Extra Credit
I offer the following opportunity to improve upon your participation grade (remember: this includes attendance as well as active presence and participation in discussions and workshops) and become a better person in the process. You may do one or more of the following activities.
[1]Attend a Writing Center workshop. The fall workshops will be at 4 pm in Goldstein 208 on the following dates:
September 16 – What’s Your Thesis? Making a Point That Matters
In this workshop students will learn to construct and test what makes a strong, arguable thesis, the “heart” of most academic writing.* October 7 – Staring Down the Blank Page: The Writing Process Made Easier
Since students often wait until the last minute to begin writing and then don’t know where to start, this session will offer some strategies and techniques to help avoid that logjam no matter when it occurs—the night or even a week before a paper is due.* October 28 – Get With the Flow: Making Connections in Your Writing
Students often ask us if their paper “flows.” This workshop helps them learn how to insure transition and coherence in their writing without leaving it to chance.* November 18 – Take Another Look: Becoming a Better Editor of Your Own Work
Although there’s no magic bullet, there are ways to produce drafts with fewer errors. This session will explore some of those techniques and give students some practice using them.
[2]Schedule/attend an individual consultation at the Writing Center to discuss one of your writing projects.
[3]Attend any of the various campus events where a writer has been invited to speak and read: Sophie Kerr speaker series, Literary House, etc.
As a follow up to the event, and in order to receive the extra credit, you must write and turn in (please post to your blog) a one page (about 250-500 word) reflection on the event. When was the event and what was the focus? What did you learn about writing from attending this event? How did you or how might you apply any such lessons to your own writing?
By the way–need I add this?–attendance at any and all of the three events/activities described above would be wise to do, whether you want/need the extra credit or not. So I hope to see you there.
