English Composition 1

Syllabus: ENG 1001-05 (Spring 2008)

Monday/Wednesday 2:15-3:30 p.m. (Room B-213)

Instructor

R. Rambo
Office: A313
Phone: (815) 224-0338
E-mail: randy_rambo@ivcc.edu
Instructor Home Page: http://www.ivcc.edu/rambo
Course Home Page: http://www.ivcc.edu/rambo/eng1001.htm

Office Hours
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
(and by appointment)

Textbook

There is no required textbook for the course. All assigned readings are available online.

Course Description (from the college catalog)

English Composition 1 allows the student to study and apply rhetorical principles of writing in developing effective sentences, paragraphs, and essays, with particular emphasis on analyzing and writing expository prose about short fiction and non-fiction prose. Students' essays will be based upon their readings of a variety of texts on various topics. The course includes the use of various computer applications, including word-processing and the Internet.

Prerequisites

To enroll in English Composition 1, students must be placed in ENG 1001 based on IVCC’s English placement exam, or must have an ACT English score of at least 22 with proper documentation submitted to the college, or must successfully complete ENG 0900. Some students are placed into ENG 1001 with the stipulation that they complete a required English lab course before earning credit for ENG 1001. Please make sure to complete the lab course if it is required of you.

Expected Student Outcomes

Upon successful completion of English Composition 1, students will be able to

Read a variety of texts with understanding and appreciation;
Understand invention as a part of the writing process;
Organize and develop ideas effectively and logically in essays;
Develop effective, logical, and well-supported arguments;
Understand and use a variety of rhetorical methods for developing ideas;
Maintain a consistent and appropriate viewpoint, tone, and voice;
Strengthen essays through the revision process;
Offer informed suggestions during peer critiques of essays;
Write essays free from common stylistic weaknesses;
Write essays free from excessive errors;
Use word-processing software as a writing tool;
Understand the basics of writing with sources and avoiding plagiarism; and
Understand MLA citation and documentation.

Assignments

Essays: You will have a total of seven essay assignments (at least 800 words each), including one ungraded diagnostic essay submitted near the beginning of the course and two final revisions submitted near the end of the course. Only essays that were previously submitted may be resubmitted as final revisions. The essays written for the course will be analytical, interpretive, and persuasive, with various texts as the subjects, including a painting or photograph and a short story. The course does not include creative writing (the writing of poems and short stories, for instance) and does not include the writing of personal narratives.
Miscellaneous Assignments: "Miscellaneous assignments" include assigned readings; exercises over grammar, punctuation, style, and other aspects of writing; and written peer critiques of student essays.
Final Exam: The final exam covers the same type of material appearing on the exercises, including grammar, punctuation, style, and other aspects of writing discussed in class and presented on course web pages.

Evaluation

Writing assignments will be evaluated and graded according to the grading standards in IVCC's Style Book. Additional assessment criteria will be given for specific assignments. For revised papers, consideration will be given to the extent and quality of revision (possible reorganization, further development and support of ideas, the elimination of errors, etc.).

Final course grades will be determined as follows:
10%    Essay 1
10%    Essay 2
15%    Essay 3
15%    Essay 4
10%    Revision 1
10%    Revision 2
20%    Miscellaneous Assignments
10%    Final Exam

At the end of the semester, final course grades will be calculated using the following scale: 90%-100% = A, 80%-89% = B, 70%-79% = C, 60%-69%= D, 0%-59%= F.

Attendance Policy

Students are expected to attend class regularly. Absences may result in a lowered course grade, and more than four absences may result in a withdrawal from the course without warning. Please be on time for class. Students who are persistently late for class must meet with the instructor to discuss the situation.

General Policies / Requirements for Successful Completion of the Course

Come to class regularly and come to class prepared. Students are expected to complete all reading and writing assignments. Failure to complete assignments may result in a substantial reduction of the course grade. The following policy applies to all essays: A draft of at least 600 words will be due at the time of peer critiques. If a student does not have a draft of the required length, one letter grade will be deducted from the revised draft of the paper.

Be active participants in the class. Active and meaningful student participation is expected, so ask questions, offer comments and suggestions, share your thoughts, make a meaningful contribution to the exchange of ideas in the classroom.

Demonstrate a genuine desire to learn and to succeed in the course. A positive attitude can take you far, so be willing to work: read and reread the texts carefully, take pride in your class work, and please see me if you need additional help. You probably need this course for the credit, but try to work hard both to gain the credit and to gain knowledge and better writing skills.
Be familiar with IVCC's "Student Code of Conduct" (in the college's Student Handbook), which stipulates the behavior expected of students. Violations of the "Student Code of Conduct" include "disruption of the educational process." This disruption could include conduct that is detrimental to the learning environment of the classroom, such as persistent tardiness, sleeping in class, or other distracting and disrespectful behavior. If you must bring a cell phone to class, of course turn off your phone and do not play with it during the class period.

Assignments are due on the due dates. In-class assignments cannot be turned in after the class period during which they are assigned and completed. Essay assignments also are due on the due dates. However, the instructor can approve a late submission of an essay if an emergency or some other legitimate situation arises that prevents a student from turning in an essay when it is due. Talk to the instructor if this situation comes up.

Working in the Computer Lab

All of our class meetings will be held in one of the college's computer labs. The computers should help us complete assignments and should not be a distraction from those assignments. While we are in the computer lab during class time, we must work on material related to the course. The following policy applies to students who use the computers during class time for purposes that are not course related (reading or writing e-mail, playing games, working on assignments for other classes, surfing the Internet for information unrelated to the course, etc.): the first time, the student will be asked to leave the classroom; the second time, the student will be withdrawn from the course. Please ask if you have any questions about whether a particular use of the computers is course related.

Academic Accommodations

If you need support or assistance because of a disability, you may be eligible for academic accommodations through IVCC's Special Populations Office. Visit office B-204 or call (815) 224-0284 for more information.

Plagiarism and Cheating

Plagiarism is the use of another person’s ideas, information, or exact words in your own writing without properly acknowledging your source in accordance with a standard system of documentation. In writing classes, plagiarism most often occurs when students use someone's else work and submit it as their own.

Make sure that all of the work you contribute to the class is your own. A student discovered submitting work that is not his or her own will receive a failing grade in the course, and the student's name and a description of the incident will be reported to IVCC's Office of Academic Affairs. The Office of Academic Affairs will keep a file of these submissions. According to IVCC's "Student Code of Conduct," "when a student has been identified as committing an act of academic dishonesty twice [in any courses], the [Vice President of Academic Affairs] and [Vice President of Student Services] will conduct an investigation, which may include a formal hearing, and will recommend or impose appropriate discipline."

You can probably find free essays on the Internet that would satisfy the requirements for each of the essay assignments in this course. I can find them as well. Do not copy an essay from the Internet, or from anywhere else, and submit it as your own: the result will be a failing grade in the course and a report of academic dishonesty to the college's Office of Academic Affairs.

Most Important of All

It's my job to help you succeed in the course, so please let me help you. Do not hesitate to ask questions and to see me during my office hours. Also, be aware that additional assistance to help you succeed is available through the college's Writing Center.

Tentative Schedule: ENG 1001-05

This schedule is only an overview of the approximate due dates for major assignments. Please see the course home page for daily assignments. Additional assignments will be given in class. This schedule is subject to change.

Week 1 (1/9)
Introductions. Review of the Essay form.

Week 2 (1/14, 1/16)
In-class Diagnostic Essay. Reading assignment to be announced.

Week 3 (1/21, 1/23)
Reading assignment to be announced. Discussion of Essay 1.
No class Monday, January 21 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day).
(Wednesday, January 23: Last day to drop the course for a refund.)

Week 4 (1/28, 1/30)
Draft of Essay 1 due for peer critique. Peer critiques of Essay 1.

Week 5 (2/4, 2/6)
Revised Draft of Essay 1 due. Reading assignment to be announced.

Week 6 (2/11, 2/13)
Discussion of Essay 2 and assigned readings.

Week 7 (2/18, 2/20)
Draft of Essay 2 due for peer critique. Peer critiques of Essay 2.
No class Monday, February 18 (All Presidents Day).

Week 8 (2/25, 2/27)
Revised Draft of Essay 2 due. Reading assignment to be announced. Discussion of Essay 3 and assigned readings.

Week 9 (3/3, 3/5)
Continued discussion of Essay 3 and assigned readings.

Week 10 (3/10, 3/12)
Draft of Essay 3 due for peer critique. Peer critiques of Essay 3.

Week 11 (3/17, 3/19)
No class Monday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 19 (Spring Break).

Week 12 (3/24, 3/26)
Revised draft of Essay 3 due. Reading assignment to be announced. Discussion of Essay 4.

Week 13 (3/31, 4/2)
Continued Discussion of Essay 4.

Week 14 (4/7, 4/9)
Draft of Essay 4 due for peer critique. Peer critiques of Essay 4.
(Tuesday, April 8: Last day for student withdrawal from the course.)

Week 15 (4/14, 4/16)
Revised draft of Essay 4 due. Discussion of Final Revisions. Work on Final Revisions.

Week 16 (4/21, 4/23)
Continued work on Final Revisions.

Week 17 (4/28, 4/30)
Two Final Revisions due. Discussion of the Final Exam.

Final Exam
2:15 p.m., Wednesday, May 7