Chaffey College

Class Syllabus

English 450

Fundamentals of Composition

Instructor: Deckard HodgeSemester: Fall, 2009

Room: TA-08Section: 57598

Time: TTh 3:30-4:50 pmOffice: LA-9F

Email: ffice Hours: TTh 5:00-7:00 pm, ABA

Course Website: www1.chaffey.edu/english/hodge/index.htmOffice Phone: 909-652-6924

Prerequisite:

Score on the Chaffey College English Placement Test at the English 450 level, or satisfactory completion of English 550, or completion of Business and Office Technologies 455 with a minimum grade of C, or equivalent.

Course Description:

Careful study and practice of expository writing techniques and the frequent writing of integrated paragraphs and essays with the ultimate goal of writing an essay using sources and preparing the student for English 1A. Five arranged hours of supplemental learning (workshops, study groups, and/or directed learning activities) in a Language Arts Success Center are required.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of English 450, students will be able to:

understand and appreciate the specific characteristics that contribute to good writing;
think logically and express themselves in clear, effective written prose;
explain and apply principles that lead to the creation of unified and coherent compositions;

recognize and formulate clear and specific controlling ideas and develop these ideas into unified and complete compositions;

analyze the structure of various kinds of composition development, including exposition and argument, and construct compositions in such patterns;

demonstrate an understanding of various logical relationships of ideas within a composition and apply these in their own writings;

recognize concerns and areas for growth in their writing to make it more effective;

exhibit the coherence and rhetorical devices that make a composition rational, clear, and aesthetically sound;

understand writing as a process;
respond thoughtfully and constructively to their own and others’ work.

Academic Integrity:

The Chaffey College English Department has adopted the following policy:

Plagiarism, an unlawful act which is defined as the misrepresentation of the published ideas or words of another as one’s own, will not be tolerated in Chaffey College English courses. At the discretion of the professor, plagiarism may result in zero points for the assignment and/or failing the course.

For this course, the first offense—whether it is an outright theft of another’s work, an instance of lazy paraphrasing, or somewhere in between—will result in an automatic failure of the semester. In addition, a disciplinary record will be established and kept on file with the college.

Required Texts:

Mortenson, Greg and David Oliver Relin. Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a

Time. New York: Penguin Books, 2006.

Wyrick, Jean. Steps to Writing Well with Additional Readings. 7th edition. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008.

A soft, non-fastening folder with pockets.

One Book, One College:

The One Book, One College Committee strives to create a community of readers across the curriculum at Chaffey College and within the communities it serves. Each year, the committee selects a college book and creates a diverse series of related events. Students are encouraged to participate in these activities to enrich their educational experience at Chaffey.

Attendance and Participation:

Attendance is assumed. Students get four personal days for which they owe me no explanation; these are your days on which to be sick, tend to family business, suffer car breakdowns, etc.. Missing a significant portion of any class period constitutes an absence. Missing more than four meetings, for any reason, will have a significant negative impact on your course grade. Missing more than seven meetings, for any reason, may result in automatic failure of the course.

If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you have missed and to read the syllabus to find out what you need to do to prepare for the next class. Being absent is not an acceptable excuse for being unprepared when you return, so it might be a good idea for you to exchange contact information with a few of your classmates.

______

Name & Number Name & Number Name & Number

Your contribution to classroom discussion and activity is important to your progress in this course. Homework and participation will determine twenty percent of your grade. Participation includes arriving prepared for class activities (such as reading discussions and peer critiques), taking quizzes, completing your supplemental learning visits, revising multiple drafts, and otherwise actively engaging with the course material. Be sure to always come to class with your reading and homework completed, as late homework will not be accepted for credit.

Papers:

All papers must be typed, double-spaced, in 12 pt. Times New Roman font, with MLA style title and heading and one inch margins. Essays should always meet or exceed the minimum length and may be penalized for failing to do so. Essays have no maximum length. Please bring two copies of your essay on peer critique days. Your work will be shared with the members of this class for their benefit, appreciation, and constructive criticism, so do not write about a subject that you would feel uncomfortable discussing in an open forum. If you miss class or arrive unprepared on the day of a peer critique, you should make arrangements to have your paper critiqued by two classmates or outside sources. Final essays must be accompanied by all drafts and pre-writing (in your soft pocket folder) in order to receive full credit.

Papers will be penalized ten percent if not turned in at the beginning of class on the date that they are due. Thereafter, you will have one week to complete the assignment for a reduced grade. After one week, you will receive a zero for the assignment. Because circumstances may arise which prevent you from submitting an essay on time, you will be allowed one one-week grace period, during which time no late penalty will be assessed. This essay must still be submitted within one week of the original due date in order to receive credit. Hopefully, there will be no problems.

Students are allowed to revise one essay. To receive credit for this revision, students must submit their original, graded essay along with their revised version by the date indicated at the end of this syllabus. The average of the original grade and the revised grade will replace the original grade. In order to see an improvement in their grade, students must make substantial changes that show careful consideration of instructor feedback.

Grading:

Homework and Participation:20%

Essay #1Description:(2 pages)20%

Essay #2Narration:(2 pages)20%

Essay #3Argument:(2 pages)20%

Essay #4Exposition:(2 pages)20%

Grading Standards:

An A paper (90-100) is excellent in nearly all respects. It shows originality of thought that goes well beyond material presented in class. It is well argued and well organized with a clear, specific, and ambitious thesis. It is well developed with content that is specific, interesting, appropriate, and convincing. It has logical and artful transitions and is marked by stylistic finesse and varied sentence structures. It demonstrates command of mature diction and has few, if any, mechanical, grammatical, spelling, or diction errors.

A B paper (80-89) is excellent in several respects but may have a less sophisticated thesis, a less distinguished style, some minor lapses in organization and development, some ineffective sentence structures, and/or some minor mechanical, grammatical, spelling, or diction problems.

A C paper (70-79) is generally competent, but compared to a B paper, it may have a weaker thesis and less effective style and development. It may contain some lapses in organization, poor or awkward transitions, less varied sentence structures that tend toward choppiness or monotony, and/or significant problems with mechanics, grammar, spelling, or diction.

A D paper (60-69) is below average and may present a thesis that is too vague or too obvious to be developed effectively. It generally exhibits problems with organization, support, transitions, sentence structures, mechanics, grammar, spelling, and/or diction that impede understanding.

An F paper (59 and below) is far below average and may have no clear thesis or central topic. It may display a lack of organization, support, and development. It may contain major and repeated problems with mechanics, grammar, spelling, and/or diction and may fail to fulfill the assignment or may be unacceptably brief.

Early Alert:

In order to assist students when they need support, Chaffey College uses an Early Alert System that allows your instructor to notify you if your success in this course appears to be in jeopardy. This system is designed to provide you with individualized attention while there is still time for you to successfully complete this course. The Early Alert Office may send you a letter or email followed up with a telephone call to discuss your classroom performance and the on-campus resources available to you, so please use My ChaffeyVIEW to keep your contact information up to date.

Tutoring and Student Support:

The Chaffey College Success Centers offer free tutorials, workshops, study groups, directed learning activities, and computer/resource access to assist students in their academic development and success. To reserve your space in a workshop or to ensure that a tutor will be available during your visit, please call ahead to schedule an appointment. Four of the centers are designed to address specific subject needs:

Math Center Language CenterWriting CenterReading Center

(PS-12) (BEB) (Library) (BEB)

652-6452 652-6907 652-6820 652-6932

For all other subject needs and study support, students can access one of the Multidisciplinary Success Centers in Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, and Chino.

Rancho Success CenterFontana Success Center Chino Success CenterChino Reading/Writing Center

(BEB) (FNFC-107) (CHMB-145) (CHMB-240)

652-6932 652-7408 652-8150 652-8160

Call the Centers or consult www1.chaffey.edu/success for more information.

Writing Center Requirement:

Students are required to earn five hours of Language Arts Success Center credit in the form of workshops, study groups, and/or directed learning activities in order to successfully complete this course. Visits are available by appointment only, so please remember to plan ahead. It will be difficult, if not impossible, for you to complete the bulk of your hours during the last few weeks of the semester, when the success centers are extremely busy. I strongly recommended that you meet with a tutor on a regular basis, but please note that tutoring hours do not count toward your five-hour minimum requirement.

DPS:

If you have a disability documented by a physician or other appropriate professional and wish to discuss academic accommodations, please contact the DPS office (652-6379). Please be sure to allow adequate time to arrange for an appropriate accommodation.

EOPS and CARE:

Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) is designed to ensure student retention and success through academic support and financial assistance for eligible students. Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE) is a program that serves a limited number of EOPS students who are single heads of household parents. It provides additional support services beyond those available through EOPS. The ultimate goal is completion of a certificate program, an associate degree, and/or transfer to a four-year college. Call (909) 652-6345 for more information.

Sequence of Topics:

The tentative schedule for the semester is as follows:

* = bring Stepsto Writing Well with Additional Readings to class

@ = bring Three Cups of Teato class

Week One

Aug.T 25: Review syllabus; Introduction to the course and each other.

Th 27: Invention; Dominant impressions/Thesis statements; Concrete details; Cliché; Overview of the

writing process.

Homework for Next Time: Read Steps (313-318).

Week Two

*Sep.T 01: Discuss reading; Description notes; Figurative language;Discuss Essay #1; More invention; In-class

writing.

Homework for Next Time: Read Steps (323-328); Rough draft of Essay #1 due one week from today.

*Th 03: Discuss reading; Showing vs. telling; Sample student paper; Visit office and writing center.

Homework for Next Time: Rough draft of Essay #1.

Week Three

T 08: MLA format; Discuss what makes a good essay.

Homework for Next Time: Revise Essay #1.

Th 10: How to peer critique; Peer critique; Responding to peer critique.

Homework for Next Time: Revise Essay #1.

Week Four

*T 15:Grammar (Steps Ch. 20); Revision (Steps Ch. 5).

Homework for Next Time: Revise and finish Essay #1.

*@Th 17: Essay #1 due; 1st SL stamp due; The importance of proofreading; Share essays; Critical reading strategies

(Steps 170-172); Benefiting from class discussions (Steps 177-179).

Homework for Next Time: Read Three Cups (1-69).

Week Five

@T 22: Discuss reading; Invention.

Homework for Next Time: Read Three Cups (70-107); Read Steps (333-336).

*@Th 24: Discuss reading; Narration notes; Invention.

Homework for Next Time: Read Three Cups (108-173); Read Steps (339-345).

Week Six

*@T 29: Discuss reading; Dialogue; Invention; Discuss Essay #2; Participation Progress Report #1.

Homework for Next Time: Bring graded Essay #1 to class; Read Three Cups (174-197).

@Oct.Th 01: Discuss reading; Class review of essay comments; Partnered review of Essay #1 comments.

Homework for Next Time: Read Steps (641-643; 646-648); Rough draft of Essay #2 due one week

from today.

Week Seven

*T 06: Discuss reading; Invention; Pacing; Specific Narrative Action.

Homework for Next Time: Rough draft of Essay #2.

Th 08: Sample student paper; Peer critique; Time to revise; Discuss Survival Day #1.

Homework for Next Time: Revise and finish Essay #2; Rank survivors.

Week Eight

T 13: Essay #2 due; 2nd and 3rd SL stamps due; Share essays; Survival Day #1.

Homework for Next Time: Read Steps (277-286; 293-295).

*@Th 15: Discuss reading; Argumentation notes; Practice introduction and thesis; Discuss Essay #3.

Homework for Next Time: Read “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” and “Saboteur;” Reading

responses; Rough draft of Essay #3 due one week from today.

Week Nine

T 20: Review argument; Discuss reading; Practice argument.

Homework for Next Time: Rough draft of Essay #3.

@Th 22: Discuss Three Cups; Sample thesis statements.

Homework for Next Time: Revise thesis; Strengthen your argument.

Week Ten

@T 27: Peer critique; Quote integration; Self reflection exercise; Participation Progress Report #2.

Homework for Next Time: Revise Essay #3.

Th 29: Revision exercise.

Homework for Next Time: Revise Essay #3.

Week Eleven

Nov.T 03: Survival Day #2; Discuss audience and tone.

Homework for Next Time: Revise and Finish Essay #3.

*Th 05: Essay #3 due; 4th SL stamp due; Exposition (Steps Ch. 9); Discuss example.

Homework for Next Time: Read Steps (191-193; 193-195; 579-581; 581-583).

Week Twelve

*T 10: Discuss reading; Discuss process analysis.

Homework for Next Time: Read Steps (202-206; 587-589; 589-590; 591-592).

*Th 12: Discuss reading; Discuss comparison/contrast and definition.

Homework for Next Time: Read Steps (221-224; 225-227; 242-245).

Week Thirteen

*T 17: Discuss reading; Discuss division/classification; Discuss Essay #4.

Homework for Next Time: Read Steps (253-256; 256-257; 609-611).

*Th 19:Discuss reading; Discuss causal analysis.

Homework for Next Time: Read Steps (268-271; 624-626); Rough draft of Essay #4 due 12/1.

Week Fourteen

*T 24: 5th SL stamp due; Discuss reading; Time to write.

Homework for Next Time: Bring graded Essay #3 to class; Rough draft of Essay #4.

Th 26: THANKSGIVING

Week Fifteen

Dec.T 01: Partnered review of Essay #3 comments; Thesis statement and organization exercise; Time for revision.

Homework for Next Time: Revise Essay #4.

*Th 03:Peer critique; Time for revision; Discuss two minute platform.

Homework for Next Time: Revise and finish Essay #4; Type at least one question you’d like answered.

Week Sixteen

T 08:Essay #4 due; Reflection exercise; In-class writing.

Homework for Next Time: Prepare for platform.

Th 10: Two minute platform.

Homework for Next Time: Complete extra credit assignments.

Class meets on Thursday, December 17th from 2:15 - 4:45 pm. Optional revision of Essay 1, 2, or 3 is due at the beginning of class on this date.