SYLLABUS FOR ENGLISH 095A

SYLLABUS FOR ENGLISH 095X

Term: Fall 2006.1 (8/29-12/5, 2006)

Course Number: ENG 095X

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 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: Tuesday 7-10

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 bring a flash drive to every class.

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 revisions and rewrites (75%)

· assigned quizzes (25%)

· and passing the competency writing essay administered the 11^th week of classes)*

Late papers and quizzes lose one full grade for each class they are late.

*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. Your 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 the past, the program has identified 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). Furthermore, any student found guilty of plagiarism, will receive a grade of F for this course.

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. After week 10, permission to withdraw will be granted only to students whose work is up to date. Students who are behind on their assignments will not be allowed to withdraw. Therefore, if you are behind on your work, and you want to withdraw, do so before the tenth week of classes. 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.

Assignments and due dates:

Writing Assignments Due Dates

Unit I Narrative: description of your life	9/5
Revised Letter 1	9/12
Unit II Compare/contrast	9/19
Revised Compare/contrast	9/26
Unit III Cause and Effect	10/3
Cause and Effect Revised	10/10
Competency Practice	10/10-10/31

Writing Exam (Competency)	11/7
Competency Results	11/14
Unit V Persuasion*	11/28
Revised Persuasion	12/5

*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	9/12
Chapters 12-16 pp. 37-71	9/26
Chapters 17-24 pp. 71-117	10/3
Chapters 28-end pp. 147-181	10/10

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.**
O_____	*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. 25 pts.)
clear focus 10pts
relevant supportive material 15pts
2. Organization (Max. 25 pts.)
effective introduction 5
b. effective conclusion 5
c. clear thesis or statement of purpose 5
logical order of main points 5
effective transitions 5
3. Paragraphing and supportive material ( Max 15 pts)
well-developed paragraphs 5
paragraph topic sentence relates to thesis or statement of purpose 5
c. coherent paragraphing 5
4. Form (Max 10 pts)
Effective use of rhetorical form (letter, narrative, process, compare/contrast, etc.) 10 pts
5. Style (max. 10 pts)
word choice 5
sentence structure 5
6. Mechanics (max. 15 pts.)
Spelling 5
Punctuation 5
Grammar 5

Total Possible Points: 100

Points Required for Passing (D-): 60

Total Points:

Comments:

Suggestions for Improvement:^{^[1]}

[1] For full credit, revision required by next class period.