Basic Course Information

One of the gifts of being a writer is that it gives you an excuse to do things, to go places and explore.  Another is that writing motivates you to look closely at life, at life as it lurches by and tramps around.

- Anne Lamott

Writing 150.21 – Strategies in Writing

Grand Valley State University

Fall 2013

Monday: 10-11:50 am, A1121 MAK (lab)

Wednesday: 10:00-11:50 am, 2123 ASH (lecture)

Instructor: Kristin Hartridge

Office: LOH 304

Phone: 269.207.1835

Email: hartridh@gvsu.edu or kshart@gmail.com

Office Hours: Monday 8:00-9:30 am; Wednesday 8:00-9:30

Class Website: http://gvsuwriting.blogspot.com/

Course Overview

I have incredible faith that you are already a confident writer and reader.  The purpose of Writing 150 is to build upon what you already know and introduce you to strategies and genres that will help you succeed throughout your time at Grand Valley and as you move along in your life.  Our class will be based on reading, writing, thinking about and responding to texts from multiple genres.

Our classroom will be a shared learning environment, and I expect you to come to class prepared.  I also expect you to respect yourselves and each other, while speaking freely.  Each of us has something to teach, just as each of us has something to learn.  Our class will be a place of learning, growth, respect, rigor, and intellectual stimulation where you will deepen your understanding of literacy, which includes behaving and knowing in the world.  In an effort to do this we will be reading and writing a great deal.  Do not be scared by the amount of reading and writing that I am asking of you.  Both are learned skills that require consistent practice and effort; both are required to become a better reader, writer and active participant in the world around you.

Writing 150 is a required class for all GVSU students; you must pass the course with at least a c (not a c-) to graduate.

Required Text

Grand Valley Dept. of Writing.  A Guide to First-Year Writing at Grand Valley State University.  12^th ed.  Littleton: Tapestry Press, 2013.

Lunsford, Andrea.  Easy Writer. 4^th Ed. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010.

Bring these texts to class with you each day.

Additional readings will be assigned throughout the term.  They will be posted on our class website – please print them out and bring them to class. 

I strongly suggest you invest in:

-A good dictionary, such as any edition of Webster’s Collegiate, American Heritage, or The Random House Dictionary of the English Language.  If you do not purchase a dictionary, do get in the habit of using an Internet based dictionary. 

-A flash drive.  Regularly back up your work.  Computer meltdowns are unfortunate, but are not an excuse for late work.  Also, you will need to show your different drafting processes and work at various stages of development, so saving different versions of your work (either as a .doc file, on a flash drive or in some sort of Cloud system) will help a great deal as you work on your Final Portfolio.