English 1301 Syllabus
Fall 2016 English 1301 HCC and Semester 1 of English IV Ridge Point HS
Instructor Nancy Dickinson
English 1301 HCC Course Description
Intensive study of and practice in writing processes, from invention and researching to drafting, revising, and editing, both individually and collaboratively. Emphasis on effective rhetorical choices, including audience, purpose, arrangement, and style. Focus on writing the academic essay as a vehicle for learning, communicating, and critical analysis.
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative writing processes.
2. Develop ideas with appropriate support and attribution.
3. Write in a style appropriate to audience and purpose.
4. Read, reflect, and respond critically to a variety of texts.
5. Use Edited American English in academic essays.
Required Texts 1. The Riverside Reader. Alternate Edition. Ed. Joseph Trimmer
2. The Bedford Handbook. Eighth Edition. Eds. Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers.
3. The Little Seagull Handbook. Second Edition. Eds. Richard Bullock, Michal Brody, and Francine Weinberg
Students must also register with noredink.com and InQuizitive as part of the requirement for this course.
Grading System
HCC Fortbend ISD
A 90-100 A 90-100
B 80-89 B 80-89
C 70-79 C 75-79
D 60-69 D 70-74
F 59 or below F 69 and below
English 1301 WCJC will consist of three categories:
Major Papers 60% (Personal Narrative, Definition Paper, Process Analysis, Compare/Contrast, Cause and Effect)
Daily Grades 20%
Research Paper (Final Exam) 20%
The first semester of English IV will consist of three categories:
1st 9-Weeks Average 42.5%
2nd 9-Weeks Average 42.5%
Final Exam 15% (Research Paper)
English IV: According to Ridge Point and Fortbend ISD policy, there will be at least one major grade and three daily grades each progress report for a total of 15 grades overall.
English 1301: There will be six major composition grades for English 1301, which constitute 60% of the student’s grade. Twenty-percent of the final grade is based on grammar (participation on InQuizitive), reading quizzes, peer editing and journals. The final exam for English 1301 will consist of the research paper, making up 20% of the final average in the course.
Grading Practices
Students will submit all essays to Turnitin.com. Papers are due at 8 a.m. on the due date. Essays will be scored on Turnitin.com as quickly as possible by the instructor. In addition to marking mechanical errors, the instructor will make evaluative comments and recommendations for the next paper. Students are expected to review comments on Turnitin.com. The instructor reserves the right to require students examine instructor comments before accepting the next paper. Assignments not meeting the requirements of the instructor will not be accepted. Per policy, papers not accepted on the due date are considered late.
All writers make mechanical errors; however, papers that have gone through revision and peer evaluation should possess a certain professionalism. Errors such as the following should be avoided: ineffective sentence fragments, run-on sentences, pronoun errors, faulty complements, confusion of commonly used words, shifts in constructions, comma splices, subject-verb errors, and misplaced modifiers.
Content and organization are valued at 60-65% of an essay’s grade; mechanical errors are worth 40 to 35% percent of the final grade. Mechanical errors on papers written in class, or timed writings, will not be penalized as severely. However, MLA formatting is required of every assignment.
Regarding peer editing in class, the instructor expects students to arrive to class with a hard copy of the original assigned essay. Students will not be allowed to print the paper in class nor will students be allowed to go to the library to print the assignment during the class hour on peer editing day. Rough drafts will also be submitted to Turnitin.com. Periodically, peer editing will take place on Turnitin.com. A strict compliance of the due date and hour must be observed for full credit. Having a rough draft during classroom peer revision could count as one daily grade or be included in the grade of the paper assignment. For example, failure to participate in peer revisions could result in the deduction of 10 points from the major grade assignment.
As per policy, any paper turned in late will be subject to late point penalties, including papers re-submitted after failure to comply with requirements.
When submitting an assignment to Turnitin.com, the student must verify that the uploaded document is the correct document. The instructor will not delete uploaded assignments to Turnitin.com.
There is NO re-testing policy for College Now.
Communication and Cell Phone Policy
Cell phone use is at the instructor’s discretion. All non-academic use of cell phones is prohibited. During class, cell phones should be off and stored out of sight until the instructor invites the use of the device. The instructor reserves the right to collect any cell phone being used in an inappropriate or even unnecessary manner. The confiscated phone will be turned in to an administrator.
Students must use a working email for Turnitin.com. This email will be used by the instructor for updates, notices and handouts. Students are required to check this email every 24 hours. Students are also expected to sign up for Remind101. Reviews and important information not covered in class will be sent through the Turnitin.com email or Remind 101.
Late and Absence Policy
Students are expected to turn in papers by 8 a.m. on the due date. FBISD excused absence policy will be followed; however, absences from class do not constitute an excuse for late electronic submissions to Turnitin.com. Late papers will lose twenty-five points on the first day due. After two school days, 40 points will be deducted. On the third day, 50 points will be deducted. After three days, the assignment will no longer be considered for submission. No assignment will be scored without submission to Turnitin.com. It is recommended that the student bring a hard copy and electronic copy of the assignment to class on the due date.
If a student is absent on peer editing day, students must attend a 20-minute tutorial with the instructor before credit will be awarded. Students who are present in class but fail to produce a paper for peer editing will not receive credit for the assignment.
Upon returning from an absence, students must consult their college study group for details on assignments missed while out. The instructor advises that the student exchange contact information with four peers (Ask 4 Policy). These peers must be consulted before the student asks the instructor about missed assignments. All questions for the instructor regarding missed assignments must be made during office hours.
Quizzes, tests, and timed writings assigned in advance must be taken on the assigned date even if the student is absent the preceding class.
As per FBISD policy, students must attend 90% of class meetings in order to gain credit for the course.
Scholastic Dishonesty
Students are expected to maintain the rules and policies of both educational institutions.
Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but shall not be limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion. "Cheating on a test or quiz" shall include copying from another student's test paper; using materials not authorized by the person administering the test; collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test without permission from the test administrator; knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, or soliciting, in whole or in part, the contents of a test; the unauthorized transporting or removal, in whole or in part, of the contents of a test; substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for oneself, to take a test; bribing another person to obtain a test or information about a test.
Houston Community College requires that students submit their own work, whether they are writing papers, taking exams, or making oral presentations. Plagiarism, taking someone else’s words or ideas and representing them as your own, is expressly prohibited by the college. Good academic work must be based on honesty. Submitting someone else’s work as one’s own is considered a serious offense by the college. Student academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to the following:
• copying the work of another during an examination or turning in a paper or an assignment written, in whole or in part, by someone else;
• copying from books, magazines, or other sources, including Internet or electronic databases like EBSCOhost and Elibrary, or paraphrasing ideas from such sources without acknowledging them;
• submitting an essay for one course to a second course without having sought prior permission from your instructor;
• giving a speech and using information from books, magazines, or other sources or paraphrasing ideas from such sources without acknowledging them.
CONSEQUENCES for Academic Dishonesty
Disciplinary action will be pursued in all instances in which it is determined that academic dishonesty has occurred. In the case of suspected wrongdoing, the faculty member may file charges with the Dean of Students, inform his or her department head, and follow the process specified by the college. Disciplinary action may include but is not limited to the following:
• Assignment of a failing grade for a test, examination, or assignment;
• Assignment of a failing grade for the course;
• Assignment of a student disciplinary sanction from the college;
• Suspension or expulsion from the college.
COURSE CALENDAR
Summer Reading: novel of your choice and David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
WEEK 1 Aug. 22 High School and HCC Course Begin
Introduce syllabus and expectations for the course.
Discussion of novel choice with study guide.
Grammar Pre-test.
Week 2 Aug. 29
Discussion of Introduction to David and Goliath.
Readings in Riverside Reader: “My Name is Margaret” pg. 42, “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I just Met a Girl Named Maria” pg. 50
The Little Seagull Handbook S-1, S-2, S-3 (Elements of a Sentence)
Finish first InQuizitive Assignment online (sentences).
Week 3 Sept. 5
Quiz on novel choice. (English IV Daily Grade only).
Exam for David and Goliath. (English IV Major Grade only.)
Readings in Riverside Reader: “The Village Watchman” pg. 59, and “The Way to Rainy Mountain” pg. 68.
Quiz over readings
Week 4 Sept. 12
Brainstorm topic of paper, in-class rough draft, peer revisions and peer editing.
Students selected to read on Friday.
The Bedford Guide for College Writers Ch. 41, Section 21 Commas
Read P-1 in The Little Seagull Handbook
Week 5 Sept. 19 Definition Paper
Paper 1: Personal Narrative due on Monday, Sept. 19, by 8 a.m. to Turnitin.com.
InQuizitive Assignment (Commas) Due by Sunday, Sept. 25.
Readings in Riverside Reader: “A Word’s meaning Can Often Depend on Who Says It” pg. 288, “In Bed” pg. 293, “Growing Up Old in Los Angeles” Pg. 299, “The Right Stuff” pg. 306, “Beauty” pg. 313.
Quiz over readings in Riverside Reader from Week 5.
Week 6 Sept. 26 Definition Paper
Short Definition Assignment (curse word) due Monday, Sept. 26, to Turnitin.com by 8 a.m.
Brainstorm topic of Paper 2, in-class rough draft, peer revisions and peer editing.
S-6 in Little Seagull.
The Bedford Guide for College Writers Ch. 38, Sections 5, 6, 7 Pronoun Case, Reference, Agreement
Begin planning group Process Paper.
Week 7 Oct. 3
Paper 2: Definition Paper due on Monday, October 3, to Turnitin.com.
InQuizitive Assignment due by Sunday, Oct. 11.
Readings in Riverside Reader: “My Daily Dives in the Dumpster” p. 103, “Campus Racism 101” pg. 110, “Rules of the Game: Rodeo” pg. 116, “In the Toils of the Law” pg. 126, “The Knife” pg. 136.
Quiz over readings in Riverside Reader from Week 7.
Brainstorm topic of paper, in-class rough draft with group.
Week 8 Oct. 10
Paper 3: Process Analysis Paper is due on Monday, Oct. 10, by 8 a.m. to Turnitin.com.
Presentations of Process Analysis Paper in class.
The Little Seagull L-7: Adjectives and Adverbs for Homework
The Bedford Guide for College Writers Ch. 39, Section 10 Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers (Homework Packet)
Week 9 Oct. 17 Compare/Contrast
InQuizitive Assignment due Oct. 17. (Modifiers)
Readings in Riverside Reader for Compare/Contrast: “Two Views of the River” pg. 158, “The Raven pg. 163, “Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrast” pg. 168, “Rapport-Talk and Report-Talk” by 174, “Shakespeare in the Bush” pg. 188.
Quiz over readings in Riverside Reader from Week 9.
Introduction to Topics for Research Paper
Brainstorm Topics for Compare and Contrast papers.
Week 10 Oct. 24
Organize, peer edit, and make revisions to Paper 4: Compare and Contrast.
Little Seagull P-5 and Bedford Ch. 36 Apostrophes
Readings in Riverside Reader: “The Chem 20 Factor” pg. 328.
Week 11 Oct. 31
Paper 4: Compare and Contrast Paper due on Monday, Oct. 31, by 8 a.m.
Readings: “My Wood” pg. 332, “How Flowers Changed the World” pg. 337, “Carrie Buck’s Daughter” pg. 345, “The Movie That Changed My Life” pg. 358.
Quiz over Cause and Effect Readings.
Brainstorm ideas for Cause and Effect Paper.
Outline Cause and Effect paper.
The Bedford Guide for College Writers Ch. 41, Sections 22, 23 Semi-colons and Colons
Brainstorm topic of cause and effect paper, create rough draft.
The Little Seagull P-2
Week 12 Nov. 7
Paper 5: Cause and Effect paper due on Monday, November 7, by 8 a.m.
Study of Logical Fallacies
Readings in Riverside Reader: “Using and Documenting Sources” pg. 513 and “Video Games Redefining Education” pg. 540
Argument Readings from Riverside Reader: “Harold Bloom Can 35 Million Book Buyers Be Wrong? Yes”
The Bedford Guide for College Writers Ch. 31 and 34 Using Sources
The Bedford Guide for College Writers Ch. 36 MLA
Readings in Little Seagull: MLA Style
Week 13 Nov. 14
Timed Writing in Class over Controversial Issue-Research Paper Topic.
Lab/Library to find sources for research paper.
Annotated Bibliography and Works Cited MLA review.
Annotated Bibliography due Dec. 16.
Nov. 21-Nov. 25
Thanksgiving Week—Off (Write research paper.)
Week 14 Nov. 28
Organize research paper and sources.
Write thesis and topic sentences.
Lab to type paper.
Week 15 Dec. 5