[Everything in brackets and gray highlighting is a note for the instructor; please follow the instructions in the note and then delete it before distributing the syllabus to students.]

Introduction to College Reading and Composition I

ENGL 050-[Section Number]

[Days, Times, and Room Locations]

Spring 2018

Instructor Information:

Instructor Name:

Office Location:

Mailbox Location:

Email Address:

[If you plan to keep regular office hours, you can include that information here.]

Catalog Description for Introduction to College Reading and Composition I:

Prerequisites: Appropriate score on placement test.

Introduction to College Reading and Composition I is an intensive developmental course designed to provide students with the foundations needed for academic reading and writing. In this integrated reading and writing course students develop a range of strategies for reading different kinds of texts and will practice the stages of the writing process with special attention given to paragraph organization and sentence structure. This six-credit class meets for six hours each week: three hours in a traditional classroom and three hours in a computer lab.

Required Texts:

[You should use both of the texts listed below. Please be sure to include the statement below about printed vs. digital versions of the texts.]

Joy, Anna, ed. We Are America: A Thematic Reader and Guide to Writing. 6th ed. Thompson Wadsworth: 2008.

Senna, Danzy. Where Did You Sleep Last Night?: A Personal History. Picador: 2009.

Students in ENGL 050 Introduction to College Reading and Composition I are strongly encouraged to rent or purchase the printed version of the required course texts rather than the digital copy.

Note about Required Books:

[Consider including the following statement about books:]

If you buy or rent your books from the college bookstore, make sure you are aware of the refund, buyback, and rental policy. Your English instructor will likely encourage if not require you to annotate, underline, and/or highlight your text. You are still able to do all of these activities, even if you rent the book or want to sell it through buyback. The store’s policy states that “Writing, highlighting andunderlining are acceptable” when it comes to buyback and rented books. You should check with the bookstore for more information, including problems that do impact the book’s value.

Other Learning Materials:

[Create a list of any other materials that you require or recommend. Below is an example.]

  • Multiple ways to back up your work on a computer because computer problems are not an appropriate excuse for handing a paper in late.
  • A notebook (any kind) for class notes.
  • Several folders so you can organize handouts from class as well as your writing

Student Learning Outcomes:

At the completion of the course, students will be able to:

  1. demonstrate the requirements for good essay organization (NJ GE 1).
  2. use evidence to support claims (NJ GE 1, 2).
  3. use the writing process for essay development (NJ GE 1).
  4. demonstrate better control of the grammatical and mechanical structures used in academic writing (NJ GE 2).
  5. demonstrate reading comprehension (NJ GE 1, 2).
  6. analyze texts for discussion and writing (NJ GE 4).

Grading Policy:

[Please include all of the requirements in the following list.]

ICRCI requires:

  1. Write four-six take-home essays, including prewriting, drafts, and revisions.
  2. Write in-class essays and free writing assignments as required.
  3. Read a variety of texts, including essays, stories and a novel.
  4. Complete reading, grammar, and vocabulary exercises as required.
  5. Be an active participant in class.
  6. Create a portfolio for department review; please note that students who fail to meet the above course requirements will not be allowed to submit a portfolio, and will receive a grade of F in the course. Incomplete or late portfolios will not be considered for evaluation.

The ICRC I portfolio will be used to determine whether you place into English Composition I (3 credits/grade of A), English Composition I with Workshop (3 credits, 3 non-credits/grade of B), ICRC II (4 non-credits/grade of C), or repeat ICRC I (grade of F). If you have excessive absences and or incomplete work, you will not be eligible to submit a portfolio, and you will repeat ICRC I (6 non-credits).

The grade you receive after completing ICRC I is directly tied to your placement; thus, grades you receive on classwork will not be reflected in your final grade, as only the portfolio determines your placement/grade. However, if you fail to attend and participate in class and complete the required work, you will either not be allowed to submit a portfolio at all, or will guarantee yourself a poorly assembled packet of writing, both of which will result in a grade of F.

Portfolios are read by at least two English Department professors and will include a self-reflection, a diagnostic essay, a rewritten text-based essay and a final in-class writing. Submission of a portfolio does not guarantee that you will pass the course.

Attendance Policy:

[Please include the following statement:]

Students are expected to attend all classes, laboratories, and clinical sessions for every course in which they are enrolled. To accommodate students’ reasonable personal situations that might prevent them from attending classes, each student is entitled to absences amounting to the equivalent of one week’s class time in a semester. Any absence in excess of this standard can prevent students from achieving the course learning outcomes as evaluated by the instructor.

Attendance means more than just being present in class. It means that you are prepared and participate in each class. Being prepared includes completing all homework that is assigned (including reading), taking part in class activities (such as discussion, group work, peer review), having your essay drafts (rough and final) on the day they are due, and maintaining a positive learning environment (being on time for class, using technology appropriately).

Successful students attend class consistently. Missing two weeks’ worth of class means that you’re missing critical class time spent on strategies that prepare students for success on the portfolio. If you miss that many classes, either consecutive or not, or if you are consistently late to class, you will not be eligible to submit a portfolio. Exceptions will only be made under extraordinary circumstances. If you are struggling, please talk to your professor and take advantage of the resources the college offers, including the Academic Support Center and Advising & Counseling.

Students in ICRC I/II must submit a portfolio for evaluation and placement at the end of the semester. To be eligible to submit the portfolio, students must comply with the aforementioned attendance requirements. Students should be aware that, in addition to a GPA that includes all of their academic classes, there will also be a term GPA (each semester) that reflects ALL of the classes they take, including non-credit. This means that your academic standing may be in jeopardy if you fail developmental courses.

Students have the option to withdraw themselves from courses up until Friday, April 6. Instructors cannot withdraw students, so students need to take that responsibility themselves.

Make-up Policy:

[Consider using the following statement:]

Make-up in-class essays will only be given if you have a documented emergency.If you are absent when an assignment is due, drop it off or email it to me on the day it is due so that it is not counted late. Exceptions will be made in the case of an emergency.

College Classroom Etiquette:

[Consider using the following statement:]

As stated in the Student Handbook, the College has a Code of Student Conduct. It states: “Faculty members have the authority to take actions which may be necessary to maintain order and proper conduct in the classroom. Students whose behavior disrupts the class will be subject to removal and may be charged with a violation of the Code of Student Conduct. Code of Conduct charges will be investigated by the Assistant Dean of Student Services. If the student behavior presents a concern for immediate safety of the student or members of the community, the student may be suspended until a Disciplinary Reviewis held.”

Plagiarism Policy:

[Consider using the following statement:]

The Student Handbook states the following: “Raritan Valley Community College requires independent, honest work on the part of its students, and students are expected to conduct themselves with scholarly integrity. Each confirmed incident of academic dishonesty, cheating or plagiarism must be reported by the faculty member, in writing, to the appropriate DivisionalDean.”In addition, the Student Handbook states, “The faculty member will have the authority to issue a failure on the paper, exam, assignment or course in which cheating or plagiarism was established.”

Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:

  1. Copying answers from a textbook to submit for a grade.
  2. Quoting text or other works without citation when requested by the faculty member to present one’s own work.
  3. Submitting a paper or essay obtained from a term paper service or taken from the Internet.
  4. Submitting a paper or report written by another student, aspouse, or a colleague as one’s own.
  5. Submitting another student’s project, essay, research paper, or computer program as one’s own.
  6. Submitting a paper wholly or in substantial part using the exactphrasing of source material.
  7. Submitting a paper closely paraphrased from source material, where the original source material is simply edited withperhaps minor word changes occurring.
  8. Submitting a paper closely paraphrased from source material, splicing together sentences from scattered segments of theoriginal.

RVCC Email:

[Consider using the following statement:]

Every student automatically receives an RVCC email account. You are responsible for checking this account regularly; otherwise, you will miss crucial college information. If I need to reach you, I will email you at your RVCC account, so it’s important that you check it at least several times a week.

Essay Requirements:

[Create a statement that includes some basic information about the rough draft and final draft writing process and requirements. Below is an example.]

Essays should follow the assignment guidelines. All out-of-class essays (including rough drafts) should be word-processed. Due dates for rough and final drafts are listed on the assignments.

Academic Support Center:

The Academic Support Center in S020 offers free drop-in tutoring and support services for most disciplines offered by RVCC, including all composition classes.

Reasonable Accommodation:

Students with disabilities who require accommodations (academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids or services) for this course MUST provide documentation of accommodations from the RVCC Office of Disability Services, C124. No accommodations will be made without this documentation.

Class Preparation and Participation:

[Create a statement that includes some basic information about how students should prepare for class. Below is an example. The statement about the number of hours spent outside of class is required by the college. Be sure to include it on your syllabus.]

Come to every class prepared. Preparation involves doing and bringing the assigned reading and writing assignments; be ready to discuss and write about the assigned readings in class. Class participation involves paying attention in class, contributing to the discussion, and listening to your peers.It can also involve free writing exercises, group work, and pop quizzes. Use of technology unrelated to the course (cell phones, laptops, etc.) can negatively impact your participation grade.Come to class ready to share your ideas, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

In addition to the six hours spent in class, you should anticipate that success in Introduction to College Reading and Composition I will require at least another 12 hours of work outside of class every week.

Course Schedule:

[At minimum, create a week by week schedule of reading assignments and essay assignment due dates (for both in-class and out-of-class essays) so students have a general idea of what to expect. If you prefer, you can create a daily calendar schedule. The one below is an example of a weekly schedule specific to Spring 2018.

The assigned readings below are suggestions that have been used successfully; you can use other readings and introduce Where Did You Sleep Last Night?: A Personal Historywhenever you choose. Discussion questions for the book are available online; they can be used as homework or quizzes, or a mixture of both.

Instructors need to allow time in their computer labs to work on essay revisions, especially of the text-based essay that will go in the portfolio, so it may not be possible to do all of the suggested readings.]

Dates / Readings and Assignments
January 22 to January 26 / Introduce course; distribute syllabus; diagnostic in-class writing[ideally the first lab day; instructors should make sure students print out copies with only their G#s and the date and keep copies of the diagnostics] [specify assigned readings, consider WAA pages 12-15, “Mother” by Russell Baker]
[During week 2, you may want to do a short In-Class Essay or free writing, and have students work in groups on organization and development.]
January 29 to February 2 / [Specify assigned readings; consider “The Struggle to be an All-American Girl” by Elizabeth Wong/“Complexion” by Richard Rodriguez]; Rough draft ofOut-of-Class Essay 1 due for peer review
February 5 to February 9 / [Specify assigned readings; finish “Complexion” and read “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks, “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes]; Final draft of Out-of-Class Essay 1 due
February 12 to February 16 / [Specify assigned readings; consider beginning Where Did You Sleep Last Night? pages 1-40, and “An Open Letter to Black Parents: Send Your Children to the Libraries” by Arthur Ashe; discussion includes connections between the book and essay, as well as previous readings]; In-Class Essay 1
February 19 to February 23 / [Specify assigned readings;considercWDYSLN? pages 41-81, and “Don’t Let Stereotypes Warp Your Judgments” by Robert Heilbroner; free write about topics and connections up to this point]; Rough draft of Out-of-Class Essay 2 due for peer review
February 26 to March 2 / [Specify assigned readings; consider WDYSLN? Pages 82-133, and “Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space by Brent Staples]; Final draft ofOut-of-Class Essay 2 due
March 5 to March 9 / [Specify assigned readings; consider WDYSLN? pages 134-162; In-Class Essay 3
March 12 to March 16 / Spring Break Week. No classes.
March 19 to March 23 / [Specify assigned readings; consider WDYSLN? pages 163-198, and “American: The Multinational Society” by Ishmael Reed; discuss connections among any authors read so far];Rough draft of Out-of-Class Essay 3 due for peer review
March 26 to March 30 / [Specify assigned readings; consider “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria” by Judith Ortiz Cofer and “Muslim Women: An Identity Reduced to a Burka” by Laila Al-Marayati and Semeen Issa]; Final draft of Out-of-Class Essay 3 due
April 2 to April 6 / [Specify assigned readings; consider “I Just Wanna Be Average” by Mike Rose, can be read in two parts, paragraphs 1-16, and paragraphs 17 to the end]; Rough draft ofOut-of-Class Essay 4 due for peer review
April 9 to April 13 / [Specify assigned readings; consider “Why Can’t He Hear What I’m Saying?” By Deborah Tannen]; Final draft of Out-of-Class Essay 4 due
April 16 to
April 20 / [Specify assigned readings; consider “Oh, Those Family Values” by Barbara Ehrenreich and “Americans’ Obsession with Celebrities” by Misty Kent];
In-Class Essay 4/Final In-Class Essay Practice
April 23 to
April 27 / Final In-Class Essay - print with G#s and date only, no names; Portfolio Assembly
April 30 to May 4
[Last day of classes is Saturday, May 5.] / All portfolios due by the end of the last class.

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