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Houston Community College
Department of English
English 1301
Spring 2015
Instructor: Donna Harmon
Office: SJAC 215
Phone: 713.718.6660
Email: donna.harmon@hccs.edu
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative writing as processes.
2. Develop ideas and synthesize primary and secondary sources within focuses academic
arguments, including one or more research based essays.
3. Analyze, interpret, and evaluate a variety of texts for the ethical and logical uses of
evidence.
4. Write in a style that clearly communicates meaning, builds credibility, and inspires belief
or action.
5. Apply the conventions of style manuals for specific academic disciplines (e.g.,
APA,CMS, MLA, etc.)
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
A course devoted to improving the student’s writing and critical reading skills. Writing essays for a variety
of purposes from personal to academic, including an introduction to argumentation, critical analysis, and
the use of sources. Prerequisite: A satisfactory assessment score, completion of ENGL 0310, or (for nonnative speakers) ENGL 0349. Credit: 3 semester hours (3 lecture hours).
MAIN GOAL FOR ENGLISH 1301
In English 1301, we seek to provide writing instruction and practice that will help students master
writing the short essay while developing critical reading skills. We believe that in mastering this
particular kind of writing, students will also gain skills that will permit them to be successful at
writing tasks in other college courses, their careers, and in their personal lives.
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,
completeness in development ,
sound content, including applications of concepts and references to assigned readings,
unity and coherence,
appropriate strategies of development,
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sensitivity to audience,
effective choice of words and sentence patterns,
grammatical and mechanical correctness, and
appropriate MLA citation format.
EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR ENGLISH 1301
 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 writing in a variety of writing situations;
 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 (for such elements as purpose, audience, tone, style, writing strategy), in writing, essays by
professional writers;
 complete short writing assignments and other activities to strengthen basic thinking and writing skills;
 understand and appropriately apply various methods of development in writing;
 avoid faulty reasoning in all writing assignments;
 fulfill the writing requirements of the course, writing at least 5000 during the semester.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS FOR ENGLISH 1301
Students will write at least 5000 words during English 1301, to include both in-class (graded and
non-graded) writing and out-of-class essays (using writing process and organizing assignments
appropriate to topic, purpose, audience, etc.). You will, of course, need to use your own judgment
regarding this word countmultiple drafts, for example, would not really fulfill the requirement
(though there could be exceptions). Check with your instructor if you have questions about this
requirement. Generally, students who complete the essays listed below, along with informal inclass writing assignments, will write at least 5000 words (probably more).
GRADE SCALE
20% - Essay 1
20% - Essay 2
10% - Short Essays (3)
10% - Essays responding to reading (2)
10% - Final Exam
ENG 1301 Course Procedures, Content, and Requirements
1.
Course class meetings (3 hours per week) consist of lectures, reading and homework
discussions, presentations, and written assessments. Homework consists of reading and/or
writing assignments.
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2.
A diagnostic test of grammar, mechanics, and usage will indicate the student’s level of
achievement in basic writing skills and the review program that the student will need.
3. Students will develop their information literacy and communication skills in the classroom
and through resources available on campus.
4.
Students will be expected to write frequently in the various rhetorical modes in addition
to the diagnostic essay, the mid-semester essay, and the final examination essay.
5.
Students will be expected to complete short writing exercises such as reading summaries.
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Essay assignments will be graded and returned promptly to the students. Essays will be
evaluated holistically.
Required textbooks and materials:
Bullock, Richard and Francine Weinberg. The Little Seagull Handbook. 2nd Edition. New York:
Norton & Company, 2011. ISBN – 978-0-393-91151-0.
Peterson, Linda H. and John C. Brereton. The Norton Reader. 13th Edition. New York: Norton,
2008. ISBN – 978-0-393-91218-0.
Any good dictionary
Attendance Policy: Students must attend class.
Scholastic Honesty: Students are held accountable for doing their own work and for learning
to research and to document material ethically. Students should avoid all forms of academic
dishonesty, including plagiarism (appropriating another person’s words or ideas as one’s own),
collusion (working with another person in the preparation of written work for credit unless that
collaboration is specifically approved in advance by the instructor), cheating (offering,
soliciting, or using prepared material during a test), and impersonation (allowing another
person to attend class, take examinations, or complete graded work on behalf of an enrolled
student).
Disability Services: The Office of Disability Services provides individualized reasonable
accommodations for students with disabilities as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act
of 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008, and Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. These federal acts mandate equal opportunities for qualified
persons with disabilities in all public facilities, programs, activities, services, and benefits
derived from them.
Instructor Classroom Rules:
 Cell phones or headphones may not be used in the classroom or be audible or visible.
 Laptops may be used in the classroom only with permission from the instructor.
 Students entering class thirty minutes after the start of class will be marked absent.
ENG 1301
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
Week 1
Orientation – Meet & Greet
Composition and Objective Diagnostic
Read –“On Writing” pg. 443.
Discuss selection.
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Introduce Intro. Paragraphs
Skill – Discuss sentence types.
Read developing paragraphs.
Discuss issues
Introduce the term rhetoric and rhetorical modes.
Week 2
Write short essay # 1.
Read “The Case for Single-Child Families” pg. 295
Discuss reading selection
Discuss Comparison/Contrast.
Week 3
Skill – Discuss subject/ verb agreement pg. 246.
Introduce body paragraphs, thesis statements, topic sentences.
Discuss ethos, pathos, and logos.
Discuss evaluating sources.
Read – “Why Colleges Shower Their Students With A’s pg. 329.
Discuss reading selection.
Write short essay #2.
Week 4
Discuss rhetorical mode – Cause & Effect.
Skill – Sentence fragments pg. 233.
Write Short Essay #3.
Week 5
Read – “What is a Homosexual” pg. 195.
Discuss reading selection.
Discuss rhetorical mode – Definition.
Discuss writing a summary.
Skill- Comma & comma splices – pg. 282.
Week 6
Read “College is a Waste of Time and Money” – pg. 372.
Discuss reading selection
Discuss rhetorical mode – Argument.
Week 7
Review and discuss Self-Assessment.
Skill – Discuss pronoun case and reference – pg. 250.
Write Essay #1 (first draft).
Peer Review 1st draft.
Read - “Going to the Movies” pg. 1036.
Discuss reading selection.
Discuss rhetorical mode – Classification & Division.
Skill – Dangling and Misplaced modifiers.
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Week 8
Read – “Shooting an Elephant” pg. 784.
Discuss reading selection.
Rhetorical mode – Narrative.
Write 1st draft Essay #2.
Discuss skill – Parallelism pg. 256.
Peer review 1st. draft.
Read – “The Climate Emergency” pg. 860.
Discuss reading selection.
Use the Self-assessment to complete Essay #2.
Skill – Verb tense.
Turn in Final Draft of essay #2.
Week 9
Read – “We Do Abortions Here: A Nurse’s Story pg. 650.
Discuss reading selection.
Discuss skill – Shifts pg. 260.
Week 10
Read – “Working at Wendy’s” pg. 25.
Discuss reading selection.
Week 11
Read – “Modest Proposal” pg. 790.
Discuss reading selection.
Write Summary #1.
Discuss Final Review.
Week 12
Final Exam
Grading Standards
90 – 100
80 - 89
70 – 79
60 – 69
59 or below
A Exceptional fine work; superior in content, style, and mechanics
B Above average work; superior in one or two areas of content, style, or mechanics
C Average work; competent but unexceptional
D Below average work; noticeably weak in content style, or mechanics
F Failing work; clearly deficient in content, style, and mechanics
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