Uhlenkott 1
Great Basin College
Fall 2011 Composition I
English 101 Credits: 3
Instructor: Dr. Linda Uhlenkott Office: MMH 123
Ph: 775-753-2346 Fax: 775-753-2131
E-mail:
Office Hours: MW 9:30 - 11:30; TTh 2:00 – 2:30 p.m.; Other hours by appointment.
Texts: The Seagull Reader: Essays, 2nd ed. ISBN: 978-0-393-93092-4. Kim. Rudyard Kipling. Dover edition. ISBN: 978-0-486-44508-3
The American Heritage College Dictionary 4th ed. (recommended), but a dictionary of some kind is required.
Course Tools: Paper, textbooks, handbook and pens/pencils are tools for a writing course. You must bring these to class every session.
Course Description: English 101 is a university transfer course in critical reading, critical thinking, and expository/expressive writing. It emphasizes the organization and revision of the formal college essay. Students will expand their knowledge of audience awareness, purpose, thesis, and a variety of organizational patterns. Students will practice reading skills by reading professional essays from the textbook; they will practice creating their own styles of writing through the use of vocabulary and sentence variety. The goal of the course is to prepare students for the kinds of thinking, reading, and writing that other college courses require. Prerequisite: Successful completion of ENG 095, satisfactory score on placement test, or equivalent ACT/SAT score.
Course Objectives: Throughout the semester, the student will produce writing assignments of varying length and will
· Use a writing process from the generation of ideas to a final draft
· Choose point of view and diction (word choice) appropriate to the stated audience
· Organize the essay into a specific rhetorical pattern relevant to the purpose; this may include description, comparison/contrast, definition and other patterns
· Revise the essay with the addition of specific detail, sentence variety, and necessary reorganization
· Edit the essay for punctuation, spelling and usage
· Use correct MLA style for text pages
· Document sources using correct MLA style
Learner Outcomes / MeasurementsGenerate ideas for writing / Evidence in prewriting, rough drafts
Choose appropriate point of view, diction / Written essay
Organize essay into relevant rhetorical pattern / Written essay
Fundamentals of revision / Comparison of early drafts with finished draft
Knowledge of standard writing conventions / Edited essays
Summarize articles and/or book chapters / Response papers; essay review
Explain implicit meanings in texts / Response papers
Recognize needs of audience for whom paper is written / Written essay
Document sources with correct MLA style / All documented essays
Course Outline: The outline of the course includes workshop dates and due dates for essays. The student should expect to take four major assignments through the entire writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing.
Method of Instruction: Writing Workshop, Small Group Discussion, Lecture
Revision Policy: In English 101, students are expected to revise drafts for clarity, adequate development, conciseness, and emphatic arrangement. Peer conferences as well as conferences with the instructor are an integral part of this course. Essays will be assessed but not always graded, and revision suggestions will be made. Students will be required to revise each essay before it is resubmitted for a final grade. All major assignments must be submitted in proper manuscript form: double-spaced and word-processed using 12 point font and standard script, with one inch margins on standard- sized white paper. See the attached MLA style sheet for headers and heading.
Student Evaluation: Following is a breakdown of points students can earn in this class. Points earned from each assignment will be posted in My Grades on WebCampus. Students are responsible for calculating their own running grades.
· Reading responses: 12 @ 30 points each = 360 points total; points for responses are divided in this way: 15 points/ response, 15 points/vocabulary quiz on words from the reading.
· In-class essays: 2 @ 100 points each = 200 points total
· Four workshop days @ 75 points each: 300 points total
o In order to earn these points, students must bring in enough typed copies of completed drafts of the assigned paper so that each member of their small group has a copy of the paper. No makeup of missed workshop days is possible.
· Four completed essays at 250 points each: 1000 points total
No extra credit is available.
The instructor uses a grade system which awards +’s and -’s and gives a W until the 13th week of class, after which an F will be given. A student must formally withdraw before Friday of the 13th week to avoid earning an F for the course. According to the policy established by Great Basin College, to receive an Incomplete, a student must have completed at least 3/4 of the course with a grade of C or better, but be unable to complete the class for good cause.
Following is the breakdown of percentages and letter grade equivalents.
100 - 94% A
93 - 90% A-
87 - 89% B+
84 - 86% B
80 - 83% B-
77 - 79% C+
74 - 76% C
70 - 73% C-
67 - 69% D+
64 - 66% D
60 - 63% D-
59% and below F
Late Paper Policy: No late papers will be accepted.
Attendance Policy: GBC policy states that “unexcused hours of absence in excess of the number of course credit hours is excessive” (GBC Catalog 2011 – 201251). In English 101, this means that you may have three unexcused absences. At the fourth unexcused absence, you may be dropped from the course at the discretion of the instructor. Please speak with me when you need to be absent. Save your unexcused absences for any extra-curricular activities. You will be dropped for excessive absences.
Academic Integrity Policy: Academic dishonesty is defined as an act of deception in which a student claims credit for the work or effort of another person or uses unauthorized materials or fabricated information in any academic work. Academic dishonesty is a violation of the GBC Student Code of Conduct and will not be tolerated in this class. Any evidence of academic dishonesty/plagiarism in this course will result in a failing grade on the assignment and/or a failing grade for the course. Appropriate institutional consequences such as academic probation or suspension will also be employed if necessary. This is a very critical offense. If you are ever uncertain about your use of another person’s work (ideas, language, data, etc.), you must come to see me about it.
Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited, to the following:
CHEATING – unauthorized copying or collaborating on a test or assignment or the use or attempted use of unauthorized materials.
TAMPERING – altering or interfering with evaluation instruments and/or documents.
FABRICATION – falsifying experimental data or results, inventing research or laboratory data on results for work not done, or falsely claiming sources not used.
PLAGIARISM – representing someone else’s words, ideas, artistry, or data as one’s own, including copying another person’s work (including published and unpublished material, and material from the Internet) without appropriate referencing, presenting someone else’s opinions and theories as one’s own, or working jointly on a project, then submitting it as one’s own. (I have a computer program that will search your words on the Internet, so do not make the choice to plagiarize).
II. Use of Electronic Devices: All cellphones, MP3 players, iPods, and the like must be turned off and put in backpacks during class.
III. Tobacco Products: Great Basin College has a policy regulating the use of tobacco. This includes chew. Please discard chew before coming into the classroom.
IV. Disability Access: Great Basin College supports providing equal access for students with disabilities. An advisor is available to discuss appropriate accommodations with students. Please contact the ADA Officer (Julie Byrnes) in Elko at (775) 753-2271 at your earliest convenience to request timely and appropriate accommodations.
V. Grade Appeal: If you have any concerns or academic problems, please discuss such matters with your instructor first--and as soon as you can. See the General Catalog 2010-2011, "Grade Appeals or Questions of Professional Conduct," on the procedure which deals with such issues.