MARION TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Arts and Sciences Department
ENG 1000 ENGLISH COMPOSITION I
SYLLABUS
BOOKS REQUIRED:
1. Strategies for Successful Writing, Reinking and Von der Osten, 9th ed.
2.
College-level dictionary
3.
College-level thesaurus
COURSE DESCRIPTION: English Composition I
Writing based on experience. Course includes a focus on the value and need of writing in
Standard English, the practice of effective organization and style, the development of skills of
writing with logic and reason, the practice of collaborative writing, the critical analysis of
professional and student writing, the use of technology to enhance composition, and the
emphasis on clear and concise expression. 3 hrs. class
COURSE ENVIRONMENT
The class will be held in a specially designed classroom with the following: 1) tables for reading
and class discussion with seats and space for every student and 2) a PC situated at the
perimeter of the classroom for each student loaded with the latest Microsoft software for writing
and inserting other visual media into text.
NOTE: Class is limited to the number of seats at tables and the number of PCs available in the
composition classroom.
PREREQUISITES:
It is required that students have completed ENG 0990, Preparation for College Writing II or
achieved an equivalent competency score on placement testing. It is also required that the student
have competency in keyboarding and/or word processing prior to enrolling in ENG 1000.
GENERAL COURSE GOALS:
1. To improve grammatical usage.
2. To write clearly and concisely.
3. To write on an adult level using standard English.
4. To organize writing logically according to the situation.
5. To demonstrate critical and analytical skills in writing and by participating in group
discussion.
6.
To develop skills in writing collaboratively
7.
To develop and enhance skills in using technology for creating a writing product
8. To succeed in other writing experiences, in school and on the job.
CORE COURSE COMPETENCIES:
The student should be able to do the following actions after successfully finishing this course:
1. Write logical, coherent phrases, sentences, and paragraphs, incorporating correct
spelling, grammar, vocabulary, syntax, an punctuation
2. Organize and present written communication logically (This action will include
demonstrating skills in introducing, supporting, and concluding a piece of writing)
3. Adopt written communication appropriate to the diversity of the audience
GENERAL COURSE POLICIES:
1. Attendance: Poor attendance will prevent the realization of the five general objectives. If
students are between grades, attendance and recitation are factors in course grades. If
you have an excused absence, please notify the instructor prior to class.
2. Late Work: Will be dropped one full grade except for illness or emergency. Work that is
more than one week late is unacceptable unless prior arrangements are made.
3. Make-up Work: One paper marked UA (unacceptable) may be rewritten within one week
if the student wishes. (The grade for the rewritten theme will be dropped one letter.)
Suggestion: Rewrite rough drafts before submission and avoid unacceptable papers.
4. Makeup Exams: Will be given only in cases of illness or emergency.
Please contact the instructor as soon as possible.
5. Incompletes: Incompletes are given only in case of illness or emergency. To be eligible
for an incomplete, the student must have completed at least one-half of the course work.
6. Office Hours: Will be announced. If these are not convenient, please make an
appointment with me. Please come in if you need help.
7.
NOTE: VERY IMPORTANT! To successfully pass on to ENG 1100, each student must
achieve at least a “C” in the class.
WORKLOAD:
This course will probably require at least two hours out of class for every hour in class.
Therefore, it is necessary that students plan adequate study and writing time.
PLAGIARISM:
College policy states that a "first offense of [plagiarism] will result in an equivalent grade of 'F'
being given for the particular test, project, paper, etc. . The second offense in a given class will
result in a failing grade for that class. Three total offenses (not necessarily in one course) will .
. . result in dismissal from the College for one full academic quarter." (See Student Handbook
p.8.)
This means that all copied material must have quotation marks and possibly a citation. It also
means that you must do your own work; plagiarism includes passing off someone else's work
as your own. If you are assigned a paper in any class and do not know how to document
properly, tell your instructor.
COURSE GRADE COMPOSITE:
Homework/Participation
Rough Drafts
Quizzes
Practice Writings
Grammar Quizzes
Themes
Midterm
Final Exam
50 pts.
50 pts.
50 pts.
100 pts.
150 pts.
450 pts.
50 pts.
100 pts.
TOTAL 1000 pts.
SCALE
900 - 1000 =
800 – 899 =
700 – 799 =
600 – 699 =
under 600 =
A
B
C
D
F
QUIZZES
Quizzes come in two types: 1) course content quizzes and 2) grammar/punctuation quizzes.
The course content quizzes are fill-in, multiple choice, matching, or short answer quizzes on
material covered in class. They are 10 points each. These quizzes will be taken in class.
Grammar and punctuation quizzes are to be taken through the Blackboard site for your
course. There are some 10-point quizzes and some 20-point quizzes. The agenda for your
course will include dates on which these quizzes should be taken through the Blackboard site.
Grammar and punctuation material such as fragments, run-ons, commas, parallelism,
subject-verb agreement, pronoun use, quotation marks, and other punctuation will be tested in
these quizzes. Your instructor may have you take some or all of these in class.
GRADING POLICY FOR PAPERS:
Two grades (grammar and content) may be given on paragraphs and papers: however, your
instructor may combine these two into one overall grade. An evaluation sheet specifying the
criteria will be distributed. If you have any questions, see your instructor. (Practice writing is
required and may be evaluated using a holistic score to give you feedback.)
FORM FOR PAPERS:
Please type papers. Your instructor will advise you on the form required. Always include word
count.
THEMES and MINI-ESSAYS:
Students will write five themes of 600 to 700 words, and complete five mini-essays (sometimes
in class) of 250 to 300 words. A writing sample of 300 words will be expected the first week of
class, also - this sample will not be graded, but used as a gauge for later writing progress.
CONFIDENTIALITY: Privacy is respected. Only the instructor will read papers.
EXCEPTIONS:
(1) Class use: Permission will be secured beforehand.
(2) Technical nature: Another instructor may read a paper to check the accuracy of content
and/or give a second opinion.
(3) Cases of suspected plagiarism: to obtain another expert opinion.
MTC believes that every graduate should possess a common set of skills regardless of the
student's major. These skills are collectively called the College Graduate Competencies, or
CGC's. The faculty has defined specific CGC's in five areas: Mathematics, Communications,
Information Technology, Problem Solving and Decision Making, and Interpersonal and
Professional Behavior. These skills are taught, reinforced, and/or periodically measured in
various courses throughout the curriculum in every degree program. For additional information,
visit www.mtc.edu and link to academic programs, then assessment of learning.
MARION TECHNICAL COLLEGE
ENG 1000 Assignment Sheet
NOTE: All reading assignments are from the text Strategies for Successful Writing except where
otherwise noted. ALL READINGS ARE TO BE DONE BEFORE THE CLASS FOR WHICH
THEY ARE LISTED. That means the readings should be completed before you come to class
(with the exception of the first day, of course!) Grammar quizzes will be given in class the day
they are mentioned or will be assigned to be taken after the class date they are mentioned. .
Class 1
TOPICS: Course plan and expectations
Handout: Syllabus and Assignment Sheet
ACTIVITY: Assign “Writing Sample”
Class 2
Reading: Chapter 1, 2, and 3
TOPICS: - Thesis Statements
-Introducing a Paper
-Organizing a Paper
Class 3
TOPIC: Formality of Word Choice: the four levels of language formality
ACTIVITY: Dictionary exercise (bring dictionary to class today!)
Class 4
QUIZ: Formality of Word Choice (10 points)
Reading : Chapter 10, Process Writing
*Assign Theme #1: Process Theme (50 points)
*Introduce grammar practice site today.
Skills Practice: Fragments, comma splices, and run-ons – pp.655-659
Class 5
ACTIVITY: Practice writing - a Process paragraph (10 points)
Skills Practice: Fragments, comma splices, and run-ons – pp.655-659
LECTURE: Writing with different sentence structures: 1) compound with semi-colons
2) simple 3) complex with subordination
Grammar Quizzes: complete quizzes (1) Fragments and (2) Comma splices and Run-ons
NOTE: Take these any time after this class through the Blackboard system
Class 6
TOPIC: Vocabulary for Writers or Word “labels”, some parts of Chapter 7
DUE: Rough Draft of Process Theme (10 points)
Skills practice: Parallelism – pp. 679-680
Grammar Quizzes : complete quiz (3)Parallelism
Class 7
TOPIC: More Vocabulary for Writers, Faulty Diction, Chapter 7, pp. 132-134
DUE: Process Theme (50 points)
Class 8
QUIZ: Vocabulary for Writers (word “labels”) (10 points)
Reading: Chapter 14, Cause and Effect: Explaining Why
*Assign Theme #2: Causes or Effects Theme (100 points)
Skills Practice : Commas, pp. 686-691
Grammar Quizzes: complete quiz (4) Commas
Class 9
ACTIVITY: Practice Writing – a Causes or effects paragraph (10 points)
Skills practice: more on commas and semi-colons
ACTIVITY: General Vocabulary for College Students
Class 10
TOPIC: Logic Awareness in Writing: Fact, Inference, Value judgment
TOPIC: More Logic Issues : Hasty Generalizations and Stereotypes
Class 11
TOPIC: More Logic Issues : Hasty Generalizations and Stereotypes
DUE: Rough draft of Theme #2 (10 points)
Writing Workshop after consulting with instructor on rough drafts
Class 12
QUIZ: Logic in Writing (10 points)
DUE: Theme #2
Skills practice: Using Quotations and quotation marks
Reading: Chapter 8
ACTIVITY: Analyzing a story or narrative
Grammar Quizzes: complete quiz (5) Quotations and quotation marks
Class 13
Review for MID-TERM EXAM
Class 14
MID-TERM EXAM (50 points)
Class 15
*Return and review Mid-term Exam
Reading: Chapter 13
*Assign: Theme #3, Comparison theme (100 points)
ACTIVITY: Comparison writing exercise
Class 16
TOPIC: Induction and Deduction, pp. 263-267
ACTIVITY: Read some examples of Comparison essays for analysis
*Writing Lab for Theme #3 and for Narrative if time permits
Class 17
DUE: Rough draft of Theme #3
TOPIC: Support by Examples, Illustration Theme #4
Reading: Chapter 11 and analyze some Support by example themes
Skills practice: Colons, Parentheses, Dashes, and other special punctuation
Class 18
TOPIC: Writing Essential Definitions
ACTIVITY: Practice Writing – an illustration (10 points)
Grammar quiz: complete quiz (6) colons, parentheses, etc.
Class 19
QUIZ: Writing Essential Definitions (10 points)
DUE: Theme #3 (100 points)
Skills practice: General punctuation
Class 20
DUE: Rough Draft of Theme #4, Illustration
*Assign: Article Summary (50 points)
ACTIVITY: Practice parenthetical citations
Skills practice : pronoun use, esp. pronoun /antecedent agreement and pronoun choice or case
Class 21
TOPIC: Summarizing skills, learning how to write a good summary
Grammar quizzes: compete quizzes (7) pronoun-antecedent agreement and (8) pronoun
choice or case
Class 22
ACTIVITY: Practice with writing a summary
TOPIC: the References page
DUE: Theme #4, Illustration
Grammar quizzes: complete quizzes (9) subject-verb agreement and (10) general
punctuation
Class 23
ACTIVITY: Practice with reference page entries
QUIZ: Summary Writing (10 points)
Class 24
TOPIC: Special Punctuation for Research writing , pp. 374-375
ACTIVITY: More College Vocabulary practice
Writing Workshop : Theme #4 - choosing an article and writing a good summary
Class 25
Skills practice : pronoun use, esp. pronoun /antecedent agreement and pronoun choice or case
Grammar quizzes: compete quizzes (7) pronoun-antecedent agreement and (8) pronoun
choice or case
Class 26
Skills practice : subject verb agreement
DUE: Rough Draft of Theme #5, Article Summary (10 points)
QUIZ: Vocabulary for College Students
Grammar quizzes: complete quizzes (9) subject-verb agreement and (10) general
punctuation
Class 27
LAB: Theme #5, Article Summary
Review of citations and other documentation issues
Class 28
DUE: Theme #5, Article Summary
Review for Grammar section of Final Exam
Class 29
Review for Content section of Final Exam
Class 30
If a Class 30 is possible given the semester schedule, this class will be a continuation of the
review for the final NOTE: Most classes have one holiday or off day due to a break in the
schedule, so most semesters involve 29 meetings.
Week 16 - Final Exam Week
FINAL EXAM (100 points)