College Composition I
ENGLISH 111 W01 and ENGLISH 111 W02
Spring 2015
Leigh Hancock
Class Location Online via Blackboard
Login to mygcc>Blackboard
Office Location: 303 F Locust Grove
Phone: 540.423.9846
Class days/times:
The class is held online; you may access
the class at any time via computer and/or
mobile device with an internet connection.
Email: lhancock@germanna.edu
Office hours:
By appointment; please email me to arrange.
Wednesdays, 9 AM – 2 PM, LGC 303
Mondays, Online and Chat, 7 PM – 9 PM
Thursdays, Online and Chat, 9 AM – 12 PM
I. Course description:
Introduces students to critical thinking and the fundamentals of academic writing. Through the writing
process, students refine topics; develop and support ideas; investigate, evaluate, and incorporate
appropriate resources; edit for effective style and usage; and determine appropriate approaches for a
variety of contexts, audiences, and purposes. Writing activities will include exposition and
argumentation with at least one researched essay.
Prerequisite: Placement recommendation for ENG 111 or placement recommendation for corequisites ENG 111 and ENF 3. Lecture 3 hours per week.
Required textbooks and materials:
Bullock, Richard, and Maureen Goggin. The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. New York:
W.W. Norton, 2013. ISBN 978-0-393-91957-8
Bullock, Richard, and Francine Weinberg. The Little Seagull Handbook with Exercises. 2nd edition. New
York: W.W. Norton, 2014. ISBN 0393935817
Gradd, Gerald, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. They Say, I Say. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012.
ISBN 978-0-393-91275-3
Steinbeck, John. The Pearl. New York: Penguins Books, 1992 ISBN 978-0-14-017737-4
General Course Purpose:
ENG 111 develops the skills students possess prior to entering college-level writing courses and
prepares students for academic and professional communication. Students will produce texts that
reflect critical thinking and knowledge of writing processes, rhetoric, and digital technologies. English
111 will also introduce students to research processes.
Course Prerequisites/Co requisites
To register for this course, students must have a placement recommendation for ENG 111 or a placement
recommendation for ENG 111 with co-requisite ENF 3. ENG 111 is the prerequisite for ENG 112.
General Course Goals:
By the end of ENG 111, students shall:
1.
Adapt the writing process to a variety of tasks, formats, genres, and rhetorical situations.
2.
Produce texts that are grounded in evidence and formally documented using MLA or APA.
3. Model and apply academic integrity and appropriate use of others’ ideas and feedback in producing
effective communication.
4.
Demonstrate improved written and oral communication skills.
5.
Use digital and print technologies to compose, to research, and to disseminate texts.
Learning Outcomes for Students
1.
Rhetorical Knowledge
By the end of ENG 111, you will be able to:
a.
Demonstrate a clear understanding of the rhetorical situation, including purpose, context,
audience, and genre.
b.
Adapt voice, tone, and level of formality to a variety of rhetorical situations.
c.
Use conventions of format, structure, design, and documentation appropriate to the
rhetorical situation.
2.
d.
Analyze texts to describe how and why writers use rhetorical devices.
e.
Attribute and incorporate sources into text appropriately and ethically.
Critical Thinking, Reading, Writing By
the end of ENG 111, you shall:
a.
Use writing and reading for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating.
b.
Integrate their own ideas with those of others in appropriately documented texts.
c.
Produce reflective texts, including but not limited to memos, letters, journals, blogs, lists,
and threaded discussions.
d.
3.
Read, summarize, and respond to a variety of non-fiction texts.
Process
By the end of ENG 111, you will be able to:
a. Employ effective writing processes to include pre-writing, peer-reviewing drafts, and
revising.
b.
Demonstrate reflection on individual communication processes.
c. Produce at least 4500 words (approximately 15 pages) of informal and 3600 words
(approximately 12 pages) of formal writing.
d. Edit your writing with consideration to surface features such as syntax, usage,
punctuation, and spelling that are appropriate for the rhetorical situation.
4.
Oral Communication Skills
By the end of ENG 111, you will have the skills to:
5.
a.
Participate in interactive discussions, peer reviews, and oral presentations.
b.
Use non-verbal cues as an essential aspect of self-presentation.
c.
Demonstrate use of active listening skills.
Digital Technologies
By the end of ENG 111, you will know how to:
a.
Use electronic environments for drafting, reviewing, revising, editing, and sharing texts.
b. Locate, evaluate, organize, and use research material collected from a variety of modes
to include print, digital, aural, and visual sources, including scholarly library databases and
informal digital networks.
c. Disseminate texts in both print and digital forms, which may include written, aural, and
visual modes.
Major Topics to be Included:
1.
Rhetorical knowledge
2.
Critical thinking, reading, and writing
3.
Writing Process
4.
Oral communication skills
5.
Digital technologies
II. Communicating with the instructor:
Students, faculty, and staff of Germanna Community College must use GCC email for all official college
communications. This includes course-related communications between students and faculty. If you need
help accessing your student email account please visit the ACC on either campus.
Email is the best way to communicate with the instructor; her email address is lhancock@germanna.edu
Email will be answered within 36 hours, seven days a week, unless there are weather-related issues
affecting the internet and/or unavoidable power outages, unplanned server problems or other unusual
circumstances. If you do not receive a response after 36 hours, please re-send your email. Thank you.
Please use your Germanna email and indicate your full name, class section, and nature of question in the
Subject line as follows:
Subject: Last Name, First Name ENG 111 Section W01 Discussion Board 1 Question
or
Subject: Last Name, First Name ENG 111 Section W02 Textbook Question
III. College information and class policies (Note: see part B of this document in Blackboard for
college-wide policies. Any class policies do not contradict the college policies but are in addition
to the college policies.)
Important dates
Classes Begin
Last Day to Add
MLK Day (College Closed)
Last Day to Drop with Refund
College Learning Day (No Classes)
Student Success Day
Last Day to Withdraw Without Academic Penalty
Spring Break Mar 16-22 (No Classes)
Classes End
Final Examinations
Jan 12
Jan 17
Jan 19
Jan 29
Feb 10
Mar 11
Mar 23
Mar 16-22
May 6
May 7-13
Course specific attendance policies:
Logging into Blackboard at least three times a week may ensure your successful participation in the
course. Course communication will be emailed to students weekly via GCC email. Students who fail to log
in for ten consecutive days will be referred to Counseling to discuss class progress and academic goals.
Academic dishonesty:
Additional course policy: A plagiarized paper receives a grade of zero. We will be discussing this
important issue at great length during the first several weeks of our class so as to clarify every
aspect of documentation, which will eliminate any excuses. Misconduct in the area of academic
honesty is subject to disciplinary action, which can include failing the assignment or even failing the course
at the instructor’s discretion.
The faculty of Germanna Community College recognizes that academic honesty is an integral factor in
developing and sharing knowledge. We support the concept of academic honesty, practice academic
honesty in our classes, and require academic honesty from our students. GCC students are expected to
maintain complete honesty and integrity in the completion and presentation of all academic assignments
and examinations. Students found guilty of cheating, plagiarism, or other dishonorable acts in academic
work are subject to College disciplinary action. Academic penalty in the course is determined by the
instructor.
What is academic dishonesty?
Academic dishonesty is cheating and stealing. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:
Intentionally using material verbatim from a source without giving credit. Copying verbatim from an
Internet source is plagiarism.
Rewriting material from a source without giving credit.
Using information from an Internet source without giving credit.
Submitting the work of another person as your own work.
Using/copying work from another student’s electronic storage device and submitting it for a grade.
Copying from another person’s paper/test/homework.
Allowing someone else to copy/use your work (paper, homework, quiz, test) and submitting it or a grade.
Violating VCCS Computer Ethics Guidelines in the pursuit of academic studies.
Disciplinary Action: All course outlines will include statements regarding academic honesty. When a
student is found to have been academically dishonest, the following disciplinary actions may be taken:
FIRST REPORTED OFFENSE
The instructor reports the Academic Honesty violation by documenting the offense in a memorandum to
the appropriate Academic Dean. The instructor must provide a copy of this memorandum to the student.
The Dean of Instruction or designee will determine the appropriate sanction. The sanction may include
suspension or dismissal from the College for egregious offenses or referral to the Tutoring Services to
complete a plagiarism workshop for minor offenses.
The instructor’s memorandum, documentation of disciplinary action, and supporting documentation must
be forwarded to the Dean of Student Development for inclusion in the student’s official disciplinary file.
SECOND REPORTED OFFENSE
The instructor reports the Academic Honesty violation by documenting the offense in a memorandum to
the appropriate Academic Dean. The instructor must provide a copy of the memorandum to the student.
The appropriate Academic Dean will impose a minimum sanction of suspension. Suspension may be
from the class where the infraction occurred, for the current semester or for the next upcoming semester.
Disciplinary sanction may also include dismissal from the College. The instructor’s memorandum,
documentation of disciplinary action, and supporting documentation must be forwarded to the Dean of
Student Development for inclusion in the student’s official disciplinary file.
The Dean of Student Services must retain the memorandum and documentation of disciplinary action in
the student’s disciplinary file for five years or until the student graduates, whichever comes first. The
Dean of Student Services will then remove and destroy the memorandum.
THIRD REPORTED OFFENSE
The instructor reports the Academic Honesty violation by documenting the offense in a memorandum to
the appropriate Academic Dean. The instructor must provide a copy of the memorandum to the student.
Upon verifying that a third reported offense has been committed, the appropriate Academic Dean will
impose dismissal from the College. The instructor’s memorandum, documentation of disciplinary action,
and supporting documentation must be forwarded to the Dean of Student Development for inclusion in
the student’s official disciplinary file.
The Dean of Student Services must retain the memorandum and documentation of disciplinary action in
the third reported offense in the student’s permanent disciplinary file.
Contesting Allegations of Academic Dishonesty: A student who wishes to contest an allegation of
academic dishonesty has access to the Student Academic Grievance Procedure for this purpose.
Students suspended or dismissed for academic dishonesty have the right to ask for a hearing from a
Review Committee. Students seeking a hearing must contact the Dean of Student Development within
10 working days of notification of disciplinary sanction.
Course plan for college closing:
As an online course, our class material is on Blackboard. Continue your work by accessing the Weekly
folder with the corresponding dates of the weather closure.
Grading policy and grading scale:
Assignments will be graded on a point system and evaluated according to the instructions and/or rubrics
created for each unit. For example, a narrative essay will be evaluated according to the thesis statement,
thesis development, paragraph structure, sentence construction, and audience (reader) awareness.
Whenever possible, grades will be posted to the Blackboard Grade Center within seven business days of
the assignment’s due date.
Your English 111 final grade is based upon the following coursework; specific assignments, due dates,
and point values are available in Blackboard at menu item What’s Due and When and on the last page
of this document. The total number of possible points is 1000.
The following scale will apply for calculating final letter grades at the end of the semester:
90% and above: A
80% - 89.9%: B
79.9% -69.9%: C
68% - 50%: D
49% - 0%: F
For example, a student who earns 87.5% (or 875 points) at the end of the semester will earn a final
grade of B in English 111; a student who earns 70% (or 700 points) will earn a grade of C in English 111.
Other course/instructor policies and information:
Attendance: Students should plan to log into Blackboard at least three times a week to review
assignments, to submit coursework via Safe Assign, to participate in Discussion Boards, to complete
editing and revising activities, and to complete all required online tasks. Students who fail
to log into the course at least three times a week are in danger of falling behind and missing essential
information; this could result in a grade of F on an assignment and a loss of points toward the final grade.
Students who do not log into the course for ten consecutive school days will be withdrawn from the
course. A student who misses three consecutive assignments may also be withdrawn from the course
unless serious mitigating circumstances have occurred – and even then, it is sometimes in a student’s
best interest to withdraw under such conditions.
Submitting Assignments: Assignments are not accepted by email; assignments are submitted in
Blackboard. All assignments are due by 11 PM on the announced due date. A list of all assignments and
due dates is available at Blackboard menu item What’s Due and When AND on the last page of this
course outline. If you experience Blackboard problems, please contact Technical Support at
540.891.3077
Late Work: Late work is not accepted unless yours are serious circumstances and you have
documentation; examples of serious circumstances include surgery, family tragedies, and unforeseen
disasters. Communicate with the instructor in the event of any emergencies or extended illnesses.
Students should also contact the instructor at the start of the semester to discuss any known absences or
possible deployments in order to plan for completing coursework.
Assignments and Evaluation:
A zero (0) will be assigned to any coursework submitted that is considered to be well below satisfactory
quality, and these assignments may not be made up at any time. A zero may be awarded if, for example:
The assignment is not submitted;
The assignment is not the required format/documentation style;
The assignment is simply not the assignment;
The assignment relies heavily on Wikipedia or some other website;
The assignment has spelling, grammar, and mechanical errors that should have been corrected by
careful editing and proofreading but were not;
The assignment is not submitted according to the due date outlined in the Course Outline.
IV. Tentative course activities and assignments
Syllabus Subject to Change
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE FOR ENGLISH 111 COLLEGE COMPOSITION I Spring 2015
Tentative Course Schedule: Assignments are discussed in detail within the Weekly Folders. Additional readings from
They Say, I Say and handouts will be noted in the Weekly Folders.
Weeks 1 – 15
Jan 12, 2015 – May 6,
2015
FG = Norton Field Guide; LS =
Little Seagull; TS = They Say, I
Say; Pearl = The Pearl
Week 1:
Jan 12 – Jan 16
Course Outline Blackboard: Begin
Here; FG: pgs. 3 - 37
Assignment
Discussion Board #0 Due Fr Jan 16 @ 11 PM
Blog Entry #0 Due Fr Jan 16 @ 11 PM
These two assignments must be submitted by the due date to
indicate your intention of staying in the class.
Week 2:
Jan 17 – Jan 23
FG: pgs. 37 - 51; "Literacy Behind
Bars,"(Malcom X) pgs.640-44;
MLA
Prepare Class Blog Entry #1: Literacy Narrative (pg. 43-4 in FG
has topics)
Post your work to Class Blog Due F Jan 23 @ 11 PM
Grammar Journal #1
Create Smart Thinking account at link in the Week 3 folder.
Week 3:
Jan 24 – Jan 30
FG: Generating Ideas and Text,
pgs. 259-65; Narrating, pgs. 38795; "Us and Them," (David
Sedaris) pgs. 798-805; LS:
"Making Paragraphs Flow," pgs.
22-6; Paragraph presentation in
folder; Parallel Structure in LS,
256-8
Feedback to classmates' Blog Entry #1 due F Jan 30 @ 11 PM
Discussion Board 1 due W Jan 28 @ 11 PM
Revision of Blog Entry #1 into finished essay (Essay 1) due
F Feb 6 @ 11 PM; instructions for Assignment 1 are in the
Week 3 folder.
Week 4:
Jan 31 – Feb 6
FG: "Analyzing a Text," pgs. 52-81; Discussion Board 2 due F Feb 6 @ 11 PM
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
(Handout in Blackboard Weekly
folder); Word Clouds, FG, pgs.
425-6
Week 5:
Feb 7 – Feb 13
Read The Pearl by John
Steinbeck; Literary Analysis and
MLA Style
Week 6:
Feb 14 – Feb 20
Literary Elements; Themes; FG,
pgs. 81-6
The Pearl
Discussion Board 2 Responses due F Feb 13 @ 11 PM
Literary Analysis Worksheet Outline
Discussion Board 3 due W Feb 18/F Feb 20@ 11 PM
Start Assignment 2: Literary Analysis Draft due
F Feb 27 @ 11 PM AND to Smart Thinking
Week 7:
Feb 21 – Feb 27
Revision strategies; using
transitions; literary analysis drafts;
LS: pgs. 23-5; 10-12.
Quiz about The Pearl due F Feb 27 @ 11 PM
Week 8:
CONNECT MODULES
Assignment 2: Literary Analysis final draft due F March 6
Feb 28 – Mar 6
VCCS Library
via Safe Assign
Week 9
FG: "Evaluating Sources," pgs.
453-6; "Synthesizing Ideas," pgs.
457-61;"Quoting, Paraphrasing,
Summarizing," pgs. 462-74
Discussion Board 4 due W Mar 11 @ 11 PM
Mar 7 – Mar 13
Responses due F Mar 13 @ 11 PM
CONNECT Module Quiz due March 13 @ 11 PM
March 16 - 20
Spring Break/College Closed
Next assignments are due F March 27 @ 11 PM
Week 10
March 21 - 27
FG: “Beginning and Ending,” pgs.
299-311; “Cause and Effect,”
pgs.318-322; “Is Google Making
Us Stupid?”(Handout);
“Multitasking…,” pgs. 714-18;
Write thesis and introduction for MLA Cause and Effect Draft
due W Mar 25
Post MLA Cause and Effect Essay Draft to Peer-Editing Discussion
Board by M Mar 30 @ 11 PM
Week 11:
Mar 28 – April 3
FG, “Finding Sources,” pgs. 27581;Peer Review; watch video in
Week 12 folder
Peer Review: follow instructions on Peer-Editing Discussion Board
Peer Reviews begin M Mar 30 and are due by F April 3
@ 11 PM
Week 12:
April 4 – April 10
Revision Strategies (see handouts MLA Cause and Effect Final Essay due F April 10 via Safe Assign
and video in folder); revise Cause
and Effect essay;
Weeks 13 & 14:
APA Presentation in Blackboard;
Grammar Journal Entries Due F April 17 by 11 PM
April 12 - 24
LS: APA sample paper, 188-91;
APA Essay due F April 24 by 11 PM via Safe Assign
Week 15:
Readings: Handouts in Week 15
folder
Final essay: Self-evaluation and reflection essay
April 26 – May 1
Final essay
Week 15.5:
Discussion Board 5:
May 2 – May 6
Readings in Week 15 folder
(Instructions in Week 15 folder)
Due Friday, May 1, 2015 @ 11 PM via Safe Assign
Discussion Board 5 postings due by W May 6 @ 11 PM
ENGLISH 111 College Composition Assignments and Due Dates
“What’s Due and When”
Week (Assignment
information is located in the
weekly folder :)
1
1
2 Menu: Grammar Journal
2
3
3
3 and 4
4
6
6 and 7
8
9
9
10
10
11
12
Assignment
Points
Due Date
DB 0
Blog Entry 0
Grammar Journals #1 - #6
Blog Entry 1: Narrative
Blog 1 Comments
Discussion Board 1
Essay 1: Literacy Narrative
Discussion Board 2
Discussion Board 3
Literary Analysis Draft
The Pearl Quiz
Literary Analysis Final
Discussion Board 4
CONNECT Quiz
MLA Cause and Effect Essay Draft
Peer-Editing
MLA Cause and Effect Final Essay
10 pts. extra credit
10 pts.
25 each/150 pts.
50
25
100
25
25
25
100
100
25
10
25
45
100
F Jan 16
F Jan 16
All six are due by April 171 – 6
F Jan 23
F Jan 30
W Jan 28
F Feb 6
F Feb 6/F Feb 13
W Feb 18/F Feb 20
F Feb 27
F Feb 27
F Mar 6
W Mar 11/F Mar 13
F Mar 13
13
14
15
15.5
Grammar Journals 1 - 6
APA Essay Final Draft
ENG 111 Final Essay
DB 5
150
100
100
25
W Mar 25 thesis/M Mar 30 draft
F April 3
F April 10
F April 17
F April 24
F May 1
W May 6