Burhans 1 Delta College English 112 Course Syllabus Second-Year Composition Winter 2016 Section ENG 112 WN 119 Tuesdays & Thursdays 8:30 9:55 AM Classroom: DCMC 103 Instructor: Clint Burhans Office Hours: by appointment; email: clintonburhans@delta.edu Course Information: I: Course Description The purpose of this class is to develop the writing and formal communication skills necessary to succeed in college, whatever your chosen field of study, and in your daily life. Students will learn methods of cognition, critique, research, organization, form, and rhetoric through instruction, practice, and revision. Students will have a chance to incorporate feedback from peers and the instructor through the drafting process, and improve each major assignment before grading. Doing well in this class will prepare the student for future courses and life after college by learning necessary critical thinking and written communication skills. The three credits will transfer to universities as a composition credit. II: Required Materials These items are available at the Delta College Bookstore, and you are expected to bring them to each class. You must have the correct edition. Kirszner, Laurie G., Stephen R. Mandell. Practical Argument. Boston: Bedford St. Martin s, 2011. Referred to in schedule as PA. Pens/pencils and a notebook, plus a USB drive to save all drafts. I also recommend e- mailing near-and-final drafts to yourself, so should tragedy befall your hard drive or USB. drive, you can still submit your draft from anywhere. My computer ate my homework is not acceptable: you are responsible for being able to submit your drafts on time. Please bring all books and other supplies to each class. If Possible: Please bring a personal computer or tablet with Microsoft Word and wireless capability to each class to facilitate in-class writing exercises. III: Prerequisite
Burhans 2 READNG LEVEL 3 and a "C" grade or better in any approved college level composition I course. Expands abilities and versatility in reading, language awareness, and composing for a range of purposes, audiences, and situations, including academic research writing. Credit may be earned in only one of ENG 112 or ENG 112A or ENG 112H. (45-0) IV: Outcomes and Objectives Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Outcome 1: Write effective college compositions. Objectives: A. Consider audience and purpose. B. Plan writing processes, using effective strategies and techniques. C. Include a clear articulation of the important ideas. D. Select organize, and present details to support a main idea. E. Demonstrate the ability to move between generalization and detail. F. Write effective introductions and conclusions. G. Employ the appropriate writing conventions. Outcome 2: Use writing tasks that involve both reading and writing. Objectives: A. Demonstrate the ability to derive meaning from a piece of writing. B. Demonstrate the ability to distinguish between the meaning one makes of a text and the author's intended meaning. C. Interpret reading and writing task in such a way as to invest them with personal significance, thereby creating ways to make reading and writing vital activities in a lifetime of learning. D. Demonstrate critical thinking skills. E. Understand the relationship among language, knowledge, and power. Outcome 3: Work with others, both in and out of the classroom. Objectives: A. Reflect upon and assess one's own work as well as they work of others. B. Show willingness to work with others, seeking help where necessary and offering help where it is sought. Outcome 4: Write an academic research composition. Objectives: A. Locate information using a variety of search tools and methods, including library sources. B. Select source material appropriate to the writing context. C. Integrate their own opinions with various source points of view. D. Quote, paraphrase, and summarize accurately. E. Document sources in conventional style with parenthetical references in text. V: Assignment Policies A variety of in-class and outside-class essays will be written, and in-class and outside-class activities and readings will be assigned in and from the required texts and items on D2L. We will be writing in response to, and be guided by, these readings, so it is important that each student keeps up on assigned readings. Late Paper Policy: All late work will receive 50% credit based on grade earned with no work being accepted past one week of the due date.
Burhans 3 Peer Review Days: These are extremely important in the writing process and in building trust within the writers community we establish in this class. Points will be assigned for this as an inclass activity. Even if you do not have a draft, it is better to come to class than to skip for not having your work done. You will still earn some credit for being there and helping your peers with their writing. Seeing what others are doing will help you develop your own ideas. In-class assignments: In-class assignment context cannot be duplicated, and therefore they cannot be made up. Quizzes/Exams: I generally do not give quizzes and exams. If I do, it will be considered an inclass assignment that cannot be made up. Save all drafts and graded assignments! We will be referring to them often. VI: Grading Points: In-Class-Essay One: 25 In-Class Essay Two: 50 In-Class Essay Three: 50 In-Class Essay Four: 75 Total in-class essay points: 200 Visual Rhetorical Critique: 150 Logical Arguments Mini-Essays: 150 Argumentative Synthesis: 200 Total Major Assignment Points: 500 Total Peer Response Points (3 sessions): 150 Various Homework and In-Class Assignments: 150 points Total possible points: 1,000 points VII: Grading Scale: A 940-1000 C+ 770-799 D- 600-639 A- 900-939 C 740-769 E 0-599 B+ 870-899 C- 700-739 B 840-869 D+ 670-699 B- 800-839 D 640-669 VIII: Assistance For help with the assignments or anything to do with the class, please text, call, or e-mail me for an appointment and/or make use of one-on-one, focused writing assistance at WRIT (writingcenter@delta.edu). The Learning Center, @ tlc@delta.edu, and in the library, also has tutoring and many other helpful services: check them out.
Burhans 4 IX: Classroom Policies: Participation in this class is essential. We will have whole group and small group activities as well as partner activities. Sometimes you will get to choose your group/partner, sometimes you won t; it is your responsibility to make the process work as best you can for yourself and others. This may mean you ll need to take a leadership role. This may mean you ll need to sit back and let someone else lead. It means you ll have to speak in such a way that others will be receptive to hearing what you have to say. It means listening carefully to what others say even if the message seems harsh. Listen and respond. Be honest but considerate. Be willing to learn as well as teach. Use I statements instead of you statements. This is all good practice for the real life you re already living. ACTIVE ATTENDANCE POLICY It is your responsibility to be on time for class and remain through the entire session. Repeatedly entering class late or leaving early without prior arrangement will hurt your understanding and development of the skills being taught, learned, and practiced, and will very likely therefore hurt your grade. I expect you to actively attend every class. This means you need to be awake and mentally connected to what is going on in the classroom. Sleeping in class is unacceptable (not to mention it makes you look silly). I understand the baby may have cried all night, the party was too good to leave, the game went into extra innings, you had a major exam to cram for, etc. If you re sleepy, stand up, go get a drink, go to the bathroom, get some fresh air, pinch yourself, but do not sleep through class. Sleeping through any portion of class may result in your not receiving participation credit for that day. Actively attending and being on time is not only a responsibility to yourself, but also to your peers. You choose to be here, which means you agree to be a supportive member of a learning environment. EXCUSED ABSENCES? I understand that life happens and you each must make choices. I do not pass judgment on your choice not to be in class, and therefore do not differentiate between reasons why you might miss class; there is no such thing as an excused absence in my classes. PEER CONTACT Please make a PEER CONTACT from our class with whom you can contact if you miss class and would like materials to prepare for the next class. If you miss class, do not send me an e-mail asking what you missed. I will not respond to this. Do not ask at the beginning of the class what you missed in the last class. When I come to class, I am responsible for the whole class, not to spend whole class time on catching up one individual. Asking instructors for individual time during whole class time is inconsiderate of your peers who had attended and have come to class prepared. Do not ask other students at the beginning of class what you missed in the last class. Academic Integrity: Plagiarism (misrepresenting the work of others as your own) is a serious offense and will result in an F for the project and possibly for the course. For more information about Delta s policies, refer to the Integrity of Academic Work section in the Students Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct section of the Delta College Catalog
Burhans 5 or the English Division home page (http://www.delta.edu/english/plagiarism.html). If in doubt about plagiarism, please ask me for clarification. Note that I consider the submission of papers that you have previously written for another course to be plagiarism. Also note that taking any ideas or words from any source (including Internet sources) without proper citation is also plagiarism; to check for this, I use various Internet-based tools, including Turnitin.com. In this class, we will use mostly MLA citation methods. Prior and Concurrent Assignments Any writing produced for high school or other college courses will not be acceptable in this class. I will consider allowing writing for this class that may also apply in another concurrent class. This may be done ONLY if (1) both instructors are made aware of this and both agree without reservation, (2) the work fulfills all necessary requirements for the writing in this class, with no exceptions, (3) the arrangement is agreed upon within a timely manner after the assignment is given. Disability Accommodation: If you have a documented disability which affects your academic performance, and need an academic accommodation, please contact the Office of Disability Services in D102. The telephone number is 989-686-9330. Instructor Initiated Drop for Lack of Attendance Your English Division instructor will drop you from this course if you miss, for any reason, in excess of 2/15 of your classes for this course. For this particular course this semester (or term) that means in excess of two weeks. This is an English Division policy.