CCBC, CATONSVILLE

Catonsville, Maryland21228

ENGL. 101: College Composition

Instructor: Linda R. Harris

Office:English Department

Office hours:Monday 1-2 p.m. in G211

E-mail address:

Voice mail:410-455-4323

Term:spring 2004

MATERIALS

1. Kennedy, S.J., Dorothy M. Kennedy, Sylvia A. Holladay. The Bedford Guide for College Writers, 6th edition.

2. A dictionary

3. two 3 ½” diskette or data CD. Use one to back up your stored work.

CATALOG DESCRIPTION: ENGL. 101

College composition provides frequent practice in the fundamentals of prose writing, with emphasis on organization and presentation of ideas. Elements of style and mechanics are studied in the context of essays, mostly expository. [This course fulfills half of the writing component of the general education requirements for graduation.] Students must demonstrate adequate entry level skill for this course. Students not having these skills will be required to enroll in and satisfactorily complete course work designed to improve basic skills.

ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR ENGL. 101

  1. Students should have demonstrated the ability to write original expository paragraphs that are unified, organized and coherent, and fully and appropriately developed in Standard Written American English.
  2. Given a topic in a timed test, students should be able to limit and develop a multi-paragraph essay ranging from 250-300 words. [This will be the writing sample part of the assessment or the exit essay from ENGL. 052.] Students should be able to support a central idea which clearly focuses a subject and purpose of its essay; students will construct a paragraph that summarizes or concludes the issues examined in the essay.
  3. The students’ essays should be unified, all statements clearly developing the central idea.
  4. Students’ essays should employ the thesis-support-conclusion method of development.
  5. Students should achieve coherence by using an appropriate pattern (order) of development as well as transitional constructions that clearly reveal the relationships among the sentences of the paragraphs.
  6. Students should use a variety of sentence structures (kinds of coordination and subordination) that demonstrate the ability to control syntax in establishing relationships among ideas and information.
  7. Students should demonstrate knowledge of punctuation, grammar, spelling and mechanics, and usage by editing and revising their essays according to the requirements of Standard Written American English.
  1. Students will demonstrate the ability to read, paraphrase, and write a response to an essay or other short passage written for an eleventh grade reading level.

COLLEGE READING POLICY

CCBC, Catonsville requires the demonstration of reading competence in all General Education courses listed under Graduation Requirements. Students are responsible for all reading assignments stated in the course syllabus or given in class by the instructor.

READING REQUIREMENTS FOR ENGL. 101

  1. In discussion and in written responses, students will demonstrate the ability to read perceptively and critically. Students will be assigned at least twelve essays or the equivalent, exclusive of the bibliography (readings) used for the documented papers. The essays will be used as rhetorical models or as sources of ideas and information for student essays.
  1. As an option, an instructor may substitute up to three short stories or their equivalent for three of the twelve essays.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

ENGL. 101 is designed to develop the students’ ability to think critically, to read perceptively, and to articulate ideas clearly and cogently in writing and speech. Specifically, this objective is achieved by providing reading, writing, and discussion experiences which:

1. Stimulate awareness of an appreciation for insights into human nature and human society;

  1. Prompt recognition of distinctions between pre-judgements and logically supported opinions;
  2. Strengthen the ways students use language to communicate and relate to others
  3. Guide students through the process of collecting, organizing, and interpreting data in documented essays.

COMPOSITION REQUIREMENTS FOR ENGL. 101

  1. By the end of the course, students will complete a pattern of compositions planned by their instructor which emphasizes planning, drafting, and revising. All essays must employ a thesis and support pattern. Students must demonstrate the ability to read critically, take accurate notes (quotations and paraphrases) as well as integrate paraphrases and quotations into their writing, and document sources.

Each student will write six essays with thesis-support organization. A document essay of at least five to six pages is required and counts as one of the five required essays. Students will be given instruction in library research. All other essays will average 750 words. The final exam essay may also be counted as one of the five required essays.

  1. A final essay must be given during the final examination week. At the discretion of the instructor, three essays, including the diagnostic essay and the final exam, may be written in class.
  1. Instructors may select the modes of composition -- such as argumentation, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, classification, definition, narrative, description, exemplification -- they wish to emphasize. Critical analysis is recommended as a transition to ENGL. 102, Writing about Literature.

The students’ essays will be unified, organized, and coherent and will provide appropriate substantial development for the thesis.

  1. Students’ writing will demonstrate their ability to plan, revise, and edit their writing; in addition, students will demonstrate competence in basic grammar, mechanics, and usage of Standard Written American English.
  1. Students will demonstrate the ability to paraphrase, summarize, and quote accurately and to document sources according to the MLA and/or APA style guides.

GRADING POLICY

All of the work assigned in this course will be worth a certain number of points. Students will receive a chart that lists the point totals. At midterm, the instructor will distribute the chart filled in with the points earned to that date. After the final grades have been submitted, completely filled in charts for each student will be available in the English department in the instructor’s mailbox.

Essays that are submitted late lose three points for each class period after the due date that the paper is not submitted. In-class exercises must be done on the original date. If students are absent on the days when exercises are done, they will not be able to do the exercise later.

Students must earn a C or better in ENGL. 101 to enter ENGL. 102.

STUDENT WITHDRAWAL POLICY

After the first ten weeks of the regular semester or the first two-thirds of the winter, summer, or late-start class, students can withdraw only under extraordinary circumstances with the permission of the Dean of Liberal Arts.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT ATTENDANCE POLICY

  1. The English, Reading, and English as a Second language Department considers attendance essential for student success. Therefore, the Department adheres to the following attendance rules:

Fall and Spring Semesters: A student enrolled in a class that

Meets three times per week is permitted six absences; after the seventh absence, the student fails the course. A student enrolled in a class that meets twice a week is permitted four absences and fails after the fifth absence. A student enrolled in a class that meets once a week is permitted two absences and fails after the third absence.

Summer Sessions: A student enrolled in a class that meets four times per week for six weeks is permitted three absences and fails after the fourth absence. A student enrolled in a class that meets three times a week is permitted three absences and fails after the fourth absence.

Winter Sessions: A student enrolled in a class that meets four times per week for four weeks is permitted two absences and fails after the third absence.

The English, Reading, and English as a Second Language Department makes no distinction between excused and unexcused absences. The Department’s concern is the number of absences, not the reasons for the absences. At the faculty member’s discretion, absences from the class may be the basis for academic failure.

2. A student who is absent from a class, for whatever reason, is responsible for obtaining information about the material covered in a class and the assignments announced in class. A student is always responsible for submitting on time assignments announced while he or she is absent.

3. Unless excused by the instructor, a student who arrives late or leaves early will be treated as absent.

Spring 2004 Dates to Remember

Description / Date
100% refund period ends (for
most classes) / January 30
Classes begin / February 2
50% refund period ends / February 20
Midterm grades due / March 26
Last day to withdraw with a “W” / April 14
Spring recess / April 5-
April 12
Classes resume / April 13
Last day of classes / May 15
Final exams / May 17-23
Final grades due / May 25
Last day to complete an “I” / October 15
Summer classes begin / June 7

1