Frederick Community
College
EN
101-ONL3 English Composition
Spring
2010
Instructor
Information
|
Instructor: Liz Hadley |
Office: BB Collaboration (online); Campus Office TBA |
|
E-mail: chadley@frederick.edu |
Phone
Number: 301-694-5983 (Home) 301-846-2600
(English Office) |
|
Office
Hours: By appointment only |
Campus
Mail Box Number: 212 |
Course Information
|
Credits:
3 |
Last
Date to Withdraw: Apr. 9, 2010 |
|
Prerequisites:
EN 50A (or satisfactory performance on writing assessment) and EN 52 (or
satisfactory performance on reading assessment) or ESL 95 and ESL 99. |
|
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 §
selecting and limiting a
topic. §
developing and supporting a
thesis with relevant and well-reasoned material. §
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. |
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Weekly reading
assignments of textbook chapters and model essays Class discussion
using the Discussion Board (DB) Instructor feedback
on assignments Individual
conferences Peer Responses
(optional but recommended) |
Texts
Required/Optional
|
Hacker,
Diana. The Bedford Handbook. 7th
ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006. Print. |
required |
|
Kennedy,
X.J., Dorothy Kennedy, and Marcia F. Muth. The
Bedford Guide for College
Writers. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. Print. |
required |
|
English
Composition Student Resource Site is at http://frederick.blackboard.com Login:
English; Password: Chalk |
recommended |
By the end of the sixth week of the semester, I will have
returned the Bliss/Profile Proposal, the
Narrative essay (comments, no grade), and the Process Analysis essay. At this
point, you will be able to evaluate your progress and decide if you need to
make any adjustments (additional time devoted to course, tutoring, conference
with me) to best assure your success in this course.
|
Assessment
Method (Please see Blackboard
Assignments for a complete description of each assignment.)
Tests / Papers /
Projects
|
Point Value
|
Final Grade Scale |
|
Bliss
Topic or Profile Proposal |
5 |
|
|
Narrative
Essay* |
0 |
|
|
Process
Analysis, Cause-Effect, Comparison-Contrast Drafts |
15 |
|
|
Revised
Essay** |
0 |
|
|
Library
“Quiz” |
5 |
A = 90-100 |
|
Annotated
Bibliography |
10 |
B = 80-89 |
|
Researched
Argumentation Draft |
10 |
C = 70-79 |
|
Writing
Portfolio (w/ Evaluation Essay) |
25 |
D = 60-69 |
|
Class
Participation/Discussion Board |
30 |
F = Below 60 |
|
Total |
100 |
|
Academic Honesty
Your inability to abide by the
College’s policies as written in the Student Handbook may result in failure of
this course. The Student Handbook is available through the Center for Student
Engagement or by visiting the Student Services web page at http://www.frederick.edu/student_services/index.aspx
See also the handout on Plagiarism and
Academic Dishonesty in Course Documents.
Student Services
There are a variety of services
available to students which will assist students in succeeding at FCC. Students
can learn more about these services in The Student Handbook, available through
the Center for Student Engagement; as well as by visiting the Student Services
web page http://www.frederick.edu/student_services/index.aspx
Students
with disabilities who are in need of accommodations, or who have questions
related to disabilities services, should contact the Services for Students with
Disabilities (SSD) office at 301-846-2408.
Additional information can be viewed at the following FCC web page: http://www.frederick.edu/studentservices/disability.aspx
|
This
course is taught online using Blackboard (BB). If you are unfamiliar with
BB’s features (such as Assignments, Discussion Board, My Grades, etc.), I
strongly recommend that you review the information available at http://www.frederick.edu/courses_and_programs/distancelearning.aspx, especially the
links for “Using Blackboard” and “About Learning Online.” I have also
included a “Getting Started” folder in the main menu of our class to help you
navigate BB, but if you require additional help, please send me an email
(chadley@frederick.edu) or contact the Office of Distance Learning
(301-846-2401). |
|
Your
attendance/class participation grade in this class is determined by your
participation in the Discussion Board (DB). Each week you will have a reading
assignment from the textbooks and/or Course Documents along with DB
questions. You will receive one point
for answering the questions and one
point for responding to at least two classmates’ responses for a total of two points per week. Your class
participation score in “My Grades” will go up each week based on your
participation. DB
questions will become available on the Sunday of each week. |
Course Documents
|
Most
reading assignments will come from the textbooks (The Bedford Guide for College Writers and The Bedford Handbook), but there are some readings that are not
available in these books. They have been put in BB as attachments in the Course Documents folder. I have
included the Week number when you should read them. Please let me know if you
are unable to open/view any of these attachments. |
Viewing Assignment
Prompts/Completing an Assignment/Submitting Assignments/Late Assignment Policy
|
Viewing Assignment
Prompts:
Click on Assignments from the main
menu. All prompts are displayed below the assignment name. The essay
assignments include a blank outline attachment to help your organize the
essay, which is available by clicking on the assignment name. Completing an
Assignment:
Most assignments require you to create and save a document on your computer
that you will then submit in BB as an attachment. I will accept documents
saved in .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .wps
format using Microsoft Word or Works. I cannot accept Wordpad,
Notepad, or Open Office documents (unless you export the Open Office document
as a Word document). Submitting an
Assignment:
To submit a completed assignment, click on the link View/Complete Assignment: [Name]. This takes you to the same page
where you can find the outline attachments. Click on Browse to find your assignment; click on the document name; and
then click on Open. You may write comments/questions in the Comments box if
you wish (this is especially useful if you have a problem in the essay, such
as needing help with a paragraph, needing additional ideas to meet the length
requirement, etc.). Finally, click on Submit.
Do not click on Save; this will “Save” the document in BB but it will not send it
to me. Late Assignment
Policy:
Assignments are due on the dates listed on the syllabus and in BB
Assignments. You do not need to ask for an extension on an assignment, but
all late assignments, regardless of reason, will be subject to the following
penalties: -
First Day: minus half a letter grade -
Second Day: minus full letter grade -
Third Day: minus two full letter grades No
assignments will be accepted after the third day past the deadline. If an
assignment is due on a Friday, it would lose half a letter grade if submitted
on Saturday, a full letter grade if submitted on Sunday, and two full letter
grades if submitted on Monday. The assignment would not be accepted and would
receive a zero if not submitted by Monday. If
you do not submit the draft of an essay, you may not revise it for the
Midterm and you may not include it in the Writing Portfolio. |
Viewing Graded
Assignments/My Grades
|
After
I receive an assignment from you, I will save it to my computer, read it, and
add comments in the right-hand margin and at the end as “Final Comments.” I
will then send the graded assignment back through BB. (For students using
Works, I will add comments/corrections as footnotes because Works does not
have the Comment feature). You
can view the grade/comments using the My Grades feature. From the main menu,
click on Grades/Tools and then click on My Grades. You will see a list of all
assignments and the grades you have received for completed assignments. The
key shows you that an equal sign (=) means that you have not submitted an
attachment for that assignment; an exclamation point (!) means you submitted
an assignment but it has not been graded; and a number means an assignment
has been graded. Click
on the number grade for an assignment. You should see your original
attachment as well as a new attachment from me. Click on the attachment from
me and open or save it to open later. Please let me know immediately if you
are unable to open an attachment or view the marginal comments. |
Office
Hours/Collaboration
|
In
lieu of face-to-face conferences, we will use the Collaboration feature for
online conferences. To enter the online office, click on Collaboration from
the main menu. You will see two chat rooms: the Virtual Classroom and the
Office Hours chat room. Click on the Join
button for the Office Hours chat room. BB will need to load a JAVA plug-in,
and then a new window will open in which we can send Instant Messages to each
other. If
your computer’s security software will not let you load the JAVA software, or
if you feel uncomfortable using the IM format, I am happy to have a phone
conference with you instead. Please
send me an email to schedule an online or phone conference. |
E-mail Communication
|
All students will receive and be expected
to use their FCC e-mail address for their professional correspondence
with faculty and staff at the college. Students can establish and access
their FCC e-mail accounts at the
login page: https://myfcc.frederick.edu. |
|
You
are required to come to FCC’s
campus on two occasions: -
Week 7 / Mar.
8-Mar. 13
for the proctored essay assignment. The English department requires all
students to write at least one essay in a proctored setting; your proctored
assignment is the [ ] essay. -
Sometime during
Weeks 10-12 / Apr. 4-Apr. 23 to answer questions for the Library “Quiz”
in preparation for the Annotated Bibliography and the Researched
Argumentation (see BB Assignments) *If
you live significantly far away from FCC’s campus (50+ miles), you are exempt
from coming to campus for these assignments. However, you will be responsible
for contacting an institution closer to your home in order to write the
proctored essay, and you will need to find a library close to home that can
provide you with print sources for your Annotated Bibliography and Researched
Argumentation. Please let me know as soon as possible if you need
accommodations for these assignments.* |
Key:
BGCW = Bedford Guide for College Writers;
BH = Bedford Handbook; BB Course Doc
= Blackboard Course Document
**I will be adding
reading assignments after I receive your Bliss Topic and Profile Proposals. I
would like most of the reading assignments to relate to the topics that interest
you. These reading assignments will be posted in the DB and Course Docs so that
you know what to read each week**
|
Week |
Dates |
Subject |
Content/Assignment |
|
1 |
Jan.
24-Jan. 30 |
Introduction/Overview
of Syllabus and Course; Plagiarism Policy Assign/discuss
“Bliss Topic and Personal Profile Proposals” (due in BB by Mon., Feb. 1 at 5:00pm) Active
Reading; Preparations for Writing |
“Getting
Started” BB folder; Syllabus (BB Course Doc); Handout on Plagiarism (BB
Course Doc) BB
Assignments and Week 1 DB Forum “Reading
Processes” (BGCW pg. 21-29); “How to Mark a Book” (BB Course Doc); “A
door…you are willing to shut” (BB Course Doc) |
|
2 |
Jan.
31-Feb. 6 |
Bliss Topic
Proposal due in BB by Mon., Feb. 1 at 5:00pm Prewriting
and Planning Narrative;
Assign the Narrative Draft |
“Generate
Ideas/Sketch a Plan” (BH pg. 2-26); “Strategies for Stating a Thesis and
Planning” (BGCW pg. 310-319); “How to Say Nothing in 500 Words” (BB Course
Doc) “Recalling
an Experience” (BGCW pg. 55-66); from An American Childhood (BGCW
577-579); “Unforgettable Miss Bessie” (BGCW pg. 580-584) |
|
3 |
Feb.
7-Feb.13 |
Organizing
an Essay; Drafting; Document Design Bliss/Profile
articles Narrative Essay due
in BB by Sat., Feb. 13 at 12:00 noon |
“Organizing
Your Ideas” (BGCW pg. 319-333); “Drafting” (BH pg. 31-42); “Strategies for
Drafting” (BGCW pg. 334-344); “MLA Essay Format” (BH pg. 122-123) TBA |
|
4 |
Feb.
14-Feb. 20 |
Process
Analysis; Assign the Process Analysis Draft Point
of View; Coherence |
“Process
Analysis” (BB Course Doc); “Your New Computer” (BB Course Doc); “Email: What
You Should—And Should Not—Say” (BB Course Doc) “Point
of View” (BH pg. 56-60); “Make Paragraphs Coherent” (BH pg. 91-98);
“Achieving Coherence” (BGCW pg. 346-349) |
|
5 |
Feb.
21-Feb. 27 |
Visual
Aids Bliss/Profile
articles Process Analysis
Draft due in BB by Sat., Feb. 27 at 12:00 noon |
“Consider
Adding Visuals” (BH pg. 113-120); “Using Visuals to Reinforce Your Content”
(BGCW pg. 410-416) TBA |
|
6 |
Feb.
28-Mar. 6 |
Cause-Effect;
Assign Cause-Effect Draft Preparing
for the Proctored Essay |
“Explaining
Causes and Effects” (BGCW pg. 121-134); “Why We Crave Horror Movies” (BGCW
pg. 512-514); “I Want a Wife” (BGCW pg. 497-499) “Writing
for Assessment” (BGCW pg. 277-286) |
|
7 |
Mar.
7-Mar. 13 |
Proctored Cause-Effect
Draft to be written at FCC’s Testing Center between Mar. 8 and Mar. 13 |
(No
reading assignments or DB questions for this week) |
|
8 |
Mar.
14-Mar. 20 |
Comparison-Contrast;
Assign Comparison-Contrast Draft Common
Sentence Errors |
“Comparing
and Contrasting” (BGCW pg. 104-117); “Neat People vs. Sloppy People” (BGCW pg
105-107); “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” (BGCW pg. 453-457) “Sentence
Fragments” (BH pg. 238-245); “Run-On Sentences” (BH pg. 248-255) |
|
9 |
Mar.
21-Mar. 27 |
Bliss/Profile
Articles Comparison-Contrast
Draft due in BB by Sat., Mar. 27 at
12:00 noon |
TBA |
**Spring
Break: Mar. 28-Apr. 3**
|
10 |
Apr.
4-Apr. 10 |
Assign/discuss
Revised Essay Revising
your Writing Assign
Research Project (Library “Quiz,” Annotated Bibliography, and Researched
Argumentation) |
“Make
Global Revisions; then Revise Sentences” (BH pg. 42-65); “The Maker’s Eye”
(BB Course Doc) Please
read the prompts for these assignments and begin thinking about a
controversial topic you could write about for the Researched Argumentation. I
recommend beginning to work on the Library “Quiz” and Annotated Bibliography
as soon as possible. We will have our formal discussion of these assignments
during Weeks 11 and 12 |
|
11 |
Apr.
11-Apr.17 |
Revised Essay due
in BB by Mon., Apr. 12 at 5:00pm Organizing
the Researched Argumentation Choosing
a Side; Proposing a Solution; Researched Writing |
“Elements
of an Argumentation” (BB Course Doc) “Taking
a Stand” (BGCW pg. 147-158, 37-47); “Proposing a Solution” (BGCW pg.
166-177); “Supporting a Position with Sources” (BGCW pg. 199-212) |
|
12 |
Apr.
18-Apr. 24 |
Conducting
Research; Annotated Bibliography MLA
Format: Works Cited and In-Text Citations Library “Quiz” and Annotated
Bibliography due in BB by Sat., Apr. 24 at 5:00pm |
“Quick
Research Guide” (BGCW pg. A1-A13); Using the FCC Library Catalogs (BB Course
Doc); “Annotated Bibliography” handout (BB Course Doc) “Documenting
Sources in MLA Style: 2009 Update” (BB Course Doc) |
|
13 |
Apr.
25-May 1 |
Evaluate
Sample Researched Argumentation Papers Assign/discuss
Writing Portfolio (including Evaluation Essay) Sign
up for Conferences (required) |
Sample
Researched Argumentation Papers (BB Course Doc) “Evaluating”
(BGCW pg. 183-198); “Writing for Portfolio Assessment” (BGCW pg. 286-290) |
|
14 |
May
2-May 8 |
Researched
Argumentation Draft due in BB by Mon., May 3 at 5:00pm Conferences
to discuss Portfolio Essays (May 5-May 12) |
|
|
15 |
May
9-May 14 |
Conferences
to discuss Portfolio Essays (May 5-May 12) Portfolio
“Presentations” (DB) Writing Portfolio
due by Fri., May 14 at 5:00pm |
|
May 17-May 18:
Make-up days due to inclement weather