will enable her to provide any resources that she may possess. Please reach out: I am here to help.

COVID-19 Campus Update for fall 2022

All students are required to complete their COVID-19 Vaccination Self-Certification by 8/15/2022. For additional information regarding this requirement please visit https://www.csuchico.edu/coronavirus/vaccine-certification-student.shtml 

Chico State may at any time require the use of an approved face covering which covers the nose and mouth in all indoor campus spaces and in order to participate in this course when in person. When face coverings are optional, masks are always welcome on campus. You will be notified if face coverings are required.

Policies and requirements regarding COVID-19 are subject to change pursuant to campus, local, state and/or federal guidelines. Please note that dishonesty relating to the vaccination policy and/or failure to comply with any COVID-19 related safety policy or mandate may result in disciplinary action through the office of Student Conduct, Rights and Responsibilities, which can include suspension or expulsion from the California State University system.

It is very important to contact the COVID-19 hotline if symptomatic, have been exposed, or have tested positive for COVID-19. The hotline is (530) 898-2222 or covidhotline@csuchico.edu.

Americans with Disabilities Act

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability or chronic illness, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Please also contact Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) as they are the designated department responsible for approving and coordinating reasonable accommodations and services for students with disabilities. ARC will help you understand your rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act and provide you further assistance with requesting and arranging accommodations.

Confidentiality and Mandatory Reporting

As a Chico State professor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment for Chico State students.  It is my goal that you feel able to share information related to your life experiences in classroom discussions, in your written work, and in our one-on-one meetings. I will seek to keep information you share private to the greatest extent possible. However, I am required to share information regarding sexual misconduct with the University.

Students may speak to someone confidentially by contacting the Counseling and Wellness Center (898-6345) or Safe Place (898-3030).  Information about campus reporting obligations and other Title IX related resources are available here.

DACA

Information and support for Dreamers and allies (created by Dr. Hannah Burdette in ILLC)

---