Composition I Syllabus for 2013-2014
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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-1301-028 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

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\ The English Department takes plagiarism seriously.

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\ 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.

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\ 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. 

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\ 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.

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\ 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.

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\ 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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Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec, 1 lab)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

A Rhetoric Handbook for English 1301 and 1302. Hayden-McNeil, 2013. Print.

Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. The Concise Wadsworth Handbook. 4th ed. Boston: Cengage, 2013. Print. (Includes Enhanced InSite Card—2 semester card and Cengage CourseReader)

Supplies

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• \ Access to computer with reliable high-speed Internet
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• \ Access to a word-processing program, such as Microsoft Word
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• \ Notebooks, pens, pencils
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• \ USB flash drive
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Student Performance

\ After studying the material presented in this course of study, the student will be able to do the following as evaluated by the faculty in the department/program:

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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

STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

http://www.actx.edu/admission/files/filecabinet/folder2/Student_R_R_07_Hyper.pdf

CLASSROOM POLICY:

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.

ONLINE BEHAVIOR:

Just as in a traditional classroom setting, our online classroom will be a safe environment for students to engage in intellectual discourse.  Slanderous messages, inappropriate language, and offensive materials, as deemed by the instructor, will not be tolerated in classroom discussion boards.

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, 2013.

 

Grading Criteria

\ GRADING CRITERIA/GRADE SCALE:  

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\ 15%   Journals                                     

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\ 65%   Essays (including revisions)

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\ 10%   Final Exam: Essay

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\ 10%   Participation/Attendance/Discussion Boards (posts and replies)

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

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Attendance

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.  Two or more absences in a class will be considered excessive and could contribute to a failing grade. 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.

Calendar

Additional Information

\ ENGLISH DEPARTMENT PLAGIARISM POLICY (Revised January, 2009):

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\ Plagiarism:

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\ 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.”

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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.          Incomplete or missing 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:

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\ 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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\ DISABILITY STATEMENT:

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\ Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact disAbility Services (Student Services Center Room 125, Phone 371-5436) as soon as possible.