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Syllabus ENG 112-08: College Composition and Argument, Fall 2007/8
(MWF 11:00 a.m.-11:50 a.m., Room: TOS 111) Dr. Désiré Baloubi Office: Old Education Building #6 Office Phones: (919) 546-8307/546-8254, Email: dbaloubi@shawu.edu Office Hours: T/TH, 9:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m. Conceptual Framework: “To produce graduates who are critical thinkers and problem solvers with the professional dispositions and technological skills necessary to function as competent and effective teachers in a diverse world.” Required texts: Seeing and Writing. Donald McQuade and Christine McQuade, Bedford-St. Martin’s, 2006. A good English dictionary (latest edition) Specialty Area Standards: Standard 3: Teachers know and understand written and oral composition processes. Standard 6: Teachers use effective strategies and techniques in teaching English Language Arts (ELA). Standard 7: Teachers evaluate and select appropriate, high-quality resources that support learning of the ELA. Standard 10: Teachers use instruction that promotes understanding of varied uses and purposes for language. Diversity Standard: Teachers respect and accommodate areas of exceptionality in learning, including learning disabilities, visual and perceptual difficulties, special physical or mental challenges, and giftedness. Specific Indicators (approved by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction): 3:1. Teachers understand how different forms of oral and written discourse can influence thought and action. 3:3. Teachers understand composition theory. 6:2. Teachers develop interdisciplinary teaching strategies and materials. 6:3. Teachers promote active, personal engagement through reading, writing, and discussion. 7:1. Teachers emphasize interdisciplinary connections through materials selected. 7:2. Teachers promote awareness of diversity through selection of appropriate instructional materials. 7:3. Teachers use information on developmental characteristics of students to provide rich and appropriately challenging materials. 10:1. Teachers model Standard English. 10:3. Teachers read and write regularly with students. 13:1. Teachers use instructional materials to meet the various needs of students. 13:2. Teachers use varying strategies and techniques to meet the individual needs of students. Student Classroom Decorum Expectations To enhance the learning atmosphere of the classroom, students are expected to dress and behave in a fashion conducive to learning in the classroom. More specifically, students will refrain from disruptive classroom behavior, that is, talking to classmates, disrespectful responses to teacher instructions; swearing; wearing clothes that impede academic learning such as but not limited to wearing body-revealing clothing and excessively baggy pants; hats/caps; and/or headdress. Students will turn off telephones prior to entering the classroom. Students who exhibit the behaviors described above, or similar behaviors, will be immediately dismissed from class at the third documented offense. The student will be readmitted to class only following a decision by the department chair. The student may appeal the decision of the department chair to the Dean of the College offering the course, and, subsequently, to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and then to the President of Shaw University. The decision of the President will be final. Failure to follow the procedures herein outlined will result in termination of the appeal, and revert to the decision of the department chair. Each behavior construed by the teacher/professor as non-contributive to learning will be recorded, properly documented, and appropriately reported to the student and to the chair of the academic department offering the course. The report will be in written form with a copy provided to both the student and the department chair. The faculty member should retain a copy for his/her own records. Additional student behavior codes may be found in Student Affairs. Course Content There will be three types of major essays, portfolio of journal entries, homework assignments, reading assignments, in-class & Blackboard discussions, and peer review. Exam: There will be a midterm and a Final Exam, both mainly focused on error-free sentence skills: grammar, punctuation, and mechanics. Papers must be double-spaced, submitted with a title page identifying the assignment, the date, your name and my name. Please use Times font, size 11-12. Course Objectives: 1. To develop confidence and expertise in writing clear, organized, coherent, expository essays 2. To develop error-free sentence skills based on correct usage of grammar Policies and Requirements: - Attendance Attendance is very critical. If you miss more than 4 classes, you will have your final grade lowered by one letter grade for each additional absence. Please note that I will make no distinction between excused and unexcused absences. It?s also your responsibility to find out what you missed in class and adjust accordingly. - Late Assignments will NOT accept late assignments. I expect you to complete them ALL on time to be turned in at the beginning of each class session. I will not pick up any assignments left on my door, and please make sure you turn in only hard copies. Absence from class is not an excuse. If you absolutely cannot be in class on due date or if you have any major problems you can document, email me your assignment by the deadline. But you still must provide me with a hard copy before I will grade it. - Plagiarism There are two kinds of plagiarism, unintentional and intentional. Unintentional plagiarism is the sloppy, careless, unclear, or incorrect citation of sources. In other words, unintentional plagiarism happens when you make certain kinds of mistakes. Avoiding and/or correcting those mistakes is what this course is all about. Pay careful attention to corrections I make on your papers so that you can earn better grades on subsequent papers. Intentional plagiarism means cheating -- turning in someone else?s work as your own or copying from sources without providing documentation. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, such activities as buying ready-made term papers, either from a person or from a website; downloading a free essay from a website, in whole or in part; cutting and pasting material (even one sentence) from a website to your essay without proper documentation; having someone else write your paper or revise it for you; turning in a paper someone else has turned in, either for this course or another; turning in the same paper for two different courses. Please note that anything you can find on the internet, I can find on the internet, whether it?s a term paper mill or a website. To repeat: an essay which includes any plagiarized material fails, scoring 0 points with no opportunity for revision (Weil 2006). - Conferences I will be available for conferences during my office hours. You may also make an appointment to meet with me if those hours are not convenient. - Course Requirements Narrative Essay 10% Library Research (documented for at least 10 weeks) 10% Midterm Exam 15% Portfolio (5 journals) 25% Description Essay 10% Comparison/Contrast Essay/Argument 10%
Final Exam 20%
Notes: Each essay is 10-paragraph long, and each paragraph is 5-6 sentences
Each journal, on the other hand, is 5-paragraph long, and each paragraph is 5-6 sentences.
Weekly Schedule:
Introduction to the course; Review syllabus
Seeing and Writing pp. xxix-vi (Introduction) Collaborative writing (in class) Writing: Diagnostic Writing Assigned (individual = Journal 1)
Week 2
Keys For Writers (KFW), pp. 21-35
Discuss descriptive writing—Essay 1 is assigned (description: any topic)
Discuss persuasive power of description and advertisement
Discuss “Observing The Ordinary” and read “Have One.”
Week 3 Assign topic—in class writing of essay and research topic KFW, pp. 15-31 Discuss the basic parts of an essay Journal 2 is assigned: Write about what you believe to be the role of the media in a democratic society (Journal 2) Read :Untitled”—Journal 1 is due—Also assigned: the abstract of Essay 2 (Research & Report Writing: Any topic related to Mass Communication)
Week 4 Rough drafts for feedback/collaborative learning/conferences/in class presentations Discuss: Critical analysis, figurative language, and voice. Present & discuss: abstract of Essay 2 (due).
Week 5 Essay one is due Outline for Research Project Discuss television genres Assign writing task Read “Television Moon” Discuss the central role of TV (question 2) –Journal 2 is due Journal 3 is assigned: Write a letter to a friend, describing the process of researching something (name it specifically) online and in the Shaw libraries.
Week 6 Discuss position paper/theme Assign writing task Writing draft (Introduction), KFW, p. 21
Week 7 Rough drafts due for feedback/conferences/in class presentation/collaborative learning Essay 2 and Journal 3 are due/ Journal 4 is assigned (Write about argumentative essays—Elements of argumentation; what makes it effective; provide useful and relevant references) KFW, p. 128 Analysis of Essay Review
Week 8 Discuss assigned topic (Broad to Specific) Writing thesis and outline (research due) Midterm (date tba) Documentation, KFW—Journal 4 is due/Journal 5 is assigned (write an explanatory report on documenting outside sources in essay writing—choose either MLA or APA)
Week 9 Library Week (mandatory): Revise thesis and outline & prepare documentation
Week 10 Practice documentation—Bring Library Research (findings) Write Introduction Draft—bring 3 different research sources Peer review of intro and documentation Discuss how to quote, paraphrase, and summarize to avoid plagiarism—Journal 5 is due.
Week 11 Typed rough draft is due In-class writing (Peer Review) Getting started on second draft
Week 12 Read S & W, pp. 380-385 and answer writing question one, p. 494 Read/Discuss S & W, p. 622 and p. 490
Week 13 Read/Discuss “The Experience of Place” S & W, pp. 182-185 Tony Hiss, p.185: meaning, metaphors Argumentative Essay (KFW), p. 44
Week 14 Library Week (mandatory) & Conferences (optional)
Week 15 Final Paper is due & Final Exam
Week 16 Final Grades Posted
Important Dates 8/27: last day to add or drop a course; Sept 3 Labor Day; 9/20 Fall Convocation; 10/2-4: Midterm grades are due; 10/12: Founder’s Day; 10/18: last day to withdraw from a course; 10/27: Online registration for spring begins; 11/21-25: Thanksgiving Holiday; 11/30: last day of classes; 12/1, 3-6: Final Exam Week; 12/11: All Final Grades are due.
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