Part A of the Syllabus English 111 F09 Spring 2015 Ms. Amy Decker Office Location: Room 208 FAC 3 Phone: 540‐419‐5801 Email: adecker@germanna.edu Office hours: M/W 930am‐1030am M/W 1pm‐3 pm at the Writing Center T/R 11am‐12pm and 230pm‐330pm Class days/times: Tuesday/Thursday 0930‐1045am Rm 319 FAC 1 I. Introduction 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 analysis with at least one researched essay. Prerequisite: Placement recommendation for ENG 111 or placement recommendation for co‐requisites ENG 111 and ENF 3. Lecture 3 hours per week. Additional course description: 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 EN3. ENG 111 is the prerequisite for ENG 112. Required textbooks and materials: 1.The Norton Field Guide to Writing with readings 3rd ed., by Bullock & Goggins 2. The Little Seagull Handbook * in textbook bundle 3. They Say I Say * in textbook bundle 4. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien Learning outcomes: 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. Course 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. d. Analyze texts to describe how and why writers use rhetorical devices. e. Attribute and incorporate sources into text appropriately and ethically. 2. 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. Read, summarize, and respond to a variety of non‐fiction texts. 3. 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: 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. 5. 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 (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 Please use Germanna email systems for all communication outside of class. Do not use the provided phone number to text to me. I will not respond. Use the phone number for emergencies only. III. College information and class policies (Note: see part B of this document for college‐wide policies. Any class policies do not contradict the college policies but are in addition to the college policies.) Course specific attendance policies: As stated in Part B, we have 4 allowable absences in this course. I don’t need notes, letters, etc. to validate these absences. I don’t need to know the details of these absences. There are no ‘excused’ absences except in the rarest of occasions: jury duty, etc. Note that doctor’s appointments, child care issues, family emergencies, car trouble, etc. are not excused absences. Arriving to class late 4 times is the equivalent of an absence. Academic Honesty Policy ( Course Specific): If the instructor finds that you have committed blatant plagiarism ( defined as copying and pasting content from source material into your work improperly, failure to document source usage, or submitting someone else’s work as your own) or otherwise cheated, your work will receive a zero without chance for a make‐up. Reporting of academic dishonesty will follow college‐wide guidelines. Course plan for college closing: Check our Blackboard Announcements area by noon of any day that the college closes for inclement weather. Electronics (i.e. cell phones)/Food/ classroom policy: Do not text or use your phone during the class period. If we are working on a group project that could benefit from the use of Smartphone technology, I will let you know. Clean up after yourself with regard to food/drinks. Do not use e‐cigs or any tobacco products (dip, etc.) in class. Grading policy and grading scale: Graded Assignments: Homework/Classwork: 10 assignments @ 20 pts each = 200 pts. Quizzes (grammar and reading) : 6 @ 25 pts each= 150 pts. Blog: 10 total posts @ 10 pts each =100 pts. Blog Peer Comments: 10 @5 pts each= 50 pts Papers: 3 @ 100 pts. 300 pts Project: 100 pts Exam: 100 pts Total class points: 1000 A= 900‐1000 pts B= 800‐899 pts C= 700‐799 pts D= 600‐699 pts F= 0‐599 pts. IV. Tentative course activities and assignments ( Subject to Change) Week Date Topics Items due 
1 2 Jan 13‐15 Jan 20‐22 3 Jan 27‐29 4 Feb 3‐5 5 Feb 12 6 Feb 17‐19 7 8 Feb 24‐26 Mar 3‐5 Intro to course; read "Homemade Education" from "Literacy Behind Bars" p. 640 ; MLA layout, Commas 
Pre‐writing 
Read FG: Ch. 41, p. 396+; agreement, capitals, apostrophes, run‐ons; Critical reading; preliminary research ( website evaluation/ scholarly research) 
MLA documentation; annotated bibliographies 
Learning Style Inventory; writing sample 
Begin reading TTTC (Read the first 3 stories). Begin blog; do pre‐
writing worksheet; 
Complete grammar quizzes in Blackboard; read “On the Rainy River”. Preliminary research homework; 
Read “Enemies” & “Friends”. AB homework. 
MLA homework; read “How to tell a True War Story.” 
Read from “The Dentist” through “Church”. Be sure to blog weekly. 
Paper 1 due; Read from “The Man I Killed” through “Style”; resume and Powerpoint assigned 
Resume and ppt due; read “Speaking of Courage” through “In the Field.” ENG 111 assessment. Quote, paraphrase, summary. 
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Literary Criticism ; poetry; first paper assigned Workplace writing; proposals, emails, memos, resumes, cover letters, process writing Bill Cunningham; ENG 111 assessment 
Homework related to Compare/Contrast; read the rest of TTTC by end of spring break. 9 Mar 10‐12 
Compare and Contrast; quote style advanced; Paper 2 assigned 10 Mar 24‐26 
Introduction to Argument. Complete related classwork. 
Paper 2 due; reading quiz 11 Mar 31‐ Apr 2 
Argument continued; logical fallacies; revision techniques 
Classwork/blog 12 Apr 7‐9 
“Sicko”. Paper 3 assigned 
Movie evaluation 13 Apr 14‐16 
APA; MLA and APA quiz assigned; 
MLA/APA quiz 14 Apr 21‐23 
Begin Projects ; peer review 
Paper 3 rough due 15 Apr 28‐30 Project work; peer review. o REVISION work 16 May 5 Projects ; exam review Projects due; paper 3 due FINAL EXAM TBA MAY 7‐13 PART B GCC E‐mail Policy: Germanna has an email policy in effect for all college email communications in compliance with VCCS policy. This includes online course related emails and is to ensure confidentiality and security. 
All official email communication will be distributed to VCCS email accounts only. All students, faculty and staff of the VCCS will use their official VCCS email account when conducting VCCS business.  Email is an official method for communication within the Virginia Community College System. Faculty and staff are responsible for reading and responding to email in a timely fashion. Students are responsible for the consequences of not reading, in a timely fashion, college‐related communication sent to the official VCCS Student email account.  Faculty members may require email for course content delivery, class discussion, and instructor conferencing and may specify course‐related email policies in their syllabi. Faculty may also require students to confirm their subscription to VCCS‐provided mailing lists.  If you need help accessing your student email account please visit the ACC on either campus. Faculty email addresses end with “@germanna.edu” and student email addresses end with “@email.vccs.edu”. Faculty Response Time Students can expect to receive a response to email messages or telephone calls made to their faculty member within a 24 hour period Monday through Thursday. A response to email messages sent over the weekend will be provided by close of business on the following Monday. Academic Honesty: 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. Any student found guilty of cheating, plagiarism, or other dishonorable acts in academic work is subject to disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty is cheating and stealing. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:
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Using material verbatim from a source without giving credit. 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 another student's computer disk. Copying from another person's paper/test/homework. Allowing someone else to copy/use your work (e.g., paper, homework, quiz, test). Violating VCCS Computer Ethics Guidelines in the pursuit of academic studies. Important dates: Classes Begin Last Day to Add MLK Day (College Closed) Last Day to Drop with Refund Jan 12 Jan 17 Jan 19 Jan 29 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 Feb 10 Mar 11 Mar 23 Mar 16‐22 May 6 May 7‐13 Attendance Standard Class attendance requirements are found in the course outline, which the instructor provides to students in each course. Germanna students are expected to be present and on time at all regularly scheduled classes and laboratory meetings. When a faculty member determines that a student has not met the class attendance requirements in the course outline, which will usually conform to the statement at the end of this Standard, the faculty member may submit a Drop/Add Form, showing the last date of attendance by the student, to the Admissions and Records Office. A grade of "W" will be recorded for all withdrawals, whether initiated by the student or by the faculty member through the published "Last day to withdraw without academic penalty." Students withdrawn after the withdrawal deadline will receive a grade of "F" except under mitigating circumstances, which must be documented by the student and approved by the Dean of Instruction. Please see "Withdrawing from a course" under "Registration Information" in the Academic Information section of the Germanna course catalog for additional policy information. Absences listed below are calculated for fifteen‐week courses. For eight‐week classes, the absences listed below are cut in half; absences in four‐week classes are one‐fourth of those listed below. For short session courses other than 8 week, please see your instructor for the permitted absences. Weekly attendance is required for online courses. Attendance is measured by weekly logging in and working within the Bb shell of the course. The official GCC withdrawal policy follows: Withdrawal from a course without academic penalty may be made within the first 60% of the course. The student will receive a grade of "W" for withdrawal. After that time, the student will receive a grade of "F". Exceptions to this policy may be considered under mitigating circumstances which must be documented and submitted to the appropriate Dean of Instruction for review and consideration. Please see "Important Dates" in Part B of this syllabus for fifteen‐week courses. For Academic Calendars for courses other than fifteen‐weeks, click on the Class Schedule link at www.germanna.edu . Click on link for Academic Calendar. Use appropriate class calendar. If class meeting times during the week are: Absences permitted are: 1 2 2 4 3 6 4 8 Disability Information: If you are a student with a disability and will need accommodations while enrolled in this course, please contact the Coordinator of Disability Services in the Counseling Center, (540‐891‐3019 at the Fredericksburg Area Campus or 540‐423‐9140 at the Locust Grove Campus). Emergency Procedures: Emergency procedures are posted in individual classrooms. Students must familiarize themselves with the procedures to be followed, and the escape routes to be followed when necessary. Faculty will go through the classroom emergency procedures during the first class meeting and students are to record these procedures in their class notes. Faculty may elect to provide written instructions within the first two class meetings. Student Academic Services: Library Services Library Services offers a rich variety of resources to Germanna students from workshops on how to conduct academic research to an online catalog of print and electronic resources available at the Locust Grove Campus, the Fredericksburg Area Campus, and the Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper. FAC’s Information Commons provides a quiet place to research and write. Library staff can aid students with their research. Students can access thousands of journal titles, most of which are full text. E‐books are available in a variety of disciplines and for leisure reading. Students are encouraged to take advantage of library resources by visiting any of Germanna’s libraries and exploring the online resources at: http://www.germanna.edu/Academics_And_Student_Services/Student_Services/Library_Services/
Tutoring Services The Tutoring Services Department offers a variety of free academic support programs for Germanna students at both the Locust Grove and Fredericksburg Area campuses. Daniel Center students should contact the Locust Grove tutoring office regarding available services and Stafford Center students should contact the FAC Tutoring Services Office for available services. To schedule an individual tutoring appointment, call or visit the Locust Grove or Fredericksburg Tutoring Centers. Online tutoring is available during daytime, evening and weekend hours. Registered students may access online tutoring by clicking on the Smarthinking link from the Tutoring Services’ website. Supplementary academic materials are available free of charge from Tutoring Services, and they may also be downloaded from the Tutoring Services’ website: http://www.germanna.edu/tutor/ Tutoring Services operates a daily walk‐in Writing Lab and Math Lab as well as providing a variety of study skills and academic workshops. Students may register for the Test Taking/Test Anxiety Workshop, Grammar Workshop, APA/MLA Workshop, TI83/84 Calculator Workshop, Computer Competency Workshop, Note‐taking, Spanish Discussion Group, Drug Calculation Workshop, and the Basic PC Skills Mini Course by visiting or calling our offices. Several of these workshops may also be viewed online from the “Online Tutoring Resources” section of the Tutoring Services’ website: http://www.germanna.edu/tutor/resources.asp?menuchoice=Online%20Tutoring%20Resources Academic Computing Center The ACC provides computer access to students needing to work on class work, check e‐mail, blackboard, etc. Students also can apply, register for classes or change classes, check grades, etc. using myGCC. Staff is available to assist students with various computer issues and services. Student can access the internet and MS Office Suite, and placement testing is administered at LGC.
Testing Services Testing Services provide proctor services for make‐up and distance learning tests. Test proctoring for various nursing exams, dental hygiene, exit exams and other college/university testing as well. To determine the hours of the Testing Center, go to the website http://www.germanna.edu/acc/testing_center. Observation of "Netiquette" All of your online communications need to be composed with fairness, honesty and tact. Spelling and grammar are very important in online communication. What you put into an online communication reflects on your level of professionalism. Several netiquette guidelines are listed below: Sentence Capitalization: 
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Typing in all caps is considered screaming. Example: SUNDAY WILL BE A LONG DAY! Various studies have concluded that typing in all caps takes longer and is more difficult to read.  Recipient may think you are overly excited. Leaving the subject field blank: 
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Always fill in the subject with a concise statement describing the email. Do not use all caps or put in phrases such as Help or Hi. Failure to follow netiquette guidelines when filling in the subject line of an email may result in your correspondence being discarded as spam. Colored text and background colors: 
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Use colors sparingly in your emails – whether it is text or fill colors Certain colors can make emails difficult to read. Return receipt request: 
These allow you to track when the recipient opens your email – you should use this email feature sparingly.  Can be very annoying to the recipient of the email. Grammar and spelling check: 
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Proofread emails for errors. Capitalize your sentences and use appropriate punctuation. Refrain from using multiple !!!!!!! or ???????? These netiquette guidelines will help to ensure you are courteous and use proper manners while corresponding with your friends, family and business associates. Remember one point – someone is always watching or tracking your emails, just consult Col. Oliver North if you have doubts (deleted emails were used in the Iran Contra proceedings). Syllabus Subject to Change