Freshman Composition I Syllabus for 2011-2012
Return to Syllabus List

Instructor Information

Course Information

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact disAbility Services (Student Service Center room 119, phone 371-5436) as soon as possible.

Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Administrative Drop Policy

N/A

Student Withdrawal Procedures

N/A

Privacy Statement

The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students.  If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Course

ENGL-1301-014 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.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

\N

Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec, 1 lab)

Class Type

Online Course

Syllabus Information

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. Enhanced InSite package. **
\
\ *These books are available for purchase only at the AC Bookstore.

\ ** Students need to purchase their textbooks new in the AC Bookstore to receive the Enhanced InSite Brochure. This brochure contains a PIN that is essential for the course. (If you have questions regarding your textbooks call the AC Bookstore at [806] 371-5307.)

Supplies

\ A computer with reliable access to the internet and a word processing program, such as Word or Works. Open Office, Notepad, and Wordpad are not acceptable word processing programs for this course because their formatting features do not work with o

Student Performance

\ 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

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

\ 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 words and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of it in one's own written work."
\
\ Misdocumented Plagiarism:
\ 1. The use of 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. Missing or incomplete 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. The use of someone else's exact words that are neither quoted nor cited.
\
\ 2. Paraphrasing someone else's words without citing them.
\
\ 3. The use of 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

\ Quizzes: 5%
\
\ Drafts of the Works Cited: 5%
\
\ Discussion: 4%
\
\ Peer Review: 6%
\
\ Final Exam (Timed Essay): 10%
\
\ Minor Assignments: 15%
\
\ Essays: 55%

\ 90-100% = A
\
\ 80-89% = B
\
\ 70-79%=C
\
\ 60-69%=D
\
\ 59% and lower=F
\  

\ The policies for submitting late work are posted on the "Course Policies" page of the AC Online course. For further information, please contact the instructor.

Attendance

\ Online students attend this class by logging in to AC Online and participating in the learning activities. They are not expected to come to campus. Be aware, however, that each assignment has a due date, and successful students keep current with their classwork.

Calendar

Additional Information

Below is an outline of the proposed deadlines for each assignment. The outline is tentative and can be changed at the discretion of the Instructor. Please be sure to check the in-class course calendar for the most up-to-date deadlines.