Sladek,

ENGL 203 2014, 1

English 203: Literacy, Identity, and Social Justice

Fall 2014

Instructor:

Class Location:
Meeting Times:
Email:

Office:

Office Hours:

Amanda Sladek
Fraser 224
10:00-10:50 AM or 11:00-11:50 AM, MWF
asladek@ku.edu
Wescoe 2023
1-2:30 Mon/Wed

Course Description
What is literacy? Most people will answer that literacy is the ability to read and write. This may be one
important definition of literacy, but the idea of literacy actually encompasses much more than the
ability to understand written text. The way we define literacy is important not only in English classes,
but for individuals and society as a whole. For instance, a child who is good at telling stories, playing
sports, or building block towers may be labeled stupid or illiterate if she scores poorly on a reading
test. How is this label likely to affect her later in life?

ENGL 203, Literacy, Identity, and Social Justice, explores the way literacy is defined and explained both
inside and outside the school system by different authors and scholars. How do different people,
organizations, and societies define literacy at different points in history? What purposes do these
definitions serve? Who do these definitions exclude? We will explore these questions and more by first
analyzing authors firsthand accounts of their literacy development as well as our own literacy
experiences. We will then focus on the ways literacy is defined and discussed academically before
turning the traditional definition of literacy on its head by exploring alternative, non-print-based
literacies.

Course Goals:
In the spring of 2014, the English department revised the learning outcome goals for 200-level English
courses. By the end of ENGL 203, you should be able to:

1. Read consciously and contextually to develop interpretations of texts, analyzing textual details and
genre features to develop interpretations of texts and explain the ways in which texts vary across
genres, authors, and contexts.
2. Demonstrate the ability to use English studies methodologies to think critically about language,
texts, and experience, forming judgments based on the claims presented in the texts and using
evidence to support your own judgments and arguments.
3. Write in ways appropriate to the course subject, effectively using terminology, appropriate evidence,
and rhetorical strategies across different genres while incorporating others feedback in revision.

All 200-level English classes satisfy KU Core Goal 1 learning outcome 1, Core Goal 2 learning outcome 1,
and Core Goal 3. All KU students must take two Core 2.1 courses. Students pursuing a BA in the College
are required to take either ENGL 101 and 102, or ENGL 102/105 and a second Goal 2.1 course. All 200-
level English courses satisfy the second Goal 2.1 requirement.

Required Materials:
You will need to have these books by Labor Day. Supplemental readings will be posted to Blackboard.

Sladek, ENGL 203 2014, 2

Cushman, Ellen, et al. Literacy: A Critical Sourcebook. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2001.
Rose, Mike. Lives on the Boundary. 2005 ed. New York: Penguin, 2005.
Faigley, Lester. The Brief Penguin Handbook. 4th ed. New York: Pearson, 2012.
Department of English. Composition and Literature. Lawrence: University of Kansas, 2014.

Student Work
Writing Projects:
You will write three formal projects in this course in addition to three mini-papers, daily activities, and
informal writing. Each project will build on skills and understandings you have gained in previous
assignments.

Writing Project #1: Personal Literacy Experiences
Writing Project #2: Collaborative Research Paper
Writing Project #3: Final Presentation

All writing projects should be typed, double-spaced, and written in 12-point Times New Roman with 1-
inch margins unless otherwise indicated. Details on these projects will be provided as the semester
progresses.

Submitting Writing Projects:
You will turn in all of your major writing projects digitally via Blackboard. All papers must be uploaded as
a .doc or .docx file in order for me to open them. Failure to upload the file in the correct format will
result in a late grade. All papers are due by 11:59 pm on their due date unless otherwise indicated. If I
require supplemental materials to be collected via hard copy (journal entries, peer reviews, and the
like), those materials are due at the beginning of class on the due date. If you anticipate a problem
meeting the due date, please talk to me BEFORE the paper is due.

Grading:
Your final grade for the course will be based on the following weightings for your graded work:
Project #1




15%

Project #2




20%


Project #3




20%
Mini-Papers



20%
Homework




10%
In-Class Participation


10%
Discussion Leading



5%

In this course, we will be using the +/- grading scale, approved by the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences to describe intermediate levels of performance between a maximum of A and a minimum of F.
Intermediate grades represented by plus or minus shall be calculated as .3 units above or below the
corresponding letter grade.

You can access your grades at any time using the My Grades feature on Blackboard. If you have any
questions or are concerned about your grade at any point, please talk to me. I will only discuss individual
assignment grades 24 HOURS (minimum) after the assignment is returned.

Sladek, ENGL 203 2014, 3

Late Work:
It is important to complete the assigned work on time in order to gain the fullest benefits from doing the
work. This is especially true for the daily work that helps you prepare or make use of material for each
class period. I will not accept late work for daily homework and I do not give make-up work for in-class
activities (excepting religious holidays and University-sanctioned events). Unless we have made
arrangements in advance, I will grade down a late writing project by one-third of a letter grade for each
day it is late, including weekends (for example, a project earning a B will become a B- if one day late, a
C+ if two days late, and so on). According to Department of English policy, you must turn in all major
projects to pass the course, even if a project is so late that it will have earned an F. Check your schedule
for potential conflicts well ahead of due dates, and speak with me ahead of time if you will have trouble
meeting a deadline. I do not grant extensions retroactively.

Discussion Leading:
Once during the semester, you will be required to serve as discussion leader for the day. The discussion
leader is responsible for filling 20 minutes of class time. You have lots of options to fill this timeyou
can write discussion questions, plan an activity, develop an in-class writing prompt, or anything else you
can think of. The main requirements are that you engage the class in some form of interactive
participation and that you relate your activity to an aspect of or idea presented in the reading
assignment for that day. Detailed requirements, the sign-up sheet, and a rubric will be posted to
Blackboard. Please sign up for your day at least 24 hours in advance.

Other Writings and Class Activities:
All in-class writing and activities (except discussion leading) will be graded on completion unless
otherwise indicated.

Policies and Expectations
Attendance:
What we do in class is important for meeting the goals I listed above, and our class sessions will depend
on your participation in some activities. Therefore, good attendance is expected. To attend a class well
means not only being physically present but also being preparedhaving read the assignment well
enough to be able to talk about it and having completed any preparatory writing assignments--and
participating in whatever activity class entails. Since homework and in-class activities account for 20% of
your final grade, your grade will suffer from any absences by missing in-class work.

You are allowed four free absences, no questions asked. If you miss more than four classes, your final
course grade will be deducted one-third of a letter for each additional class missed. For example, if your
final grade would have been a B but you missed five classes, your final grade is now a B-. If you miss nine
class periods, you automatically fail the course. For my grading purposes, three tardies equals one
absence. You will be considered tardy if you arrive after I take roll.

I will excuse absences for University-sponsored events and religious holidays. Please let me know in
advance if you are going to miss class for those reasons. I excuse absences for illness only in the case of
serious, documented illness that requires you to miss more than one class (like if youve been hit by a
bus or need a kidney transplant). If you anticipate missing several classes or if you have a concern about
attendance, please talk to me.

Sladek, ENGL 203 2014, 4

Technology:
Because so much of this class depends on group work and collaboration, cell phones are not tolerated in
class unless we have made previous arrangements. These devices are distracting to me and to other
students. Please put them on silent and leave them in your pocket or bag. Laptops are allowed for
educational purposes only. If I suspect you are using your laptop for other purposes, I reserve the right
to ban laptops from my classroom. iPods may be allowed on certain days which I will announce in class.

Email Policy:
I respond to all e-mails within 48 hours. Feel free to e-mail me with any issues related to the course,
assignments, or anything else. However, before you e-mail me with a question, please follow these
steps:
1.
2.
3.

Check your syllabus for an answer to your question.

Check the assignment sheet for an answer to your question.
Check Blackboard for an answer. Please note that most documents handed out in class
(including the syllabus) will also be available on Blackboard in case you need another copy.

If you still have a question or concern, I will respond as soon as possible. Please check your KU email
account regularly, as I will sometimes send out important course information via email.

Academic Honesty:
Stealing and passing off as your own someone elses ideas or words, or using information from anothers
work without crediting the source, is called plagiarism. Some specific examples of actions that
constitute plagiarism include pasting together uncredited information or ideas from the Internet or
published sources, submitting an entire paper written by someone else, submitting a paper written for
another class (and thus not original work), and copying another students work (even with the students
permission). In order to avoid unintentional plagiarism and to represent your work honestly, you will
need to be meticulous about giving credit to any and all sources, whether directly quoted (even a few
words) or paraphrased.

Because one of the goals of this course is to help you improve your writing, plagiarism hurts you as
much as it does anyone. If you plagiarize anothers work, you will not be receiving the needed feedback
to improve your own writing. There will be a zero tolerance policy for any type of plagiarism in this class.
All incidents of plagiarism will be penalized, reported, and kept on file in the English Department, the
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the University Provosts Office.

Policy on Student Academic Creations:
Since one of the aims of this course is to teach students to write for specific audiences, ungraded
student-authored work may be shared with other class members during the semester in which you are
enrolled in the class. Please do not submit materials on sensitive subjects that you would not want your
classmates to see or read, unless you inform me in advance that you do not want your work shared with
others.

Other uses of student-authored work are subject to the Universitys Policy on Intellectual Property and
the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. If I desire to use your work outside of this class (e.g. as a
sample for another class or future classes), you will be asked to fill out and sign a written form
authorizing such use.

Sladek, ENGL 203 2014, 5

Writing Center:
For help with your writing, I strongly encourage you to contact the KU Writing Center. At the Writing
Center, you can talk about your writing with trained tutors or consult reference materials in a
comfortable working environment. You may ask for feedback on your papers, advice and tips on writing
(for all your courses), or for guidance on special writing tasks. Please check the website at
http://www.writing.ku.edu/students/ for current locations and hours. The Writing Center welcomes
both drop-ins and appointments, and there is no charge for their services. For more information, please
call (785) 864-2399 or send an e-mail to <writing@ku.edu>. The website is loaded with helpful
information about writing of all sorts, so even if you consider yourself a good writer, check it out!

Accessibility Policy:
The Academic Achievement & Access Center (AAAC) coordinates accommodations and services for all
KU students who are eligible. If you have a disability for which you wish to request accommodations and
have not contacted the AAAC, please do so as soon as possible. Their office is located in 22 Strong Hall;
their phone number is785-864-4064 (V/TTY). Information about their services can be found at
http://disability.ku.edu . Please contact me privately in regard to your needs in this course.

Enrollment and Drop Policy:
Students may neither add nor change sections in any English course after Friday, August 29 without
departmental permission. The last day to petition to add classes is Monday, September 22. If you are
having trouble succeeding in the course, it is especially important that you consult with me so that we
can develop a plan of action that may enable you to complete the course. If you decide to drop this
class, please refer to: http://www.registrar.ku.edu/current/schedule.shtml. From September 15 to
November 19, you will be assigned a grade of W. The last day to withdraw from classes under any
circumstances is Wednesday, November 19.

The Department of English reserves the right to terminate administratively the enrollment of any
student who misses two consecutive class meetings during the first two weeks of the semester. Should
an emergency situation cause the student to miss two consecutive class meetings, the student should
contact the instructor or the English Department, 864-4520, immediately.

Sladek, ENGL 203 2014, 6

Schedule of Goals and Major Assignments

This schedule is partial and tentative. Since I want to adjust the course as I discover your abilities and
goals, I reserve the right to change this schedule with oral notice in class. All syllabus changes will be
posted on Blackboard. If you anticipate a problem with due dates, please speak with me. BB means
Blackboard, CAL means Composition & Literature, BPHB means Brief Penguin Handbook, and LCS
means Literacy: A Critical Sourcebook. Assignments listed are due at the beginning of class unless
otherwise indicated. Homework and in-class activities will be added and will be announced in class.

DATE
Mon, Aug 25
Wed, Aug 27

Fri, Aug 29

Mon, Sep 1
Wed, Sep 3

Fri, Sep 5
Mon, Sep 8

Wed, Sep 10
Fri, Sep 12

Mon, Sep 15

Wed, Sep 17

Fri, Sep 19
Mon, Sep 22

Wed, Sep 24

AGENDA

DUE TODAY

Introduction to Course
////
Unit 1: Narrative Approaches to Literacy Complete syllabus quiz on BB // Read
// What is a Literacy Narrative?
What is a Literacy Narrative? (on BB)
and Douglass, Learning to Read and
Write (on BB) // QCQ
Features of a Literacy Narrative
Read Williams, Heroes, Rebels, and
Victims (on BB) // Watch Chanelle
Mayss video literacy narrative on DALN
(linked on BB, only watch the first video)
// QCQ
Labor DayNo Class
////
Literacy, Assessment, and Disillusionment Read Rose, ch. 1-2 // QCQ // Read Unit 1
Mini-Paper prompt and write down any
questions you have
Literacy in Young Adulthood
Read Rose, ch. 3-4 // QCQ
Defining the Literacy Narrative Genre
Read Goldblatt, Tour of Duty (available
as ebook from KU Libraries, instructions
on BB) // QCQ
Non-Western Literacy Narratives
Read Akinnaso, Literacy and Individual
Consciousness (in LCS) // QCQ
Introduce WP1 // Writing a Critical
Read CAL p. 54-57 and BPHB 37-38, 45-
Analysis
50 // QCQ // Read WP1 prompt and
write down any questions you have
Literacy and Alienation
Unit 1 Mini-Paper due at 11:59 pm via
BB // Read Rodriguez, The Achievement
of Desire (on BB) // QCQ
Literacy, Class, and Race
Read Alexie, The Joy of Reading and
Writing and Indian Education (on BB)
// QCQ
Language, Literacy, and Linguistic
Read Anzalda, How to Tame a Wild
Discrimination
Tongue (on BB) // QCQ
Writing a Literacy Narrative
Read Writing a Narrative and Writing
a Literacy Narrative (on BB) // Write
down what you think are the 5 most
important features of a literacy narrative
Rubric and Peer Review Prep
Write down at least 2 questions or areas
of concern you have about the project

Sladek, ENGL 203 2014, 7

Fri, Sep 26
Mon, Sep 29

Peer Review
Unit 2: Theoretical Approaches to
Literacy

Wed, Oct 1

Literacy Instruction

Fri, Oct 3

Literacy Instructions Hidden Agenda(s)

Mon, Oct 6

Introduce WP2 // Writing a Response //

Writing Collaboratively

Wed, Oct 8

Extracurricular Literacies

Fri, Oct 10

Who Gets to Define Correctness?

Mon, Oct 13
Wed, Oct 15
Fri, Oct 17
Mon, Oct 20

Fall BreakNo Class

Reflections of a Literacy Instructor
Reclaiming the Classroom
The Politics of Remediation

Wed, Oct 22

Writing a Researched Argument

Fri, Oct 24

Literacy and Gender

Mon, Oct 27

Group Conferences, No Class Meeting

Wed, Oct 29

Group Conferences, No Class Meeting

Fri, Oct 31

Group Conferences, No Class Meeting

Mon, Nov 3

The New Literacy Studies

Wed, Nov 5

Unit 3: Non-Print-Based Literacies

Fri, Nov 7
Mon, Nov 10

Exploring Cultural Literacies

Oral v. Written Literacies

Wed, Nov 12

Literate Communities

Fri, Nov 14

Embodied Literacies

2 complete drafts of WP1 (hard copies)

WP1 due at 11:59 pm via BB // Read
Szwed, The Ethnography of Literacy (in
LCS) // QCQ
Read Adams, Theoretical Approaches to
Reading Instruction (in LCS) // QCQ
Read Brandt, Sponsors of Literacy (in
LCS) // QCQ
Read CAL p. 49-53, BPHB p. 17-18 and
153-154, and Collaborative Writing (on
BB) // QCQ // Read WP2 prompt and
write down any questions you have
Read Gere, Kitchen Tables and Rented
Rooms (in LCS) // QCQ // Read Unit 2
Mini-Paper prompt and write down any
questions you have
Read Canagarajah, The Place of World
Englishes in Composition (on BB) //
QCQ // Finalize group roles and sign
group contract
////
Read Rose, ch. 5 // QCQ
Read Rose, ch. 6 // QCQ
Unit 2 Mini-Paper due at 11:59 pm via
BB // Read Rose, ch. 7 // QCQ
Read CAL p. 45-48, BPHB 200-202, 209-
218, and Arrangement in Argument
(on BB) // QCQ
Read Ramdas, Women and Literacy: A
Quest for Justice (in LCS) // QCQ
Unit 2 conference plan // Partial rough
draft
Unit 2 conference plan // Partial rough
draft
Unit 2 conference plan // Partial rough
draft
Read Street, The New Literacy Studies
(in LCS) // QCQ
WP2 due at 11:59 pm via BB // Read
Lytle, Living Literacy (in LCS) // QCQ
////
Video Worksheet // Read Heath,
Protean Shapes in Literacy Events (in
LCS) // QCQ
Read Farr, En Los Dos Idiomas (in LCS)
// QCQ
Read Mirabelli, Learning to Serve (on

Sladek, ENGL 203 2014, 8

Mon, Nov 17

Film as Literacy

Wed, Nov 19

Art as Literacy, Class Will Meet in

Spencer Art Museum

Fri, Nov 21

Introduce WP3 // Old and New

Literacies

Mon, Nov 24

Digital Literacies

Wed, Nov 26-

Fri, Nov 28
Mon, Dec 1

Thanksgiving BreakNo Class

Wed, Dec 3

Preparing and Delivering Effective

Presentations
Synthesizing an Entire Damn Semester //
Course Evaluations

Fri, Dec 5
Mon, Dec 8
Wed, Dec 10

Final Presentations
Final Presentations
Final Presentations, Last Day of Class

Fri, Dec 12

STOP DAY

Class will not meet during finals week.

BB) // QCQ
Read Apkon, What is Literacy? (on BB)
// QCQ
Complete Museum Visit Prep Activity
(on BB) // Read Unit 3 Mini-Paper
prompt and write down any questions
you have
Read Lankshear and Knobel, The New
Literacy Studies and the Study of New
Literacies (on BB) // QCQ // Read WP3
prompt and write down any questions
you have
Unit 3 Mini-Paper due at 11:59 pm via
BB // Read Selfe, Students Who Teach
Us (on BB) // QCQ
////
Read BPHB p. 143-148 and Delivering
Presentations (on BB) // QCQ
View End-of-Semester Reflection
materials on BB and come to class with
any questions
////
////
End-of-Semester Reflection and
Presentation Materials due at 11:59 pm
via BB