Freshman Composition I Syllabus for 2011-2012
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Course

ENGL-1301-069 Freshman Composition I

Prerequisites

RDNG 0331 and ENGL 0302-minimum grade of C or scores on a state-approved test indicating college-level reading and writing skills

Course Description

Principles of effective writing, emphasizing organization of materials to produce a unified essay which supports convincingly a thesis statement. Review of conventional elements of writing and introduction to rhetorical analysis.

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Department Expectations

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Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec, 1 lab)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS:           Carter, Judith, et al., ed. A Rhetoric Handbook for English 1301 and 1302. Mason: Cengage, 2010. Print.

Faigley, Lester, and Jack Selzer. Good Reasons: Researching and Writing Effective Arguments. Custom ed. for Amarillo Coll. New York: Pearson, 2010. Print.

Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. The Concise Wadsworth Handbook. 3rd ed. Boston: Cengage, 2011. Print. (Includes Enhanced InSite Card—2 semester card)

Supplies

·         Access to computer with Internet

·         Notebooks, pens, pencils

 

1.         Understand basic rhetorical concepts: subject, audience, purpose, and appeals.

 

2.         Apply rhetorical concepts in analyzing and evaluating text.

 

3.         Use standard American English to write essays that are rhetorically effective: clear, organized, detailed, grammatically correct, and audience specific.

 

4.         Use the library’s online databases and other computer resources for research and word processing.

 

5.         Write a third person, argumentative research paper following the MLA format for citing sources.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

CLASSROOM POLICY:

I cherish my cell phone as much as you do, but it has no place in the classroom. Cell phones must either be turned off or silenced during class.  Consequently, students who use their phone in ANY capacity may be asked to leave. 

 

E-MAIL ETIQUETTE: 

E-mails sent to your instructors must be addressed and signed. E-mails, like all academic work, should be carefully scrutinized by their senders, as the senders’ professionalism is reflected in the grammar, spelling and structure of the e-mail.  E-mails should never look like text messages that contain slang words or heavily abbreviated terms.  E-mails that do not meet the aforementioned criteria will not be answered.

 

If during the semester you consider dropping, please check with me first for an alternate plan, one that protects your investment in the course and gives you an opportunity to complete it. 

 

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT PLAGIARISM POLICY (Revised January, 2009):

 

Plagiarism:

According to the Amarillo College Student Code of Conduct, plagiarism is the “appropriating, buying, receiving as a gift, or obtaining by any means another’s work and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of it in one’s own written work.”

 

Misdocumented Plagiarism:

1.         Using someone else’s exact words that are quoted but not cited or cited but not quoted.

 

2.         Using a citation at the end of a block of prose without clarifying which material is borrowed.

 

3.          Incomplete or missing works cited entries

Misdocumented plagiarism will receive a maximum 50 percent deduction for the first offense, and the student will be required to meet with the instructor.

 

 

 

 

Undocumented Plagiarism:

1.         Using someone else’s exact words that are neither quoted nor cited.

 

2.         Paraphrasing someone else’s words without citing them.

 

3.         Using someone else’s research without citing it.

 

Undocumented plagiarism will receive a minimum penalty of 50 percent for the first time and 100 percent off for all subsequent infractions. The student will be required to meet with the instructor and the English Department Chair.

Grading Criteria

GRADING CRITERIA/GRADE SCALE:  

10%   Journals

70%   Paragraphs, essays (in-class and out) and revisions

10 %  Final in-class essay

10%   Attendance and Participation

 

90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, 70-79 = C, 60-69 = D, Below 60 = F

 

LATE WORK:    Avoid it! I dock 10% for each day late (not just each class meeting). If you cannot turn an assignment in on time, call or come see me as soon as possible.

 

FINAL EXAMINATION:  In-class essay

Attendance

ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Regular Scheduled Classes:
Regular attendance is required and is necessary for satisfactory achievement.  Therefore, it is the responsibility of the student to attend class and to complete all assignments.  Three or more absences in a class will be considered excessive and could contribute to a failing grade. Since we meet only once a week, missing one class is akin to missing a full week of work. It is imperative that you communicate with me when an emergency arises.   If you must stop attending, withdraw officially by the deadline; otherwise, I must record an F for the semester.  Students with no absences will receive additional points at the end of the semester.

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Additional Information

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