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SYLLABUS
Tulsa Community College
Spring Semester 2010
Course:
English 1113 (Freshman Composition I) Section #: 240 Course Ref # 20229
Day(s) and Time(s): Monday 5:30 – 8:20 p.m. Start and end dates: 1/11/10 - 05/09/10
Course Delivery Method: Lecture 3 HOURS Laboratory Self-Paced
Instructor: Najla Jean Watkins
E-mail: najla_watkins@mail.tulsacc.edu
Office Phone: OWASSO LOCATION 272-5334
TO CONTACT THE DIVISION OFFICE:
Division: Liberal Arts/Communications
Technology
Associate Dean: Jocelyn Whitney
Office: NE2389
Phone Number: 595-7494
TO CONTACT ACADEMIC & CAMPUS SERVICES:
Director: Dr. Michael Limas
Office: NE1126
Phone: 595-7473
COURSE DESCRIPTION: ENGLISH 1113 PROVIDES INSTRUCTION IN STANDARD
USAGE AND ESSENTIAL EXPOSITORY WRITING SKILLS. IT IS THE FIRST OF TWO
FRESHMAN COMPOSITION COURSES.
NEXT COURSE(S) IN SEQUENCE: ENGLISH 1213
TEXTBOOKS, SUPPLIES, & OTHER RESOURCES:
Title: THE BLAIR READER
Edition:
Author:
Publisher:
WRITING INTENSIVE Essentials for College Writers
Textbooks and supplies may be purchased at: NEC BOOKSTORE
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to—
o Restrict a subject and define
o Write well-developed, coherent, and unified paragraphs
o Combine paragraphs into a unified essay (minimum of five paragraphs) including an
introduction, body, and conclusion.
o Create an essay with coherence and an orderly progression of ideas.
o Identify an academic audience and adapt the composition to mid-formal stance.
o Compose sentences that are forceful, concise, and varied in structure.
o Choose words that are precise and appropriate and that show an awareness of formal and
informal usage.
o Use mechanics correctly, i.e., grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling.
o Apply principles of documentation and the rules of MLA format.
o Conduct Internet research and evaluate internet sources.
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o Become acquainted with word processing and the Internet and the ways they can improve
writing.
Facet Center
The NEC Facet Center combines instructional technology with individualized instruction and
provides resources for help in developing skills in writing, research, and computers. Facet Center
Hours: Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.; Friday 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.; Saturday
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
TEACHING METHODS: ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE BRIEF LECTURES, DISCUSSION,
GROUP PROJECTS, INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCES, TESTS/QUIZZES, OUT-OF-CLASS
WRITING, IN-CLASS WRITING, AND IN-CLASS REWRITING.
EVALUATION TECHNIQUES: HOMEWORK, EXERCISES, PARTICIPATION, QUIZZES, MAJOR
PARAGRAPHS, MAJOR ESSAYS, MID-TERM EXAMINATION, LAB ASSIGNMENTS, RESEARCH PAPER,
FINAL EXAMINATION. CLASS PARTICIPATION IS 20 PERCENT OF THE GRADE. THE WRITTEN
ESSAYS ARE 40 PERCENT OF THE GRADE. THE MID-TERM EXAMINATION IS 10 PERCENT OF
THE GRADE. THE RESEARCH PROJECT IS 20 PERCENT OF THE GRADE, AND THE FINAL
EXAMINATION IS 10 PERCENT OF THE FINAL GRADE IN THIS COURSE.
Grading Scale
A
90 – 100 percent
B
80 – 89
C
70 – 79
D
60 – 69
F
Below 60 percent
FORMAT FOR WRITTEN WORK Assignments should be neat, and any corrections should be legible. All writing must be
double-spaced and either written in dark ink or typed/printed with a dark type. All pages should be numbered and stapled.
Margins should be left on all four sides. Nothing should be written on the backs of any pages.
ATTENDANCE: More than three hours of absence will be considered excessive. The student is
responsible for obtaining all assignments and completing any work missed.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS AND MAKE-UP WORK: THE FINAL EXAMINATION CANNOT BE
MADE UP. ALL OTHER WORK MISSED MUST BE SUBMITTED WITHIN ONE CLASS
PERIOD OF DUE-DATE. TEN PERCENT OF TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE MAY BE
SUBTRACTED FOR EACH CLASS PERIOD UNTIL WORK IS SUBMITTED.
THE RESEARCH PROJECT IS DUE THE FIFTEENTH WEEK OF CLASS BUT MAY BE
TURNED IN EARLY. THE ENGLISH 1113 RESEARCH PROJECT WILL NOT BE RETURNED.
ANYONE WISHING A COPY OF THE PAPER SHOULD PHOTOCOPY IT BEFORE
SUBMITTING IT TO THE INSTRUCTOR FOR EVALUATION. THE RESEARCH PROJECT
SHOULD BE TYPED IN 10 OR 12 POINT FONT, DOUBLE-SPACED, WITH 1-INCH
MARGINS. THE PROJECT WILL INCLUDE A TITLE PAGE, SENTENCE OR TOPIC
OUTLINE, FOUR OR MORE PAGES OF RESEARCH WITH PARENTHETICAL
DOCUMENTATION, AND A WORKS CITED PAGE WITH A MINIMUM OF THREE SOURCES.
AN OUTLINE AND A ROUGH DRAFT MAY BE REQUIRED BEFORE THE DUE DATE OF THE
RESEARCH PROJECT. DOCUMENTATION SHALL BE IN MLA FORMAT (PARENTHETICAL
DOCUMENTATION).
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10. Course Withdrawal: The deadline to withdraw from a course shall not exceed 3/4 the
duration of any class. Contact the Counseling Office at any TCC campus to initiate withdrawal
from a course ('W' grade) or to change from Credit to Audit. Check the TCC Academic Calendar
for deadlines. Students who stop participating in the course and fail to withdraw may receive a
course grade of “F,” which may have financial aid consequences for the student.
COMMUNICATIONS:
Email: All TCC students receive a designated “MyTCC” email address (ex:
Jane_doe@mail.tulsacc.edu All communications to you about TCC and course
assignments will be sent to your MyTCC email address; and you must use MyTCC email
to send email to, and receive email from, the instructor regarding this course.
Inclement Weather: TCC rarely closes. If extreme weather conditions or emergency
situations arise, TCC always gives cancellation notices to radio and television stations.
This information is also posted on the TCC website (www.tulsacc.edu).
If Owasso schools are closed, the TCC classes will not meet. Check for television
announcements or radio broadcasts.
GENERAL EDUCATION GOALS: General Education courses at TCC ensure that our graduates
gain skills, knowledge, and abilities that comprise a common foundation for their higher education
and a backdrop for their work and personal lives. TCC’s General Education goals are: Critical
Thinking, Effective Communication, Engaged Learning, and Technological Proficiency.
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE: Open and mutually respectful communication of varied opinions,
beliefs, and perspectives during classroom or online discussion encourages the free exchange of
ideas that is essential to higher learning and to the ability to learn from each other. Use of any
electronic device is at the discretion of the instructor. Please place your cell phone in silent mode.
SYLLABUS CHANGES: Occasionally, changes to the syllabus may be necessary. Students will
be notified of any changes to the syllabus in writing.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: TCC provides accommodations for qualifying students in
compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. For information, students may contact the
disabled Student Resource Center, 918-595-7115, or the Resource Center for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing, 918-595-7428V, 918-595-7434TTY.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Academic dishonesty (cheating) is defined as the deception of
others about one’s own work or about the work of another. Academic dishonesty or misconduct is
not condoned or tolerated at campuses within the Tulsa Community College system. Tulsa
Community College adopts a policy delegating certain forms of authority for disciplinary action to
the faculty. Such disciplinary actions delegated to the faculty include, but are not limited to, the
dismissal of disrespectful or disorderly students from classes. In the case of academic dishonesty a
faculty member may:

Require the student to redo an assignment or test, or require the student to complete a
substitute assignment or test;

Record a "zero" for the assignment or test in question;
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
Recommend to the student that the student withdraw from the class, or administratively
withdraw the student from the class;

Record a grade of "F" for the student at the end of the semester. Faculty may request
that disciplinary action be taken against a student at the administrative level by
submitting such a request to the Dean of Student Services.
INSTITUTIONAL STATEMENT: Each student is responsible for being aware of the
information contained in the TCC Catalog, the TCC Student Policies & Resources Handbook,
and semester information listed in the class schedule. All information may be viewed on the
TCC website: www.tulsacc.edu
TENTATIVE COURSE CALENDAR:
Week 1 Introduce the course and syllabus; view the writing process. Read selections from reader to demonstrate developing a
thesis statement. Discuss descriptive and narrative writing. Discuss the research project due week 15. Read Soto, Gary.
“One Last Time” (16-23). Assignment: Write about a film or TV show whose characters remind you of your own family (two or three
paragraphs). End your reading response with a works cited entry for Soto’s essay.
Week 2 Review the persuasive documented paper: paraphrasing, summarizing, quoting sources, research process, MLA
documentation, thesis statement, long and short quotations, parenthetical documentation. Analyze a sample research
paper in MLA style. Discuss proofreading symbols, unity and coherence, development. Read White, E.B. “Once More to
the Lake.” (Blair 23-29). Assignment: Write about a place important to you as a child (two or three paragraphs). Write from the perspective of
you, the adult, and you, the child. End your reading response with a works cited entry for White’s essay.
Week 3 Review phrases and complements. Read Kingston, Maxine Hong. “No Name Woman” (29-39). Assignment: Write a
biographical sketch of one of your family members (two or three paragraphs). Depict your family member’s personality as well as a physical
description.
Week 4 Read and write critically. Discuss common writing errors and review the essay format. Read Walker, Alice. “Beauty:
When the Other Dancer is the Self” (40-41). Reading response: Write about a painful memory. Essay one (five
paragraphs) due (100 points). This essay may be an expanded version of any of the previous reading responses.
Week 5 Review clauses. Discuss pronoun usage. Read Coben, Harlan “The Key to My Father” (56-60). Assignment: Create a list of
physical details that characterize one of your parents. Write two or three paragraphs about him or her.
Week 6 Review sentence structures; subject/verb agreement. Do usage exercises. Read Barry, Lynda “The Sanctuary of School”
(83-86). Write about whether or not school has been a sanctuary for you. Essay two (five paragraphs) due (100 points). Essay may be
an expanded version of any of the reading responses thus far.
Week 7 Review pronoun/antecedent agreement, subject/verb agreement, and pronoun case. Discuss research techniques and
MLA format of parenthetical documentation. Discuss the mid-term examination (objective test, multiple choice over
grammar and usage). Read Angelou, Maya “Graduation” (103-113). Write about the ways education has changed (two or three
paragraphs).
Week 8 Mid-term examination. Read Rodriguez, Richard “Aria” (139-145). Write about non-English speaking students in the public school in
America (two or three paragraphs).
Week 9 Discuss unnecessary shifts in person and tense. Discuss research project. Assign the third essay. Discuss the mid-term
examination. Read Winn, Marie “Television: The Plug-In Drug” (231-239). Do you consider cell phones, I-pods, or computers to
be plug-in drugs? (two or three paragraphs)
Week 10 Review wordiness, coordination, subordination, parallelism, parenthetical documentation, works cited entries. Read
Wordsworth, William “The World is Too Much with Us” (301). Write about materialism and worldliness. Read Howley, Kerry.
“Marriage Just Lets the State Back In” (72). Respond to the issue of same-sex marriage and divorce.
Week 11 Variety, emphasis and the research project. Read Shell, Ellen Ruppel “The Boredom Effect” (310-314).
Week 12 Read Brady, Judy “Why I Want a Wife” (380-382). Discuss the differences in the perspective of a wife thirty years ago (when this
essay was written) and your definition of a wife today.
Week 13 Read Staples, Brent “Just Walk on By” (450-454). Respond to the selection. Choose one of the reading response assignments
of the semester OR CHOOSE AN ESSAY OF YOUR CHOICE IN THE ANTHOLOGY and write essay three (five paragraphs)
(100 points).
Week 14 Essay four assigned (video). Individual conferences about the research project. LAB VERIFICATIONS DUE.
Week 15 *Research project due fifteenth week (May 26, 2010)* title page, sentence or topic outline, four full pages of research
with parenthetical documentation in MLA style, works cited page, and an edited, rough draft. (200 points)
Essay four due.
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Week 16 Final Examination (This exam may not be made up.) The final exam is a five paragraph essay over a current,
controversial issue with a minimum of two sources cited.
The issue will be announced in class three weeks before the final exam date. The essay will be written in class, but the student
may research the topic before the exam and bring notes or printouts of sources to class to use in writing the essay. End the essay
with a minimum of two works cited entries.
The student will write four five-paragraph essays and a final examination essay.
Essay Requirements: Place the MLA heading in the upper left corner of the five or six-paragraph essay Example of MLA
heading:
Betsy Student
Mrs. Watkins
Freshman Composition I
19 May 2010
Center an original title.
Double space your essay (skip lines). Write in blue or black ink, or type the essay in the Facet Center and attach a lab verification
form.
Write five or six paragraphs with a minimum of five sentences per paragraph. Maintain one tense throughout. Use the historical
present tense or past tense. Do not use second person (you) in your essay. Use midformal stance. Do not use slang or
abbreviations. Write complete sentences and use a variety of sentence structures. Use transitions and sensory imagery in writing
the essay. Use at least one quote from the source in the anthology and end the quote with parenthetical documentation.
The essay will end with a works cited entry for the source.
The essay is worth 100 points. Points will be deducted for such common errors as spelling, capitalization, punctuation, fragments,
run ons, abbreviations, subject/verb not in agreement, pronoun usage, tense shifts and the use of second person. Additionally,
points will be deducted for the improper use of parenthetical documentation or incorrect format of the works cited entry.
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