COLLIN COLLEGE

SPRING COURSE SYLLABUS

ENGLISH 1301: COMPOSITION/RHETORIC I

MONDAY/WEDNESDAY, 1pm-2:15pm; 2:30pm-3:45pm; 4pm-5:15pm

ALL SECTIONS TAUGHT IN ROOM G238 AT 1pm, 2:30pm, and 4pm

Professor: Joyce M. Miller Office: J243, Spring Creek Campus

Office email address: jmiller@ccccd.edu (replies on weekdays only)

Please include your name and course number in the subject line.

URL for web site: http://iws.ccccd.edu/jmiller/jmiller.htm

Office hours: Monday/Wednesday: 12:45pm-1pm;
Tuesday/Thursday, 9am-10am; 11:15am-1pm
Fridays and other times not listed by appointment.  972.881.5981

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT COMPLIANCE: It is the policy of Collin College to provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations for individuals with documented disabilities. This college will adhere to all applicable federal and state laws, regulations, and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student's responsibility to visit the ACCESS office (G200) or telephone 972.881.5898 (TDD-881-5950) in a timely manner if he or she desires to arrange accommodations.

RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS: In accordance with Section 51.911 of the Texas Education Code, Collin College will allow a student who is absent from class for the observance of a religious holy day to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time. Students are required to file a written request with each professor within the first 15 days of the semester to qualify for an excused absence. Please telephone or visit the registrar's office for additional information on procedures and rules. (You may refer to Section 2 Policies and Procedures, Sub-section 2.23 Religious Holidays in the current Collin College Student Handbook.)

WITHDRAWAL POLICY -- Course Drop Limit Provisions:
Students who enroll as an entering freshman or a first-time college student in undergraduate courses at any Texas public community college, technical institute, health sciences institution, or any public university offering undergraduate courses must comply with the legislation of TEC51.907. TEC51.907 states that students who enroll for the first time during the fall 2007 semester or any subsequent semester are subject to the course drop limit of six course drops. This includes any course a transfer student has dropped at another institution. Collin College will not begin to count dropped courses until the fall 2008 semester.
NOTE: You will not be allowed to withdraw from classes at Collin if your official transcripts (required for admission) are not on file.
For more information go to http://www.ccccd.edu/aro/withdrawal.htm

COLLEGE REPEAT POLICY: You may repeat this course only once after earning a grade, including W. Should you drop the course before the current semester's census date (insert date here), you will not incur a penalty. Should you withdraw from the course after the census date, however, a grade of W will be posted to your transcript and noted as one attempted enrollment in the course.

INCOMPLETE GRADES: "Incompletes" require that you have a minimum grade of "C" and completed a minimum of 80 percent of the course requirements at the time you request an incomplete grade. Incomplete grades can occur only if the instructor deems a situation serious enough to warrant them. A change in job schedules does not qualify for incomplete grades.

CLASSROOM POLICIES: Please be courteous and turn off cell phones and beepers before entering the classroom. You may bring water, not food and beverages, to class. Please review "A Student's Guide to Academic Etiquette" for a complete list of expectations. I do not accept electronic attachments of essays as substitutes for in-class submission of work due. If you cannot attend class when an essay is due, make arrangements for someone else to deliver it to me. Professional level communications by email are welcome. The subject line of all messages students send me must include student's name, course number, section number, and telephone number. I shall delete without opening any e-mail failing to include the above specifications.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: A freshman course in writing with an emphasis on developing, through a variety of strategies as well as through the rewriting of successive drafts, the basic rhetorical, logical, and grammatical skills that enable the student to communicate effectively.
Instructional Methods: Lecture, Lab, Web-Assisted.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Essayist Otto Friedrich writes, "Higher education must ultimately serve the higher purpose of perpetuating whatever it is in civilization that is worth perpetuating" (Five Ways to Wisdom). Good writing falls in the "whatever it is" category, and to that end we shall strive to write CLEARLY, CONCISELY, COHESIVELY, CORRECTLY, and, once the other objectives are met, CREATIVELY. In addition, please concentrate your efforts toward substantive CONTENT. Upon the successful completion of this course, the student will demonstrate the ability to write a well-organized, syntactically correct essay for a specified audience. The student will be able to state a thesis, provide sufficient and sensible support for the thesis, and form an effective conclusion in an essay free of errors in sentence structure, usage, and mechanics.

EXPECTED STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: All reading and writing are rhetorical acts and occur in a system of on-going communication, not in a vacuum. Therefore, English 1301 students will be able to do the following upon successful completion of the course:

Students should be able to demonstrate rhetorical knowledge in the following ways:

a. Read and interpret a prompt for a writing assignment.

b. Write essays that take a position and successfully argue or defend that position.

c. Write essays with appropriate evidence, discussion, and organization for a specific audience.

d. Write essays with strong introductions and conclusions that represent sophisticated thought and writing.

e. Write essays that use format, structure, tone, diction, and syntax appropriate to the rhetorical situation.

Students should be able to demonstrate critical thinking, reading, and writing in the following ways:

f. Use reading and writing for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating.

g. Integrate their own ideas with those of others with clear distinction between the two.

Students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the writing process in the following ways:

h. Create and complete a successful text through multiple drafts.

i. Develop and demonstrate flexible strategies for generating ideas, revising, editing, and proofreading.

j. Understand and utilize the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes by learning to critique their own and others’ work.

Students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of conventions in the following ways:

k. Apply knowledge of genre conventions ranging from structure and paragraphing to tone and mechanics.

l. Control such surface features as grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

TEXTS: Strategies for Successful Writing (WITH HANDBOOK ONLY), 8^th ed. (Reinking/Hart); the write stuff, 4^th ed. (Joyce M. Miller). Recommended: A collegiate dictionary and a thesaurus (such as American Heritage and Roget's).

METHODS OF PRESENTATION: Group discussions, library tours, lectures, class discussion, library orientation, audio/visual materials, online research, and in-office conferences.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: Initial writing assessment. Readings, journals, assorted handouts, homework, and labs designed to develop skills in critical thinking, prewriting, writing, revising, grammar, punctuation, and diction. ENGLISH DEPARTMENTAL FINAL consisting of an in-class essay valued at 20 per cent of the course grade (note times in class schedule). QUIZZES over grammar, usage, and punctuation. ESSAYS: Although most will be written in the Testing Center, they will be revised in class. Students MUST TYPE ALL STEPS of the "Step-by-Step" essay. (Please read the attached “Mechanics” page carefully.)

LABS: Assignments (16 units, attached) are due no later than noted in the syllabus. Because labs are designed to enhance your writing skills, you do not earn grades for their completion. PLEASE NOTE, however, that failure to complete the assigned lab work on schedule will result in deduction of one letter grade below that which you would otherwise have earned for the semester.

GRADES: The grading philosophy in this course evolves from the notion that students begin their writing with a clean slate, with a grade of zero, and attempt to earn points, the number of which depends on the mastery of specific writing skills, as noted. Papers will be graded, therefore, according to organization/content/clarity as well as according to sentence structure, usage, and mechanics. No paper containing a comma splice, a run-on, a fragmentary sentence, or a dangling modifier can earn a grade above 79 on a paper valued at 100 points. Any paper containing plagiarized material will earn a grade of zero; the student who submits plagiarized work may also face additional penalties as set forth in the Student Handbook. (Please read, sign, and attach the English Department's policy statement to your final draft of the "Step-by-Step" essay.)

Letter grades will be based on the following earned points:

A 500-450 B 449-400

C 399-350 D 349-300

F 299 or below

VALUE AND PERCENTAGES OF COURSE GRADES:

Value of essays: 60%, or 300 points

Value of quizzes: 20%, or 100 points

Value of Departmental Final: 20%, or 100 points

Please note: Based on my experience along with my objective professional judgment, I shall assign grades that mirror your ACTUAL academic achievements, not your potential and effort.  To do otherwise would result in the unjust practice of devaluing superior academic work by inflating the grades of less meritorious work. Please review departmental grading standards.

ATTENDANCE AND MISC. POLICIES: Please note carefully the following course policies and information. Professional level communications by email are welcome. The subject line of all messages students send me must include student's name, course number, section number, and telephone number.  I shall delete without opening any e-mail failing to include the above specifications.
 To grasp the rigorous material in every course I teach, students must plan on spending a minimum of nine hours of preparatory time per week, especially if the student aims to pass the course with a grade of "C" or higher.

Arrive on time, for tardiness always disrupts classroom instruction. Three late arrivals equal one absence. You will lose ten points for each absence beyond the second one, and if you miss five classes, regardless of the cause(s), I may not accept any work you submit. Please keep a record of your late arrivals and absences to compare with my record at any point during the semester. An absence from class on the date an essay or other work is due does not automatically excuse the submission of work due; therefore, if you must miss class, ask an attending student to submit your work for you. (If you miss either of the two early classes, you can always “make up” your absence by attending the final class of the day.) I shall NOT give make-up or "extra credit" work. Any step/draft (including the final draft) of the "Step-by-Step" essay will lose one letter grade for each day it is late (weekends included), and I shall not accept an essay after the third late day. Your contribution to class discussion, along with your timeliness and participation in group work, will be noted and thus considered in the event that your earned points border narrowly between an A and B, a B and a C, etc. Finally, you are responsible for notifying the registrar should you withdraw from this course (the last day to withdraw with a W is April __, and you, not I, are responsible for initiating a withdrawal). Because the successful completion of this course is important to both you and me, I shall do my best to help you to resolve the difficulties, academic or otherwise, that lead you to consider withdrawing. Please see me first.

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COURSE CONTENT

During class, I shall make amendments to the syllabus as necessary. Because amendments to the syllabus may be announced from time to time, please call a classmate should you miss class. Supplemental readings, worksheets, and miscellaneous handouts will be included in the following course content. Unless otherwise specified, all reading assignments are taken from Strategies for Successful Writing and the write stuff. Please bring these two texts to each of our classes.

Week 1

Day 1 Intro. of course. Review of requirements. PLEASE NOTE: Each student is to complete a writing assignment in the Testing Center within the next two weeks. Details announced during today’s class.
Day 2 Usage list assigned from your textbooks during today’s class. In-class discussion of usage begins.

Week 2

Day 1 MLK Holiday. No class.

Day 2 Strategies text: Chapters 1, 2, 14. Note: Because this course stresses the placement of the topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph, ignore references that suggest otherwise. Review Exercise 2 on p. 49; rewrite each ineffective thesis statement INSTEAD of describing what is wrong with the ineffective statement. In-class discussion of thesis statements.

Week 3

Day 1 Read Son, Do I Know You?, pages 7-8, in the write stuff. In-class discussion of usage continues.

Day 2 USAGE QUIZ, 56 questions. Bring a narrow-form Scantron and a #2 pencil to class today. No one later than ten minutes to class will be permitted to take quiz. Quiz time limit: 30 minutes. In-class exercises follow.

Note: “Busy” work is unnecessary. If you do not have to write complete sentences to
give an answer to any problem in all the exercises below, then please DO NOT.

Week 4

Day 1 Read Handbook, pp. 684-701. Submit answers to ALL exercises on pp. 685, 687, 695- 96, 698-99, and 700-01. Read Chapter 16. Submit answers to exercise on p. 278.

Day 2 Read Chapter 17, focusing on pp. 301-04 in preparation of in-class exercises.
Week 5

Day 1 In-class exercises.

Day 2 "STEP-BY-STEP" ESSAY DUE (Step 1).

Week 6

Day 1 Review passive voice, pp. 280-82. Submit answers to exercise on pp. 281-82. Read Handbook, pp. 701-06. Submit answers to ALL exercises on pp. 701 and 706.

Day 2 Read Handbook, pp. 709-11 and pp. 714-18. Submit answers to ALL exercises on pp. 710-11; 716; and 718. Read Handbook, pp. 707-09. Submit answers to exercise on p. 709.

Week 7

Day 1 Review of grammar.

Day 2 Miscellaneous in-class exercises.

GRAMMAR QUIZ I over agreement in subjects/verbs/pronouns, shifts in tense and voice, sentence structure identification, sentence structure faults, and conjunctions (take in Testing Center by 4pm Saturday).

Week 8

Day 1 Step 2 due. Review pp. 276-78; submit answers to exercise on p. 278. Read Handbook, pp. 721-22. Submit answers to exercise on p. 722. Review pp. 278-80. Submit answers to exercise on pp. 279-80. Read Handbook, pp. 719-21. Submit answers to exercises on pp. 720 and 721.

Day 2 Read Handbook, pp. 711-14 and pp. 722-24. Submit answers to both exercises on p. 714 and to one exercise on p. 724.

Week 9

Day 1 Step 3 due. Read Handbook, Commas, pp. 728-33. Submit answers to both exercises on pp. 732-33.

Day 2 Step 4 due. Read Handbook, Semicolons, pp. 733-35, and Apostrophes, pp. 725-28. Submit
answers to both exercises on pp. 734-35 and on p. 728.

GRAMMAR QUIZ II over parallel structure, modifiers, comparisons,
pronoun case, and voice (take in Testing Center by 4pm Saturday).

Week 10

ENJOY YOUR SPRING BREAK!!!

Week 11

Day 1 "STEP-BY-STEP" ESSAY DUE (attach all drafts).
Day 2 In-class exercises. accompaniment along with

QUIZ OVER PUNCTUATION (take in Testing Center by 4pm Saturday).

Week 12

Day 1 Read Chapter 11. Read Why Students Drop Out of College, p. 170; Why Marriages Fail,
p. 584; and Old Father Time Becomes a Terror, p. 577.

Day 2 LAB WORK (first 8 units)  DUE TODAY. Read Why We Keep Stuff, p. 581.

YOU MUST WRITE ESSAY #2 IN THE TESTING CENTER by 4pm Saturday.

Week 13

Day 1 Revision of ESSAY #2. Bring dictionary, thesaurus, all handouts, and textbooks.

Day 2 Read Chapter 7. Read Fast Track to Perfection, p. 512. Read Chapter 8. Read Going for Broke, p. 534; and Binge Drinking, A Campus Killer, p. 528.

Friday Last day to withdraw with a W. Please note date in your schedule. Please see me first if you are considering withdrawing.

Week 14

Day 1 ESSAY #3 written during class. Bring dictionary, thesaurus, and the write stuff.

Day 2 REVISION OF essay during class.

Week 15

Day 1 Read Chapter 9. Read The Men We Carry in Our Minds, p. 544, and A Tale of Four Learners, p. 548.

Day 2 Read Chapter 12. Read The Sweet Smell of Success Isn't All That Sweet, p. 590.

Week 16

Day 1 Read Chapter 10. Read Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts, p. 559. Read Chapter 17. Read The Perfect Picture, p. 484. Read Chapter 22; bring questions about MLA documentation to class.

Day 2 LAB WORK due.  Read Chapter 13. Read Close the Borders to All Newcomers, p. 635.

Week 17 English Department Final EXAMS this week. Bring dictionary, thesaurus, and blue book. This exam cannot be "made up." If you do not take it at the appointed time (verify your exam times in the course schedule), you forfeit 20 per cent of your course grade.

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LAB ASSIGNMENTS—TOTAL OF 16 UNITS

Attend two writing workshops; get signature for each on a printout of the lines below (value: 8 units):

Workshop titled ________________________ Date: ______ Presenter’s signature______________

Workshop titled ________________________ Date: ______ Presenter’s signature______________

___________________________________________________________________

ALTERNATIVE ASSIGNMENTS TO WORKSHOPS BY PERMISSION ONLY:

I. Do both exercises on p. 737 in Strategies text.

II. II. Do both exercises on p. 740 in Strategies text; do one on p. 743 and one on p. 745.

III. Do exercises on pp. 747, 749, 751, and 753 in Strategies text. Also do both exercises on p. 285 and one on p. 304.

IV.

VOCABULARY, DUE as scheduled --TOTAL OF 8 UNITS

TYPE one COMPLEX sentence using each of the following words (yes, you may include more than one word per sentence if logic prevails). Underscore or highlight the word within the sentence (you select the part of speech). DEFINITIONS ARE UNNECESSARY.

REMINDER: Failure to complete LAB will result in a letter grade reduction (see syllabus).

abnegation discernible lugubrious servile
absolve dissent malleable specious
affable dolorous menial subjugate
amorphous euphemism mordant supersede
antithesis exhilaration paradox sylvan
arduous exuberant perfidious tenebrous
bellicose fallacy perspicacious tumultuous
candor forfeit phenomenon turpitude
choleric harassment preclude unscrupulous
connoisseur idiomatic prescient vacillate
debacle impious propagate valedictory
deference ingenious pungent venomous
demagogue ingenuous quiescent vigilance
detrimental laborious remuneration visage
diligence laggard sedition voracious

Example: Although scientists argue that smoking is detrimental to our health, many of us ignore their diligent warnings.

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the write stuff

Correct Comma Usage	Essay Topics	Sample Punctuation Quiz
A Condensed Guide to Writing an Essay	Putting Your Mind to English Quiz	Additional Quizzes and Resources

Professor Joyce M. Miller Return to Home Page Return to Instructional Menu

Last update: 2 February 2008

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REVISION SYMBOLS, COMPOSITION/RHETORIC COURSES

Number (Symbol) with Corresponding Problem

1. Weak progression/coherency of subject matter       
2.  Inadequate specificity/development of paragraph       
3. Weak/missing/misplaced thesis statement           
4. Wordiness/clutter/clichés/redundancies, etc.           
5. Combine sentences for complexity/variety           
6. Faulty logic/analogy                   
7. Weak/missing transition(s).  Review Basic Writing Template  in the write stuff
8. Weak/missing topic sentence              
9. Stringy clauses/syntax requiring subordination       
10. Abstract/vague diction/unclear meaning           
11. Faulty/nonstandard level of usage               
12. Comma splice, run-on, fragment               
13. Faulty modification                   
14. Faulty parallel structure                   
15. Faulty comparison                   
16. Faulty predication                   
17. Faulty agreement of subject/verb               
18. Faulty pronoun/antecedent reference           
19. Shift in person/tense                   
20. Faulty pronoun case                  
21. Faulty tense/verb form                    
22. Excessive to be forms/passive voice               
23. Unnecessary expletive                   
24. Weak intensifier (review list  in the write stuff)                    
25. Verbal misused as verb
26. Weak/missing title
27. Misspelling(s)
28. Follow Organization Scheme in the write stuff
29. Faulty punctuation of complex sentence
30. Weak sense of audience/purpose
31. Misuse/omission of articles