ENGL 1301
COURSE SYLLABUS:
ENGL 1301: Composition I
Instructor Contact & Course Information
Semester: Fall 2015
Instructor:
Crystal M. Johnson
Email Address(es): crystal.johnson1@hccs.edu
Office Hours:
By Appointment
Course Description and Goals: This course is devoted to improving students’ writing and critical reading. You will write 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 non-native speakers) ENGL 0349.
To excel as a writer, however, you must excel as a reader, and perhaps more importantly, as a thinker. You will develop the critical and analytical skills that will
help you in both academic and professional environments. In short, the skills you develop in this course will enable you to express yourself clearly and
effectively.
Objectives
By the end of this course, you should be able to write multi-paragraph expository, analytical and argumentative essays that have the following: 1) clarity in
purpose and expression, 2) appropriate and sensible organization, 3) completeness in development, 4) sound content, including applications of concepts and
references to assigned readings, 5) unity and coherence, 6) appropriate strategies of development, 7) sensitivity to audience, 8) effective choice of words and
sentence patterns, 9) grammatical and mechanical correctness, and 10) appropriate MLA citation format.
HCC Policy Statement – ADA
Special Conditions
If you have any special conditions, extenuating circumstances, or needs that may affect your progress in this course, please notify me. Discuss with me any
special accommodations that you have documented through the Ability Support Services counselors so that we may better meet your needs.
Academic Integrity:
Students are expected to be familiar with the HCC policy on academic honesty (as detailed in various HCC publications) and are responsible for conducting
themselves with honor and integrity in fulfilling course requirements. HCC officials may initiate penalties and/or disciplinary proceedings against any student
accused of scholastic dishonesty (which includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion). Should you have any questions about
proper handling of source material for your writing, consult the MLA guidelines, your professor and/or a tutor (FAC 321-B). Evidence of plagiarism results in a
grade of F.
The Veterans Student Organization of Houston Community College-Central (VSO) is dedicated to assisting student veterans in the transition to college life
and providing ongoing support services to these veterans. VSO also seeks to encourage veterans to resume/continue their college education. All students are
welcome.
Course withdrawal: If you elect to withdraw formally from any HCC class and thereby receive a “W” on your grade transcript, you must contact a HCC
counselor or your professor prior to the withdrawal deadline for the current semester to initiate the process. If you do not do so and simply cease to attend, you
will receive a final grade by default (quite likely “F”) based on your course average in relation to the full slate of required assignments.
The consequences for academic dishonesty are determined by the professor, or the professor and academic dean, or the professor and chief student services
officer and can include but are not limited to
1. Having additional class requirements imposed,
2. Receiving a grade of zero or "F" for an exam or assignment,
3. Receiving a grade of "F" for the course,
4. Being withdrawn from the course or program,
5. Being expelled from the college system.
Required Materials:
The Norton Reader, 13th Edition, eds. Linda Peterson and John C. Brereton
The Little Seagull Handbook (Bullock and Weinberg, Norton, 2011). The ISBN is 0393911519 /
9780393911510. (LSH)
The following is a good online resource: Purdue Online Writing Lab
POLICIES
Classroom Respect:
As college students, you are expected to behave in a courteous and respectful manner toward your instructor and fellow students at all times. You should avoid
acting belligerently or in a belittling manner in e-mails or peer revisions, openly challenging the instructor’s authority, or otherwise displaying disruptive
behavior. Verbal harassment of instructors or fellow students through email will not be tolerated. Should any of these offenses occur, I will have a private email or Chat conference with the student(s) in question; if the behavior continues, however, I will refer that individual to the Dean of Students for further
disciplinary action.
Email Etiquette:
All correspondence with me as your professor should be respectful and professional at all times. Email should follow those guidelines. Therefore, every email
you send will have a subject line, salutation, and electronic signature. Lastly, do not use poor grammar or text language in your emails to me.
Feedback and Commentary:
All assignments, papers, quizzes, and blogs will be submitted via a drop box through Eagle Online. You will never email me your assignment. I will download
your assignments and papers through word; therefore, every assignment should be typed in Microsoft word and saved as a doc or docx file. I will only accept
those files. This rule does not apply to discussion question responses.
Tutoring:
Free academic tutoring and assistance with your assignments is available to all students at HCC: Central.
Communication:
All communication in this course, including email, discussion and chat posts should be conducted in a professional, collegial manner. Please respect the
following guidelines.
Netiquette:
Grammar
Use proper sentence structure, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Online lingo and abbreviations that are commonly used in texting or instant messaging should
not be used in your online communication.
Online versus Face-to-Face
Be aware that online communication is much different than face-to-face interaction. Since nonverbal cues cannot be read, be careful not to post a message that
could be misconstrued by others. Humor and satire can be problematic in online communication.
Avoid Caps
The use of all capitals in your writing means you are SHOUTING, and it is considered rude.
Emoticons
Keep them to a minimum.
Be Polite
Promote productive conversation by being polite and respectful when disagreeing with others.
Take Pride in what you Publish
Think before you hit Send or Post. Is your response meaningful, well-constructed and to the point? Are you sending an email with a subject title that is relevant?
Is your communication presented in a well-organized, respectful and professional manner? Take pride in what you publish to your online community.
If you decide you must withdraw for the course, you must initiate the formal action of withdrawal. Keep in mind that if you withdraw after the official
withdrawal date, you will receive a grade of “F” or “N.” Please see me before you decide to drop the course. There may be things that we can do to help
you stay in the course and to successfully complete it.
Make -Up Work:
You are responsible for all work assigned in this course and for posting those assignments on time. Past due work cannot be made up for full credit.
Late Policy:
Each day an assignment is late, the grade will be penalized by 10%. Participation points are always due by Sunday. You cannot earn participation credit after the
week has ended.
Attendance Policy:
Due to the workshop format of this course, attendance is mandatory. Attendance is taken every time you post to the discussion forum. To be marked present
for class, you must have completed the assignment for that particular date (a discussion forum posting or a response to another student's posting, for example)
Attendance affects your overall course performance because participation in discussion forums is expected. These assignments cannot be made up, regardless
of the reason for student’s absence.
* Because the first two weeks are critical to your success, if you miss two or more discussion forum posts during the first two weeks of class, you may be
dropped from the course.
*If you are absent from the online class for 14 continuous days (2 weeks) or more, you will be dropped from the course.
It is highly recommended that you do not miss any class (discussion forum postings or participation entries) in the semester—missing class and not turning in
work are the two main reasons for students doing poorly in ENGL 1301.
Dropping Class:
• If you think that you cannot successfully complete this course, talk with me about how we can work more intensely together
to help you be successful.
Turnitin.com
HCC subscribes to Turnitin.com which supports faculty in their quest to uphold academic integrity. Student coursework may be submitted to the scrutiny of the
Turnitin software. Please note that these submissions of assignments to Turnitin do not necessarily constitute an accusation or suspicion of plagiarism on the
student’s part.
NOTE: I offer no extra credit.
Changes to Assignment Schedule and Course Policies:
The instructor reserves the right to update the course policies, assignments, and schedule at any time. Changes may be made throughout the semester. It is the
student’s responsibility to keep up with changes as they are announced.
Discussion questions and participation requirement: Every week, you will respond to 2 discussion questions. Discussion question 1 will be due every
Tuesday; discussion question 2 is due every Thursday. Those discussion questions will be available under each module folder. In addition to discussion
questions, students are required to post 4 replies to fellow students, which will be due every Sunday.
*Students only need to make 4 replies in total by Sunday. You can choose to post your participation posts in discussion forum 1, discussion forum 2, or an
accumulation of both.
1.
In order to receive discussion question credit, your response must be around 150-300 words. (this word limit is for each question, unless noted
otherwise).
2.
Substantive participation has the desired effect of moving classroom discussion forward and/or contributing to the overall learning. For this class,
substantive means that your message has substance and helps to further the discussion of course content. Substantive messages often include
contributions of additional ideas and sources, insights or questions about classmates' comments, connections to the course readings, or ways of
applying the lessons from the course. As a rule of thumb, your substantive comments should be at least several sentences in length, about 50-75
words.
3.
Short comments, such as "Good idea" or "I agree," do not constitute substantive posts on their own. Neither do comments that are unrelated to the
topics at hand (for example, "I saw that movie, too!") If you say you agree about something, please explain why you agree, and add an additional
insight or question.
4.
Please do not tell another student, "you're wrong," "it's not true," "you don't know what you're talking about," or any similar comment. These
comments are insulting and do not encourage discussion.
5.
Lastly, please keep in mind that this is an English class; therefore, reasonable expectations of grammar and punctuation skills are expected for all
blog and discussion question posts.
Tutoring:
Tutoring: For free assistance on any of the writing requirements for this course, visit the English Department Writing Lab in FAC 321-B. Check the sign posted
on the door there to determine specific hours of operation during the current term. (It’s generally open mornings through early evenings, Monday through
Thursday, plus half a day on Friday.
Open Computer Labs: Computers are available for word processing in FAC 302, SJAC 204A, JDB 203-204, the library, and elsewhere on campus. Check those
sites for open hours.
Assignments with Point Distribution:
Assignment
Writing Assignment 1: C&C Essay
Writing Assignment 2: Visual Rhetoric Analysis
Writing Assignment 3: Annotated Bibliography
Points of Final Grade
100
150
200
Due Date
10/18
11/15
12/6
Final Exam
Discussion Questions
100
200
TBA
Due weekly
Participation
Class work/Homework
Total
100
150
1000
Due weekly
Due weekly
Fall 2015 - Important Dates

Monday, September 21 – Weekday Classes Begin

Wednesday, September 30 – Official Day (Students may be dropped for non-attendance prior to official day)

Monday, November 9th – Last day to drop and receive a “W” (withdraw)

Thursday, November 26 to Sunday, November 29 – Thanksgiving Holiday – College Closed

Monday, December 7 – Sunday, December 13 – Final Exams
Changes to Assignment Schedule and Course Policies:
The instructor reserves the right to update the assignments and schedule at any time. It is the student’s responsibility to keep up with changes as they are
announced.
*NOTE* NR represents Norton Reader (use the index to find page numbers), LSH represents The Little Seagull Handbook
WEEK/
DATE
IN-CLASS COURSE TOPICS AND
ACTIVITIES
READING DUE
Week 1: Introduction to Rhetoric & Description
September 21-27
Readings
-W-1: “Writing Contexts,” (2-5) LSH
-W-2 “Writing Processes,” (6-13) LSH
-Writing and Reading Process (PDF documents)
-Didion “On Going Home” (1) NR
-Barthes “Toys” (274) NR
Assignments Due
- Introductions: Due Monday
- Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
- Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
- Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Understand requirements for Writing Assignment 1.
Week 2: Compare and Contrast
September 28 – October 4
Readings
-Between the Sexes, a Great Divide - Anna Quindlen (NR)
-Sowers and Reapers - Jamaica Kincaid NR
-W-3: Developing Paragraphs, (14) LSH
-“Topic Sentences” 11, 15-16, (LSH)
Assignments Due
- Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
- Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
“Thesis Statements” 7.8,10, (LSH)
- Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Week 3: Compare and Contrast continued
October 5 - 11
Readings
-An Animal's Place - Michael Pollan (NR)
-Tongue-Tied - Maxine Hong Kingston (NR)
- W-2: “Revising and Editing, 10-13, (LSH)
Assignments Due
- Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
- Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
- Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
Paper 1: Rough draft due Friday (Peer Review: Due Sunday)
Week 4:
October 12- 18
Readings
-Toth “Going to the Movies” (1036) NR
- “Sentence Fragments” 233-25 (LSH)
Assignments Due
- Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
- Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
- Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
-Paper 1 due Sunday
Week 5: Introduction to Visual Rhetoric
October 19-25
Readings
-“The Boston Photographs “- Nora Ephron NR
-McCloud “Understanding Comics” NR
Assignments Due
- Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
- Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
- Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
-Understand requirements for Writing Assignment 3
Week 6: Visual Rhetoric
October 26-Nov 1
Readings
- Strangers - Toni Morrison NR
-Superman and Me - Sherman Alexie NR
Assignments Due
- Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
- Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
- Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)-
Week 7: Visual Rhetoric
November 2-8
Readings
-From Realism to Virtual Reality: Images of America's Wars H.
Bruce Franklin NR
- S-3: “Comma Splices” 235-237
Assignments Due
- Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
- Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
- Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
-Rough Draft for essay 2: Due Friday
-Peer Reviews for essay 2: Due Sunday
Week 8: Introduction to Argumentation Persuasion
November 9-15
Readings
Assignments Due
- Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
-W-5: “Arguments” 32 (LSH)
-Carr “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” (226)
-Baron “Who owns Global English” (435)
- Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
- Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
-Paper 2: Due Sunday
-Monday, November 9 – Last day to drop and receive a “W”
(withdraw)
Week 9: Argumentation Persuasion & Annotated Bib continued
November 16 - 22
Readings
-W-10: “Annotated Bibliographies 54, (LSH)
-R-1: “Doing Research” 68, (LSH)
-Rose “Blue-Collar Brilliance” (393) NR
-Singer: “What Should a Billionaire Give?” (578) NR
-Pilardi: “Immigration” (325) NR
-Staples “Black Men” (314) NR
Assignments Due
- Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
- Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
- Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
-Understand requirements for paper 3
Week 10: Thanksgiving Holiday
November 23 - 30
Readings
Assignments Due
No Assignments Due
Week 11: Argumentation Persuasion & MLA continued
December 1-6
Readings
Assignments Due
R-2: “Evaluating Sources 77(LSH)
MLA Style: 93-135 (LSH)
Steinem “The Good News Is” (213) NR
- Discussion question 1: Due Tuesday
- Discussion question 2: Due Thursday
Bruffee (343) NR
Steingraber “Tune of the Tuna Fish” (540) NR
Regan “The Case for Animal Rights” (608) NR
Week 12: Final Exams
December 7-13
Readings
- Participation: Due by Sunday (respond to 4 students)
-Paper 3 due Sunday
Assignments Due
Final Exam Due Tuesday