Calumet College of St.
Joseph
SYLLABUS FOR RHETORIC 104X
Term: Summer 2001-3 (April 29-August 4, 2002)
Course Number: Rhetoric and
Composition 104X
Instructor: Dr. Richard Damashek
Office: 522
Office Phone: 219-473-4273
E-mail: rdamashek@ccsj.edu
Home Phone:
Office Hours: by appointment
Instructor Background: After an extended career as
a professor of literature, I developed an intense interest in teaching writing.
At the same time, I discovered my strongest interest was in teaching students
whose writing skills were not developed sufficiently to allow them to succeed
in college. I have devoted my teaching career to helping them become
successful, not only as writers but as college students. Part of my
responsibility at the college is to direct the tutoring services through the
Center for Academic Excellence.
Course Time: R 7 PM – 10 PM Wednesday
Course Description: Rhetoric104 develops and
refines skills gained in English 103 with an emphasis on the development of
research skills. The forms of English
103 are integrated into longer, cohesive papers on topics in many fields to
enable students to communicate effectively and knowledgeably in their own
fields of interest. This course must be
taken in the student's second semester at the College.
Prerequisites:
ENG 103
Learning Outcomes/
Competencies:
Students
in this course will:
·
Demonstrate
their communication skills
·
Write
sustained, well-developed prose essays
·
Demonstrate
strong research skills, utilizing Internet and print resources effectively for
academic writing
·
Write
a coherent and well-documented research paper
·
Write
academically with regard to content and format
Textbooks and Materials:
The Mercury Reader (2001 edition) Compiled by
CCSJ for Rhetoric and Composition I
& II
A Writer’s Reference (4th edition)
Diana Hacker
A
Native Son,
Richard Wright
TermPerfect
(software
not in the bookstore. Purchase “student version” from the website: www.termperfect.com for $9.95)
2
computer disks: one for you to keep a copy of your papers and the other to turn
in to me along the hard copy of each writing assignment.
Learning Strategies: In-class writing,
Group Work, Collaborative Learning, Teacher mentoring and instruction, etc.
Assessment:
Final
grades will be based on many things:
a.
written
performance/exercises in class
b.
progress
and improvement in writing as reflected in the student’s portfolio
c.
quizzes
d.
submission
of required revisions and rewrites*
e.
submission
of the 12-15 page research paper*
*
Rubrics for acceptable writing and
acceptable research papers are found at the end of the syllabus
Class Policy for
Assignments:
All
assignments must be handed in on time, or if late, with a proper
explanation. Late papers will adversely
affect the student’s grade. I will not
accept late papers the last week of classes.
All
papers will be/have:
a.
typed
b.
double-spaced
c.
stapled
d.
done
in 10/12 font in either New Times Roman
e.
one
inch margins on all sides
f.
a
cover page with student’s name, paper form and date turned in
g.
form
of paper typed as title on p. 1 of paper
Papers
not done in this format will not be accepted.
Class Policy on Attendance:
In
accordance with English program policy, any student missed more than NINE (9)
hours of class will receive an F. These
nine hours include both excused and
unexcused absences. Please be aware
there hours include birthdays, sport events, illness, work, etc. If a problem arises with your absences,
please come and talk to me immediately.
Grading Scale:
Latter
grades will be assigned according to the student’s fulfilling the requirements
above. (See Assessment, Class Policy
for Assignments, and Class Policy on Attendance.)
Class Policy on Electronic
Devices:
Turn
off cell phones and beepers. It is
disruptive to have them going off during class. If there is an important reason why you must have your phone or
beeper turned on (e.g. illness at home, work situation), please inform me
before class begins.
Classroom Decorum:
Classroom
decorum will be maintained at all times. Students have the right to study and
learn in an environment conducive to those ends. You instructor also has the
right to engage in the teaching and learning process without hindrance because
of the disruptive behavior of one
or more students.
Any student or group of students who infringe on the rights of other students
or on the rights of this instructor to teach his class will be asked to leave
the classroom and will not be allowed back during that period. The student's
removal from the classroom will result in one absence for the day and will be
counted toward the total of nine allowable absences.
Students removed a second time for disruptive behavior may be required to
withdraw from the course.
Specific
Disturbances Covered by this Policy:
Incoming and outgoing phone calls
Responding to beepers
Horseplay
Leaving the class without permission
Talking to other students while another student or
the instructor is talking
Use of the Internet or email unless assigned to do so
Vulgarity of speech or behavior
Forms and Assignments:
Unit
I Writing with research
Unit
II Summary, Paraphrase and
Interview
Unit
III Library research
assignments
Unit
IV Personal
Narratives related to research topic
Unit
V Synthesis
Unit
VI Research Paper Format
Unit
VII Rough Draft of
Research Paper
Readings
from The Mercury Reader, Native Son, A
Writer’s Reference and other handouts will be assigned. Students are expected to hand in all papers,
required revisions, and do all the assigned readings.
Free Tutoring Services:
Tutoring
assistance is free to all students of Calumet College of St. Joseph. Students
who wish to excel in this class are urged to sign up to receive tutoring
assistance for all their writing assignments. Call the Center for Academic
Excellence (CAE), 473-4287, to make an appointment at. The Center has
experienced and well-trained tutors in most subject areas to help students who
would like to do their best work in a course. Regular weekly tutoring sessions
are likely to improve your grade.
Statement of Plagiarism:
Calumet College subscribes
to an online plagiarism detection program that analyses student papers against
the entire contents of the internet. In one semester, the
program has already identified two students who used internet sources for their
papers without proper documentation and submitted the writing as their own.
Disciplinary action has been initiated against these students. If an instructor or other
Calumet College of St. Joseph personnel find that a student has plagiarized or
been involved in another form of academic dishonesty, the instructor or other
personnel may elect to bring the matter up for judicial review. The maximum
penalty for any form of academic dishonesty is dismissal from the College. The
procedures for judicial review are listed under the section of CCSJ handbook
that addresses student grievances. (Academic Planner 2001/2002 p.27)
Citation Guidelines:
Calumet
College of St. Joseph adheres to citation guidelines as prescribed by the
particular discipline (i.e., MLA, APA, and Chicago Manual of Style or
Turabian.). All of these guidelines are
available in the Calumet College of St. Joseph library or bookstore. These texts outline how to cite references
from a variety of sources, including electronic media.
Withdrawal from Classes
Policy:
After
the last day for class changes has passed (see College calendar), students may
withdraw from a course in which they are registered with permission from the
faculty member conducting the course. A written request detailing the reason(s)
for the withdrawal must be filed with the Registrar. Written request for
withdrawal must be received by the Registrar by the last day of classes prior
to the final examination dates specified in the catalogue. Written requests may
be mailed to the Registrar or faxed to the College fax number 219-473-4259.
Students are to make note of the refund schedule when withdrawing from courses.
The request is forwarded to the faculty member, who makes the final
determination to accept or deny the request. If the request is honored, the
student will receive notification of official withdrawal; if denied, the
notification will indicate why the withdrawal is disallowed. Note: Degree
Completion Division (DCD) students should consult the DCD Student Handbook for
information on DCD withdrawals.
An official withdrawal is recorded as a "W" grade on the student's transcript. Dropping a course without written permission automatically incurs an "F" grade for the course (see Refund Schedule).
Writing
Competencies
Upon
completion of this course, a student should be able able to write a clear, well
organized, well researched and properly formatted research paper.
The
criteria for assessing your essays include the following:
1.
A
clear and thought-provoking thesis;
2.
Assigned
topic addressed in logical progression that supports the thesis;
3.
Substantive
material to support the thesis and main ideas;
4.
Relevant
introduction and conclusion;
5.
Clear
focus (no irrelevancies);
6.
Appropriate
use of paragraphing and transitions;
7.
Diction
(word choice) and sentence structure appropriate to the assignment;
8.
Mastery
of mechanics: grammar, punctuation and spelling.
9.
Use
of proper research format for documentation.
10.
Ability
to synthesize and integrate resources.
Revision Marks
|
Marking |
Explanation |
|
( ) |
Check to see whether you need
this word or words |
|
O |
Punctuation missing or word
misspelled |
|
|
Word usage. Use a more
appropriate word |
|
? |
Reconsider for sense. In other
words, I don’t understand what you mean. A word missing. |
|
[ ] |
Sentence fragment. Look up in
Hacker how to avoid writing fragments. Usually, fragments are parts of the
sentence immediately preceding the fragment or immediately following. |
|
|
Subject-verb agreement or pronoun
agreement error. Consult Hacker for information about how to avoid such
problems. |
|
/ |
A slash through a capital letter
indicates that you should use lower case. |
|
¶ |
Start a new paragraph |
|
^ |
This carrot indicates a word is
missing |
Checklist for evaluating essays
Name:
Rhetorical
Form:
Draft
#:
Due
Date:
Week
Submitted:
Page
Count:
Writing Evaluation Checklist
|
|
1 unsatisfactory |
2 satisfactory |
3 excellent |
|
1.
Rhetorical form (letter, narrative, process, compare/contrast, etc.) |
|
|
|
|
2.
Content and Ideas a.
assigned topic completed successfully b.
effective thesis statement or statement of purpose c.
central ideas in essay stated d.
relevant supportive/substantive material |
|
|
|
|
Organization a.
logical order of main points/ b.
supporting material c.
effective introductions d.
effective conclusions e.
clear focus f.
effective use of paragraphing g.
effective transitions |
|
|
|
|
Style:
word choice/sentence structure/use of figurative language |
|
|
|
|
Mechanics
(spelling, punctuation, grammar) |
|
|
|
|
Proper
use of MLA format |
|
|
|
Number of Points Out of a
Possible 40:
Passing = 25 points.
Comments:
Suggestions for Improvement:
[1]