SYLLABUS FOR RHETORIC
& COMPOSITION I
Term: Fall, 2005
Course Number: ENG 103C
Instructor: Dr. Chris Buczinsky
E-mail: cbuczinsky@ccsj.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 11:00-12:00, 3:30-4:30
Wednesday 3:00-7:00
Friday 11:00-12:00,
3:30-4:30
Instructor Background: I graduated from
Northwestern in 1994 with my Ph.D. in English. Before coming to CCSJ I spent
four years as a performer of children’s poetry. After that I worked two years
as an associate editor of a trade magazine. This is my fourth year at CCSJ. I
teach Rhetoric and Composition, Writing for the Media, Newspaper Design,
American Literature, Global Perspectives (The Americas), and Literary Theory
and Criticism. I am also the faculty advisor for The Shavings, CCSJ’s student newspaper.
Course Time: Tuesdays and Fridays, 12:10
p.m. – 1:40 p.m.
Course Description: English 103 is the study of
correct, lively, and clear writing. Our main goal is to learn the fundamentals
of academic writing. In doing so, each student will develop a portfolio of five
essays and a total of at least 40 pages of writing. Before successfully
completing this course, students must pass a competency essay exam on the
assigned novel.
Prerequisites: NONE
Learning Outcomes/
Competencies:
The aim of this course is to teach you to write a college-level essay. There
are ten basic skills that you must
master.
Textbooks:
Writing Essentials by Dawn Rodrigues and Myron
C. Tuman
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
Xerox
selections from various composition textbooks
Learning Strategies: In this course I use a
mixture of traditional instruction (i.e. short “chalk talks” followed by
exercises that allow you to practice applying key composition concepts and
skills) and the writing workshop method of learning to write by writing. There
will be individual teacher/student mentoring when you write in class and class
discussion on the novel in preparation for the competency exam.
Assessment:
1.
The Competency Exam. To pass English
103 you must pass the writing competency
exam given to all English 103 students during the 10th week of
class (10/31-11/4).
You
will be asked to write an essay on one of five questions about The Things They Carried, a novel about
young soldiers in Vietnam. You will be able to bring to the exam only a brief
(1/2 page) outline and the book itself; however, you can mark up the margins of
the book with plenty of notes and flag important passages with stickies.
Two
CCSJ English instructors will evaluate your essay using the rubric found at the
end of the syllabus; if they disagree, a third will break the tie. If you do
not pass the exam (everyone has a bad day), you will be given a chance to try
again; if you do not pass it twice, you will have to take this class again.
2.
Final Grades. To award final grades
I will use the following point system on individual assignments.
1.
Class Participation 50 pts.
2.
The Things They Carried Journal
50 pts.
3.
Homework Assignments 50 pts.
4.
Portfolio/Notebook 50 pts.
5.
Essays 600
pts.
6.
Chalk Talk Exam 200
pts.
Total Points
1000 pts.
1. Class participation (50 pts). Class participation is the most subjective and difficult performance to measure, but that does not mean there are no concrete behaviors that help me to evaluate you fairly. The follow set of profiles will be my guideline:
|
F 0-29 |
Regularly
comes to class unprepared Never
asks questions or participates in discussion Often
gets off task when doing in-class exercises and writing Displays
a negative, indifferent or belligerent attitude |
|
D 30-34 |
Often
comes to class unprepared Rarely
or infrequently asks questions or participates in discussion Sometimes
wanders off task when doing in-class exercises and writing Sometimes
displays a negative, indifferent, and belligerent spirit. |
|
C 35-39 |
Regularly
comes to class prepared Stays
on task when doing in-class exercises and writing Regularly
asks questions and participates in class discussion Generally
displays a positive attitude toward class |
B40-44 |
All
of C as well as the following: Is
helpful to other students and the instructor Listens
well and responds to the point |
A45-50 |
All
of C and B as well as the following: Probes
with questions that display an active ownership of education Moves
class discussion forward in new and interesting ways Generally
goes above and beyond the call of duty |
2.
The
Things They Carried Journal (50 pts.)
The
aim of the The Things They Carried
journal is twofold: to make sure that you have read the book and to begin
gathering information you will need to pass your competency exam. It’s very
unlikely that you’ll pass the competency exam without having read the book. The
journal will help keep you on schedule; reading assignments are planned to help
you finish the book well before exam day. I will check your journal five times
(10 pts. each). The checks are scheduled to take place on the first five Fridays of the semester. Here is the
schedule:
9/2 Pages 1-38
9/9
Pages 39-88
9/16 Pages 89-154
9/23 Pages 155-188
9/30 Pages 189-end
If
you miss a journal entry you can make it up, but you will be docked one letter
grade for every class period it is late. Journals will be graded on length
alone. They must be organized in your notebook so that I can easily see the
previous entries.
0
pages 0
1/2
page 6 D
1/2-1
page 7 C
1-1 1/2 pages 8 B
1
1/2-2 pages 9-10 A
3.
Homework Assignments (50 pts.)
Homework
assignments give you a chance to practice applying the concepts we learn in
class. They are learning tools meant to help you understand ideas rather than
assessment devices used to evaluate your performance. Therefore, if you do them
completely and with integrity, you will receive full credit. Homework will be
checked at the beginning of the class period when it is due. Each assignment is
usually worth 5 points.
4. The Portfolio (50 pts.)
The
portfolio is a collection of all the work you do for this class. It is a three
ring binder with labeled dividers that will organize the work you do in this
class. It should include at least the following sections: O’Brien Journal,
Chalk Talk Notes, Homework/In-Class Assignments, and Essays. It will be graded
on how complete it is (whether or not it includes everything we have done) and
on neatness and organization, which will be key to your academic and personal
success. It will be graded twice, once on the first Friday of the semester (25
pts.) and again on the last Friday of the semester (25 pts.)
5. Individual Essays (600 pts.)
You
are required to write five (5) essays in a variety of forms. Some are worth
more than others. The due dates are given in the table below.
|
Unit |
Essay Forms |
Page Length |
Points |
Due Dates |
|
1 |
Narrative
Essay |
2-3 pages |
50 |
Sept. 2 |
|
2 |
Five
Paragraph Essay |
2-3 pages |
100 |
Sept. 16 |
|
3 |
Compare/Contrast
Essay |
5 pages |
150 |
Oct. 7 |
|
|
Competency
Exam |
Minimum 3 pages |
P/F |
Oct. 31-Nov.4 |
|
4 |
Cause-Effect
Essay |
5 page |
150 |
Nov. 11 |
|
5 |
Persuasive
Essay |
5 pages |
150 |
Dec. 2 |
|
|
Total
Points |
20 pages |
600 |
|
All essays must be written to pass the course. You can earn an A on every paper, but if you fail to write one of them, you will fail the course.
All essays must be handed in on time. Papers will be marked down one letter grade for every class they are late. I will not accept late papers the last week of classes.
All
papers will be/have:
a. typed
b. double-spaced
c. stapled
d. printed in 12 pt. New Times Roman font ONLY
e. one inch margins
f. a heading on the first page with student’s name,
paper form and date turned in
g. student’s name on all subsequent pages (ex.
Buczinsky/2)
h. a title
Papers not submitted in this format will not be accepted.
Papers will be evaluated using the same criteria used to grade your competency exam (see Rubric for Acceptable Writing at the end of this syllabus).
6. Chalk-Talk Exam (200 pts.)
The chalk-talk exam will test your knowledge, understanding, and ability to apply the concepts I teach you in my “chalk talks” (short, 20-40 minute presentations at the chalk board). (So note: this is not the same as the Competency Exam). It will include multiple choice, true/false, matching, and short answer questions as well as a five-paragraph essay. Here is a tentative list of topics:
1. Chaos is Good: Freewriting
2. How to Organize a College Essay
3. Introductions and Conclusions
4. Making things Stick: Transitions
5. Paragraph Development I: Illustration and Example
6. Paragraph Development II: Other Modes of Development
7.
Editing Live: Paragraph Development and Unity
8. Sentence Quality 1: Correct vs. Incorrect
9. Sentence Quality 2: Economy vs. Wordiness
10. Sentence Quality 3: Vigor vs. Weakness
Grading Scale:
Grades
will be assigned based on your performance on the requirements listed above.
Students will be assigned final grades based on the following scale:
|
|
870-890
= B+ |
770-790
= C+ |
670-690=
D+ |
0-590
= F |
|
940-1000
= A |
840-860
= B |
740-760
= C |
640-660
= D |
|
|
900-930
= A- |
800-830
= B- |
700-730
= C- |
600-630
= D- |
|
Warning: Theoretically, you could earn an A in the course, fail the competency
exam, and therefore fail the course and have to take it over again (though this
is very unlikely); conversely, if you pass the competency test and fail
grade-wise, you can still pass the course (though you will not necessarily do
so).
Class Policy on Tardiness
and 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; it also includes all tardies of more than 15 minutes.
Please be aware these hours include birthdays, sport events, illness, work,
etc. If a problem arises with your
absences, please come and talk to me immediately.
Our
class begins at 12:10 p.m. sharp. If you are tardy, I have to stop the class to
get you up to speed. This is unfair to other students, and it wastes time. I
reserve the right to lock the doors to all who are consistently late. I also
reserve the right to mark you absent for the whole class if you develop a habit
of leaving early (which is especially disruptive). In short, I want the
pleasure of your company for the entire
class period.
Class Policy on Electronic
Devices:
Please turn off all cell phones, beepers, etc. 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.
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. The number is
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 but
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. (Academic
Planner 2001/2002 p.27) Please be
aware that your paper may be submitted for examination for plagiarism to
Turnitin.com, a plagiarism-check Internet company with which the college has
contracted.
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 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. A written request for the
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).
Modifications to this
syllabus may be made to meet the needs of this specific class.
RUBRIC/CRITERIA FOR ACCEPTABLE WRITING: