Course Syllabus Introduction to Composition

ENG 061 | Spring 2018

 

Instructor: Emily Mulvihill

Email: Mulvihill_Emily@sac.edu

Class Times: T/TH 8:00-10:05 am

Room: D-206

Office Hours: By appointment

 

Welcome:

I look forward to a great semester working with all of you to improve your communication skills and develop strong patterns of writing and revision that will help you not only with other classes, but in other areas of your life as well. Being prepared and engaging in the class materials are the best ways to do well. Please feel free to set up a time to meet with me for any questions you may have and/or to chat about your progress in the course. I am also available to answer questions on email. Please do not hesitate to contact me, as I want all of you to do well and I am always happy to help.

 

Course Description:

This course is designed to prepare students for college-level writing with specific emphasis in developing clear, organized writing. Students will practice writing expository paragraphs using various methods (including argumentation) as well as work to refine sentence skills and grammar. Students will use the writing process to write, in MLA format, essays, including a documented paper, using appropriately chosen details, organizational strategies, sentence variety, and sufficiently correct grammar and punctuation. Students will be able to read critically for literal meaning and identify the main idea of a reading and the author’s writing strategies as well as summarize and paraphrase effectively. Lastly, students will evaluate and ethically use primary and secondary sources.

 

 

Required Texts/Materials:

Little Seagull Handbook, Norton

Three Blue Books

Supplemental Materials printed from Canvas

 

Attendance:

It is important that students attend class to receive participation points and take part in group activities. You are allowed 1 unexcused absence during the semester. However, you cannot gain participation points for days that you are not in class, nor will you be able to make up grammar quizzes or other graded, in-class work. In addition, two late arrivals will also count as an unexcused absence, since arriving late disrupts the rest of the class. If you have any concerns or scheduling conflicts, please speak to me or email me in advance.

 

Late Work:

All work is due by the assigned date and time. Written work turned in after the due date will be deducted one letter grade for each day that it is late.

 

Academic Dishonesty:

Cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism, will result in serious consequences. Plagiarism occurs when someone presents another’s work as their own. This not only includes copying from sources without citing, but also paraphrasing without giving credit or presenting another’s ideas as your original thought. Plagiarism will not be tolerated within this class. It will result in a zero on the assignment. We will be discussing this on the first day of class. Please see me if you have any questions on plagiarism or what might be considered plagiarism.

 

Student Conduct:

This class will require student participation and involvement. In order to create an environment that is conducive to learning for everyone, students should be respectful towards the instructor as well as fellow classmates. This involves: active listening, respecting other’s opinions, and engaging in the course material. In addition, cell phone use is not allowed in class and appropriate internet use on laptops is expected. Below is a SAC link to more information on student conduct expectations.

https://www.sac.edu/StudentServices/StudentLife/StudentConduct/Pages/default.aspx        

 

Canvas:

I will update Canvas frequently and it will be on Canvas that you submit many of your written assignments. Check Canvas often as I may update materials or provide additional materials to help you with the assignment. You should update your settings on Canvas to make sure that you will receive notification via email or phone of my Canvas announcements.  Additionally, there will be an open forum space for asking questions to your classmates that you may utilize as a peer support network.

 

Special Accommodations:

Your success in this course is important to me. Santa Ana College and I are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all individuals with disabilities. If you have a disability that may have some impact on your ability to do well in this course, I encourage you to speak with me as soon as possible. Also, please contact Disabled Student Programs & Services so that we can all collaborate on your classroom accommodations in a timely manner. DSP&S is located in the Village VL-203, and their phone number is 714-564-6264. The DSP&S office requires documentation of your disability in order to receive reasonable accommodations. If you do not have documentation, they will work with you to acquire it. I look forward to supporting you to meet your learning goals.  It is the disabled student’s responsibility to contact the course instructor at the beginning of the semester to discuss potential plans when classroom evacuations are necessary. 

 

 

 

Grading:

Participation                            10%

Homework Assignments        35%

Personal Essay                        15%

Argumentative Paper               15%

In-Class Essay 1                     10%

Final In-Class Essay               10%

Quizzes                                     5%

           

Participation:

Participation in this class is an important part of your overall grade. Engaging in course discussion and activities is required.  Participation, however, does not simply mean speaking frequently in class. It also means: being ready at the start of the class period, listening to peers/instructor, following directions, appropriate use of technology in the classroom etc. Please let me know if you have any concerns about this, as we can create strategies together to make sure you are able to participate and engage in the course materials. Note: Attendance will also compose a percentage of this grade.

 

 

Homework Assignments:

Journal Entries: Each week you will write a journal response and these will be a large portion of your overall homework grade. There will be a prompt suggestion each week to structure one of these mini-essays.  You must do the first prompt as well as six others. After you have completed the six, you may write on topics of your choice for the remaining entries. Journal entries should be neat, and as free of grammatical error as possible. This is a good opportunity to practice your writing skills as well as work on sentence and paragraph structure. They are due 5:00pm Friday each week. I will be looking at both form and content, so make sure your writing is clear, concise and engaging to the reader. We will discuss a sample journal entry in class.

 

Reading Responses/ Summaries: Sometimes in addition to the journal entries, I will ask you to summarize or respond to an out-of-class or in-class reading. This is in lieu of a quiz, so that I can assess your understanding of the material as well as a chance for you to practice your writing skills. They will be graded on clarity as well as content and grammar usage. Additional information about these assignments will be provided. Together, the journal entries and the reading responses/summaries will make up most of your homework grade.

           

Grammar Practice: Even the best of writers need to brush up on their grammar now and then. This grade will be composed of all of the different grammar practice assignments we will complete both in and out of class. Do your best on these assignments and reach out with questions when necessary.

 

 

Personal Essay:

In addition to your summary and journal writing, you will be expected to write one personal essay. Final drafts of this essay will be 3 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman using MLA format. We will also be working on various stages for this essay including: an intro paragraph, an outline, and a rough draft. Each of these drafts will compose a holistic grade that accounts for the progress made through additional drafts. This essay, though relatively short, should be a strong writing sample as it will be graded for content, clarity, and grammar. Additional guidelines for this assignment will be provided.

           

Argumentative Paper: You will be required to research, draft, edit, and finalize a paper using MLA format. The final draft should be 6-8 pages double spaced, Times New Roman with a works cited list and proper use of academic sources. Like the personal essay, we will be going through many stages of this paper. You are expected to keep all of your drafts including pre-writing, note taking, bibliographies etc. as the final grade will be composed not only of the final, but the work put into the various drafts as well.

 

In-Class Essays: Mastering the in-class essay is a particularly useful skill as it encourages you to: work efficiently, summarize material, and respond in an organized and thoughtful manner. We will do at least one practice essay before the first graded one so you get a sense of the process. We will be discussing strategies for doing well on these essays in-class and further hand-outs on expectations will be provided. 

Week	Date	Topics/In-Class	Assignments
1 T	08/28/18	In Class: Introductions	Readings:   From The Little Seagull Handbook: How to Use This Book xii-xiv W-4 Developing Paragraphs   Parts of Speech handout (print)     Submissions: The Little Seagull Handbook Reading Assignment (Canvas)
1 TH	08/30/18	In Class: Journal Writing Personal Statement	Readings: From The Little Seagull Handbook: W-10 Personal Narratives 58-61 W-1 Writing Contexts 2-6 W-3 Writing Processes 9-17   Submissions: Journal for Week 1 (canvas)
2 T	09/04/18	In Class: Review of The Little Seagull Handbook Readings to date   Personal Essay Intro Paragraph	Readings: From The Little Seagull Handbook: P-3 End Punctuation P-8 Capitalization P-9 Italics P-10 Abbreviations P-11 Numbers pg 409-416 W-13 Reflections pg 70-74   Supplementary Reading 1: “When Love Seems Too Easy to Trust” NYT     Submissions: “When Love” Reflection
2 TH	09/06/18	In Class: Review “When Love” Reflections   Practice Outlining	Readings: From The Little Seagull Handbook: W-16 Reading Strategies (83-90) L-1 Appropriate Words L-2 Precise Words (351-355)     Submissions: Journal Week 2   Study for Quiz
3 T	09/11/18	In Class: Working on Personal Essay Outline   Punctuation Grammar Practice     Quiz: Capitalization, Italics, Abbreviations & Numbers	Readings: From The Little Seagull Handbook: P-4 Quotation Marks P-5 Apostrophes (393-403) L-9 Words for Building Common Ground L-10 Englishes (376-385)   Study for Quiz   Submissions L-9 and L-10 Words for Building Common Ground and Englishes Reflection
3 TH	09/13/18	In-Class: Review of Reflections due today Discussion/Activities for Words Often Confused   Quiz: Punctuation (Quotations, Apostrophes)	Readings: From The Little Seagull Handbook: L-3 Idioms L-4 Words Often Confused L-6 Unnecessary Words (355-366 and 368-370)   Submissions Week 3 Journal
4 T	09/18/18	In-Class: Giving Peer Feedback   Quiz: Words Often Confused   Bring Draft of Personal Essay	Personal Essay Draft 1 Due
4 TH	09/20/18	Bring 2 drafts of Essay   In Class: Review Parts of Speech Introduction to Sentences How do we improve our second (or third, or fourth) drafts?	Readings: From The Little Seagull Handbook: Review Previous Readings S-1 Elements of a Sentence (314-317)   Additional Reading: Greeting Cards for These Trying Times (humorous)   Submissions: Week 4 Journal
5 T	09/25/18	In-Class Practice editing sentences Thinking about Style- a look at different styles of writing (beyond the personal narrative)	Readings: From The Little Seagull Handbook: S-2 Sentence Fragments S-3 Comma Splices, Fused Sentences (317-322)   Submission: Write your own dark and humorous greeting card to share in class (At least 150 words)
5 TH	09/27/18	In-Class: Sharing humorous greeting cards   Quiz: Complete Sentences + Fragments	Readings: From The Little Seagull Handbook: P-1 Commas P-2 Semicolons (386-393)   Grammar Packet (read, print, complete & bring to class)   Submissions: Week 5 Journal
6 T	10/02/18	Quiz: Commas and Semicolons	Personal Essay Final Due
6 TH	10/04/18	In-Class: How to write the in-class essay   Quiz: Commas and Semicolons	Readings: “The Lottery” – Read and Answer discussion questions     Submissions: Week 6 Journal
7 T	10/09/18	In-Class Essay Practice	Readings: Read through the entire packet of essay prompts/ questions. Write 4-5 sentences explaining what you might write for each one.   Elaborate on one prompt and do a timed essay practice.   Submissions: Practice essay + sentences
7 TH	10/11/18	In-Class: Review discussion questions Grammar Review In-Class essay prep	Study for in-class essay- review and prepare for prompts   Submissions: Week 7 Journal
8 T	10/16/18	In-Class Essay 1	N/A
8 TH	10/18/18	Halfway Point!   Discussing brainstorming strategies	Reading: Research. Research. Research.     Submissions: Week 8 Journals
9 T	10/23/18	Editing sentences for clarity (Review grammar topics)	Argumentative Brainstorm Due
9 Th	10/25/18	Introduction to research, Writing a strong thesis     Previewing introductory paragraphs	Reading: Edgar Allen Poe “The Cask of Amontillado” & “Tell-Tale Heart”   Submissions: Answer Reading Questions Week 9 Journals
10 T	10/30/18	In Class: Discussion of Poe and Horror	Reading: R-1 Doing Research pg 90 & continued research   Submissions: Editing Sentences Packet
10 Th	11/01/18	Individual meetings w/me   Paragraph editing practice	Argumentative Essay Outline Due 11/06     Submission: Week 10 Journal optional- write about your essay topic, generate ideas for thesis
11 T	11/06/18	Individual meetings w/me cont.   Organization editing practice	Argumentative Introduction Due 11/08
11 Th	11/08/18	Peer edits for intro paragraphs	Reading: R-3 Synthesizing Ideas pg 105 Sample research papers   Submission: Journal Week 11
12 T	11/13/18	Using sources/Finding appropriate sources	Reading:  R-2 Evaluating Sources pg 102 R-4 Integrating Sources, Avoiding Plagarism W-14 Annotated Bibliographies pg 74   Submission: Appropriate sources hw
12 Th	11/15/18	Research /sources cont.	Reading: Preview Documentation MLA style & APA Style pg 119   Submission: Journal Week 12
13 T	11/20/18	TBA	Argumentative Essay Draft 1 Due
13 Th	11/22/18	Thanksgiving Break	N/A
14 T	11/27/18	Reviewing Draft 1 Edits	Reading: W-15 Abstracts pg 79   Submission: Practice abstract- what is your project essentially about? It is important to be able to summarize your ideas at this stage.
14 Th	11/29/18	In-Class Essay 2	Reading: W-6 Giving Presentations 37
15 T	12/04/18	Presentations introduction and practice	Argumentative Essay Draft 2 Due
15 Th	12/06/18	Peer Editing	Continue work on final project/presentation   Work on checklist for final paper   Complete any unfinished work
16 T	12/11/18	Presentations	1st day of presentations
16 TH	12/13/18	Presentations	2nd day of presentations   Final paper Due