ENC 1101 Syllabus – Fall
2009
Mrs. Slavicz
Ph. 646-2348
T 241
Office hours will be posted on my web site
www1.fccj.edu/sslavicz E Mail: Sslavicz@fccj.edu
“If
you wish to be a writer, write.”
Epictetus (c. 60-110)
Greek Philosopher
Texts: Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writers. New York: Bedford, 2009.
Anderson, Debra J. College Culture, Student Success. New York: Pearson Longman,
2008.
material
This class will deal primarily with two types of writing - the structured, well-planned essay and the timed in-class essay. Students will also be introduced to documentation styles for college research papers and will have to use MLA documentation. While writing style will be our primary focus, we will also strive to correct any individual grammatical problems. Students will take a grammar test at the beginning of the semester to determine any weaknesses, but much of the class’s success in correcting these problems will depend upon student revisions; the students who conscientiously revise will find that their writing improves in proportion to their efforts. Revisions will be allowed only on the first two papers. Papers which are substandard will not receive a grade and must be redone completely.
Grading
90-100 A * Please note that a D or F in this class
80-89 B requires repetition of the course. This three hour 70-79 C course serves to meet the “Gordon Rule”
60-69 D writing requirement as specified by State Board 59 and below failing Rule 6A-10.030 by requiring students to demonstrate college level writing skills through the completion of multiple substantial writing assignments.
Each student’s grade will depend upon three basic aspects of the class. Students will receive a grade for the following:
5 out of class, formal essays: 50%
2 in class essays (tests): 30%
Participation (homework, in class work): 20%
SCHEDULES
During the first week of
class you will be given a calendar for the course which will include major readings
and assignment dates. You should always
have this schedule with you when you come to class, and if you miss class you
should check with me or another student to see if the schedule has changed or
had additions.
HOMEWORK
You
will be asked to respond to readings in College Culture, Student Success for
each writing unit: you will sometimes be asked to post these responses to
Blackboard (a web based platform).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Attend and actively participate in class
Participate in the in-class group work
Participate in class discussions/activities
To pass this class, students must turn in all five major papers. Students must also write at least one acceptable in class essay and must demonstrate their ability to write successful college essays by submitting acceptable final papers. .
An incomplete (I) will only be given to a student who has completed 90% of the class work and is passing the course with a C or better.
FN Grade – This grade is “failure for nonattendance.” Students who fail to remain active in the course and who do not officially withdraw will receive the FN grade.
W Grade – Students may withdraw from the course by the stated withdrawal date.
REMEMBER - If a Florida resident has to take the same class three times, he or she must pay out of state tuition.
ALSO NOTE
Late papers will be marked a letter grade off. If the papers are more than two weeks late the penalty will be 30 points off the grade. Homework can be made up for half credit. In class assignments may not be made up, but if you have completed all in class assignments, you will usually have extra points.
Attendance
**Note: A student’s class attendance directly affects his or her grade. Non-attendance results in missed assignments, incomplete work, and confusion. Since much of this class will be discussion and workshop, students should make every effort to attend class. A participation grade will be given based upon the group work in class; each assignment will count as five points.
If an absence is unavoidable, you should make every effort to make up missed work as soon as possible. Three absences will be considered reasonable, after which I will deduct two points from your final average for every absence. If a student is habitually late to class, the participation grade will be lowered.
You may check my web site: www1.fccj.edu/sslavicz for a link to our online catalogue which details college policies on withdrawal from classes both by students and instructors.
Final Exam: The final exam will be an in-class essay. If a student has passed both in-class essays and has at least a C average, he or she may exempt the final.
Classroom etiquette:
Cell phones should be turned off before entering the classroom; if you must have one on for a job or for children, please put the phone on vibrate.
If you must take a call, please step outside to hold a discussion.
Be on time to class; important instructions concerning the calendar or assignments will be given during the first five minutes of class.
All students are expected to show respect for one another. Upon entering the classroom, turn off all cell phones, radios, pagers, IPods, DC players, etc. All cell phones are to be placed in a book bag, purse or pocket. If you are expecting an emergency call, please advise me in advance.
Skills to Bring to Class
Computer/typing skills Long
term organizational skills
Basic grammar and twelfth
grade vocabulary An open, questioning mind
Careful and attentive reading
skills Personal
initiative
Persistence Social
adaptability
ACADEMIC HONESTY
College students are
responsible for completing their own work.
Turning in work that has been plagiarized is a serious offense that at a
minimum will result in a failing grade for the plagiarized assignment and at the
maximum will result in a failing grade for the course. See the link to the card catalogue for the
school’s policy on academic honesty.
www.fccj.org/resources/catalogs/2002_2003/rules/dueprocessproc.html
Working Cooperatively
Talk
quietly
Listen
carefully to others
Make
sure everyone contributes
Be
positive and constructive
Seek
accuracy
Class objectives
1. Word Choice Skills
A.
Recognize meanings of words through context
B.
Avoid wordiness
2. Sentence Structure Skills
A.
Place modifiers correctly
B.
Recognize correct coordination and subordination sentence elements
C.
Use parallel expressions for parallel ideas
D.
Avoid fragments, comma splices, and run-on sentences
3. Grammar skills
A.
Use standard verb forms
B.
Maintain agreement between subject and verb
C.
Maintain agreement between pronoun and antecedent
D.
Use proper pronoun case forms
E.
Use adjectives and adverbs correctly
F.
Use standard spelling
G.
Use standard punctuation
H. Use
standard capitalization
The following skills will be
necessary to write acceptable essays.
4, Structure
A.
Write a thesis statement which shows control of the material
B.
Develop essay following a pattern which is suggested by a clear thesis
C.
Separate paragraphs according to a logical pattern
D.
Use details in paragraphs to support statements
E.
Use appropriate language for subject matter
F.
Choose appropriate purpose and audience for the essay
5. MLA Documentation
A. Correctly use in text documentation
B. Correctly write a Works Cited page
A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT
As the first college level
writing course at FCCJ, Comp I can be challenging. If you are concerned that your grammar or
writing skills are not college level, I encourage you to see this course as an
opportunity to correct these deficiencies.
I will allow you to revise your first two papers, and I suggest that if
you have errors in your papers which you do not understand, that you make use
of our learning lab in G200. Your lab
fees pay for qualified English tutors who are eager to help you improve those
skills. Also, we find a great
correlation between writing skills and reading.
I suggest that you read something challenging every day - if you don’t
have a school assignment to read, pick up a magazine or the editorial page of
the newspaper. Finally, we find often in
college that it is not a lack of talent or intelligence which leads to drop out
and failure, but a lack of persistence and confidence. Convince yourself that this is important: put
school above parties, turn down overtime, complete homework before you watch t.v. Remember - as
a college graduate you may begin work
at the same salary as a nongraduate, but over the years your income opportunities
and your job opportunities will be greater!
Syllabus quiz:
If you
have read this far congratulations!
Complete the answers to this and bring them with you to class. Let’s
keep quiet about this and see how many people read the syllabus, ok? Write the
answers to these on a separate sheet of paper and bring them to our next class
meeting.
1. What grade do you need for
this class to get credit for it?
2. What two types of writing will we deal with
in this class?
3. How many absences are considered acceptable
in the class?
4. How do excessive absences affect your grade?
5. List an objective for the class that you feel
will be important for you to master.
6. What happens to the grades of late papers?
7. When are they late?
8. What percentage of your grade will come from the
out of class essays?
9. What can you do if you are having trouble
with grammar in your papers?
10. What will be one of the best ways to improve
your grammar skills?
E