As composition theorist Peter Elbow has written in several places, grades rarely measure learning accurately or foster a productive learning environment. Compositionist Asao B. Inoue has argued many times that a writing course that bases its assessments on labor rather than on subjective judgments of final products is a course that acknowledges the diverse literacies of students and that emphasizes the fact that writing is a process. Simply put, grades reduce complex ideas and practices to a single letter, obscuring the differences between, say, proofreading skills and the ability to support an argument.So, our class is going to take Elbow’s and Inoue’s advice. To shift our attention from grading toward thoughtful assessment, I’m going to make you a deal. If you fulfill all the terms of the contract below, I will guarantee you a grade no lower than a B. If you consistently exceed the standards in each category below, your grade will improve. If you can’t complete all of the terms of the contract, your grade will go down. Fear not: You will still receive assessments that will guide you throughout the course; and you will still be able to calculate your total grade for the course throughout the semester. Each “above standard” in an overall category will raise your grade by ½ a letter, and each “below standard” will lower your grade by ½ a letter. The difference between how we will work through this course and how other grading paradigms function is that the expectations for a B are based on concrete, observable behaviors, not subjective judgments of quality.This course focuses on your developing durable, long term composing and tutoring practices. As a result, I have emphasized the processes needed to succeed as a writer and tutor. Moreover, because this contract emphasizes effective writing processes, not producing specific products, you can focus on a few manageable goals at a time, rather than feeling pressure to master everything at once. I hope you take this as an opportunity to experiment, to take risks in your writing and thinking about pedagogy, and to trust that you will learn something in the process: even if you try something new and fail, you can (in the words of Samuel Beckett) “fail better” next time, without being penalized.
Please read this all the way through at least one time before you sign it.
I. To earn a B for this course
- Attend at least 90% of our class periods. As per Centenary’s guidelines, you are allowed three absences, for whatever reason. You are expected to arrive on time. Three late arrivals equal one absence. I begin marking people late five minutes after the class has started. If you are more than 15 minutes late, I will mark you absent. If you miss more than three classes total, your grade in this category will fall to a “below standard.” After that, every class that you miss will count against you by ½ a grade letter (so, you’ll go from a B to a B- to a C+ to a C, etc.). You will use classroom time productively. Always keep in mind that attendance means more than mere physical presence. Be consistently prepared for class: read and respond to the required materials, and bring any required texts or drafts to class, actively comment on Google Docs during peer review and other activities. Since our course involves very little lecture, you will not be able to recover lost time simply by reading the materials.Please also note that I don’t distinguish between excused and unexcused absences. First, such policies usually require arbitrary decisions. Second, often your reasons for missing class are none of my business, so I won’t put you on the spot to share them – although I invite you to discuss your specific circumstances with me, if you so choose, so that I can help you figure out how to best approach the challenges of college. Finally, your reason for missing class, no matter how good, does not change the fact that you missed work and contact time. If you need to miss class, be sure to email me and make up the work.If you have, or expect to have, problems with absences or latenesses, speak to me as soon as possible. I’m very flexible as long as you contact me and make up your work quickly and consistently.
- Participate during every class period, discussion, guest speaker session, and/or peer review session. In the classroom, take the work we do seriously, and actively collaborate with your fellow students during group activities. In your peer review comments, push yourself to provide your classmates with consistently thorough, thoughtful, helpful feedback. Taking their work seriously enough to think hard about how it can be improved is crucial for your success, and theirs, in this course. Note that this is not just about praise or criticism: ask questions, make connections, explore possibilities. I will explain the benefits and expectations of peer review before our first session, and we will develop a rubric together. At the end of the semester, I will read through your peer review comments, and will mark them as “above,” “at,” or “below” the B-level expectations of the class. Failing to submit a draft to your peer review group, coming to class without a draft for peer review, or failing to offer comments on your peers’ drafts on time will result in a “below standard” for peer review.
- For every assignment, produce a substantial, thoughtful piece of writing that follows all guidelines in the prompt. To earn a B, you must complete all drafts of each major assignment on time. The quality of your final product will help you earn a grade better than a B, but only if you’ve completed the required drafts throughout the semester and followed the guidelines in the assignment descriptions. A late draft is anything turned in 1-7 days after the deadline indicated on the course schedule. I will not accept assignments that are more than 7 days late; drafts that are 8 days late and beyond are considered a missed assignment. I will provide an explanation of the requirements for each draft as it arrives. I will provide written comments on the second draft of every assignment, and will give additional feedback during our individual conferences. Your final drafts will be marked as “above,” “at,” or “below” B-level expectations for the assignment, according to the guidelines.
- If you need extra time to complete an assignment (an extension), let me know as soon as you do. I’m usually pretty flexible in this regard, but only if I know well in advance of the due date (i.e. not the night before, not half an hour before the deadline, and not after your peers have started peer review).
- Complete all semi-weekly assignments, including readings, any assigned exercises, and sample docs, and actively comment on and extend other people’s contributions through class discussion. The readings and Perusall comments are important for our class discussion this semester in order to provide theoretical guidance and practical examples of the writing we’ll be practicing. You should complete the reading and annotations before class, and be prepared to participate in a discussion of that reading with the rest of the class. The sample docs are an opportunity to make connections between the practical and theoretical aspects of the course as we try out some of the genres of civic discourse we discuss and analyze. Trying your hand at some of these sometimes-unfamiliar genres will help you broaden your experience as a writer and communicator.
- Complete all presentation requirements, both formal and informal. Being able to present and speak about writing openly is an important part of the writing process. Public speaking is also often a crucial part of civic engagement. With this in mind, in order to receive a standard for this part of our contract, you will need to effectively present your work during class periods when asked. Often, these presentations will be quite informal – basically an explanation of your argument or approach to a document rather than a formal slideshow standing in front of the class. However you will be expected to talk about your composing process and engage in an open discussion of your opinions respectfully with our classroom community. Similarly, as your peers present their work, you will be expected to participate as a gracious, respectful, and engaged audience member, asking questions and making comments as appropriate.
- Show respect for your classmates and your instructor, and practice mindful uses of technology while in class. This includes taking each other’s ideas seriously, listening to each other during presentations and discussions, refraining from distracting behaviors (falling asleep, reading or watching something online, doing work for other classes, focusing on something other than the task at hand during group work), and being courteous and kind in the language that you use when responding to ideas, formal, and informal assignments. This doesn’t mean that you only have to say nice things about everyone’s writing, but it does mean that you should take into account how it would feel to receive the kind of criticism that you’re giving. We’ll talk about some strategies for giving constructive feedback when we discuss peer review.Being responsible in your use of technology does not mean “DO NOT USE TECHNOLOGY EVER” or “HIDE YOUR PHONE FROM ME WHEN YOU SEE ME COMING OVER.” In fact, I encourage the use of technology in our class (and, also, everyone in the class knows when you’re texting or using SnapChat.) So, if you have a laptop or a tablet, bring it. If you access course readings through your phone, great. Half of our class basically takes place online, and you’ll be sharing drafts and links and posts with each other, so banning computers and phones would be counterproductive. But this means that I expect you to use your technology to do class-related stuff and that I’ll sometimes ask you to put away your tech gear to focus on something else. If you can’t (or won’t) do that, don’t bring it, because it will jeopardize your grade in this category.
- Because of this course’s content, I will be taking the notion of respect particularly seriously. This is not meant to shut down discussions – rather, it is meant to encourage them. We will often be confronting sensitive topics; it is important for us all to recognize that the room will be full of a wide variety of opinions. This is a class about effective writing and communication. Let’s take on the task of learning about that with a respect for one another in mind.
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If you fulfill all of these expectations, you are guaranteed a grade of at least a B overall. I will do my best to keep you informed and afloat with regard to your successful participation. If you’re ever in doubt about your contractual status, feel free to email me or drop by my office hours.
II. Grades Below a B:
Failure to complete the contract will result in a proportional reduction in your final grade below a B. Common ways for students’ grades to go down include:
- Missing a Perusall annotation assignment
- Missing more than three classes.
- Missing a draft of a major assignment.
- Not participating during group project work, or not allowing other group members to take on tasks.
- Consistently checking out in class: sleeping, using your phone, not participating in group work / free writing / pair work / etc.
- Failing to revise your work, or insufficiently revising your work.
- Turning in late drafts or other assignments.
- Not following the guidelines for all assignments.
More substantial deviations from the contract, such as missing a major assignment, or consistently missing informal writing assignments, may result in more serious penalties. On the other hand, I’m usually open to your making up work if you contact me to discuss it. Moreover, I’m much more open to accommodations if you speak to me in advance. In other words, when in doubt, always speak to me.
III. How do I earn above my contract grade?
As mentioned above, grades up to and including B are based purely on behaviors, which is to say on process; for grades above a B, by the end of the semester, your Google Drive folder should be full of work that demonstrates exemplary creativity, precision, and drive in your work. I admit that these terms are, unavoidably, rather fuzzy, but we will spend time in class discussing expectations for each assignment. I also value your opinion about the quality of your work. As a tutor, part of your job is to identify strengths and weaknesses in your fellow students’ work in order to help them improve their writing. While it may be daunting to evaluate your own work, I ask you to do it in order to ground our class assessments in writing tutor practices. Additionally, I’ve indicated behaviors that will bump your grade higher throughout the contract. I’ll indicate throughout the semester if your work is exceeding or not yet meeting the B standard. Students may conference with me about their grades at any time by making an appointment.
