TULSA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SOUTHEAST CAMPUS
COURSE SYLLABUS
ENGLISH 1113
Composition I
Fall 2009
Instructor: Patricia Douthat
Call #: 12150
Room/Meeting Times: SE 7106/Mon. 7:00 – 9:50 p.m.
TO CONTACT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
Mail Box: Academic and Campus Support (ACS), Room SE2202
Phone: 595-7673 (leave message)
Director of ACS: Leanne Brewer
E-mail: patricia_douthat@mail.tulsacc.edu (most reliable)
TO CONTACT THE DIVISION OFFICE:
Communications Division, Room SE1202
Communications Associate Dean: Judy Leeds, 595-7694
COURSE PREREQUISITES: Appropriate CPT or ACT score, or completion of ENG
0923 and ENG 0933 with a grade of “C” or better, or permission of the Associate Dean.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Composition I guides students through the writing process
with regular practice and analysis of effective writing. It is the first in a sequence of two
freshman composition courses. Lecture 3 hours. Self-paced laboratory may be required.
Course work will include four short (500-750 words) essays, two of which may be
revised for a better grade, miscellaneous assignments, a research project, and a final exam
essay. Quizzes may be given periodically and will count as part of your miscellaneous
assignment grade.
NEXT COURSE IN SEQUENCE: English 1213, Composition II.
TEXTS:
The Little, Brown Handbook, TCC Custom Edition, Fowler & Aaron
The Longman Reader, TCC Custom Edition, Nadell, Langan,
Coomodromos
TCC Southeast Campus Student Manual for Composition I and II and
Advanced Composition,
COURSE OBJECTIVES: See The Longman Reader, pages xi-xii.
TEACHING METHODS: Each class period will involve a variety of activities
including lecture, discussion, group work, and writing. For more information, see page
xxii in Little, Brown.
GRADING: Grades will be determined according to the following scale:
Essay 1
150 points
Essay 2
150 points
Essay 3
150 points
Summaries 5
150 points
Research Project
125 points
Miscellaneous Assignments
125 points
Final Exam
150 points
TOTAL
1000 points
A=1000-900; B=899-800; C=799-700; D=699-600; F=599-0
Essays, including the final exam essay, will be graded using the criteria described on
pages xvi – xxi in Little, Brown. Miscellaneous assignments include quizzes,
worksheets, and/or writing exercises, all of which will be graded according to how well
the student understands the skill or concept addressed in the assignment. Grading criteria
for the research project are provided on the assignment sheet.
LATE WORK: Essays and the research project will be penalized one letter grade for
each day late, regardless of the reason for being late. Late work should be submitted to
the Academic and Campus Services Office, Room SE2202, or to the assignments area in
Blackboard within 72 hours of the due date. After 72 hours, I will not accept late essays
or late research projects.
Miscellaneous assignments are collected during class and will not be accepted late under
any circumstance. Quizzes will be given periodically and cannot be taken at a later date.
If you miss an assignment or a quiz, you will receive a “0.”
Students should NOT email any work to me or ask to submit miscellaneous assignments
late. Individual miscellaneous assignments and quizzes constitute only a small percentage
of the final grade, so missing two or three assignments or quizzes will not jeopardize your
final grade.
ATTENDANCE/WITHDRAW POLICY: Because work completed in the classroom
cannot be duplicated outside the classroom, you must plan to attend class regularly. If
you are unable to attend class, contact a student from the class to find out what was
covered during class and check Blackboard for missed handouts and other material.
Missing more than three hours of class, whether due to skipping, illness, family
emergencies or work-related conflicts, will affect the final grade. If you stop attending
and do not withdraw, you will receive an “F” as your final grade in this course. Contact
the Counseling Office at any TCC campus to initiate withdrawal from a course ('W'
grade) or to change from Credit to Audit.
English Professors assign "AW" or "I" grades only when genuine emergencies prevent a
student from completing the class and/or from withdrawing before the deadline and only
when the student is earning a satisfactory ("C" or better) grade.
FORMAT FOR COURSE WORK: For the final draft of major essays, you should
follow MLA format as described in the Handbook. Students may be required to submit
assignments to SafeAssignment to be checked for plagiarism. Students who do not
submit assignments to SafeAssignment when required will receive a “0” for the
assignment. For help submitting essays to SafeAssignment, visit the Writing Center.
WRITING CENTER: Students should be aware of the many services offered in the
Writing Center, room 1102. For more information, see “Teaching Methods” on page xxii
of Little, Brown.
PLAGIARISM POLICY: Please see “Plagerism” on pages xxv-xxvi in your Little
Brown. Work that contains plagiarism, whether accidental or intentional, will receive a
“0.”
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY OR MISCONDUCT: Academic dishonesty or
misconduct is not condoned nor tolerated at campuses within the Tulsa Community
College system. See the college’s Academic Integrity Statement:
http://www.tulsacc.edu/page.asp?durki=2984&site=16&return=126.
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. Students should show respect
and courtesy to fellow classmates and participate earnestly in class activities. Entering
class late, talking during lectures, sleeping during class, making fun of or attacking
another's viewpoint, and/or behaving in a disruptive or combative manner are all
considered inappropriate and may be grounds for dismissal from class. Cell phones must
be silenced during class, and use of any electronic device is at the discretion of the
instructor. Finally, school policy does not permit students to bring children to class.
DISABLED STUDENTS/ADA POLICY: TCC provides accommodations for
qualifying students in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you feel
you have a disability that may require special accommodations, please see the Disabled
Student Services/ADA Policy in the Disabled Student Services/ADA Policy section
(p.xxiv) of your Little, Brown and contact the disabled Student Resource Center, 918595-7115, or the Resource Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 918-595-7428V,
918-595-7434TTY.
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 this address. You must use MyTCC email to send email to
and receive email from me.
INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY: 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).
GENERAL EDUCATION GOAL STATEMENT: The General Education Goals are
designed to ensure that graduates of Tulsa Community College have the skills,
knowledge, and attitudes to carry them successfully through their work and their personal
lives. General Education Goals relevant to this course include Critical Thinking,
Effective Communication, Engaged Learning, and Technological Proficiency.
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.
OTHER: Occasionally, when genuine emergencies or problem situations occur, the
course policies outlined here can be modified to help a student complete the course if the
student has been attending regularly, has completed most assigned work, and is earning at
least a "C." It is always in your best interest, therefore, to contact me immediately if a
crisis situation prevents you from attending class or completing assignments.
This syllabus is subject to change as determined by specific needs of the class. Students
will be given written notification of changes.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
LB=Little, Brown Handbook
Last day to withdraw from classes:_______________________________
WEEK 1 (Aug. 17)
Introductions, review syllabus, grammar review
WEEK 2 (Aug. 24)
Due: pages vii-xxxvi and Chapter 6a-6b in LB (Little Brown Handbook); grammar
review cont.,
Interview and diagnostic writing (Computer Lab 1203)
WEEK 3 (Aug. 31)
Due: Chapters 1, 2b in LB; “The Storm this Time”, by David Helvarg in Longman
Quiz 1
Descriptive-Narrative assigned, thesis review
Conciseness Exercise
WEEK 4 (Sept. 7)
No class: Martin Luther Day
WEEK 5 (Sept. 14)
Due: Chapters 23 - 26 in LB; “The Price We Pay” by Adam Mayblum in Longman
Quiz 2
Sentence exercises
Practice summary
WEEK 6 (Sept. 21)
Due: Summary 1; Chapters 37-39 and 3-4 in LB; “Wouldn’t Take Nothing for my
Journey Now” by Maya Angelou (handout)
Quiz 3
Diction exercises
Peer Review over Descriptive-Narrative Essay
WEEK 7 (Sept. 28)
Due: Descriptive-Narrative (#1), Chapter 7a in LB; “Tweens: Ten Going on Sixteen” by
Kay S. Hymowitz, Longman
Quiz 4
Exemplification Essay #2 assigned
WEEK 8 (Oct. 5)
Due: Summary 2; “The ‘Values’ Wasteland”, by Charles Sykes from Longman
Quiz 5
WEEK 9 (Oct. 12)
Due: Summary 3; “The Baffling Question” by Bill Cosby (handout)
Peer Review for Exemplification Essay
MLA Review
WEEK 10 (Oct. 19)
Due: Exemplification Essay (#2); “The American Way of Death” by Jessica Mitford,
“Cyberschool” by Clifford Stoll, Longman
Quiz 6
LRC Orientation and exercises
Process Analysis Essay #3 assigned
WEEK 11 (Oct. 26)
Due: Summary 4; “Managing Your Time” by Edwin Bliss (handout)
Chapter 43b – 44 in LB;
Quiz 7
Peer Review on Process Analysis
Paraphrase, summary, quotation exercises
Research Project assigned
WEEK 12 (Nov. 2)
Due: Process Analysis Essay Due (#3)
Work in LRC
WEEK 13 (Nov. 9)
Due: Research Project; “In Praise of the ‘F’ word” by Mary Sherry, Longman
Chapter 47 in LB
Quiz 8
Argumentation and Persuasion Activity
WEEK 14 (Nov. 16)
Due: Ch. 44-45 in LB
Movie (TBA)
WEEK 15 (Nov. 23)
Due: Summary 5 over movie; (2 opposing views essays) – “The Demise of Writing” by
Geoffrey Meredith, & “Will We Turn Pages” by Kevin Kelly (handout)
Chapters 42-43 in LB
Quiz 9
WEEK 16 (Nov. 30)
Due: “The Damned Human Race” by Mark Twain, Longman
Prepare for Final over Argumentation and Persuasion
Quiz 10
WEEK 17 (Dec. 7)
Final exam Date and Time: ____________________________