SYLLABUS FOR RHETORIC 104L

Term: Spring 2003-2 (January 12 – April 24, 2004)

Course Number: Rhetoric and Composition 104L

Instructor: Dr. Richard Damashek

Office: 522

Office Phone: 219-473-4273

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: 9AM – Noon Wednesday

Course Description: Rhetoric104L 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

· Use academic writing skills

Textbooks and Materials:

A Writer’s Reference (4^th or 5^th edition), Diana Hacker

The House of Spirits, Isabel Allende

2 computer disks: one for you to keep a copy of your papers and the other for backup.

Learning Strategies: In-class writing, Group Work, Collaborative Learning, Teacher mentoring and instruction, etc.

Assessment:

Final grades will be based on:

a. Quizzes 10%*

b. First draft of 2-page paper 2%*

c. Second draft of 2-page paper 3%*

d. 10 note cards and three bibliography cards for 5-page paper 3%*

e. First draft of 5-page research paper 4%*

f. Second draft of 5-page research paper 8%*

g. Submission of research materials, 25 note and 12 bibliography cards 10%*

h. First draft of 12-15 page research paper 15%*

i. Second draft of 12-15 page research paper 30%

j. power point presentation of research results 5%*

k. Final Exam 5%*

l. In class writing assignments 5%*

m. bonus points for attendance: 5% extra for no more than 1 absence

* These requirements must be completed satisfactorily to pass the course. Failure to produce any one of them may result in an "F" for the course.

Writing Competencies

Upon completion of this course, a student should be able to write a clear, well organized, well researched and properly formatted research paper.

Rubrics for acceptable writing and the research papers are on the last page of this syllabus.

Policy for Assignments:

All assignments must be handed in on time. Late papers, quizzes and power point presentations will receive ½ credit.

All papers will be/have:

a. typed

b. double-spaced

c. stapled

d. presented in 12 point New Times Roman font

e. one inch margins on all sides

f. a cover page with student’s name, type of paper, title of paper, date due and date turned in

Papers not presented in this format will not be accepted.

Extra-Curricular Activities

All extra-curricular activities (field trips) are mandatory. Learning Community students who cannot attend a field trip when scheduled will be required to attend the same event or similar event with faculty approval on their own time and at their own expense.

Attendance

In accordance with English program policy, students who miss more than NINE (9) hours of class will receive an F. These nine hours include both excused and unexcused absences. Participation in sports activities is not an excused absence. Other unexcused absences include birthdays, vacations, illness, work, etc. If a problem arises with your absences, please discuss it with me immediately.

Grading Scale:

Letter grades will be assigned according to the student’s fulfilling the requirements above. (See Assessment, Class Policy for Assignments, and Class Policy on Attendance.)

Grade	Points
A	100-92
A-	91-90
B+	89-88
B	87-82
B-	81-80
C+	79-78
C	77-72
C-	71-70
D+	69-68
D	67-62
D-	61-60
F	59 and below

Administrative Withdrawal

To protect a student from failing a course, a faculty member may initiate an administrative withdrawal of a student who misses two or more consecutive weeks of classes.

Academic Alerts

In an effort to keep you informed of serious problems affecting your ability to pass this course, students who are in jeopardy of not passing may receive an Academic Alert to notify them of the situation and the remedial actions they should take to put them in good academic standing.

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, Power Point

Unit VII Research Writing Assignments Due Dates

· January 21: 2-paper paper. Topics derived from Introduction to Religion, Introduction to the Visual Arts, or The House of Spirits: Research paper topics must lend themselves to controversy. Students will present two opposing points of view on a subject and argue in favor of one of them.

· February 4: note cards and bibliography cards for 5-page research paper

· February 11: 5-page research paper due

· February 25: 5-page research paper revision due and 25 note cards and 10 bibliography cards

· March 17: first draft of 12-15 page research paper due

· March 31: second draft of 12-15 page research paper due

· April 7: power point presentations on subject of research paper

· April 14: power point presentations

Quiz Due dates for The House of Spirits:

· January 28 Chapters 1-2

· February 4 Chapters 3

· February 18 Chapters 4-5

· March 3 Chapters 6-7

· March 10 Chapters 8-9

· March 24 Chapters 10-15

Readings from The Mercury Reader, The House of Spirits, A Writer’s Reference and other handouts will be assigned. Quizzes will be based on these readings. Students are expected to hand in all papers, required revisions, and quizzes on time. Late submissions will receive half credit.

Center for Academic Excellence:

Tutoring assistance is free to all students of Calumet College of St. Joseph. Call the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE), to make an appointment at 473-4287. The Center has experienced and well-trained tutors in most subject areas to help students who are struggling in a course or who are doing well and would like to do better. Regular weekly tutoring sessions are likely to improve your grade.

Statement of Plagiarism:

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.

Please note: Calumet College of St. Joseph subscribes to Turnitin.com and all papers can and may be submitted for checks on plagiarism from the Internet/Electronic sources/Databases.

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. The Registrar must receive written request for withdrawal 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.

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).

School Closing Information:

Internet: http://www.ccsj.edu

http://www.EmergencyClosings.com

Facility: Calumet College of St. Joseph

Phone: 219.473.4770

Radio: WAKE – 1500 AM

WGN - 720 AM

WIJE – 105.5 FM

WLS – 890 AM

WZVN – 107.1 FM

WBBM NEWS RADIO 78

TV Channels:

2, 5, 7, 9, 32

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.
O_____	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

Student’s Name:

Paper Assignment:

Date Due:

Date Submitted:

# of pages:

Rhetoric 104 Research Paper Evaluation Checklist

Rubric	Excellent	Very Good	Satisfactory	Needs improvement	Needs serious revision
Statement of Purpose or Thesis: statement or question you will prove or answer (Max: 5 points)
Introduction (paper begins with opening paragraph that captures the reader’s interest Max: 5 points
Format (MLA or APA) Documentation a. Works Cited page (10pts)
b. In-text citations (10pts)
c. Integration of source material in text (10pts)
Sources: Minimum eight references with proper distribution of types (10pts)
Content and Argument Structure: a. assigned topic completed successfully (Max. 5pts)
b. central ideas in essay stated (max. 5 pts.)
c. relevant supportive and substantive material (max. 10 pts.)
d. logical order of main points and supporting material (max. 5 pts)
Conclusion (max. 5 pts)
Style (max. 10 pts) transitions word choice sentence structure use of figurative language
Mechanics (max. 10 pts.) Spelling Punctuation Grammar

Total Possible Points: 100

Points Required for Passing (D-): 60

Comments:

Suggestions for Improvement: [1]