COLLIN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
COURSE SYLLABUS FALL 2011
COURSE NUMBER: ENGL 1301.S67
CRN: 15640
COURSE TITLE: Composition/Rhetoric I
CREDIT HOURS: 3 Lab Required
CLASS HOURS: Tues & Thurs 7-9 am
PRE-REQUISITE: Assessment Required
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
A beginning freshman course in writing with emphasis on expository writing, development of
paragraphs and the whole composition, study of model essays, extensive essay writing, and
individual conferences.
COLLEGE REPEAT POLICY: A student may repeat this course only once after receiving a
grade, including W.
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:
Instructor’s Name: Stephanie Peebles Tavera
Office Number: K237
Office Hours: 10-11 am, 1-2:15 pm, or by appt
Phone: (972) 881-5759
Email: stavera@collin.edu
TEXTBOOKS:
Bullock, Richard, Maureen Daly Goggin, and Francine Weinberg. The Norton Field Guide to
Writing with Readings and Handbook, 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2010.
NOTE: The Last Day to Withdraw for regular Fall 2011 sections is Friday, October 14,
2011 (at the end of the 8th Week).
RESOURCES:
Writing Center: D224 (In the Library, Upstairs)
(972) 881-5843
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES – Upon successful completion of this course, students
should be able to do the following:
1. Students should be able to demonstrate rhetorical knowledge in the following ways:
a. Read and interpret a prompt for a writing assignment.
b. Write essays that take a position and successfully defend that position.
c. Write essays with appropriate evidence, discussion, and organization for a
specific audience.
d. Write essays with strong, sophisticated introductions and conclusions.
e. Write essays that use appropriate format, structure, tone, diction, and syntax.
2. Students should be able to demonstrate critical reading, thinking, and writing in the
following ways:
a. Use reading and writing for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating.
b. Integrate their own ideas with those of others with clear distinction between the
two.
3. Students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the writing process in the
following ways:
a. Be aware that it usually takes multiple drafts to create and complete a successful
text.
b. Develop and demonstrate flexible strategies for generating ideas, revising, editing,
and proofreading.
c. Understand and utilize the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes by
learning to critique their own and others’ work.
4. Students should be able to demonstrate knowledge of conventions in the following
ways:
a. Apply knowledge of writing conventions ranging from structure and paragraphing
to tone and mechanics.
b. Control such surface features as grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Act respectfully towards the viewpoints of others – those present in class and those whom
we will read.
2. Be prepared and present in all class sessions (i.e. bring text to class, participate in
discussions, etc). Three absences will result in lowering a letter grade. Four or more
absences may result in failure of the course.
3. Complete all assignments on time. I do not accept late work. Should you be unable to
attend class on the day an assignment is due, please email the assignment and submit to
turnitin.com during or before the class period.
4. The Lab Component: This required element of Composition/Rhetoric I is designed to
support writing as a process and writing improvement, as an integral part of the course.
Although there is not an external component to the class, this is a writing intensive
course. The “lab component” will be completed through various assignments such as
outlines, multiple drafts, research activities, journals, reading responses, revisions, etc.
throughout the semester. Students should see a clear connection between assignments
that count as labs and finished writing assignments. To earn a passing grade, a student
must complete the assigned lab component.
EVALUATION:
Students will complete a minimum of FIVE closely graded essays (i.e., with oral and/or written
instructor comments) of approximately 550 words each. There are three primary assignments
that will comprise your lab component grade: quick-writes (or reader response), an annotated
bibliography, and a number of revisions to be turned in at the end of in-class workshops. In lieu
of the final exam, students must complete a portfolio, a compilation of THREE revised essays
written during the semester.
Participation
(Discussions & Workshops)
Lab Writing
(Quick-Write & Annotated Bib)
Essay #1
15%
15%
10%
Essay #2
Essay #3
Essay #4
Essay #5
Final Portfolio
10%
10%
10%
10%
20%
COURSE SCHEDULE:
Date
Tuesday, 8/23
Class Activities
Introductions & Syllabus
How to use turnitin.com
Thursday, 8/25
Lecture: “Rhetorical Situations” (3-17) & Introduce Lit Narrative (21-24)
Assign Essay #1 (Literacy Narrative)
Tuesday, 8/30
Lecture: “Literacy Narrative” (21-37) & “Narrating” (343-351)
Thursday, 9/1
Lecture: “Reading Strategies” (352-366) & “Writing as Inquiry” (211-214)
Discuss: Agosin (21-24)
Tuesday, 9/6
Quick-write #1 (Barrientos & Tan)
Discuss: Barrientos’s “Se Habla Espanol” (560-563) & Tan’s “Mother
Tongue” (564-570)
Thursday, 9/8
Turn in Essay #1 (Literacy Narrative)
Lecture: “Analyzing a Text” (38, 49-58)
Discuss: Safire’s “A Spirit Reborn” (41-43) & Wood’s “Victory Speech”
(610-613)
Tuesday, 9/13
Quick-write #2
Lecture: “Processes: Generating Ideas” (219-225)
Discuss: Noe’s “Parallel Worlds” (598-603)
Assign Essay #2 (Textual Analysis)
Thursday, 9/15
Lecture: “Strategies: Beginning, Middle, End” (261-277) & “Comparing &
Contrasting” (306-313)
Tuesday, 9/20
Lecture: “Processes: Drafting & Assessing” (227-234)
In-Class Workshop: Essay #2
Thursday, 9/22
Turn in Essay #2 (Textual Analysis)
Lecture: “Reporting Information” (59, 67-82) & DeRoven
Assign Essay #3
Tuesday, 9/27
Lecture: “Doing Research: Sources” (384-403) & Online Journals
Thursday, 9/29
Lecture: “Doing Research: Avoiding Plagiarism” (408-424)
Tuesday, 10/4
Lecture: “Doing Research: MLA” (425-476)
Thursday, 10/6
Lecture: “Processes” (215-218, 235-246)
In Class Workshop: Essay #3
Tuesday, 10/11
Turn in Essay #3 (Report)
Lecture: “Memoirs” (153-160)
Discuss: Smith’s “When I Was a Child” (819-825) & Gates’ “A Giant Step”
(832-836)
Thursday, 10/13
Quick-write #3 (Hurston & Raymond)
Lecture: “Reflections” (180-187)
Discuss Hurston’s “How It Feels to be Colored Me” (916-921) & Raymond’s
“Strawberry Moon” (922-928)
Tuesday, 10/18
Lecture: “Arguing a Position” (83, 97-110) & “Arguing” (283-299)
Assign Essay #4 (Argument)
Thursday, 10/20
Quick-write #4
Discuss: Obama’s “Election Night Remarks” (677-683) & Penrod’s “AntiIntellectualism” (691-696)
Tuesday, 10/25
Lecture: Proposals (171, 174-179)
Discuss: Baron’s “Don’t Make English Official – Ban It Instead” (869-871)
Thursday, 10/27
Quick-write #5 (Quindlen & Behar)
Lecture: “Mixed Genres” (201-208)
Discuss: Quindlen’s “Write For Your Life” (201-203) & Behar’s “The
Anthropologist’s Son” (934-937)
Tuesday, 11/1
Lecture: “Strategies” (278-282, 314-337)
Thursday, 11/3
In-Class Workshop: Essay #4
Tuesday, 11/8
Turn in Essay #4 (Argument)
Lecture: “Literary Analysis” (143-152) & Silko’s “Language and Literature
from a Pueblo Indian Perspective” (767-779)
Thursday, 11/10
Quick-write #6 (Faulkner)
Discuss: Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” (787-796) & Crystal’s “‘One of Us’:
The Concepts of the Private and Public . . .” (781-786)
Assign Essay #5
Tuesday, 11/15
Lecture: “Developing a Research Plan” (375-383)
In-Class Workshop: Finding Sources (Bring Short Story)
Thursday, 11/17
Lecture: “Annotated Bibliographies” (116-124)
In-Class Workshop: Evaluate Sources & Create Bibliography
Tuesday, 11/22
Turn in Annotated Bibliographies
Thursday, 11/24
Thanksgiving – No Class
Tuesday, 11/29
Turn in Essay #5 (Literary Analysis)
Lecture: “Evaluations” (125-132)
Thursday, 12/1
Lecture: “Compiling a Portfolio” (247-258)
In-Class Workshop (Revisions)
Tuesday, 12/6
In-Class Workshop (Revisions)
Thursday, 12/8
Portfolios Due in class & turnitin.com
Disclaimer: I reserve the right to cancel or change lectures, discussions, and/or assignments
in the above class schedule at any time.
GRADING STANDARDS FOR COURSES IN RHET0RIC:
I. Excellent / Superior (A-B)
Note: Although "A" and "B" papers possess many of the same features, the style,
originality and level of excellence of the "A" paper are exceptional.
Preparation: The student adapts his thinking to the form and requirements of the
assignment, and develops his paper through preliminary outlines and drafts.
Content: The paper contains a significant and central idea clearly defined and supported
with concrete, substantial, and consistently relevant detail. The superior paper displays
freshness and originality of perception; it moves through its supporting ideas clearly and
logically.
Development: The paper engages attention and interest at the beginning, progresses by
ordered and necessary stages, and ends with a conclusion that supports the essay's main
idea without being repetitive and/or simplistic. Development is economical, original, well
proportioned, and emphatic; paragraphs are coherent, unified and properly developed;
transitions between main ideas are effective and logical.
Sentence Structure: Sentences are unified, coherent, forceful, and varied to promote a
lively and interesting rhythm.
Diction: The language is distinctive, fresh, economical, and precise.
Grammar and Punctuation: Correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, and mechanics
reflect clear and effective thinking.
Appearance: The student has carefully proofread and correctly documented the paper.
The student will type out-of-class papers using standard 10- or 12-font size on standard
white paper using one-inch margins and double spacing throughout (no triple spacing
between paragraphs).
II. Average (C)
The "C" paper is clear, competent, and controlled, but its style and originality are
undistinguished.
Preparation: The paper contains evidence of at least one preliminary draft. The topic and
content are clearly and competently adapted to the assignment.
Content: The central idea is apparent but too general, too familiar, or too limited. It is
supported with concrete detail, though that detail may be occasionally repetitious,
irrelevant, or sketchy.
Development: The plan of the paper is recognizable, but not developed or not
consistently fulfilled. The essay might be disproportionately developed or exhibit an
inappropriate emphasis. Transitions are clear but too abrupt, mechanical, or monotonous.
The paragraphs are unified, coherent, and usually well developed.
Sentence Structure: The sentences are competent, but many lack force, variation in
structure, or effective rhythm.
Diction: The language is appropriate to the paper's purpose, subject, and audience; it is
not overly formal, abstract, or colloquial.
Grammar and Punctuation: Deviations from standard grammar, punctuation, spelling, or
mechanics damage the paper's clarity and effectiveness.
Appearance: The "C" paper conforms to the guidelines established for the superior paper.
III. Unsatisfactory (D-F)
Though "D" and "F" papers may share the same faults (such as inadequate development
or absence of a discernible thesis), the "F" paper exhibits an obvious breakdown in style
and structure.
Preparation: The student's ideas do not relate to the specific assignment, and there is little
evidence of a preliminary draft.
Content: The central idea is missing, confused, superficial, or unsupported by concrete
and relevant detail. Content is obvious, contradictory, or aimless.
Development: The essay lacks clear and orderly stages and fails to emphasize and
support the central idea. Paragraphs are typographical rather than structural; transitions
between paragraphs are missing, unclear, ineffective or rudimentary.
Sentence Structure: Sentences are incoherent, incomplete, fused, monotonous,
rudimentary, or redundant.
Diction: The level of language is inappropriate to the subject.
Grammar and Punctuation: Frequent mistakes in basic grammar, spelling, and
punctuation obscure the writer's ideas.
Appearance: An illegible presentation is always a liability.
Plagiarism: CCCCD faculty does not tolerate plagiarism. A paper containing plagiarism
will earn a failing grade.
RELIGIOUS HOLY DAYS: Please refer to the current Collin Student Handbook.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT COMPLIANCE:
It is the policy of Collin County Community College to provide reasonable accommodations
for qualified individuals who are students with disabilities. This College will adhere to all
applicable Federal, State and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing
reasonable accommodation as required to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the
student's responsibility to contact the ACCESS office, SCC-G200 or 972. 881.5898 (V/TTD:
972.881.5950) in a timely manner to arrange for appropriate accommodations.
ACADEMIC ETHICS: Every member of the Collin College community is expected to
maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. Collin College may initiate disciplinary
proceedings against a student accused of scholastic dishonesty. Scholastic dishonesty
includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts, or omissions related to applications for
enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission of one’s own work material that
is not one’s own. Scholastic dishonesty may involve, but is not limited to, one or more of the
following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion, use of annotated texts or teacher’s editions,
use of information about exams posted on the Internet or electronic medium, and/or
falsifying academic records. While specific examples are listed below, this is not an
exhaustive list and scholastic dishonesty may encompass other conduct, including any
conduct through electronic or computerized means:
Plagiarism is the use of an author’s words or ideas as if they were one’s own without giving
credit to the source, including, but not limited to, failure to acknowledge a direct quotation.
Cheating is the willful giving or receiving of information in an unauthorized manner during an
examination; collaborating with another student during an examination without authority; using,
buying, selling, soliciting, stealing, or otherwise obtaining course assignments and/or
examination questions in advance, copying computer or Internet files, using someone else’s work
for assignments as if it were one’s own; or any other dishonest means of attempting to fulfill the
requirements of a course.
Collusion is intentionally or unintentionally aiding or attempting to aid another in an act of
scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to, failing to secure academic work; providing a
paper or project to another student; providing an inappropriate level of assistance;
communicating answers to a classmate about an examination or any other course assignment;
removing tests or answer sheets from a test site, and allowing a classmate to copy answers.
See the current Collin Student Handbook for additional information.