ENGL& 101 - English
Composition I Syllabus
Spring Quarter 2013
Instructor: James Goldsmith
E-mail: Please use email in
Canvas. The only exception would be if Canvas is broken. In that case, use my
Bellevue College email: jgoldsmi@bellevuecollege.edu
Office
Hours:
I live in Vancouver, WA, so person-to-person conferences don't work. We
will do all our communication via email. In past quarters this has not
presented any problems.
Books and Materials:
Required
Richard
Marius. A Writer’s Companion, 4th edition.
Donald
McQuade. The Writer’s Presence, 7th
edition.
Grading:
In
order to remain eligible for a passing grade, students are required to complete
every assignment in a timely manner. Failure to complete, at a basic
satisfactory level, even one assignment means the student will no longer be
eligible for a passing grade.
Late
work is penalized by a 10% reduction the first 24-hour block. For each
additional 24-hour block, the grade will be reduced an additional 20%.
For
most assignments, if the work is not turned in within 7 24-hour blocks, the
student is no longer eligible for a passing grade. There are exceptions to
this, and they will be noted.
*
NOTE: To figure out your grade at any time, simply divide the total points you
have earned by the total points you have submitted to that point. I use
standard percentage markings:
93-100%
= A, 90-92% = A-, 88-89% = B+, 83-87% = B, 80-82% = B-, and so on. . .
Projected
point totals (subject to change)
Intro
Assignment
10
4
Essays preliminaries 5 each
4
Feedback exercises 10 each
4
Instructor drafts 100 each
3
Rewrites
100 each
20
Essay discussions 5 each
4
Marius Assignments 10 each
The
link to the College Grading Policy is located on page 10 of the Course Catalog
and also on the web at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/policies/3/3000_grading.asp.
Course Outcomes:
Demonstrate
various invention practices: brainstorming, free writing, outlining,
journaling.
Demonstrate
ability to writer in various modes: personal narrative, expository, analytical,
descriptive, argumentative.
Demonstrate
the phases of writing: draft, revision, final copy.
Explore
sources of writing: reading, thinking, analyzing, discussing.
Create
a thesis statement that suggests the focus of the paper, but dies not point out
the obvious, and is written as a sentence.
Develop
and include enough details and examples to support the identified theses and
reinforce focus.
Demonstrate
various patterns of organization and use the organization pattern that suits
identified purpose and audience.
Illustrate
the concept of “audience.”
Artfully
combine audience, purpose and tone in compositions written in and outside of
class.
Write
in a vocabulary appropriate to the subject and identified audience.
Begin
and conclude a paper effectively.
Show
effective control of mechanics: paragraphing, punctuation, spelling.
Differentiate
between key ideas and supporting details in reading.
Locate
the thesis statement in reading assignments.
Practice
good group skills: how to give useful feedback and make use of the feedback
received.
Develop
self-assessment skills.
Instructor’s
Expectations:
Please
note that the first two can determine passing or failing.
I
expect that you will complete every assignment, no matter how small, seemingly
insignificant or unimportant. You must complete every assignment in a timely
manner to remain eligible for a passing grade. "Timely manner" will
vary. I'll keep you abreast. Late work loses credit rapidly. I'm deeply
sympathetic to explanations for late work (I understand that stuff happens),
but I'll never excuse it. Bottom line: late is late.
I
expect that your essays will average at least a grade of C in order to move to
English 201, 270, 271 or 272.
I
expect that you have come to this class with a working usage of modern English
grammar, as English 101 does not teach grammar. I may suggest additional
non-graded work for students who struggle with grammar. I set aside a segment
of our website to provide a grammar and mechanics help area, complete with
exercises; use it if you have these problems. I encourage you to utilize
BC's excellent Writing Lab, either by way of the "virtual tutor" or
in person on campus. All papers with major grammatical errors lose points in
this class. See the Major Grammar Errors page in the Mechanics area under the
Resources and Tool link for help in identifying these errors.
I
expect that you will take care to back up your papers and other assignments on
more than one disk and/or store them on your hard drive AND a disk. Never
trust an instructor with the only copy of an assignment. If some computer
catastrophe should occur, you will still be responsible for producing the work
by the due date in order to get a grade. Be careful--save and back your work up
regularly!
I
expect that you will show respect to everyone by responding to e-mail and
discussion postings in a way that is not judgmental, degrading, or
derogatory. Even though we may disagree with the interpretations of others,
please use some self-restraint and compassion in responding to others' ideas.
Logical and questioning responses are encouraged. Choose your words and the
tone of your message with utmost care. I also expect tolerance for others'
abilities and learning styles.
I expect
that you will try to the best of your ability to master the skills taught in
this class. According to the English department at BC, by the end of the
quarter, you should:
use a variety of prewriting methods to develop ideas and organize a writing
plan.
revise, edit, and proofread papers (both on and off the computer) until the
final submitted draft shows the skill and effort you have put into it.
write for a specific audience with a specific purpose, as assigned, using an
appropriate voice and tone.
build a complex, but coherent paper around your own thoughts and analyses.
use a single, well-stated sentence that clearly expresses the central idea of
your essay, focuses your topic, and controls ideas to the point of creating
unity.
connect paragraphs to the thesis and to each other; produce a smooth flow of
ideas using appropriate coherence techniques.
construct unified paragraphs that develop and support the main idea with
specific examples and concrete details.
analyze, evaluate and interpret complex material.
write essays with effective introductions and conclusions.
construct clear, grammatically correct sentences of precise and appropriate
words.
understand and apply subordination and coordination in sentences to emphasize
important ideas.
be able to differentiate your personal opinions and assumptions from another's.
be able to self-assess. (Please see the Resources & Tools page for more
help with the composition skills listed above).
I
expect honesty. Plagiarizing is cheating, as is copying answers on a
test, glancing at nearby test papers, swapping papers, buying papers, using
ideas from other sources without proper documentation, writing papers for
others, or having them written for you. BC utilizes a plagiarism detection
software, and I use it for random spots checks. Plus, if I even remotely
suspect your paper sounds plagiarized, I will submit it to this site. If you
cheat or plagiarize, the following actions will be taken:
You will receive a grade of "0" on the work (period).
A second instance means an F for the course.
A report of the incident will be filed in the Dean of Students' Office. This
report may become part of your permanent record or the Dean may choose to
pursue further disciplinary action.
English
101 is a completely online class; you are not required to attend classroom
sessions. However, English 101 is NOT a correspondence course, completed on
your own timetable. You must participate in an ongoing, timely manner to
successfully fulfill the requirements of the course.
This
online course will require you to have some particular attributes and skills:
college
level reading and comprehension skills
good
self-motivation
good
problem solving skills
the
ability to communicate clearly in writing
the
ability to learn well in a totally visual medium
the
ability to follow written directions
the
ability to use your computer to complete various tasks, including (but not
limited to) uploading and downloading files as well as attaching files to
e-mail messages as required
the
ability to ask questions as needed.
Many
students mistakenly believe that writing is a talent, given to everyone else.
But writing is not a single task, accomplished in isolation. Writing is a
skill, developed with practice in reading texts, analyzing texts, thinking
through the texts and then lastly, writing these ideas down. Anyone with enough
determination and effort can learn to communicate effectively in writing. This
class is designed to use writing, in the form of an academic college essay, to
improve your written communication skills as well as your critical reading and
thinking skills. Some students probably have a measure of these skills already.
Some students may be better at some skills and feel less comfortable with the
others. Whatever your abilities before now, I ask you to approach the class
with compassion and tolerance for each other.
If
you signed up for this course thinking that it would have less work than a
course in the classroom, you were mistaken. Any online course has more
writing work than a class in the classroom as all of our communication must be
written. Please be advised that the workload may be very difficult for you if
work and/or family demands do not allow you a minimum of two to three
uninterrupted hours every weekday to work on the assignments for this class.
I have tried to focus and space assignments to facilitate as many learning
styles as possible, but you may need to schedule extra time, especially around
paper writing/editing time, depending on your ability to read or write.
Student
Responsibilities
Because
of the special method of course delivery, several requirements must be met.
First
and probably most important, you MUST have a computer and required software and
services.
In
order to use our class website effectively, you MUST set up your computer to
the appropriate specifications. Check out that information by clicking on the
"Run a Browser Check" link on the "Log In" page, to the
right of the box where you enter your username and password.
Affirmation
of Inclusion
Bellevue
College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the
campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free
from harassment and discrimination.
We
value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty,
staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and
respect. http://bellevuecollege.edu/about/goals/inclusion.asp
Division
Statements
Information
about Bellevue College's copyright guidelines can be found at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/lmc/links/copyright.html
A good resource for Plagiarism is the Writing Lab: http://bellevuecollege.edu/writinglab/Plagiarism.html
Student
Code
“Cheating,
stealing and plagiarizing (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own
without crediting the source) and inappropriate/disruptive classroom behavior
are violations of the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue College.
Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to: talking out
of turn, arriving late or leaving early without a valid reason, allowing cell
phones/pagers to ring, and inappropriate behavior toward the instructor or
classmates. The instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of
Conduct to the Vice President of Student Services for possible probation or
suspension from Bellevue College. Specific student rights,
responsibilities and appeal procedures are listed in the Student Code of
Conduct, available in the office of the Vice President of Student
Services.” The Student Code, Policy 2050, in its entirety is located at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/policies/2/2050_Student_Code.asp
The
instructor reserves the right to use any and all plagiarism-checking resources.
Penalties for plagiarism range from automatic F (zero points) for a give
assignment, to course failure.
Important
Links
Bellevue
College E-mail and access to MyBC
All
students registered for classes at Bellevue College are entitled to a network
and e-mail account. Your student network account can be used to access
your student e-mail, log in to computers in labs and classrooms, connect to the
BC wireless network and log in to MyBC. To
create your account, go to: https://bellevuecollege.edu/sam.
BC
offers a wide variety of computer and learning labs to enhance learning and
student success. Find current campus locations for all student labs by visiting
the Computing
Services website.
Disability Resource Center (DRC)
The
Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array of learning
challenges and disabilities. If you are a student who has a disability or
learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen someone for
treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to be successful
in college, please contact us as soon as possible.
If
you are a person who requires assistance in case of an emergency situation,
such as a fire, earthquake, etc, please meet with your individual instructors
to develop a safety plan within the first week of the quarter.
The
DRC office is located in B 132 or you can call our reception desk at
425.564.2498. Deaf students can reach us by video phone at 425-440-2025
or by TTY at 425-564-4110. . . Please visit
our website for application information into our program and other helpful
links at www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc
Public
Safety
The
Bellevue College (BC) Public Safety Department’s well trained and courteous
non-commissioned staff provides personal safety, security, crime prevention,
preliminary investigations, and other services to the campus community, 24
hours per day, 7 days per week. Their phone number is 425.564.2400.
The Public Safety website is your one-stop resource for campus emergency
preparedness information, campus closure announcements and critical information
in the event of an emergency. Public Safety is located in K100 and on the web
at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/publicsafety/
Final Exam Schedule
No
final exams in this course.
Academic Calendar
The
Bellevue College Academic Calendar is separated into two calendars. They
provide information about holidays, closures and important enrollment dates
such as the finals schedule.
· Enrollment
Calendar - http://bellevuecollege.edu/enrollment/calendar/deadlines/.
On this calendar you will find admissions and registration dates and important
dates for withdrawing and receiving tuition refunds.
·
College Calendar - http://bellevuecollege.edu/enrollment/calendar/holidays/0910.asp.
This calendar gives you the year at a glance and includes college holidays,
scheduled closures, quarter end and start dates, and final exam dates.