SYLLABUS FOR ENGLISH 095X
Term:
Spring 2005.2
Course
Number: ENG 095A
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 a strong interest
in teaching writing. Much of my teaching career has been devoted
to helping students learn to write acceptable academic English. This skill will
give you the basic writing competencies to succeed not only in Rhetoric 103 and
104, but will help you for success in your other college courses and in
your future careers or businesses. Another hat I wear at the college is to
direct the tutoring services through the Center for Academic Excellence.
Course
Time: Monday, 7-10 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:
Gather
Together in My Name by
Maya Angelou
Writing Essentials, Rodrigues and Tuman
Other
readings as assigned
Other
Materials:
Students
are required to have a flash drive on which to save your papers.
Learning
Strategies:
In-class
writing, group work, collaborative learning, teacher mentoring and instruction.
Assessment:
Final grades will be based on:
submission of all writing assignments
timeliness of submission of first drafts and
revisions.
minimum of 3 pages per paper of acceptable
writing (including required revisions and rewrites (75%)
and passing the end of course competency writing essay)*
assigned quizzes (25%)
Late
papers and quizzes lose one full grade.
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. Students must pass the competency to take Rhetoric 103.
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, revisions and quizzes) will be accepted the last class
period.
All papers will be/have:
typed
double-spaced
stapled
pages numbered
12 point font in New Times
Roman
1.25 left margin and one inch
on the other three sides
a cover page with student’s
name, paper form and date turned in
an imaginative title on
page one of the paper
all papers a minimum of
three pages in length except the first paper, the Letter ( 2 pages)
Papers submitted in any other format will not be
accepted.
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.)
A: 92-100
A-: 90-91
B+: 88-89 B:
82-87 B-:
80-81 C+: 78-79
C:
72-77 C-:
70-71 D+:
68-69 D:
62-67 D-:
60-61 F: 59 & below
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.
Class
Policy on Attendance:
Class
attendance is an important priority. Missing classes will impede your
progress. If you miss more than nine hours, English Program policy requires
that you either fail the course or withdraw. These absences include both excused
and unexcused absences, such as birthdays, sport events, illness, work,
etc. If you are more than 10 minutes late or leave anytime during a class, you
will earn ½ an absence. Class participation is a vital component to this
course.
Student
Responsibilities:
1) Problems in the Course: I expect students
who are having difficulty for whatever reason (e. g. difficulty with writing,
difficulty with reading, difficulty with the teacher) to let me know so that we
might work together to correct the problem. If you don’t seek to resolve an
issue, the burden of failure rests with you. I don’t want to be blamed at the
end of the semester for your failure to address an issue. If I fail to address
your issue, then that is my responsibility.
2) Attendance: I expect that all students
will be present for all classes. Realistically, that is not always possible. As
a courtesy, if circumstances prevent your attendance, you should notify me in
advance either by phone or email. No matter what your educational background,
life/work experiences, you have something to offer that will enrich our
class. As your instructor, I not only encourage your participation, but
also rely on it and you should demand it, not only of yourselves, but also of
your classmates. Our class is only as good as we make it.
3) Reading Assignments: Students are expected to have read all
assignments prior to the discussion of the material. Without that prior
reading, class discussion will be very dull for you and for me. My teaching
style depends on interaction with my students. I prefer the give and take of
ideas to lecture. I learn more from such encounters and so will you.
4)
Revisions of Papers: Revisions of papers are optional. If you choose to
revise a paper, you must submit it within one week of its return to
you. The grade for the paper assignment will then be the average of the
first and the second draft. Only one revision will be accepted.
Classroom Behavior:
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. The student is expected to
treat the instructor and his/her fellow students with respect and courtesy at
all times. This means giving your full attention. No private
conversations, no catching up on homework assignments, no use of the
computer for any purpose other than class assignments.
Open
Door Policy
Since
your learning is my primary concern, it is imperative that anything preventing
you from learning be discussed. Please feel free to make an appointment
with me or call me so that I can help you keep on track. Please remember that
it is your responsibility to left me know that you need help and to seek
it out.
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. A written request for withdrawal must be received by the
Registrar no later than the last day of classes and 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).
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.
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.
Course
Outline:
Writing
Assignments
Due Dates
|
Unit
I Letter: tell me who you are |
1/16/06 |
|
Revised Letter 1 |
1/30/06 |
|
Unit
II Compare/contrast |
1/23/06 |
|
Revised Compare/contrast |
2/6/06 |
|
Unit
III Cause and Effect |
2/6/06 |
|
Cause and Effect Revised |
2/20/06 |
|
Unit V Persuasion* |
3/27/06 |
|
Revised
Persuasion |
4/10/06 |
|
Writing
Exam (Competency) |
|
|
Competency
Results |
|
*Now that you have spent almost one semester in college write an essay
addressed to high school students telling them what they need to know to
succeed in college.
Reading Assignments
|
Gather
Together in My Name |
Due
Dates for Quizzes |
|
Chapters
1-11 pp. 1-37 |
1/23 |
|
Chapters
12-16 pp. 37-71 |
1/30 |
|
Chapters
17-24 pp. 71-117 |
2/6 |
|
Chapters
25-27 pp. 117-147 |
2/20 |
|
Chapters
28-end pp. 147-181 |
2/27 |
|
|
|
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 |
Student’s Name:
Paper Assignment:
Date Due:
Date Submitted:
# of pages:
Essay Evaluation Checklist
|
Rubric |
Excellent 5 |
Very Good 4 |
Satisfactory 3 |
Needs improvement 2 |
Needs serious revision 1 |
|
1. Content and Ideas (Max. 30
pts.) |
|
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|
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|
clear
focus 10pts |
|
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|
relevant supportive material 20pts |
|
|
|
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|
|
2. Organization (Max.
25 pts.) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
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|
b. effective conclusion 5 |
|
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|
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|
c.
clear thesis or statement of
purpose
5 |
|
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logical order of main points 5 |
|
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|
effective transitions 5 |
|
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3. Paragraphing and
supportive
material
( Max 15 pts) |
|
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c. coherent
paragraphing
5 |
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4. Form (Max 10 pts) |
|
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|
Effective use of rhetorical form (letter, narrative,
process, compare/contrast, etc.) 10 pts |
|
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5. Style (max. 15 pts) |
|
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word
choice
5 |
|
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sentence
structure
10 |
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6. Mechanics (max. 15 pts.) |
|
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Spelling
5 |
|
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Punctuation
5 |
|
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c.
Grammar
5 |
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|
Total Possible Points: 100
Points Required for Passing
(D-): 60
Total Points:
Comments:
Suggestions for Improvement:[1][1]