Lone Star College-TOMBALL

A Member of Lone Star College System

ENGL 1301: COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I

Course Information / Faculty Information
Course Title: Composition & Rhetoric / Name: Van Piercy, PhD
Course Number: ENGL 1301 / Office Location: S-153J
Credit Hours: 3 credit hours; 3 hrs. lecture / Office Phone: (281) 401-1814
Prerequisite: Placement by testing or completion of ENGL 0305/0316 and
ENGL 0307/0326 / Office Hours: M: 9-9:3012:30-1:30PM; T: 11AM-12:30PM; W: 9-9:30 12:30-1:30 Th11AM-12:30PM
(Note: I am on campus most days. Feel free to knock at my door or catch me in the hall or make an appointment.)
Course Days / Course Time / Course Location / Section Number / Email:
IM: vpiercy1 (Yahoo); vpiercy (Google Talk and Meebo)
MW
MW / 9:30-10:45
11:00-12:15 / S-259
S-259 / 3006
3008 / Online Faculty Office:
(main site)

Required Book:

Elizabeth Wardle & Doug Downs. Writing About Writing: A College Reader.Bedford St. Martins, 2011.

Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. The Wadsworth Pocket Handbook. 5th ed.Boston: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2008.

Required Materials:

Videocamera(inexpensive Flip-style cameras are available from various vendors online),or access to a device capable of producing video (perhaps your phone or computer can shoot video). A college-ruled composition notebook. A pack or two of 4 x 6 index cards. Internet access. You can use the library or campus wireless if you do not have Internet access at home. If you use the library or other public computers, you should get a USB flash drive for saving your own files or be sure to have access to file saving space online (e.g., Dropbox or MyLoneStar). Ability to print 30-50 pages throughout the semester (funds, ink, paper, etc.).

Course Description: This is a multi-paragraph composition course, including language study and the mechanics of writing, with examples from selected readings. Students may be required to achieve a departmentally approved score on a proficiency test before credit for the course may be awarded.

Rationale: Writing is a necessary form of communication, and clear communication promotes success across the academic disciplines and in all professional endeavors. The primary objective of English 1301 is to provide students with the knowledge and skills that will enhance their written communication and comprehension.

In addition to writing papers, you will read a number of essays in your textbook and in links I will provide periodically in the course. The more you read, the more your own writing improves, and the more you analyze and ask questions about what you read, the better writer you become as well. The essays I have assigned expose you to many writers, ideas, styles, and approaches to topics. You will discuss many of these essays in class and in small groups--studying them carefully to understand exactly what they say,how they organize and get their points across, what new ideas they convey, and how their idea communicate within other writers’ frameworks. Then eventually, you will apply their ideas to your own papers, using some of these writers' essays as a means of examining an issue within the disciplines of rhetoric and writing studies.

Learning Outcomes :

Basic skills in punctuation, grammatical usage, and diction are expected upon entrance. English faculty will require a usage handbook as a reference source.

The following learning outcomes must appear in the syllabus distributed to students. They can be found at

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.

Classroom expectations

  1. Don’t be rude to others. Don’t disrupt class. Please do not read or browsenewspapers, PDAs (e.g., Palm Pilots), websites, text messages, or other non-class related materials while class is being conducted. Cell phones should be silenced and put out of sight. Occasional, discreet texting is okay, but if I feel that you are texting too much, e.g., I try to call on you and can't because you have been engaged with your head down messing with your phone, then I'll ask you to put away your phone.
  2. Avoid coming to class late. If you come to class late, please get class notes from someone besides me.Get contact information for sharing class information from other students the first day of class.
  3. Please come prepared.Read the assignments before class. Do the assigned homework so that you may participate fully in class discussion.
  4. I do not mind if you have a coke or a cup of coffee and a snack bar or something that you can eat quietlywithout drawing attention to yourself, but please do not bring a full meal to class (whether that includes a sandwich or plate of food or large pile of fries or a box of chicken with sides, along with bag of chips, drink, etc.). Please treat our classroom and those within it in a professional and courteous and respectful manner.

Attendance Policy: Class attendance is expected. Should you anticipate an absence, please notify the professor in advance via email or phone. Keeping me in the loop is how you let me know that you take our course seriously and are making efforts to stay engaged. An excessive number of absences will prohibit the successful completion of this course and will result in an “F” in the course. In case of absence, it is the student’s responsibility to obtain lecture notes and assignments from a classmate. Anyone who has missed more than four class periods and is maintaining less than a "D" in the course may be dropped from the course or may receive a final grade of “F” if the final drop day has passed. NOTE: You may or may not be dropped for excessive absences. If I do not drop you, you will receive an “F.” It is your responsibility to drop the course if you decide not to finish the course.

Maximum number of absences allowed: TTh or MW: 3 class periods. MWF: 4 class periods

Missing Quizzes, in-class assignments, and Tests: Absences will hurt your grade. If you go over the maximum number of absences allowed, I’lldeduct two points for each additional day you miss from your course total at the end of the semester. I do not give make-up quizzes. A student who is frequently absent or who misses quizzes will not be able to make up the points missed.

Any student who misses an in-class paper must make up the in-class paper in the Assessment Center on the second floor of the library. These papers must be made up within one week of the test, or the student will receive a grade of zero (0) on the assignment.

Tardiness:Tardy students create a disruption when they enter class. Therefore, tardiness is strongly discouraged. Two (2) tardies will constitute one (1) absence.

Leaving class early: It is disruptive to the class to walk out of class early. If you have an emergency, you should explain to the professor why you left class early either in person or through an email. If you know that you must leave class early, you should explain this to the professor before class on that day.

In-class Devices and Technology:I expect you to turn your cell phones to vibrate or off for the duration of the class period. If you have an emergency situation which requires you to be available via phone during my class, please take the call in the hall. Repeated violation of this courtesy rule will result in your being asked to leave the class permanently. Cell phones going off randomly is disruptive and therefore, especially if ongoing, is grounds for disciplinary action. Also, please do not text message in class unless to do so is part of a class activity.Unless you have an approved accommodation sheet, or as part of a class activity, please do not open and use tablets or laptop computers during class. Unless you get my approval, wearing earbuds or headphones and listening to music during class is very unprofessional behavior and you will be asked to put the music player away or to leave class.

Class Participation: The college classroom is a place for adults to come together with the common purpose of improving their intellectual and academic skills. All students deserve a classroom environment free of interruptions or distractions that impede learning. The key word in the college’s Academic Code of Conduct is “disruptive.” Anything that disrupts our class and students’ learning is against the Academic Code of Conduct. Because active participation in class discussions is essential, it is important that all students are fully prepared for class each day. Any student who arrives unprepared, sleeps in class, or is disruptive will be asked to leave class and will be counted absent.Likewise, repeated tardiness and early walkouts are not acceptable behaviors.If you are asked to leave class, you will need to meet with the Dean of College Life and with me outside of class before you are allowed back into class. Please refer to the “Student Code of Conduct” in the LSCS Policy Manual:

Honors Credit:

Students can earn Honors credit in this course by contacting the instructor and completing an Honors by Contract. Contracting allows a student to receive Honors credit for a non Honors course by completing work that is above and beyond, even different from, what is required of the other students in the course. An Honors by Contract is one of three ways students may receive Honors Credit. Once you complete the Honors by Contract form, you are expected to honor this agreement. This means that you fulfill all regular course assignments as well as complete the Honors Project outlined in the contract. We will meet periodically throughout the course of the semester to evaluate your progress. You will be expected to present your Honors Project to the class at the end of the semester to receive Honors Credit. A student can earn Honors Credit without concurrent membership in the Honors Program. Students will receive an H designation on their college transcript next to the course they earned Honors Credit in.

More information is available at the Honors Program website:

Class grades and assignments

Essays/Papers(75% of the course grade): You will write a total of six papers in this class. These papers will take the following forms:

Type of Essay / Length / Source Requirement / Point Value / Total Final Value %
Diagnostic Summary / 500 words / 1 source / 50 points / 5%
Revision of Diagnostic / 750 words / 1 source / 100 points / 10%
Paper 1 / 750 words / At least 2 sources / 150 points / 15%
Rhetorical Analysis / 750 words / At least 3 sources / 150 points / 15%
Research Paper / 1200-1500 words / At least 5 sources / 200 points / 20%
Final Exam / 500 words / To be determined / 100 points / 10%

Research Paper (20% of final grade It is reflected in the chart above): The research paper is the culminating activity in the course. Every assignment, every paper we do in English 1301, is preparation for the research paper project. The professors of the college courses you take after English 1301 will assume that you know how to write a research paper and will make their assignments accordingly. The minimum requirements for this project are as follows:

  1. You must complete the preliminary work associated with the project.
  2. The paper must be at least 1500 words long, not including the Works Cited page.
  3. The paper must incorporate at least 5 credible outside sources.

NOTE: This project will be given in stages. Successful completion of each stage is crucial before moving on to the next stage. All work done that is associated with the research paper is worth 10% of the total final grade. The paper itself is worth 20% of the total final grade.

Failure to turn in any or all of the work preceding the final draft of the research paper will decrease the gradefor the entire project.

Because the research paper is the culminating activity in English 1301, failure to turn in a research paper will result in a failing grade in the entire course.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a serious issue in all English classes. In a nutshell, plagiarism involves intentional and unintentional copying of any written or unwritten material or idea without attributing that material or idea to the original source. This includes material retrieved from the Internet.

Any student who plagiarizes is telling me that he/she would rather cheat to get a good grade than learn the material to earn the grade. Any student who turns in a plagiarized paper will receive “0” (zero) creditfor that assignment. Any student who turns in a second plagiarized paper will receive an “F” in the course. (Refer to the “Academic Integrity”section of the Policy Manual for more details on plagiarism). Keeping track of drop dates is your responsibility, not mine.

Turning in Assignments: All work due is due at the beginning of each class unless otherwise specified. Work that is turned in the day it was due but after the class period in which it was due will suffer a 10 percentage point penalty. Work that is turned in the next day will lose 20 percentage points. I will deduct 10 percentage points every day after that.

Late work can be put in my mailbox in the South hallway at Tomball College. All work put in my mailbox must be stamped with the time and date. There is a time/date stamp machine in the mailroom. I will assume that any work not stamped and dated was turned in the day that I pick it up. In these cases, the maximum deduction of points will be applied.

Final Exam: A final exam will be given and is listed on the paper chart above. It cannot be made up.

Grading Scale: rounding up at .5:

A90-100(89.5-100)

B80-89(79.5-89.4)

C70-79(69.5-79.4)

D60-69(59.5-69.4)

F59.4 and below

Other graded work (25% of course grade):

Homework: You will be given homework in the form of readings. You will be tested on these readings. You will also be asked to conduct research, complete writing assignments, and complete other types of assignments. All homework is to go into your composition journal to be graded.

Quizzes: You may be given quizzes on the readings. These would simply be reading check quizzes to test your understanding of the material.

Journals: You will be asked to write short reflections on the course discussion or the readings, usually using one of the questions in the textbook that are at the end of each reading. These journal entries will be worth five points each. You will complete approximately twenty entries this semester.

Annotations: You will be asked to write short annotations in your composition journal on all the course readings. They will be worth five points each. You will complete approximately ten during this semester. Prior to your research paper, you will read approximately ten articles and write an annotation on each (about 300 words each). Each annotation will include a one or two sentence summary of the article, a bulleted list of the most important three to five points, and two responses to specific passages (responses should each be three to five sentences). I encourage you to write your annotations as you read the articles. I also encourage you to add additional markings and notations directly on the articles, marking all major points, quotes you like, and writing brief responses to the ideas. These in-text annotations are not required but encouraged because they will save you a lot of time and energy late when you begin writing your papers.

Research-related work and other paper preparation “pre-writing” assignments: Each paper that requires research will also require certain preliminary work, such as:

  1. Evidence of Research
  2. Note cards
  3. A draft Works Cited page

Not all papers will require all of these assignments. The points for this work will fall into this “other graded work” category.

Essay Formatting (Revised from "MLA Formatting and Style Guide" at owl.english.purdue.edu by Russell, et al.)

General Guidelines
  • All essays written outside of class must be typed. Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.
  • Double-space the text of your paper, and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). Whatever font you choose, MLA recommends that the regular and italics type styles contrast enough that they are recognizable one from another. The font size should be 12 pt.Computers are available in E268, the Learning Assistance Center, and the library; printing costs ten cents per page.
  • Leave only one space after periods and one spaceafter other punctuation marks (unless otherwise instructed by your professor).
  • Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.
  • Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times.
  • Create a header that numbers all pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor may ask that you omit the number on your first page. Always follow your instructor's guidelines.).
  • It is your responsibility to have a copy of your essay in case one of us loses it. Back-up your work!
  • If you have any endnotes, include them on a separate page before your Works Cited page. Entitle the section Notes (centered, unformatted).
Formatting the First Page of Your Paper
  • Do not make a title page for your paper unless specifically requested.
  • Staple pages together in the upper left-hand corner, and please do it before class begins.
  • In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor's name, the course, and the date. Again, be sure to use double-spaced text.
  • Double space again and center the title. Do not underline, italicize, or place your title in quotation marks; write the title in Title Case (standard capitalization), not in all capital letters.
  • Use quotation marks and/or italics when referring to other works in your title, just as you would in your text: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Morality Play; Human Weariness in "After Apple Picking"
  • Double space between the title and the first line of the text.
  • Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a page number; number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin. (Note: Your instructor or other readers may ask that you omit last name/page number header on your first page. Always follow instructor guidelines.)

Here is a sample of the first page of a paper in MLA style: