1 Roach

Syllabus

English 101, College Composition I

101-451: 5:30-6:45MW, C-219, and 101-454:7:00-8:15 MW, A-217

Instructor: Dr. Timothy L. Roach

Office: A228

Phone: 644-9366e-mail: Web:

Office Hours: 3:30-5:30 M,W,Th, 8:15-9:15 PM M,T,W,Th and by appointment.

.

Course Description: This course is designed to meet the writing needs of a wide variety of students in the following ways: 1) prepares students who will continue in college to write acceptable college-level expository essays, 2) provides career students with a strong base for technical and business writing, 3) familiarizes all students with the kinds if writing skills that will be valuable in their everyday experiences, 4) provides students with some awareness of the way language functions and affects their lives. To help reach these goals, the course will focus on the elements of clear writing, well-organized expository essays, the necessary critical thinking that must always precede expository writing, analytical reading, and when necessary, a review of the principles of grammar.

Student Entrance Criteria: To begin English 101, you must have earned an appropriate score on your placement exam, or you must have passed English 030. If neither of these conditions apply to you, you must see me today.

Student Exit Competencies:The student must be able to

  1. communicate ideas clearly and directly in writing.
  1. write with a specific purpose for a specific audience
  1. discriminate among informal, general, and formal levels of diction and determine which levels are appropriate at certain time and inappropriate at others.
  1. organize ideas clearly in his/her writing.
  1. produce a simple topic or sentence outline.
  1. support or explain ideas with specific details and examples.
  1. consistently demonstrate a thorough understanding of sentence mechanics and the grammar of Edited American English.
  1. use effective strategies to revise and edit his/her written work thoroughly.
  1. write essays (in various modes or on various topics) that include an introductory section with a stated or clearly implied main idea, adequate support of the idea through and well-developed paragraphs, and an appropriate conclusion.

Textbooks:America Now,ed. Robert Atwan, 6th. Ed., and A Pocket Style Manual,by Diana Hacker, 4th Ed.

Materials: A two-pocket manila folder. Loose-leaf paper or a spiral notebook. A 3.5” HD floppy disk with protective case, if you wish to use campus computers.

Attendance:Owing to the large amount of in-class work that we do, you should place a high priority on attendance. You will not do well if you don’t come to class all the time. If you miss four classes without appropriate excuse as outlined below, I may not assign you a passing grade for the class. If you miss eight classes for any reason, I will not assign you a passing grade for the class. St. Louis Community College Board policy states: “Students are expected to attend class. Excessive absences, as determined by the instructor, may result in a failing grade for the course.” If the college is open, weather is not an excuse for missing class or being late to class.

Requirements: You should come to class ready to do the work of that class. You should do all out-of-class work as assigned. You should participate in class. You must complete all assigned projects in order to pass the class. All work turned in to me will be word-processed in accordance with MLA guidelines. I will not grade papers that fail to meet manuscript requirements. You are responsible for behaving in accordance with the Rights and Responsibilities found in the St. Louis Community College Student Handbook.

Late Work:All essays will be due at the beginning of class on the due date and must be handed in to me personally. Essays not turned in at the beginning of the class period on the due date will be considered one class period late. An essay handed in one class period late will be automatically lowered one letter grade. An essay handed in two class periods late will be lowered two letter grades. Essays handed in more than two class periods late will fail. Late essays will not be eligible for revision. Exceptions to this policy will be strictly limited to documented illness, hospitalization, or incarceration. If you cannot attend class on the due date, it remains your responsibility to insure that your essay is handed in to me on time. For this reason, you will be well advised to maintain telephone contact with a classmate.

Plagiarism: We will discuss this in class. In short, do your own work. If I find that you have plagiarized, I will fail you for the course, and I will ask the college to take appropriate disciplinary action.

Electronic Noise:Starting today, you must turn off or turn to silent all cell phones, pagers, watches, and any other electronic gear. You must remove headphones and turn off all music players of any sort before entering the classroom. If your phone, pager, watch, music player or other equipment makes noise after the beginning of class, you will be asked to leave the classroom for that period, and you will be marked absent.

Drop and incomplete policies: The last day to drop with a grade of “W” is April 14, 2006. I give “I” grades rarely, and only in extraordinary circumstances. Should you feel that you are in extraordinary circumstances, please talk with me.

Special Needs and Services: The Americans With Disabilities Act guarantees our rights in respect to whatever disability we may have. If you have a disability that requires accommodation by the college, you must make contact with the Access office, Ext. 9243. If you have a need that I can help with, please talk with me. I can help with some things. I cannot help with a need that I don’t know about.

Grading: I will use portfolio grading in this class. When you hand in each project, I will mark it with a letter. If you are eligible to revise, each revision will receive a letter grade. At the end of the semester, I will assign a portfolio grade that will describe your effort through the whole course. Since I will use portfolio grading, you must be careful to save all your draft work and prewriting work for every project. Your grade will consist of the following:

  • Five essays, 15% each
  • Portfolio, 25%.

Your portfolio will consist of your essays, accompanied by all prewriting, drafts, and peer review activity. You should save all class materials and work, however insignificant they may seem to you. Failure to do so will adversely affect your grade. I will not use the PR grade in this class.

Grading will follow these standards.

  • The essay will begin with a clearly written introductory paragraph. This paragraph will feature a prominent, clearly written thesis statement that meets the assignment. Additionally, this paragraph will introduce the main supporting ideas that will help the reader to understand the thesis.
  • Body paragraphs will develop the main ideas stated in the introduction. The paragraphs will be appropriately detailed and demonstrate strong unity, coherence, and development. Each paragraph will support the thesis statement.
  • A strong concluding paragraph will restate the thesis statement in different words than its original statement, in light of the development provided by the body of the essay. The conclusion will remind readers what they have learned from reading the essay.
  • Grammar and mechanics will be free of error. Editing will be thorough.
  • The manuscript will comply with appropriate MLA guidelines.

Rest assured that each and every point in this list will be explained to you in detail.

Conferences:Conferences are the times that you and I are best able to work on your personal writing needs. As stated above, you will need to confer with me as party of your revision process. My office hours are times set aside for your needs. If you are unable to meet with me during my office hours, I will arrange to meet with you at other times. Without exception, the most successful students make good use of conference time.

Peer Review: The class period prior to the due date for each essay will consist of peer review. You will read each other’s essays and help each other to make your essays stronger before you turn them in to me. In order to participate in peer review, you must bring a full, word-processed draft of your essay to class on peer-review day. You must be in class on time.

Revision: After I return an essay to you with a grade on it, you may revise that essay once, after conference with me in my office, provided that you turned it in on timeand provided that you participated in peer review. Your revised submission must include the following:

  • Your graded essay, with my initials, with all areas of change highlighted.
  • Your revised essay, with all changes highlighted.
  • A detailed letter to me, on a separate sheet of paper in which you articulate what you have changed, and why you have changed it.
  • You must turn in your revised essay within two weeks of the date I handed your original essay back to you.

After I grade your essay, you and I will assess together whether or not you should continue revising.

Tentative Schedule

  • If I need to change the schedule, I will let you know in advance.
  • I will never change the schedule in a way that penalizes you.
  • All projects are due at the beginning of the specified class.
  • We will negotiate due dates as a class. When we agree on a due date for an essay, we will enter that date on the calendar pages that you have received today. At that point, the due date will become part of this syllabus, irrespective of your personal presence at that time.
  • I will add to the syllabus as our class needs dictate.
  • These additions will become part of this syllabus.
  • For this reason, you must bring this syllabus, calendar, and textbooks to class every class period.

ESSAY 1, WhatDo We Shop?

This essay will be 2-4 pages, word-processed in accordance with MLA manuscript requirements. You will consider the value to you of your personal shopping behavior. What needs are met by your shopping behavior? What is the total price of your shopping behavior? You should define any necessary terms, and you should apply your definitions in the development of your thesis. Your first project will be to read Chapter 5 in America Now.

In your essay, you must refer to at least one article from Chapter 11 in America Now. You must also refer to at least one conversation with a classmate regarding this issue. You should note that class discussion will fulfill this requirement, so you should participate actively in class discussion and take good notes. As I examine your essay, I will look for a clear main idea, clearly reasoned support, attention to the assignment, and careful attention to editing.