Food is a common need of all living creatures; it links humans to other animals and the environment and it helps to shape our identities as individuals, communities, and nations. Given the importance of food in our lives, in this writing course we will consider its effects on our individual identities, our national identity and on our future identity. We will talk, listen, read and write about who controls what we eat, how family rituals define who we are and how gender affects our food decisions. We will also define the role of fast food in shaping our contemporary national identity and debate the role of genetically modified foods and their implications for how we eat and how we live. 

In this writing course we will think and read critically about issues regarding food and identity. As we explore alternatives to our preconceived notions of the role of food in our lives, we will develop our capacity for analytical thinking, articulate our ideas in verbal and written contexts and critique our own essays as well as other studentsâ essays. We will become practiced in many of the techniques, values, and customs of an academic community: information technology research skills, intellectual integrity, peer-collaboration, tolerance, and academic responsibility. 
One of my goals is to help you grow as a liberal arts student and as a scholarly writer. 
Another goal is that, ten years from now, you continue to consider what you eat, how it affects you and your environment and the local and global communities in which you live. 

Nestle, Marion. Safe Food. Bacteria, Biotechnology and Bioterrorism. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003. 
Rosen, Leonard J. and Laurence Behrens. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook. Fourth Edition. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2000. 
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 
Tyler, Anne. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. New York, Ballantine, 1982. 
Additional articles distributed during the semester

Class participation. This is an assignment-centered course so it is imperative that you come to class and that you come on time and prepared to think, discuss, and write. You will benefit from this course (indeed any course) in direct proportion to the effort you put into it. You should always have writing utensils, paper, the Allyn & Bacon Handbook, and the reading assigned for the week. I will make note of the quality of student participation. You can be absence from class two times without any excuse and it will not affect your participation grade. However, you will receive "0" for any absence thereafter. Excused absences, verified with a doctorâs note, with a note from the IWU nurse, or a note from the Dean of Studentâs office, will not count against your participation grade. Students should note, however, that in-class assignments cannot be made up and that all written work is due on the date listed in the syllabus. In other words, the assignment should make it to class even if the student does not. I will accept late work (submitted any time after I collect assignments in class) but it will lose a full letter grade for each day that it is late, effective immediately after I collect papers. 

Grading scale for participation: 

A: Extremely active, thoughtful participation in all class activities. Frequent, insightful contributions to discussion, willingness to take intellectual risks and argue your ideas; open-mindedness about alternate views; respectful treatment of other members of the class; heroic effort on revisions and informal writings. 

B: Regular, thoughtful participation in all activities. Regular, but not frequent contributions to discussion of consistently high quality, or frequent contributions which range from fair to good; better-than-average level of intellectual ambition, open-mindedness and respect for others; above average level of effort put into revisions and informal writings 

C: Average or uneven participation. Consistent attentiveness and preparedness but infrequent contributions to discussion or regular contributions of only fair quality, combined with average level of ambition and effort; or above average effort on class work combined with near-silence in class discussions. In general you did only the minimum required, but no less. 

D: Below average participation. Near silence in class and minimal effort put into other work or more than occasional inattentiveness or lack of preparation, or occasional behavior which is disruptive or disrespectful to other members of the class. 

F: Unacceptable participation. Regularly missing activities or coming to class unprepared or frequent inattentiveness and lack of preparation, or frequent behavior which is disruptive or disrespectful to other members of the class.

Formal Writing. You will write five essays. The first essay (2-4 pages) will not count toward your final grade. It will provide me with a writing sample from you, and it will provide you with a sense of how I grade. THe following three essays will be 3-5 pages in length.The fifth formal writing assignment is a research paper, 6-8 pages in length. For this you will submit an introduction with thesis, rough outline and bibliography in addition to a draft and final version. 

All papers should be double-spaced, with 1" margins all around, a legible 12-point font, and page numbers at the bottom of the page (except the first page). Title each paper and be sure your name appears in either top corner of the first page. Consistently document all sources (Chapter 37 in Allyn & Bacon offers the most common systems of documentation).

Due dates for Formal Essay topics. 

September 4  Essay 1 Due 
September 16  Essay 2, bring to class 
October 7  Essay 3, bring to class 
October 28  Essay 4, bring to class 
November 18  Essay 5, intro, thesis, bilbiography 
November 20  Essay 5, bring to class

Grading Formal Writing Assignments: 

A: This is work you are proud of. Beyond conveying a solid understanding of the topic, the essay is further distinguished by valuable insights, careful analysis, or exceptional exposition. The high quality content and its clean presentation enable others to learn from it. The essay has a strong engaging thesis that is supported by coherent organization, persuasive arguments, and precise expression. The essay is free of mechanical, and grammatical errors. The voice and style make for smooth reading and enhance the effectiveness of the essay in conveying your thoughts. Wow! 

B: You are happy with this work. Maybe you surprised yourself with what you were able to learn or produce. The essay has a strong thesis that is significant, analytical, and unified. Although the thesis is supported by good organization and argument, maybe these aspects of the essay have minor weaknesses; or there are minor problems with tone, voice, or style that get in the way of a clear exposition of your thoughts. The essay is almost free of mechanical and grammatical errors. 

C: This is successful work you feel good about; however, you did not demonstrate more than a basic understanding of the topic, or were careless in organizing and presenting your thoughts, or did not take enough time to do justice to the topic in terms of depth or breadth, or were careless with editing and proofreading. The essay has a thesis, but it lacks development. Although the essay does convey your thoughts, its organization, or arguments fail to support the thesis fully. Or perhaps there are numerous problems with mechanics or style. 

D/F: This work was probably a waste of your time. The essay lacks a clear thesis, or has serious or numerous problems with organization, argument, expression, mechanics, or style, and has no virtues to offset these shortcomings. The essay has at least one severe problem that reduces its effectiveness. 

Informal Writing. Writing drives thinking; our multitude of informal writings will serve to discover, question, complicate and clarify our thoughts. Typically this writing moves in unanticipated directions. These exploratory writings will include freewriting, letters, journal entries, peer-review, pre-discussion questions, mid-discussion responses, expressing confusion, summary in-class writing, imaginary dialogues, imaginary interviews, metaphor games, glossing, mapping, and other forms of written expression. They will be written both in class and out of class. Place all informal writings together (in a folder, binder, or whatever works for you). I will periodically collect them at the time they are written and will review all of them at the end of each unit. 

Grading Informal Writing Assignments: These assignments will not be judged on things like spelling, organization, and grammar. However, I expect quality work and will look for evidence that you are thinking seriously about concepts you are writing about. Your work should show that you have read the assignment. Your work should show that you are thinking and studying. The best informal writings will be interesting for someone else to read because they show how you are grappling with ideas. 

Informal writings will be graded on the check system. In previous classes this informal grading system has worked for students; the check system gives you a feel for how you are doing. 

Portfolio: A portfolio is a systematic collection of the materials that you have written and revised over the course of the semester. It will begin with a thoughtful and critical assessment of your own writing, include drafts and final revisions of all formal writing assignments, and other informal writing assignments. 

The assessment is a 2-3 page typed cover letter that describes and analyzes the gathered materials. Cover letters should address two main areas: 1. Student's progress as a writer over the course of the semester. What areas of writing did the student try to improve? How successful were those efforts? What areas of the studentâs writing still need work? 2. Evolution of the studentâs thinking about the topic of the course. What did the student believe about food and identity (both personal and national) at the beginning of the course? How (if at all) did those beliefs change as the course progressed? 

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the use of another person's words, ideas, thoughts, or opinions without acknowledging their source. It does not matter if the source is verbal, visual, textual, formal, or informal, whenever we use another person's ideas, explicitly or as tacit inspiration for our own thinking, we are obligated to acknowledge the source. It does not matter if our use is as a direct quotation, paraphrasing, or significant revision, wherever there is a shred of another personâs ideas, we must acknowledge the source. Honesty in this matter is a practice of respect and accountability, and it facilitates understanding the development of ideas over time. 

Plagiarism is not tolerated in this class or anywhere at this university. The first instance of plagiarism will result in an automatic grade of "F" and a report to the assistant provost. Further instances of plagiarism can result in more serious consequences including dismissal. If you are unsure about your use of another person's ideas, or the proper way to acknowledge it, see a professor to discuss your question before you submit any work. It is better to be safe than sorry. Professors will welcome questions about plagiarism and the opportunity to help you understand your responsibility with regard to it. 

An academic environment encourages and thrives on the sharing and integrating of many individuals' ideas. This sharing is the purpose of any intellectual community. A strong opposition to plagiarism is not meant to subdue the sharing of ideas--it is meant to insure that the sharing is open, honest, respectful, and constructive. Scholarship thrives when based on cooperation and openness--not competitiveness and deceit. See the IWU student handbook for more information on plagiarism and ethics. 

(This section on plagiarism was generously shared by Paul Kehle and comes from his 2001 Gateway syllabus.) 

Grading Scale: Your grade in this course will be determined in large part by the written work you produce. Your written work reflects how you are able to comprehend, analyze, and communicate the topics we study. This course seeks to develop these skills. If you ever have questions about how I perceive your work in this class, please arrange to talk with me. 
 

Participation	15%		A	93-100	C+	77-79
4 Formal Writing Assignments	60%		A-	90-92	C	73-76
Many Informal Writing Assignments	15%		B+	87-89	C-	70-72
Portfolio	10%		B	83-86	D	60-69
			B-	80-82	F	0-59