Cincinnati Christian University
Foster School of Biblical Studies, Arts & Sciences
ENGL 110 05 COLLEGE ENGLISH 1 (Section 5)
3 Semester Hours Credit
Fall 2013
Instructor: Prof. Shawnee Fleenor
Class Times: MWF: 12:30 – 1:20 p.m.
Office: Presidents Hall
Office Phone: 244-8159
Office Hours: MWF 10-l1 a.m. (or by appointment)
E-mail: Shawnee.fleenor@ccuniversity.edu
DESCRIPTION
A general composition course enabling students to practice communicating in appropriate and effective forms
for a variety of audiences and purposes. Emphasis is placed on writing from different patterns of development
with supplemental material covering grammar and research.
RATIONALE
Learning to communicate effectively through writing is an important skill for the college student to develop.
Classroom activities, assignments, and exams often require skill in reflection, critical thinking, and
developing and expressing ideas on paper. Beyond the classroom, those skills are important for interpreting
and evaluating personal and world events, succeeding in one’s career, and spreading the Word of God.
OBJECTIVES
The student who satisfactorily completes this course should be able to:
a. Use critical thinking skills for learning, thinking, and communicating.
b. Improve writing skills, including thesis development, support, organization, flow, and
mechanics.
c. Work in peer evaluation groups, commenting on/improving the work of others as well as
his/her own.
d. Employ different patterns of development to effectively communicate written messages.
TEXTS
Textbooks
Hacker, Diana and Nancy Sommers. A Writer’s Reference with Writing about Literature, seventh ed.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011.
Kirszner, Laurie G. and Stephen R. Mandell. Patterns for College Writing, twelfth ed. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012.
Supplies
A two-pocket folder (without the spine) for submitting drafts and essays.
REQUIREMENTS
Attendance and Preparation
a. Students are expected to be present and on time for class. Also, it is distracting to me and
other students when you leave during class, so unless it is an emergency—and those rarely
happen—plan to remain in class for the entire session. (Making or taking a telephone call is
not an emergency.) If you are absent more than six class sessions, you will receive the grade
of FA (failure due to absences). When you miss class for any reason, it is your responsibility
to find out what you missed.
College English 1, p. 2
b. I take seriously my responsibility to be prepared for this class. However, you bear the
responsibility for your own education. Therefore, for learning to occur, we both need to come to
class prepared to interact with the material and each other. For you, this involves bringing
appropriate texts, paper, and pen to class, completing assignments on time, and being a
productive and involved member of your group. Your enrollment in this class is a commitment
to do assigned work on time.
c. Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date indicated on the course schedule. I
will lower the grade on late assignments by one letter for each day past the due date. If you must
be absent, please arrange to submit assignments early. You must complete all assignments to
pass the class.
d. As a Christian, you are expected to be honest in all you do. Plagiarism and cheating are not
consistent with Christian character. Dishonesty on an exam or assignment will result in a zero
for that grade. Review the CBC&S policy on academic integrity in the Student Handbook.
e. As a courtesy to me and the other students, please turn off cell phones before coming into class.
While in class, you must keep your phone in your purse or backpack. If it is in your hands or on
your desk, I will place it on my desk until the end of class.
f. Use of laptops is prohibited.
g. Expect to spend four to six hours a week on this class.
Assignments
a. You need your own copies of the texts. If you have not purchased the texts already, please do so
today or tomorrow. Bring both textbooks to every class session. Although I don’t list daily
assignments in A Writer’s Reference, we often move back and forth between texts.
b. You will read textbook material as indicated on the course schedule and assigned in class. You
may need to read materials more than once to understand. Skimming and/or scanning are not
reading. To assist in your understanding, you may need to annotate the text, and that practice
also helps you with quizzes and exams.
c. During the semester, you will complete quizzes, journal writings or group assignments that will
ask you to comment or enlarge upon the material you have read. These cannot be made up
unless you are traveling for the school or are under a doctor’s care.
d. Details for each of the writing assignments will be given in class. The essays will be completed
first in draft and then in final form. Drafts will be shared with members of a peer group who will
comment on strong and weak areas and assist with revision. Before you turn in the final copy of
each paper, you will meet with me for a short conference to ask questions and discuss aspects of
the paper.
e. You will take two exams as indicated. Exams are typically a combination of objective questions
(matching, identification, and completion), short answer (one or two sentences), and short essay
(one or two paragraphs). If you are ill or traveling for the school when an exam is given, you
have one week to make up the exam.
EVALUATION
Preparation and Participation
(includes in-class activities, presence of textbooks,
drafts, and outside assignments other than essays)
Essays
Exams
20%
60%
20%
College English 1, p. 3
SCHEDULE
M, 8/26 - Introduction – Reading assignments listed in this syllabus are due on the day they are listed.
W, 8/28 - Critical Reading and Writing – Patterns, pp. 1-7, Ch. 1, pp. 13-20
F, 8/30 - Audience, Invention, Thesis, Structure – Patterns, Ch. 2
M, 9/2 - Labor Day – No class
W, 9/4 - Coherence and Unity – Patterns, Ch. 3
F, 9/6 - Drafting, Revision, Introductions, Conclusions – autobiography due; Patterns, Ch. 4
M, 9/9 - Editing, Proofreading – Patterns, Ch. 5
W, 9/11 - Research and Academic Writing – A Writer’s Reference, pp. 67-77, 100-108
F, 9/13 - Library Presentation
M, 9/16 - Library Discussion, Library Assignment Due
W, 9/18 - Writing Narrative – Patterns, Ch. 6, pp. 97-109
F, 9/20 - Writing Narrative (cont’d.) – Patterns, “Only Daughter” pp. 111-114; “My Mother Never Worked” pp. 121124
M, 9/23 - Writing Narrative (cont’d.) – Patterns, “Shooting an Elephant” pp. 133-139
W, 9/25 - Peer Evaluation of Narrative – Narrative draft due
F, 9/27 - Narrative Workshop
M, 9/30 - Writing Description – Narrative essay due
W, 10/2 - Description (cont’d.) – Patterns, Ch. 7, pp. 151-169
F, 10/4 - Fall Recess, No Class
M, 10/7 - Discussion of Essays – Patterns, “Ground Zero” pp. 182-184, “The Hidden Life of Garbage” pp. 188-191
W, 10/9 - Peer Evaluation of Description Essay – Descriptive Draft Due
F, 10/11 - Workshop and Mid-term Review – Descriptive Essay Due
M, 10/14 - Writing Examples – Patterns, Ch. 8, pp. 211-227
W, 10/16 - Writing Examples (cont’d.) – “The Myth of the Latin Woman: . . .” pp. 232-237; “Just Walk on By: A
Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space” pp. 240-243
F, 10/18 - Mid-Term Exams
M, 10/21 - Peer Evaluation of Exemplification Paper – Bring Exemplification Draft to class
W, 10/23 - Writing Directions or Explanations – Patterns, Ch. 9, pp 263-274; “How to Decorate Your Room When
You’re Broke”, pp. 290-295
F, 10/25 - Directional or Explanatory Process (cont’d) – Patterns, “Medium Ash Brown” pp 275-278; “Getting Coffee
is Hard to Do” pp. 286-87
M, 10/28 - Conferences – Exemplification paper due at conference
W, 10/30 - Conferences
F, 11/1 - Conferences/Workshop
M, 11/4 - Peer Evaluation – Directional and Explanatory Drafts Due
W, 11/6 - Writing Comparison/Contrast – Patterns, Ch. 11, pp. 371-390
F, 11/8 - Writing Comparison/Contrast (cont’d.) – Patterns, “Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior” pp. 410-414
M, 11/11 - Writing Comparison/Contrast – Directional and Explanatory essays due; Patterns, “Grant and Lee: A Study
in Contrasts” pp. 405-408
W, 11/13 - Peer Evaluation – Comparison/Contrast Draft due
F, 11/15 - Writing Definition – Comparison/Contrast Essay due; Patterns, Ch. 13, pp. 489-500
College English 1, p. 4
M, 11/18 - Writing Definition – Patterns, “Fame-iness” pp. 511-513
W, 11/20 - Writing Definition – “Tortillas” pp. 507-509; “Love and Other Catastrophes: A Mix Tape” pp. 520-521
F, 11/22 - Peer Evaluation – Definition Draft due
M-W-F, 11/25-27-29 - Thanksgiving Break, No Class
M, 12/2 - Revising – Bring an essay to revise
W, 12/4 - Revision – Definition Essay due
F, 12/6 - Peer Evaluation of Revision – Bring Revision to class
M, 12/9 - Workshop
W, 12/11 - Workshop – Revision due
F, 12/13 - Exam Review
Final Exam – Date to be announced
In the even of extenuating circumstances during the course of the semester, this course plan, including the proposed
schedule, may be changed.