ENGL 1301 Composition I West Loop Center 6 June - 10 July 2011 Room C129 CRN# 78468 MoTuWeTh 12:00PM - 2:30PM CRN# 81660 MoTuWeTh 2:30PM - 5:00PM Instructor: Paul L. Rowe, PhD Availability: I look forward to conferring with you individually about your work in this course. I will usually be available in the hour after the second class. In addition, there will be opportunities for individual conferencing during class time on some days. However, it is best to let me know in advance if you would like to talk with me, so we can be sure to schedule enough time for our conference. College web page: <http://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/paul.rowe>. Email: <paul.rowe@hccs.edu> Phone: 713-661-2872 If I am unavailable, leave a message, telling me the best times to return your call and giving me your phone number. Be sure to clearly identify yourself and the specific class you are in. Note on email style: When you email me, please use standard written English and proofread your message. Avoid slang. Write complete sentences, capitalize proper nouns and the beginning word of each sentence, and use correct punctuation, for instance. Don’t forget to sign your name, identifying yourself. Write as an academic or professional colleague to a fellow colleague. Mission Statement of the English Department: The purposes of the English Department are 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 further develop students’ reading, writing, and analytical skills. As a Core Curriculum Course, 1301 develops all six of the basic intellectual competencies discussed in the HCCS Catalog: reading, writing, speaking, listening, critical thinking, and computer literacy. These competencies are essential to success in all academic and professional fields. In Comp I, we are particularly concerned with strengthening such skills as clarity in purpose and expression, full development of ideas, sensitivity to audience, and effectively revising and editing, or proofreading, one’s work. EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES (COURSE OBJECTIVES) FOR ENGLISH 1301: By the time the students have completed English 1301, they will: •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, readings 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; English 1301 Summer I 2011 Dr. Rowe 2 •fulfill the writing requirements of the course, writing at least 6,000 words during the semester. *Note on five-week courses: If you have serious difficulties with written English, it is much better for you to take a sixteen week version of 1301 in order to have more time to work on problem areas. Required texts and materials: *Peterson, Linda and John C. Brereton. The Norton Reader, 12th edition. *Fowler, H. Ramsey, Jane E. Aaron, and Janice Okoomian. The Little, Brown Handbook, 11th edition. Or The Little, Brown Handbook (2007), second custom edition for the Southwest College. Although the covers differ, the pagination of these two versions is the same. *A lightweight, metal-pronged, 8 1/2 by 11 folder with side pockets, in which to affix your journal assignments. Large binders are not acceptable. *A good college dictionary. I recommend The American Heritage College Dictionary, 4th edition, with downloadable audio. *A removable device on which to save your word-processed work. Notice: It is required that you bring your textbooks, your journal, and other materials to class with you. This is part of your preparation and participation grade. Your ability to participate, and thus to learn, is impaired when you do not regularly bring your required materials. Policies: Attendance: HCCS policy states that a student who misses more than 12.5% (or one-eighth) of class time may be dropped by the instructor. Three classes equal one-eighth in our case. Attendance is extremely important and affects your participation grade because you cannot participate if you are not present. If you miss most of a class session, you are absent. For instance, if you stay for the roll and then leave soon after, you will be absent, not present. Students who intend to withdraw from the course must do so by the official last day to drop (*Wednesday June 29 by 4:30 PM –deadline for dropping with a W instead of a grade*). 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. Lateness: Avoid chronic lateness. If you must come in late on occasion, please come in quietly and unobtrusively, and sign in at the end of class. Incompletes will be considered only when students have satisfactorily completed the vast majority of the required assignments and are faced with an unforeseen and well-documented emergency at the very end of the course. Withdrawal Policy: The State of Texas has begun to impose penalties on students who drop courses excessively. For example, if you take the same course more than twice, you have to pay extra tuition. Beginning in the Fall of 2007, the Texas Legislature passed a law limiting first time entering students to no more than six total course withdrawals throughout their academic career in obtaining a certificate or baccalaureate degree. There may be future penalties imposed. **If you do not withdraw before the deadline, you will receive the grade that you are making as the final grade. This grade will probably be an “F.” The last day to withdraw is Wednesday June 29,by 4:30 PM. If you need to drop, please let me know or speak with a counselor before the deadline. **You should communicate with your instructor, an HCC counselor, or HCC Online Student Services to learn what HCC interventions might be offered to assist you to stay in class and improve your performance. Such interventions could include tutoring, child care, financial aid, and job placement. International Students: Receiving a “W” in a course may affect the status of your student visa. Once a “W” is given for the course, it will not be changed to an “F” because of the visa consideration. Please contact the Success key-- Read and work ahead as much as possible, and review the syllabus and schedule of assignments often. English 1301 Summer I 2011 Dr. Rowe 3 International Student Office at 713-718-8520 if you have any questions about your visa status and any other transfer issues. 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. Use of Cameras and Recording Devices Use of recording devices, including camera phones and tape recorders, is prohibited in classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, and other locations where instruction, tutoring, or testing occurs. These devices are also not allowed to be used in campus restrooms. Students with disabilities who need to use a recording device as a reasonable accommodation should contact the Office for Students with Disabilities for information regarding reasonable accommodations. Scholastic Dishonesty: Students engaged in scholastic dishonesty, or plagiarism - the representation of someone else’s work or words as their own - will be subject to a grade of zero on the assignment, which will not be eligible for revision. The second offense will mandate an automatic F in the course. Late Papers: Essays and journal work are to be prepared on time. Work turned in late will be graded at a higher standard and returned later than work done on time. That also applies to “redos,” when a work is redone to comply with assignment instructions. Assignments turned in more than one class meeting late will lose 5 points per class meeting unless you receive special permission from me and follow my instructions carefully. General Electronics Policies 1. Turn off and put away all cell phones, beepers, text-messaging devices and other electronic devices when class starts. The sounds of cell phones ringing during class are disruptive. No cell phones permitted in view. 2. No Bluetooth devices in ears allowed during class. 3. No MP3 players or other music devices with earphones allowed during class. 4. No laptops open during class. 5. You can answer your calls and make calls during your break between classes. Free English Tutoring *The Southwest College offers you free tutoring at our tutoring centers where you will receive individual attention with any of your writing concerns. Check with me for updated information on location, dates, and times of tutoring. Signs will be posted once the hours have been established. Be sure to bring your books and assignments with you when you go to the tutoring lab. Partial List of Locations for Live Tutoring: Alief Hayes Road Campus – Rm. B138; Stafford Campus Learning HUB Rm. 142.2 & 314; West Loop Center - Rm 160D . *HCC also provides an online tutoring program. The url for this free tutoring option is: <http://hccs.askonline.net>. Open Computer Lab You have free access to the Internet and word processing in the open computer lab in the Stafford Campus Library located in the Learning HUB, the Alief Campus, and the West Loop Campus. Check the door of the open computer labs for hours of operation. All HCCS students are welcome to use this resource. A fee is charged for printed work (10 cents per page). Success key-- Read and work ahead as much as possible, and review the syllabus and schedule of assignments often. English 1301 Summer I 2011 Dr. Rowe 4 Counseling is available at each campus. Check with the information desk at the particular campus for room numbers and consult your class schedule for telephone numbers. Library (Learning Resource Center) The Southwest College has a Learning Resource Center at each campus for student use that provides electronic resources including a computerized catalog system as well as numerous data bases that contain full-text articles. Stop by your campus library to find out hours of operation. All students will be required to obtain and/or update an HCCS Library Card (this is your student picture id card). http://library.hccs.edu/ Student Organizations of interest to students taking English classes: One organization of interest to students taking English classes is Southwest Writers, 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 Dr. Chris Dunn at: christopher.dunn@hccs.edu. Another organization of interest for English students is the Women’s Studies Club. The Women’s Studies Club will meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month from 2:00-3:00pm to discuss the roles of women in society and to promote awareness of women’s issues. Contact Ms. Marie Dybala at marie.dybala@hccs.edu and/or Ms. Ileana Loubser at ileana.loubser@hccs.edu if you are interested in joining this HCC student organization. In addition, Phi Theta Kappa is the honor society of two-year colleges. Students must earn a 3.5 grade point average and accumulate 9 credit hours to join this group. HCCS has a very active chapter: Omega Sigma. Contact: Ms. Eunice Kallarackal at: eunice.kallarackal@hccs.edu for more information. Disability Issues: 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 respective college at the beginning of each semester. Faculty members are authorized to provide only the accommodations requested by the Disability Support Services Office. For questions, contact Donna Price at 713.718.5165 or the Disability Counselor at your college. To visit the ADA Web site, log on to www.hccs.edu and click Future students, scroll down the page and click on Disability Information. District ADA Coordinator Donna Price - 713.718.5165 Central ADA Counselors John Reno - 713.718.6164 Martha Scribner – 713-718-6164 Northeast ADA Counselor Kim Ingram – 713.718.8420 Northwest ADA Counselor Mahnaz Kolaini – 713.718.5422 Southeast ADA Counselor Jette Lott - 713.718.7218 Southwest ADA Counselor Dr. Becky Hauri – 713.718.7910 Coleman ADA Counselor Dr. Raj Gupta – 713.718.7631 Final grade will be based on the following weightings: -Essays 1-4 60% (These major essays are equally weighted at 15% each) -Journal and class preparation and participation. 15% -Oral Performance #1 5% -Oral Performance #2 5% -Final exam essay 15% Total 100% Success key-- Read and work ahead as much as possible, and review the syllabus and schedule of assignments often. English 1301 Summer I 2011 Dr. Rowe 5 *Extra Credit may be awarded for work that enhances the learning experience of the class or that demonstrates definite and strong engagement in the learning process, or for extraordinarily good journal work, up to a maximum of 5 points added to final course grade, depending on the quantity and quality of what you do. This might also include a special project we agree on, such as teaching someone to read through one of the literacy organizations, or volunteering to read a chapter aloud at librivox.org. *Note on journal: The journal assignments, which will be similar to informal essays, will be not graded on grammar and organization, as most other writing will be, but rather on the fullness, specificity, and liveliness of your responses. They should demonstrate that you have closely read and considered the readings on which they are based. Each assignment should be prepared on time, and you should be prepared to read from it and talk about it at some length. In addition, you should affix the assignments to a metal-pronged folder in a neat and orderly way, so that I may easily and quickly review them. You should have a title page at the front with your name and course indicated. Each assignment should be clearly indicated and you should refer clearly to the names of authors and the titles of their respective works in your comments so that the reader will not get confused about what writer or whom or what work you are talking about at any given moment. Each assignment should contain lots of words, 700 or more, for maximum credit. Rough drafts of major essay assignments should be longer, 750 or more words. We may, also, from time to time, have impromptu journal writing assignments, so be sure to bring some clean 8 1/2 x 11 inch college-ruled paper with you. Also, I may sometimes assign exercises to include in your journal for practice. Use dark pen, or type, for out of class journal work. Remember: Always bring your two textbooks and your journal to class each and every time, so that we may be able to refer to and discuss any of these any time. I will be checking this from time to time. Whether you bring all these materials, including your updated journal, affects your preparation and participation grade. HCC Student Email Accounts All students who have registered and paid for courses at HCC automatically have an HCC email account generated for them. For email communication in this class, I want you to use your HCC email account. To find info on this, go to the HCC home page at <www.hccs.edu/portal/site/hccs> then click on Current Students in the left column. Once there, click on Student E-Mail under Student Support. This will enable me to easily communicate with the class concerning updates and other information. Severe Weather During severe weather conditions, monitor major local television and radio channels for updates on school closings. You can also check at the HCC home page: <http://hccs.edu>. Teaching Philosophy: I think one of the best models for college education is that of the learning community. We all come together “collegially” to share things that we know and have experienced, and to learn from others who know and have experienced other things, as well as similar things. I also like the following proverb: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” To learn you have to be active and involved. Concerning teaching writing, specifically, I like to say, “Quantity precedes quality.” That means a sufficient number of words have to be written on the page before we can work on polish and readability. The aphorism also suggests the truth that one must practice and study much, in order to improve as a writer. Skill does not come magically or instantly with the wave of a wand. Success key-- Read and work ahead as much as possible, and review the syllabus and schedule of assignments often. English 1301 Summer I 2011 Dr. Rowe 6 Some key college dates relevant to our class: June 6 Monday Classes Begin- Drop/Add/Swap Fee ($15.00) Begins June 6 - June 10 Monday - Friday 70% Refund June 7 Tuesday Last Day for Drop/Add/Swap June 13 Monday 25% Refund June 29 Wednesday Last Day for Administrative/ Student Withdrawals- 4:30pm July 4 Monday Offices Closed- Independence Day Holiday July 6-7 Wednesday –Thursday Final Examinations July 15 Friday Grades Available to Students The Southwest College offers 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 current term’s tutoring hours have been established. On-line tutoring services include <askonline.net>. To access askonline, you will need to use your HCC student email address. Courtesy issues: These are the ones that especially bug me. *Please avoid having private conversations with other class members during class discussion. *In computer labs, turn off your monitor during class discussion. It is distracting both to you and to the other people in the class, including me, to be using your computer during discussion or lecture. *Please don’t pack up books and belongings prior to being dismissed. Doing that is noisy and impolite. *Be considerate in how you enter or leave a classroom that is in session. Open and close the door quietly, for instance. *One of my least favorite scenarios is as follows: It is just before class. I’m getting ready to begin class or maybe have already started class. Someone comes up to me and asks, “Are you doing anything important today? And by the way, could you give me the one-minute version of what is to transpire before I leave?” The answer is “Yes, I'm always doing something important, or at least I’m trying to do so. And no, I can't condense for you the experience of being involved in the class discussion and other activities.” I do very much like people getting involved, preparing, participating, and making an effort. Lab Conduct/Rules: *No cell phones – cell phones should be turned off prior to entering class and are not allowed in sight – please place them in bags or pockets. *No Bluetooth or other electronic devices in ears allowed during class. *No MP3 players or other music devices with earphones allowed during class. *No laptops open during class. *No palm pilots *No food or drinks *No unauthorized chatting *No students allowed to print personal information or download vast amounts of data (Students are only allowed to print class assignments per the instructor’s directions) *No viewing of pornography *No hacking attempts or trying to access hacking sites *No downloading of AOL.com Success key-- Read and work ahead as much as possible, and review the syllabus and schedule of assignments often. English 1301 Summer I 2011 Dr. Rowe 7 Please note -- the above rules are maintained to enhance the lab experience for all HCCS students. All computer lab activities will be monitored carefully by the instructor and HCCS IT personnel. *The Fifteen Minute Rule: If for some reason you’ve waited a full fifteen minutes from starting time and I haven’t arrived, class is dismissed. We will take up where we left off when next we meet. Follow the schedule in the meantime. Schedule of Assignments and Activities I have listed below beside each class date the assignments you are to have prepared by the beginning of class time as well as activities planned for particular days. I will give you more specific details as we go along. I hope to have some surprises from time to time, as well, so that what we do isn’t too predictable. Also, since the composition of each class is different and has correspondingly different needs, there almost certainly will need to be some changes as we go along. It is your responsibility to note any such changes and find out about them if you miss part or all of any class period. Page numbers refer to the Norton Reader unless the Little, Brown Handbook is denoted. Week One Monday Introductions; Introductory essays. Go over required books, syllabus, and assignments -For Tuesday: Carefully read and reread Douglass 428-32 and Welty 432-7. -Also For Tuesday: For Journal Assignment #1, discuss these two works in writing, comparing your educational and learning experiences with these two American writers. Give specific examples and details of what you are talking about from these two texts. -Also read Little, Brown Handbook Ch.7 Study Skills 135-49. Tuesday 6 June 7 June -Be prepared to read aloud and orally discuss Journal Assignment #1. -I will hand out some examples of student writing from previous classes. -For next class: Journal Assignment #2: Write about the student work handed out. Rank them in the order you evaluate them (best, second best, and so on), explaining why, and giving specific examples from each piece. Mark and annotate the copies you have received so that you can easily discuss specifics in class. -Also for next class-Read Little, Brown Ch. 3 Drafting and Revising 46-72. Wednesday 8 June -Be prepared to read aloud and discuss Journal Assignment #2 -For next class: Do full length draft of Essay One. Your first draft of Essay One goes into your journal as Journal Assignment #3. Thursday 9 June I will check individual drafts for formatting and general design. -For next class: Turn in final draft of Essay One, physically and electronically.Also for next class, Read Little, Brown Ch. 56 Oral Presentations 856-64. Success key-- Read and work ahead as much as possible, and review the syllabus and schedule of assignments often. English 1301 Summer I 2011 Week Two Monday 13 June Dr. Rowe 8 -Turn in final draft of Essay One, physical and electronic. -We will begin work on Oral Performance #1 in class. -Draft of OP #1 goes into your journal as Journal Assignment #4. Electronic turn in format: 1. Subject line: Indicate the class and time as well as assignment. Example: English 1302 11 PM Essay One from Cordelia Cortez [This tells me that you are in my 11 am class on Mondays and Wednesdays and that you are turning in the first major essay assignment.] 2. Make sure your document name leads with your last name: CortezCordeliaE1 This tells me at a glance that the document is Cordelia Cortez's final draft of the first essay. This allows me to easily and quickly file the document alphabetically by last name and to quickly access it once filed. 3. Include a brief message in Standard Written English (SWE) and sign your first and last name. -For next time, read all of the pieces below and complete Journal Assignment #5: Angelou, “Graduation” 34-43; Mairs, “On Being a Cripple” 59-68; Walker, “Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self” 69-75; Sanders, “Under the Influence” 121-31; Dillard, “From An American Childhood” 132-7; Cofer, “More Room” 179-82. Read all these selections and then select three from them for extended written personal response in your journal for Journal Assignment #5. Compare the experiences and observations of the respective authors to your own experiences and observations. Tuesday 14 June Be prepared to discuss the three readings you selected, what you thought was of interest about those texts, and your completed Journal Assignment #5. We will introduce the second major essay assignment. For next time, prepare to deliver Oral Performance #1. Wednesday 15 June -Deliver Oral Performance #1. Give me a physical copy of your commentary on your chosen piece just before performing your spoken word assignment. For next time: Journal Assignment #6: Your full length initial draft of Essay Two (minimum 750 words). Thursday 16 June Workshop on drafts of Essay Two -For next class: Turn in your final draft of Essay Two. Also, Read Little, Brown Ch. 25 Parallelism 398-404 and Ch. 26 Variety 405-14. Success key-- Read and work ahead as much as possible, and review the syllabus and schedule of assignments often. English 1301 Summer I 2011 Week Three Monday 20 June Dr. Rowe 9 -Turn in Essay Two, typed, double-spaced. Turn in an electronic copy as well as a physical copy. -In class, we will examine Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech (90710) and compare it with “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (892-904) -I will lecture a bit on the subject of public persuasion and the use of language to do that. I will expect you to be conversant with the ideas I present. -For next time: Journal Assignment #7—Read the three essays on collegiate binge drinking (417-27) and the scientific report (976-91). All of these works are about the same general topic, but they differ considerably in thesis, specific purpose, and methods of persuasion used. Give your personal responses to them and compare them. How do they differ? Which one do you find most interesting or effective? Why? If you were to give your opinion of the matter, what would you say and how would you say it? Also, identify specific examples of personal, logical, and emotional rhetoric in each piece. Which mode of persuasion is emphasized in each piece? Tuesday 21 June Be prepared to read Journal Assignment #7 aloud and discuss the assigned readings. -For next time, for Journal Assignment #8, read Lars Eighner’s “On Dumpster Diving” (20-9). Focusing on ethical appeal, consider how Eighner presents a sense of himself as quite different from the stereotyped notion people might have of homeless people. What do you personally think of him based on reading his essay? Relate, as always, what you think and feel to specifics of the text. Wednesday 22 June -Discuss Journal Assignment #8 as well as the Essay Three assignment -For next time--Journal Assignment #9: Do full length draft of Essay Three Thursday 23 June -Draft workshop on Essay Three -For next class: Prepare to turn in paper and electronic copies of Essay Three. Success key-- Read and work ahead as much as possible, and review the syllabus and schedule of assignments often. English 1301 Summer I 2011 Dr. Rowe 10 Week Four Monday 27 June -Turn in paper and electronic copies of Essay Three. -We will view a film in class related to the multicultural experience. -For next time: Read and prepare to talk about all the following pieces: Naylor 510-12, Kingston 513-16, Rodriguez 517-22, Anzaldúa 523-32, Keillor 535-9, Franklin 539-43, and Thomas 553-5. -Also for next class: Journal Assignment #10: In writing, consider your own experiences with issues of communication and culture, and compare them with those of three or more of the authors assigned. Tuesday 28 June -Be prepared to discuss and read aloud your responses to the readings assigned last time. (See Journal Assignment #10 just above) -Also read Little, Brown Ch. 37 Appropriate Language 502-11 and Ch. 38 Using Exact Language 511-23. -Essay Four assignment will be introduced and discussed. Wednesday 29 June -Further Discussion of current assignments and workshop on Essay Four -For next time: Complete Journal Assignment #11: Full-length initial draft of Oral Presentation #2 *Note* 29 June Wednesday: Deadline for dropping classes is by 4:30 p.m. on this day Thursday 30 June -Workshop and conferences as needed for current assignments. -Note: today is also the deadline for my approval of your choice for the second oral performance. Success key-- Read and work ahead as much as possible, and review the syllabus and schedule of assignments often. English 1301 Summer I 2011 Dr. Rowe 11 Week Five Monday 4 July Holiday –No class Tuesday 5 July -Delivery of Oral Performance #2 and wrap-up as needed -Also, turn in both paper and electronic copies of Essay Four Journal Assignment # 12: Discuss at least the three oral performances of the term that you thought were the best, other than your own. Go into detail about why you thought they were particularly interesting or effective. Wednesday 7 July - Final Exam for the 12:00 p.m. class at the usual time. Thursday 8 July - Final Exam for the 2:30 p.m. class at the usual time. -Complete Journal Assignment #13: Do overview of the semester as a learning experience. What were high points, low points, and points of interest for you in the class? As usual, be as detailed and specific as possible. -Bring plenty of 8 1/2 x 11 inch college-ruled paper and dark pens for in class essay. -Also, turn in journal and anything else that needs turning in. Friday 15 July Grades Available to Students Success key-- Read and work ahead as much as possible, and review the syllabus and schedule of assignments often.