Des Moines Area Community College English 105 (Composition I)
Boone High School AP English Language and Composition
Fall Semester 2013-2014 Syllabus
Instructor:
Mrs. J. Dupuis
433-0890 ext. 2121; jdupuis@boone.k12.ia.us
Room 360, Boone High School
Instructor’s website: https://earth.boone.k12.ia.us/~jdupuis/Dupuiss_course_info/Welcome.html
(for easy access to this site, go to the “directory” on Boone Community School District’s website at
www.boone.k12.ia.us and select “Jane Dupuis”; then click on “DMACC Composition / AP Language and
Composition”)
DMACC Concurrent Course Information
This course actually goes by two titles at Boone High School: DMACC Composition 105 and AP
English Language and Composition. It is an accelerated alternative to Boone High’s Advanced Composition
and is a concurrent course: students earn three hours college credit for Des Moines Area Community College’s
English 105 (Composition I) as well as one Boone High English credit. It is designed for students who seek
challenge both in the quality and quantity of work expected. It is a prerequisite for DMACC Composition 106 /
AP English Language and Composition, which is offered spring semester at Boone High.
BHS Course Objectives and DMACC Competencies
Students in this introductory college-level course read and analyze a range of nonfiction texts, deepening
their awareness of rhetoric and how language works. As well, students write in a variety of forms with the
purpose of preparing to write effectively and confidently in college courses as well as in their professional and
personal lives. Students will
• develop college-level writing strategies with emphasis on critical reading and thinking skills
• become familiar with rhetorical analysis
• study, practice, and polish personal, expository, persuasive, and analytical writing
• learn and practice research techniques and Modern Language Association (MLA) requirements for
documentation, style, and format
These objectives encompass the competencies below set by Des Moines Area Community College for
English 105 (Composition I):
1. Demonstrate effective writing as a recursive process.
2. Demonstrate critical reading strategies.
3. Demonstrate the application of the conventions of standard written English.
4. Demonstrate the effective use of research techniques.
5. Demonstrate the proper use of Modern Language Association (MLA) format, including page layout,
in-text citations, and a Works Cited page.
Textbook Information
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The textbook used in Honors Composition I is The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing (Seventh Edition) by
Rise B. Axelrod and Charles R. Cooper, copyright 2004.
Details about the Course
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition
The College Board has approved this course for AP designation. Students who complete DMACC
Composition 105 and 106 / AP English Language and Composition are encouraged to take the AP exam for
English Language and Composition next May. Some colleges and universities accept passing AP exam scores
for college credit and advanced placement. During each semester, we will do some focused preparation for the
exam; whether or not you decide to take the AP exam, the test prep will provide excellent practice with the
critical reading and rhetorical analysis skills you will develop.
What You Will Need
• You need to establish a system for organizing and storing your writings and handouts—most students
use a large folder or three-ring binder.
• You need a composition book or a notebook in which to brainstorm ideas for writing assignments,
keep track of mechanical and usage issues that need study and reinforcement, and take notes during class and
while reading.
• You need to obtain your DMACC library card by early October.
Instructor’s Website
My instructor’s website contains a calendar showing basic day-by-day lesson plans and assignment
deadlines. I will do my best to post course handouts so you can access them in case you lose a handout or miss
class.
Grading
Students are evaluated on the quality of final draft writing projects and in-class essays; completion of inprogress writing projects; and quality of class participation, oral presentations, homework, and quiz
performance. I communicate the strengths and weaknesses of in-progress drafts to students through rubrics and
conferences. Final drafts are graded with the use of scoring guides.
This course will use the grading scale recommended by the College Board for high school AP and
honors courses (please notice that it is different from the scale used for most Boone High classes):
A+
A
AB+
B
B-
100-97%
96-91%
90-87%
86-83
82-77
76-73
C+
C
CD+
D
DF
72-69%
68-64%
63-60%
59-56
55-50
49-46
45-0
The semester exam is worth 10 percent of the semester grade.
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Late Work and Make-Up Work Policy
It is important that you understand: Late work is not accepted for credit. While good attendance is
essential, the following are guidelines if you do miss class:
1. When you are absent from class, of course you are responsible for finding out about what you
missed.
2. If you are absent on the day an assignment is due, the assignment is due immediately upon your return
to class if you want credit for it. You are responsible for handing the assignment in when you return to class—
don’t wait for me to ask for it.
3. If you are absent on a day when conferencing or peer editing takes place, you are responsible
for rescheduling your conference with me or making up the peer editing. To make up peer editing, you’ll
need to get at least two classmates to work with you, probably outside of class time. To make up a conference
with me, you’ll need to set up an appointment with me.
4. If you are in attendance at school during ANY part of the day when your portfolio is due, your
portfolio is due on that day even if you are not present in class. (Yes, this is to discourage you from skipping
this class on days when big projects are due.)
5. If you know in advance that you will be absent, your work needs to be made up before you miss class
(as you know, this includes absences due to school activities, appointments, and so on).
6. Some of the requirements above may be waived in extenuating circumstances. If you find yourself in
a situation that may merit an extended assignment deadline, please inform me as soon as possible—in person,
by phone, or via e-mail.
Expectations
This course is designed for students who seek challenge and who are ready and willing to put forth extra
time and effort to complete the out-of-class work that is required. As a concurrent course as well as one that
meets AP curricular requirements, this is a college-level class. Student work is evaluated accordingly.
Good attendance is expected. Some of our in-class activities are very difficult to replicate as make-up
work if you are absent on days they take place.
Reading Assignments
This course will help you to develop critical reading skills. You will learn how to go beyond simply
recognizing what texts say; you will learn to rhetorically analyze texts so you can better infer what texts mean.
Routinely, you will be required to complete reading assignments outside of class. When you are asked to read
various texts and sections of the textbook, take notes in your notebook or on post-it notes. Your reading notes
are “proof” that you completed the reading and they will aid you to actively take part in discussion, do well on
quizzes, or complete writing activities relating to the assignment.
You will select one book to read during the semester. By October 7, you will choose a nonfiction book
that relates in some way to Hollowing Out the Middle: The Rural Brain Drain and What It Means for
America; the book you choose will serve as a source for your researched argument paper as well, so it is
important that you choose a topic or issue that interests you. Much of your reading of this book will be
done outside of class.
Throughout the semester, you will be asked to read the handout section of the textbook and other
materials to review usage, mechanics, and grammar. You may find it unnecessary to spend much time
reviewing some of this material because the areas covered are already familiar to you; on the other hand, other
areas may demand more time and study. While we will spend some time in class working on these areas and I
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certainly will address any questions after you read about a particular area, you are responsible for mastering this
material and showing your understanding of writing conventions in the projects you complete for this course.
Warning about Plagiarism and Use of Turnitin.com
Plagiarism is submitting work that you have copied or closely paraphrased and claiming that it is your
own original work. The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing textbook defines plagiarism in this way: “the
unacknowledged and therefore improper use of another’s words or ideas” (715). According to the Modern
Language Association, “three different acts are considered plagiarism: (1) failing to cite quotations and
borrowed ideas, (2) failing to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks, and (3) failing to put summaries
and paraphrases in your own words.” Copying or paraphrasing another student’s work or ideas without crediting
the source is plagiarism. Copying or borrowing ideas from Internet sources, print sources, or other sources
without acknowledging the source is plagiarism. Plagiarism will result in a zero for the assignment.
In this course, we will be using Turnitin.com software as a tool for learning how to correctly cite
resources. Turnitin.com is useful in helping to determine whether or not a writer is relying too heavily upon
sources and whether a writer has given appropriate credit to an author or source. Students will be assigned a
user name and will be expected to submit their papers on the assigned due date to Turnitin.com, which in turn
produces an “originality” report. This report will compare the student’s paper to content on the Web, to
Turnitin.com’s database of previously submitted papers, and to some databases of common full-text journals.
Students agree that by taking this course that all required papers will be reviewed by Turnitin.com and
acknowledge that the papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely
for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. All identifiers (student name, ID #, etc.) will be removed from the paper
before it is uploaded into Turnitin.com.
Headings and page numbering for assignments
Most assignments should contain a heading on page 1 that follows the format below. (A few
assignments have different format requirements.) The heading, double spaced, should appear in the upper left
corner of page 1:
Name
Jane Doe
Due Date
August 23, 2013
Assignment description
College Scholarship Essay #1
Word count
479 words
Begin page numbering on the first page. Use the “header” function to make your last name and the page
number appear at the top right of each page.
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Information about the Writing Process and Portfolios
Daily writing: Students will write on a daily basis to record and process information, formulate
questions, brainstorm, and reflect. Much of this writing will be done in the journal, so it is important that you
bring it to class each day.
Students will complete in-progress drafts of all the writing projects listed below; much of the work on
these projects is done outside of class. Due on the indicated deadline dates, in-progress projects should meet the
length requirements; and they must indicate evidence of thought, creativity, effort and some revision. These inprogress projects will be peer edited and / or students will conference with me or receive written response from
me about them. Students will revise and polish some of the pieces to submit as part of a portfolio. Using scoring
guides, I will formally grade the pieces that are polished and submitted as part of a portfolio.
Students will submit portfolios two times during the course of fall semester:
1)
Just near the end of first quarter--October 11; must include
• reflection on portfolio contents (you’ll write this in class on October 11)
• one final draft college scholarship/application-type essay
• final draft essay offering a rhetorical analysis of the “Introduction” or “Conclusion” of Hollowing Out
the Middle
• final draft analytical profile of a place in the Boone community
2)
Just near the end of second quarter--December 13; must include
• reflection on portfolio contents (you’ll write this in class on December 13)
• one final draft college scholarship/application-type essay
• final draft researched argument paper (and materials used in its preparation--rough draft paper, note
cards, printouts of computer sources, etc.)
• final draft essay arguing a position (newspaper opinion column on a issue related to Hollowing Out the
Middle or researched argument paper)
On the next page are descriptions of the writing assignments listed above along with deadlines for inprogress drafts and other in-class writings.
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Major Writing Project Descriptions and Deadlines
• In-class writing on topics relating to the summer reading requirements. Purpose is to assess
students’ completion of and thinking about the summer reading requirements and to establish baseline examples
of students’ writing ability. Suggested length: Several paragraphs for each essay. Suggested point of view:
“Limited” first person point of view; in other words, there is nothing wrong in using first person point of view,
but there is no need to use it a great deal. Audience: Teacher will be reading your essays and sharing portions of
essays with the class (and you’ll be sharing your ideas with students during discussions). Advice: Back up ideas
with specific references to the summer reading—offer proof that you read and thoughtfully considered the
newspaper opinion columns and editorials and the two books. It is suggested that you bring the books to class
with you for reference; you will be encouraged to refer to your summer journal entries as you write the essays
as well. Deadline: This writing will be done in class on Aug. 19, Aug. 20, and Aug. 21.
• Six college scholarship or application essays written in response to provided topics. Required
length: 350-550 words. Suggested point of view: First person point of view. Audience: Teacher, classmates, and
college selection or scholarship committees (hopefully you will be able to actually use one or more of the essays
to apply for college or scholarships). Advice: Be creative and reveal important details about yourself; strive to
make each essay illustrate your individuality. Use some of the stylistic techniques you learned from the personal
narrative writing of Annie Dillard or Tobias Wolff. Essay topics are listed below. Deadlines: In-progress
college essay #1 is due August 23, in-progress #2 is due Sept. 3, in-progress #3 is due Sept 13, in-progress #4 is
due Sept. 20, in-progress #5 is due Sept. 27, and in-progress #6 is due Oct. 18. Topics for college scholarship
or application essays:
Essay #1) Describe and evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical
dilemma you have faced and its impact on you. (In-progress essay due Aug. 23.)
Essay #2) Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you and describe that influence. (Inprogress essay due Sept. 3.)
Essay #3) What participation in extracurricular, work, or community activities have you had that
emphasizes experience with people? Discuss the importance to you of your experience. (In-progress essay due
Sept. 13.)
Essay #4) Write an essay in response to the theme of “This I Believe.” In other words, write a personal
essay describing a belief or insight about life that is significant to you. This assignment is based on National
Public Radio’s “This I Believe” project. Visit this website for advice and essay examples: <
http://thisibelieve.org/ >. (In-progress essay due Sept. 20.)
Essay #5) Describe a character in fiction, an historical figure, or a creative work (in art, music, literature,
etc.) that has had an influence on you and explain that influence. (In-progress essay due Sept. 27.)
Essay #6) Write in response to this question: What would you like the scholarship or application committee
to know about you? (In-progress essay due Oct. 18.)
You will finalize one of these essays (your choice) for Portfolio #1, due Oct. 11. You will finalize another of
these essays (again, your choice) for Portfolio #2, due Dec. 13.
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(Major Writing Project Descriptions and Deadlines, continued)
• One essay that rhetorically analyzes the “Introduction” OR the “Conclusion” section of
Hollowing Out the Middle. Required minimum length: 900 words. Suggested point of view: “Limited” first
person point of view. Audience: Teacher and classmates. Advice: A rhetorical analysis assignment requires you
to determine the authors’ purposes as well as to identify and evaluate the writing strategies used to achieve
them. As you write this essay, apply your knowledge of the rhetorical diagram along with your understanding of
Hollowing Out the Middle as a whole. In the essay you will quote and paraphrase portions of the “Introduction”
or “Conclusion” sections to support your analysis. Deadline: In-progress draft is due Sept. 6; final draft is due
Oct. 11 for Portfolio #1.
• One essay that profiles and rhetorically analyzes an intriguing place in the Boone community.
Required minimum length: 900 words. Suggested point of view: First person or third person point of view.
Audience: Teacher, classmates, and community members. Advice: Describe the place and what occurs there,
using the descriptive writing techniques of Annie Dillard and Tobias Wolff. Consider the rhetoric of the place:
What “arguments” does it make to its “audience”? Apply your knowledge of rhetorical analysis as you develop
your profile. Do field observation and conduct interviews to gather information about the place. Consider the
advice and examples in the “Writing Profiles” chapter in the textbook, pages 137-199. Deadline: In-progress
draft is due Sept. 30; final draft is due Oct. 11 for Portfolio #1.
• One researched argument paper (following Modern Language Association format). Required
minimum length: 2000 words, not counting heading, title, parenthetical citations, or annotated bibliography.
Point of view: Third person point of view. Audience: Teacher, classmates, and parents. Advice: The nonfiction
book you select will serve as one of the sources for your researched argument paper; the topic of the paper must
relate in some way to an issue raised in Hollowing Out the Middle. This assignment requires in-depth research.
The purpose of this paper is to take and support a position, not simply to present interesting information. In
other words, your researched argument paper will not simply string together statements from books and other
sources; your paper should offer a reorganization and reworking of your source material into an original
composition that takes and supports a position. As part of your information gathering, you are strongly
encouraged to seek out and interview an authority on your topic. Consider the advice and examples in these two
textbook chapters: “Library and Internet Research,” pages 709-746, and “Using and Acknowledging Sources,”
pages 747-790. Deadline: Near the end of first quarter, you are asked to choose a nonfiction book that relates in
some way to Hollowing Out the Middle. You’ll read the book and work on the research project for several
weeks. Mini-deadlines will be announced for various stages of the research paper project. In-progress draft of
the research paper is due Nov. 18; final draft is due Dec. 13 for Portfolio #2.
• One essay (in the form of an opinion column) that takes a position on a controversial issue
related to or suggested by your reading of Hollowing Out the Middle and/or your researched argument
paper. Required length: 750 words maximum. Suggested point of view: First person point of view. Audience:
Teacher, classmates, newspaper readers. Advice: Structure this essay as an opinion column that would be
appropriate for The Des Moines Register or any other major newspaper. You might refer to Hollowing Out the
Middle or other sources in your column. Since this essay should be written like a piece that would appear in a
newspaper opinion section, you will use signal phrases to indicate sources rather than using in-text parenthetical
citations and a works cited page. Remember that a persuasive technique is to bring up and counter, at least
briefly, the opposing arguments to your position. The tone of this essay should be appropriate for publication in
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a newspaper; your goal is to persuade readers to understand your position. Consider the advice in the textbook’s
“Arguing a Position” chapter, pages 261-326, and apply your understanding of basic rhetorical concepts.
Deadline: In-progress draft is due Dec. 4; final draft is due Dec. 13 for Portfolio #2.