SYLLABUS FOR ENG 100-51: Fall 2007
Delaware County Community College – 901 S. Media Line Road, Media, PA 19063
1. General Information
Course title:
Class meetings:
Instructor:
Office:
Office hours:
ENG 100-51: English Composition I (essay writing), CRN 678
TUE, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Rm. 1169 (main campus) & Computer Lab, TBA
Dr. Henrik Eger
Room 4319; Mailbox room: 4310 (see secretary)
MO & WE 1:30-2:25 p.m.; TU & TH 3:25-4:20 FR 11:15-12:10 p.m.
Please schedule all appointments beforehand.
E-mail address:
<heger@dccc.edu> Ideally, you would contact me via e-mail. Always identify
yourself in the Subject Heading with your full name, class and section plus a key
word or two. Ex.: Pat Doe, ENG 100-51: Syllabus question
Tel. #:
610-359-5380—Phone messages only if you have no access to a computer.
Web page:
http://faculty.dccc.edu/~heger/platoscave.htm (under construction)
Emergency #:
For info on school closings, esp. bad weather, listen to KYW-AM 1060 (day
classes: #470, evening: #2470) or check DCCC website: <http://www.dccc.edu>.
Disabilities:
For confidential help, advice, on ADD, etc., & the necessary forms, contact Ann
Binder, Director of Special Needs Services, Rm. 1325, tel. 610-359-2748.
Prerequisite:
A satisfactory score on placement tests or successful completion of ENG 050
and REA 050. Visit the DCCC Assessment Center for details.
Teaching Philosophy: “Understanding is an integrated process of both discovering and developing our
capacities for awareness, presence, and [growth]. In my classes, we are working
on several levels of education at once, including the content of the course and
the process of learning to learn.” John Davis, Ph.D., Naropa University, Boulder, CO
2. Course Resources
Carlson, Richard. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff . . . and it’s all small stuff. New York: Hyperion,
1997.
Selzer, Jack. Conversations: Readings for Writing. (Latest ed.) NYC: Longman, 2006 (only buy this
shrink-wrapped version with a dictionary and software to give you free access to
MyCompLab, the Boston tutorial).
2 GREEN plastic (or cardboard) POCKET FOLDERS for all assignments to be handed in. Please bring
all of the following to class regularly: Red & yellow highlighters for your book & class notes.
Stapler. #2 pencil & eraser for all tests. 3.5” PC-formatted HD (= high density) disk, or CD, or
memory stick.
OPTIONAL:
Any good dictionary; comprehensive (Roget’s) Thesaurus, good quotation dictionary (book or CD-ROM);
pocket or electronic 2007 calendar.
MLA Handbook; paperback or online: http://library.concordia.ca/help/howto/mla.html.
Morgenstern, Julie. Organizing from the Inside Out. New York: Holt, 1998.
National Public Radio 90.9 FM <http://www.npr.org>; Philadelphia Inquirer, The <http://www.philly.com>.
3. Course Overview and Competencies
ENG 100 reviews the principles of composition including rhetoric grammar and usage, and
emphasizes the writing of analytical essays and the study of principles underlying critical thinking.
This course is based on the philosophy that students learn the most through doing, including
completing several detailed Language Checklists and wise integration of tutorial feedback for all your
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written ENG 100 projects this semester. Therefore, register with MyCompLab, the Tutoring Center in
Boston within the first two weeks of the semester. We will explore many writing strategies while
working on texts and rewrites produced in class and at home. You will be expected to take full
responsibility for your progress as a writer—
(1) PROCESS: As you develop your abilities to think independently, to target a particular
audience, and to develop a logical and effective argument, you will learn to write in such a way that each
of your essays is worth reading and sharing with others.
(2) PRODUCT: You have all documents stored on your hard drive and on your disk, CD, and/or
memory drive. You have also made a hard copy of each of your essays that you will have in class for
each session and you will have sent yourself a copy via e–mail attachment so that if something happens,
you can still print out your work at the college before class. As soon as you have received feedback from
MyCompLab, bring a printout of it to class as well until you have received your final grade on that project.
You will also be expected to adhere to the Modern Language Association (MLA) format and to all
deadlines. I want you to make breakthroughs in your research-based texts in this class. Upon successful
completion of ENG 100, you should be able to demonstrate the following COMPETENCIES by receiving,
processing, and generating information in the following ways:
1. Demonstrate effective writing strategies after reading and assessing a variety of texts;
2. Write assignments that consider various writing situations in terms of audience, purpose, tone,
organization, format, style, point of view, and diction;
3. Generate ideas, limit a topic, and formulate a thesis, utilizing prewriting techniques;
4. Provide specific, concrete details to support the thesis;
5. Organize essays using appropriate types of development such as description, narration,
definition, comparison/contrast, causal relationship, classification, example, process analysis, and
argumentation;
6. Compose an original, unified, multi-paragraph essay with introduction, conclusion, and
transitions;
7. Revise, edit, and proofread writing to produce final drafts with a minimum of errors in grammar,
mechanics, and diction;
8. Access and evaluate source material using current information literacy techniques (check out the
DCCC library website at <http://dccc.edu/library/research/> and take their free online course
ASAP to prepare yourself for the documented essay);
9. Summarize, paraphrase, and quote source material using MLA documentation;
10. Prepare a documented essay that you have written yourself without having resorted to plagiarism.
(for details, see section 9 below)
11. You will also learn how to use (if you don’t know already) Windows XP and MS Word (based on
the latest Office 2007 version), and you will become familiar with basic library and internet
research techniques.
4. Reading and Writing
Reading
Good writing and good reading are inseparable; they call upon the same part of the brain, which
you can exercise by doing either. Ideally, you want to write and read regularly, the mental equivalent to
running and weight lifting, to keep your brain in good shape. You are encouraged to thoroughly read,
highlight, and annotate all assigned literary works, contemporary essays, and research materials, as well
as your class notes, on a daily basis. This process will help you to organize, develop, and express your
ideas.
To improve your vocabulary, highlight each new word and write a brief definition in the margin. If
you plan to sell your books at the end of the semester, you will receive the same amount of money,
regardless of whether they have been marked or not. If you review your annotated class notes and
readings regularly, you will become a better writer and increase your chances of getting good grades.
Therefore, feel encouraged to do your work from day one on a regular basis and you will see that your
command of English and your knowledge will impact your writing.
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Writing
Writing fulfills many functions, such as making new discoveries; informing, documenting,
persuading, and entertaining others; and leaving a record of thoughts, feelings, events, etc. As your
writing improves, so will your thinking and communication skills. Multiple skills are required to write
effectively. Therefore, you are encouraged to write almost non-stop in class and as often as possible at
home, or wherever you are, to build a base from which you can launch your rewrites. Throughout the
course of this semester, you will be writing several documents, including the following:
1. Diagnostic in-class essay (no grade; for placement purposes only; will not be returned)
2. Descriptive Essay: Choose from a list of ten topics (see handout).
Minimum: two pages (maximum: three), double spaced, Arial 10, stapled.
3. Compare and Contrast Essay: Choose from a list of topics (see handout).
Minimum: three pages (maximum: four), double spaced, Arial 10, stapled.
4. Documented Essay: A breakthrough experience in your life.
Minimum: three pages (maximum: four), plus Works Cited page and Appendix with
photocopies of all works used.
5. Final exam
a. Class Notes: minimum of 15 items, including words (ex: ambiguity), concepts (ex:
paradigm shift), names (ex: Socrates), important dates (ex: 1066), and quotations (ex:
“The camera of life is always on”), with their most relevant, text-specific definitions,
descriptions, or (for quotations only) personal comments. Minimum one page per week,
see sample.
b. Text Analysis: consisting of (a) a one-page summary of an assigned text and (b) a onepage reflection of a second assigned text. Total two pages per text analysis, Arial 10,
double spaced, stapled. Total number of text analyses this semester: six.
c. Class Participation and Self Evaluation: minimum 2 pages, double spaced.
All written assignments must follow the MLA format (not the APA or any other formats) and be
double-spaced in Arial 10 with an automatic header (your last name and the relevant page number).
Please study carefully all sample papers and handouts (online) and the library website. Any paper that
violates the minimum/maximum requirement will result in a failing grade, so make sure to follow
all instructions carefully. If in doubt, feel free to contact me. I’m always happy to help my
students.
Also, please keep copies of ALL of your written work: on your hard drive, on your 3.5” disk or your
memory stick, as a hard copy (= printout), and as an attachment to an e-mail you would send to yourself
for every draft/final project. You can always use the DCCC computers and printers. “My computer broke
down” will be seen as effective as the famous excuse, “my dog ate my paper.” Avoid academic problems
by preparing way ahead of time and always have available copies of your work.
5. Feedback and Rewriting
I will record your grade on your first take-home assignment only temporarily to give you the
opportunity to rewrite it for a final grade. Please use my written feedback on your graded version and a
second set of feedback from the MyCompLab tutors on your rewrite to maximize the quality of your essay.
To further help you get the highest grade possible in this class, I will not combine your original grade with
your rewrite, but only count the higher of the two grades.
I would very much like for all of you to succeed. I do not want any students to fail because they
neglected to make the necessary or requested corrections and/or grammatical improvements. Therefore,
please take this class and all the feedback you receive seriously, and incorporate into your own writing
everything you learn from our textbooks, class discussions, relevant peer reviews (you will see your skills
in this exercise improve greatly over the course of the semester as well), handouts, Checklists, and the
written feedback from me and the MyCompLab tutors in Boston.
At the same time, please do not see any feedback for you as a stumbling block but rather as a
stepping stone for you to reach an even higher level of writing skills, including your command of language
and your awareness of literature. You are very much part of this learning process, especially when you
give feedback to your classmates’ texts on a regular basis. I highly encourage independent thought and
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original writing within the framework of professional and academic conventions (MLA format) and want to
make sure that—from day one—you rewrite your work as often as possible to reach the highest level
of awareness and skill building.
Grading System
To help you make major breakthroughs as a writer, evaluations will be precise and fair.
Think of an effective coach who will help you and the whole team to become better writers. Criteria used
for grading all papers will correspond to criteria used to judge writing in the work force.
Grading for each essay is broken into three sections, each worth 1/3 of the grade: Content,
Language, and Format and Style:
1. Content includes skills like coherently linking ideas, expressing your points clearly, and effectively
capturing the subject matter through creative, descriptive, and analytical writing.
2. Language errors will include passive verbs, lack of sentence variation, and spelling errors—
please refer to the various handouts, including the Language Tracker, Sentence Tracker, and
Passive Voice Tracker for more details.
3. Format and Style errors include any violations of structure/organization in your essay, such as
offering new information to your reader in the summary or failing to include a film-like opening for
your three major writing projects, as well as any violations of the MLA format for citing sources in
your text. You will also have to take care of both the Works Cited section and the Appendix.
I make the assumption that you deserve an A+ for your work. I therefore will start out giving you
100% on your essay. However, for each type of error occurring in your essay, your grade in the relevant
section (Content, Language, or Format) will be marked down. It is therefore in your interest that you
study the various checklists and materials and review them regularly from day one of this semester.
For the first assignment, the Descriptive Essay, your grade will decrease by 1% per error type.
For the second assignment, the Compare and Contrast Essay, your grade will decrease by 2%
per error type.
For the third assignment, the Documented Essay, your grade will decrease by 3% per error
type.
For your first essay, I will mark each individual error that occurs (as much as possible). For all
subsequent essays, including your rewrite, I will mark each type of error only once. Part of your
education is to learn to discover and watch out for your own errors, especially once you are made aware
of them, and from there move to new strengths as an effective writer and editor. To encourage
independent thought and a growing awareness of language and the process of effective writing, I will
allow one rewrite for the first essay only. Thereafter, you will find that the quality of your papers will
grow and develop if you integrate the most relevant parts of the detailed feedback from
1.
2.
3.
4.
The Language Checklist and the three Trackers,
The peer review sessions,
The MyCompLab annotations,
My teaching in class and my individualized written feedback on your evolving work.
You will do very well on this course and spot errors that many people would overlook if you
participate actively in class and study at home, especially when comparing fine essays written by former
students of mine, and the highly entertaining “shipwrecked” versions, where you will have the opportunity
to study the major sources of errors, organized according to the most commonly occurring errors and
divided into specific categories.
As many beginning writers are their own worst editors, in addition to the above sources of
assistance, I encourage you to use the DCCC Writing Center (4th floor, next to the Learning Center) as
often as possible. Also, consider showing your work to knowledgeable people among your friends,
family, and colleagues whom you could ask to help you to develop and express your ideas on paper.
Even established, professional writers value good editors and rewrite their own work frequently.
Remember, after you graduate and join the professional world, many of you will be writing
independently, without getting formal feedback. However, I can offer you plenty of input on your various
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assignments in the Computer Lab before you hand in your final version for my written comments, and you
can always visit me at the office to discuss your work.
All essays must follow the MLA format (not the APA or any other formats) and must be doublespaced in Arial 10 with an automatic header. Please study carefully all sample papers, handouts, and the
resources at the library website: <http://dccc.edu/library/research/>.
6. Essay Guidelines
When you submit the most polished version of your essay, please include the following
documents in your class identified folder (see page 1 of the syllabus). Please use the relevant samples
and handouts to guide you through these projects:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
the graded version of your previous essay (exception: your very first project)
your completed Language Tracker
your completed Sentence Tracker
your completed Passive Voice Tracker
a printout of the annotated version of your paper from the MyCompLab Tutorial Center
The first item on this list is mandatory. The other items are optional but highly recommended because
they will help you tremendously in improving your writing and will give you important extra credit.
7. Effective Class Participation
Your class participation will play a central role in your development as a writer, thinker,
researcher, and communicator. I use the Socratic Method, which means that I will be asking you a lot of
questions and encouraging you to recall or generate the answer from your knowledge base. Therefore,
1. Pay attention during class and focus on the chosen class topics by taking copious notes
throughout the semester and reviewing them daily.
2. Never hesitate to raise your hand if you think you know the answer to a question.
3. If you do not know the answer or feel hesitant, immediately write down the question; do
not wait for the answer or definition. As soon as the answer comes in, write it down in your
notebook—otherwise, you may fall behind frequently.
4. Anyone who does not raise his or her hand and does not write down the relevant key words is
signaling to the class that the person is not paying attention and therefore will do damage to
his/her educational and academic progress.
5. Please use highlighters to mark new words and concepts (red) and important statements
(yellow), and a pencil for keywords and definitions in the margins. (Feel free to substitute
other colors; however, please stay consistent within your chosen color scheme.)
6. Take full responsibility for your learning and for communicating your educational and academic
needs to your English professor.
Classroom Participation Guidelines
Following the method developed by G. Shulman and D. Luechauer and described in their article,
“Merging content and process: Creating empowered learners in graduate and undergraduate social
science courses” (Nov. 1991), class participation grades start as “zero points” and you must EARN points
toward this grade. This list of student behaviors ranges from poor and ineffective class contribution to
outstanding classroom participation. Feel encouraged to participate actively and thoughtfully throughout
the semester.
0 = [F] Insignificant contribution. Characterized by a failure to display interest or make relevant
comments. The student listened, but not intently, and did not utilize reading material when making
comments (for the reading area).
1 = [D] Marginal contribution. Characterized by minor involvement that added little to the process. The
student’s knowledge of the reading could be inferred but was not directly linked or stated.
2 = [C] Expected contribution. Characterized by meaningful involvement that added to the process. The
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student lived up to the expectations of peers and the [professor] for how a member of our class
should act. He or she showed willingness, preparation, ability, and understanding during the activity
or discussion. Comments or questions were clearly linked to the readings.
3 = [B] Substantial contribution. Characterized by [significant] involvement that added to the process. In
some documentable way or another, the student’s performance exceeded that which would be
expected by peers and facilitator. He/she offered provocative and relevant comments or questions.
4 = [A] Exceptional contribution. Characterized by being an outstanding participant in that area. The
student far exceeded expectations. Peers and the [professor] learned a great deal, gained insights,
were emotionally affected, or inspired
At the end of the semester, you will be asked to write a one-page self-evaluation of your
contributions in this class, based on the criteria above. Therefore, take copious notes of your
insights that you shared in class. Please date all your class notes every day and write down your
own contributions so that you can present them as evidence in your Self-Evaluation.
Effective Feedback
Questions that concern the whole class would best be handled in class as soon as they arise. I will try
to reserve the last ten minutes for questions. However, because I have to leave on time to teach my next
class, I hope you will understand that I cannot answer any more questions after class is over. If you have
a question or concern, and we were not able to address it in class, feel free to send me an e-mail (see p.
1 for subject heading format). I will respond ASAP. I may ask for your anonymous, written feedback
once or twice per semester, and I will discuss with you in class your comments, questions, and concerns.
8. Attendance and Lateness
The following rules and practices are designed to help you to plan ahead and to become as
professional as possible so that your work will be acceptable both in the college and the working
worlds:
1. Please attend all class sessions and arrive on time. Late arrival or early departure will count as
half a cut. If a student misses more than half a class, it counts as a full cut.
2. Please schedule all appointments with physicians, lawyers, etc. at times which do not conflict with
class.
3. To encourage regular class attendance, I will not give make-up tests or quizzes.
4. If you have missed class, for whatever reason, it is your responsibility to find out what you have
missed and to prepare yourself for the next class session.
5. If you miss more than one week’s worth of classes, you will be dropped from the course.
6. Similarly, if the total of late arrivals or coming to class unprepared reaches more than the
maximum number of absences, you will also be dropped from the course.
7. If you wish to withdraw from the course, fill out a drop/add form at the registrar’s office before
week nine of the semester (for details see Student Handbook).
8. If you stop attending this class but do not follow proper procedure for dropping the class, you may
receive a failing grade and may also be financially obligated. To drop a class anytime after the
first week, you must turn in a drop slip at an authorized registration center.
9. If you miss any deadline because of a hospital stay or a death in the family, please arrange for a
conference with me and turn in written proof documenting the serious situation.
10. If you have a certifiable medical condition which prevents you from attending DCCC classes
regularly, the college can give you a medical withdrawal. See catalog for details.
9. Academic Honesty
You are encouraged to act ethically at all times, both as a student and as a member of this
society. Therefore, please adhere to the following ground rules:
1.
AVOID ALL FORMS OF PLAGIARISM, which is defined as the unacknowledged borrowing or
duplication of somebody else's words or ideas, whether intentional or not (for further details see
Student Handbook).
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Using sources from the Internet can easily lead to plagiarism, especially if the source is not
identified before you summarize or paraphrase a text, or at the end of the citation, with the
relevant bibliographic details.
Stealing, using a ghost writer, buying a paper, and cheating on tests or homework assignments
is unacceptable and will lead to course failure, and in repeated cases, to expulsion from the
college.
I reserve the right to test any written work of my students, especially if a student’s use of ideas
and language shows a dramatically different voice from his or her in-class writing.
DCCC requires us to document and report in writing all cases of plagiarism to the Provost.
Therefore, please take these rules and conventions seriously.
If in doubt about any of the above, please check in with me at any time.
10. Grading Policies
1. I will be giving you useful and practical handouts throughout the semester, in addition to posting
them on my website (in progress). Please check in regularly.
2. All assignments are mandatory and due on the dates listed on the schedule.
3. With the exception of the handwritten diagnostic essay, all assignments have to be typed,
following the MLA format, using Arial 10, stapled, and submitted on the assigned dates.
4. Late assignments will be marked down by one full grade for each day that they are late.
5. As all incomplete essays will receive an “F,” please make sure to complete all your assignments.
6. Any assignment that is not handed in will lead to an automatic course failure (“F”).
7. No extension of deadlines on any projects, tests, or exams.
8. On the rare occasion that you cannot make it to class on the day a paper is due, you must make
arrangements with me beforehand to submit a printed copy ahead of time.
9. To complete this course successfully, you must finish ALL assignments on time and pass with a
"C" or better as your overall final grade.
This Syllabus is like a contract and the Student Handbook is similar to a Handbook for Employees.
Please study these documents carefully and contact me if you have any questions. I greatly appreciate
your input and welcome suggestions on how I can help you to maximize your learning, while maintaining
our standards.
Update: 2007-09-13
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