DUAL ENROLLMENT ENC 1101: Writing & Rhetoric I
FALL 2014
Section___ (______)
Monday–Friday Alternating Days/Period 2 and 6
Westland Senior High Room 307
*Instructor Reserves the Right to change this syllabus at any time
Professor:
Sheba Thorbs-Medina
Office Hours:
Tuesdays and Thursdays: 2:30PM - 3:30PM [By appointment only]
E-mail:
Please e-mail me at sthorbsm@fiu.edu
Class Meetings:
August 19, 2014 to January 15, 2014
Final Exam
Wednesday, January 7, 2014
WELCOME! Writing and Rhetoric I, the first of FIU's two-course writing sequence, will make you a better writer,
which is simply put a rhetorically sensitive writer; one who is able to produce thoughtful texts for various
rhetorical contexts (different purposes, audiences, and genres).
Each writing project this semester will ask you to write within a different genre, including narrative, analytical,
informative and argumentative writing, and will help you learn to adapt conventions of structure and style for
each genre. Since effective writing is the result of careful, critical thinking, and multiple revisions, you will take
each writing project through a full writing process (prewriting, drafting, revisions, peer reviews, conferencing,
etc.).
Since writing and reading are interconnected, this course will focus on critical, active reading, including your
own writing as well as that of your peers.
Toward the end of the semester, you will be introduced to researched writing and being to learn how to access
information, evaluate sources, and incorporate others' ideas responsibly and purposefully to your own writing.
In addition to short assignments and a timed in-class essay, you will tackle three major writing projects that go
through a full writing process (see also Grade Distribution).
If at any point during the semester, you become confused about assignments, and how and when they should
be done, please contact me immediately
COURSE OUTCOMES
By the end of ENC 1101, students will:
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Respond in writing to various rhetorical purposes and address the needs of various audiences;
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Develop their ideas through an effective and recursive process of writing, revision, and editing;
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Display genre-appropriate format, structure and stylistic choices, understanding differences in open and
closed form prose;
 Develop an effective thesis and support it with reasons and evidence;
 Interact with complex texts, explore alternative perspectives, and articulate and support their own
perspective in response;
 Generate relevant and timely writing topics that are appropriate for their chosen audience and the
assignment;
 Indicate their ability to write in various genres including peer review, prewriting, narrative, thesis-driven
essays, and researched writing;
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Incorporate sourced materials into their own work through effective use of quotation, summary, paraphrase
and citation using MLA or other appropriate style manual;
Exhibit appropriate syntax, punctuation, and spelling;
Develop a rhetorical vocabulary for talking about writing.
TURNITIN AND PLAGIARISM
As explained in Turnitin's homepage, Turnitin is a "...web-based solution that lets educators and their students
check written work for improper citation or misappropriated content."
We will often use Turnitin for early plagiarism detection, peer review, and other collaborative writing
assignments. This means that you will always have the opportunity to submit your work to www.Turnitin.com
and check their Originality Report before the final draft of any major writing project is due. That way, you'll
have time to fix any improper citations, reconsider how you integrated your sources, etc.
You should be aware that the work you submit to Turnitin will be checked for plagiarism, and will remain in their
database (they use it to check other students' papers for plagiarism).
Again, you must submit every major assignment's final draft to Turnitin. If you fail to submit your final draft before
the deadline, you will receive an automatic “F”. I will always consider the last draft you submit as your final
draft. LATE SUBMISSIONS to www.turnitin.com will result in a LOSS of ONE point off final portfolio grade. We will
discuss this in more detail in class. Should you have any questions or concerns about this, please see me during
my office hours or after class. Also see PORTFOLIOS and REVISIONS. Technical issues with www.turnitin.com are
not valid excuses for late work.
PLAGIARISM is a serious offense punishable by expulsion. The whole point of college is for you to join a
conversation and contribute to that conversation. If you simply copy and paste someone else's ideas, the
learning process would have been truncated; and college would be useless and meaningless.
It is your responsibility to review FIU’s plagiarism policy (representing another’s work, ideas, expressions, or
materials as your own), and to make yourself aware of the disciplinary sanctions resulting from academic
misconduct. I will be monitoring all work for plagiarism. I expect you to become familiar and abide by FIU's
Code of Academic Integrity. Any student found guilty of plagiarism will receive an “F” for the course.
In addition, students may not submit essays/assignments from other courses including ENC 1101. Any student
found doing so will receive an “F” on the assignment.
REQUIRED BOOKS


Ramage, John, John Bean and June Johnson. The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing: Customized for
Florida International University. 5th Edition. New York: Pearson Learning Solutions. 2013.
Lunsford, Andrea. The Everyday Writer. Florida International University Edition/4th Ed. Bedford/St. Martin’s
Custom Publishing, 2011.
OTHER NECESSITIES
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Daily access to a computer with online capability.
1 USB drive to keep your work (always keep a back up of your work!!!). You can also use Google Docs.
I will often ask you to bring copies of your work to class. I will also ask you to print handouts and other
materials –please check your email on a regular basis. If you do not own a printer, you should plan on
using the printers on campus (and plan your budget accordingly).
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT: IN CLASS AND PARTICIPATION + ATTENDANCE (30% OF FINAL GRADE)
You must always be prepared for class. This means that when you enter the classroom, you should
have completed all reading and writing assignments, so that you can fully engage in class discussions, group
work, peer reviews, and perform well in other forms of learning assessments such as reading responses or
quizzes.
You should expect at least one reading and one writing assignment per class meeting.
Your thoughts are needed in our discussions. Points for participation will be granted based on your willingness to
take part in in-class discussions, workshops, and group, individual, or classroom exercises. If you are not
prepared for class, you will not be able to fully participate and your grade will suffer.
By the same token, if you miss class, or arrive late you will, obviously, not be able to fully participate in
classroom activities; nor will you be able to make up the work we do in class that day.
Unless you have an emergency, I assume that you will attend every class, arrive on time, be prepared meaning that you will have completed all reading and writing assignments due by class time - and hand in
every assignment in a timely fashion. Bring your textbooks to every class session.
Three late arrivals will count as one absence. Pursuant to English Department policy, any student who fails
to attend at least 80% of class meetings [no more than 3 absences] will receive an automatic “F”. This does
not mean, however, that a student who misses less than 80% will receive the highest participation/attendance
grade. Absences will always be taken into account as I assign your participation/attendance grade at the end
of the semester. You are responsible for keeping track of your attendance record.
Also see OTHER HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS
ELECTRONIC DEVICES create an unnecessary distraction for students during class. Therefore these items must be
powered off or placed on silent during class. If you use a Cellular phone, IPOD, Laptops, tablets, etc. you will be
asked to leave class and be marked absent for the day.
PORTFOLIOS and REVISIONS (70% OF FINAL GRADE)
There will be a sequence of three major writing projects this semester. You will always get a detailed instruction
sheet for each project, but in general, for each one, you will go through a month or so of prewriting, drafting,
revision (i.e., peer review, self-revisions, and draft conferences) and editing. Then you will have to organize all
your prewriting, inventions, working drafts, peer reviews, and final draft in a single word document or *Portfolio.
Your Portfolio should clearly present your writing process from start to finish, from the earliest brainstorming
activities to your final draft. While the final draft will count for 90 percent of your portfolio grade; the "writing
process evidence" will count for 10 percent of your portfolio grade. After evaluating the Portfolio, I will return it
to you with a completed grading rubric, general comments and a letter grade. *Portfolios Must Be
Submitted In A Pocket Folder.
In addition, the completion of a reflective essay about your writing process is essential for the writing process.
Therefore failure to complete this assignment will result in a loss of 5 points [5%of the final grade] for the portfolio.
LATE PORTFOLIOS
Your Portfolio letter grade will be reduced ½ grade for every day it is late, and the reduced grade will carry
over into your REVISION PORTFOLIO, if you choose to turn one in at the end of the semester. For example, if you
turn in an A paper a day late, it will be reduced to an “A-“, and cannot be revised for an “A” at the end of the
term. Turning in the paper to me on the due date, but after the due time, will be considered one day late.
A Portfolio cannot be submitted more than a week (7 days) late.
YOU CANNOT PASS THIS CLASS IF YOU FAIL TO COMPLETE ANY OF THE THREE MAJOR WRITING ASSIGNMENTS.
I will also ask you to submit your final drafts to www.turnitin.com. If you fail to submit your final draft before the
deadline [no later than one week], you will receive an automatic “F”.
REVISION PORTFOLIO: At end of the semester, you will be able to revise ONE Portfolio and submit it for a new
grade as a Revision Portfolio. If your work shows significant improvement, you will get a higher grade which will
replace the original grade for that essay. Revising your work does not automatically warrant a higher
grade. We will discuss this later in the semester. You cannot complete a revision portfolio for an essay submitted
late on the original due date.
OTHER HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS (20% OF FINAL GRADE)
Throughout the semester, I will assign smaller homework assignments such as readings, online discussions, journal
entries and written responses to the readings. Deadlines will always be clearly assigned to each of these shorter
projects. You should expect at least one reading (a chapter from the book, a short essay, etc.) and one writing
assignment (discussion, reading response, etc.) per class meeting.
Homework assignments and In-class assignments CANNOT BE MADE UP OR SUBMITTED LATE. At the end of the
semester, the average of your homework/classwork grades will count for 20% of your final grade. I will also
consider it for your final Participation grade (10% of final grade). Homework and in-class assignments are
necessary for successful completion of your Portfolios. If you are inconsistent with weekly homework
assignments (if you don't go through the full writing process) your final drafts will be a complete disaster. That's
just the way it is.
If at any point during the semester, you become confused about assignments -about how and when they
should be done - please see me before/after class or contact me by e-mail immediately.
EXTRA CREDIT
Extra credit opportunities may become available throughout the semester. These may include attending
scholarly events and English Department sponsored workshops, etc.
FORMAT
all homework assignments
Unless specified otherwise,
must be typed, double spaced, Times
New Roman 12 (or equivalent). Use MLA format for all three major writing projects and homework
assignments. Refer to The Everyday Writer for detailed MLA guidelines. Please remember to always staple all
sheets of paper together.
Failure to follow directions will result in loss of points and a lower grade.
GRADE DISTRIBUTION: In general, I follow our Writing Program's Grading Rubric to evaluate your
performance. In addition, I will give you specific grading criteria for each assignment listed below. Please also
remember, that you must receive a “C” grade (74%) or higher to pass ENC 1101 and ENC 1102.
Summary of Course Work and Evaluation Criteria
Writing Projects
WP1: Rhetorical Analysis Essay
WP2: Literacy Narrative Essay
WP3: Analyzing and Synthesizing Ideas
Portfolio [Capstone]
WP4: Writing Under Pressure
Final (Cumulative) Exam
Final Draft
3-5 pages
4-6 pages
6-8 pages
Value
15%
15%
25%
3-5 pages
15%
Subtotal:
70%
Student Engagement
Graded in-class and independent work
(reading assessments, homework
assignments, peer review, brainstorming
exercises, quizzes, etc.)
Attendance and in-class participation
20%
Total:
10%
100%
Final Grading Scheme:
A 94-100%
A- 90-93%
B+ 87-89%
B 84-86%
B- 80-83%
C+ 77-79%
C 74-76%
C- 70-73%
D+ 67-69%
D 64-66%
D- 60-63%
F less than 60%
HELP AND RESOURCES
If you ever have any questions or concerns about your academic progress, please contact at
sthorbsm@fiu.edu or schedule an appointment to meet during office hours [See page 1]. You can
also speak with me either before or after class. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance!
FIU has many outstanding resources available for students.
If you are

Having trouble with a writing assignment for any course:
Visit the FIU Writing Center located in [Green Library] GL120

In need of accommodations because of a diagnosed disability:
Please contact the Disability Resource Center located in the Graham Center or visit the
website: http://drc.fiu.edu

Experiencing anxiety, stress, depression, relationship issues or other personal problems that
may interfere with your studies or other areas of your life:
Visit FIU’s Counseling and Psychological Services [CAPS] website:
http://counselingservices.fiu.edu/default.aspx
GRIEVANCES:
If at any point in the semester you have any questions or concerns about your grade or your standing
in the class, please come see me. Addressing your questions and concerns is part of my job. In the
unlikely event that we reach an impasse, you can contact Dr. Kimberly Harrison, Director of FIU's
Undergraduate Writing Program or Associate Directors of FIU’s Undergraduate Writing Program,
Robert Saba and Michael Creeden at MMC or Cindy Chinelly at BBC.
Last updated: 8/14/2014 12:00 PM
STUDENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SYLLABUS AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY PLEDGE
I [print your name] _________________________________________________ have read and understood the
terms of this syllabus, and agree to follow the policies and rules established herein.
In addition, I hereby pledge to follow FIU's Code of Academic Integrity as outlined below:
CODE OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
This Code of Academic Integrity was adopted by the Student Government Association on November
28, 2001 and reflects the values articulated in the Student Code of Standards. Florida International
University is a community dedicated to generating and imparting knowledge through excellent
teaching and research, the rigorous and respectful exchange of ideas, and community service. All
students should respect the right of others to have an equitable opportunity to learn and honestly to
demonstrate the quality of their learning. Therefore, all students are expected to adhere to a
standard of academic conduct, which demonstrates respect for themselves, their fellow students,
and the educational mission of Florida International University.
PLEDGE
As a student of this university:
I will be honest in my academic endeavors.
I will not represent someone else’s work as my own.
I will not cheat, nor will I aid in another’s cheating.
All students are deemed by the University to understand that if they are found responsible for
academic misconduct, they will be subject to the Academic Misconduct procedures and sanctions,
as outlined in the FIU Student Handbook.
__________________________
Student Signature
Course: _________
__________________________
Date