English 101 – Composition I
Fall Semester 2004 – Monday/Wednesday
Instructor: Debbie Benson
Office: Building 120, Room 110 Phone: 331-5296
Email: dbenson@nwscc.edu
Required Textbooks: From Idea to Essay 10th Edition – McCuen and Winkler
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Required Supplies: 2 diskettes – HD/DS (IBM formatted)
Class Attendance Policy: Because class attendance is considered essential to the accomplishment of course objectives, excessive absences are discouraged. Students who miss more than 20% of total classes may receive an “F” for the course regardless of the grades they have made thus far. Coming to class late is a rude interruption. Repeated or habitual tardiness will not be tolerated. Being tardy two times constitutes one absence from class.
Method of Grading: The semester grade will be based on the following:
Essays = 70%
Grammar quizzes = 15%
Novel tests, responses, and book report = 10%
Homework, class participation, etc. = 5%
Plagiarism Policy: Any student who blatantly plagiarizes any written work in English 101 will automatically receive an F for the course.
Make-up Policy: It is each student’s responsibility to remain aware of class activities, even during an absence. Any student who is absent on the day a writing assignment or grammar quiz is due will have one week from the designated due date to make up the missed work. Work not made up during this designated time will result in the grade of 0. All make-up work must be done during my office hours, and NO make-up work will be accepted after final exams have begun! If, for any reason, a grade of I (Incomplete) is assigned for this class, the student must complete the required work no later than midterm of the following semester.
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There will be no make-ups for the novel essays or the novel tests. These are due on the date specified on the syllabus. |
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Revision Policy: Students who do not miss any writing days may revise two essays; students who miss a writing day may revise only one essay. |
Classroom and Lab Policies: No food or drinks will be allowed in the computer lab.
Withdrawal Policy: A grade of W will be assigned as the final grade if a student withdraws by October 26, 2004. Withdrawal prior to Oct. 26 will subject the student to repaying his/her Pell Grant and/or student loan. A grade of WP or WF will be assigned if a student withdraws after Oct. 26. It is the responsibility of the student to complete proper forms and submit them to admissions.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): It is the policy of NWSCC to comply with this act. Any student covered under this act needing and deserving reasonable accommodations for this class should notify the NWSCC ADA coordinator.
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BE CERTAIN ALL PAGERS, CELL PHONES, BEEPERS, ETC. ARE TURNED OFF BEFORE ENTERING THE CLASSROOM. NEVER ANSWER A CELL PHONE IN THE CLASSROOM OR IN THE LAB. IF YOU CANNOT REFRAIN FROM USING, HOLDING, OR PLAYING WITH YOUR CELL PHONE, I WILL KEEP IT FOR YOU UNTIL THE END OF CLASS. |
DATE TOPIC/ASSIGNMENTS
8/23 Course Introduction;
Homework: Read pp. 3-7, 10-14, 23-24, 38-40
Students must bring 2 diskettes to class by 9/1
8/25 Discuss prewriting and thesis statements (90-100);
Homework: Read pp. 58-60, 66-74
8/30 Discuss paragraphs, introductions, and conclusions
Homework: Read pp. 113-116, 118-120, 617-620
9/1 Discuss fragments, comma splices, and run-ons; Discuss structure and example essays Homework: Read pp. 222-226, 236-239, 620-627
9/6 Labor Day Holiday
9/8 Lab: Essay 1X-Example
9/13 Response 1 due; Grammar quiz (frag, cs. ro); Discuss revising; Discuss agreement;
Homework: Read pp. 181-187, 199-200, 211-213
9/15 Lab: Essay 1A
9/20 Discuss descriptive; Discuss Modifiers and Parallelism
Homework: Read pp. 666-668, 670 (bottom)-672
9/22 Lab: Essay 2X-Descriptive
9/27 Response 2 due; Grammar quiz (agreement); Discuss punctuation
Homework: Read pp. 299 (bottom)-304, 311-317
9/29 Lab: Essay 2A
10/4 Discuss comparison/contrast; Grammar quiz (punctuation)
Homework: Read pp. 627 (bottom)-631
10/6 Lab: Essay 3X-Compare/Contrast
10/11 Response 3 due; Discuss 627-631; Of Mice and Men test
Homework: Read pp. 644-646
10/13 Lab: Essay 3A; Homework: Read pp. 647-650
10/18 Discuss writing on literature; Discuss commonly confused words
10/20 Lab: Essay 4X Of Mice and Men (Bring novel to lab.)
Homework: Read pp. 511-512, 514 (bottom)-515, 543-547. 552-558
10/25 Discuss Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby; Discuss library essay and documentation
10/27 Lab: Essay 4A
11/1 Discuss library essay topics, works cited, and documentation;
Grammar quiz (commonly confused words)
11/3 Meet in Library to research topics
11/8 Response 1 due; Assign book reports; Work on works cited list for Essay 5
Homework: Read pp. 444-447, 450 (bottom)-464
11/10 Lab: Essay 5 (Bring copies of sources to lab.)
11/15 Response 2 due; Discuss argumentative/persuasive and topics
11/17 Lab: Essay 5A; Essay 6X argumentative/persuasive
11/29 Response 3 due; The Great Gatsby test
12/1 Lab: Essay 6A
12/6 Outline Essay 7 (turn in outline); Revision day
12/8 Lab: Essay 7A Gatsby
(Book Reports due)
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This syllabus is subject to change due to circumstances beyond the instructor’s control or at the instructor’s discretion. |
Office Hours: Monday 2:00-4:00
Tuesday 2:00-4:00
Wednesday 2:00-4:00
Thursday 2:00-4:00
Friday 9:00-11:00
Essay Evaluation Information
The subject matter of essays will not be censored; however, content evaluation will consist of length, structure, and information. Each essay should be approximately 500 words in length. Each essay must be structured in the general essay format consisting of an introductory paragraph, (with thesis statement), supporting paragraphs (each beginning with a topic sentence), and a concluding paragraph. The content of the essay should provide information using specific details. The content component of each essay will increase in importance throughout the semester.
Grammar or mechanics will be evaluated based on the following chart.
15 point errors
Frag – Fragments = incomplete sentences
CS – Comma Splice = two independent clauses connected by only a comma
R/O or FS – Run-on Sentences or Fused Sentences = two independent clauses connected with no conjunction nor punctuation
SVA – Subject-Verb Agreement = lack of agreement in number between a subject and its verb, often occurring when a prepositional phrase separates the subject from the verb
5 point errors
PA – Pronoun Agreement = lack of agreement in number between a pronoun and its antecedent
PR – Pronoun Reference = lack of identifiable antecedent for a pronoun
Sp – Spelling Error = use of incorrect spelling (Use your spell-check)
DM or MM – Dangling or Misplaced Modifier = improper placement of a modifying clause
CVT – Consistent Verb Tense = incorrect shifting of verb tenses throughout the essay
POV – Point of View Shift = incorrect shifting of person throughout the essay
3 point errors
WW – Wrong word = use of wrong word
P – Punctuation Error = omission of needed punctuation or inclusion of superfluous punctuation
Other grammatical errors will be evaluated at instructor’s discretion.
On essay writing days, please feel free to ask my help. I will answer any questions about your essay, except “Does my essay have any of those 15-point errors?” You will find that a dictionary, a thesaurus and your textbook will be of great value in this course.