English 101 (Hybrid): Freshman Composition Syllabus

Ticket #53640

Santa Ana College, Humanities and Social Sciences Division, Department of English

Fall 2018

Instructor: Geoffrey Arnold

Room #: D-110

Time: 5pm-6:50pm

Required Meetings Dates: 8/30, 9/27, 11/1, and 12/13/2018

Email: arnold_geoffrey@sac.edu

Course Information

Course Description:

Expository and argumentative essays and the research paper.  Special interest sections described in the schedule of classes.  Students may be referred to the Learning Center

Prerequisites:

A high school or college GPA of 3.0 or above and a grade of C or better in English 061/EMLS 112 or ACE 116 or qualifying profile from English placement process.

Required Texts and Materials:

• Hirschberg, Stuart, and Terry Hirschberg.  One World, Many Cultures.  10th Edition.  Pearson, 2015
• Large Blue or Green Books (8 1/2 inches x 11 inches) for exams.

Recommended Texts:

• Any college-level dictionary and thesaurus.
• Hacker, Diana.  A Writer’s Reference with 2016 MLA Update. 8^th Edition. Boston: Bedford, 2015.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completing this course:

1. Students will be able to read critically for literal and implied meaning, identify main ideas, organizational strategies and authors' writing strategies as well as summarize, paraphrase, and analyze written works.
2. Students will use the writing process to write, in proper MLA format, academic essays, including a documented research paper, using appropriately chosen details, organizational strategies, more complex sentence variety, and sufficiently correct grammar, punctuation, effective word choice, and style.
3. Students will evaluate and ethically use primary and secondary academic sources to avoid plagiarism and will use the library's resources, including online databases, to locate appropriate academic source material.

Assignments and Points

Your final grade will be out of 100 possible points; everyone starts out with 100 points, and the point of the class is not to gain as many points as possible, but to prevent their loss.  For example, in regards your final project, a 25 point assignment, let's assume you get a B+ (87%); out of 25 possible points, you'd receive 21.75, a loss of 3.25 points.  That may not seem like much, but considering every 10 points is a full letter grade, 3.25 is a third of that amount.  Point loss builds up over the course of the semester, so keep as many as you can.  You cannot go over 100%

Minimizing Point Loss

No student has ever scored 100% (to get 100%, you'd have to get A+'s on every assignment, and that doesn't happen.)  Exceptional students will score between 93-95 points.  Most "A" students will score between 89-92 points, meaning that even "A" students lose between 8-11 points total on average.  Thus, if you miss a 10 point assignment, add an extra 8-11 points to that loss.  If you miss a 10 point assignment, at a minimum, you are really losing 18-21 points (pretty much 2 full letter grades) if you are an "A" student.  The loss will be greater if one is not an "A" student.  Missing major assignments in my class is a quick way to not pass.

Assignments

• Homework Grade = 10 points.
  • Reading Analyses
  • Discussion Participation
  • Quizzes
  • Peer Evaluation Workshops
• Diagnostic Essay = 10 points.
• Midterm Exam = 10 points.
• Rhetorical Essay = 20 points.
• Research Proposal = 10 points.
• Research Paper = 25 points.
• Final Exam = 15 points.
• Total Grade = 100 points.

*Note: Students cannot pass this class without turning in the Rhetorical Essay (20 points) or the Research Paper (25 points.)  Missing just one of these two assignments will statistically eliminate any student regardless of current grades.*

Final Grades

Pluses and minus for assignments are diagnostic tools to help students understand whether or not they are closer to a higher or lower grade.  However, pluses and minuses are not permitted by the state for final grades.  Below are the ranges for final grades, and all grades include a 1 point margin of error.

*To pass this course, you must score a minimum of 69 points*:

• For looking at your final grades, use the following scale

  	Grade Range
  Final Grades	A	100-89
  	B	88-79
  	C	78-69
  	D	68-59
  	F	58-00

Plus and Minus Grades for Assignments and Essays Only

The grading for assignments works a tad differently.  For students, it is important to know not only what grade you have but also how high or low that grade is.  If a student has a "B," what kind of a "B" is it, strong or weak?  How close or far is that

grade to the next one up?  In my classes, I have developed a grading system that will show you not only what grade you have, but how strong or weak that grade is. 

Each grade represents a certain percentage of the total points possible:

	Grade Weight by Points
Grades		10 points	15 points	20 points	25 points	100 points
	A+	10.00	15.00	20.00	25.00	100.00
	A	9.50	14.25	19.00	23.75	95.00
	A-	9.00	13.50	18.00	22.50	90.00
	B+	8.70	13.05	17.40	21.75	87.00
	B	8.30	12.45	16.60	20.75	83.00
	B-	8.00	12.00	16.00	20.00	80.00
	C+	7.70	11.55	15.40	19.25	77.00
	C	7.30	10.95	14.60	18.25	73.00
	C-	7.00	10.50	14.00	17.50	70.00
	D+	6.70	10.05	13.40	16.75	67.00
	D	6.30	9.45	12.60	15.75	63.00
	D-	6.00	9.00	12.00	15.00	60.00
	F	5.00	7.50	10.00	12.50	50.00
	0	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00

*Bear in mind that this system is designed to show you how close or far you are from the next grade up.  It is NOT intended for final grades*.

Example

If you were working on your Final Exam (15 points), and you get a "C," you would get 73% of 15 points.  That happens to come out to 12.45 points out of 15 possible; you lost 2.55 points, a quarter of a letter grade.

Why Is There a 1 Point Margin of Error?

Part of my task as your instructor and evaluator is to balance the numbers versus the grades.  If, for example, a student gets five "C-'s," and one "D-,"  the math works out as follows:

If C- = 7 and D- = 6, then 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 6 = 41

There are 6 assignments, so divide 41 by 6 to get the average.

41/6 = 6.83

An Instructor's Statistical Dilemma

Without the Margin of Error, a "C-" is a hard 70%, but this student scored 68.3%.  So, without the 1 point Margin of Error, this student would not have a chance at a "C-" despite the fact that out of 6 assignments, only 1 was a "D."  I have to ask myself:

• Does this student deserve a "D" because 1 of 6 assignments was below average?
• Should I hold a student back from passing on to English 102 or 103 over 1.7 points?
• Will this student benefit for another semester of English 101?

The Solution: Adjust for Error

With the 1 point Margin of Error, the "C" is at 69% instead of a hard 70%.  This student at 68.3% should now be considered for the "C" because the score is less than 1% away from passing. Now, grading is much fairer and representative of the student's actual performance rather than just going by the hard numbers.

The Homework Grade (10%)

Even though the Homework Grade is only a small portion of the overall grade, it plays a critical role in how I evaluate your performance as a student.  The Homework Grade is how I measure and evaluate your overall performance and dedication to the course material during the entire semester.  It is averaged from several different homework assignments.  All assignments may be scored between 5-20 homework points; these will be calculated together to formulate your overall homework grade.

*All Homework assignments, except those in Week I, may be turning in late at any time during the semester at a severe penalty*:

• Reading Analyses
• Discussion Participation
• Quizzes
• Peer Evaluations

Why Is the Homework Grade So Important?

At the end of the semester, if you are on the bubble between grades, it is the Homework grade that will determine what grade you receive.  For example, if you finish the year with an overall grade of 88.5%, you would be half a percent away from an "A."  If your Homework Grade is an "A" or higher (8.9 points or above,) you will get the "A."  If your Homework Grade is lower than the "A" (8.8 points or lower,) you will get the "B."

1) Reading Analyses (5 Homework Points each)

Analyses are short, written responses to the readings, movies, and discussions we go over in class.  Instructions for writing these Analyses will depend on the readings or movie.  These will be posted on the course Assignments.

What Reading Analyses Are For?

The purpose of the Analyses is to keep you engaged in a regular pattern of writing and to provide you with space where you may experiment and practice the writing and critical thinking skills we develop in class.

Analyses Rules and Guidelines

• Analyses are graded by the rubric provided for the assignment.
• Carefully read and reread the directions, and make sure you understand them; contact a classmate or the instructor if you don't.
• Analyses are for practice and experimentation.
• All will count towards your grade; none are dropped. 
• All Analyses are to be posted on the course website Discussion Board and on the website only.
• Because Analyses are turned in online, all Analyses must be typed.
• You cannot make up any missed Analyses without my permission.
• No email or hard copy submissions, except by my permission.
• Please contact me prior to class if you anticipate a problem turning in an Analyses.

2) Peer Evaluations Workshops (10 Homework Points each)

In these workshops, you will be provided with feedback from your peers, and these workshops ensure that you will be starting your essays well before they are due.  No student should be starting their essays the night before the due date.  These will be conducted on the course website.

Remember, Essay Draft Workshops are worth double-credit.  Missing one is the equivalent of missing two regular Analyses or Skill Workshops, and missing several can do severe damage to your Homework Grade.

What Are Peer Evaluation Workshops For?

Essay Draft Workshops are designed to give you peer critiques of your initial progress on major essay assignments, discuss successful strategies and difficulties with your fellow classmates, set a milestone to have a significant part of your assignments completed well before the due date, and give you class time to work on your assignments with your peers.

Essay Drafts also play a key role in an investigation should plagiarism issues arise.

Peer Evaluations Workshop Rules and Guidelines

• Essay Drafts must be typed, no hand-written drafts whatsoever.
• The number of Essay Draft Workshops varies according to the needs of the class and time constraints.
• Your essays are NOT supposed to be complete on the day of the Draft Workshop.
• You may NOT turn in an outline as a draft; you must have a minimum of one substantial Introductory and one substantial Body Paragraph to receive credit.
• All Essay Drafts must be returned to their owner; this is to prevent plagiarism.
• You are required to have the full potion of the essay completed as indicated on the schedule to get full credit. 
  • If the schedule says "half-draft," you must have the full half of the draft, not a quarter or less.
• No email or digital submissions of any kind, except with my permission.

3) Discussion Participation (5-10 Homework Points each)

Normally, we conduct discussions in class.  Some, however, will be online.  These are very important, for this is how I measure your continued engagement in the course and get feedback from you.  If you do not participate in Discussions, you are effectively not in the class.

Discussion Instructions and Guideline

• Discussions are conducted in class or online;
• Discussions are graded homework assignments;
• You must make substantive responses to the discussions question and to student responses;
• Short or vague participation will be graded down or receive no credit.

There are 2 different kinds of Discussions.

Reading Discussion

These discussions are class-wide discussions based on the readings we do for the course.  These readings may be from our book or provided by the instructor.  Since these discussions are designed to take the place of the discussions we'd normally conduct in class or online, these will require you to reply to the responses of other students.

Open Discussions

Despite what their name implies, open discussions are closed to the other students.  The only person who will view these discussions is the instructor.  These are low-stakes, credit-no credit discussions where you should feel free to express yourself openly.

4) Quizzes (10-20 Homework Points each)

Quizzes are designed to assess your grasp of important course concepts course lessons.  Each skill workshop will be followed up by a practice quiz, which will not count towards your grade, and an assessment quiz, which will count towards your grade.

Quiz Instructions Guidelines

• Read the instructions carefully;
• Prepare for your quizzes ahead of time;
• Practice Quizzes are not timed, do NOT count towards your grade, and may be repeated as many times as you wish;
• Assessment Quizzes are timed, DO count towards your grade, and may only be repeated once.
• Assessment Quizzes will be automatically graded on the Canvas Gradebook.

Grading Homework

Language skills are much tougher to learn later in life than they were when we were children; therefore, it is important to leave room for mistakes.  A student should never approach the homework with the intent to "get it all."  A lot of these concepts take years to get used to, so don't think you're going to be Master of the Essay by the end of the semester.  Allow yourself to make mistakes.  

Likewise, the grading for your homework accounts for the important role errors have in learning language skills.  Analyses and Workshops are graded upon completion according to the instructions, not on whether you get the questions right or wrong.  This will facilitate exposure to language and essay skills that will then take root over time.  Far more important than getting the questions right or wrong is being able to follow the directions, and communicating with your peers or instructor should the directions be unclear.

Grading Individual Homework Assignment

Homework Assignments are graded in various ways.  Quizzes are graded automatically.  Peer Evaluation Workshops are graded based upon the time and effort put in by the evaluator.  Skill Workshops are based on completion.

Calculating the Overall Homework Grade

The Homework Grade is 10% of your overall grade and complied with its own point system. 

Final Homework Grade = (Your total homework points / Total homework points possible) x weight of the Homework Grade (10).

Formal Academic Essays

At certain points in the semester, you will turn in formal academic papers.  These essays include:

• Diagnostic Essay (10 points)
• Rhetorical Essay (20 points)
• Research Proposal (10 points)
• Research Paper (25 points)  

Together they compose 65 points out of 100 total possible, so a vast majority of this course requires you to compose formal academic essays well.   All of these assignments are designed to build the skills required for academic research.  As this is an English Course, all essay must be in MLA format.  These essays are to be conducted at home.

Basic Requirements for All Formal Academic Papers

For any Formal Academic Essay to receive full credit, it must meet the following requirements.  Any derivation will result in a lowering of your essay's grade:

• Typed, no hand-written essays whatsoever;
• 12 point font, no other font sizes whatsoever;
• Times New Roman, no other fonts whatsoever;
• 2.0 spacing, no single-spaced essays whatsoever;
• All essay must be submitted online;
• All essays must be submitted to Turnitin.com and receive a score of less than 15% on an originality report;
  • Essays with reports above 15% will be investigated on an individual basis and may be cleared;
• All essays must be turned in through Canvas; no email or other digital submissions, except with my permission or by my request;
• All essay be the full length as required by the directions;
• All essays, should they require research, must have the required number of sources;
• Any research must be from approved sources as outlined in the instructions;
• Must have the proper heading on page 1 and page 1 only;
  • Your name;
  • The class (ENGL 101);
  • My name (Geoffrey Arnold);
  • The due date;
  • A title of your creation (be creative; don't bold, underline, or change font size; just  center it);
• All essays should have page numbers and your last name on each page;
• The essay should NOT have any gaps between the heading, title, and paragraphs;
• Essays should NOT include a title page (waste of paper) or plastic jacket (waste of money);

1) The Diagnostic Essay (10%)

The Diagnostic Essay will be the first essay;  Formal Academic Essays require specific forms and elements that must appear in your writing. It will require no research, but it will require careful attention to course readings.

This essay is eligible for the Revision Assignment.

What Is the Diagnostic Essay For?

It is designed to find what issues you may have regarding your composition. This essays will also test how well you are picking up on the basics of the writing process as outlined in your homework.

2) The Rhetorical Essay (20%)

The Rhetorical Essay will primarily be based on the course textbook or outside sources I provide but will include research elements.  In addition to requiring outside research, the Rhetorical Essay emphasizes the analysis of an argument's credibility and the backing of your argument through light research of academic sources.

This essay is eligible for the Revision Assignment.

What Is the Rhetorical Essay For?

The Rhetorical Essay introduces you to including academic research into your writing process and introduces you to MLA citation style.  Further, it forces you to evaluate the quality of your sources.

A student statistically will have a very difficult time passing the course without the Rhetorical Essay.

3) The Research Proposal (10%)

The Research Proposal is the first phase of your final Research Paper.  In the Proposal, you and I will refine and finalize your topic for your final Research Paper.  Once a topic has been finalized, you will conduct some early research on the topic.  

What Is the Research Proposal For?

The Research Proposal is designed to make sure your final topic for the Research Paper are narrow, specific, and focused, and to give you feedback from classmates and the instructor.  It is also designed to continue to hone your research skills.

4) The Research Paper (25%)

The Research Paper is the culmination of all your efforts during the semester.  It builds upon the research base you established in the Research Proposal.     As this is a Composition course, I approach this course as though most of my students will not be English majors; for that reason, the final topic of this paper is your choice but is subject to my approval.  It must include an argumentative or analytical element.  I encourage you to explore a topic within your major.

Once turned in, you will not receive your Research Paper back.

The Research Paper is a required element to pass this course; students who do not turn in the Research Paper will not be able to pass the course regardless of current grade.

What Is the Research Paper For?

It will require you to apply all aspects of what you learned about your writing and research processes during the semester.  The Research Paper will also the main way that I evaluate your ability to write essays at the college level and to see if you are ready for English 102 or 103.

In-Class Timed Essays

In-class Timed Essays are conducted in class, so attendance on exam days is mandatory.  Only in dire, well-documented situations can these essays be made up.  While you may plan and outline your essays before the exam, you must not write the essay until the day and time of the exam.  The point of In-Class Timed Essays is to put you into a timed writing situation.  All exams are open-book and open-note.

Rules and Guidelines for In-Class Timed Exams

• Blue or black ink only;
• Double-space your essay;
• Write on the front and back of the pages;
• Bring a large Blue or Green Book (8 1/2 inches x 11 inches);
• Bring annotated and highlighted readings;
• Bring a one-page, one-sided outline of your essay.

1) The Midterm Exam (10%)

The Midterm consists of an in-class essay on several readings; however, these readings should be from our book or handouts.   You will be given the topic, be allowed time to prepare your essay, and have access to your notes and any readings during the exam.  Generally, you'll have a full class period to complete the exam.

What Is the Midterm Exam For?

This assignment is designed to test your ability to write under a timed circumstance and to improve your critical reading of texts.

2) The Final Exam (15%)

The final will be cumulative.  However, the Final Exam will be a more reflective essay on your performance during the past semester.  It will involve readings from the class, but it will also require you to reflect on your own experiences and relate them to the texts.  It will also help reinforce timed-writing skills.

As the Final Exam is conducted on the last day of class, you will not receive it back once turned in.

What Is the Final Exam For?

You are expected to demonstrate all that you have learned during the semester.  The Final is also designed to help you think about improving your skills beyond this course.

Grading for Essays

Due to the sheer numbers of essays I have to read in a semester, there isn't enough time to make individual comments on each and every essay I read.  I, therefore, grade by a 4-point rubric:

• Thesis Statement
• Support, Organization, and Argument
• Grammar, and Spelling
• MLA Style, Format, and Following Directions

Each section accounts for 25% of the essay's grade.  On the rubric, each section receives its own letter grade.  They are then averaged together, and that produces the final grade.

How I Grade Your Essays: Patterns of Error

When I read your essays, I look for patterns of error.  Depending on the problem, I look for instances of 2's and 3's (example, two paragraphs missing topic sentences or three run-on sentences.)  Once I see a pattern of error in 2's and 3's, I mark them on the rubric.  Errors made more than 2 or 3 times will receive more severe deductions.  Also, there are certain basic requirements, such as font size or lateness, that may affect the grade as well.  This rubric allows me to better mark and comment on many common patterns of error without having to repeat them over and over again in individual comments

Sample Essay Grade

For example, let's say you turn in a Midterm exam, and the rubric comes back as the following:

• Thesis Statement = B
• Support, Organization, and Argument = C
• Grammar, and Spelling = A-
• MLA Style, Format, and Following Directions = B-

Each grade has a point value depending on the assignment.  Each section is graded based on the patterns of error and the requirements of the assignment.  The patterns are noted on the rubric, each section is graded, and the grade is calculated before returning the essay to you.  The Midterm exam is on this scale:

So, the grades are averaged together.  Step #1, add them all up:  B = 7.7, C = 7.3, A- = 9, and B- = 8; 7.7 + 7.3 + 9 + 8 = 32.  Now, step #2, divide by 4.  32/4 = 8.  Looking back on the grade scale, and 8 equals a B, so that would be the essay's grade and points awarded.

Why Do I Grade This Way?

This method of grading shows you what areas of your writing are strong and what areas require improvement.  Also, whenever I grade using this system, once I've read, marked, and entered the grades in my rubric, I have no idea what the grade will be.  In other words, grading this way removes any bias I may show.  I'm simply looking for patterns of error and adherence to the requirements of the assignment.  The final reason why I grade this way is efficiency.  This is the fastest way to get substantive criticism of your essay to you.

Attendance, Course Policies, Plagiarism, and Accommodations for Disabilities

These topics will be covered in the Course Orientation unit.

Take the Syllabus Quiz

You can take the Syllabus Quiz by clicking on the link.