Composition I Syllabus for 2014-2015
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Instructor Information

Office Location

Moore County Campus 161

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-1301-028 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):

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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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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.

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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.

Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec, 1 lab)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

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\ Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell.  The Concise Wadsworth Handbook with InSite (2 semester PIN).  4th edition.  Boston:  Cengage, 2013.*

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\ A Rhetoric Handbook for English 1301 and 1302: A custom publication for Amarillo College. First Edition, 2013.
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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

\ Jump/Flash/USB drive if you want to save your computer work in writing or computer labs

Student Performance

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\ 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.

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\ 1.     Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative writing processes.

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\ 2.     Develop ideas with appropriate support and attribution.

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

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

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\ 5.     Use Edited American English in academic essays.

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

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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

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Grading Criteria

\ Rough Drafts = 10%                   Final Draft 1 = 10%                  Grammar =5%
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\ Critiques = 15%                          Final Draft 2 = 15%                  Final Exam = 15%
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\ Journal = 10%                            Final Draft 3 = 20%
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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 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. Although you do not get a grade for attendance, you will receive a 0 for any work you miss.

Late Work:

Submissions to InSite will not be accepted late. If a situation arises that prevents students from complying with this policy, they must contact the instructor via email before the deadline of the assignment lapses.

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

 

Calendar

Week 1

1/20-1/23

No Class—MLK Holiday

Introductions, syllabus, Diagnostic Essay

 

Week 2

1/26-1/30

Journal Discussion, Journal #1, RH MLA pages 6-7, Grammar pre-test in class

Insite profile,  Intro to Exercise Central,  Journal #2, Prewriting activity for Essay 1

Grammar diagnostic tests

Week 3

2/2-2/6

 Journal #3, Titles,  Introductions and conclusions, Work on Draft , Sample essay

Peer Review introductions

Sentence Grammar:  comma splices 963, fused sentences 233

Week 4

2/9-2/13

Peer Review and Revise Draft

Editing rough draft, Submit final draft to Insite

Sentence Grammar:  Run on sentences 628 and sentence fragments 124

Week 5

2/16-2/20

RH-"What is Rhetorical Analysis?"   and "Identifying Rhetorical Appeals”

Dream Act videos, analysis and Journal #4

Sentence Grammar:  Subject/verb agreement 84, shifts in verb tense 982

Week 6

2/23-2/27

Rhetorical Appeals Chart with Dream Act Letters in groups,

Practice Ethos paragraph

Punctuation:  Commas

94,591,592

Week 7

3/2-3/6

Practice rhetorical  analysis paragraphs, Journal #5

Practice rhetorical  analysis paragraphs, Journal #6

Punctuation:  Semicolons

397

Week 8

3/9-3/13

"The Rhetorical Analysis Essay," Essay #2 assigned, sample essay

 Computer lab—find an article for essay #2

Word Choice:  Commonly confused words 934,935

SPRING BREAK

3/16-3/20

 

 

 

Week 9

3/23-3/27

Rhetorical Analysis charts for essay #2

RH-Incorporating Source Material  and Plagiarism discussion,  MLA format

Sentence Style:  Parallelism 524 and shifts 364

Week 10

3/30-4/3

Peer Review Essay #2 (Draft 2), Submit final draft to Insite

Essay #3 Assigned and discussed

Mechanics and Spelling:  Common misspellings

377,378

Week 11

4/6-4/10

Research for essay #3, Journal #7 (annotated bibliography)

Research for Essay #3, Journals #8 and #9 (annotated bibliographies)

Mechanics and Spelling: Italics and underlining 106

Week 12

4/13-4/17

Draft #1--Essay #3 and Peer Review

Conferences/editing of essay #3

Punctuation:  Colons 97 and quotation marks 689

 

Week 13

4/20-4/24

 

Draft #2--Essay #3 and Peer Reviews,

Conferences/ editing Essay #3

Word Choice:  Inappropriate language 446 and eliminating wordiness 589

Week 14

4/27-5/1

Peer Review Essay #3

 

Final Editing Essay #3, Submit Essay #3 to Insite

 

Week 15

5/4-5/8

Final Practice

Peer Review of Final Practice

 

Week 16

5/11-5/15

Final Exam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***SUBJECT TO CHANGE***

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

  • All grammar assignments will be completed on Exercise Central.  There is a link to the web site in our class on ACConnect under every module in the Content tab.
  • All grammar assignments must be completed by the end of WEEK 13, no exceptions!
  • All final copies and some rough drafts will be submitted to Insite.  There is a link to Insite in our class on ACConnect under every module in the Content tab. No essays are accepted late.

 

Additional Information

All grammar exercises will be completed on Exercise Central online.  You may do the grammar exercises as many times as you wish until you achieve the grade you want, but they must be completed by the end of week 13.

Syllabus Created on:

11/30/-1 12:00 AM

Last Edited on:

11/30/-1 12:00 AM