English Composition 1
Fall 2014 Course Syllabus
Whitney Hille, M.Ed. whille@hinds.k12.ms.us
Required Textbooks
For Our Students , Expanded Edition, Hammons and Fatherree; ISBN: 978-0-312-59030-7
40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology. Edition 4. Bevery Lawn. ISBN: 9781457604751
(Recommended) MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7 th
edition
You must go to the Hinds CC Bookstore, located in the Student Union, to purchase the For Our
Students textbook.
Materials

1.5 inch binder (cannot be shared with another class)

COLLEGE ruled paper

Pencil or pen (blue or black ink ONLY)

Highlighters

USB flash drive (recommended)
Course Description
Comp. 1 students will learn to write essays with a formal outline, a thesis (a one-sentence summary of the theme), an introduction and conclusion, a coherent and logical thought pattern, supporting paragraphs developed by specific details, and well-structured sentences showing mechanical coherence. This course will take one semester.
Course Objectives
Students will compose at least 5 essays with most of the writing being done in class. Four of the essays must be at least 500 words in length, three essays must be expository in nature, at least one essay must use at least two sources, and two essays must be responses to sources.
Exit Requirements
Students must have a D (60) average or better to receive credit for the course. Students must receive at least a C (70) in order for the class to count towards a degree. Students will NOT be exempt from the final exam.
Grammar Proficiency Requirements
Students’ writing should demonstrate their mastery of edited Standard American English.

Academic Integrity Statement
The English Department upholds the college policy on academic dishonesty. According to the
HCC Student Handbook, page 57: “Cheating on any examination, quiz, work to be completed in class, assigned work to be completed outside class; cheating on term papers; cheating on final examinations; plagiarism on any assignment; theft or attempted theft of examination questions or possession of examination questions prior to the time for examination period shall be offenses subject to the following penalties. The penalty for commission of any offense set out above is failure in the course and possible dismissal or suspension from the College.”
While we will discuss the issue of plagiarism further, the English Department notes that plagiarism includes failure to provide a source for paraphrased material, failure to use quotation marks around quoted material, or marginally changing the wording of a source and using it as paraphrased material. In this class, any instance of plagiarism will result in a zero (0) grade for the assignment and possible failure for the course.
Official Hinds CC Disability Support Services Statement
Hinds Community College provides reasonable and appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities. Disability Services staff members verify eligibility for accommodations and work with eligible students who have self-identified and provided current documentation. Students with disabilities should schedule an appointment with the designated Disability Services staff member on their respective campuses to establish a plan for reasonable, appropriate classroom accommodations. Raymond Campus: 601-857-3310
Official Hinds CC Notice of Non-discrimination Statement
Hinds Community College offers equal education and employment opportunities and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability or veteran status in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Dr. George Barnes, Vice President for Administrative and Student Services, 34175 Hwy. 18, Utica, MS 39175; 601-885-7001.
Official Hinds CC English Course Transferability Statement
ENG 1113: English Composition I commonly meets the Freshman English Composition I three hour credit requirement at MS public and private universities and colleges. ENG 1123: English
Composition II commonly meets the Freshman English Composition II three hour credit requirement at MS public and private universities and colleges.
Grading Information
A 90-100
B
C
80-89
70-79
D 60-69

F 0-64
Please be aware that some of your grades will count more than one time in STI at Terry in order for assignments to equal the percentage listed below for the class.
Assignments and Evaluatio n:
Essays 1-2 20% (10% each)
Essays 3-4 30% (15% each)
Essay 5 20%
Daily Grade/Informal Writing/Outlines/Quizzes 15%
Final Exam 15%
MLA Form
Modern Language Association guidelines will be followed in English classes with respect to mechanics, style, and documentation.
The errors in the following list are considered major grammatical errors; each occurrence of a major error will decrease an essay’s final grade by at least a letter grade.
Major Grammatical Errors

Fragment

Fused on run-on sentence

Comma Splice

Subject/verb agreement error

Verb form errors

Any 3 minor errors
The following list is not comprehensive but names the sorts of grammatical errors that are considered minor; 3 minor errors will combine to equal one major error in each essay.
Minor Grammatical Errors

Misspelled words

Incorrect punctuation

Pronoun-antecedent disagreement

Pronoun form errors

Incorrect plural forms

Incorrect possessive forms
Late Papers Policy
Students are strongly encouraged to complete all assignments by the appointed due dates. Essay assignments may be turned in within a week after the assignment is due but will receive no higher

than a 65/D, even if it is turned in the next day. Only absences that Hinds classifies as excused exempt students from grade deductions and written verification of excused absences is required.
Daily grades (minor in-class writings and homework assignments) may be submitted upon a student’s return to class from an absence, but they may not be made up at a later date even if the student’s absence is excused. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor about makeup work or late assignments.
The Writing Center
The Writing Center is a free tutoring service provided on the Raymond Campus for all Hinds
Community College students. Two full-time instructors/tutors staff the center and can assist students with brainstorming ideas for papers, organizing essays, reviewing grammar, developing research papers, and preparing documents. The Writing Center is not a proofreading service, but its faculty can teach students to perform their own proofreading more effectively. Though Writing
Center visits are not required for English 1113, the instructor may require individual students to visit the Writing Center on a referral basis. The WC is located at Moss Hall 207 and is open
8:00a.m.-4:00p.m. Monday through Friday.
Student Conduct Information
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to attend class consistently. The attendance policy described in the HCC
Student Handbook, pages 43-46, will be enforced in this class. Under this policy, a maximum of
5 absences are permissible for this class. After a student exceeds the number of allowed absences, they will receive an “F” in the Comp. I course. Please note that school trips do NOT fall under the list of excused absences, but are listed as official. An official absence does NOT excuse work from being turned in on time. You may only have 2 official absences.
Be aware that 3 tardies equal 1 absence. Students will be counted as tardy if they arrive to class after the bell has rung. Any student that misses more than 15 minutes of class will be counted as absent, whether that time comes from being late or leaving early.
E-Mail
Students are required to activate their Go.Hinds e-mail address and to check this account frequently as it will be used by Hinds CC as the primary medium for contacting students and for furnishing official information. All attendance notices will be sent to students through Go.Hinds. Go.Hinds will also contain class information and is where your midterm and final grades will be posted. To log in to your e-mail, you will need the student id number that was listed in your acceptance letter.
Remind 101
We have a class text group set up through the app Remind 101. I will send out messages to remind you of important information and assignments. You will NOT be able to message me back. If you have questions about the message, please e-mail me. To enroll, 1 st
period text @comp121s and 2 nd period text @comp122 to 678-831-2010. You will then receive a message asking you to reply with

your first and last name. Once you have replied, you have been added to my database and receive any messages that I send.
Student Conduct and Class Procedures
1.
Be respectful to everyone in the class.
2.
Students are not permitted to sleep in class. Sleeping will result in detention.
3.
Cell phones are NOT allowed in class. If they are seen or heard, they will be turned in to the office. If a cell phone is out during an assignment, you will receive a 0 for that assignment.
4.
NO food or drinks are allowed in class. Gum will be allowed unless you are found blowing bubbles or putting it under desks.
5.
Do not ask to leave the room. Students are not permitted out of class unless called by a counselor or administrator. You are not allowed to go to other teachers’ rooms.
6.
Make-up work is YOUR responsibility. If you miss a day, you need to get your work from the folder on the wall and turn it in to the make-up tray. You must also schedule a time with the teacher for any make-up tests. You will not be permitted to make up tests during class.
7.
A bellringer will be posted on the wall behind my desk each day when you enter. You must be in the classroom before the bell rings or be marked tardy. Come in and begin the bellringer.
8.
You are expected to turn in assignments on time. If you are absent the day something is due, it will be marked late unless you have a doctor’s excuse. If a problem arises, you must contact the teacher BEFORE the due date.
9.
NO EXTRA CREDIT will be given…this is a college credit class.
10.
There is a classroom library. If a student damages, destroys, or loses the assigned book, that student is responsible for replacing that book.
11.
NO PROFANITY or derogatory comments will be allowed and will result in detention or a referral.
12.
Student not adhering to the dress code will be sent to the office and be responsible for making up any missed work.
13.
Students are responsible for their own materials, including textbooks. You will not be allowed to share materials during class unless it has been approved by the instructor.

DISTRICT ENGLISH DEPARTMENT GRADING CHART: English Composition I
Name_________________________Class __________________ Theme#_____
_____ A (90-100)
_____rich content
_____engaging title
_____engaging introduction
_____readily identifiable central focus
_____meaningful pattern of development from beginning to end
_____thoroughly supported assertions
_____stylistic techniques and devices
_____fresh and highly specific phrasing
_____varied sentence structure
_____varied, concise, precise vocabulary
_____identifiable tone
_____artful transitions
_____no major mechanical errors
_____few minor mechanical errors
_____correct MLA form
_____B (80-89)
_____informative, interesting content
_____readily identifiable central focus
_____clear, logical pattern of development
_____well supported assertions
_____varied sentence structure
_____concise, pleasing vocabulary
_____generally smooth transitions
_____no more than one major mechanical errors
_____few minor mechanical errors
_____few minor errors in MLA form
_____D (60-69)
_____underdeveloped content
_____inconsistent, ineffective pattern of organization
_____insufficient support
_____awkward, ambiguous sentences
_____limited and/or misused vocabulary
_____choppiness; serious lack of transition
_____no more than three major mechanical errors
_____many minor mechanical errors
_____violation of MLA form
_____appears to have been written in haste and/or with little regard for composition standards and/or with few composition skills
_____ F (below 60)
_____superficial treatment of topic
_____lack of support
_____high frequency of errors in standard
English
_____four or more major mechanical errors
_____violation of MLA form
_____ideas, organization, and style fall far below the level of acceptable college writing
*Serious Violations of MLA Form
Resulting in a grade of C, D, or F
 failure to introduce a quotation properly
 inaccuracies in quoted or paraphrased material
 overuse of quoted material
 use of back-to-back or irrelevant quotations
 incorrect form in blocked quotations
 violation of rules of internal documentation
 failure to follow correct form in Works
Cited entries
 omission of publication data in Works
Cited entries
 omission of a source which should be listed on Works Cited page
 over reliance on one or two sources
 any serious violation of instructor’s directions regarding form
Plagiarism (Unforgivable violation of
MLA form)**
 failure to give a source for paraphrased material
 failure to use quotation marks around quoted material
 slightly changing the wording of a source and using it as paraphrased material
Major Grammatical Errors
Each of the following errors counts as one major error:
 fragment
 fused or run-on sentence
 comma splice
 verb error
 subject/verb agreement error
 three different misspelled words
 three of the following minor errors:
 incorrect punctuation
 pronoun/antecedent disagreement
 misuse of pronouns
 incorrect plural and possessive forms
** According to the Hinds Community College
Student Handbook :

_____C (70-79)
_____average content
_____competent organization
_____generalities; acceptable support
_____predictable sub-vb sentence pattern
_____occasional redundancies; oversimplified and/or limited vocabulary
_____frequent choppiness; weak transition
_____no more than two major mech. errors
_____several minor mechanical errors
_____violation of MLA form
_____general lack of imagination and intellectual rigor
“Cheating on any examination, quiz, work to be completed in class, assigned work to be completed outside class; cheating on term papers; cheating on final examinations; plagiarism on any assignment; theft or attempted theft of examination questions or possession of examination questions prior to the time for examination period shall be offenses subject to the following penalties.
The penalty for commission of any offense set out above is failure in the course and possible dismissal or suspension from the College.”
(page numbers change with each year’s handbook)