ENGL 1101: English Composition I
| Instructor: Dr. Monte Salyer | Office phone: (706) 272-2564 |
| Mid-term drop date: | Office: 210 LIA; Days: M-TH |
| M/W schedule T/TH schedule | msalyer@daltonstate.edu |
Required materials
Arlov, P. Wordsmith: A Guide to College Writing. 3nd ed. NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007.
A college dictionary, such as the American Heritage Dictionary, 4th ed. or an electronic one.
Freshman theme paper and folders.
Course description
Prerequisite: English 0098 and Reading 0098 unless exempt.
The emphasis in 1101 is placed primarily on planning, outlining, writing, and revising essays. Stress is placed upon exposition and argumentation; emphasis is also given to grammar, sentence structure, organization, and diction. Students who discover the need for more intensive grammatical preparation or for more writing experiences before competing successfully in English 1101 are allowed and encouraged, with the advice of their professors, to drop 1101 and pick up the appropriate English 0098 by the end of the fourth week of the semester. However, English 0098 is a four-hour course, and English 1101 is a three-hour course; therefore, unless a student is full-time, he will have to pay the extra one-hour tuition.
Course objectives
English 1101 is a composition course to enable the student to outline, write, correct, and revise essays based on a variety of organizational patterns (i.e. narrative, example, definition, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, argumentation) with emphasis on exposition and argumentation.
I. Outlines and essays include
A. Title
B. Thesis Sentence
C. Outline
D. Introductory or organizational paragraph
E. Three or more supporting paragraphs with topic sentences
F. Evidence of transitions
G. A concluding or summarizing paragraph
II. On essays, the student shows mastery of conventional English as measured by
A. No more than two type one errors
B. No more than two type two errors
C. No more than eight type three errors
III. Essays must demonstrate adequate development as evidenced by body paragraphs with a minimum of six sentences each, an introduction with a minimum of five sentences, and a conclusion with a minimum of three sentences. Each body paragraph must have three concrete examples and specific details with appropriate transitions. In addition, the essay must be 500 words to pass.
Student learning outcomes
- Students will demonstrate awareness of the writing process and the importance of defining purpose and audience in academic writing.
- Students will expand rhetorical options and strengthen critical thinking skills by analyzing and practicing various patterns of essay development (e.g., expository, comparison/contrast, argumentative).
- Students will recognize and use accepted patterns of grammar, mechanics, and syntax in writing Edited American English.
- Students will develop strategies for producing a timed, single-draft essay that meets division criteria for coherence, organization, development, and mechanical correctness.
Assessment goals
- Students will write passing essays using a variety of rhetorical options.
- Students will effectively evaluate essays.
- Students will pass grammar tests and/or quizzes.
Class activities
. Planning, writing, and revising a minimum of four expository essays1
2. Doing various readings and exercises, taking quizzes and tests to help learn grammar points needed to eliminate grammatical errors in writing:
3. Writing paragraphs and paragraph exercises, along with free writing exercises;
4. Writing practice RTP essays and possibly taking a practice RTP reading exam;
5. Discussing, prior to revising, errors in current essay requirements;
6. Discussing various social/political/economic issues as relevant to paper topics.
Course evaluation
Daily quizzes 25-30%
Homework 05-10%
Paragraphs 04-06%
Essays 50-60%
Total 100%
Any essay with three or more Type I errors will automatically fail.
Final grades are A (90-100), B (80-89), C (70-79), D(60-69), or F (0-59). Students with Ds must re-enroll.
To receive credit for the course each student must have all graded tests and papers--originals and revisions--placed in the permanent folder, which becomes the property of the Division and will be retained by the professor for one semester and then shredded.
Essay evaluation
I. Essays are graded holistically based on organization, development, and grammar; however, certain requirements must be met for a satisfactory essay. Points are deducted if these requirements are unmet:
A. Ten points will be deducted for each paragraph not having the stated number of required minimum sentences or enough specific examples in each paragraph.
B. Any essay with three or more Type I errors will fail; fewer Type I errors than three will be evaluated holistically with the rest of the essay.
C. Numerous (over ten) Type II and/or Type III errors in a paper could also result in an F; however, these errors will be marked and evaluated holistically with the rest of the essay.
II. Make revisions in green ink on each essay written, due the next class day after received. You may receive extra points for correctly revising if done well; points are lost for not revising.
Attendance policy
Attendance is mandatory to do well in this course. Much of the work for this course is done in class; therefore, a student must be in class to do the work. Thus, attendance is part of the course grade and is the student’s responsibility. Because essays are written in class, it is especially important that a student be in class. A student may miss two and one-half weeks , which is five days, with no penalty (except that which is incurred by late work), but on the sixth absence, the final grade for the course will be dropped ten points or one letter grade. The final grade for the course will be dropped one letter grade for each additional day after that as well. There are no excused and un-excused absences; all absences are considered equal, and it is the student’s responsibility to determine if an absence is worth the points deducted. If there is an extenuating circumstance, for example an illness or accident requiring hospitalization, allowances will be made if there is supporting documentation. I will required documentation, such as a doctor’s note, obituary, etc., for an extenuating circumstance. Tardies count as one-third of an absence, or one-half of an absence, depending on what time the student comes to class.
Late work
As a rule, late work is not be accepted. Late work is a hassle for both the teacher and student, and the class participation grade of the student who turns in late work will suffer considerably. Late work is defined as any work which is turned in at any time after the class meets. There are two categories for late work: daily/homework grades and essay/test grades.
Daily grades
Any daily work done in class may not be made up. The student will receive a 0 for any assignments done that day (such as peer editing or a group grade). In the case of a planned homework assignment, the assignment may be turned in only if the student has called before the class meets, has an acceptable reason, and makes arrangements. Otherwise, the student will receive a 0 on the assignment.
Conduct
Anyone cheating or plagiarizing receives an F on the assignment and will be referred to the Vice-President for Academic Affairs for appropriate action. To check for plagiarism on out-of-class essays, I will collect these essays on disc or CD and run them through an anti-plagiarism software program on my computer. Any student whose conduct disrupts the class will be warned once and then will be referred to the Dean of Students for dismissal from the class. Do not interrupt when the teacher or anyone else is speaking. Also, please disable all pagers, cell phones, and beepers when you enter class. DO NOT ANSWER your phone if it rings. Simply turn it off. I will collect and keep any electronic equipment which sounds in class until the student comes to my office and discusses the offense with me. If there is a family emergency which requires you to have the cell phone on, you must discuss it with me before class. Any student caught text messaging will have his or her cell phone collected. If text messaging becomes a problem, all phones will be collected before a test of essay and may be retrieved after class.
Disability Support Services
Students with disabilities or special needs are encouraged to contact Disability Support Services in Academic Resources. In order to make an appointment to obtain information on the process for qualifying for accommodations, the student must contact the Disability Support Specialist. Contact information: Andrea Roberson, Pope Student Center, lower level, 706/272-2524 aroberson@daltonstate.edu
Drop/Withdrawal Statement
Withdrawal from the course: The last day to drop this class without penalty is Monday, October 27 for A Session courses; Thursday, September 18, for B Session courses; Tuesday, November 18, for C Session courses. You will be assigned a grade of W. After this date, withdrawal without penalty is permitted only in cases of extreme hardship as determined by the Vice President for Academic Affairs; otherwise a grade of WF will be issued. The proper form for withdrawing from all classes at the college after the official drop/add period but before the published withdrawal date is the Schedule Adjustment Form. Students who are assigned to the Academic Advising Center for advisement must meet with an advisor or staff member at the Academic Advising Center (107 Liberal Arts Building) to initiate the withdrawal process. All other students must meet with a staff member or advisor at the Office of Academic Resources in the Pope Student Center to initiate the withdrawal process. After meeting with the staff member or advisor, all students will then finalize the withdrawal process in the Financial Aid Office. Students who fail to complete the official drop/withdrawal procedure will receive the grade of F. Withdrawal from class is a student responsibility. The grade of W counts as hours attempted for the purposes of financial aid.
Complete Course Withdrawal
The proper form for withdrawing from all classes at the college after the official drop/add period but before the published withdrawal date is the Schedule Adjustment Form. Students who are assigned to the Academic Advising Center for advisement must meet with an advisor or staff member at the Academic Advising Center (107 Liberal Arts Building) to initiate the withdrawal process. All other students must meet with a staff member or advisor at the Office of Academic Resources in the Pope Student Center to initiate the withdrawal process. After meeting with the staff member or advisor, all students will then finalize the withdrawal process in the Financial Aid Office.
Workforce Development
Contact: Mr. Scott McNabb, Workforce Investment Act. If a student receiving aid administered by the DSC Workforce Development Department drops this class or completely withdraws from the College, the schedule adjustment form must be taken to the Workforce Development Office first. The office is located in the Technical Education Building, Room 214, and students can contact Mr. McNabb at 706-272-2635 from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. He is in the Georgia Department of Labor office on Wednesdays and Thursdays and can be reached at 706-272-4412.
Regents testing
The Regents’ Test is required for all students in a public institution in the state of Georgia. A student must pass the test by the time he complete 45 semester hours of college work. The test is given on campus each semester and is free. It consists of both a reading and a writing portion. This class will directly prepare students for the writing portion, and students may register for the test once they complete English 1101. More information will be provided later in the semester. An overview, sample tests, a complete list of RTP topics, and other informational materials may be found at the RTP website through the DSC homepage (click on Programs of Study, then Schedule, then Humanities, then RTP) or from http://www.gsu.edu/rtp.
Grading guidelines
The passing essay meets the following criteria:
1. A passing essay meets only the basic grading criteria, and those in a minimal way.
2. The essay has a thesis statement with a central idea related directly to the assigned topic and presented with sufficient clarity that the reader is aware of the writer's purpose.
3. Subtopics or supporting points are developed from the thesis statement.
4. The organization of the essay's paragraphs is clear enough for the reader to perceive the writer's plan.
5. The paragraphs coherently present some evidence of concrete examples and specific details to develop substantially the thesis' subtopics or supporting points.
6. Generalizations are supported by a variety of concrete examples and specific details of acceptable quality.
7. The writer used ordinary, everyday words accurately and idiomatically, generally avoiding both monotony created by a series of choppy, simple sentences and the incoherence caused by long, tangled sentences.
8. The essay has an adequate variety of clear, coherent, complex sentences.
9. The writer maintains a consistent voice and appropriate tone for the context of the essay's topic and for the writer's purpose.
10. Although the essay may contain two type I errors and a few type II or type III errors, they are not of sufficient severity or frequency to obscure the writer's intended meaning.
The failing essay has any one of the following problems to an extraordinary degree, or it has several to a limited degree.
1. The essay lacks a thesis statement with a central idea.
2. The essay does not relate directly to the assigned topic.
3. The essay's paragraphs lack a clear organizational plan.
4. It does not develop its supporting points (subtopics) or develops them in a repetitious, redundant, incoherent or illogical way. There is a lack of concrete examples and specific details for support of generalizations.
5. The essay contains at least three type I errors, an automatic failure.
6. The essay contains numerous type II or type III errors.
7. Ordinary, everyday words are used inaccurately and un-idiomatically.
8. The essay contains a limited vocabulary so that the words chosen frequently do not serve the writer's purpose.
9. Sentence structure is frequently rudimentary, monotonous or tangled.
10. The essay lacks a consistent voice and an appropriate tone for the context of the essay's topic and for the writer's purpose.
11. The essay is so brief that the rater cannot make an accurate judgment of the writer's ability.
Student acknowledgement
I have received, read, had explained this syllabus, and have had chances to ask questions about anything I did not understand. I do understand the syllabus and agree to abide by its provisions. I understand that excessive absences will lower my overall grade and that late work is not acceptable. I especially understand that the final exam essay counts for as much as 20% of my total grade, and that three Type I errors fail an essay.
Signed:
Dated: