Frederick Community College

EN 101

Section 248- ONL1

English Composition

Summer 2009

                                               

 

Instructor Information

Name:   Ms. Kim Murphy                               Office:   N/A

E-mail: kmurphy@frederick.edu                   Phone Number: 443-812-4381

Office Hours: By appointment                      Campus Mail Box Number: 511

 

Course Information

Credits:   3                                                   

Prerequisites:  EN 50A or satisfactory performance on writing assessment and EN 52 or satisfactory performance on reading assessment OR ESL 95 and ESL 99

Meeting Time: Weekly Online

On-Campus Exams:  1

 

Important Dates

·         Last Day to Drop: June 5, 2009

·         Last Day to Withdraw: July 8, 2009

 

Course Description

Presents the basic techniques of exposition through the writing of essays and the study of prose models.

 

Core Learning Outcomes

Students will demonstrate

1. College-level communication skills by

§  writing effective, organized, clear, concise, grammatically correct English by using appropriate stylistic options (tone, word choice, and sentence patterns) for a specific subject, audience, and purpose (informing, arguing, or persuading). 

§  demonstrating the ability to understand and interpret both written texts and oral presentations in English. 

·          understanding the critical role of listening in communication. 

·          demonstrating an ability to organize ideas effectively by

o   selecting and limiting a topic.

o   developing and supporting a thesis with relevant and well-

reasoned material.

o   employing a logical plan of development and using effective

transitions.

§  demonstrating an understanding of the conventions of the English language by

·          writing essays that are substantially free of errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and mechanics.

2. Critical thinking skills by

§  evaluating evidence by differentiating among facts, opinions, and

inferences.

§  generating and evaluating alternative solutions to problems. 

§  researching, analyzing, comparing, synthesizing, and drawing inferences

§  from readings and other research materials in order to make valid judgments and rational decisions

3. Social and educational values by 

§  identifying and evaluating moral issues and conflicts displaying academic honesty and properly documenting source material. 

§  valuing the importance and responsibility of the individual. 

§  understanding the need for lifelong learning and its applicability to their educational goals.

4. The value of a multicultural society by

§  acknowledging a plurality of cultural and personal values and demonstrating

§  respect for the right of others to express their viewpoints. 

§  working cooperatively in groups with diverse membership and contributing

§  to the group’s efforts with ideas and suggestions. 

5. The use of technology by formatting papers and conducting research. 

 

Instructional Methods

Class Discussions using Blackboard

Email

Instructor’s feedback on papers

 

Required Resources

Books

Hacker, Diana.  The Bedford Handbook.  7th ed.  Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006.

Kennedy, X.J., Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Marcia F. Muth. The Bedford Guide for College Writers. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008.

EN101 Resource Booklet

 

Internet Sites

Access to Blackboard

     (Username: W+student ID; Password: last 4 digits of student ID)

 

Supplies for Course

Blackboard access, Microsoft Word 2003 or 2007, FCC email address

 

Evaluation Methods

 

Essay 1: Compare/Contrast            10%                               90-100% A

Essay 2: Text Analysis                    10%                               80-89% B

Essay 3: Timed Writing                    10%                                70-79% C

Essay 4: Cause/Effect                     15%                                60-69% D                  

Essay 5: Definition/Background      15%                                Below 60% F

Essay 6: Argument                          30%                                           

                                               

Participation                                     10%                         

Total                                       100%                       

 

Progress Report

 

By the end of the fourth week of the semester, students will have had their first major paper returned and will have an opportunity to evaluate their progress in this course.  At that point, students can decide if they need to make any adjustments (additional studying, tutoring, conference with instructor) to best assure their success in this course.

 

Rights of Students

 

Among the rights of students recognized by the Board of Trustees of Frederick Community College are the following:

 

1.  Students have the right to offer opposing opinions and to reserve judgment about

     their views, beliefs, academic evaluations, and political affiliations.

 

2.  Students have the right to fair evaluation by instructions, based upon clearly defined

     criteria presented at the beginning of the course.

 

Attendance Policy

 

In an online class, consistent attendance is paramount. Therefore, it is to students’ advantage to log on to the class site a minimum of four times a week to check announcements, contribute to class discussions and pick up any new assignments.  Students may reach the instructor by phone at 443-812-4381 or by email at kmurphy@frederick.edu with any questions regarding attendance.

 

FCC Attendance Policy

 

Students are expected to attend all class sessions except in cases of emergency, religious holidays, or participation in official College functions. In these cases, notification or verification, if requested, will be given to the instructor by the student.  In the case of absence for special reasons other than those mentioned above, it is the student's responsibility to confer with the instructor about whether the absence is to be considered excused.  When determining whether to consider an absence excused, the instructor may require such evidence as seems appropriate without placing undue hardship upon the student.

 

 

Responsibilities of Students For Online meetings

1.    Students are expected to be respectful to each other and to the instructor in discussion board and email messages.

 

2.    Students are expected to keep up with the flow of the course and to submit assignments by the assigned deadlines. Students are expected to treat the deadlines in this online course as they would the deadlines in a classroom course, not as a correspondence course with open-ended deadlines. In other words, this is not a self-paced course.

 

3.    Students are expected to hand in all assignments no later than Sunday at midnight of the week the assignment is due. The grade of a late paper will be lowered by 10% for each day the paper is late, unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor.

 

4.    Students are expected to uphold the College's Code of Academic Honesty.  Students are expected not to misrepresent someone else's work as their own.

 

5.    All students are expected to use their student email addresses provided by the College. The instructor will use these addresses to communicate with students.

 

6.    Students are expected to log on to the Blackboard website at least four to six times per week to check announcements, contribute to class discussions of readings, turn in assignments and pick up new assignments. All new material for the next week will be posted by the following Sunday at midnight (Monday).

 

7.    Students are expected to contribute a minimum of one intelligent and substantial comment of their own per week on the discussion board and are expected to post at least two responses to classmates’ posts. Students are expected to treat discussion board posts as they would treat an essay by posting grammatically correct and coherent sentences. Students will be graded on the quality of their posts.

 

8.    Students are expected to complete one timed writing assignment that is proctored by a staff member in the on-campus testing center.

 

9.    Students are expected to submit all essays via email using Microsoft Word 2003 or 2007. All Microsoft Word documents have the .doc extension. The instructor cannot support WordPerfect documents or any documents that have a .wps extension. Students who do not have Word on their home computers need to either purchase the software or find access to a computer that supports Word.

 

10.  All essays should be submitted to the instructor as an attachment through the Assignments feature in Blackboard. Students should not email essays the instructor, unless prior arrangements have been made.

 

FCC Email

 

For ease of communication between students and instructors, the College has made an email address available to all students. This address becomes available to students once they have enrolled; they need only to go onto the email website and activate it. Students should go online to activate their email addresses at the start of the course if they have not already done so. The instructor will communicate with students using this address only. Therefore, students are required to use their FCC email addresses. Students should check their FCC email daily.

 

Format of Essays

 

All essays should be formatted using MLA style. Students are expected to review the information available through the class website to find out how to format a paper’s headings and margins according to MLA style. Additionally, students are expected to review information on how to format in-text citations and Works Cited entries. Students who do not follow proper formatting will lose points on essays, particularly on the text analysis essay and the final research paper.

 

First Drafts

 

With the exception of the first essay, rough drafts are not a requirement of this course. However, the instructor will be happy to review drafts at a student’s request if the draft is submitted one week before the due date.

 

Feedback on Drafts

 

Students will be expected to submit a first draft for Essay 1 (compare/contrast) only. These drafts will be reviewed by the instructor using the “Track Changes” feature in Microsoft Word and emailed back to the student as an attachment. Specific instructions on how students can turn off this feature once the paper is returned will be posted on the class website.

 

Grading of Essays

 

Students are expected to write at the level appropriate to the course. The instructor will offer comments on first drafts to help students improve papers and will use a grading rubric to score final essays. Papers inappropriate for a mature, reasonably intelligent audience, as well as those weak in grammar or presented in an inappropriate format, may be failed or returned for a total revision.

 

Although the grading of individual assignments may vary, the following standards will, in general, be applied to written work in accordance with the statewide “C” Standard Guidelines:

 

An “A” paper is substantial, well developed, and effectively organized and presented. It demonstrates original or thoughtful engagement with content and sensitivity to diction, tone, and style. Its sentences are clear, precise, and well structured. The paper is appropriately documented and virtually error-free (especially of run on sentences and sentence fragments).

 

A “B” paper contains a number of strengths of an “A” paper, but typically lacks the thoughtfulness, originality, and sensitivity of the superior paper.  It is also virtually error-free.

 

A “C” paper fulfills the assignment and is adequately organized. The writer communicates ideas and develops a thesis, although supporting evidence may be minimal and organization rather mechanical. The writing is not marred by habitual or serious grammatical errors. Thought and expression are competent.

 

A “D” paper typically is marked by failure to focus on a thesis, is poorly organized, contains undeveloped ideas, and contains serious and habitual grammatical and mechanical errors.

 

An “F” paper may ignore the terms of the assignment, or it may be devoid of a thesis statement, support or organization. It typically contains numerous mechanical errors that seriously interfere with the reader’s ability to comprehend the writing. It may also be marred with serious errors in or a lack of documentation.

 

Grading of Discussion Board Posts

 

Students will be graded on the quality of their own discussion board posts and on their responses to their classmates’ posts. The grading rubric for discussion board posts can be found under the “Evaluation” button on the course site. Students are expected use correct grammar and spelling and are expected to write coherent sentences. Discussion board post grades will be factored in with the final participation grade.

 

Plagiarism

 

Students are expected to uphold the College's Code of Academic Honesty.  Students are expected not to misrepresent someone else's work as their own (see statement on plagiarism in the English Resource Book).

 

Students with Disabilities

 

FCC provides reasonable accommodations to otherwise qualified students with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and amendments.  Students with disabilities who are in need of accommodations must contact the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office at 301-846-2408 (A Building, Room 106A) in order to request and apply for services.  The SSD office will require appropriate documentation of a disability.  Questions related to accommodations or services can be directed to the SSD office.  Additional information related to services can be viewed at the following FCC web page:  http://www.frederick.edu/student_services/disability.aspx. 

Students who currently receive services from the SSD office, should submit their Student Success Plan to the instructor and make an appointment with her to discuss their accommodations and needs in class.  Any information shared with the instructor will be held in strict confidence, unless the student gives the instructor permission to do otherwise.


Tentative Topical Outline

This is a tentative course schedule. Changes will be made based on class progress. Students are expected to be aware of any changes made to the topical outline, as updates will be posted on the Blackboard website.

 

Week Number

Subject

Assignment Due

1

(5/31-6/7)

-Introduction to course

-Review “C” Standard

-Formatting Your Essays

-Discuss the art of the short story

-Discuss characterization

-Essay 1 Assigned

-Quiz 1 (By 6/7)

Read “The Art of the Short Story,” pgs. 3-6; “Characterization,” pgs. 854-857; “A Rose for Emily,” pgs. 238-245; “Revelation,” pgs. 689-704.

Link to Handout “Zebra Storyteller”

 

Answer Questions on the Discussion Board

2

(6/8-6/14)

-Discuss writing about fiction

-Discuss setting

-Quiz 2 (by 6/14)

Read “Writing About Fiction,” pgs. 863-867—Check the marginal notes in the sample; “Setting,” pgs. 859-860;

“The Lottery,” pgs. 390-398

“Happy Endings,” pgs. 22-25

“Where are you going, Where Have You Been?” pgs. 664-676

“Dead Man’s Path,” pgs. 10-13

 

Discussion Board: Answer questions on discussion board.

 

3

(6/15-6/21)

-Discuss symbolism

-Discuss plot

-Discuss theme

-Quiz 3 (by 6/21)

Link to Handout: Symbolism

Read “Writing About Literature,” pgs. 863-877; “Plot,” pgs. 849-854; “Theme,” pgs. 860-861

“Barn Burning,” pgs. 225-238

“Young Goodman Brown,” pgs. 348-357

“The Yellow Wallpaper,” pgs. 297-309

“How I Met My Husband,” pgs. 649-662

“The Story of an Hour,” pgs. 157-158

“Roman Fever,” pgs. 832-842

“A Good Man is Hard to Find,” pgs. 678-689

 

Discussion Board: Answer questions on discussion board.

Answer questions on discussion board

 

 

4

(6/22-6/28)

Mid-term Week

DUE: Essay 1

Essay 2 Assigned

Link to Handout: How to take an essay exam

5

(6/29-7/5)

-Discuss point of view

-Discuss Style

-Quiz 4 (by 7/5)

Read “Point of View,” pgs. 857-858; “Style,” pgs. 861-862; “Mythological Criticism,” pgs. 890-892

“The Open Boat,” pgs. 196-216

“A Party Down at the Square,” pgs. 218-223

“Everyday Use,” pgs. 810-818

“The Rocking-Horse Winner,” pgs. 517-529

6

(7/6-7/12)

-Discuss Critical Approaches to Literature

-Quiz 5 (by 7/12)

Read “Background,” pgs. 878-879;  “Psychological Criticism,” pgs. 887-889; “Formalist,” pgs. 879-88; “Biographical,” pgs. 881-884; “Historical,” pgs. 884-887

 

7

(7/13-7/19)

-Discuss Critical Approaches to Literature

-Quiz 6 (by 7/19)

“Psychological,” pgs. 887-889; “Mythological,” pgs. 890-892, “Sociological,” pgs. 892-895, “Gender,” pgs. 895-897; “Reader-Response,” pgs. 897-898, and “Deconstructionist,” pgs. 899-900

8

(7/20-7/25)

Due: Essay 2

Final Exam Week

 

 

Enjoy the rest of your summer!