English 1010: Expository Writing
Theme: Passions and Pursuits
Ms. Karen Wright
Office: AMG 305
Office hours: MW 11:30-1:00 and by appointment
Office Phone: 904-8262
E-mail via WebCT
COURSE OBJECTIVES
English 1010 will emphasize academic writing and improve the skills needed to produce college-level
essays. We will be concerned with the writing process (brainstorming, revising, editing) as well as the
quality of the final text produced (content, organization, word choice, grammar, and mechanics). In
order to generate ideas for our class discussions and writing assignments, we will read selections from
Strategies for College Writing and other relevant sources.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS
SCW: Strategies for College Writing, 2nd edition, by Funk, Coleman, and Day
SFC: Surviving Freshman Composition, ed. by Smith, Smith, and Klein
HHH: Hodges’ Harbrace Handbook, 15th edition, by Glenn, Miller, and Webb
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Access to the Internet and Microsoft Word software
Two floppy disks (one to turn in with essays and one for personal use)
9x12 envelope for submitting essay packets
Stapler
Highlighter
EVALUATION AND GRADING SCALE
To pass the course and earn three credit hours, you must achieve an overall grade average of C- or better.
Although I will use the grade of D in grading papers and assignments, anyone receiving an overall D
grade will not pass the class.
Essay 1
Essay 2
Essay 3
Essay 6
16%
16%
16%
Lowest essay grade of these
four will be dropped
Essay 4
Essay 5
21%
21%
Class Participation (attendance, discussions, workshops,
informal writing, class work, homework, quizzes)
10%
Total 100%
Note: I will use an evaluation form when I grade your papers. When calculating your grade, I will
take the percentage of the points you earn on the essay to the total possible points on the evaluation
form. Use the following scale to convert these percentage grades to letter grades:
100 – 90 = A
89 – 87 = B + 79 – 77 = C + 69 – 60 = D
86 – 83 = B
76 – 73 = C
59 – 0 = F
82 – 80 = B - 72 – 70 = C -
PAPER GUIDELINES
Per the English Department guidelines, you will be writing at least five essays of at least 550-750 words
(2¼ - 3 pages) each.
FORMAT
All papers will be typed, double-spaced, stapled, and printed in dark readable print. In addition, all papers
will use 12-point Times Roman font and will have a 1” margin at the top, bottom and both sides. NOTE:
The default settings for MS Word are 1.25” for the left and right margins—you will need to reset the
margins to 1”. All papers will have a title and the appropriate assignment block in the top left-hand
corner of the first page. (See HHH 634-35 for further explanation and example.) You need to follow
these presentation guidelines whenever you turn in a paper to me; not following them will reduce your
essay grade.
LATE PAPER POLICY
All papers and assignments are DUE when they are DUE. Late work will incur the following penalties:
Up to 24 hours late = 10-point deduction
24 – 48 hours late = 20-point deduction
48 – 72 hours late = 30-point deduction
More than 72 hours late = Not accepted
PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class. At minimum, you will receive a ZERO for a plagiarized
paper. MTSU policy requires that I notify Judicial Affairs in any plagiarism case. Plagiarism is a serious
matter equivalent to criminal fraud or theft. It is my expectation and should be yours as well that as a
university student, you can do any assignment in this class without cheating. Please do all your own
work; it is the only way you will improve your writing and critical thinking abilities.
CLASS GUIDELINES
ATTENDANCE POLICY
At MTSU, the instructor sets the policy for attendance; be sure to understand my attendance policy before
deciding to stay in this class. All absences negatively impact your grade in one way or another because
each day of class prepares you for the next. In my class, absences are neither excused nor unexcused; you
are allowed four absences for the semester. Each absence after the fourth will reduce your overall class
average by five points. The only exception to this rule is for university-sanctioned absences—if you
will be missing class for university games, speech trips, livestock judging or some official university
activity, please provide your absence schedule to me by the second week of classes. Only by giving me
this notification prior to your absence will you be allowed to make up assignments.
*If you miss class and do not turn in assigned work before the missed class, you will not receive credit
for the work. No exceptions. You will not receive credit for any in-class work that you miss; this is the
price of being absent.
TARDY POLICY
Do not be late to class. If you arrive more than ten minutes late, you will be marked tardy; two times
tardy equals an absence for grading purposes. If you arrive more than twenty minutes late, you are
automatically considered absent.
CLASS PARTICIPATION
You will receive points for all in-class work, homework, and quizzes given. At the end of the semester, I will
calculate your grade for these activities based on the ratio of your earned points to the total points possible.
DISCUSSION BOARD
I will post one or more discussion topics on WebCT each week. You are required to join the online
discussion(s) two times each week; the deadline for posting is every Sunday at midnight. Postings must
be relevant and meaningful to receive full credit.
WRITING WORKSHOPS
When we have writing workshops (for revision and editing) in class, you must bring one typed, stapled
copy of your essay to class and evaluate the required number of papers to receive full credit.
Additionally, you may also be required to submit drafts to your peers for feedback via WebCT. Missing
any writing workshop—in class or online—will reduce your final essay grade by 5 points. I will not
read student essays during class; please see me during office hours if you need extra help.
CONFERENCES
You will be required to meet with me during the writing process for select essays. Failing to keep your
conference appointment is equal to an absence. Additionally, you may also be required to submit drafts
to me for feedback via WebCT.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
Be sure to visit the English Department’s website at http://www.middleenglish.org for more information
on MTSU’s policies on civility in the classroom, academic dishonesty, disabled services, and absences/
tardies. Also available are the English Department’s standards, goals, writing requirements and grading
procedures for English 1010.
Please Note: If you need special accommodations due to a disability, please provide a letter from
Disabled Student Services to me at the beginning of the semester. I am happy to provide special
accommodations but need to know in advance; please do not wait to give me your letter.
TUTORING SERVICES
The Writing Center (904-8237) is located in PH 325 for students to receive valuable one-on-one
assistance with their writing. Tutoring is available by appointment only; don’t wait until the last minute
to seek help!
THIS IS A CONTRACT! This syllabus is a contract between you (as the student) and me (as the
instructor). By staying in this class, you are agreeing to follow all the guidelines given above and to be
responsible for your own actions.
SOME HELPFUL WEBSITES FOR ASPIRING WRITERS:
Strategies for College Writing companion website – http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_funk_strats_2
The University Writing Center (MTSU) – http://www.mtsu.edu/~uwcenter/
Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) – http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ (UWC link)
St. Cloud State University’s LEO: Literacy Education Online – http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/ (UWC link)
Guide to Grammar and Writing – http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/