ENGLISH 1301 SYLLABUS
PART I: ENGLISH 1301 COURSE INFORMATION
Southwest College
Instructor
Name: Edie Vasbinder
Office hours: Schedule a time with professor
Class hours: 9:00-11:30 Tuesday and Thursday
E-mail:mattievasbinder4@msn.com
Learning Web address:
Textbooks
The Little, Brown Handbook. Tenth edition. Jane Aaron and H. Ramsey Fowler
The Writer’s Presence, fifth edition. Robert Atwan and Donald McQuade
Other Materials
Paper and pens and a set of highlighters (pink, blue, yellow, and green)
Notebook for handouts
College-level dictionary and thesaurus
Pocketed paper folder for essay #4 research materials
Floppy disks/Cds/Jump drive
Grade Percentages
Essay #1: (10%) 750 word personal memoir on childhood and family
Essay #2: (10%) 750 expository essay on gender roles
Essay #3: (30%) 1,000 word researched and documented argumentative/persuasive
essay on Issues and Ethics
Essay #4: (10%) 750 word critical analysis on an essay in The Writer's Presence
Essay #5: (10%) 500 word multi-purpose final exam essay
Essay #6 (10%) Final exam—critical analysis
Other grades:
Daily grades (10%) quizzes, research checks, sentence and paragraph answers,
attendance and participation
Journals (10%) One journal entry of at least one double-spaced typed page per
journal entry. Use the ideas at the end of each of the essays for your journal
response.
Attendance Policy
Regular attendance is required at Houston Community College. HCCS class
policy states that a student who is absent more than 12.5% (6 hours) of class may
be administratively dropped. Students who intend to withdraw from a course
must do so by the official last day to drop. Students who prefer to receive an F
rather than a W will need to attend classes throughout the semester and take the
final exam or discuss the situation with the instructor before they stop attending
the class.
Special Conditions
Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric,
vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must
contact the Disability Services Office at the Southwest College at the beginning of
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each semester. Professors are authorized to provide only the accommodations
requested by the Disability Support Services Office. Contact Dr. Becky Hauri at
713-780-7909.
Free English Tutoring
The Southwest College offers you numerous opportunities for free English
tutoring at our tutoring centers (Stafford, Alief, and West Loop) or our on-line
tutoring support services. Signs will be posted once the HCC tutoring hours have
been established. On-line tutoring services include askonline.net and
mycomplab.com. More information about the on-line services will be available
once the semester gets started.
Open Computer Lab
You have free access to the Internet and word processing in the open computer lab
in the Scarcella Science Center. Check on the door of the open computer lab for
hours of operation.
Student Organizations
Three organizations of interest to students taking English classes are Southwest
Writers, Phi Theta Kappa, and the Gender Studies Club.
The Southwest Writers is a group of students who write and read their works (in a
public forum as well as on the Internet) and receive peer support and constructive
criticism. Students in this group create a supportive network to create poetry,
fiction, drama, and non-fiction prose. Contact advisor Ms. Helen Jackson at
helen.jackson@hccs.edu .
Phi Theta Kappa is the honor society of two-year colleges. Students must earn a
3.5 grade point average and accumulate 12 credit hours at HCCS. HCCS has an
internationally recognized chapter: Omega Sigma. Numerous transfer scholarships
are offered through this honors organization. Contacts are available at
www.omegasigma.org . The Southwest College advisor is Ms. Eunice Kallarackal
at eunice.kallarackal@hccs.edu .
The Gender Studies Club meets each month and online to discuss the roles of
women and men in society and to investigate how sexual differences and cultural
constructions of gender may affect identity. The organization promotes awareness
of gender issues on campus, encourages research and discussion of gender issues,
hosts prominent speakers in the field, and serves the community. Faculty advisors
are Ms. Marie Dybala at marie.dybala@hccs.edu) and Ms. Amy Tan at
amy.tan@hccs.edu .
Inclement Weather
During inclement weather conditions, monitor major local channels for updates on
school closings. You can also check for school closings at
www.school-closings.net .
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Academic Honesty
Plagiarism results in a grade of zero (“F”) on that project. Consult your on-line
student handbook on scholastic dishonesty. Cheating and/or collusion also result
in a grade of zero (“F”) on that project. Two instances of plagiarism will sabotage
the course grade and will result in an “F” in the course. Consult your on-line
student handbook for more details on scholastic dishonesty. No opportunities for
rewriting/resubmitting the plagiarized project will be given.
Due Dates and Make-Up Exams
Essays turned in late are docked a letter grade (ten points). No make-ups on daily
quizzes! You can drop two low quiz grades or missed quizzes at the end of the
semester.
Grades of “W” and “I”
A grade of “W” is for “withdrawn.” If you must withdraw from the course for any
reason, be sure to complete the paperwork at the registrar’s office by the last day
of withdrawal. If you want me to withdraw you from the course, I will take care of
that paperwork for you. An “I” is given for “incomplete.” An “I” is for
emergencies only. You have one semester to complete the missing work.
Student Course Reinstatement Policy
Students have a responsibility to arrange payment for their classes when they
register, either through cash, credit card, financial aid, or the installment plan.
Students who are dropped from their courses for non-payment of tuition and fees
who request reinstatement after the official date of record can be reinstated by
making payment in full and paying an additional $75.00 per course reinstatement
fee. The academic dean may waive the reinstatement fee upon determining that
the student was dropped because of a college error.
Other Course Policies
1. Please come to class on time. Time missed before class is subtracted from the
12.5% attendance policy. Leaving class early or arriving late also result in time
subtracted from the 12.5% attendance policy.
2. Sorry! No sleeping or heads on desks permitted. If you fall asleep, I’ll wake you
up by tapping on your desk.
3. Please do not ever ask, “Are we doing anything important in class today?” The
answer always is “Yes!”
4. If you must leave early, please tell me before class starts.
5. No food or beverages allowed in class.
6. Turn off all cell phones, beepers, text-messaging devices and other electronic
devices when class starts. The sounds of cell phones ringing are disruptive—I
don’t want to hear cell phones go off in class. (What is further disruptive is
students answering cell phones in class or walking out of class to answer a call.
TURN OFF CELL PHONES!) No Bluetooth devices allowed.
7. I dismiss class ten minutes early, so please do not pack books before I dismiss
class.
8. Please do not chat with class colleagues during discussion. Let’s listen to what
our class members have to contribute to the discussion.
9. Do not bring small children to class.
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10. An 89.4 average at the end of the semester is a B. A 79.4 average at the end of
the semester is a C.
11. The out-of-class essays must be typed. The in-class essays typed on the
computer in the computer lab.
12. If for some reason I am more than fifteen minutes late, class is dismissed.
Follow your course calendar and complete any assignments for the next session.
13. The time to discuss an essay grade is after it is returned, not at the end of the
semester.
14. All essays are to be submitted to me along with a floppy disk or CD with the
essay on it in MS Word.
16. When you email me, use correct English and proofread your message. Write
complete sentences, capitalize proper nouns, and use correct punctuation. Do not
write “b4” for “before” or “u” for “you” or use any other shortened form of a
word. Write as if you were on the job and producing text acceptable in the
Houston business community.
15. Good learning attitude, cooperative demeanor, and courteous behavior all go a
long way with me!
COURSE DESCRIPTION, PURPOSE, AND OBJECTIVES
MISSION STATEMENT OF THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
The purpose of the English Department is to provide courses that transfer to four-year
colleges; introduce students to literature from diverse traditions; prepare students to write
clear, communicative, well-organized, and detailed prose; and develop students’ reading,
writing, and analytical skills.
ENGLISH 1301 COURSE DESCRIPTION
English 1301 is a course devoted to improving the student's writing and critical reading.
The course involves writing essays for a variety of purposes from personal to academic,
including the introduction to argumentation, critical analysis, and the use of sources.
English 1301 is a core curriculum course.
COURSE PURPOSE
English 1301 is designed to help students write multi-paragraph expository, analytical,
and argumentative essays that have the following qualities:
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clarity in purpose and expression,
appropriate and sensible organization,
sound content, including applications of concepts from and references to assigned
readings,
completeness in development,
unity and coherence,
appropriate strategies of development,
sensitivity to audience
effective choice of words and sentence patterns,
grammatical and mechanical correctness, and
appropriate MLA citation format.
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EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR ENGLISH 1301: By the time students have
completed English 1301, they will
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understand writing as a connected and interactive process which includes planning,
shaping, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading;
apply writing process to out-of-class writing;
apply writing process as appropriate to in-class, impromptu writing situations, thus
showing an ability to communicate effectively in a variety of writing situations (such
as essay exams and standardized writing tests like the TASP);
apply suggestions from evaluated compositions to other writing projects;
understand and apply basic principles of critical thinking in analyzing reading
selections, in developing expository essays, and writing argumentative essays;
apply concepts from and use references to assigned readings in developing essays;
analyze elements of purpose, audience, tone, style, and writing strategy in essays by
professional writers
complete short writing assignments, journal entries, reading quizzes, and other
activities to strengthen basic thinking and writing skills
understand and appropriately apply various methods of development in writing
assignments;
avoid faulty reasoning in all writing assignments;
fulfill the writing requirements of the course, writing at least 5,000 words during the
semester.
EDUCATIONAL COMPETENCIES IN HCCS CORE CURRICULUM
Reading: Reading material at the college level means having the ability to analyze and
interpret a variety of printed materials--books, articles, and documents.
Writing: Writing at the college level means having the ability to produce clear, correct,
and coherent prose adapted to purpose, occasion, and audience. In addition to knowing
correct grammar, spelling and punctuation, students should also become familiar with the
writing process, including how to discover a topic, how to develop and organize it, and
how to phrase it effectively for their audience. These abilities are acquired through
practice and reflection.
Speaking: Effective speaking is the ability to communicate orally in clear, coherent, and
persuasive language appropriate to purpose, occasion, and audience.
Listening: Listening at the college level means the ability to analyze and interpret various
forms of written communication.
Critical Thinking: Critical thinking embraces methods for applying both qualitative and
quantitative skills analytically and creatively to subject matter in order to construct
alternative strategies. Problem solving is one of the applications of critical thinking used
to address an identified task.
Computer Literacy: Computer literacy at the college level means having the ability to
use computer-based technology in communicating, solving problems, and acquiring
information. Core-educated students should have an understanding of the limits,
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problems, and possibilities associated with the use of technology and should have the
tools necessary to evaluate and learn new technologies as they become available.
EXEMPLARY EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
 To understand and demonstrate writing and speaking processes through invention,
organization, drafting, revising, editing, and presenting.
 To understand the importance of specifying audience and purpose and to select
appropriate communication choices.
 To understand and appropriately apply modes of expression (descriptive, expositive,
narrative, scientific, and self-expressive)
 To participate effectively in groups with emphasis on listening, critical and reflective
thinking, and responding.
 To understand and apply basic principles of critical thinking, problem solving, and
technical proficiency in the development of exposition and argument.
 To develop the ability to research and write a documented paper and/or to give an oral
presentation.
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PART II: ENGLISH 1301 STUDENT CALENDAR
Fifteen Weeks for 29 Sessions (plus a final exam session)
Monday and Wednesday Mornings
Fall 2006
NOTE: The items listed under the session number indicate the topics to be covered in
class that day. The items in the assignment section constitute the homework for the next
class session.
WEEK ONE
SESSION #1 (Tuesday, August 29)
Brief Introduction to English 1301
Proof of registration
Diagnostic essay
Assignment for Session #2: Purchase and preview textbooks.
SESSION #2 (Thursday, August 31)
Introduction to English 1301 (continued)
Course description, purpose, objectives, grades, and class policies
Brief guided tour of textbooks
Reading and marking your texts
Keeping a journal
Overview of writing process
Assignment for Session #3: Read Little,Brown Handbook (LBH) Chapter 1: “Assessing
the Writing Situation.” Read WP (Writer’s Presence) Langston Hughes’ “Salvation.” If
you do not have your reader yet, you can read “Salvation” at
http://www.courses.vcu.edu/ENG200-dwc/hughes.htm .
Also read: “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie
“What’s Your Name, Girl” by Maya Angelou
WEEK TWO (Note the way the sessions are numbered)
SESSION #3A (Tuesday, September 5)
Interviewing and introductions.
Write a journal entry for the three essays above.
SESSION #3B (Thursday, September 7)
Assessing the writing situation
Introduction to Essay #1: Childhood and Family Memoir
Writing purposes: Reflecting and expressing
Writing memoir
Writing strategy: Narration
Critical analysis of “Salvation,” “What’s Your Name, Girl,” and “Superman and Me”
Brief review of phrases and simple sentences (and avoiding fragments)
Sentence style: Intentional fragments for effect
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Assignment for Session #4: Brainstorm a list of five childhood and family experiences as
possible topics for Essay #1 and bring this list to the next session. Read WP E. B. White’s
“Once More to the Lake.” Add to your journal.
Read LBH Chapter 2: “Developing and Shaping Ideas.” Read LBH 38d Using Figurative
Language 525-528.
If you don’t have your reader yet, read “Once More to the Lake” at
http://dfll.fudan.edu.cn/College%20English/DocFile/Third/new/03090401/Online%20Assignments/Supplementary%20Reading%20-%20I.doc.
WEEK THREE
SESSION #4 (Tuesday, September 12)
Discovering ideas
Thesis and optional rough draft outline
Writing strategy: Description
Figurative Language
Critical analysis of “Once More to the Lake”
Planning page: Personal notes on purpose, audience, tone, strategy, tentative thesis, and
optional outline
Brief review of compound sentences (and avoiding run-on and comma-spliced sentences)
Assignment for Session #5: Read WP: Judith Ortiz Cofer’s “Silent Dancing.” Read
LBH: Chapter 3 “Drafting and Revising” (read section on drafting 44-48).
SESSION #5 (Thursday, September 14)
Brief review of complex sentences (and avoiding dependent clause fragment)
Using dialog to build character
Critical analysis of “Silent Dancing”
Drafting an essay
Brief review of complex and compound-complex sentences
Sentence style: Emphasis, loose and periodic sentences, and parallelism (LBH 384-391)
Assignment for Session #6: Read LBH: Chapter 3: “Drafting and Revising” (read section
on revising 48-69). Begin rough draft of Essay #1.
WEEK FOUR
SESSION #6 (Tuesday, September 19)
Brief review of modification problems (dangling, misplaced)
Writing concise sentences (LBH 392-393)
Revising an essay
Sample student essay
Manuscript mechanics (font, margins, course information, headers, graphics)
Assignment for Session #7: Complete typed, double-spaced rough draft of Essay #1 and
bring three copies to class for a peer critique session. Your rough draft and attendance for
peer critique count as a daily quiz grade. If you have a 750 word draft, you get 100. If
content of the draft is missing, the daily quiz grade is lowered.
SESSION #7 (Thursday, September 21)
Peer critique session for Essay #1 (groups of three)
Assignment for Session #8: Complete Essay #1 and have it ready to submit at the
beginning of Session #8 (final draft, brainstormed list of topics, planning page, rough
draft, self/peer critique response sheet).
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WEEK FIVE
SESSION #8 (Tuesday, September 26)
Essay #1 is due
Introduction to Essay #2: Gender Roles
Writing purposes: Informing and explaining (the expository essay)
Discussion on gender topics
Discovering ideas on gender roles
Assignment for Session #9: Read WP Amy Cuningham’s “Why Women Smile.” Read
Stephen King’s “Everything You Need to Know about Writing Successfully” Write
journal entries on each.
Read LBH Chapter 4 “Writing and Revising Paragraphs” (read section 4b on
“Maintaining Paragraph Unity” 70-77). Brainstorm a list of possible gender role topics
for Essay #2.
SESSION #9 (Thursday, September 28)
Discovering ideas on gender roles, continued
Writing strategy: Examples
Critical analysis of “Why Women Smile,” and “Everything You Need to Know about
Writing Successfully”
Achieving paragraph unity (LBH 70-72)
Brief review of subject-verb agreement (LBH 305-313)
Assignment for Session #10: Read LBH Chapter 4: “Writing and Revising Paragraphs”
(read section 4b: “Achieving Paragraph Coherence” 77-88). Continue brainstormed list of
topics for Essay #2. Read WP Katha Pollitt’s “Why Boys Don’t Play with Dolls.” Read
WP James Fallows’ “Throwing Like a Girl.”
WEEK SIX
SESSION #10 (Tuesday, October 3)
Writing strategy: Definition
Achieving paragraph coherence (LBH 77-88)
Critical analysis of “Why Boys Don’t Play with Dolls”
Critical analysis of “Throwing Like a Girl”
Sexist language (LBH 515-517)
Brief review of pronoun-antecedent agreement (LBH 313-317)
Assignment for Session #11: Read LBH Chapter 4: “Writing and Revising Paragraphs”
(read section 4c: “Developing the Paragraph”).
Read WP “Listening to Men, Then and Now.” Read WP Scott Russell Sanders’ “The
Men We carry in Our Minds.”
SESSION #11 (Thursday, October 5)
Writing strategy: Comparison/contrast
Critical analysis of “Listening to Men, Then and Now”
Critical analysis of “The Men We carry in Our Minds”
Paragraph development
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Brief review of pronoun case
Assignment for Session #12: Read WP Edwidge Danticat’s “We Are Ugly, but We Are
Here.” Read WP Leslie Marmon Silko’s “In the Combat Zone.” Read LBH Chapter 4:
“Writing and Revising Paragraphs” (read section 4d: “Writing Special Kinds of
Paragraphs.”) Complete planning page (personal notes on purpose, audience, tone,
strategy, tentative thesis, and optional outline). Begin drafting Essay #2.
WEEK SEVEN
SESSION #12 (Tuesday, October 10)
Special kinds of paragraphs: Introductory, concluding, and transitional paragraphs
Writing strategy: Classification
Critical analysis of “In the Combat Zone”
Critical analysis of “We Are Ugly, but We Are Here”
Brief review of pronoun reference
Assignment for Session #13: Complete typed, double-spaced rough draft of Essay #2 and
bring three copies for peer critique on Session #13. The rough draft and attendance for
peer critique count as a daily quiz grade.
SESSION #13 (Thursday, October 12)
Peer critique of Essay #2 (groups of three)
Assignment for Session #14: Complete Essay #2 and have it ready for submission at
beginning of Session #14 (final draft, brainstormed list of topics, planning page, rough
draft, self/peer critique response sheet).
WEEK EIGHT
SESSION #14 (Tuesday, October 17)
Essay #2 is due
Introduction to Essay #3: A Sense of Place
Analysis of sample student essay
Creating activities and class discussion on Houston-area sites
Tips on writing in-class essays
Improving sentences: Emphasis
Assignment for Session #15: Read WP Henry Louis Gates’ “Rope Burn.”
SESSION #15 (Thursday, October 19)
Discussion of “place”
Critical analysis of “Rope Burn”
Effective words (LBH 509-535)
Assignment for Session #16: Read WP “The Way to Rainy Mountain.” Read LBH
Chapter 7: “Studying Effectively and Taking Essay Exams.”
WEEK NINE
SESSION #16 (Tuesday, October 24)
Discussion of “place”
Critical analysis of “The Way to Rainy Mountain”
Taking essay exams
Assignment for Session #17: Complete planning page for Essay #3. Review notes for inclass essay (Essay #3).
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SESSION #17 (Thursday, October 26)
In-class essay #3
Assignment for Session #18: Read LBH Chapter 9: “Reading Arguments Critically,
Chapter 10: “Writing an Argument,” and Chapter 42: “Planning a Research Project.”
WEEK TEN
SESSION #18 (Tuesday, October 31)
Introduction to Essay #4: Issues and Ethics
Arguing and persuading
Argumentative strategies
Planning your research
Assignment for Session #19: Brainstorm a list of possible topics for Essay #4. Read WP
Gore Vidal’s “Drugs.” Read WP Bill McKibben’s “Worried? Us?” Read WP Gregg
Easterbrook’s “The Myth of Fingerprints.” Read LBH Chapter 43: “Finding Sources.”
SESSION #19 (Thursday, November 2)
Finding sources
Critical analysis of “Drugs”
Critical analysis of “Worried? Us?”
Critical analysis of “The Myth of Fingerprints”
Assignment for Session #20: Decide on research topic. This topic must be approved by
the instructor. Next class session is in the library computer classroom. Get your library
card ahead of time.
WEEK ELEVEN
SESSION #20 (Tuesday, November 7)
Argumentative/persuasive research paper topic is due
Library orientation and electronic researching
Assignment for Session #21: Read LBH Chapter 44: “Working with Sources” and
Chapter 45: “Avoiding Plagiarism and Documenting Sources.”
SESSION #21 (Thursday, November 9)
Using sources: Facts and statistics, direct quotes, paraphrases, and summaries
Sample research paper
MLA documentation
Avoiding fallacies
Avoiding plagiarism
Assignment for Session #22: Read WP “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Work on your
rough draft of Essay #4
WEEK TWELVE
SESSION #22 (Tuesday, November 14)
Persuasive style: Sentences, diction, tone
Critical analysis of “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Assignment for Session #23: Continue working on Essay #4.
Research paper consultations will be held on Thursday at the next session.
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SESSION #23 (Thursday, November 16)
Research paper consultations. Continue work on paper.
Assignment for Session #24: Complete Essay #4 and have it ready for submission on
Session #24. In the left side of your paper-pocketed folder, place all Xeroxed or
downloaded notes and bibliography cards, one well-marked and edited rough draft,
planning page, and self/peer critique response sheet. In the right pocket, place the final
project: title page, formal topic outline, final draft, and works cited page.
WEEK THIRTEEN
SESSION #24 (Tuesday, November 21)
Essay #4 is due
Introduction to Essay #5: Criticism and Analysis
Sample student essay
Oral reports
Assignment for Session #25: Read WP “Shooting an Elephant.” Read LBH Chapter 8:
“Forming a Critical Perspective.” Begin a brainstormed list of topics for Essay #
Forming a critical perspective
Critical analysis of “Shooting an Elephant”
Oral reports, continued
Assignment for Session #25: Read WP “On Dumpster Diving.”
(Thursday, November 23) NO CLASS TODAY. THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
WEEK FOURTEEN
SESSION #25 (Thursday, November 28)
Critical analysis of “On Dumpster Diving”
Oral reports, continued
Assignment for Session #26: Complete a rough draft of Essay #5 and have it ready for
peer critique during Session #26.
SESSION #26 (Thursday, November 30)
Peer critique of Essay #5
Assignment for Session #27: Complete Essay #5 and have it ready for submission at the
beginning of Session #27 (final draft, brainstormed list of topics, planning page, rough
draft, self/peer critique response sheet).
WEEK FIFTEEN
SESSION #27 (Tuesday, December 5)
Essay #5 is due
Introduction to Essay #6: Final Exam Essay
Oral reports, continued
Practice in-class critical analysis
Assignment for Session #28: Read WP “Learning to Read and Write”
SESSION #28 (Thursday, December 7)
Practice in-class critical analysis
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Oral reports, continued and finished
Assignment for Final Exam Session: Prepare planning page (purpose, audience, tone,
strategy, tentative thesis, optional outline) for final in-class essay.
WEEK SIXTEEN
SESSION #29: Final Exam (Check Final Exam Schedule for date and time of exam.)
*NOTE: THERE ARE 30 SESSIONS. WEEK TWO IS NUMBERED 3A AND 3B.
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