Essays

You will complete three major essays, two of which will be jointly assigned with HSTAA 135.  Although the paper assignments will vary in length, you should expect to produce approximately fifteen pages of revised, polished writing over the quarter.  I require at least two drafts of all major essay assignments; only the final draft receives a grade.  Before revising your draft and submitting it for a grade, you will receive feedback from your peers and me.  You can also seek additional feedback from the history course TA and from consultants at the history writing center.

Please submit essays on 8 ½" by 11" paper, titled, paginated, typed and double-spaced, with one-inch margins.  In the upper right hand corner of the first page, include your name, the course number, the assignment number, and the due date; this information should be single-spaced.  You may use a 10 or 12 point Arial, Bookman, Century Schoolbook, or Times New Roman font for your papers.

You must turn in all major essays in order to pass the class.  Please submit final essay drafts with all previous drafts, peer critiques, and conference worksheets attached.  Final drafts turned in without these materials will be considered late.

Homework

Homework should be typed and formatted as described above unless otherwise specified.  I will grade homework on a minus, check, plus scale, with plus representing a thorough, focused, organized, well-argued response to the assignment, check an thoughtful, adequately organized and argued response, and minus a simplistic, inadequately organized and argued response.

Peer Critiques

For each major essay, students will critique each other’s drafts in groups of three or four.  Each student will complete peer critiques for two group members and receive critiques from two fellow writers.  In class, we will develop criteria to guide the peer review process.  I will grade peer critiques on a minus, check, plus scale.

Conferences

For each essay, I will schedule individual half-hour conferences to talk about your first draft and ideas for revision.  You should come to conferences prepared to discuss the responses you have received from peers, your own assessment of your draft, and your plans for revision 

Portfolio and Reflective Statement

At the end of the term, you will turn in a portfolio of selected essays, peer critiques, and homework completed over the course of the quarter.  With the portfolio, you will submit a two- to three-page reflective statement that explains your selections and evaluates your progress as a writer in history.  Please note that you must submit the portfolio and reflective statement to pass the course.  In order to have the widest possible range of materials from which to select your portfolio pieces, you should save all homework, in-class writing, peer critiques, essay drafts, and conference preparation materials.

Email and Access to Course Web Page

You must have a working email account and a way to access the course Web page.  I will frequently upload schedule changes and handouts generated during class discussion to the course Web page.  I also expect to communicate regularly with you--and for you to communicate with each other--via email.

Participation

The workshop nature of the course requires students to attend each class session prepared to discuss texts, present ideas, share writing done as homework, and critique essay drafts.  Infrequent participation and inadequate preparation will lower your final grade for the course.