Middle Georgia State College
Department of English
Summer 2013
English 1101-06 – CRN 53136
Instructor: Mrs. Sharon Aiken, H/SS 248
Office phone: 478-471-2893
Office hours: T/TH: 10:00 a.m.- noon and by appointment
Best means of contact: email. Use your Macon State email. I check and respond to my Macon State email, Monday-Thursday. I use email for class announcements or changes in the class schedule, so please check your email each day.
Required Texts:
1. Patterns for College Writing, 12th edition
2. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
Required Material: jump drive – PLEASE SAVE EVERY WRITING ON YOUR ELECTRONIC DEVICE . . . just in case
Purpose of the Class: The general aim of the class is to introduce college students to writing as a process. By the end of the course, you should be able to write effective essays that are precise, organized, clear, and correct in grammar and usage; this is not a grammar course, but we will set aside brief times for review, as needed, based on submitted essays. Class assignments will cultivate the ability to compare and contrast, summarize, and present rational arguments in writing and (possibly) speaking; assignments will stress critical thinking, logic and unity; and all remarks, whether formal or informal, will stress an awareness of audience and purpose; evidence and supporting detail will form the basis for class writing and speaking. Additionally, this course will increase your awareness of the essay as literature.
Class Goals – Students will:
Establish college-level, writing-based thinking and analytical skills
Intelligent use of the library and the web for research
Format and documentation using MLA guidelines
Increase familiarity and use of the web as a tool for communication
Engage in peer-review of papers
Class Policies:
1. If you have been required to take Learning Support English, you may not take English 1101 unless you have completed that course with a D.
2. You can miss two class days without penalty—unless an in-class essay has been assigned. Normally students fail the class after four absences. (If you have a medical condition and see that you will be missing a number of days, be prepared to present a doctor’s excuse. If a member of your immediate family has a health condition requiring your absence from class, remember: that is still an absence. [English 1101 and 1102 have been known to cause sprains, eczema, childbirth, dandruff, seizures, hospitalizations, broken bones, accidents, and the plague. Students and their families are most susceptible one to two days before a paper deadline.] Do your work, plan ahead and protect yourself and your loved ones.)
3. Please be on time. Again, if you drive a distance to get here, plan accordingly. There are times we are all tardy, but being in class, ready to work says a great deal about your serious attention to this class and does not go unnoticed.
4. Assignments are to be handed in on time, typed. Writing on class computers is part of the class; there will be both in-class and out-of-class essays. Title all assignments and use MLA format.
5. If a hard copy of the paper is not handed in on time, in class, the date that it is due, you may email a copy of the paper, WITH PENALTIES :
(a) you will automatically forfeit a letter grade off the paper
(b) that essay may not be graded until the end of the semester, which is when I grade all late work
(c) if it is the first or second essay, you will not have an opportunity to revise the essay for a higher grade.
6. Students have the option of revising the first essay with the following stipulations:
a. The original essay and grade sheet must be handed in with the revised essay
b. If the only edits made to the paper are for grammar/mechanics/corrections the grade will remain the same (the student has only copied and corrected)
c. Substantive revisions could gain the student as much as one letter grade
d. Revisions may not be graded until the end of the semester
7. I will NOT accept a research paper late or via email.
8. If you plan to print out of class essays in class, please attend to them it within the first 05-10 min. of class.
9. IF YOU USE ANY WORD PROCESSING PROGRAM OTHER THAN MS WORD, SAVE YOUR PAPER AS AN .rtf (Rich Text Format) file. Your paper cannot be opened, cannot be read, cannot be printed otherwise. Not even the tech guys and gurus in the library can help.
10. If you miss a daily assignment, you may NOT make it up; if you miss a major essay, your grade will result in a zero. You MUST complete all major assignments to pass the class.
11. I give letter grades; if you have a question about a grade, drop by my office or make an appointment to see me after class; if you wish to challenge a grade, do so in writing, no sooner than a day after getting your paper back, and no later than three class days after I return that assignment.
12. If you cheat on a test, you will get a zero. If you plagiarize an assignment, that grade will result in a zero. Plagiarism occurs when a writer uses the ideas, wording, organization, etc., of another writer without proper citation, whether intentional or unintentional. This includes having someone “help” you write the paper, buying the paper online, or lifting ideas, sentences, and/or paragraphs from another text. Keep an electronic copy of all assignments and be prepared to send it to me immediately if asked. Please go to the MSC Library site for further information on avoiding plagiarism. Failing this course is the common penalty for plagiarism.
Note:
A plagiarism prevention service is used in the evaluation of written work submitted for this course. As directed by the instructor, students are expected to submit their assignments, or have their assignments submitted, through the service in order to meet the requirements for this course. The papers may be retained by the service for the sole purpose of checking for plagiarized content in future student submissions.
13. POLICY ON ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: “As a Macon State College student and as a student in this class, you are responsible for reading, understanding, and abiding by the MSC Student Code of Conduct. The Student Code of Conduct is included in the MSC Student Handbook and is available online at:http://www.maconstate.edu/studentlife/studenthandbook.pdf”
14. POLICY ON DISABILITY ACCOMODATIONS: “Students seeking academic accommodations for a special need must contact the MSC Counseling and Career Center (478-471-2714) located on the second floor of the Student Life Center on the Macon Campus.”
15. If you have a D average based on the major assignments, no participation or daily grade average can bring that average up to a C. (Division Policy)
16. In all class policies, I expect common sense and courtesy. No open food or drink in the computer lab. Turn your phones on “manner mode.” Do not text, update your facebook status, shop on your tablet, or surf the web when I am teaching, when we are engaged in peer review or class discussion, or when students give a presentation. If you want to enjoy those activities, I will ask you to leave the class. Do not sit in class with earbuds – it is both rude and unprofessional. This class asks only two hours and a thirty minutes of your undivided attention each week. If that is too difficult, you should find another English 1101 class that will allow it.
17. Please do not distract others who are working or paying attention in this class. I respect your right to fail this class, but not your right to infringe upon others who may want to pass. No one needs to be distracted.
18. It is the policy of this department that I keep your initial drafts, revisions, and final drafts for at least one semester. Therefore, should you want these returned, please see me at the end of Spring Semester 2013.
19. The final exam in English 1101 is a two-hour essay over The Things They Carried. While students may not use the book during the exam, they are allowed to have one 3x5 index card with notes from the reading.
20. Active Participation is expected from every student in class and is worth ten percent of your final grade. It begins but does not end with attendance and includes the following:
Criteria
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25 pts.
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20 pts.
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15 pts.
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0-10 pts. & below
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Attendance
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Attends class regularly – with no more than 1 absence at mid-term; usually prompt & professional
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Attends class regularly; no more than 1 absence at mid-term; professional & seldom tardy
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Attends class regularly; may have more than 2 absences at this point; professional
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Has missed more than 2 days and often presented as unprofessional
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Level of Active Engagement
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Proactive in class; contributes with ideas, questions, observations; answers questions; treats classmates & professor with courtesy
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Contributes to class; frequently offers comments, answers & asks questions; treats classmates & professor with courtesy
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Offers some observations and answers questions now and then or when called on; treats classmates & professor with courtesy
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Rarely contributes to class by offering ideas or asking questions.primarily a non-participant.Does not add to class discussion, but sits silently.
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Listening Skills
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Listens when others talk; builds on others’ ideas; involves others in class by asking questions or seeking others’ responses
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Listens then others talk; frequently builds on ideas of others.
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Listens when others talk, but does not respond to ideas
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Often does not listen when others talk; often distracted by his/her own agenda—e.g., the internet, studying for another class, talking to peers, when inappropriate
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Preparation
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Almost always prepared for class, with assignments and required class materials
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Usually prepared for class
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Frequently prepared for class
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Seldom prepared
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21. Please be aware that failure IS an option.
Tutoring—Information from the Academic Resource Center (ARC):
NOTE: Tutoring is not a substitute for attending class! If you miss a class, first get notes from a classmate.
Tutoring is available free of charge in the Academic Resource Centers (ARC) on the Macon and Warner Robins campuses for currently enrolled Macon State College students. The Macon ARC is located in the lower level of the Library building on the Macon campus. The WRC ARC is located in Oak Hall in Room 128. To schedule an appointment in the Macon ARC, call (478) 471-2057. For an appointment at the WRC ARC, call (478) 929-6770. To check the schedules for subjects tutored and tutor availability, go to the ARC website athttp://www.maconstate.edu/arc/.
The ARC website also posts tutoring schedules for the MaRC--Mathematics Resource Center (Mathematics Bldg., 104 & 105: 478-471-2814), Department of History and Political Science Study Center (Jones 314: 478-471-5749), School of Business (PSC 346: 478-471-2724), School of Information Technology (PSC 336: 478-471-2801), and Foreign Language Lab (H/SS 110: 478-471-5792). All these services are free of charge as well.
Other services at the ARC include online Academic Success Skills workshops and a robust website with resources for academic assistance. The centers also have computer workstations with Internet access.
How to get the most out of a tutoring session:
· Start right away. Students who begin tutoring from the beginning of the semester typically do better than those who wait.
· Book your appointments early. During peak times, you may need to book a week in advance to get the times you want.
· Come prepared. Please bring your syllabus, class notes, textbook, and specific assignment. Look over the readings and try the problems. If you can, bring a list of specific questions. The more you prepare, the more you will get out of the session.
Grading and Assignments:
Daily Writing = 10% (10 writing selections, worth 10pts. each, cumulative to 100 pts.)
Exemplification Essay= 10%
Argumentative Essay = 20 %
Comparison/Contrast Essay = 10%
Class Participation = 10%
Quizzes = 20% (10% each)
June: Conventions of Composition, Levels of Language, Exemplification, Argumentation, MLA
July: The Things They Carried
Final Essay over The Things They Carried = 20 %
The best way to develop your writing is to read, read, read. There are no shortcuts, no easy outs, and no simple solutions. Read everything, good and bad, exciting and mediocre, suspenseful and boring. You will gradually begin to develop a sense of identifying good writing that is coherent and clear, complete, as well as concise. Bad writing will show you what to avoid; good writing will show you what to emulate. This class does not meet every day, but if you truly want to succeed and develop, not only in this class, but in college and in life, it is in your best interest to read every day and, if at all possible, to write every day. Seek help when you need it. Find your voice and remain true to it; take pride in your work. Do your best, whether your best is a “C” or an “A.”
“Writing is easy; all you have to do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead.” Gene Fowler
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