English 1010: English Composition I
Jackson State Community College
Fall 2011
Instructor: Dr. Liz Thompson
Email:ethompson8@jscc.edu
Office: C 235 Phone: 424-3520 ext. 258
Office Hours: MW 2-3, TR 11-12 and 1-4, Friday 1-4
Prerequisites
READ 0891 and ENGL 0891 or acceptable placement scores
English 1010 is a course designed to emphasize the development of writing skills
applied to different purposes with emphasis on logic, organization, levels of
usage, information gathering, and audience awareness. Familiarity with basic
essay form and outlining techniques is assumed.
Course Goals
To complete the course successfully, the student must be able to:
A. Plan and organize content of essays effectively;
B. Write clear sentences in standard English;
C. Compose clear thesis statements;
D. Compose clear topic sentences related directly to the thesis;
E. Develop supporting paragraphs using specific details;
F. Compose effective introductions;
G. Compose effective conclusions;
H. Provide appropriate transitions;
I. Proofread to improve sentences;
J. Edit to increase sentence variety;
K. Revise to improve paragraphs and essays;
L. Incorporate material from secondary sources into original compositions;
M. Document secondary material appropriately;
N. Use language appropriate to assignment and audience;
O. Demonstrate comprehension of assigned readings.
Required Texts
(ISBN numbers have been included so that you may use an alternative source to
purchase your books.)
A. Mark Connelly, The Sundance Writer, 4th edition, 2007, with 2009 MLA
Update; ISBN: 978-0-495-79756-2
B. You MUST have a recent version of Microsoft Word or the free
“compatibility package” that is easily found on Microsoft’s website. If you
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use any other word processing program, this course will be very difficult
for you to complete.
C. Computer/Internet Access, as this course will be primarily paperless; that
is, all course materials will be available on the JSCC eLearn site. You’ll
also upload all papers to the dropbox on the eLearn website. Details of
this process will be explained further in class.
Policy on Absences and Classroom Behavior
Your regular, punctual attendance is expected. Four absences in a TR class and
six absences in a MWF class will be considered excessive—this is the equivalent
of missing a full two weeks of class—and will lower your final grade by at least
one full letter grade. If you miss five classes in a TR course or seven classes in a
MWF course, you'll likely fail the course.
Coming to class late or leaving early disrupts everyone and should be avoided.
Arriving after attendance has been taken counts as a tardy; three instances of
tardiness count as an absence. However, arriving more than twenty minutes late
will be counted not as a tardy but as an absence. For an assignment to be
considered for full credit, you are accountable for submitting work due on or
before the assigned date whether you are in class or not. It is also your
responsibility to see me about handouts or changes to the class schedule you
missed due to an absence.
If I am lecturing, you should be taking notes. Please come to every class
prepared to work in a professional environment; this means that you should
bring your textbook, journal, notebook for taking notes, and a writing utensil to
every class meeting. The instructor reserves the right to eject any unprepared
students from the classroom at her discretion.
I expect that all reading assignments be completed before the appointed date on
the schedule, and that you come to class prepared to discuss the assigned
readings. In classroom discussions, we will be mutually respectful to one
another. This means that you will call me by my appropriate title, and you will
extend your respect to your fellow peers by not talking when they are talking.
Lastly, I will dismiss class promptly at the appointed time: please do not leave,
rustle backpacks, etc. until I have dismissed class.
*Note: Out of courtesy to others, I do not permit the use of personal laptop
computers or other technological gadgetry in the classroom. Cell phones are to
be turned OFF while class is in session.
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Policy on Late Papers
Due dates for assigned work are clearly noted on the course schedule. It is
expected that you will comply with those due dates. Should there be
circumstances that prevent you from submitting a major writing assignment on
its due date, it is your responsibility to discuss with me a mutually acceptable
alternative. Otherwise, a late major writing assignment will be graded down one
full letter grade and will only be accepted one day late; papers will not be
accepted later than one day. No minor writing assignments, e.g., journal entries,
will be accepted late for credit.
Policy on Academic Honesty
Integrity is expected of you in all academic work. The guiding principle of
academic integrity is that your submitted work must be your own with, of
course, accurate attributions to, and citations of, others' work where appropriate.
Failure to adhere to this principle will result in failure on the assignment and
other consequences as per JSCC policy.
According to the 2011-2012 Jackson State Community College Catalog and Student
Handbook, “no students shall:
• Claim or submit the academic work of another as one’s own.
• Procure, provide, accept or use any materials containing questions
or answers to any examination or assignment without proper authorization.
• Complete or attempt to complete any assignment or examination for
another individual without proper authorization.
• Allow any examination or assignment to be completed for oneself, in
part or in total, by another without proper authorization.
• Alter, tamper with, appropriate, destroy or otherwise interfere with the
research, resources, or other academic work of another person.
• Alter, tamper with, appropriate, destroy or otherwise interfere with the
use of institutional property, including but not limited to classroom
fixtures, laboratory and/or computer equipment and supplies, and
instructional materials.
• Fabricate or falsify data or results.
• Commit plagiarism if you submit as your own work:
—Part or all of an assignment copied or paraphrased from another
person’s manuscript, notes or talk (lecture).
—Part or all of an assignment copied or paraphrased from anything
published.
• Act as an accomplice in plagiarism if you:
—Allow your work, in outline, draft or finished form, to be copied
and submitted as the work of another.
—Prepare an assignment for another student which he/she submits
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as his/her own work.
—Keep or contribute to a file of papers or presentations which
anyone other than the author adopts and submits as his/her
own work.
Plagiarism is the theft of someone else’s intellectual property and subsequent
attempt to purport it to be your own. If you buy, borrow, or steal another
person’s ideas and present them as yours, you will receive an ‘F’ for the
assignment, and you will be referred to the disciplinary committee.
Disability Accommodations
Students who may need class or test accommodations based on the impact of a
disability are encouraged to speak with the instructor privately to discuss their
specific needs. The Disability Resource Center (DRC) coordinates reasonable
accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Students who are
registered with the DRC are expected to provide the instructor with an
accommodations memo at the beginning of the semester. Students who need
accommodations but do not have such a memo should contact the DRC at (731)
424-3520 ext. 354 or go to Student Union room 13 for more assistance.
Format for Assignments
All assignments should be typed, double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12-point
font, with one-inch margins and numbered pages. Documentation and citations
should conform to the most current MLA specifications.
Late assignments will be accepted only with the instructor’s permission and only
in the case of an extreme and documented emergency.
Requirements
In order to pass the course, the student must:
A. Compose four major essays (60% of your grade);
B. Compose two timed essays (20% of your grade);
C. Compose a 1,500 word researched argument (20% of your grade);
D. Read all assigned chapters and participate in classroom discussions, peer
editing, and other composition activities as part of your “attendance” for
the course; failure to complete this component will result in a final letter
grade deduction—i.e., a ‘C’ grade will become a ‘D’ grade.
Major Essays: You will write three major essays, following the standard, fiveparagraph essay schematic. Each essay will be written using a different rhetorical
mode (e.g., description, narration, visual analysis, and cause/effect). Take the
draft seriously, as submitted papers will not have a revision allowance. I
encourage students to utilize the JSCC Writing Center, which is a free service for
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all JSCC students. The tutors there will assist you with rough drafts of your
papers, but be sure to bring a copy of the paper assignment sheet with you to the
center. Please keep a copy of the calendar, too, in order to stay abreast of all
paper deadlines.
Research Paper: You must write an original, 1500-word researched argument
paper on an approved or assigned topic. Your paper must conform to current MLA
guidelines. Your paper will not be accepted for submission without an approved
annotated bibliography. Please be very careful not to plagiarize on this, or any
paper, or you will fail the assignment, and you will be referred to the
disciplinary committee. You will receive 20% credit for this assignment.
Timed Essays: You must write, within the allotted class time, two timed essays.
You should be prepared to plan, write, and revise the papers in one hour. These
essays shall collectively constitute 20% of your grade for the course. The essays
should follow the standard five-paragraph format and each will utilize a
different rhetorical mode—e.g., definition and compare/contrast. Please allow
time for proofreading these papers.
Departmental Policies for Composition Sequence
To complete and pass the course the student must:
A. Attempt and submit all required writing assignments;
B. Fulfill the attendance policy stated on the syllabus;
C. Submit any project in the prescribed sequence, on the assigned dates.
In other words: You must submit all writing assignments in their correct order.
Semester Grade Points
Grading:
100-90 A
69-60 D
89-80 B
59 and lower, F
79-70 C
**A minimum of ten points will be removed from the final grade if the student
misses more than the allowed four absences for a TR class or six absences for a
MWF class. All absences—whether one misses for a medical issue or to merely
sleep in a bit—will carry equal weight. The reasons for student absences are of
no concern to the instructor, so please take responsibility for keeping up with
your missed days and/or tardiness. You need not email me if you will be absent,
but please be sure to keep track of what you missed and how many absences
you’ve accrued.
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Class Schedule
This schedule is subject to revision. Such revisions will be discussed in class. You are
responsible for keeping track of any schedule revisions. It is your responsibility to fill in
the spaces for homework assignments when that information is given in class. All
assigned reading is to be completed before the date of our class meeting.
Unless noted otherwise, readings will be found in The Sundance Writer.
Please bring your textbook to every class.
Week One:
Monday
• Syllabus with course purposes and policies explained; view your copy online
at your course eLearn site.
• Homework: Read pages 1-2, 6-8, 11-16, 22-27; sign the eLearn discussion
thread stating that you read the syllabus—due Tuesday, September 6 by 11:59
pm on eLearn.
Wednesday
• In-class writing diagnostic
• Discuss “The Writing Process” and “The Writing Context”
• Homework: Read pages 60-70 and 261-273
Week Two:
Monday
• Labor Day Holiday—JSCC Closed; class will not meet
• Homework: Read pages 45-59 and 71-76
Wednesday
• Assigned: Descriptive Essay
• Discuss “Prewriting Strategies” and “Description: Presenting Impressions”
• Discuss “Critical Thinking” and “Developing a Thesis”
• Homework: Read pages 80-86 and 92-111
Week Three:
Monday
• Discuss “Supporting a Thesis” and “Organizing Ideas”
• Homework: Read pages 112-124 and 306-317
Wednesday
• Due: Descriptive Essay
• Assigned: Narrative Essay
• Discuss “Developing Paragraphs” and “Narration: Relating Events”
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• Homework: Read pages 125-137
Week Four:
Monday
• Discuss “Writing the First Draft”
• In-class paper formatting demonstration
• Homework: Read pages 142-147
Wednesday
• Discuss “Revising and Rewriting”
• Homework: Read pages 159-168 and 400-411
Week Five:
Monday
• Due: Narrative Essay
• Discuss “Editing and Proofreading” and “Definition: Establishing Meaning”
• Homework: Review “Definition” chapter
Wednesday
• Discuss and read “Definition” essays
• In-class timed essay one
• Homework: Read pages 177-199
Week Six:
Monday
• Discuss “Analyzing Visuals: Seeing with a ‘Writer’s Eye’”
• Assigned: Ad Analysis
• Homework: Read pages 642-659
Wednesday
• Discuss “Argument and Persuasion”
• In-class reading of “In Praise of the ‘F’ Word” (663)
• Homework: Ad Analysis rough draft for peer editing
Week 7:
Monday
• In-class peer response/instructor conferences/workshop of ad analysis; you
must bring a hard copy of your draft to participate, or you will be counted
absent for this day.
• Homework: Read pages 159-173
Wednesday
• Discuss assigned reading
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• Due: Ad Analysis
• Homework: Read pages 358-371
Week 8:
Monday
Midterm Break—No Class Today
Wednesday
• Discuss “Example: Presenting Illustrations”
• In-class reading and discussion of pages 385-393
• Homework: Read pages 442-456
Week 9:
Monday
• Discuss “Comparison and Contrast”
• Read “Chinese Space, American Space” (459)
• Homework: Read pages 251-255
Wednesday
• In-class timed essay two
• Discuss “Becoming a Critical Reader” and “Our Barbies, Ourselves” (256)
• Homework: Read pages 743-764
Week 10:
Monday
• Discuss “Conducting Research”
• In-class academic database exercise
• Homework: Read pages 764-779
Wednesday
• Discussion of “Conducting Research” continued
• In-class research activity
• Homework: Read pages 780-805
Week 11:
Monday
• Discuss “Writing the Research Paper”
• In-class review of sample MLA research papers
• Homework: Review Chapters 29 and 30 in your textbook
Wednesday
• In-class discussion of research paper topic options
• Assigned: MLA Researched Argument Paper
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• Homework: Read pages 591-605
Week 12:
Monday
• Discuss “Cause and Effect”
• In-class reading of “Black Men and Public Space”
• Homework: Review 595-599
Wednesday
• In-class timed essay three
• Annotated Bibliography lesson and examples
• Homework: Annotated bibliography
Week 13:
Monday
• In-class peer response/instructor conferences/workshop of annotated
bibliography; you must bring a hard copy of your draft to participate, or you
will be counted absent for this day.
• Homework: Researched Argument
Wednesday
Thanksgiving Break—No Class Today
Week 14:
Monday
• In-class peer response/instructor conferences/workshop of researched
argument; you must bring a hard copy of your draft to participate, or you will
be counted absent for this day.
• Revisit “Revising and Rewriting” (142), “Editing and Proofreading” (159), and
“Writing the Research Paper” (780)
• Homework: Researched Argument
Wednesday
• In-class peer response/instructor conferences/workshop of researched
argument—bring a hard copy of your draft to participate!
• Continued discussion of readings review
• Due: Researched Argument, Final Draft
Week 15:
Monday
• Last day of class: sharing of research projects; bring a hard copy of your final
product or a digital copy that can be accessed via laptop or classroom computer;
this will be an informal sharing of your work, so please do not fret! We all know
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each other and we know one another’s work at this point, so let’s revel in the
culmination of our research projects!
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