Welcome to English
Composition I!
English 1301 – Spring 2012
Katy: 0040; CRN 79531; Monday and Wednesday; 8-9:30 a.m.;
Room 360 D
Katy: 0058; CRN 79869; Monday and Wednesday; 9:30-11 a.m.;
Room 360 D
3 Credit Hours / 48 hours per semester
Lecture / Core Curriculum
1/17/2012 – 5/13/2012
Instructor: Tara S. Farquhar (Smith)
Contact Information:
 tara.smith@hccs.edu or tara.farquhar@hccs.edu (Use both to make sure I receive
your email.)
 elearning site: http://learning.nwc.hccs.edu/members/
 Office Hours at Katy Campus in the faculty lounge. Just knock!
 Office Hours 11 a.m. –12 p.m. Monday and Wednesday
Additional Support:
 Tutoring and Writing Centers
o On-Campus tutors in the Katy Campus Writing Center, Room 321, which
is located across from the third floor Library. Look for posted hours, or
call 713-718-5841.
o Writing Center at Spring Branch Campus, South Hall, Room 703. Look
for posted hours, or call 713-718-5889.
 On-Line Tutors: http://askonline.net
Prerequisites: A satisfactory assessment score, completion of English 0310 or (for nonnative speakers) English 0349.
Instructional Materials:
 The Norton Reader. Eds. Linda H. Peterson and John C. Brereton. 12th ed. New
York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2008. (GI)
 The New McGraw-Hill Handbook. (MH)
 English 1301 Guidebook (SG)
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Suggested Text: College-Level Dictionary
Spiral notebook for weekly journals
Pen/pencil and notebook paper
2 Blue or Green Books – (One for the mid-term and the other for the final exam)
Course Goals:
In English 1301, we seek to provide writing instruction and practice that will help
students master writing the short essay while developing critical reading skills. We
believe that in mastering this particular kind of writing, students will also gain skills that
will permit them to be successful at writing tasks in other college courses, their careers,
and in their personal lives.
Course Description:
This course is devoted to improving the your writing and critical reading skills. You will
write essays for a variety of purposes from personal to academic. The class includes an
introduction to argumentation, critical analysis, and the use of sources. Students will
study language, grammar, and the mechanics of writing, along with examples from
selected readings.
Student Learning Outcomes:
1.
Demonstrate knowledge of writing as process.
2.
Apply basic principles of critical thinking in analyzing reading selections,
developing expository essays, and writing argumentative essays.
3.
Analyze elements such as purpose, audience, tone, style, and strategy in essays
and/or literature by professional writers.
4. Write essays in appropriate academic writing style using varied rhetorical strategies.
5.
Synthesize concepts from and use references to assigned readings in their own
academic writing.
Learning Objectives:
interactive process which includes planning,
shaping, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading;
2. Demonstrate critical abilities when discussing texts in class and in writing assignments
by delving into the meanings and implications behind the issues, theses, or themes;
3. Analyze texts by professional writers and write critical essays breaking down
rhetorical elements into parts, examining the parts, and showing their effect;
4 Apply various methods of development and organization, and / or rhetorical appeals in
written assignments;
5. Demonstrate effective use and documentation of sources in support of student ideas in
informative and/or persuasive essays.
Instructional Methods:
To fulfill my personal goal of making you the best writer and thinker I can in sixteen
weeks, you will experience a variety of instructional methods. Although you will often
be involved in collaborative activities—discussion, group work, peer reviews, and
projects—I will give you very specific guidance as to how to write analyses and
arguments. On more difficult assignments, you will be provided worksheets and/or notes
to direct you through the prewriting stages where you will be expected to reflect deeply
upon an issue or an analysis. Also, models of exemplary writing on every assignment
will be available for your review.
CORE Curriculum Competencies:
This course stresses the HCC CORE Competencies of reading, writing, speaking,
listening, critical thinking, and computer literacy.
Minimum Writing Requirement: Minimum of 5,000 words during the semester.
Student Assignments:
Essay 1: (Personal Narrative/This I Believe Assignment) - A short, reflective essay that
requires narration and description, including figurative language and imagery, and also
requires the student to identify a personal philosophy. Basic sentence structure will be
reviewed for the purposes of writing sentences effectively with variety, emphasis, and
correctness. (Go to http://thisibelieve.org/)
Essay 2: (Analysis/review of a piece of art) - This will be an out-of-class essay informing
the reader about a topic of interest, which includes primary research via detailed
observations, surveys, and interviews. Any of the developmental and organizational
strategies may be used.
Midterm: An in-class essay analyzing an essay
Essay 3: Critical/Rhetorical Analysis - Out-of-class essay comparing two essays in the
text or rhetorically analyzing an essay. The goal is to break down a topic into smaller
parts for discussion via content, argument, organization, style, persuasive strategies, etc.
Essay 4: Research (Persuasive/Argumentation) Essay Plus Presentation - Out-of-class
essay that focuses on an ethical issue, which will require some research as well as the
use of MLA documentation, including parenthetical references and a works cited page.
This essay also focuses on the effective use of the three appeals of logic, emotion, and
credibility.
Final: An in-class essay analyzing an essay
Student Assessments
Essays
Weekly Journals in Spiral
Essay 1 (100), Essay 2 (100), Group
Essay 3 and Presentation (150), and
Essay 4 and Individual Pres. (250)
40%
Journals
10%
Quizzes/Pop
Quizzes/Homework/Group
Reader Response and
Activities
Mid-term
From Readings, Grammar, Lecture
Notes
20%
In-class essay
15%
Final Exam
In-class essay
15%
TOTAL:
100%
On the elearning site noted above, this syllabus and calendar, assignments, handouts, and
other materials concerning English are available to read, download and/or print.
Instructor Grading Criteria:
 Essays - You will be given rubrics and/or instructions for all essays closer to the
dates of the assignment.
 Journals in Spiral Notebooks - You should have at least one journal entry per
week beginning on the second week of class. (There will most likely be fourteen
total entries in all.) Content may range from personal to reflecting on some issue
or topic discussed in class. Journals are due the week before finals. In order to
receive credit, all journals must be clearly dated and numbered. Each new entry
should begin at the top of a new page.
 Quizzes – Quizzes over readings, lecture notes, and/or grammar are mostly
objective (T/F, multiple choice, etc.) in nature and will be given on a regular
basis.
 Midterm and Final - (In-class essays are required as is the C-minimum average to
earn a C or better in the course.)
o These papers will be graded by English Discipline standards, which
include grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, word usage, tone, and
mechanics. The grading profile is weighted by the following percentages:
 Content 27%
 Organization 23%
 Sentences 20%
 Word Use and Tone 17%
 Punctuation and Mechanics 13%
o In addition to the average of grades on out-of-class writing, a student must
obtain a passing average (70 - 100) on in-class writing in order to make at
least a C in the course. If the average of in-class writing is a D (60 - 69),
the student must receive a D in the course. If the average of in-class
writing is an F (0-59), the student must receive an F in the class. (The
average of in-class essays is formed by counting the first in-class essay
once and by counting the last one twice.)
HCC Grading Scale:
A = 100 – 90
B = 89 – 80
C = 79 – 70
D = 69 – 60
F = 59 and below
HCC Policy Statements:
 Discipline: As your instructor and as a student in this class, our shared
responsibility is to develop and maintain a positive learning environment for
everyone. I take this responsibility seriously and will inform members of the
class if their behavior makes it difficult for me to carry out this task. As a fellow
learner, you are asked to respect the learning needs of your classmates and to
assist me achieve this critical goal. (See Student Handbook)
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Academic Honesty: A student who is academically dishonest is, by definition,
not showing that the coursework has been learned, and that student is claiming
an advantage not available to other students. The instructor is responsible for
measuring each student’s individual achievements and also for ensuring that all
students compete on a level playing field. Thus, in our system, the instructor has
teaching, grading, and enforcing roles. You are expected to be familiar with the
HCC’s policy on Academic Honesty found in the catalogue. What that means is
that if you are charged with an offense, pleading ignorance of the rules will not
help you.
Just so there is no misunderstanding, plagiarism (using another's ideas or words
without giving credit), collusion (unauthorized collaboration with another person
in preparing written work offered for credit), and other forms of cheating will not
be tolerated. THIS INCLUDES USING YOUR OWN WORK FROM A
PREVIOUS OR ANOTHER CLASS. I want to see fresh, original work and
thought. To be accepted, all papers require proof of their development. Students
who plagiarize, collude, or cheat may face disciplinary action including the grade
of 0 for the assignment, an F for the course, and/or dismissal from the college.
For more on plagiarism, see "Plagiarism" in The New McGraw-Hill Handbook,
second edition. (See Student Handbook)
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Special Needs: Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical,
learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable
accommodations must contact the Disability Services Office at the respective
college at the beginning of each semester. Faculty is authorized to provide only
the accommodations requested by the Disability Support Services Office. For
questions, please contact Donna Price at 713.718.5165 or the Disability
Counselor at your college. To visit the ADA Web site, please visit
www.hccs.edu then click Future students, scroll down the page and click on
the words Disability Information.
Northwest ADA Counselor – Mahnaz Kolaini – 713.718.5422
Attendance:
In order to succeed, consistent attendance is an absolute necessity.
Students must be in the classroom and on time to class. Once I fill out the attendance sheet
within the first five minutes from the start of the class, students not present will be counted
absent. There is no tardy policy. This means that you may enter class when you are tardy in order
to receive class information and to participate in class, but you will be counted as absent on my
roll sheet. In addition, I will not repeat any information that you may have missed due to
tardiness. You may be able to receive missed information or notes later from a fellow classmate.
In addition, leaving class early constitutes an absence. I rarely differentiate between an “excused”
or an “unexcused” absences. Something that will be helpful for you to do early on in the semester
is to exchange information with several classmates in order to get class notes or information that
you may have missed because of either absences or tardies.
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You should understand that your in-class grade will suffer as a result of
absences, and of course, your ability to do the work required in the course will
also be impaired and grades on that work will naturally be lower. If a student
misses more than 6 hours of class (more than 4 classes), excused or non-excused
absences, the student may be dropped from the course. Three tardies equal one
absence. Leaving early is the same as a tardy. If students stop attending the class,
they will receive an Fx, failure due to absences, on their transcript.
o
If you feel that you cannot complete this course, please take the time to
meet with me to discuss why you feel it is necessary to do so. I may be
able to provide you with suggestions to enable you to complete the course.
Your success is important.
o
If you wish to withdraw, fill out the withdrawal form online and submit it.
Faculty can only withdraw you from a class for excessive absences.
However, before you withdraw from any class, please consider the
following carefully: The State of Texas imposes penalties on students
who drop courses excessively. For example, if you take the same course
more than two times, you have to pay extra tuition. In 2007, the Texas
Legislature passed a law limiting new students (those starting college in
Fall 2007) to no more than six total course withdrawals throughout their
academic career in obtaining a baccalaureate degree. There may be future
penalties imposed.
o
International Students: Receiving an Fx in a course may affect the status
of your student Visa. Please contact the International Student Office at
713-718-8520 if you have any questions about your visa status and other
transfer issues.
Last day for Student Withdrawals: March 29 (Thursday) at 4:30 p.m.
EGLS3 -- Evaluation for Greater Learning Student Survey System.
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At Houston Community College, professors believe that thoughtful student feedback is
necessary to improve teaching and learning. During a designated time, you will be asked
to answer a short online survey of research-based questions related to instruction. The
anonymous results of the survey will be made available to your professors and division
chairs for continual improvement of instruction. Look for the survey as part of the
Houston Community College Student System online near the end of the term.
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HCC Student Services Information:
Student Services provides master’s and
doctoral-level counseling for the Northwest
College student body. Counselors are
available at each campus to assist students
in creating class schedules, evaluating
college transcripts, and completing
degree/certificate plans.
Student Services regular business hours are
the same at both campuses. Phone numbers:
* 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. M – Th
* 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. F – Sat
* Katy Campus, 713-718-5751
* Spring Branch Campus, 713-718-5669
Additional Information:
http://northwest.hccs.edu/northwest/campus
-servies
Early Alert: HCC has instituted an Early
Alert process by which your professor will
“alert” you through counselors of concerns
that you might fail a class because of
excessive absences and/or poor academic
performance.
Instructor Requirements:
o In-class essays must be
written in Blue or Green
books. Unless told otherwise,
students will write on one side of a page and skip every other line to allow
room for instructor comments.
o Late papers are not accepted and are due at the beginning of class.
o
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If you miss the mid-term, you have three calendar days to make it up.
If you do not make up your mid-term within three calendar days, you
will receive a zero.
Out-of-class essays must follow basic MLA rules (Modern Language
Association: the writing body that is the equivalent of the NBA) and be
typed, double spaced, and printed on 8 1/2 x 11" white paper with 1"
margins and use a 12 pt. plain font. For my class, unless told otherwise,
please do not submit title sheets, cover booklets, or bindings. Secure the
required materials with a staple. Points will be deducted from papers,
which do not meet requirements.
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Electronics in the classroom: As a student active in the learning community of
this course, it is your responsibility to be respectful of the learning atmosphere in
your classroom. To show respect of your fellow students and instructor, you will
turn off your phone and other electronic devices and will not use these devices in
the classroom unless you receive permission from the instructor. If such a device
sounds or is used during class, it will be considered a disruption of the educational
process (such as other forms of inappropriate behavior) and the student may be
asked to leave for the rest of the class period. If a student expects an emergency
call, he or she must speak to the instructor to receive an exception to this policy.
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Tentative Class Schedule – SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Week
Number
Activities
and Assignment
Objectives
and Details
First Class Meeting
Introductions, Syllabus, and Diagnostics
Lecture
HW - HAVE YOUR BOOKS AND
MATERIALS BY NEXT CLASS on 1/23
WEEK
2
Lecture
Reading Assignment
Introduction – Reading and This I Believe
xx (20)-bottom of xxvi (26) and xxxvii (37)xxxix (39) in Norton (Listen to some TIB/Go
over website TIB/HW – Print 3 essays of your
choosing from website http://thisibelieve.org/)
1/23 & 25
Group reader
response (work on in
class on Wed., 1/25,
and turn in on
following Mon., 1/30)
Possible reading quiz over 20-26 and 37-39 on
1/25 (Group Reader Response activity will be
over TIB essays that have been printed out by
students)
Lecture
Writing in College/Narration/Sentence
Basics/Continuation of TIB
WEEK
1
1/18
WEEK
Week
Number
3
1/30 & 2/1
WEEK
4
2/6 & 2/8
ESSAY 1 DUE
2/8
WEEK
5
2/13 & 2/15
NO CLASS
2/20
WEEK
6
2/20 (NO
CLASS) &
2/22
WEEK
7
2/27 & 2/29
WEEK
8
Activities
and Assignment
Objectives
and Details
Reading Assignment
xl (40)-xliv (44) (Stop at end of “Using
Rhetorical Strategies”) and xlviii (48)-lv (55)
Group Reader
Response
(1/30 – Official Day of Record) (Group activity over common
grammatical errors in papers – passive/active voice, pronoun
antecedents, etc. – NEED MCGRAW-HILL)
Lecture
Continuation of TIB, MLA format, editing/proof.
(You need your McGraw-Hill.)
FULL Rough Draft of TIB Due for
COMPLETION GRADE and EDITING on
2/6
Reading Assignment
Group Reader
Response
Lecture
TIB (Essay #1) – Hard copy typed and printed
out in MLA format due 2/8 at the beginning of
class period (If late to class, paper also
counted late with deduction of 20-40 points)
Analysis, Narration, Description, Rhetorical
Modes, and Explanation of Essay #2
(Analysis/Review) – Give examples of analysis
Reading Assignment
Read “On Dumpster Diving” – p. 20 and answer 1-3 on p.
29 for Mon. 2/13 – Read “Killing Time” p. 118 for Wed.
2/15
Group Reader
Response
Group Reader Response over “Killing Time in Iraq” and
grammar exercise (Need McGraw-Hill)
Lecture
Reading Assignment
Group Reader
Response
NA
“Consider the Lobster” - 75
Group Reader Response over “Consider the
Lobster” and Grammar Exercise
Lecture
Go over mid-term, Essay #2 Examples and
Details
NA
Reading Assignment
2/29
Lecture
Reading Assignment
Mid-term – In-class essay – Write an essay
analyzing a written work. (Need Blue Book)
3/5 – Essay #2 (Analysis) Due/Lecture over
Rhetorical Analysis
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” - 892
Week
Number
3/5 & 3/7
Group Activity
Reader Response – Identification of ethos,
pathos, and logos in “Letter”
Lecture
Lecture over Writing Rhetorical
Analysis/Presenting Rhet. Analysis in Groups
Reading Assignment
“Being a Man” - 223
Group Reader
Response
Lecture
Question over “Being a Man” and Grammar in
McGraw-Hill
3/26 – Make up and conference day
Reading Assignment
“Kill ‘Em! Crush ‘Em! Eat ‘Em Raw!” - 354
Group Reader
Response
Last Day for Student Withdrawals – Thurs.,
March 29 (4:30 p.m.)
Questions over “Kill ‘Em!”
Lecture
Begin Argumentation
Reading Assignment
“College Is a Waste of Time and Money” - 467
Group Reader
Response
Work on papers and presentations
Lecture
Reading Assignment
Group Essay #3 – Rhetorical Analysis Due
Begin Presentations
Group Reader
Response
End Presentations
Lecture
Reading Assignment
Argumentation/Writing Argumentation
“The Case for Torture” - 689
Group Reader
Response
Questions over “College Is a Waste…” and “The
Case for Torture”
Lecture
Reading Assignment
Library Orientation – 4/16
NA
(SPRING
BREAK
3/12-3/18)
WEEK
9
3/19 & 3/21
WEEK
10
3/26 & 3/28
WEEK
11
4/2 & 4/4
WEEK
12
4/9 & 4/11
WEEK
13
4/9 & 4/11
WEEK
14
Objectives
and Details
Activities
and Assignment
Week
Number
4/16 & 4/18
WEEK
15
Activities
and Assignment
Group Reader
Response
Work individually on paper and presentations
– editing and revising
Lecture
Reading Assignment
4/23 Conferencing and LAST MAKE-UP DAY!
NA
4/25 Journals due, Begin Individual Presentations, Essay #4
Due - Argumentation
4/23 & 4/25
WEEK
16
Final
Exams
Objectives
and Details
4/30 & 5/2
4/30 – Continue Presentations and 5/2 - End of course lecture
and review
5/7-5/13
In-class analysis of an argumentative essay
(Need Blue Book)