Composition I Syllabus for 2014-2015
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-1301-042 Composition I

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: 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

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.

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 Services Center Room 119, Phone 371-5436) as soon as possible.

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.

Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec, 1 lab)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

\ Students must purchase the Rhetoric Handbook available in the AC Bookstore.  Additional readings and materials will be available via the internet.

Supplies

\ Your main supplies required are paper and pen for notes as well as the required textbook for the evening.    It will be important for you to take good notes and to bring these with you each week.

\ You must also have consi

Student Performance

\ Learning Outcomes:

\ Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

\  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.

\ Plagiarism Policy:

\ 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.

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

\ I request that you silence your cell phones and do not text during my class.  If you have extenuating circumstances (young child is ill, kids home alone, etc), please let me know and leave your phone on your table.  We will understand.

\  

Grading Criteria

\ 50% Essays and Major Tests

\ 10% “daily”

\ 20% Researched Essay

\ 20% Final Exam/Semester Test (in-class essay)

\  

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

\ No late work is accepted.  If an assignment is due and you must be absent, you must email your work to me before the class begins.   Being very late to a class meeting or missing one entirely to complete work due that evening is NOT acceptable and will result in a 10-20 point reduction on that grade.  In case of an emergency, please submit your paper with the appropriate proof of emergency within 24 hours of the missed class.

\ Specific assignments will be posted on the Blackboard class the day after each class meeting.  It is your responsibility to look there and complete the assignment.

\ When we have peer-tutoring scheduled for a class period, that means that you are to have a complete rough draft with you.  It may be hand-written and "messy," but it must be there.  I do NOT mean simply a list of ideas or one paragraph scrawled on a piece of paper.  Even if you have difficulty with that particular assignment, you must write SOMETHING.  Failure to do so will result in a “0” on the assignment.  In addition, being absent on one of these nights will result in a “0” since you obviously cannot participate in that activity, nor can you make it up.  While that type of assignment is only 10% of your average, it can make a difference in your final average, both because a low 10% will lower the average and because the activity will make a difference in your final result that is 50% of your average.

\ All scheduled essays/exams are required.  No "extra credit" or "dropped grades" are available.  In the rare instance that I offer an extra exam, that offer is granted to all students, regardless of their current average.

\ Essays which contain sentence fragments, run-on sentences, or first or second person pronouns will receive a penalty of up to 10 points per infraction. 

\
\ In the case of an emergency which causes you to miss an in-class test / essay, you will have until the following Tuesday to come to the office and take the test.  (There are very few times when this might be necessary--probably none)

\
\  

Attendance

Being tardy by more than a few minutes can result in that meeting counting as an absence.  Your classmates deserve your respect by everyone being on time.

I start my class promptly at the published start time and will assure you of a timely dismissal.

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 18, 2014.

Calendar

Additional Information

\N