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RHETORIC 095-003

Introduction to College Writing I – Fall 2009

Ms. Maureen Musker

Office # – E102D / 708-456-0300 ext. 3954

E-mail - / Home Page – go to and search under MUSKER

Office Hours: M/W 7:30-8am and 12-2pm, M 6-7pm, T/Th 8-9:30 (via email), F 12-1pm

Class Meetings – M 7:00-9:45pm, E209 / Computer Classroom E146 – as noted on schedule

COURSE OBJECTIVES

  • To understand writing as a process and be able to reflect on and evaluate your own process.
  • To demonstrate mastery of the stages of the writing process—pre-writing, writing, and rewriting—by composing academic paragraphs and essays.
  • To be able to express ideas in writing which are clearly organized and logically conveyed to the reader.
  • To master language skills that make communication more effective: grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
  • To become familiar with the computer as a tool for writing.

COURSE MATERIALS

Required Texts(to be brought to each class meeting)

  • RHT 095 – Handout Packet – to be purchased at the Triton bookstore (IF YOU CANNOT BUY THIS BOOKLET, YOU CANNOT TAKE THIS CLASS!)
  • Portable dictionary – (Longman Dictionary of American Englishor Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishis suggested but any pocket dictionary will do.)

Required Supplies

  • Current Triton ID
  • 8 ½ x 11’ notebook and folder
  • Stapler
  • Pens
  • PC flashdrive

Required Technology (all available on Triton campus)

  • Word processing
  • Internet access
  • Email account

COURSE WORK

Major Writing

  • Portfolio

You will create a writing portfolio consisting of three multiple draft paragraphs, an in-class assignment,and two multiple draft essays. All drafts—prewriting, outline, rough draft, revision plan, rewritten final draft, post-grade reflection—for each assignment will be collected in your portfolio folder until the end of the semester. All out-of-class rough and final drafts must be typed and double-spaced. In order to receive full credit, you must turn in a rough draft and final draft on time. Most rough drafts must be EMAILED and turned in on paper.

Class Participation

  • Daily Homework

Short homework assignments will be accepted only at the beginning of class. I will NOT give credit for incomplete or late homework, even if due to an absence or tardiness. Consult my faculty website—NOT the class schedule—for these assignments.

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  • In-Class Activities

You will be completing individual and group work during class. Sometimes this will be handed in at the end

of class; sometimes the results will be shared with the class. All students are required to participate in these activities in order to get credit for attending class that day.

  • Quizzes

There will be a series of quizzes scheduled throughout the semester. These short quizzes will be administered at the beginning of class. If you are tardy, you will not be given extra time to complete the quiz. If you are absent, these quizzes cannot be made up.

PLEASE NOTE: You are expected to turn in presentable work. This includes STAPLING an assignment (BEFORE YOU GET TO CLASS) if it consists of multiple pages. Points will be deducted for substandard presentation.

Attendance

  • Absences

You are allowed one absence. Upon the second absence, you can be dropped from the course.

  • Tardiness

Three tardies (more than 10 minutes late) equal one absence. If you are tardy, please enter the room quietly and begin the work in progress. You CANNOT turn in homework for credit.

Please Note: Once you are in class, you are expected to stay in class. If you need to leave during the course of the class, you are free to do so but it counts as a 1/3 absence. If you are gone for more than five minutes, you must take an absence.

Make-up Policy

To receive full credit, papers must be turned in on the due date in proper format. Final drafts of paragraphs and essays will only be accepted one class past the due date. Any such late papers will be lowered by one full grade. After the deadline, you will receive a 0 for that paper, even if you turned in a rough draft.

Quizzes and other homework may not be made up for a grade. If you are absent, check my faculty webpage before the next class to find out the homework you missed, so that you can stay on schedule. If you email work to me, in order to receive credit, it must be sent before our next scheduled meeting time. Also, if you email me, you must follow up with a phone call to make sure the email was received and print the email screen as evidence of having sent the email. It’s up to you to take care of getting on track before you return from your absence. Please do not interrupt me during class to catch up on what you missed.

Conferences

Any time you want to discuss your progress in the class or spend one-on-one time reviewing any concepts you’re having trouble with, I encourage you to schedule a conference with me. Either talk to me at the end of class or phone me at ext. 3954 to schedule. Also, if you fail more than three quizzes or are falling behind in your work, you may be required to schedule a conference with me.

Tutoring

Based on your writing level, you may be required to go to the Academic Success Center (Room A-100, ext. 3361) for tutoring or to see me for individual tutoring in order to receive grades on writing assignments.

Grades

All work will be assigned a point value. Your final grade will be calculated based on a point percentage system. Depending on what we accomplish, the tentative breakdown is as follows:

  • 75 % = Writing Assignments – This includes both Final Draft Packets and recurring writing assignments such as journals, outlines, revision plans, and reflections.
  • 20 % = Class participation - This includes in-class activities, daily homework assignments, and quizzes.
  • 5 % = Final exam

Exit Exam / Final Grades

  • If you score a 3 on the exit exam and maintain at least a C (70% or above) course average, you will progress to RHT 096 and will receive a final grade of P.
  • If you score a 4 on the exit exam and have maintained at least a B average, you will receive a grade of A (90-100%) or B (80-89%). You will have fulfilled the writing requirement for entry into RHT 101 and will be allowed to register AS LONG AS YOUR READING PREREQUISITE HAS BEEN MET.
  • If you have not progressed in your writing skills OR earn less than a C course average, you will receive a final grade of R and be required to retake RHT 095.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Triton College closely adheres to principles of academic honesty and integrity. All incidents of cheating will result in a disciplinary response from college officials.

Violations of academic honesty include:

  • Copying someone else’s work or answers
  • Turning in the same paper to two different classes without permission from both instructors
  • Having someone take an exam in your place
  • Plagiarism – Putting your name on someone else’s words, whether all or part of an essay, is an act of plagiarism and will not be tolerated. Acts of plagiarism will result in serious consequences, ranging from the receipt of a “0” on an assignment to dismissal from the class. Please consult your student handbook for Triton’s policy regarding plagiarism.

CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE

The success of this class requires that all of us be respectful of one another. That means when someone is speaking, whether it’s me or another student, no one else should be talking or making noise of any sort. In addition, cell phones and pagers must be turned off or switched to “vibrate” before class. Any cell phone use, including text messaging and message checking during class may result in dismissal from class that day.

With everyone’s cooperation, we can create a classroom atmosphere that is welcoming, non-threatening, and promotes learning. Behavior that in any way detracts from such an environment may result in removal from the class.

TRITON RESOURCES (for hours & contact information, see next page)

You MUST use a computer to type your rough drafts and final drafts for this class. While computer access may be provided during some class meetings, you are expected to have access to a computer outside of class in order to complete your work. All Triton students have access to the ETRC computers in the M building. If you do not have a computer at home, you can complete assignments at the ETRC on your own time.

You are also required to have an email account, so that you can email assignments to me when instructed to do so. Even if you already have an email account, you will be required to set up a Triton email account. In order to do this and to fully participate in this class,you must obtain a Triton ID.

A Triton ID will not only help you in this class, but it will allow you to take advantage of all of Triton resources, including the Library/Learning Resource Center, Center for Students with Disabilities, Academic Success Center (tutoring and ESL practice tables), ETRC (computer lab), Counseling Services, Transfer Center, Career Services Center, and more. Check your catalog or feel free to ask me any question about campus services and facilities.

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FALL 2009 - ACADEMIC SUPPORT RESOURCES

The following resources are available to support your academic success at Triton College. Some require a current Triton ID. To obtain one, visit the Welcome Desk in the College Center. Two forms of ID are required: current class schedule and a picture ID. M-Th 8-8:30 / Fri 8-4 / Sat 8-1pm. $5 replacement fee.

Academic Success Center (ASC)- Services include individual and small-group tutoring, academic study skills and college life skills workshops.
Location: Room A -100, on the lower level of the Learning Resource Center (Library)
Contact: To schedule an appointment, call: (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3361.

Educational Technology Resource Center (ETRC) – Resources include computers for
drafting/printing papers, color printers, MSOffice 2007 and internetaccess. Limited tutoring available, please contact the ETRC for more detailed information.

Location: Advanced Technology Building (Room M-142)
Contact: For more information, call: (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3265 or 3409.

Library - Resources include books, dvds, periodicals, e-books, and online databases with the assistance of librarians.

LAPTOP LOAN - Mac laptops*and printers are available for use in-house with both current Triton and State IDs. Wireless access and group study rooms for student use.

Location: The northern end of the Learning Resource Building - A Building

Contact:Reference Desk: (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3698 or 3154 / Circulation Desk: Ext. 3215

The ASC, ETRC and Library Operating Hours (fall and spring semesters):
Monday-Thursday • 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
Friday • 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday • 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sunday • 12 p.m.-4 p.m.

*HP laptops are available for loan at the Office of Student Life in the “B” (formerly C) building.

Counseling Department - Counselors assist students to identify interests and skills for the selection of major/career, to develop an academic plan to meet their educational goals, and to address personal concerns. Location: College Center - Room B-100

Contact: To schedule an appointment with a counselor, call (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3588, or come to the College Center during walk-in counseling or e-mail at .

The Counseling Department Hours(fall and spring semesters):
Monday - Thursday 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Friday 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

The Center for Student Access: Academic accommodations and campus accessibility services are available for students who have medical, physical, sensory or learning disabilitie

s and are participating in academic and continuing education programs. Location: A-125 and A-141 (in the Learning Resource Center building) Contact: To request services, call the staff: (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3854 or 3917.

The Center for Student Access hours (fall, spring and summer semesters):

Monday-Tuesday • 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Wednesday-Thursday • 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Friday • 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

RHT 095-003 / FALL 2009

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

8/24 Introduction to class
Syllabus review
Prewriting – Journal One
Writing assessment
8/31 Campus Info
QUIZ – Syllabus
Course websites/E-mail accounts
Attaching a document
Journal One - DUE
Writing Process
Illustration paragraph asst.
9/7 LABOR DAY – NO CLASS
9/14 Prewriting & Writing process review
Paragraph structure
Topic sentences & unity
Clustering & Outlining – DUE
Drafting the illustration paragraph
ROUGH DRAFT DUE VIA EMAIL by
Thursday 5pm
9/21 QUIZ – Prewriting & Writing Process
Sample draft & writing guide
Rewriting - Group activity
Editing comments
Common errors review
Rewriting plans
Conferences
9/28 QUIZ- Illustration paragraph
Grammar diagnostic
FINAL DRAFT PACKET DUE
Illustration Paragraph
Pair edit – verbs
Journal Two - Desriptive / 10/5 Journal Two DUE
Descriptive writing – Review asst
Creating a dominant impression
Post-grade reflection
Outlining & composing - ROUGH DRAFT
DUE VIA EMAIL by Thursday 5pm
10/12 Rewriting activity
Review for descriptive quiz
Strengthening supporting details
Subjects/verbs/clauses
Rewriting plans/conferences
10/19 FINAL DRAFT PACKET DUE
Descriptive paragraph
Pair edit – Run-ons
QUIZ – Descriptive writing
Independent paragraph asst.
In-class writing asst.
10/26 Run-ons & fragments
Post-grade reflections
Independent project Q & A
Coherence - transitions
Paragraph to essay
11/2 FINAL DRAFT PACKET DUE
Independent paragraph
In-class essay -Argument
QUIZ – Run-ons
Fragments
11/9 QUIZ - Fragments
Debating the merits - Argument essay
Review sample
Revise to strengthen support
Thesis & topic sentences
ROUGH DRAFT DUE VIA EMAIL by
Thursday 5pm
Scenarios
11/16 ROUGH DRAFT HARD COPY
DUE
Holistic scoring
Narrative examples as support
Rewriting plans – conferences
Introductions & conclusions
Definition Essay asst.
11/23 FINAL DRAFT PACKET DUE
Argument Essay
Drafting a definition essay
Conferences / 11/30 Rewriting plans DUE
FINAL DRAFT PACKET – Definition
Essay – Due by end of class
Post-grade reflection
Portfolio asst.
Review for in-class essay
12/9 FINAL EXAM – Part 1 – In-class essay
Part 2 - Objective Exam
PORTFOLIO DUE
12/14-12/17 FINAL CONFERENCES
Exact day & time TBA

IMPORTANT NOTE: You are expected to keep this schedule throughout the semester for reference. It is a basic guide to the order in which material will be covered but is TENTATIVE or subject to CHANGE. Note that regular homework exercises are not included here but will be assigned on a class-by-class basis. If you lose this schedule, print a replacement from my webpage.