English 1101 Composition - Syllabus for Spring 2014
Rachel Scoggins, Academic 102 - rscoggins@gordonstate.edu
http://www.gordonstate.edu/PT_Faculty/rscoggins/
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 1:15 pm – 2:45 pm
Course Objectives
A composition course focusing on skills required for effective writing in a variety of contexts,
with emphasis on exposition, analysis, and argumentation and including the use of research
skills readers make stronger thinkers and stronger writers.
1. Students will be able to write simple, compound, complex, and complex compound
sentences in Standard English.
2. Students will be able to make their thinking visible by organizing a series of Standard
English sentences into coherent, unified paragraphs.
3. Students will be able to use the stylistic conventions expected by an academic and
professional audience.
4. Students will be able to cite the ideas and words of others using a formal system such as
M.L.A. style or A.P.A. style.
5. Students will be able to articulate and use a set of strategies for creating, reading,
comprehending, and analyzing a variety of electronic and traditional texts.
In order to be eligible to enroll in English 1101, students must have completed or must have
been exempted from Learning Support courses in Reading and English.
Course Components - Assessment & Evaluation
■Participation Grade: Attendance + Library Exam
■Reading Responses/Quizzes/Drafts
■Out-Of-Class Writing (Narrative)
■Researched Argumentative Essay
■Out-Of-Class Literary Research essay
■ Argumentative and Literary Research Essay Revision
■In-Class Ad Analysis
■Final Exam Essay
10%
15%
10%
15%
15%
10%
10%
15%
Texts & Materials
-Literature and Ourselves: A Thematic Introduction for Readers and Writers
-Gordon College Reference Guide, another reference guide, or the OWL Purdue MLA site
-You will also need pens, loose-leaf paper, and materials for class and preparing
homework.
Policies & Etc.
A.
Computer Access I communicate with my classes regularly via e-mail; You will
need to check your Gordon email for messages and handouts from me. Unless
previously approved by me, I do not accept work via email (this includes responses).
All homework will be posted on my website:
http://www.gordonstate.edu/PT_Faculty/rscoggins/
B.
Attendance Regular class attendance is your obligation.
After the third absence for any reason (illness, sports, family emergency, funeral, off-campus
events, etc.), your professor reserves the right to lower a student’s final grade by one full letter
grade for each subsequent absence (e.g. if a student has four absences and a final grade of a B,
that student’s grade will be lowered to a C). A student who misses five or more classes will
receive, at best, a C for a final grade. A student who has six or more unexcused absences will be
given an F or WF for the course. Being late to class three times equals one absence.
Please be advised that you are responsible for all information, changes, and requirements
discussed in class, whether or not you are present. This isn’t high school, so do not e-mail me
and ask if “we did anything important”; if you miss a class, talk with at least one classmate.
Please note that Gordon College requires that all English Composition students attend
their written Final Exam at the scheduled time. Changes to the Final Exam time must be
accomplished via Student Petition/Dean approval.
C.
Make Ups Rough drafts, scheduled quizzes, and in-class papers may always be
made up under the following conditions: you miss a turn in/paper day only once or
twice all term, the schedule allows for a make up, you are prepared the very next day
for hand in, and your overall attendance rate is 85% or higher. If you miss class and it is
excused, please show me the excuse so I can document it.
D. Essays All out of class essays are expected to be turned in on their due dates. If you
are late to class that day, your essay is late. Unless you and I have discussed the
matter beforehand, the late paper will have one full letter grade deducted for each day
it is late. After two weeks, it will not be accepted.
D. Plagarism The penalty for plagiarism in any aspect of written work is a failing grade for the
course (GC Academic Catalog pp. 218-219). Don’t plagiarize – your own work, even if it isn’t
great, is better than copying someone else’s work.
Cheating in any form, including plagiarism, is a serious academic offense. Plagiarism is the
passing off of someone else’s ideas and/or words as your own. If you have questions about what
constitutes plagiarism, ask now. Any instance of plagiarism, including single phrases and single
sentences, will earn a zero for an assignment, will lower your class participation grade, and
could lead to an F for the course; furthermore, the highest grade that any student who is caught
plagiarizing in any form can expect to receive for a final grade is a C. All plagiarized papers will
automatically be submitted to the Office of the Dean for disciplinary review, which could lead to
the offending student’s suspension or expulsion from Gordon College.
E. Numerical equivalents Here are the numerical equivalents for grades: A 90-100; B 80-89; C
70-79; D 60-69; F 59 and below, at my discretion and/or with Chair input.
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G. Special Accommodations
If you believe you are eligible for a disability accommodation,
please call the campus A.D.A. coordinator at (678) 359-5326. No accommodation can be made
without a memo from that office.
My rules
I expect each of you to act as an adult in a learning setting. Specifically, I expect the following:
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Respect. Respect me, others, and the learning environment. This class is heavily
discussion based – that means that although you may disagree (which is fine), you will
treat each other with respect.
This is class, not social hour. That means do your talking, texting, other homework, etc
at another time.
Turn off all cell phones before class begins. Using cell phones in class – this includes
texting – will negatively affect your grade.
Come to class on time – tardiness just disrupts me and your classmates. You signed up
for this time slot – that means you have contracted to come to class at this time. If you
do come in late (because sometimes it does happen), come in quietly – do not come in
loud and/or talking. If you come in loud and disruptive, you will be asked to leave.
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Do the readings and writings. You are not going to get a passing grade (and certainly not
an A or B) by sitting in the seat every day doing nothing. Plan ahead and do your
readings if you want to succeed.
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If you disrupt the learning of others, you will chat with me privately; if problems
continue, you will chat with the Dean. You must also follow all college-mandated
policies about academic conduct and academic honesty or receive an F for the
term and a visit to the Dean’s Office.
Do not put up your materials before I dismiss class. It is disruptive and
extremely rude. I have you for 1 hour and 15 minutes, not any less. I will not
keep you beyond our class time, but every minute is important and will be used.
Do not send me e-mails with attachments and no text. It’s rude and
unprofessional. Use professional correspondence at all times. Think about what
you are e-mailing me; it is a reflection on you.
Please recycle! There are bins for white paper and cans/bottles on the hall.
Instead of dropping waste in the trashcan, recycle! Do something good every day
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Writing Responses
For each reading assignment, an accompanying writing response will be required. I will give you
the topic in the previous class and post it on the website. The response will be turned in at the
beginning of the next class. For example, if you are supposed to read Shakespeare’s Macbeth
for Wednesday, on Monday I will give you a question/topic to respond to; as soon as you come
in on Wednesday, you will hand in your response.
The reason for the regular writing assignments is to have each of you to continuously write and
receive regular feedback from me. The only way to get better at writing is to write.
Directions
 Each response is to be typed in standard format.
 Put the author’s last name, the title of the text you’re responding to, and the date.
 Answer the questions and/or writing prompts given for your text. Each response should
be 200-300 words.
 Each response is due at the beginning of the next class . If you are late to class, you
cannot turn in your paper.
 Responses cannot be e-mailed to me. Any e-mailed homework with be deleted.
Tentative schedule (is subject to change)
W, 1/8
Intro to class, in-class writing
M, 1/13
Literature: Didion “On Going Home”, p. 44
Description of Essay #1
W, 1/15
Grammar workshop week 1: Apostrophe, quotes
M, 1/20
MLK Day: No class
W, 1/22
Quiz: Punctuation 1
Workshop week 2: Paragraph structure, intro/conclusion, body paragraphs
M, 1/28
Literature: Alexie, “Because my Father…”, p. 121
Workshop week 3: commas
W, 1/30
Writing day
Essay #1 (Narrative) Due
M, 2/4
Workshop week 4: Run-ons, semi-colons
W, 2/6
Argumentative writing, MLA
M, 2/11
Lit: Shakespeare, “Sonnet 138”; E.B. Browning, “Sonnet 43”
W, 2/13
Workshop week 5: Fragments
Quiz: Punctuation 2
M, 2/18 &
W, 2/20
In-class research argumentative essay (Essay #2)
M, 2/25
Lit: Hemingway “Hills Like White Elephants”
W, 2/27
Workshop 6: parallelism
Quiz: run ons and fragments
M, 3/4
Writing day
W, 3/6
Conferences – no class
M, 3/11
W, 3/13
&
Spring break – no class
M, 3/18
Workshop 7: Paragraph development
W, 3/20
Writing day
Revision paper 2 due
M, 3/25
Wilson, Fences, Act 1, scenes 1&2
W, 3/27
Wilson, Fences, Act 1, scenes 3&4
M, 4/1
Wilson, Fences, Act 2, scenes 1&2
W, 4/3
Wilson, Fences, Act 2 finish
M, 4/8
Sandra Shannon, The Dramatic Vision of August Wilson
W, 4/10
Ad analysis, rhet. Devices cont.
M, 4/15
ad analysis
Literary analysis research due (essay #3)
W, 4/17
ad analysis
M, 4/22
ad analysis
W, 4/24
Wrap up – last ad analysis, grammar, writing work
M, 4/28 &
W, 4/30
Essay #4, in-class ad analysis
Revisions papers 3 due