Calumet College of St.
Joseph
SYLLABUS FOR ENGLISH 095A
Term: Fall 2002-3
Course Number: ENG 095X
Instructor: Dr. Richard Damashek
Office: 522
Office
Phone: 219-473-4273
E-mail: rdamashek@ccsj.edu
Office
Hours: by appointment
Instructor
Background: After an extended career as a professor of
literature, I developed an intense interest in teaching writing. I
have devoted my teaching career to helping students learn to write acceptable
academic English that will help them prepare not only for success in their
other college courses, but in their future careers or businesses. Part of my
responsibility at the college is to direct the tutoring services through the
Center for Academic Excellence.
Course
Time: R: 6:30 - 10:00 PM
Course
Description: This course prepares the student for Rhetoric and
Composition 103 by teaching reading and writing skills necessary to succeed and
excel in the higher level writing course.
Students in English 095 will learn how to write in the same basic forms
required in Rhetoric 103 and will develop their abilities to write fully
developed papers that reflect a grasp of mechanics, punctuation, and good
grammar. Because the class is limited to
15 students, students will receive more attention to their individual writing
challenges. Cross-listed under ASP.
Prerequisites: NONE
Learning
Outcomes/ Competencies:
Students in this course will:
·
Demonstrate their communication skills
·
Demonstrate a strong, clear voice in writing
·
Demonstrate writing skills in coherent, well
organized, imaginative and thoughtful essays
·
Identify the differences between personal and
academic writing
·
Employ technology as it relates to writing essays
and papers
Textbooks:
Transitions, Clouse
A
Writer’s Reference (4th edition) by Diana Hacker
Gather
Together in My Name by Maya
Angelou
Other Materials:
Students are required to have two computer disks: one to save your papers on and one backup disk to be turned in with each paper. This backup disk will contain copies of all your papers.
Learning
Strategies:
In-class writing, group work, collaborative
learning, teacher mentoring and instruction.
Assessment:
Final grades will
be based on:
a.
progress and improvement in writing as reflected in
the student’s portfolio
·
fulfilling the
requirements of each of the assigned writing forms
·
timeliness
of submission of first drafts and revisions (late papers will lose five points,
the equivalent of one full grade)
·
submitting in a minimum
of 3 pages per paper of acceptable
writing (including required revisions and rewrites and passing the
end of course competency writing essay)* (85%)
b.
assigned
quizzes based on reading assignments (15%)
·
The criteria for acceptable writing are found at the end of the syllabus. The end of course competency writing essay
is evaluated according to the same criteria.
Class
Policy for Assignments:
All assignments
must be handed in on time, or if late, with a proper explanation. No
more than one late paper (including rewrites and revisions) will be accepted
the last class period.
All papers will
be/have:
a.
typed
b.
double-spaced
c.
stapled
d.
12 point font in New Times Roman
e.
one inch margins
f.
a cover page with
student’s name, paper form and date turned in
g.
an imaginative title on
page one of the paper
h.
three pages in length
Papers submitted
in any other format will not be accepted.
Class
Policy on Attendance:
In accordance with English program policy, any
student missing more than NINE (9) hours of class will receive an F. These nine hours include both excused and unexcused absences, such as
birthdays, sport events, illness, and work.
Grading
Scale:
Letter grades will be assigned according to the
student’s fulfilling the requirements listed above (See assessment and Class
policy for Assignments, and Class policy on Attendance.)
Class
Policy on Electronic Devices:
When you enter the classroom, 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 these 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 hours of 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
Course
Outline:
Forms
of Written Assignments:
Unit I Letter
I
Unit II Narrative
Unit III Process
Unit IV Letter
on your Behalf
Unit V Comparison
and Contrast
Unit VI Cause-Effect
Unit VII Persuasive
Unit VIII Competency
Paper
Appropriate readings from Transitions, Gather Together in My Name, 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, or any other, class are urged to sign up to receive
tutoring assistance. Call the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE), 473-4287,
to make an appointment. The Center has experienced and well-trained tutors in most
subject areas to help students do their best work in their courses. 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 (such as having someone
else write your paper), 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 to write a clear, well organized essay.
The criteria for assessing your essays include the
following:
1.
A clear and thought-provoking thesis or statement
of purpose;
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.
Checklist for evaluating essays
Name:
Rhetorical Form:
Draft #:
Due Date:
Week Submitted:
Page Count:
Writing Evaluation Checklist
|
|
1 Needs Improvement |
2 Satisfactory |
3 Very Good |
|
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/ supporting material b. effective
introductions c. effective
conclusions d. clear
focus e. effective
use of paragraphing f.
effective transitions |
|
|
|
|
Style: word choice/sentence structure/use of
figurative language |
|
|
|
|
Mechanics (spelling, punctuation, grammar) |
|
|
|
Number
of Points Out of a Possible 39:
Passing
= 24 points.
Comments:
Suggestions
for Improvement: [1]
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 A Writer's Reference how to avoid writing
fragments. Usually, fragments are parts of the sentence immediately preceding
or immediately following the fragment. |
|
|
Subject-verb
or pronoun agreement error. Consult A Writer's Reference for
information about how to avoid such problems. |
|
/ |
Consider
whether you have used capitalization correctly. |
|
¶ |
Consider
beginning a new paragraph |
|
^ |
This carrot
indicates a word is missing |
