English 100, Section 03,
Composition I
Instructor:
Mrs. Maria Wilson
Mailbox:
Engleman D Wing, Room D265C - English Office
Voicemail:
(203) 974-0312 (checked Monday through Friday)
E-mail: mawcat61@aol.com
(checked Thursday and Sunday)
Office Hours and Conferences TO BE ANNOUNCED (or by appointment)
v
Rereading
America, Sixth
Edition, edited by Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen and Bonnie Lisle
v
St.
Martinıs Handbook, Fifth
Edition, Andrea A. Lunsford
v
Access
to a daily newspaper, recent periodicals, and other forms of news media
v
Access
to a word processor for typing formal writing assignments
v
A
supply of loose leaf paper for informal and in-class assignments (please no
pages torn from a spiral notebook)
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A dark
colored pen (blue or black) or a sharpened pencil
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Two
folders, preferably with pockets.
1.
The
first folder is your ³working² folder.
It should hold in-class writing assignments, homework, reading journals
and the like. You are responsible
for bringing your working folder to each class.
2.
The
second folder is for formal writing assignments. It should hold all phases of each formal writing assignment
(including drafts, workshop materials, research materials, thesis proposals,
formal outlines and the final version of each formal essay). Your formal essays should be submitted
in your folder with your notes and workshop materials or all materials must be
securely stapled together. Unstapled
essays will not be accepted. Please retain extra
copies of all of your work, either by hard copy or on a disk.
v
A
college edition dictionary
English
100 is designed to help you achieve the following:
The essays and articles in Rereading America are designed to help you begin to
examine the American culture. As
active readers, you will be encouraged to question and complicate these
readings and conduct some research outside of the textbook. You will become comfortable with
responding to and incorporating the authorıs views into your own essays using
MLA documentation and conventions for acknowledging sources. This course will emphasize close
reading and your response to that reading. Finally, you will learn to proofread and revise, not merely
for grammatical errors, but for effectiveness, clarity and content.
Course Requirements
Each student must
complete all requirements listed below to receive credit for the course, and
your final grade will be computed based on the following percentages.
(includes satisfactory
completion of all assigned reading,
in-class writing
exercises, reading journals, group projects
classroom
presentations, and the like)
Drafts, workshop attendance, workshop participation, classroom
participation, thesis proposals, and formal outlines are all considered when
evaluating your formal papers
Note: Essay #4, including drafts, workshop notes, formal outlines,
thesis proposals and revisions must be submitted in a Final Portfolio. See below for a sample list of what
items may be requested for submission in your final portfolio. A complete list will be given to you
toward the end of the semester.
Final Portfolio
The
final portfolio is in lieu of a final exam. The final portfolio may include the following:
·
Essay #4, including a prior draft, thesis proposal, formal
outline and workshop notes
·
Two (2) of the in-class writing assignments that will be
written throughout the semester and revisions thereto
·
One (1) self-evaluation
·
One (1) reflective writing
·
Five (5) reading journals, with notes & revisions
The student is responsible for completing the assignments listed above
for submission to the instructor in a final portfolio. The final portfolio shall be evaluated
for effort, improvement, organization and completeness. Your final portfolio (including Essay
#4) shall be submitted on Monday, December 13, 2004, no later than 9:00 a.m. Any portfolio or essay submitted later than Monday, December
13, 2004, 9:00 a.m., will receive a grade of ZERO. No exceptions.
Grading
I
will comment extensively on each piece of formal writing that is submitted for
evaluation. In addition to
comments, I will assign a letter grade to each formal essay and your final
portfolio. Short exercises will be
checked for accuracy and completeness; some short exercises will receive a
letter grade, others will simply be noted as satisfactory or unsatisfactory. You will not get credit for having
completed half an exercise or having completed one hastily.
Your final grade will be
based on the completion of all assignments by their stated due dates. Assignments include not only reading
the text but also responding in writing and contemplating the questions in the
textbook. Consistent classroom
participation is essential. If the
instructor determines that the class is unprepared, the instructor reserves the
right to collect homework assignments without prior notice. The homework assignments count as part
of your class participation/attendance grade.
Grades in the A range
are earned by writers who show advanced expository, creative and analytical
thinking in a coherent and cohesive manner, as well as showing increasing
consciousness and sophistication with their writing processes. These writers are typically trying to
be creative and intelligent, and they will use significant substantiation and
appropriate tones to achieve results readers find interesting and informative. Their texts will be relative free of
syntax problems, will not be obscured by grammatical and mechanical errors, and
use of sources will be wisely, honestly and correctly synthesized into their
essays. Students earning Aıs will
be the ones we want to listen to when we come to class ready to discuss our reading,
as well as the ones who offer helpful ideas with our writing. These students rarely if ever miss
classes or deadlines.
Grades in the C range
are earned by writers who minimally manage to complete the course challenges in
a satisfactory manner. Though
doing the work, the C student is not much engaged in the progressive writing
and thinking growth of the classıs learning community as B or an A
students. C students often have
difficulty with time management and do not always apply themselves as powerfully
as possible.
Grades in the B range
are earned by achieving a combination of the values expressed about A and C
students.
Failure to attend class
regularly and complete all writing and reading assignments on time will result
in a grade of F.
Late Assignments
Late work will receive a
devalued grade. Five (5) points
will be deducted for each day that the class meets after an assignment is
due. Thus, a ³B² paper due on Monday
but submitted on Wednesday will receive a ³C² grade. No late final portfolios, including Essay #4, will be
accepted. Failure to submit your final portfolio
and/or Essay #4 by the due date will result in a ZERO for each missed
assignment.
As the semester progresses, you will
be asked to sign up for an office visit with the instructor. The purpose of the office visit is to
discuss your writing and whether or not you are meeting the course
requirements. Missed appointments
count as if you missed a regularly scheduled class period no exceptions.
Workshops
are mandatory. You will be asked
to evaluate and respond to essays written by your fellow students, and you will
asked to please be kind and helpful with your criticism. If you are reading another studentıs
essay for comment, consider the ideas presented. Has the writer developed a persuasive argument? Is the thesis clear, the essay
organized, developed and supported with text from our readings? Is the conclusion clear and
logical? Read as if you were an
author approaching your own essay for a rewrite.
Information on Essays and other
Writing Assignments
·
Your writing should be free of grammatical and syntactical
errors
·
Your writing should be creative and thoughtful
·
Your
writing must refer closely to the text of Rereading America. Essays that do not examine and use the text will result in a
devalued grade
·
Your essays should be prepared using the Modern Language
Association (MLA) format for double-spacing, paragraph indentation, margin
width, location of name, etc., pagination, title and conventions for
acknowledging sources
·
All formal essays must be typed, double spaced; reading
journals, in-class writings and homework assignments may be hand written
Each
of the four (4) well-developed essays will involve multiple drafts before
arriving at a final draft. You
must retain your drafts, thesis proposals and outlines for submission with your
formal essay assignments. Failure
to submit your drafts, thesis proposals and outlines as assigned will result in
a devalued grade.
The
drafts submitted with your formal essays must show your rethinking and
reworking of your ideas, responses, thesis and format. It is not enough to simply hand in a
draft that shows you have corrected your ³typos.² Revision is a process of challenging your own ideas and the
presentation of those ideas until your writing effectively communicates your
thoughts. As writers, we sometimes
are not sure of our thoughts until we see them on paper and have the
opportunity to examine them in an objective way. The mandatory workshops will give you the advantage of
feedback from other writers facing these same challenges.
The
assignments should serve as exercises to help you refine your ability work with
academic discourse and scholarly inquiry.
The essays will require you to practice evaluating information,
synthesizing ideas and correctly documenting sources. It is hoped that these essays will build on your previous
writing experiences to help you compose some of your most interesting college
thinking. Each student should
learn to become a writer who gains the wisdom and ability to tap a variety of
useful writing resources. This
class will be a place for you to begin your ideas, to make observations about
your own writing, to respond to your reading assignments, and to revise and
enhance your thinking. Most
importantly, this class will help stimulate your growth as a writer.
Writing Help
All
writers usually benefit from other perspectives. I am available for feedback and assistance during office
hours, before or after class, or by appointment. I am also available to discuss your work by telephone and/or
e-mail.
Free tutoring is
available at the University Writing Center.
Students with Disabilities
If
you have a disability, please inform me as soon as possible and consult with
the Disabilities Resource Office at the university so that appropriate
accommodations may be made to ensure equity in grading, classroom experiences
and outside assignments.
The English Department
at SCSU has set an attendance policy, which this class will adhere to:
Unexcused Absences: Students are
allowed three (3) unexcused absences.
Students need not present an excuse within this limit and the instructor
will not penalize a student for missing three (3) classes.
Excused Absences: Students who miss more
than three (3) classes must give the instructor a reason for their
absence. In case of illness,
students must provide written verification. The instructor may request written verification for other
reasons as well. Depending on the
reason, and verification thereof, the instructor may or may not penalize
students for absences beyond the three (3) unexcused absences but not excessive
absences.
Excessive Absences: Students who accumulate excessive
(9) absences, for whatever reason, will receive a grade of ³F² in the
course. Nine (9) absences are
excessive.
Extenuating Circumstances:
An
extenuating circumstance, such as prolonged illness, may cause an extended
absence. For students in such
extenuating circumstances, instructors may file for a late withdrawal, provided
that the students present written verification. Specifically, students with extended absences of six (6) or
more days should present the instructor with an extended absence card obtained
from the Counseling Office (see Student Handbook). Students with an extended absence of
fewer than six (6) days should provide the instructor with a written
verification, such as a doctorıs note.
Habitual lateness (more than 15 minutes after class begins) or early departure from class (more than 15 minutes before the class ends) will count as ½ absence per offense. Also, failure to attend a scheduled student/teacher conference counts as a missed class.