College of Southern Maryland Languages and Literature Master Syllabus for English Composition Courses Composition and Rhetoric ENG-1010

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1 College of Southern Maryland Languages and Literature Master Syllabus for English Composition Courses Composition and Rhetoric ENG-1010 Revision 7/1/14 This Master Syllabus is not to be confused with individual course syllabi, which may vary in specifics such as required texts or topic schedules, depending on individual instructor or specific semester. It is recommended that individual syllabus also include sections on policies pertaining to Attendance, Accommodation of Documented Disabilities, Course Audit, and Academic Integrity. Class Hours: 3.0 Credit Hours: 3 Catalog Course Description: Students in this course complete their first semester college-level composition course. Students focus on planning, organizing, and developing a variety of argumentative compositions. Students practice the conventions of written Standard American English, gain information literacy skills, and learn research and documentation techniques including conducting online and print research and documenting sources. By the end of the semester, students demonstrate their ability to write a unified and coherent argument-based essay of about one thousand words that incorporates research and is nearly free of grammatical, mechanical, and structural errors. Students should refer to the schedule of classes for sections of this course taught in a computer lab. Students must pay an additional lab fee when taking this course in a computer-assisted classroom. Students may earn credit for this course through CLEP or Advanced Placement Examination. Instructional Delivery Methods: This course may be taught by classroom lecture, by computer-assisted lecture, or by online format. Entry Level Skills (Skills Expected of Incoming Students): Students should have the ability to: Read and comprehend required college-level textbooks. Write complete sentences. Write an understandable five paragraph essay of at least 500 words that is largely grammatically correct. Possess basic keyboarding and computer skills needed to produced typed documents in MLA format. Prerequisites: ENG 0900 and ISD-1010T or placement in ENG Revision 7/1/2014

2 Special Skills and Materials Needed to Complete the Course: Current textbooks selected by the division Grading Standards for College Papers Grading Standards for College Papers Rubric Students must be able to access, navigate, respond, and submit work through the Blackboard Learning Platform. Course Objectives: At the conclusion of this course, students should have the essential essay writing and research skills to write college-level papers for classes in all disciplines. Extra Credit: Extra credit must meet the following requirements: The availability of extra credit must be stated on the syllabus. Extra credit opportunities must be made available to all students. Extra credit must include a writing assignment that supports student learning course outcomes and be held to the Grading Standards for College Papers. Extra credit can be worth no more than 5% of the final grade. Outline of Topics Outline of topics for this course include: 1. Find a purpose and plan a. Determine the goal or purpose of writing b. Identify and analyze the audience c. Decide what information needs to be gathered d. Identify possible sources e. Plan writing steps and schedule time accordingly 2. Gather information a. Gather information from self 1) Generate information from own knowledge or memory, using invention strategies such as free writing, brainstorming, listing, mapping 2) Choose information relevant to the purpose b. Gather information through observation of people, activities, visual and aural material (e.g., onsite observations, photographs, ads, visual arts, films, television, music, plays, and sporting events) 1) Identify dominant impressions or themes 2) Identify elements that create impression or support a theme or thesis 2 Revision 7/1/2014

3 c. Gather information from other people (e.g., personal interviews, surveys, discussions, lectures) 1) Prepare for interaction with others 2) Record information accurately d. Gather information from print, non-print, and electronic sources 1) Use a library resources and online resources to find appropriate material 2) Recognize key ideas and discern relevant supporting evidence 3) Take notes systematically, accurately, and efficiently f. Establish accuracy of information and reliability of sources 1) Distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources 2) Establish accuracy and reliability of information 3) Evaluate validity of material by distinguishing between facts, inferences, and judgments, and by recognizing logical fallacies 3. Express Information in written form a. Organize information 1) Identify main ideas and connections between ideas 2) Prioritize information to create outline or draft b. Construct coherent written work 1) Decide on format for information a) Develop thesis statement b) Include necessary and relevant supporting evidence c) Integrate and document source material correctly 2) Create coherence and maintain unity a) Develop topic sentences that flow from the thesis b) Use transitional words and phrases c) Use key words 2) Build effective sentences c. Respond to and revise writing 1) Give feedback about others' writing through peer reviews, where appropriate. 2) Listen to and evaluate others' responses to own writing 3) Incorporate others' responses into draft 4) Look critically at own papers, checking for adequate supporting evidence and unity d. Proofread for mechanical errors 3 Revision 7/1/2014

4 1) Identify errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation 2) Check corrections for accuracy 3) Prepare finished written work in acceptable format consistent with the principles of academic integrity. e. Apply Modern Language Association (MLA) methods for the following: 1) In-text citations (i.e., parenthetical references) 2) Works Cited 3) Format Learning Activities and Instructional Delivery 1. Short written assignments (usually words) 2. Essays writing (usually words) 3. Reading text book materials and other appropriate materials written by students and professional writers. 4. Lecture and discussion 5. Group activities such as peer reviews 6. Grammar, punctuation, and sentence mechanics exercises 7. Quizzes, tests, and exams Student Learning Course Outcomes: Upon completion of the course, student should: 1. Write, revise, edit and proof-read an essay of approximately 1000 words. 2. Establish an arguable claim with one or more reasons to support the claim, analyze the potential audience, identify and acknowledge counter claims presented by opposing arguments and organize and support the argument using reasoning free of logical fallacies and provide evidence from appropriate and legitimate print and online sources. 3. Locate, peruse, and evaluate supporting evidence from print and online sources. 4. Incorporate supporting evidence through direct and indirect quotation, paraphrasing, and summarizing. 5. Provide an accurate parenthetical references and works cited. Student Evaluation Requirements: 1. Seventy-five percent of the final course grade must derive from grades on essays and other formal writing assignments. Students should write a minimum of 4,000 total words on completed papers. This amount does not include drafts or informal, ungraded assignments. Essay assignments must be evaluated using the Grading Standards for College Papers (for classes taught in BlackBoard, students can be directed to a posted electronic version). 4 Revision 7/1/2014

5 The grading standards rubric must be distributed to students with the syllabus on the first night of class (for classes taught in BlackBoard, students can be directed to a posted electronic version). The minimum required essay assignments include: a. An in-class essay to assess skills the first or second week (grading is optional). b. At least five argument essays from the following argument approaches: analyzing written arguments and visual arguments and constructing definition, causal, evaluation, compare/contrast, narrative, rebuttal, and proposal. Each essay should include at least one source. 3. Additional assignments to those listed above may be chosen by the instructor and can include the following: a. Students may be required to submit their essay draft to one of the following online tutorial or plagiarism detection services: Smarthinking, Thinking Storm, Essay@csmd.edu or an alternate tutoring vendor contracted by CSM Blackboard Learning Platform SafeAssign. b. Students may be required to practice grammar, punctuation, sentence mechanics, and editing skills necessary for them to proofread their writing effectively. Late Assignment Policy Instructors are encouraged to assign a grade of zero to any essay which is not submitted within 7 days of the due date. No late penalty can include automatic failure of the course for missing assignments. Instructors must discuss late penalties with their coordinator and/or mentor. Core Learning Areas The Core Learning Areas represent a common body of skills and knowledge to which all graduates with associate s degrees should be exposed and for which the college may determine certain levels of competency which will be assessed through the general education curriculum. Written Communication Written communication is the development and expression of ideas in writing in many genres and styles for various purposes. Written communication requires invention of an idea, coherence of expression, attention to language and technical skill, and focus on the writing process. Competency in this area is measured by the ability to: 9. Develop complex topics with a rhetorical purpose. 12. Deploy grammar and mechanics of standard written English. 13. Use complex syntax and varied sentence structure. 14. Incorporate correctly cited materials. 5 Revision 7/1/2014

6 Critical Thinking Critical thinking is an intentional, reflective process used to make judgments and decisions through reasoning, analysis, evaluation, interpretation, and inference. Competency in this area is measured by the ability to: 30. Defend a reasonable position. 31. Analyze other points of view. 6 Revision 7/1/2014