University of Rhode Island

Department of Writing & Rhetoric

WRT 104: Writing to Inform and Explain
Fall, 2017

Instructor: Mrs. Jessica Rosa

Office Location: Room 120
Email: jessicarosa@npsri.net
Office Hours: Monday afterschool; Before school by appointment
Class Days/Time: M – F, 1st Period

Course Description
Welcome to WRT 104! You have chosen a course that will challenge your knowledge and practice of writing, as well
as your understanding of yourself as a writer. This course fulfills a General Education requirement for English
Communication (ECw) and focuses on writing as the sharing of information. It covers varieties and strategies of
expository writing for different audiences and situations. Students are introduced to a number of different genres,
including reports, proposals, letters, reviews, websites, and academic essays. In addition, this course provides extensive
practice in writing effectively and using information technologies. These two competencies, required for the general
education program at URI, are integrated into the assignments and activities of this course.

All first-year writing courses at URI require

 four major projects plus other brief or informal writings

 a focus on revision, with peer review and formative teacher response
 a class session with a reference librarian who will facilitate the use of reference databases
 the use of research to inform, explain, or persuade
 a final portfolio

In completing this course successfully, you will become more confident in using a number of writing strategies; you’ll
be able to respond effectively to the writing of others; you’ll recognize different genres and purposes and be able to
adapt to different audiences or demands. Generally speaking, at the end of this class, you’ll be better prepared to face
any writing task.

Learning Outcomes for WRT 104

Students in this course are expected to show evidence of progress towards the eleven learning outcomes listed below.
They will be asked to reflect on at least six of these outcomes (three from each competency area) in their final
portfolios.
1. Writing Effectively
Upon completion of WRT 104, students will be able to:
a. Complete at least four substantial writing projects that meet expectations for focus, development,
organization, and coherence.
b. Revise and edit to meet conventions of standard Englishes.
c. Demonstrate awareness of readers’ needs and expectations for prose style, genres, conventions, and
citation.
d. Reflect upon and explain the appropriateness of their choices for the rhetorical situation and utilize
feedback that addresses both revision and editing.
e. Research, synthesize, analyze, critique, explain, argue, and explore in a variety of writing assignments.
 2. Information Literacy
Upon completion of WRT 104, students will be able to:
a. Identify where support is needed for their claim(s).
b. Learn how to navigate databases and various search engines.
c. Apply the CRAAP test to all sources.
d. Produce an Investigative Report targeted to a specific audience who needs the information.
e. Use phrases that identify attribution.
f. Cite sources according to MLA or APA style guides.

Mandatory Requirements
1. Completion of all projects or other assignments on due dates (including reading, online postings, reading
responses, post-writes, on-time submission of drafts, thoughtful revision between drafts, peer-review work);
2. Completion of a final portfolio that follows all guidelines;
3. Active and consistent participation in online forums, small group, peer response, and collaborative work;
4. Preparation for each class and helpful contributions to class discussion; and
5. Regular attendance (see below) and communication with instructor.

Required Texts [abbreviations as used in schedule noted in brackets]

 Glenn, The Harbrace Guide to Writing (URI edition/Cengage, 2013) [HGW]

Attendance
The small-class environment of WRT classes makes dedicated attendance and full participation the responsibility of
each and every class member. Students who miss classes are responsible for 1) explaining the absence and/or
verifying its necessity; 2) getting the assignments from a classmate or the instructor; and 3) if the instructor agrees,
making up the missed work. If students notify the instructor in advance, absences for religious holidays, athletic
participation, or other university-sanctioned events are excused. Other absences (for illness, accident, or personal
tragedy) may be instructor-approved; however, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor—via email or
a phone message—to explain the absence within 12 hours of the missed class, or to provide documentation at the
following class meeting. Absences that are not university-sanctioned or instructor-approved will mean a loss of points
or a deduction to the final grade. While allowance can be made for an emergency, generally students who miss a total of
three weeks of classes will fail the course.

Deadlines and Due Dates

All work produced out of class is due at the beginning of the class meeting on the date specified. Unless special
arrangements have been made with me, penalties will be applied to late papers. You must complete all assigned
writing projects in order to pass the course.

Formatting Papers
Follow instructor's requirements, which may differ for different projects. Be sure to save all drafts of all projects on a
hard drive, disk, and/or online storage space. Last-minute corrections on copies may be made neatly in black
ink. Each project must be submitted with your name, the date, the course and section number (English 12 – WRT
104), and the instructor’s name (Mrs. Rosa).

Academic Honesty
You need to understand plagiarism and its consequences. Please consult the URI Student Handbook about academic
honesty and related issues. Your may wish to also review URI's Report of Cheating or Plagiarism. The penalty for
plagiarism is a zero for the assignment and a report to your academic dean, who has the option to fail you for the
course; in addition, the charge of academic dishonesty will go on your record in the Office of Student Life. Instructors
may require a paper to be rewritten, with or without credit, separately from or for the portfolio. The Little Seagull
Handbook and many online resources offer extensive help on matters of plagiarism and how to acknowledge source
material. If you need more help understanding when to cite something or how to make clear your references,
PLEASE ASK.
Courtesy
If you must come in late, please do not disrupt the class. Please turn off all cell phones, pagers, or any electronic
devices except when explicitly approved for an in-class activity.

Writing Center
The Writing Center serves all writers, all disciplines, all levels, at all stages of writing. It is located in 408 Roosevelt and the
peer tutors are always happy to help. Now, it is easy to make appointments online at https://uri.mywconline.com/.

Final Grade Distribution

Grades for this course will be calculated as follows:
 Course participation (attendance, short assignments, peer review, etc.): 20%
 Four major projects: 40%
 Final portfolio: 40%

Final exam – This course is a portfolio course – your final exam (SUBMITTED AT RHS mid-year exams) is
and electronic portfolio and reflection of the work you have completed over the course of the semester.

URI Grading Scale:

A 93 B- 80 D+ 68
A- 90 C+ 78 D 63
B+ 88 C 73 F 59
B 83 C- 70

Attachments:
 Four Major Assignments:

I. Memoir
II. Profile
III. Proposal
IV. Investigative Report

 Other Assignments –some assignments will be determined at a later time

 CRAAP Test
I. Memoir

This project asks you to write a memoir: a story of a series of significant experiences, or perhaps one
significant experience that has shaped or changed you. Your narrative should depend on vivid sensory
details and must indicate the narrative’s significance—or why and how it matters.

Be sure to illustrate relationships and characters through dialogue—let readers hear the voices of the people
in your memoir. You’ll need to demonstrate how events relate to one another, using transitional phrases to
help readers make those connections and follow along.

You might begin by discussing with a partner several possible experiences you are considering writing about
for this assignment. Which of your ideas would be most interesting to a potential reader?

Rhetorical Situation
Who will want to read your story? Why? What might they learn from it? Where might a reader encounter a
story like this outside the classroom?
1. Identify an opportunity.
2. Locate an audience
3. Identify a fitting response
The length of the piece will depend on your choice of genre, but should correspond to a print equivalent of
3-4 pages, or 1000-1200 words. You’ll prepare a workshop draft, get feedback from peers, and then revise
and improve the piece so that your submission draft meets the learning outcomes.

Deadlines
Workshop draft due date (in class on time): September 29, 2017
Submission draft (including all prewriting and source materials) due date: October 6, 2017

Enhancing Your Understanding

After you've read and annotated this assignment sheet (underlining important phrases, noting details added
in class, putting question marks where you're confused, etc.), turn this assignment over. On the back, write:
 Three things you know you'll have to do for this assignment:
 Three things you think someone might be confused about:
 Your plan (ideas, time, etc.) for getting started on this project:
II. Profile

For this assignment, you will choose to portray or “capture” in writing someone that readers will find
interesting or compelling. Because “field research” is needed in order to know your subject intimately, you’ll
need to allow time for observations, interviews, and research. You’ll include vivid descriptions so that
readers can imagine how the subject sounds, looks, and acts. You’ll want to guide readers towards an
emotional response to or a logical conclusion about the person you profile.

Rhetorical Situation
Why are you writing? For whom? Who needs/wants to learn about this person? How do you feel about this
person? How do you want to portray that to your audience?
1. Identify an opportunity
2. Locate an audience
3. Identify a fitting response
The length of the piece will depend on your choice of genre, but should correspond to a print equivalent of
3-5 pages, or 1000-1500 words. You’ll prepare a workshop draft, get feedback from peers, and then revise
and improve the piece so that your submission draft meets the learning outcomes.

Evaluation Criteria
Successful papers will
 Establish ethos effectively
 Target a specific audience
 Offer a vivid description of the subject
 Establish logos by including carefully selected details gathered from research, interviews, and
observation
 Have a clear purpose; guide readers to a particular understanding of the subject
 Be thoughtfully, productively organized, and presented as flawlessly as possible in terms of standard
English grammar and format expectations for the selected genre and for this class

Deadlines
Workshop draft due date (in class on time): October 27, 2017
Submission draft (including all prewriting and source materials) due date: November 3, 2017

Enhancing Your Understanding

After you've read and annotated this assignment sheet (underlining important phrases, noting details added
in class, putting question marks where you're confused, etc.), turn this assignment sheet over. On the back,
write:
 Three things you know you'll have to do for this assignment:
 Three things you think someone might be confused about:
Your plan (ideas, time, etc.) for getting started on this paper:
III. Proposal – This assignment will be done with a partner or in groups of 3

We can all identify problems within the communities we inhabit; however, we don’t often take the time to
find workable solutions to those problems. This assignment asks you to do just that.

You will identify and describe a problem within one of your local communities and propose a feasible
solution. You will need to offer supporting evidence for your proposed solution through a discussion of the
necessary resources, the costs and benefits, and the steps needed to enact the proposed solution. A
successful proposal will also acknowledge and defend against any objections or counter-arguments.

Rhetorical Situation
What audience is impacted by this problem? What solution do you want to propose to the audience, and
what strategies and evidence will help you do that? What do they need to know to understand your
proposed solution? What are your available means of persuasion?
1. Identify an opportunity.
2. Locate an audience
3. Identify a fitting response
The length of the piece will depend on your choice of genre, but should correspond to a print equivalent of
3-5 pages, or 1000-1500 words. You’ll prepare a workshop draft, get feedback from peers, and then revise
and improve the piece so that your submission draft meets the learning outcomes.

Evaluation Criteria
Successful papers will
 Establish ethos effectively
 Target a specific audience and evidences a strong understanding of their needs and interests
 Describe a clear and identifiable problem
 Offer an acceptable solution as well as specific details about the costs and benefits
 Explain the steps necessary to enact the solution
 Be thoughtfully, productively organized, and presented as flawlessly as possible in terms of standard
English grammar and format expectations for the selected genre and for this class

Deadlines
Workshop draft due date (in class on time - peer review groups will be assigned in advance):
December 1, 2017
Submission draft (including all prewriting and source materials) due date: December 8, 2017

Enhancing Your Understanding

After you've read and annotated this assignment sheet (underlining important phrases, noting details added
in class, putting question marks where you're confused, etc.), turn this assignment sheet over. On the back,
write:
 Three things you know you'll have to do for this assignment:
 Three things you think someone might be confused about:
 Your plan (ideas, time, etc.) for getting started on this paper:
IV. Investigative Report

For this assignment, you will write a report that informs your audience about a topic or issue. You will begin by
determining the purpose of your investigative report and deciding what information is relevant to your audience.

This research assignment asks that you define an issue in precise terms and make clear why that issue needs to be
investigated. It requires convincing facts and details to help readers understand how the issue affects different groups.
It identifies the conclusion readers should reach about an issue, and uses strategies like narration, cause and effect,
description, analysis, and/or definition to help readers understand. You are expected to represent accurately and fairly
the ideas of all sources and all perspectives.

Your report should be crisp and concise. Consider using headings, charts, graphs, visuals, etc. to help communicate
the information clearly and economically.

Rhetorical Situation
Why are you writing? Whom are you writing for? How do you want to portray that to your audience?
1. Identify an opportunity.
2. Locate an audience
3. Identify a fitting response
The length of the piece will depend on your choice of genre, but should correspond to a print equivalent of 5-6 pages,
or 1500-1800 words. You’ll prepare a workshop draft, get feedback from peers, and then revise and improve the
piece so that your submission draft meets the learning outcomes.

Research
In organizing this informational report, you need to integrate sources.
 How do the findings of one study influence your interpretations of another?
 What threads of agreement can you trace through several articles?
 What qualifies as common knowledge and what are the rogue theories or approaches?
 What do the experts agree on, and where do they part ways?
 What don’t scientists know yet about this issue, and why not?
 What are your available means of persuasion?

Documentation
You may use MLA or APA documentation style, and you must carefully cite all sources used to credit authors and to
maintain academic integrity (aka avoid plagiarism).

Deadlines
Workshop draft due date (in class on time): January 5, 2018
Submission draft (including all prewriting and source materials) due date: January 12, 2018

Enhancing Your Understanding

After you've read and annotated this assignment sheet (underlining important phrases, noting details added in class,
putting question marks where you're confused, etc.), turn this assignment over. On the back, write:
 Three things you know you'll have to do for this assignment:
 Three things you think someone might be confused about:
 Your plan (ideas, time, etc.) for getting started on this paper. How will you allocate your time so you can read
all you need to in order to provide accurate and well-balanced information?
Other Assignments:

Reflections:
You will be required to complete (2) two short reflections during the course.
The first will be completed after you submit the second project (The Memoir). You will use this time to
look back at the work you produced and your process and discuss what worked and what did not work.
Your reflection should be honest and focus on yourself. Take this opportunity to learn from your actions,
and think about how you can maintain certain aspects of your study for the next project while improving
upon other areas.

The second reflection will occur at the end of the course. This reflection will be your own self-evaluation of
your progress over the course of the semester. As with the previous reflection, you will be asked to be
honest with yourself. Think about how you have grown in your writing, research, and other areas of study.

Miscellaneous:
 Daily Free Writes
 Article of the Week Assignment – this will lead you to the investigative report
 Bring in a paper for peer editing / revision workshop– This is a paper from another class!!
 CRAAP Test –
URI http://uri.libguides.com/start/craap

When you search for information, you're going to find plenty... but is it accurate and reliable? You will have to determine this
for yourself, and the CRAAP Test can help. The CRAAP Test is a list of questions to help determine if the information you
find is good quality. Your information source may not meet every criterion on this list; different criteria will be more or less
important depending on your situation or need. So why guess? Is your source giving you truly credible and useful information,
or just a lot of...?!

Currency: The timeliness of the information.

• When was the information published or posted?
• Has the information been revised or updated?
• Is the information current or too out-of-date for my topic?
• Are all the links functional or are there dead links?*
Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs.
• Does the information relate to my topic or answer my question?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too simple or advanced) for my needs?
• Did I look at a variety of sources before deciding to use this one?
• Would I be comfortable using this source for my college research paper?
Authority: The source of the information.
• Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
• Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
• What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations?
• What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic?
• Is there contact information, such as a publisher or e-mail address?
• Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? Examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net*
Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the information.
• Where does the information come from?
• Is the information supported by evidence?
• Has the information been reviewed by anyone else?
• Can I verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
• Does the language or tone seem biased? Or is it free of emotion?
• Are there spelling, grammar, typographical, or other errors?
Purpose: The reason the information exists.
• What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade?
• Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
• Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda?
• Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
• Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?
*criteria specifically for evaluating Web site information
adapted from:

Evaluating information – Applying the CRAAP test, 10/24/2007. Reference & Instruction, Meriam Library ReSEARCH
Station, Meriam Library, California State University, Chico, CA. 17 Mar 2008.
<http://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/evalsites.html>

Prepared for University Library lobby display, Evaluating information from the World Wide Web, March 2008.