ENGLISH 1301--PRN
COMPOSITION I COURSE SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Maxine Montgomery OFFICE: Rio Grande—Attache Bldg.-103
OFFICE HOURS: Wednesday 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. MAILBOX: RGC 204
ADDRESS: 1212 Rio Grande EMAIL:
Austin, TX 78701 Voice Mailbox: (512) 223-1790 x26372
WEBSITE: http://www.austincc.edu/maxinem
REQUIRED TEXTS: Purpose, Pattern, and Process by Polnac (any edition)
Easy Writer (4th ed.) by Lumsford
RECOMMENDED: Merriam-Webster paperback dictionary
Course Description
ENGLISH 1301—PRN (print-based) is a study of the principles of composition with emphasis on language, the mechanics of writing, types of discourse, and research and documentation. The course includes the study of rhetorical purposes such as expressive, literary, persuasive, and referential. It also involves the study of organizational patterns such as description, narration, classification, comparison/contrast, and evaluation. An emphasis in the course is on process, so students revise papers until they are free of errors and meet the paper assignment requirements. This 3 credit hour course is transferable and a requirement for many majors.
**WARNING**! Your greatest enemies in this course are time (the passing of which you cannot prevent) and procrastination (which you absolutely must avoid in order to achieve the grade of your choice). Distance learning requires self-discipline and steady progress.
ORIENTATION: Students are required to attend the scheduled orientation. Students unable to attend the orientation must complete the orientation exercise on the last page of this syllabus before a paper is submitted.
TURNING IN PAPERS: You may turn in papers to me during my office hours at ATT 103, by email (as an attachment only [using only Word or a pdf file]), by U.S. mail, or inter-campus mail. It is your responsibility to contact me to find out if a paper is accepted before turning in the next paper. Remember, your paper must be corrected before a new paper is submitted. All papers should be typed and double-spaced with your name at the top or on a cover sheet. Allow 48 hours minimum (excluding weekends and holidays) for a paper to be graded.
USE OF ACC EMAIL: All College email communications to students will be sent to the student’s ACC mail account, with the expectation that such communications will be read in a timely fashion. ACC will send important information and will notify you of any college emergency using this account. Students should use their ACC email account when communicating with instructors and staff. Instructions for activating an ACC email account can be found at
http://www.austincc.edu/accmail/index.php.
Course Objectives
The goals of Composition I are to promote
• critical thinking, reading, and writing;
• clear, coherent, confident, and effective communication;
• collaborative writing and learning.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of English 1301, students should be able to
· identify rhetorical purposes and methods of organization appropriate to topic, thesis, and audience;
· collect, read, analyze, and use information from a wide range of sources;
· write a coherent essay observing appropriate grammatical, mechanical, and stylistic
conventions;
· write competently in the informative, analytical, and persuasive modes
· evaluate, edit, and revise at all stages of the writing process;
Requirements
Core components to be covered in Composition I include
· purpose
· audience
· language/diction/style
· thesis statements
· topic sentences
· the writing process (invention, drafting, revision)
· organization (including methods of development)
· paragraph unity, development, and coherence
· grammar and mechanics
· the research process
English Discipline Requirements
All students in all sections will write between six and eight essays over the course of the semester, including an essay written under supervision in the Testing Center, known as the Departmental Exam, which must be passed in order to complete the course with a minimum grade of “C.” Of these essays, one will be a research paper of at least 1000 words, and one will be a textual analysis. The research paper will use MLA style and will require a minimum of three sources, including at least two different types of sources. The remaining essays will include the following rhetorical aims: expressive, literary, referential, and persuasive. Together, all papers will comprise a minimum of 3500 words. In writing each essay, students will use one or more of the following methods of development: cause and effect, comparison/contrast, classification, definition, description, illustration, narration, process analysis, and evaluation. They will also complete The Info Game, http://library.austincc.edu/help/infogamedevelopment, an on-line information literacy program. The instructor will provide specific written guidelines for each assignment and may require part or all of at least one paper to be written under supervision.
Your instructor will use the following system of grading:
System 1: Accepted/Revise/Unaccepted
All students in all sections must receive “Accepted” on the writing assignments to be eligible to receive a Test Permit for taking the Departmental Exam. Additional assignments are required for the grades of “B” and “A.”
Your final grade will be determined by the grade level you complete. Each paper will be marked "ACCEPTED," "REVISE," or “UNACCEPTED.” (You may submit only one paper at a time; when one is ACCEPTED, you may submit the next one.) In addition, compliance with your instructor's system of deadlines will determine your eligibility for a grade of "B" or "A."
ACCEPTED: the paper fulfills the objectives of the assignment and is relatively free of grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors.
REVISE: the paper fulfills the objectives of the assignment but contains errors. You must
avoid similar errors in subsequent papers in order to progress in the course.
UNACCEPTED: the paper does not fulfill the objectives of the assignment, and a new paper, on a different topic, must be submitted.
The Departmental Exam
The Departmental Exam is required of all students enrolled in English 1301 across the College and will be taken under supervision in the Testing Center. Given a selection to read, you will write an interpretive essay of at least 750 words analyzing the selection. Your instructor will provide you more detailed instructions about the test, which will be evaluated "ACCEPTED" or "RETEST" only. If you do not pass on the first try, you may retest once. Your essay must demonstrate the following:
· Coherence, analytical thinking, and an understanding of the selection’s thesis, purpose(s), and method(s) of development;
· Adherence to stylistic, grammatical, and mechanical conventions.
"B" Paper: Write an essay according to guidelines provided by your instructor. Minimum length is 1000 words.
"A" Paper : Following guidelines provided by your instructor, write an essay using two or more sources on a similar topic. Minimum length: 1000 words. MLA Documentation required.
Learning Lab Policy for “B” and “A” Papers
Departmental policy allows students to receive only very general assistance writing “B” and “A” papers in Composition I and II. Examples of such assistance include pre-writing activities and review of writing principles and of grammar and documentation conventions in response to student questions.
TESTING CENTERS: Testing center policies and hours may be found at
http://www2.austincc.edu/testctr/
WITHDRAWAL POLICY: Your instructor will establish deadlines by which you must complete a specific number of assignments or be subject to WITHDRAWAL from the course.
INCOMPLETE POLICY: A student must have 4 papers accepted to be eligible for an “Incomplete” (“I”).
Your instructor will keep your papers for one semester following your enrollment. You are responsible for making copies of any papers you want to keep for your files.
SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY
Acts prohibited by the College for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty (e.g., cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work). Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research, or self-expression. Academic work is defined as (but not limited to) tests and quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper, and homework.
STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
On sensitive and volatile topics, students may sometimes disagree not only with each other but also with the instructor. It is expected that faculty and students will respect each other’s views.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester.
WITHDRAWAL POLICY
The Texas State Legislature passed a bill stating that students who first enroll in public colleges and universities beginning in fall 2007 and thereafter may not withdraw from more than six classes during their undergraduate college career. See ACC Student Handbook for further information.
NOTE: While due dates are somewhat flexible, the deadlines WILL BE ABSOLUTELY ENFORCED. Unfortunately, unexpected situations VERY OFTEN occur, and usually at the end of the semester. Therefore, if you know that you must have an “A” or a “B” in this class, pace yourself accordingly, starting now, because there will be NO EXCEPTIONS to the A and B deadlines.
Also, remember that it is English Department policy that you may submit only one new (ungraded) paper at a time.
PAPER DUE DATES (Flexible)
Paper 1 ...... January 23
Paper 2 ...... January 31
Paper 3 ...... February 13
Paper 4 ...... February 29
Paper 5 ...... March 9
C test ...... As soon as Paper #5 is accepted, you may get a permit from me to take the “C” test in one of the ACC testing centers.
B paper……………April 6
A paper……………April 23
NOTE: On Tuesday, April 3, STUDENTS WITHOUT 4 PAPERS ACCEPTED WILL BE WITHDRAWN FROM THE COURSE.
DEADLINES (NOT Flexible)
DEADLINE #1: YOU MUST SUBMIT PAPER #5 BY FRIDAY, APRIL 6, TO QUALIFY
FOR AN “A” IN THE CLASS.
DEADLINE #2: YOU MUST TAKE THE “C” TEST BY FRIDAY, APRIL 13, TO QUALIFY FOR AN “A” / OR SUBMIT PAPER 5 TO QUALIFY FOR A “B.”
DEADLINE #3: THE “B” PAPER MUST BE SUBMITTED BY FRIDAY, APRIL 20, TO QUALIFY FOR AN “A” / OR TAKE “C” TEST TO QUALIFY FOR A “B.”
DEADLINE #4: THE “A” PAPER MUST BE SUBMITTED BY FRIDAY, APRIL 27, TO QUALIFY
FOR AN “A” IN THE COURSE / OR SUBMIT “B” PAPER TO RECEIVE A “B.”
NO NEW “B” OR “A” PAPER WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER FRIDAY, APRIL 27.
To be fair to all, ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE, SO PACE YOURSELF NOW and follow the due dates (rather than running up against the deadlines) if you know you must have a “B” or an “A.”
I look forward to reading your papers and working with you in the class!!
ORIENTATION EXERCISE
After carefully reading the syllabus, please answer the following True or False questions and send the answers in an email to me. Also, please include in the email the following: your name, address (including city and zip code), and telephone number.
1. The handbook, Easy Writer, is only recommended, not required.
2. Papers may be emailed, but as attachment only, using Word or a pdf file.
3. You must use your ACC email account to communicate with your instructor.
4. There is no need to put your name on an attached paper.
5. Your final grade is determined by an average of grades on each paper.
6. If you get behind, you can turn in a couple of new papers at one time.
7. If you are going for an A, you can skip over the B paper.
8. If a paper is “Unaccepted,” you have to write a new paper on a different topic.
9. It is your responsibility to check with your instructor on the status of a paper.
10. Paper due dates are somewhat flexible.
11. Deadlines are also flexible.
12. No student, despite the reason, can earn a B or A unless the necessary deadlines are met.
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