Composition I Syllabus for 2013-2014
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Instructor Information

Instructor

(Curriculum Vitae)

E-Mail

dmoutos@actx.edu

Phone

Office Location

Office Hours

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-1301-025 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

Intensive study of and practice in writing processes, from invention and researching to drafting, revising and editing, both individually and collaboratively. Emphasis on effective rhetorical choices, including audience, purpose, arrangement and style. Focus on writing the academic essay as a vehicle for learning, communicating and critical analysis.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

\ Amarillo College English Department Plagiarism Policy, revised Spring 2013

\ The English Department takes plagiarism seriously.

\ Plagiarism is defined as the following: the use of someone else’s exact words that are neither quoted nor cited; paraphrasing someone else’s words without citing them; or using someone else’s research without citing it.

\ Student plagiarism in the Amarillo College English Department is internally tracked. To clarify, records will be kept in the Department of those students who have plagiarized. At the beginning of each new semester, the names of students who plagiarized the previous semester will be sent to all English Department faculty.

\ Plagiarism may receive a penalty of a zero. A subsequent infraction will be deemed a reason for expulsion from the class. At this point, the case will be referred to the Vice President of Student Affairs.

\ Note: Self-plagiarism will be discussed with the class by each instructor and infractions for such are left up to the individual instructor’s discretion.

\ In addition to the learning outcomes listed, students will be expected to use the library’s online databases and other computer resources for research and word processing. Also, all students will write a third person, argumentative research paper following the MLA format for citing sources.

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Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec, 1 lab)

Class Type

Dual Credit Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Carter, Judith L., et al. A Rhetoric Handbook for English 1301 and 1302. 3rd ed. 2013.

Supplies

\ While I encourage you to keep a notebook, the only real requirements for each class meeting include:

\ paper

\ pen

\ previously taken notes

\ textbook(s) when requested

\ wireless spiral

Student Performance

ENGL 1301 Composition 1

Intensive study of and practice in writing processes. from invention and researching to drafting, revising, and editing, both

individually and collaboratively. Emphasis on effective rhetorical choices, including audience, purpose, arrangement, and style.

Focus on writing the academic essay as a vehicle for learning, communicating, and critical analysis.

1. Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative writing processes.

2. Develop ideas with appropriate support and attribution.

3. Write in a style appropriate to audience and purpose.

4. Read, reflect, and respond critically to a variety of texts.

5. Use Edited American English in academic essays.

In addition to the learning outcomes listed, students will be expected to use the library's online databases and other computer

resources for research and word processing. Also, all students will write a third person, argumentative research paper that

follows the MLA format for citing sources and utilizes peer review.

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 Spring 2013)

The English Department takes plagiarism seriously.

Plagiarism is defined as the following: the use of someone else's exact words that are neither quoted nor cited;

paraphrasing someone else's words without citing them; or using someone else's research without citing it.

Student plagiarism in the Amarillo College English Department is internally tracked. To clarify, records will be kept in the

Department of those students who have plagiarized. At the beginning of each new semester, the names of students who

plagiarized the previous semester will be sent to all English Department faculty.

Plagiarism may receive a penalty of a zero. A subsequent infraction will be deemed a reason for expulsion from the class.

At this point, the case will be referred to the Vice President of Student Affairs.

Note: Self-plagiarism will be discussed with the class by each instructor and infractions for such are left up to the

individual instructor's discretion.

Grading Criteria

\ Final exam will be an in-class essay in a supervised two-hour block. This counts 25% of the semester grade.

\ Essay scores must equal 60% of more of the class's final grade.

\ Homework and quizzes count one grade each; process essays count 3-4 grades each;

\ pressure writing from a prompt will count as 1 grade. 1-2 participation grades will be assigned each six weeks.

\ 90-100=A, 80-89=B, 70-79=C, 60-69=D, Below 59=F

\ Work must be made up within one day of absence. Students should make up work missed due to a school trip before the trip occurs. If this is not possible, they should make up the assignment the day they return. Pre-announced assignments (outside of class essays, etc.) are due on the day announced. Major essays/projects accepted 1 day late with a 30 point

\ deduction on all assigned grades.

Attendance

\ Regular attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the student to attend class and to complete all assignments. Students have read and signed a dual-credit policy on attendance and late grades.

\ 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. Remember that the deadline for drops this semester is November 20,2012

Calendar

Week #1 (8/26-30) Purchase "A Rhetoric Handbook for 1301-1302" 2nd ed., only in the Book Store by 9/4.

Review the dual-credit contract in class and have parents sign, along with the students. A separate handout entitled "Useful Information" will also be reviewed and signed. This handout concerns make-up work, supplies, expectations, and grading norms.

Personal writing - the college application (process essay) Due 9/4.

Week #2 (9/3-6) Rhetoric Handbook to class for assignment: pp. 19-20 "Response Paper" to Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal," due 9/10, along with a creative "proposal" emulating Swift's style.Discuss "plagiarism policy" on pp. 7-12.

Week #3 (9/9-13) Class discussion on rhetorical techniques employed by J. Swift.

Week #4 (9/16-20) Review sentence style in college packet. Identify and emulate simple, compound, complex, compound-complex sentences, as well as cumulative/periodic stylistic techniques. Focus essay will be Mary Wollstonecraft's "A Vindication on the Rights of Women."

Week #5 (9/23-27) Rhetoric Handbook: citations, paraphrasing, inserting quotations for research essay (pp.20-29) Review five phrases for identification and emulation from college packet. Focus essay for examination of rhetorical techniques will be John Stuart Mill's "On the Subjection of Women."

Week #6 (9/30-10-4) Begin research for argumentative essay, which is due 10/29. Students will use on-line site entitled "Opposing Viewpoints" from which to draw their sources. Essays must include an interior rebuttal paragraph, using "The Basic Structure of a Essay" on pp. 42-3 in the Handbook.

Week #7 (10/7-11) Draft #1 for peer review/teacher analysis. General Rubric for 1301. In the Handbook, discussion of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos from pages 34-36. College packet on stylistic techniques.

Week #8 (10/15-18) Draft #2 for peer review/teacher analysis. General Rubric for 1301. Further analysis of Ethos, pp. 58-61 in Handbook. Packet on coherence, avoidance of weak passive, and parallelism. Focus essay for examination of rhetorical techniques will be "The Burden of Sisyphus" by Albert Camus.

Week #9 (10/21-25) Draft #3 for peer review/teacher analysis. General Rubric for 1301. Expansion of understanding Pathos and Ethos on pp. 62-64 of the Handbook. Use "Checklist for final copies" in the Handbook.

Week #10 (10/28-11/1) Argumentative Essay with documented research following the MLA Format is due.

Week #11 (11/4-8) Journal response to "Allegory of the Cave" by Socrates. Discussion of rhetorical techniques, as well as a twentieth-century essay by Susan Sontag.

Week #12 (11/11-15) Rhetorical study of style using George Orwell's "Why I Write," "Shooting an Elephant," and "The Hanging."

Week #13 (11/18-22) Thanksgiving Break at Ascension Academy.

Week #14 (11/25-29) Rhetorical Analysis over assigned literary criticism of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness." Students continue to work on stylistic techniques introduced earlier.

Week #15 (12/2-6) Study information over the "Rhetorical Precis and Situation" in the Handbook. Apply to an editorial.

Week #16 (12/9-13) Analysis of "Emotional Appeals in an Advertisement" in the Handbook. Student powerpoint presentation of an advertisement.

Week #17 (12/16-19) Final Exam for 1301, consisting of an in-class essay.

Additional Information

\ All scheduled essays and/or exams are required. No "extra credit" or "dropped grades" will be available.

Syllabus Created on:

11/30/-1 12:00 AM

Last Edited on: