Heartland Community College
Humanities & Fine Arts
Course Syllabus for Students
Course Prefix and Number: ENGL 094-01
Course Title: Writing Skills Review I
Credit Hours: 3
Lecture Hours: 3 Laboratory Hours: 0
Days and times the course meets: M,W, F 8:00-8:50 AM
Instructor Information:
Instructor name: Ms. Barbara Lawhorn
Phone number to contact instructor: (309) 827-7562
Instructor e-mail address, if one: barbla@hcc.cc.il.us
office hours: Conference by appointment
Introduction: Welcome to English 094. I'm looking forward to a semester spent forming a
learning community that explores the process of writing. The work will at times be difficult, but
the end result will be rewarding if you give this course your all. I expect your best work and in
return will match your effort. Please come to class ready to learn, not just from me but from each
other. In order for learning to take place we need to create an environment in which we listen to
one another carefully and respond with respect. Please ask questions when you have them and do
not censure yourself. There aren't any stupid questions. I am here to assist you so feel free to
approach me after class, email me or call me at home if problems arise. I am available to
conference before class too.
Catalog Description:
Prerequisite: Satisfactory score on English placement exam or consent of the department. A
reading/writing course that uses an error analysis approach to review English fundamentals,
including grammar and sentence structure, punctuation, usage and mechanics. The course
introduces students to audience, invention, arrangement and purpose in composing. Course
grades will be determined by portfolio assessment. Concurrent enrollment in READ 090 is
strongly recommended.
Textbook:
Required:
Clemens, Thomas. Course Guide for English 094, Writing Skills Review 1. Stipes:2002.
Huckins, Thomas N. and Hult, Christine A.The New Century Handbook. Brief ed.Boston: Allyn
& Bacon, 2001.
Jimenez, Fransisco. The Circuit. Alburquerque: University of New Mexico Press,1997.
Ray, Janisse. Ecology of a Cracker Childhood. Minneapolis: Milkweed Press,1999.
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Supplies Required:
 7 inexpensive manila folders (81/2 x 11)--3 for projects, 1 for self-assessment writing, 1 for
GUMF quizzes and notes, 1 for critical thinking, 1 for general handouts and notes.
 Spiral bound notebook and writing implements
 1 report cover, tab divider set, and label as specified by the Writing Program; these are for
sale in the school shop
 AT LEAST 2 DOUBLE SIDED HIGH DENSITY DISKETTES for your work in
addition to one I will give you. ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR WORK!!! I will not accept
a "lost" disk, a crashed computer or a broken printer as a valid excuse for a late paper.
Diskette carrying case
Relationship to Academic Development Programs and Transfer: (Indicate if course is
General Education/IAI)
ENGL 094 is designed to enhance students' academic performance for other college
courses for which these students are currently underprepared, as indicated by their
performance on the College's English placement exam or by the review of approved
documents. Credit earned from successful completion of ENGL 094 is neither calculated
into students' GPA at Heartland Community College, nor will it apply toward degree or
certificate requirements, nor will it transfer to other colleges or universities. However,
some institutions calculate admissions GPA using grades from all courses, including
developmental courses.
Student Learning:
In order to succeed in this class you must complete all reading assignments, participate in
class discussions, give small presentations, work together in small groups and conference
with me one on one. All of the small assignments, both in-class and out-of-class feed into
the project papers and are designed to assist you in the writing process. You must attend
class regularly and participate fully. Due dates and time lines are firm but if situations
arise that impede your progress in class, come see me. I am willing to negotiate with you
if you communicate with me responsibly. Call, email or schedule an appointment with
me. I repeat: Call, email or schedule an appointment with me. Failure to do so can result
in failing this class. I expect you to be in your seat at 8:00 with a folder for notes and
handouts, the textbooks, a notebook, two discs, a writing implement and an attitude
conducive to learning. Stay organized, be aware of deadlines and consult your
assignment schedules on a regular basis.
Instructor’s Role:
I am here to facilitate discussion based on our readings, respond to your writing in a way
that will help you achieve a deeper understanding of the rhetorical tools at your disposal,
strengthen your grammatical skills and assist you in preparation for future writing
courses. I will support your individual learning process and can help schedule you into
tutorials, the library, assist with readings, time management, or placement in other
assistance programs. I want you to succeed.
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Course Objectives (Learning Outcomes):
After completing this course students should be able to demonstrate that they have a working
knowledge of the structures of English language, including correct grammar and usage. Students
should be able to:
1.
write complete sentences
2.
write paragraphs with major and supporting ideas
3.
focus a topic appropriately for writing
4.
practice the writing process (pre-writing, writing, revising, editing)
5.
apply these writing skills using practical examples in a variety of realistic situations
6.
complete a portfolio of various writings
Course/Lab Outlines:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Introduction to course and computers
Grammar, mechanics, punctuation
Word use
Reinforcement of skills
Sentence combining
Writing paragraphs
Writing an essay
Methods of Instruction: This course is comprised of lectures, class discussions, small group
discussions and group work, mini student presentations and teacher-student conferences. All of these
activities require your participation. As you learn reading and writing techniques you will be asked to
apply them to your own work. Writing is often a long process, and it is the process we want to focus
on, not just the end result. Your assignments are projects, not papers to spit out quickly. We will take
time and more time. We will pace ourselves. We will revise steadily, evaluate our peers' writing
occasionally and constantly reevaluate our own writing. We will revisit and rewrite each project
paper at least twice.
PLEASE NOTE
*****SAVE ALL WORK PRODUCED IN AND OUT OF CLASS. SAVE ALL OF MY
COMMENTS AND YOUR PEER EXCHANGE COMMENTS. DO NOT THROW
ANYTHING AWAY. KEEP ALL ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS AND SCHEDULES!
THEY WILL COME IN HANDY!
Course Policies:
Student assessment will be based on the following(continued on next page):
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Graded Drafts
Of Project
Papers
(PP)
Self-Assessment Planning and
Grammar-UsageWriting
Revision work
Mechanicsfor Project Papers Formats Quizzes
(GUMFQ)
Context for
Critical Thinking
Work (CCT)
P
U
R
P
O
S
E
To present
Your best
Writing on
each project
paper
To reflect on
What and how
You are learning
About reading,
Writing and
Thinking
critically
P
R
O
C
E
D
U
R
E
To focus on the
Learning the
Process of
Writingplanning
Drafting, and
Revising
To help learn
The basic
Blocks of
Grammar, Usage
And Mechanics
To view writing
As situated in a
Cultural context.
To critically
Evaluate what we
Read, see, hear
And think
Draft turned
Self-assessment
Into me
Memos, in-class
Receives an advisory
Essays, and biGrade which
weekly duologues
Is replaced
explore and
By higher
reflect on your
Revised draft
Learning and
Grades; final
writing process
Portfolio is
graded by
Instructor
(see Course
Guide page
126 for full
final grading
practice @HCC).
Particular
Conventions
Taught,
Reviewed and
Tested through
Open book
quizzes
Planning
Assignments
Help plan
Project prior
To drafting.
Revision includes
Peer exchanges
And re"seeing"
Your project
papers
Each project will
Require critical
Thinking of our
Readings, discussions and presentations and making
Connections to
Our own
experiences
N R
U E
MQ
B U
E I
R R
E
D
4 project
papers; 3
of which are
in your final
portfolio and are
a minimum
of 10 full
pages. See
Course Guide
P.23-25
Biweekly duologue(8 total).
Refer to handOut for requirements and
Expectations;
regular memos
And in-class
essays
12 week cycle
of teach, review
and quiz
Planning includes
Topic proposal,
Exploration,
Knowing your
Audience, finding
A focus,
organization,
peer exchange,
drafting & revising
conferences
Will occur
On a regular basis
In class through
Discussion and
Be supplemented
Outside of class
Through regular
Writing.
%
60%
5%
5%
15%
15%
Final
Grade
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Method of Evaluation/Grading System:
You will receive a midterm and a final grade for the course. Your midterm grade will be based
on your writing exercise and writing practices and participation grades. Your final grade will
reflect your grades from writing exercises and writing practices, participation, and final portfolio
grade. Final grades will be determined using the following percentages:
Writing exercises
20%
Writing practices and participation
20%
Portfolio
60%
Final grades will be determined according to the following scale:
A = 92 -100%
B = 83 - 91%
C = 74 - 82%
D = 65 - 73%
F = Below 65%
Participation/Attendance: Class attendance and participation is required. This means you are
expected to come to class ready take an active role. If you are unable to attend class, notify me.
Every class session has activities that receive a grade and if you miss a class you miss the
opportunity to receive full credit. Assignments that can be made up for a reduced grade must be
made up within two class periods. There are in-class assignments that can not be made up(small
group work, presentations, class discussions, and so on) and you will receive a 0 for those
assignments, unless medical verification of illness or other need for absence is proved through
proper form of verification. I will not take your word for it. If a family emergency requires you
to miss more than one class, I expect that you communicate with me early on so make-up work
can be pre-arranged. Excessive absences can result in failure of this class due to incomplete
work. Without regular communication from and with you to negotiate changes in deadline during
these absences, progress in, and thus completion of, the course is impossible. It is impossible to
"re-teach" weeks of classes missed and so I reserve the right to fail any student that misses 8 or
more classes.
Incompletes:
I follow the official college policy, as found in the college catalog, as illustrated by the
following excerpt: "An incomplete grade may be given to a student who, by the withdrawal
date, can reasonably be expected to pass the course. Incompletes can be granted only when
justified by extreme circumstances (e.g. serious illness, accident, death or serious illness in
the immediate family)."
Make-up assignments:
I reserve the right to negotiate with students over make up work and the excuse of absences.
Late work whether or not due to absences, unless negotiated with me, will be deducted one
letter grade per weekday it is late. If negotiated make up work schedules are not kept, the one
grade per weekday penalty applies.
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Deadlines: Deadlines can be negotiated with me, but unnegotiated cases are subjected to late
work penalties described above. Late papers and assignments due in missed class should be
placed in my mailbox.
Required Writing and Reading:
Students will be required to write during each class period. Students will be given quizzes on
mini-lessons about writing and English structure and usage. Five "longer" writing assignments
are required. Readings will be assigned by the instructor. Students will be required to read
outside class.
Student Conduct:
Treat others as you wish to be treated. We are building a learning community, which means
creating and maintaining an atmosphere of respect. In this classroom you may encounter
ideas, values, beliefs and perspectives that are different from your own. We will freely
exchange ideas, but intimidating or disrespectful language or behavior has no place in our
exchanges, our classroom or at Heartland Community College. Refer to College policies
section in the Heartland Community College Catalog.
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a fundamental principle of collegial life at Heartland Community College
and is essential to the credibility of the College’s educational programs. Moreover, because
grading may be competitive, students who misrepresent their academic work violate the right of
their fellow students. The College, therefore, views any act of academic dishonest as a serious
offense requiring disciplinary measures, including course failure, suspension, and even expulsion
from the College. In addition, an act of academic dishonesty may have unforeseen effects far
beyond any officially imposed penalties.
Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to cheating, aiding or
suborning cheating or other acts of academic dishonesty, plagiarism, misrepresentation of data,
falsification of academic records or documents and unauthorized access to computerized
academic or administrative records or systems. Definitions of these violations may be found in
the college catalog.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presenting of others’ ideas as if they were your own. When you write a paper,
create a project, do a presentation or create anything original, it is assumed that all the work,
except for that which is attributed to another author or creator, is your own. Plagiarism is
considered a serious academic offense and may take the following forms:
1
Copying word-for-word from another source and not giving that source credit.
2
Paraphrasing the work of another and not giving that source credit.
3
Adopting a particularly apt phrase as your own.
4
Using an image or a copy of an image without crediting its source.
5
Paraphrasing someone else’s line of thinking in the development of a topic as if it
were your own.
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6
Receiving excessive help from a friend or elsewhere, or using another project as
if it were your own.
Note that word-for-word copying is not the only form of plagiarism.
The penalties for plagiarism may be severe, ranging from failure on the particular piece
of work, failure in the course or expulsion from school in extreme cases.
[Adapted from the Modem Language Association’s MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers. New York: MLA, 1995: 26]
Support Services:
Heartland Library Information
www.hcc.cc.il.us/library
The Library, located within the Academic Support Center (ASC) on the Normal campus, provides
Heartland students with a variety of on-campus resources that support both class work and personal
inquiry. These include: reference tools (print and non-print), periodicals, audio-visual materials and
equipment, reserves, a general circulating collection, and a fiction collection. Computer terminals
provide access to various electronic resources, including Academic Universe, FirstSearch, and EbscoHost
databases; CARL online card catalog, and Internet access. Several electronic resources are accessible
from computers off campus. Students may borrow books from the fiction and general collections and
may renew materials, in person or by phone, if requests have not been placed on them.
Heartland students also have Interlibrary Loan privileges from Heartland Library. Items usually take 1 to
3 weeks from date of the order to arrive.
The Library maintains a quiet study environment. Assistance is available for all library and information
needs. Heartland Library is open Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
when the college is in session, but is closed on holidays that Heartland observes. Intersession and
summer hours are reduced.
Milner Library at Illinois State University is a public institution so you may use their collection on site. If
you want to request to check out materials, ask for a free Community Borrowers card application at the
Milner Library circulation desk. It is important that you have specific titles to request for check out when
you apply for the card. The card will give you access to their circulating collection for three months, with
a four week check out period. To qualify for this service you must live within 50 miles of Milner, have a
current state ID (driver's license) with current address on ID, and be over age 18. After you fill out the
application Milner will perform a background check on you for over due books, etc.
For more information about Library services please call the Library at 268-8200.
Tutoring and Academic Support
Heartland Community College offers learning assistance in various forms at no cost to Heartland
students at the Academic Support Center (ASC) in Normal and at the Pontiac and Lincoln
Centers. Tutors are available at convenient times throughout the week. Study groups, group
tutoring facilitated by a specially-trained tutor, are also available by request. Help is also
provided through instructional materials, study skills workshops, open computing, and the
Library. For more information about services available at each location, please call the ASC in
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Normal at (309) 268-8235, the Pontiac Center (815) 842-6777; or the Lincoln Center (217) 7351731.
Academic Support Services (Academic Support Center) Lab www.hcc.cc.il.us/divisions/asc
[The following material must be on every syllabi. However, this text may be updated as needs warranted. Please
check either the HCC Intranet site in the Curriculum and Academic Standards folder or with the lead faculty
member for the most current site.]
Testing Center Lab www.hcc.cc.il.us/divisions/asc/testing
The Testing Center proctors make-up exams for students enrolled in traditional courses. In
addition, regularly scheduled exams for alternative delivery courses are also proctored at this
Center. Exams are proctored free of charge in a secure and quite environment. For more
information about exam proctoring services contact the Testing Center at (309) 268-8231.
Open Computing Lab www.hcc.cc.il.us/divisions/asc/complab
The Open Computing Lab provides free computing for HCC students at convenient times
throughout the week. The computer lab is staffed by trained Lab Assistants and offers the use of
approximately 70 computers, a scanner, a laser printer, and an electric typewriter.
Specifications for written materials:
All project papers must be typed, following MLA formatting. All out of class assignments must
be typed. I will not accept handwritten material unless I specify otherwise.
Syllabi disclaimer: This syllabus is subject to change. This class will be notified of changes due
to College closings, severe weather, class progress, incorrect statements in this document, and
unexpected demands on the instructor.
Special Thanks:
I thank Tom Clemens for the example of his English 101 syllabus, which was a great help in
developing this syllabus and from which I directly borrowed.
Course Calendar:
Schedule of Major Assignments for English 094.01
All assignments listed here are subject to change, including variation in assignment number and
due date, depending on the needs of your particular class. All of the major assignments will be
broken down into Project Paper Packets(PPP) which will include a schedule listing all due dates
for reading and writing assignments, as well as the requirements of the Project Paper.
Project Paper Pace
Type of Project
Sixteen-week Term by Week
Introduction to course
Week 1
Project Paper One
Weeks 1-4
Project Paper Two
Weeks 5-8
Choice: Choose PP1 or PP2 for revision
Project Paper Three
Week 8
Weeks 9-12
Continued Revision and Conferences
Weeks 12-15
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Reflective Introduction
Preparation of portfolio
Weeks 13-14
Weeks 15- 16
Brief Description of Project Papers:
The nature of the papers might change based on the direction of class discussion, personal
interests, and critical thinking.
Project Paper 1 (PP1) Due September 16
You will explore how your own perceptions are connected to various aspects of your socialcultural backgrounds. 3 full pages minimum.
Project Paper 2 (PP2) Due October 14
Project Paper 2 will build on Critical Thinking and writing skills, as well as readings from PP1.
You will explore how the individual is uniquely shaped not only by genetics but also by an
"individual history" of experiences that is connected to the individual's cultural situation.3 full
pages minimum.
Project Paper 3 (PP3) Due November 11
You will explore how different backgrounds among people connect to differences in how they
think and behave and in what they value.3 full pages.
Reflective Introduction to your portfolio Due November 25
A discussion of how specific rhetorical and critical thinking strategies were applied to each
paper, and that were helpful in making effective decisions about your papers.
Final Portfolio will be discussed at length and will be turned in on the last day of classes
December 6,2002.
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