Freshman Composition I Syllabus for 2011-2012
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Instructor Information

Office Hours

I am on ET, one hour later than you are. Please contact me via my AC email (jaherr@actx.edu) and be aware that I check my email at least twice daily Monday-Friday, approximately 8:00 AM CT and 8:00 PM  CT.  Please know that I do not respond to emails or Remind messages after 8:00 PM CT Monday-Friday, and  after 8:00 AM on Saturdays. There will be occasions when I am working online that I will check and respond during the daytime hours, but please know that if you don not hear from me within 24 hours, I may not have received your email, so please resend. I do not respond to emails or Remind messages on Sunday, so please plan accordingly. Since all weekly assignments are due on Sunday, please be mindful that I am not available to answer questions on Sundays, so please don't wait until the last minute to complete your assignments.

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-1301-040 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

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Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec, 1 lab)

Class Type

Hybrid

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

\ Faigley and Selzer's Good Reasons, Amarillo College Custom Edition. 2010

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\ Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell.  The Concise Wadsworth Handbook with InSite (2 semester PIN).  3rd edition.  Boston:  Cengage, 2011.*

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\ A Rhetoric Handbook for English 1301 and 1302. 2010.
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\ * Students need to purchase their textbooks new in the AC Bookstore to receive the InSite Brochure. (If you have questions regarding your textbooks call the AC Bookstore at (806) 371-5307.)
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Supplies

\ 3 ring notebook

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\ notepaper

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\ pens/pencils

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\ highlighters

Student Performance

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\ 1. Understand basic rhetorical concepts: subject, audience, purpose, and appeals.
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\ 2. Apply rhetorical concepts in analyzing and evaluating text.
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\ 3. Use standard American English to write essays that are rhetorically effective: clear, organized, detailed, grammatically correct, and audience specific.
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\ 4. Use the library's online databases and other computer resources for research and word processing.
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\ 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

\ English Department Plagiarism Policy (Revised November, 2006):
\ 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."
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\ Misdocumented Plagiarism:
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1. Using someone else's exact words that are quoted but not cited or cited but not quoted.
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\ 2. Using a citation at the end of a block of prose without clarifying which material is borrowed.
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\ 3. Missing or incomplete works-cited entries.
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\ Misdocumented plagiarism will receive a maximum 50 percent deduction for the first offense, and the student will be required to meet with the instructor.
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\ Undocumented Plagiarism:
\ 1. Using someone else's exact words that are neither quoted nor cited.
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\ 2. Paraphrasing someone else's words without citing them.
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\ 3. Using someone else's research without citing it.
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\ 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.

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\ *Cell phone use is not permitted during class. If you have a possible emergency need, talk to me before class.
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Grading Criteria

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\ Quizzes: 10%
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\ Drafts of the Works Cited: 5%
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\ Discussion: 4%
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\ Peer Review: 6%
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\ Final Exam: 10%
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\ Minor Assignments: 5%
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\ Essays: 60%

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

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\ No late work will be accepted. When assignments are due, they will not be accepted after the due date--even if you are absent. If you are or will be absent the day an assignment is due, email your work to me on or before its due date.

Attendance

\ Regular attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement.  Therefore, it is the responsibility of the student to attend class and to complete all assignments.  More than two absences are considered excessive.  Students with excessive absences will find it difficult to pass the class.

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

Week

Topic

Reading

Tasks/Due

1

Introductions.  Exchange contact info. 

Syllabus

Sign course contract.  Interview classmate. Diagnostic essay.

2

Paragraph Structure. Writing process and essay structure.

Wadsworth pg. 17-37, 61-77. Rhet. Handbook 42-44

Paragraphs. Essay #1 assigned  Journal responses

3

Writing a college essay. Common sentence problems.

Wadsworth pg. 224-234. Rhetoric Handbook 42-44. Assigned readings from Good Reasons and online

Essay #1 rough draft. Exercises in Wadsworth

4

Reading, summarizing, and responding to arguments. 

Find articles through Opposing Viewpoints. Good Reasons Chapters 1 and 2

Essay #1 final draft. Journal responses. Quiz: sentence problems. Essay #2 assigned

5

Reading, summarizing, and responding to arguments. Writing a rhetorical precis.

Rhetoric Handbook pgs. 32-37

Essay #2 rough draft. Peer response. Journal responses and rhetorical precis.

6

Analyze arguments:  pathos, ethos, and logos. Incorporating quoted material.

Good Reasons Chapter 5 and pg. 340-355 and pg. 450-457; Rhetoric Handbook 22-23 and 58-66.

Essay #2 final draft . Peer reponse. Essay #3 assigned. Journal responses.

7

Continue analyzing arguments. Editing for conciseness.

Wadsworth pg. 175-178,

Essay #3 rough draft. Peer response.

8

Proposal arguments.

Good Reasons Chapter 3, 4, and 13.  assigned readings

Essay #3 final draft due. Journal responses.

9

Research process.  Library.

Good Reasons Ch. 16 and 17; Wadsworth pgs. 329-333

 

10

Evaluating sources.  MLA documentation. Work on works cited page.

Good Reasons Chapters 18, 19, and 20, and Wadsworth pg. 329-344.

Thesis statement due.  Journal responses.

11

MLA Documentation.  Review plagiarism

Good Reasons pg. 313-320; Rhetoric Handbook 21-27 Refer heavily to Wadsworth pg. 398-438.

Outline due and works cited page due. Quiz: plagiarism.  Journal responses.

12

Work on research essay.

 

Essay #4 rough draft 1 due.  Peer response.

13

One-on-one conferencing.

 

Essay #4 rough draft 2 due.  Draft conference

14

Review for final exam:  writing process and editing/revising

as assigned

Essay #4 final draft due.

15

Review for final exam:  tips for taking a timed essay test

as assigned

 

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Final Exam—in class

 

 

 

  

 

 

Additional Information

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Syllabus Created on:

11/30/-1 12:00 AM

Last Edited on:

11/30/-1 12:00 AM