ENGLISH 0310 SYLLABUS – SPRING 2011
English 0310: Fundamentals of Grammar and Composition II
Textbooks: The New McGraw-Hill Handbook (MHH), 2nd ed. Maimon et al.
75 Readings Plus (RA), Ninth Edition, Buscemi & Smith
Instructor: Sharon Brown
Meeting Days and Time: Mon. & Wed. (5:00-7:00 pm)
Room #: 229
Instructor's Office Number:
*** Conferences are available by appointment only.
CRN: 75876
E-Mail: sharon.brown2@hccs.edu
Phone #: 832.265.3924
Office Hours: Appointment only
Important Dates
Jan. 18
Feb. 21
Mar. 14-20
Classes Begin
President’s Day Holiday
Spring Break
April 22-24 Easter Holiday
May 9-15
Final Exams
May 20
Grades Available to Students
Attendance: Texas State Law designates 87.5% minimum attendance for college courses. This requirement
allows a 12.5% absence maximum in a 3-hour course which computes as 6 hours. MW and TTH classes
have 4 absences; MWF classes have 6 absences. A student who exceeds the maximum is dropped from the
course.
Tardies: A student who is tardy may sign the roster at the end of class. A tardy student who fails to sign
the roster will be counted as absent. Excessive tardies and walking in and out of class are an interruption of
instruction. Official tardy count is recorded as follows: three tardies (or early leaves) count as one class
absence.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Base course requirements necessary in order for a student to receive a
grade are as follows: 4 Essays, Midterm and Final Exam, the Collaborative Writing Project. The
minimum passing criteria is 70+ (C or higher) on the Final Essay and a 70+ average in the course. The
grade distribution is as follows:
Essays 1 and 2
Essays 3 and 4
Collaborative Writing/Reflective Journal Writing
Instructor’s Choice (Quizzes, assignments, handouts, etc)
Midterm
Final Exam
10% each
10% each
10%
10%
20%
20%
(All essays must be typed (12 font, double-spaced); essays completed in class should be written in blue or
black ink only.)
GRADING SCALE:
90 - 100 A
80 - 90 B
70 - 79 C
60 - 69 IP
Below 60 U/IP
(U=Unsatisfactory)
Course Overview: The dominant focus of English 0310 is on the Writing Process, reading and thinking
critically for evaluation purposes, and the production of writing products that demonstrate both provocative
reading and effective presentation. Students will have ample opportunities to learn, apply, practice, and
refine writing skills.
Course Objectives: The primary objective of English 0310 is to teach students the central components of
academic writing and prepare them for future English composition and other college course writing as well
as career writing. Students will gain extensive experience using the Writing Process, rhetorical modes,
structural strategies, and standard conventions of grammar, usage, and mechanics. Successful students will
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master these writing techniques with sufficient skill to address freshman level English composition and any
state testing requirements including the TASP.
STUDENT CONDUCT: The guidelines for student conduct are specifically defined in The Student
Handbook 2002/2003. [As] "mature, responsible adults . . . they will voluntarily observe these rules as a
matter of training and habit. Students [will] not interfere with or disrupt the orderly educational processes
of the College System." It is expected that students will demonstrate both courtesy and cooperation in the
classroom. A student who either cannot or will not extend both courtesy and cooperation may not continue
the course.
HCCS POLICY: Ringing/vibrating cellular phones or sounding beepers constitute an interruption of
instruction. Please silence all cell phones and refrain from talking and texting in class. A student who does
not cooperate may be dismissed from class. **PLEASE REFRAIN FROM BRINGING EXCESSIVE
AMOUNTS OF FOOD INTO THE CLASSROOM.
Make-up Policy: Students who miss the mid-exam are expected to speak with the instructor first to explain
the reason for the delay and may be asked to produce documentation to support it. Students will be given
one week to submit the assignment before a zero is assigned. On the other hand, missed quizzes (if
applicable) may or may not be able to be made up, depending on the instructor’s discretion. Any student
who misses the final exam will receive an IP in the course, regardless of his/her average.
Late Policy: Essays are due at the beginning of class on the assigned day. Each essay deadline gives
students approximately two weeks to complete an assignment. Late papers may be submitted with a
penalty:
Late 1 day
-10 points
Late 2 days
-15 points
Late 3 days
-20 points
Late 4-6 days -25 points
Late 7-9 days -35 points
Assignments: The instructor reserves the right to make revisions in the syllabus as needed. Students who
are absent are responsible for getting missed assignments from other classmates. Due to time constraints
and a heavy workload, the instructor cannot respond to telephone requests about assignments. However, if
there is an emergency, students may speak to the instructor in person, by e-mail, or by telephone. It is the
students' responsibility to be prepared for class! Students must attend class regularly, read and prepare their
assignments, and contribute to the classroom discussions. Learning is a two-way process where students
learn the skills based on the course objectives, but they in turn must be active participants in their learning
if they are to master the required skills.
Rewrites: Students who receive a grade below 70 may be eligible to rewrite the entire paper for full credit;
however, this policy is at the instructor's discretion. On the other hand, a grade of 70 or above is passing,
so it may not be rewritten. Students who are dissatisfied with their grades must work harder. Note: The
mid-term exam may not be rewritten.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Use a variety of sentence patterns in writing.
Comprehend and respond to assigned readings.
Employ the writing process (planning, drafting, editing, revising, and developing thesis and topic
sentences) in assigned writings.
Write a variety of essays using appropriate rhetorical modes.
Incorporate the ideas and words of other writers in their own essays using established strategies.
*** I reserve the right to change various assignments on this syllabus at my discretion.
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ENGLISH 0310 COURSE CALENDAR
Week One
Homework for Day One:
Day Two
MARTIN LUTHER KING HOLIDAY
1/17/11
Homework for Day Two:
Week Two
Homework for Day One:
Day One
1/24/11
Diagnostic Essay
Homework for Day Two:
Have Textbook for Class
Week Three
Homework for Day One:
Reading: “RA” p. 10-14
p. 65-71
Homework for Day Two:
Narration Essay Assigned***
“RA” p. 10-14
p. 65-71
Review Organization Techniques
Transitions in the Essay
1/31/11
Week Four
Homework for Day One:
Peer Editing Handout
Proofreading Essays
Homework for Day Two:
Bring Your Essay To Class!!!! Read
Oral Essay
2/7/11
p. 76-103
Introduction to the Course, Syllabus, and
Calendar.
Student Introductions
1/19/11
MHH
Introduction to the Writing Process
(MHH) 9 - 1/26/11
Writing the Paper
p. 333-340
Revising and Editing
p. 76-103
Drafting Paragraphs
p. 55-75
Fragments, Comma Splices/Run-on
Sentences
p. 512-535
MHH
Narrative/Descriptive Essay Discussion
Verbs
p. 551-575
SV Agreement
p. 536-551
2/2/11
MHH
Coordination and Subordination
p. 653-662
Narration Essay Due
2/9/11
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Week Five
Homework for Day One:
“RA” p. 147-156; p. 156-165
Homework for Day Two:
Day One
Classification Essay Assigned***
“RA” p. 147-156
p. 156-165
2/14/11
Week Six
Homework for Day One:
PRESIDENT’S DAY HOLIDAY
Bring Your Essay To Class!!!!
2/21/11
Homework for Day Two:
Classification Essay Due
Week Seven
Homework for Day One:
“RA” p. 122-127; p. 131-135
Homework for Day Two:
***Classification Essay Due
Day Two
MHH
Pronouns
Modifier Placement
Adjective and Adverbs
p. 575-597
p. 645-652
p. 597-609
2/16/11
Peer Editing Handout
Bring Your Essay To Class!!!! Read
Oral Essay
***5 Reflective Journals due today!
2/23/11
Organizing the Midterm Essay
MHH Punctuation
p. 717-785
Definition Essay for Midterm
“RA” p. 122-127; p. 131-135
3/2/11
2/28/11
Week Eight
Homework for Day One:
Review notes for Mid-Term
Homework for Day Two:
Week Nine
Homework for Day One:
Homework for Day Two:
“RA” p. 191-196
Week Ten
Homework for Day One:
Bring Your Essay To Class!!!!
Mid-Term Exam
3/7/11
MHH
Commas
p. 718-745
Semicolons
p. 745-751
Apostrophes
p. 813-819
3/21/11
Compare and Contrast Essay contd.
“MHH”
Italics/Hyphens
p. 808-813
Sentence Variety
p. 663-670
Homework for Day Two:
Mid-Term Exam
3/9/11
Compare and Contrast
Essay Assignment***
“RA” p. 191-196
3/23/11
Peer Editing Handout
Bring Your Essay To Class!!!! Read
Oral Essay
3/28/11
3/30/11
Week Eleven
Homework for Day One:
Film Presentation for
Argumentative Essay
Parts of the Argumentative Essay-Notes
Practice Sentence Variety
p. 670
4/6/11
Homework for Day Two:
Compare and Contrast Due
4/4/11
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Week Twelve
Homework for Day One:
Reading: p. 432-438
Organizing the Argument “MHH” p.
183-212
Working on Intros and Conclusions
Homework for Day Two:
Peer Editing Handout
Bring Your Essay To Class!!!! Read
Oral Essay
Practice Word Choice/Sentence Variety
***5 Reflective Journals due today!
4/11/11
Week Thirteen
Homework for Day One:
Bring Your Essay To Class!!!!
Argumentative Essay Due
Homework for Day Two:
Argumentative Essay Due
Practice Word Choice/Sentence Variety
4/18/11
CWP
Week Fourteen
Homework for Day One:
CWP
Homework for Day Two:
CWP Presentation
4/20/11
CWP Work in Groups
Multimedia Presentations
“MHH” p. 226-247
CWP is Due
Student Presentations
4/27/11
4/25/11
Week Fifteen
Homework for Day One:
Homework for Day Two:
Questions about the Final
Week Sixteen
Homework for Day One:
Prepare for Final Exam
4/13/11
Collaborative Writing Project
Assigned
Synthesis Topics Assigned to Groups
“RA”__________________
Go Over Basic Research Methods
Student Presentations
How to Take Essay Exams
5/2/11
Prepare for Final Exam
5/4/11
Your Exam is on
May____, 2011
Final Exams Week
Homework for Day Two:
Prepare for Final Exam
at __________ am/pm.
5/9/11
Names, phone numbers, and email addresses of classmates:
__________________________________________
_______________________
__________________________________________
_______________________
__________________________________________
_______________________
__________________________________________
_______________________
__________________________________________
_______________________
__________________________________________
_______________________
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