Grand Rapids Community College
ENGLISH 101 Syllabus
Fall 2014
Contact Information and Availability
Instructor: Ms. Jane (Beyer-) Robrahn
Call or text: (prior to 930p) 616.834.2327
Office Location: Assigned classroom, Kent Innovations High
Office Hours: Before/after class, on class days
E-mail Address: janeebeyer21@gmail.com
Course Information
Course Description:
EN 100/101 emphasizes personal narratives and autobiographies to help students find and
express their own voices. Assignments will include a variety of writing. Professors will select a
combination of assignments from the following: free-writing, journals, short scripts, personal
essays, expanded autobiographies such as oral histories, career-research papers and I-centered
research (I-centered research is defined as a research paper in which the student investigates a
topic of personal interest). The required research paper must be at minimum 4-5 pages in length
(excluding the Works Cited page). These writings will increase students' awareness of voice and
improve their understanding of how writers adapt language for specific audiences and use various
public forms and conventions. Students must pass the first semester of the sequence with a Cbefore enrolling in the second semester.
Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Through active engagement with the writing process (drafting, revising, finalizing, self-reflection,
and self-assessment) students will learn to:
a. Write in a variety of forms/genres/rhetorical strategies (e.g., freewriting, journals, poems,
personal, responsive, and analytical essays, scripts, etc.)
b. Maintain a consistent focus
c. Communicate purpose with clarity
d. Make intentional structural choices that enhance meaning
e. Select and utilize the appropriate voice (tone/style) and conventions (grammar, usage,
mechanics) for the intended audience
f. Use a variety of sentence structures to enhance readability
g. Build meaning with sufficient depth of development
2. Through active reading of various genres students will learn to:
a. Analyze, evaluate, and appreciate the rhetorical strategies other writers use
b. Apply a variety of those strategies in their own writing
3. Through the writing of at least one “I-Centered” research paper, students will learn to implement
basic conventions of research to:
a. Evaluate research sources using a variety of criteria
b. Demonstrate proper MLA formatting, citation, and documentation
4. As a demonstration of their learning, students will produce a minimum of 4 finalized essays,
averaging several pages each, including one research paper of a minimum 4-5 pages.
Required Materials:
Text: The Curious Writer, Bruce Ballenger
Supplements: Course materials, as given by instructor.
Access to Blackboard: even outside of class. Assignments and grades will be posted and
submitted here, so please make sure that it is available to you frequently.
Pens, pens, pens.
Course-Specific Requirements & Other Information
Grade Considerations:
All 4 major writings (including the research paper) will be created via the workshop process
before being submitted to Blackboard for a grade.
In addition to the 4 papers, participation and preparedness for writing invitations, fluencies, peer
revising, teacher conferencing, and a presentation will be factored into the final grade.
Learning Environment:
“Workshop” best describes the ways and means in which this course will be run. In short a
‘workshop atmosphere’ is one in which the student-author engages in daily writing, revising,
conferencing, and sharing of personal writing project(s). As a learner-centered, writing workshop
course, your participation in class, and with one another, is crucial. The culture we create will
determine our fate as learners, partners, groups and authors.
Paper Format & Submission:
Use conservative and professional font, such as Times New Roman, 12point font and 1-inch
margins. Put your name and course title at the top of the first page, using the proper MLA
formatting for headings. Continue using MLA formatting, consistently, when submitting work for
grades. A Works Cited page will also be necessary at times. Papers will not be accepted via email.
All papers are to be submitted for grading through Blackboard’s Safe Assign.
Changes to the Syllabus:
The instructor reserves the right to change the contents of this syllabus due to unforeseen
circumstances. Students will be given notice of relevant changes in class, through a Blackboard
Announcement, or through GRCC e-mail.
Etiquette & Courtesy:
Please address me as Ms. or Mrs. Robrahn in all forms of communication for the duration of this
course. When addressing one another in class, please be mindful to always begin with something
positive/correct. Also, be mindful of the tone used when communicating on Blackboard and/or
email, as it can easily become misunderstood.
Course Work
Daily Experiences: Each student will create and lead a writing invitation for the class.
Invitations will happen at least two (2) times per week. Fluencies (either written or verbal) will
occur on a weekly basis as a means to further examine a present unit of study
Autobiography: a chronological, narrative writing that explores your past, examines the
present, and projects into the future to allow the reader to realize an important lesson about
how/why life happens in the order that it does.
Creative Non-Fiction: with an emphasis on teaching the reader, the essay might examine a
contemporary issue; an editorial; an opinion piece (based on experience and fact); a memoir; a
personal essay.
Humorous Essay: Choose an ordinary event/routine/practice from your life/world around you
and examine it through the lens of comedy. It’s amazing how much there is to laugh at, when we
stop to think about it. Take this opportunity to make light of the stress in our lives; gain a new
perspective on your priorities; appreciate what laughter life has to offer.
Research (i-Search) Writing: After selecting a question worth pursuing through research, you
will write about both what you find WHILE searching and what you discover WITHIN the research.
It’s a new twist on an old favorite and part of our course culmination.
(Virtual) Portfolio Presentation: The best lessons are found in self-reflection. For this
presentation, you will explore your semester of work: writing invitations, fluencies, revisions, and
overall growth as an author, and then, you will present all that you have learned from this
reflection in a virtual/interactive/media presentation.
Section Policies
Attendance Policy:
Be here. If you know you’re going to be absent, see me about what you will miss. If you have
already missed a class, consult Blackboard first. If questions remain, see me. Please note that
being absent does not change/excuse/amend a due date for any assignment. Excessive absences
will not help you complete the course with a passing grade. Because this is a face-to-face class,
your presence makes all difference. The course happens here, so you need to be here to
experience it, participate in it, and excel in it.
Grading Procedure:
Breakdown of Grade Percentages:
Major Papers: 70%
Response writings/Test/Quizzes: 15%
Research Paper/Presentation: 15%
Grading Policy:
Please keep these general criteria in mind when reading teacher feedback that accompanies the
letter grade:
A: Product meets and exceeds the assignment criteria, in one or more areas with (nearly) zero
errors in content and conventions.
B: Product meets exactly the criteria of the assignment, with few/no content and convention
errors but in no way goes above and beyond any of the required elements.
C: Product meets a single aspect of the criteria, but misses the whole purpose of the assignment;
errors persist in content and convention.
D: The assignment was misunderstood and the product, in no way, resembles the assignment
criteria.
E: The product submitted is only an attempt to address the task. It is too brief and too littered
with errors to be considered a complete product.
Note: In the event that a ‘re-do’ is necessary, the instructor will offer it as an option. This is an
invitation-only event.
Late Assignment Policy:
All work is due on the assigned due date, regardless of your presence and/or absence. All papers
are due by 915am to Blackboard’s Safe Assign.
Plagiarism Policy:
GRCC ENGLISH DEPT. “DEFINITION OF” and “POSITION ON” PLAGIARISM:
When a student submits work as his or her own but that work in any way borrows ideas,
organization, wording, or anything else from another source without appropriate
acknowledgment of the source, the student is guilty of plagiarism. Copying or resubmitting
work from a previously completed assignment is self-plagiarism and not acceptable. Unless an
assignment has been given as collaborative homework, all work turned in must be the student’s
own. If the work is collaborative, the names of all participants must be on it.
Kinds of Plagiarism:
Cyber-Plagiarism is the latest form of an age-old problem which is copying and using another
person’s words as one’s own. Unfortunately, plagiarizing from online sources is extremely easy.
To put it bluntly, if a student plagiarizes, he/she is not learning. The greatest misfortune is that
the student is not developing or growing in their reading, writing, and analyzing skills. The
eventual outcome of this “shortcut” to a grade is that a student does not develop the skills to
think at a higher, deeper, or abstract level, all of which are important ingredients for one’s success
both in the college and professional arena.
Whole Document: The student uses an entire text written by someone else and tries to pass it
off as their original work. This includes buying a pre-written paper, letting someone else write a
paper for you, or paying someone else to write a paper for you.
Copy and Paste: The student copies and pastes portions of a text into a document without
using quote form (quotation marks or inset quotation form) or citation.
Paraphrased: This can happen in two ways. First, only some of the paraphrase is in the
student’s own words, while the rest is the source’s language, and it is not quoted, even if it is
cited. Second, the source’s sentence structure is the same in the paraphrase and the student just
substituted his/her own words, even if cited.
Consequences: First Offense: If, in my professional opinion, I believe that an act of plagiarism
has been committed, the student will receive a written warning and be asked to rewrite the
assignment for credit, along with notification of parents and administration. Second Offense: The
student will receive a “0” grade for the paper, and both GRCC’s English Department Chair and
Student Conduct Officer will be notified, along with parents and administrators. The Third
Offense: The student receives a “0” for the course and is asked to withdraw. The procedure is
non-negotiable.
Here’s AN FYI: Once an essay is submitted, Blackboard searches the entire Internet and other
college/university archives to compare your essay with the myriad of documents written by the
rest of the academic, intellectual, and professional world. Blackboard then indicates to the
instructor what percentage, if any, your material is plagiarized.
Historically, colleges/universities include expulsion as part of the penalty for plagiarism.
That alternative is not my intent. It is my intent, however, to enforce the severity of such
an action as well as maintain the academic integrity of this class. My sincere goal is to
guide you through the proper research methods, either through classroom instruction or
video presentation, in order to avoid any negative consequences. When in doubt, students
should ask for clarification.
College Policies
GRCC Email and Course Communications:
Students are responsible for all communications sent via Blackboard and to their GRCC email
account. GRCC student email can be accessed through Student Email (http://email.grcc.edu) and
Blackboard at Blackboard (http://bb.grcc.edu).
Disability Support Services :
Students with disabilities who wish to request accommodations must be registered with the
Disability Support Services Office (DSS) in Room 368 of the Student Center. You may contact
DSS at (616) 234-4140 for more information. Once you are registered with the DSS Office, you
will receive an Accommodations Agreement to present to me to verify your registration. Please
see me as soon as possible so we may have a private conversation to discuss accommodations.
Student Code of Conduct:
All GRCC students are held accountable to the Student Code of Conduct, which outlines
expectations pertaining to academic honesty (including cheating and plagiarism), classroom
conduct, and general conduct. The Code can be found in full at Student Code of Conduct.
*Add course/instructor specific implications of code violations
To determine if this class has been canceled based upon inclement weather:
•
•
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Check your GRCC email.
Sign up for text messaging at www.grcc.edu/textmessage. Preferred method
Follow GRCC on twitter at www.twitter.com/grcc.
Week
Date
Topic
In-Class
To Prepare
1
9/2
Course Introduction
& Plagiarism
Writing Invitation &
Inquiry
Intro to AutoBiography
How class works and what
is expected.
Where I Stand Assignment
& Sign Up for Invites
Getting started: topics, prewriting, timeline
Welcome one & all!
Reading & Writing
Personal Essays
Peers & Teacher in the
Workshop
Revision expectations
and power
Into the process: drafting,
revising, drafting, etc.
Conferences: Fishbowl
peers & teachers
Revision & teacher
conference
Re-revising: does it
ever end?
How publishing
happens
Reading creative nonfiction; types of writing
options (personal
essay, memoir, etc)
Creating Non-Fiction:
where to be creative
with the truth
Revising the fiction
within the non-fiction
Revision workshop
10 Steps Article
Writing as Art, Eleven
example
Teacher Conference &
reading
Publishing; Intro Creative
Non-Fiction; Fluency
Power of purpose: writing
to teach, Fluency
9/4
2
9/8
9/9
9/11
3
9/15
9/16
9/18
4
9/22
9/23
9/25
5
9/29
9/30
10/2
6
8
8
Peer conference, teacher
conference
Fluency, workshop, finish
conferences
Assign publishing criteria
for CNF: ArtPrize
Incentive/Connection
Intro to Humorous Writing;
conferences; revisions
Sample memoirs, final
revisions to CNF
Auto-Bio is DUE;
have timeline
Bring CNF purpose &
lesson, Ballenger Ch
3: personal essay &
memoir
Bring draft of CNF,
Bring conference
questions with draft
Revised draft of CNF
p. 84 &247 of
Ballenger text
Draft of CNF
10/9
Revision Workshop;
What is so funny?
Completing CNF,
Workshop Humor:
example
Pursuing the laugh:
words do matter Article/example/portion
Publishing!
10/13
Humor Drafting Day
10/14
Conference Day
Artful Display of CNF
(ArtPrize Style)
Invitation Catch-Up &
Workshop
Peer & Teacher Conference
10/16
Catching our breath
Righting our wrongs 
10/20
Research V Plagiarism
Assign Research Projectchallenge of Plagiarism
Bring any incomplete
project
Ballenger, 441-470,
Research Techniques
10/21
Research Sources
Primary V. Secondary
Sources; delineate sections
List of topics- selfgenerated
10/6
10/7
7
Drafting, Revising
Read Ballenger, Ch 1:
Inquiry
Read Ballenger,
Ch 3:71-92
Bring Where I Stand
Read Ballenger, Ch 3:
92-108
Bring draft to class,
Read Ballenger Ch 14
Bring draft to class
with QUESTIONS;
Ballenger, Ch 13
Feedback Form
Workshop humor, Fluencywritten
Re-revised CNF;
humor topics &
prewriting
Draft of humor:
purpose & beginning
draft
CNF Final Draft DUE
Workable draft of
Humor
Conference questions
9
10
11
of research paper; selfevaluation
Fluency; Workshop
10/23
Revision workshop
10/27
Workshop
Workshop & conferences &
research approval
10/28
Workshop
10/30
Celebration of self!
Final humor
conferences/revisions,
research begins
Memoir publishing day
11/3
Publishing the Portfolio
11/4
Drafting & Discussing
11/6
Workshop Conferences
& Creation
Workshop
11/10
11/11
Assign Portfolio Piece:
publish & present
Workshop; conference re:
portfolio presentation
options
Conference: peer &
teacher; portfolio creation
Fluency; workshop drafts
Revised memoir;
completed self-eval
Memoir draft;
research pre-writing
humor conference
questions; Research
draft
Final Draft of Memoir
DUE
Research draft
Research draft;
portfolio options
presented
Research draft;
conference questions
Research draft;
portfolio creation
draft
Research : debriefing
partners
11/13
12
11/17
11/18
11/20
13
11/24
Publishing Day
Publish Research
11/25
Portfolio Workshop
Anything necessary to put
on final touches!
PRESENTATIONS
PRESENTATIONS
Final Draft of
Research DUE
Portfolio presentation
details
Break
14
12/1
Invitation Notebooks
Due
12/2
12/4
15
12/8
12/9
12/11
CONGRATULAIONS!!!