English 1101 Syllabus – Fall 2007

MWF 8:00 – 8:50

Conger 318

 

 

Professor:      Erin E. Campbell                                Office:                         Conger 311

E-mail:            ecampbell@abac.edu                          Office Hours:    MWF 7:00 – 8:00 AM,

Office Phone:             391- 4953                                                        MWF 9:00 – 10:00 AM,

                                                                                                            MWF Noon – 1:00 PM, and              

                                                                                                                        by appointment

 

                                                                                                                                                   

Required Texts:         Axelrod, Rise B. and Charles R. Cooper.  The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing (Short). 8th ed.  New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008.

 

Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. 6th ed.  Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2007.

 

Haruf, Kent. Plain Song.  New York:  Vintage Contemporary, 1999.

 

Your WebCT (ENGL110) and your ABAC e-mail address

 

A college-level dictionary of your choice

 

Additional Materials:            One 2" minimum three-ring binder

Looseleaf paper

Portable electronic storage (USB drive)

Manila folder

Stapler

Highlighters

Sticky notes

 

Course Description: English 0099 with a grade of C or better or placing into ENGL 1101 by examination is a prerequisite for this course.  This course develops your proficiency in writing and as well as heightening your awareness of culture. The exit grade for this course is a C or better.

 

Course Methods: You will continue to develop critical thinking, reading and writing skills throughout this course.  Class discussions of the assigned material will facilitate these skills. Response papers will be written based upon your reactions to all out-of-class readings to hone your critical thinking skills.  You are responsible for the assigned material on the due date listed in the course calendar.  In addition, you will offer feedback on your classmates’ essays through peer responses.  Writing is a process and thus you will keep all of the materials pertaining to that process in a notebook that comprises a part of your Final Portfolio submitted at the end of the term.  This includes any pre-writing (notes, napkins, scraps of paper), outlines, drafts, source material (when required) and revisions.  Timed, in-class essays will allow you to synthesize your responses to the reading or discussion material.  Electronic discussion board journals will further your ability to analyze and evaluate issues raised in class as well as increase your ability to manipulate both the language and the computer.

 

 

 

 

 

ABAC ATTENDANCE POLICY

 

Courses at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College are provided for the intellectual growth and development of students.  To attain maximum success, students must attend all their classes, be on time, and attend all scheduled course activities including, but not limited to, field trips, seminars, study sessions, individual conferences, and lectures.  This interaction with instructors and other students is an important element of the learning process, and a high correlation exists between class attendance and course grades. A student must understand the importance of regular participation in classroom and laboratory activities. The absence of any student affects not only his or her performance but the performance of the class as a whole. Absence from class, for whatever reason, does not excuse a student from full responsibility for class work or assignments missed. Students must accept this responsibility.

 

Instructors will keep accurate attendance records and must report the individual number of absences with midterm and final grades. Students whose number of unexcused absences is more than twice the number of class meetings per week (the equivalent of two weeks of instruction) will receive a grade of “F” for the course.  Fewer absences than twice the number of class meetings per week may result in grade penalties at the discretion of the instructor.  Specific attendance requirements applying to labs, clinics, accelerated classes or Learning Support will be adapted to the unique situation by the appropriate division.  Final determination of what constitutes an excused absence rests with the classroom instructor.  In implementing this Policy, faculty will not include in a student’s unexcused absences those absences incurred due to authorized and approved College sponsored events (or in the case of joint-enrollment students high-school sponsored events) in which the student represents the institution as part of a group or under the direct supervision of a faculty or staff member.

 

Whenever a student is absent, whether for official or personal reasons, the student must assume responsibility and provide notice to the instructor, preferably in advance, for making arrangements for any assignments and class work missed because of the absence. However, final approval for make up work remains with the individual instructor.

 

A student who stops attending class without officially withdrawing from the course is subject to this attendance policy and will receive a grade of “F” for the course.

 

At the beginning of each semester, instructors will explain clearly to their students specific attendance requirements (including possible penalties). Additionally, they will publish the attendance policy on their syllabi and web-sites.

 

 A student penalized for excessive absences may appeal through the grade appeal process, as stated in ABAC’s college catalog and student handbook.

 

SPECIFIC TO THIS CLASS:  Attendance is mandatory.  Missing more than six classes will result in failure of the course.  Arriving after roll is called or leaving before class is dismissed (regardless of reason) will be weighted as a tardy. Three tardy arrivals and/or early departures will be count as an absence. If you arrive more than fifteen minutes late or leave more than ten minutes early, you will be counted as absent for the class.  An absence on a day of peer response will result in two absences.  Failure to have a draft on peer response day will result in one absence.  Late final drafts will be penalized by one letter grade per calendar day.  If you must be absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed on the day you return to class. The ONLY excused absences will consist of the following and require documentation:  hospitalization of yourself or your minor child, or institution sanctioned events.

 

 

Manuscripts: All out-of-class writings, both essays and response papers, will be typed in a standard 12-point font and typeface, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, including drafts for peer response. Take advantage of the computer labs on campus to produce your drafts.  Be sure to save your work on a disk, as well as making extra copies for your protection.  Do NOT wait until the last minute to type or print your drafts.  Computer difficulties such as “my disk crashed” is the 21st century’s equivalent to the clichéd excuse “the three legged dog ran off with my book bag with all of my English work in it.” 

 

You do not need a title page.  Rather, your heading should appear, single-spaced, in the top left-hand margin as follows:

 

Your Name

ENGL 1101 – MWF 8AM

Dr. E. Campbell

Date

Assignment Name

 

Each essay must have a title that will be centered below your heading, prior to the first sentence of your essay.  Important words of titles are capitalized.  The only appropriate punctuation for the title is to bold it unless I instruct you otherwise.  Example:

 

Brother Will of Stratford Meets Brother Will of Oxford

 

Each subsequent page should include your last name, a shortened form of your title and the page number in the upper right hand corner.

 

Example                                                   Your Last Name: “Short Form of Essay Title”/2

 

Please staple all essays before coming to class.  You will submit your out-of-class, multi-draft essays in a file folder with your name on the tab. I will give you explicit information on what supporting materials I want you to include (generally all parts of the process).  Essays will be a minimum of 3-5 pages long, unless otherwise specified.

 

Tips for successful manuscripts:  Follow the format I have provided exactly. Avoid inserting more than 1 line between your heading and your title.  Avoid inserting more than one line between your title and the first line of your essay.  Avoid inserting extra lines between paragraphs. Pay attention to the details of formatting your essay as well as the details necessary to support your claims within the content of your essay. In addition, I am stickler for the minimum page length.  Failing to meet that minimum will result in lowering your grade for that assignment.  Thus, when I ask for 3 pages, you may wish to make sure that you have a line on the 4th page to absolutely ensure that you met the minimum requirement.  Start your writing projects early and often.  Procrastination is the number one cause of plagiarism – down with procrastination!

 

Diligently avoid plagiarism in all of its insidious forms, which include failure to document direct quotes and paraphrases within your text and on a works cited page, as well as outright theft of another’s writing, published or not.  All papers will be submitted using TurnItIn. This service is a tool to help you identify potential documentation errors and inadvertent plagiarism The minimum consequence for plagiarism is failure of the assignment.  The maximum consequence is expulsion. 

 

Response Papers:  You will write a one-page minimum, typed, double-spaced response paper for each reading assignment you are given.  These short writings are not summaries of the articles, but rather your reaction to the ideas, issues, and/or arguments raised by the author.  Response papers will allow you to investigate your thoughts about the content of the assigned articles in writing in order to shape them logically.  E. M. Forster writes, “How do I know what I think until I see what I say?” (qtd. in Capossela 17). Figuring out what you think about things by writing about them is your goal as well.  You should practice the conventions of writing in your response papers in order to reinforce your writing skills.  On occasion, as noted on your course calendar, response papers will require you to address a question posed by your book, The St. Martin’s Guide (abbreviated on course calendar as GTW), or I will provide the topic of the response paper.

Portfolios:

 

You will write four essays out of class.  Toward the end of the term, you will compile these essays into a portfolio that you will submit at the end of the term for collective quantitative evaluation.  This will comprise 5% of your final grade.

 

All of the writing you do this semester, including all parts of the writing process that demonstrate how you arrived at your final product (notes, outlines, peer responses, etc.) will appear in the appropriate sections of your portfolio, evidencing the vastness and excellence of the work you have done throughout the term.  This encourages you to be a packrat.  Throw nothing away.  Failure to submit a portfolio will result in failure of the course.

 

GRADES:

 

100 - 90 = A; 89 - 80 = B; 79 - 70 = C; 69 - 60 = D; 59 and below = F

Grades will be posted on WebCT and will include a Midterm advisory grade and the final grade. The midterm advisory grade will reflect the course grade as of the midterm break. If the midterm advisory grade is a “C,” “D,” or “F,” it will also be recorded on Banner. This grade is intended to guide your performance, should it need improvement, in the second half of the semester. If you receive one of these grades, I encourage you to meet with me to develop a plan for success for the rest of the course.

 

                    Participation  (Response papers, quizzes, drafts, journals, etc.)         30%

Final Portfolio                                                                                     5%

4 out-of-class essays                                                                           50%

In-class timed writings                                                                        10%

Final Exam Essay                                                                                 5%

 

 

Classroom  Etiquette  (A Reminder):         

(    Remember to set your cell phones to silent while you are in class. 

o       If you have a valid reason for making/receiving a call, notify me before the class period. Anyone using a communication device in any other manner will be asked to leave the classroom and assessed an absence for the day.

:      Use of a lap-top, desk-top computer, or other electronic device including, but not limited to, cellphones, iPods, MP3 players, PDAs, etc. (except when part of the assigned work for the class) is not acceptable.

o        Do not check email; “surf” the internet; use MySpace, Face Book, weblogs, or use other personal accounts during class time unless part of the class assignment. Do not play music or video games. After one warning (per semester), anyone using a computer in violation of this policy will be asked to leave the classroom and will receive an “absent” grade for the day. DO NOT turn on classroom computer monitors until directed to do so.

F     Personal grooming is inappropriate in a public place.

Q     Personal business should be conducted before or after class. 

%     Sleeping in class will result in an absence. 

M   Missing class for any reason is your choice and thus it is your responsibility to weigh the consequences of that choice.

     

 

My philosophy:  Writing is purposeful.  Writing is problem solving.  Writing is thinking, reveals thinking, and produces more thinking.  Writing is social.  Writing is personal.  Writing requires time to achieve the results you want.  Writing is revision.  Clear, specific, thoughtful writing is one of the most important things you will do, not only in this class, not only in other college courses, but also in your life beyond college.

 

 

 

 

English 1101 – MWF 8:00 – 8:50

Tentative Course Calendar*

 

August                   20:                          Course Introduction

22:                          Diagnostic Writing

24:                          GTW, Introduction, pgs. 1 – 14;Response paper:  Complete exercise 1.4 on page 14; CONVOCATION 11:15 AM [Response paper due Monday]  What was your perception of the event?

                                27:                          GTW, Invention Strategies, pgs.  570 – 83; Response paper:  What methods

                                                                covered in the section do you use and why do you use those methods?

                                29:                          GTW, Remembering an Event, pgs. 16 – 28; 33 – 37;  Response paper:  Which

                                                of the three articles effected you most profoundly?  Why?  Pay attention to the

                                                craft of the article as well as the content of the article.  Bring in essay #1

                                                Assignment sheet

             31:                         

September               3:                          NO CLASS ( LABOR DAY) 

               5:                          WebCT VISTA article, “Responding, really responding . . .” Response paper: 

                                                                Respond to the issues of raised by the article

                                  7:                       Essay #1, Peer review draft due

                                10:                         

                  12:                       GTW, Thesis Statements, pgs. 670 –3;  GTW, Justifying an Evaluation; pgs. 394

                                                  - 407 Response paper: Does Scott’s review make you want to see the film? 

                                Why or why not?

                                14:                          GTW, Guide to Writing (Evaluation), pgs 421 – 445

17:                          Essay #1, Revision due

19:                          Plain Song pgs. 1- 71;   WebCT Vista article, TBA     

                                21:                          Essay #2, Peer review draft due       

                                24:                         

26:                         

                                28:                                         

October                    1:                          Essay #2, Revision due

  3:                          GTW, Arguing a Position, pgs. 272-75; 294-310

  5:                          Plain Song pgs. 72 -151                                   

  8:                         

 10:                         Essay #3, peer review draft due FYI: OCT 11 (Midterm withdrawal deadline)

 12:                                        

 15 -  16:                FALL BREAK                    

 17:                         GTW, Library Search Strategies, pgs. 702-709, 712 – 733, 736-7; Response

                                paper:  What did you learn about research strategies from the reading?  What

                                information was new to you? What information was a review?               

                                 19:                         GTW, Using and Acknowledging Sources, pgs.  738 – 748 

                                 22:                                                                        

 24:                         Plain Song pgs. 152 - 213

 26:                                        

                                 29:                        

                                 31:                         Plain Song pgs. 214 - 301

November                2:                        

                                   5:

                                   7:

                                   9:

                                 12:

 14:                         Essay #4, Peer review draft due                       

                                16:

                                 19:

                                 21:                         RESEARCH DAY

                                22 – 23:                 THANKSGIVING

                                26:

                                28:

                                30:

December                3:

                                  5:

                                  7:                          Portfolio Due

                                10:                          Final Exam – 8:00 – 10:00

 

* I reserve the right to add, subtract, multiply and divide the course calendar as necessary

 

PLEASE NOTE: Consult your student handbook for any policies not covered in this syllabus.  You are responsible for knowing campus rules and regulations regarding academic procedures.

Writing Center:  The Writing Center, part of the Academic Assistance Center, is located in the Carlton Building on the first floor in room L-104. The Center is staffed with highly trained peer tutors to guide you through any stage of the writing process. To get the most out of tutoring, give yourself time to get the advice that you need.  In other words, procrastination and getting tutored don’t mix.  All students should take advantage of this free and beneficial service! 

 

Monday – Thursday 8AM – 8PM

Friday 8 AM – 1 PM

 

 

 

 

Logging in to WebCT Vista:

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