Policies

Please read each of the following requirements carefully. Your success in the class depends on our compliance with these terms.

University Mission Statement:
Azusa Pacific University exists as an evangelical Christian community of discipleship and scholarship to advance the work of God in the world through liberal arts and professional programs of higher education that encourage students to develop a Christian perspective on truth.

The Department of English:
introduces students to significant works of the literary imagination, guides their development in language and composition, and encourages them to read attentively, reflect deeply, write cogently, and express themselves creatively, all to glorify God and serve others.

Course Description:
Freshman Writing Seminar emphasizes the development of academic essays based on critical reading of texts.

Purpose and Method:
Freshman Writing Seminar aims to teach you to write college papers effectively and to read and think critically.
During this course, you will
• Read and view a variety of texts
• Develop questions and ideas that you will use in a series of increasingly complex essays that help strengthen your writing and thinking skills.

In order to reinforce the relationships between the elements that create an essay, you will
• Develop your writing skills by learning to strengthen your thesis statements and topic sentences, paragraph structures, and sentence structures
• Practice your critical thinking skills by finding and interpreting evidence from the texts and connecting the evidence to your assertions
• Regularly revise rough drafts in order to refine and clarify your argument.


Required Text:
What’s Language Got to Do with It?, by Keith Walters and Michael Brody
A Writer’s Reference; Sixth Edition, by Diana Hacker

Attendance Policy:
Attendance will be taken at each class meeting. Regular attendance is expected and necessary for success in a skills-based class like Freshman Writing Seminar. Make a commitment now to attend class regularly and on time. If you miss six (6) classes you may be dropped from the class. Every two 15-minute tardies will equal one absence. Students who choose to drop must do so officially with Admissions and Records. The last date to drop is Friday, November 7th. Please talk to me if you run into any serious problems that may affect your attendance.

Late Paper Policy:
Papers are due on the due date. Because emergencies happen, you may turn in ONE essay up to one week past the due date without penalty. But any late papers after that will receive a 10% reduction in the grade. Any papers more than a week late will not be graded.

Rewrite Policy:
You may rewrite one essay. The rewrite will be due one week after you receive your grade for the paper. In order to receive credit you must highlight in bold lettering the changes you make in your new draft AND attach the original graded draft to the new draft.

Extra Credit Policy:
There will be opportunities for extra credit: volunteers for the rough draft workshops will receive 5 extra credit points (only once for each volunteer); you may also receive up to 5 extra credit points doing certain assignments at the Writing Center (Rm 125 of Marshburn Library). You may only receive a total of 10 extra credit points for the semester.

Plagiarism Policy:
Plagiarism and cheating undermine the fundamental aims of higher education and cannot be tolerated. Please review carefully the College’s policy on Academic Integrity on-line under the Office of the Undergraduate Registrar. The terms of this policy will be strictly adhered to.

Paper Submission and Typing Policy:
Essays and assignments prepared outside of the class must be neatly typed according to MLA standards (see below for basic guidelines). The essays must also be proofread and edited.

In addition to the final draft of the paper you are turning in, please attach a copy of your rough draft, your first draft of the paper, when the rough draft has been assigned. Without a copy of your rough draft, 10 points will automatically be deducted from the final grade of the paper.

Please keep a copy of all your work and all of your graded work for the semester in case any questions arise. This offers a safety net for both me and you.


DISABILITY PROCEDURE:
Any student in this course who has a disability that might prevent him/her from fully demonstrating his/her abilities should meet with an advisor in the Learning Enrichment Center as soon as possible to initiate disability verification and to discuss accommodations that may be necessary to ensure the student's full participation in the classroom and the successful completion of course requirements.