801-136 English Composition (15 Weeks) Fall 2011
Course Information Instructor: Rick Barribeau Office Hours: M______T______Office: Racine 222D W______TH______Phone: 262.619. 6822 (School Phone) F______262.619.6227 (FAX)
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: http://cws.gtc.edu/faculty/BarribeauR
Address: Gateway Technical College, 1001 S. Main Street, Racine, WI 53403
Text: McWhorter, Kathleen T. Successful College Writing. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009.
Materials: Flash drive Notebook/paper and pens/pencils
Description: This course develops writing skills that include prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. It incorporates a variety of writing assignments to help the learner analyze audience and purpose, research and organize ideas, and format and design documents based on a subject matter and content. It also develops critical reading and thinking skills through the analysis of a variety of written documents.
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
Competencies: Students need to master specific competencies in writing. The following competencies are the minimum skills promoted and assessed in this course. Establish document purpose. Appraise audience. Organize document content. Differentiate essay parts. Construct topic sentences. Devise thesis statements. Compose paragraph types: introductory, concluding, topical, and transitional. Employ rhetorical strategies. Apply revision skills. Prepare written documents. Establish critical reading skills. Investigate information sources. Integrate research techniques. English Composition 2 23 April 2018 Core Abilities: Gateway believes students need both technical knowledge and skills and core abilities in order to succeed in a career and in life. The following nine core abilities are the general attitudes and skills promoted and assessed in all Gateway programs; those followed by an asterisk are promoted and assessed in this course. Act responsibly* Communicate clearly and effectively* Demonstrate essential computer skills* Demonstrate essential mathematical skills Develop job-seeking skills Respect self and others as members of a diverse society* Think critically and creatively* Work cooperatively* Value learning
Special Needs If you have any special educational needs or concerns, please contact your instructor and the special needs instructor on your campus. The special needs instructors on the Racine campus are Peggy Jude (619.6478) and Pam Herr (619.6520). Their office is in the Student Services area in the Lake Building.
Internet Warning The Internet and social networking sites, including but not limited to Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, or Second Life, are not controlled by Gateway Technical College. While there can be educational value to these sites, there is potential for offensive language, adult content and situations. If you have concerns, please talk with your instructor.
Netiquette All students are expected to maintain a professional tone in all messages or discussions posted to the Discussion Board or to email. It is imperative that the rights of all users of the Discussion Board and email are respected, and no one should be degraded, insulted, or discriminated against as a result of their comments or beliefs expressed as part of this course. All Discussion Board or email messages must contain the name of message originator. If you are using someone else's email account, your name must be included in the body of the message since it will not be part of the automated "From" line of the email. Failure to respect the rights of other students or the instructor will be dealt with following the policies presented in the Gateway Student Handbook.
Pandemic Notice Should there be a public health pandemic emergency, the student is responsible for: Being prepared and able to adapt if there is an unplanned absence (pandemic emergency). Students should be present when classes are in session and manage their time so that they can complete assignments and assessments on or before the date they are due. Completing work missed due to an absence within the time frame determined by the instructor. Participating in an alternative delivery method of instruction as determined by the instructor. The alternative delivery method that will be used for this course is Internet (Blackboard).
Potential modifications may be implemented to promote completion of the coursework. The instructor will utilize a variety of strategies to support student success and mastery of the course competencies. In the event of an incomplete grade, the instructor will provide an opportunity to complete the coursework prior to the start of the next semester. English Composition 3 23 April 2018 If the college is closed for 14 days or more, the college may extend the semester. All staff and students will be notified.
Student Responsibilities Students are responsible for their own learning and development. They have a responsibility to be active learners by attending class, participating in class activities and discussions, completing class assignments, and preparing in advance for the class session. The Gateway District believes every student has the right to pursue an education free from disruption, harassment, illegal activities, threats, or danger. Any student or group of students may be denied access to the classroom upon the instructor’s determination that the behavior impedes student learning and/or the health and safety of peers, self, or the staff. The District further believes that academic honesty and integrity are fundamental to the educational mission of this College. Thus, cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated and will result in course failure. Every student is expected to comply with the standards set and to be familiar with all the rules and regulations of Gateway Technical College (see section V of the Gateway Student Handbook for complete information on Student Rights and Responsibilities).
Schedule We will start with the following schedule. Specific due dates and assignments will be discussed during class. The schedule may change to promote learning. Week 1 Introduction and orientation. Discuss techniques for reading and studying. Discuss summaries. Begin Assignment 1.
Week 2-7 Discuss essay writing. Review sentence skills. Discuss rhetoric strategies and essay structures. Discuss persuasion. Discuss in-class writing skills. Work on essays. Due: Read Chapters 2-10, 18, 19, 24 Due: Writing Assignment 1: Summary Due: Writing Assignment 2: Narrative Due: Writing Assignment 3: Essay Due: Writing Assignment 4: In-class Essay I Due: Quiz 1: Sentence Skills
Week 7-12 Discuss research papers. Review sentence skills. Discuss research, note taking, and citations. Discuss organization and writing strategies. Work on research essay. Due: Read Chapters 20-22 Due: Writing Assignment 5: Research Essay Due: Quiz 2: Sentence Skills
Week 12-15 Review sentence skills. Discuss literary analysis. Review in-class writing skills. Work on essays. Due: Read Chapter 23 Due: Writing Assignment 6: Essay Due: Writing Assignment 7: In-class Essay II Due: Quiz 3: Writing English Composition 4 23 April 2018 Grading Adherence to deadlines and participation in class count about 12.5 percent of the final grade. Since deadlines and working with other people are integral parts of any occupation, deadlines have been established for all writing assignments, and you will sometimes work in groups in this class. All writing assignments handed in after the deadline will be marked late and one (1) point per calendar day will be subtracted from this deadline/participation score. Failing to prepare for or participate in class activities (e.g., drafts and peer edits) will also result in the loss of points (5 points) to this deadline and participation score. If at the end of the course any assignments have not been handed in, the final deadline grade is zero (0).
In addition, if you miss nine (9) consecutive hours of class or if you miss a total of eighteen (18) hours of class without approval from the instructor, you will be dropped from the classresulting in an F final grade. Note that poor attendance will also likely indirectly affect your final grade since you will miss notes, directions, activities, deadlines, and personal help on the various assignments. As a result you may complete assignments that do not meet required criteria, resulting in a lower assignment grade.
Writing assignments count about 67.5 percent of the final grade. The writing assignments consist of a number of essays, a research essay, and in-class essays. Specific grading criteria will be discussed when we begin each assignment. All writing assignments must be completed to receive credit for this course.
Journal writings count about 10 percent of the final grade. Journal writings provide you with an opportunity to practice writing and work on course writing assignments. You’ll receive full credit if you complete the journal activity on time and completely. If absent, you can email the instructor before the end of class or check Blackboard for the journal activity. Journal activities are due on the date they are given and cannot be submitted late.
Quizzes count about 10 percent of the final grade. Most weeks, we will discuss a topic related to grammar (e.g., subject-verb agreement), punctuation (e.g., comma and quotations), rhetoric (e.g., parallelism), or writing conventions (e.g., bibliographies). Quizzes reinforce your learning of these topics.
Extra credit (optional). If desired, you can revise some writing assignments. At a minimum, revisions must address all comments and errors noted in the original assignment. When handing in a revision, include the revised assignment, the original assignment, and the original grading sheet. These must be turned in to the instructor within one week after the instructor returned the assignment originals to the class. The new grade for the assignment will be the average of the first score and the second score. To do a revision, the original assignment must be submitted on time. Assignments that cannot be revised will be noted by the instructor.
Grading Scale Letter Numeric Letter Numeric Grade Grade Grade Grade A 95 – 100 C 79 – 82 A- 93 – 94 C- 77 – 78 B+ 91 – 92 D+ 75 – 76 B 87 – 90 D 72 – 74 B- 85 – 86 D- 70 – 71 C+ 83 – 84 F 69 – 0 English Composition 5 23 April 2018 Grading Matrix The following matrix explains the basic assessment for this course. Specific criteria will be handed out with each assignment. Assessment Grade Earned Areas A B C D F Process Effectively Uses a writing Uses some of a Uses little of a Does not use a uses a writing process. writing process. writing writing process. process. process. Purpose, Topic Has a clear Has a purpose, Has some sense Does not have Does not have a and Audience purpose, covers the of purpose, a clear clear purpose, covers the topic with addresses the purpose, does not cover topic good details, topic, and barely covers the topic well, thoroughly, and recognizes recognizes the topic, and and does not and meets the many of the some of the barely recognize the audience’s audience’s audience’s recognizes the audience. needs. needs. needs. audience’s needs. Unity Groups ideas Groups most Groups some of Groups few of Fails to group logically. of the ideas the ideas the ideas ideas logically. logically. logically. logically. Support Supports an Supports a Supports a Has a vague Does not have a original thesis clear thesis thesis with thesis or thesis or has with specific with some some relevant supports a little support. details and specific details details and thesis with few sound and clear usually clear details or poor reasoning. reasoning. reasoning. reasoning. Coherence Presents ideas Presents most Presents some Presents few Presents most of logically and ideas logically ideas logically ideas logically the ideas uses and usually and sometimes and seldom illogically and transitions uses uses transitions. uses has a number of effectively. transitions transitions transition errors. effectively. effectively. Sentence Has few Has several Has some Has numerous Has many Skills mechanical mechanical mechanical mechanical mechanical errors and uses errors but uses errors and uses errors and errors and effective style. effective style. acceptable weak style. unacceptable style. style. Presentation Can publish Can publish Can publish Can publish Can publish assignment assignment assignment with assignment assignment only without with minor several changes with major with complete changes. changes. and revisions. changes and rework. revisions.
Mid-Term Grades. Mid-term grades will be available via WebAdvisor approximately seven weeks into the semester. Mid-term grades are a snapshot of your grade on the date the mid-term grade was entered. Mid-term grades do not appear on your transcript and are not calculated into your GPA. Instructor comments may also be provided.