EN 021 Improvement of College Writing I
Fall 2006 Syllabus
EN 021—Improvement of College Writing II—IN1 and IN2
3 non-degree credits
(Developmental course credits count toward full-time status and financial aid; they do not count toward your degree)
Instructor: Beth ConomosOffice Hours: MWF 9-10 & MW 2-3
Office: K 207A Mailbox: K 209
Phone: 851-1764Email:
Catalog Description: A course designed to further improve the student’s writing skills.
Required Text: Paragraph Essentials: A Writing Guide by Linda Wong, ISBN# 0618000399
You must have the text to succeed in this course.
Course Objectives:
- To demonstrate mastery of EN 020 proficiencies in writing
- To spell correctly; to edit and proofread precisely
- To write syntactically complete and correct sentences of all varieties
- To use sentence boundary and internal punctuation correctly, particularly commas and semicolons
- To use transitional words and phrases, conjunctions and conjunctive adverbs consciously to clarify and promote movement of thought in the paragraph/essay
- To write pronouns that clearly refer to determinate antecedents; to maintain agreement between pronouns and their referents
- To write extended paragraphs in which the main idea is expressed in the first sentence and developed in a coherent development section of at least five sentences
- To write expository essays of correctly formatted paragraphs in which the thesis statement is expressed in the initial paragraph, developed in the body paragraph(s), and concluded in the final paragraph
- To develop the main idea of a paragraph/essay using various rhetorical modes
- To select, evaluate, and organize data for presentation in coherent and pointed paragraphs
- To derive general statements from concrete details and write those statements as topic sentences
- To organize supporting details according to explicit logical and rhetorical principals
- To write appropriate concluding sentences/paragraphs that restate, summarize, evaluate, or apply the topic sentence
- To write paragraphs in which the style, tone, complexity of expression, necessary background information, assumptions, and diction are determined with conscious consideration of the intended audience
- To maintain consistent viewpoint
General Education Competencies:
To listen and speak effectively, read critically, and write correctly and effectively
To operate a computer and exhibit the research skills necessary for lifelong learning
To identify and logically analyze problems and issues and to propose and evaluate solutions
To form reasoned value judgments and demonstrate knowledge of artistic and literary traditions
To demonstrate awareness of the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge
Course Requirements:
- Various practice assignments such as exercises from the text or notes, discussion boards, and writing exercises
- 8-12 formal writing assignments of different lengths
- 1 two-part, essay exit exam (must have passing grade at time of exam to be eligible to take it)
Grading and Course Objectives Evaluation:
Your course grade will be determined as follows:
Practice Exercises20%
Tests & Quizzes30%
Writing Assignments50%
A two-part essay exam is an English department requirement to exit developmental courses.
Grade DefinitionQuality Points
96-100AOutstanding Achievement4.00
91-95A-3.67
87-90B+3.33
83-86BAbove Average Achievement3.00
80-82B-2.67
77-79C+2.33
73-76CAverage Achievement2.00
70-72C-1.67
67-69 D+1.33
63-66 DBelow Average Achievement1.00
60-62 D- .67
0-59 FUnsatisfactory Achievement/Attendance0
Cheating or Plagiarism
State University of New York General Education Requirements
General Education Skill Area:
Basic Communication:
Students will
- produce coherent texts within common college-level written forms.
- demonstrate the ability to revise and improve such texts.
- develop proficiency in oral discourse.
General Education Competencies:
Critical Thinking
Students will
- identify, analyze and evaluate arguments as they occur in their own and others’ work.
- develop well-reasoned arguments.
Information Management
Students will
- perform the basic operations of personal computer use.
Adapted from www.esc.edu
Course Policies:
Assignments
Due dates are firm.
No late assignments will be accepted and will receive F’s.
Make-ups are not given. Ample notice for all assignments and tests with relevant time limit and due date information will be provided. If you do not submit an assignment or test into its drop box or follow special assignment-specific instructions for submission, you will receive a zero.
Failure to turn in completed writing assignments will result in failure of the course.
Writing assignments are to be word-processed in Times New Roman font, size 12.
Writing assignments are to be submitted as attachments using the drop boxes within the Angel site. Do not type directly into the drop box. Do not email assignments.
Because of the complexities of online evaluation, opportunities for revision will be limited. You are expected to learn from your mistakes on earlier assignments in order to improve later assignments, and it is up to you to apply the course content, follow directions, practice proofreading, and continue to review my comments on all assignments so that you produce quality work and receive the grades you want.
No individual extra credit assignments will be given.
Keep all graded assignments until the semester ends.
Attendance
The Angel site tracks your attendance, so if you do not spend the necessary time on the site getting information on course content and assignments, I will know.
Campus Attendance
You may be required to come to North Campus for supervised writing assignments and/or the exit exam.
This policy will be applied on an individual or class basis as needed.
Conduct
Appropriate college behavior is expected at all times.
Students who are abusive/disrespectful in their communications with me or their fellow students will not be permitted to remain in the class.
Exit Exam
A two-part essay exam is an English department requirement to exit developmental courses.
A score of 10-12 and a passing course grade are necessary to pass the course.
A passing course grade at time of exam is required to be eligible to take it.
Failure to take the exit exam will result in failure of the course.
PLAGIARISM
A DEFINITION, A STATEMENT OF POLICY, AND A WARNING
Some students entering college writing and literature courses may not previously have learned adequately what plagiarism is and understood why one must avoid it; therefore, this handout will serve as both an explanation and a warning.
- A Definition
Plagiarism is passing off someone else’s ideas or words as your own, without giving credit or even without giving credit properly. A student can plagiarize without meaning to by neglecting to give information about a source or by failing to use quotation marks properly. This kind of accidental plagiarism will not be a problem in this course because there will be no need to research as all content should come only from student experience, knowledge, and perception. Plagiarism is also when someone else writes your work or tells you what to write, and plagiarism is when you take something from the Internet and turn it in as your own. Some students plagiarize to deceive the instructor in an attempt to avoid doing the work. Regardless of the reason, plagiarism is a type of cheating, and it is also theft.
- A Statement of Policy
It is the policy of this college that a student who cheats or plagiarizes will receive an F. In this course, you may expect that this policy will be followed. The first instance of plagiarism will receive an F with no chance to rewrite, and the second instance will result in failure of the course.
- A Warning
Teachers who have been teaching a long time are very adept at spotting plagiarism. Libraries are as useful to teachers as to students, the Internet is as good a tool for detecting plagiarism as it is for finding material to steal, and ECC has plagiarism detection software. If plagiarism is suspected, it will be investigated. Do not risk your grade or your grade point average on plagiarism. Also, keep in mind that there is no substitute for doing your own work; it is how you learn and improve your writing so that your skills will be at the appropriate level for other courses.
Information on plagiarism and how to avoid it can be found in your text, handbooks, and on the World Wide Web. If you are ever concerned that something you have written might constitute plagiarism, consult your instructor before the assignment is due.
Adapted form document by Dr. Phyllis MacCameron