Jacksonville State University English Department
JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
Fall 2016 DEPARTMENTALSYLLABUS
EH 101: English Composition 1
INSTRUCTOR: Pamela RobertsOFFICE HOURS: by appointment
PHONE: 256-741-7040EMAIL:
WEBSITE: TEACHER ID#: 187
I. COURSE DESCRIPTION:
English Composition 101 is a service course designed to develop the student’s ability to communicate his or her thinking in clear, cogent written expression conforming to the rules of Standard American English. Specifically, the course provides instruction, training, and practice in the following:
A. the writing process, from prewriting through final editing
B. use of the basic patterns of structure and development, from description and narrative to argumentation
C. analytical and critical reading, as students evaluate their own work as well as others’
D. the principles of research and documentation, with emphasis on quotation and paraphrase
II. COURSE TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER REQUIRED MATERIALS:
A. Patterns for a Purpose, 13th ed.,Clouse—McGraw Hill, 2011
B. Handbook Option 1: McGraw-Hill Handbook, 3rd ed., Maimon. (Traditional hardcover book)
Option 2: Connect Composition Plus Access Card for the McGraw-Hill Handbook, 3rd ed.,
Maimon (Digital)
Additional information: Students who purchased The McGraw-Hill Handbook in ebook form have access to the book for four (4) years. Please use the access information below for this resource.
For the students who need to access their Connect accounts or ebooks independently of Blackboard, they can go directly to Connect. There is a self-study option in Connect that will give them access to their materials independent of an instructor. It would be helpful for all students to have this information. The link is Students sign in with their email account, and the site has a “forgot password” option for those students who have used the program and cannot remember the password that they used.
C. Three-ring binder
D. Blue/Black ink pens
E. Assorted highlighters – five colors
F. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
G. 1984 by George Orwell
H. Anthem by Ayn Rand
I. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
H. An up-to-date dictionary
III. COURSE PREREQUISITES:
Students enrolled in EH 101 must meet one of three criteria—
A. a score of 18 or above (ACT Language);
B. a score of 430 or above (SAT Language);
C. a grade of C or above in EH100
IV. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
State Department of Education rules/objectives applicable to this course: 1.a.1; 1.a.2; 1.a.3; 1.b.8; 1.b.9; 1.b.10; 1.b.11. Education majors passing this course fulfill the SDE objectives designated.
A. The student will demonstrate effective written use of Standard American English, including the stages of the composition process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing
B. The student will demonstrate awareness of the impact of purpose, occasion, and audience on writtendiscourse.
C. The student will demonstrate knowledge of and practice in employing the basic patterns of
structure and development.
D. The student will demonstrate capacities for critical thinking, questioning, problem solving,
and reading.
E. The student will demonstrate knowledge of the principles and practice of academic research.
V. MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS, PROJECTS, EXAMINATIONS, AND EVALUATIONS
A. Writing Assignments:
1.Diagnostic Essay—The first essay written in EH 101 is used for diagnostic purposes and not counted as a graded assignment. This paper will be written in class.
2.Subsequent Essays—Students should write these essays using the traditional rhetorical modes. Students will write a minimum of eight essays (400-700 words each) this semester. At least one of the essays will be a timed writing, written in class.
Essays will be selected from the following:
a. Descriptiong. Analysis
b. Narrationh. Cause and effect
c. Exemplification i.Definition
d. Process j. Argumentation
e. Comparison-contrast k.Book review
f. Classification-division
3. Word Processed Essays—If the teacher prefers, students can use a word processing program; thus, the student can complete the draft and final copy of the essays outside of class. If this method is used, please be sure that the student can turn in evidence of the writing process with the final copy. The diagnostic writing and one other timed writing should be completed in class. In addition, the library has a lab for student use.
B. Revisions—Full revisions of two essays are required. Each teacher determines how these will be counted (as a new grade, as a requirement but not a grade, as an average comprised of the original and the revision grades).
C. Journals—Students may be required to keep journals in EH 101; approaches and requirements regarding the journal vary.
D.Research—Assign and discuss of the chapters in McGraw-Hill Handbook(or equivalent) explaining research and documentation, at least one paper will employ documented research from one to three sources.
E. Final Examination--The final exam will be an essay; the examination essay may be counted as one of the eight required papers.
F. Grades--A, B, C, and NC (no credit). The NC does not affect a student’s grade point or quality point averages.
G. Online Classes—All classes taught online must comply with the guidelines and requirements stated in this document.
VI. UNIVERSITY AND DEPARTMENTAL POLICY STATEMENTS
A. AttendancePolicy—Students enrolled in EH 101 are allowed only three unexcused absences. A student with four or more unexcused absences will receive NC (no credit). In addition to this freshman attendance policy, students in EH 101 must follow the English Department’s overall attendance policy, which requires students to be present at 75% of class meetings. This policy begins the first day of class. NOTE: The Attendance Policy is sent out as a separate document at the beginning of each semester.
B. Tardy Policy—It is disruptive to be tardy to class, so please avoid being tardy. If a student does arrive late, it is the student's responsibility to notify the teacher of his or her attendance by handing in a dated, signed note at the end of class. Otherwise, the student will be reported absent for that class.
C. Make-up Policy—A student may make-up missed assignments and tests only if the absence is excused. This means the student must provide documentation for the absence. If the teacher excuses the absence, the student must arrange a convenient time with the teacher to complete the missed work.
D. Civility Statement—All students are expected to attend class fully prepared with appropriate materials and all devices that make noise turned to the off position (e. g., phones, personal stereos, etc.). Any student behavior deemed disruptive by the professor will result in expulsion of the student from the classroom, with an absence for the day and possible disciplinary action.
E.Personal Electronic Communication Devices—All forms of personal electronic communication devices must be out of sight and in the power-off mode for class and testing periods. During a testing period in class, any use of a personal electronic communication device, without the prior consent of the instructor, constitutes prima-facie evidence of academic dishonesty with no right of grade appeal. If the instructor observes the device, the presumption is that cheating has occurred and a grade of "F" will be assigned to that exam, quiz, etc.
F. Disabilities Accommodation Act—Any individual who qualifies for reasonable accommodations under The Americans With Disabilities Act or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 should contact the teacher immediately.
G.Classroom Behavior
All students are expected to attend class fully prepared with appropriate materials. Any student behavior deemed disruptive by the instructor will result in expulsion of the student from the classroom, with an absence for the day and disciplinary action.
H.Academic Honesty
Students who are found guilty of cheating (receiving, providing, talking, aiding in any form, and/or not following teacher’s specific instructions) will receive a “0” on the material or test.
No credit for plagiarism of any sort. This includes claiming material as your own from any other source (student, teacher, book, magazine, Internet, etc). All students involved in copying will receive no credit for the work.
VII. Tentative Schedule:
This schedule is subject to change.
Each week, you must read the given texts plus any two from each unit that hold interest for you. For each work read (both for class and on your own), you will answer all of the “Comprehension” and “Purpose and Audience” questions plus any two of the “Style and Structure” questions. All essays will be due on Tuesday of each week unless otherwise noted. Essays should be typed double spaced using TNR 12 pt. font and 1” margins. In addition, we will be reading four novels.
08/09-08/12Overview of the Course: Objectives, Policies, Texts, Assignments, Grades.
Diagnostic Essay – Choose one from the handout provided
Chapter 1: Reading to Write: Becoming a Critical Reader; Chapters 2 - 5: The Writing Process
Ratiocination of Diagnostic Essay
08/15-08/19Chapter 6:Narration; Read “Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police” and “Shooting an Elephant.” Write Narrative Essay
08/22-08/26Narration Essay due; Chapter 7: Description; Read “Goodbye to My Twinkie Days,” “No Wonder They Call Me a Bitch,” and “The Storm.” Write Descriptive Essay – Peer Editing Workshop
08/29-09/02Descriptive Essay due; Chapter 8: Exemplification; Read “Why Looks Are the Last Bastion of Discrimination” and “Ten Ways We Get the Odds Wrong.” Write Exemplification Essay
09/05-09/09Exemplification Essay due; Chapter 10: Cause and Effect; Read “Why Rational People Buy into Conspiracy Theories” and “The Movies That Rose from the Grave.” Write Cause and Effect Essay
09/12-09/16Cause and Effect Essay due; Chapter 9; Process; Read “How to retrieve a Candy Bar Stuck in the Lunchroom Vending Machine” and “The Lottery.” Write Process Essay – Peer Editing Workshop
09/19-09/23Process Essay due; Midterm Week
09/26-09/30Chapter 11: Comparison and Contrast; Read “Your Social Life: Are You a Fox or a Hedgehog?” and “Songs of the Summer of 1963. . . and 2013.” Write Comparison and Contrast Essay
10/03-10/07Comparison and Contrast Essay due; Chapter 12 Classification and Division; Read “The Dog Ate My Flash Drive, and Other Tales of Woe” and “The Ways We Lie.” Write Classification and Division Essay
10/10-10/14Classification and Division Essay due; Chapter 13: Definition; Read “I Want a Wife” and “The Wife-Beater.” Write Definition Essay
10/17-10/21Fall Break
10/24-10/28Definition Essay due; Chapter 14: Argumentation; Read “The Declaration of Independence” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
10/31-11/04Chapter 14: Argumentation; Read “The Case for Birthright Citizenship” and “An Argument to Be Made about Immigrant Babies and Citizenship.”
11/07-11/11Chapter 14 Argumentation; Read CASEBOOK: Should Guns Be Allowed on College Campuses? Write Argumentation Essay – Peer Editing Workshop
11/14-11/18Argumentation Essays due; Class Debates – Class will decide a topic.
11/21-11/25Thanksgiving Holiday
11/28-12/02Preparation for final examination
12/05-12/09Final Examination: Essay
VIII. PROCEDURES FOR ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT:
In evaluating essays written for EH 101 classes, the English Department has found the concerns listed here to be among those most often receiving attention. While we emphasize the realization of every writer’s potential, we also know that many writers need to work on these problems to reach that goal. Some students may need several opportunities to work on these difficulties; we are more than happy to help our student-writers solve these problems or any others they might have with their writing in English Composition. Our students need to understand the following criteria for grading.
A. Inadequate statement and/or development of thesis
1. Thesis too broad to support
2. Thesis too vague to support
3. Thesis unrelated to main points
4. Lack of explanation and detail in discussion of main points
B. Lack of clear organizational pattern
1. Lack of clear introduction, multiple body paragraphs, and/or conclusion
2. Illogical or vague ordering of paragraphs
3. Inappropriate use of organizational patterns
C. Lack of unity and coherence of ideas
1. Abrupt and/or illogical shifts in focus within or among paragraphs
2. Inadequate transitions among sentences and/or paragraphs
3. Use of digressive, intrusive ideas and/or sentences
4. Lack of focus in body paragraph
D. Problems concerning style and rhetoric
1. Diction problems (incorrect usage, poor word choice, lack of exactness)
2. Awkward sentence structure (dangling modifiers, misplaced modifiers, poor
coordination and subordination, wordiness, and lack of parallel structure)
3. Lack of sentence variety
E. Problems with grammar and mechanics
1. Most serious grammatical and mechanical errors
a. Fragment
b. Fused (run-on sentence)
c. Comma splice
d. Subject-verb agreement
2. Other costly errors
a. Verb tense errors
b. Pronoun-antecedent errors
c. Pronoun reference errors
d. Spelling errors
e. Pronoun case errors
f. Comma usage
3. Other punctuation errors
a. Capitalization errors
b. Illegible penmanship
F. Other areas of concern
1. Little or no freshness of thought
2. Poor quality of argument
3. Lack of rhetorical fluency
4. Poor sense of audience
5. No authenticity of voice
6. Use of clichés
IX. At least 80% of a student’s grade for the course comes from the grades assigned his or her essays; the remaining 20% may be taken from grades on other assignments—e.g., reading quizzes, tests over the assigned books, journals, etc. The student must make a grade of C or better or at least 70% of his or her work to pass the course or for transfer credit.