Brooks 1113 316
TULSA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SOUTHEAST CAMPUS
COURSE SYLLABUS
ENGLISH 1113 / Composition I
Section 316 Spring 2015
Instructor: Brian Brooks
CRN and Sec. #: 21071 316
Room/Meeting Times: Monday and Wednesday, 12:00–2:50 Room 3112
TO CONTACT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
Mail Box: Academic and Campus Support (ACS), I–106
Phone: (918) 595-8060
Director of ACS: Dr. DiAnne Cunningham
email: brian.brooks@tulsacc.edu (Email is the best way to contact me.)
TO CONTACT THE DIVISION OFFICE:
Liberal Arts, Room L–144
Communications Associate Dean: Karen Harmon, 918-595-8079
TO GET HELP WITH BLACKBOARD, MYTCC: Call 918-595-2000 for help with Blackboard, MyTCC,
or TED. Technology issues are not an excuse for failing to complete an assignment on time.
COURSE PREREQUISITES: Completion of ENG 1113, Composition I, with a grade of “C” or better. See
“Prerequisites for Composition II” pages xvii—xxii in Little, Brown.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The first in a sequence of two courses. Introduces students to academic writing,
basic research, and documentation. Course work will include writing exercises, summaries, three essays, one of
which may be revised for a better grade, and a final exam essay. Quizzes will be given periodically.
NEXT COURSE IN SEQUENCE: English 1213, Composition II.
TEXTS:
The Little, Brown Handbook, TCC Custom Edition, Fowler & Aaron
They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, Graff &
Birkenstein, 3nd edition
Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States. (Not available in TCC bookstore)
Selected readings available on-line through TCC’s LRC databases
Recommended: MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed. New York: MLA, 2009.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: The primary objective in this class is to teach you to write various kinds of
academic arguments. In addition, you are expected to learn to
 Analyze academic writing situations to determine purpose, audience, and focus for a written
composition
 Choose the best possible words to communicate clearly and effectively
 Construct sentences that emphasize your meaning and make your writing interesting
 Think critically to develop and support thesis statements about different subjects
 Create a coherent, unified essay with an orderly progression of ideas
 Write focused, detailed, coherent paragraphs that develop your ideas and support your arguments with
evidence appropriate to the academic situation
 Incorporate other sources into your writing by quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing, and documenting
correctly, according to MLA format
 Use the TCC Learning Resource Center (also known as the library) for college-level research
 Read, comprehend and respond to college-level texts
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TEACHING METHODS: Teaching methods include lecture, discussion, readings from the textbooks, and
feedback on written work.
Teaching methods are not nearly as important as the strategies you implement to learn. You should take notes
over assigned texts and during lectures; participate earnestly in class discussions and activities; read my
feedback on graded work; study specific writing strategies; and spend sufficient time reading, researching,
writing and revising.
ASSIGNMENTS: There will be eight summaries, three essays, a final exam, and various
quizzes/worksheets/homework. All essays are to be submitted via Blackboard as a Microsoft document.
(You can download Microsoft Word from Blackboard.) Point breakdown is covered in the next section,
GRADING. Assignment descriptions and expectations will be covered in more detail as they are assigned.
What follows is a brief description of each:
 Summaries: We will write 4 summaries this semester. Summaries will be written about readings from
Zinn's A People's History of the United States. There will be 2 “They say” summaries, 1 “I say”
summary, and 1 combined summary. Each relies on a part of the textbook They Say, I Say. Summaries
will generally be 2-3 pages long.
 Essays: There will be three graded essays. Each essay will be 3-4 pages long. The first is an argument
analysis. The second is a literature review. The third is a position paper.
 Quizzes/Worksheets/Homework: An assortment of assignments related to the readings.
 Grammar Exam: Test on grammar and mechanics.
 Final Exam: An in class essay written about a provided article.
Note: essay one can be revised and resubmitted for an improved grade. Revision is due April 8. To
receive an improved grade on revised work the student must prove critical engagement with the advice
offered, not merely simple corrections.
GRADING: Grades will be determined according to the following scale:
Discussions
100 points (5 @20 points each)
Essays (3)
600 (3 @ 200 points each)
Summaries
200 (4 @ 50 points each)
Final Exam
100 points
TOTAL
1000 points
A=1000-900; B=899-800; C=799-700; D=699-600; F=599-0
Essays and summaries, including the final exam essay, will be graded using the criteria described on pages xviixxii in Little, Brown.
English Professors assign "I" grades only when genuine emergencies prevent a student from completing the
class and/or from withdrawing before the deadline and only when the student is earning a satisfactory ("C" or
better) grade.
LATE WORK: Work may be submitted late but will receive a penalty of one letter grade for each calendar
day late. After 72 hours, no late work will be accepted. Late work will receive a grade only, no feedback.
Late assignments are not eligible for revision. I do NOT accept emailed assignments unless the college
notifies me that Blackboard is not functioning. All work must be submitted on Blackboard or in class.
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ATTENDANCE: This class meets two times a week for sixteen weeks. Students are allowed four (4)
excused absences without an automatic grade reduction (this is the equivalent of missing two weeks of class
in a regular semester). Five (5) absences result in a final grade reduction of 7.5% of the total points possible
for the course; Six (6) absences result in a final grade reduction of 15%; and Seven (7) or more absences
result in failure of the course.
WITHDRAWAL POLICY: The last day to drop this course and receive a full refund is ______. Students who
drop before April 24 will receive a W on their transcripts. After April 24 you will be given the letter grade you
earn based on your coursework: you will not be dropped based on a failing grade.
Students who miss more than nine hours of class and/or who fail to turn in a significant number of assignments
may be dropped from the class, which will result in an “AW” on the transcript.
The last day to receive an “AW” is April 24.
A “W” and an “AW” are grade-point neutral, but non-completion of a class may affect financial aid for the
current and future semesters. Students who drop or who are dropped by an instructor may receive an
outstanding bill from TCC if the recalculation leaves a balance due to TCC. Contact the Counseling Office at
any TCC campus to initiate withdrawal from a course (“W” grade) or to change from Credit to Audit.
FORMAT FOR COURSE WORK: Formal writing assignments should follow MLA format as described in
Little, Brown. All essays in this class must be saved as a Word document and submitted to SafeAssign, a
plagiarism detection tool. I will not grade work that has not been submitted to SafeAssign. Please save your
work as your last name and the assignment, abbreviated (e.g., SmithE1 for Essay 1). See the document
“Computer format and manuscript form” on Blackboard for details.
WRITING CENTER: Students should be aware of the many services offered in the Writing Center, room
7201. The Writing Center now asks students to schedule appointments online @
www.tulsacc.mywconline.com. For more information, see p. xxiv in Little, Brown.
PLAGIARISM POLICY: Please see pp. xxvi-xxvii in Little, Brown. I will report any student who plagiarizes
to the Associate Dean of the Communications Division and to the Dean of Student Services, who keeps records
of students who violate TCC’s policies on academic integrity. If you submit any assignment containing
plagiarism of any kind, and it is your first offense, you will receive a score of 0 for that assignment and will not
have a chance to revise. If you submit an assignment containing plagiarism and it is your second offense (in my
class or according to the Dean of Student Services), you will receive a grade of F for the course.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY OR MISCONDUCT: Academic dishonesty or misconduct is not condoned nor
tolerated at campuses within the Tulsa Community College system. See the college’s Academic Integrity
Statement: http://www.tulsacc.edu/page.asp?durki=2984&site=16&return=126.
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE: See Little, Brown, page xxix. Students who do not follow the etiquette policy
may be dismissed from class and required to meet with the dean of student services. Moreover, violation of the
etiquette policy will affect the class participation grade.
DISABILITY RESOURCES: It is the policy and practice of Tulsa Community College to create inclusive
learning environments. Accommodations for qualifying students in compliance with the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act are available. To request accommodations,
contact the Education Access Center (EAC) at eac@tulsacc.edu or call 918-595-8179 (Voice). Deaf and hard of
hearing students may text (918) 809-1864. See p. xxv in Little, Brown.
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EMAIL: Every student enrolled at Tulsa Community College is issued a TCC email account. Students are
expected to check their College email account on a regular basis in order to stay current with College-related
communications, particularly those that may be time sensitive in nature. Students will be held responsible for
the information transmitted to the College email account.
I check email frequently and will respond to emails in less than 24 hours. If you do not receive a reply from
me within that time, you can assume I didn’t receive your email.
INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY: If extreme weather conditions or emergency situations arise, TCC
sends alerts to all students (http://www.tulsacc.edu/about-tcc/tcc-alerts), gives cancellation notices to radio and
television stations, and posts notifications on the TCC website. If you lose power, call the TCC main number
(918-595-7000) for an updated, recorded message regarding closure. If the college has to close because of
weather, students will be expected to complete any homework assigned and may have to complete assignments
online, using Blackboard.
FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law designated to protect the
privacy of a student’s education records and academic work, applies to all schools, colleges, and universities,
including TCC, that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. This law
protects your right as a student by stipulating that instructors will not share information about your grades, your
progress in the class, or any materials you submit in their courses with any one other than you.
A student may sign a waiver of their FERPA rights through the Admissions/Enrollment Services or the
Dean of Student Services offices. This waiver authorizes the release of academic records to the individuals
identified by the student. While a FERPA waiver permits the release of information to parents, it does not
compel the release of information. Faculty and advisors may use their discretion as to when the release of
information would not be warranted.
GENERAL EDUCATION GOALS: The General Education Goals are designed to ensure that graduates of
Tulsa Community College have the skills, knowledge, and attitudes to carry them successfully through their
work and their personal lives. General Education Goals relevant to this course include Critical Thinking,
Effective Communication, Engaged Learning, and Technological Proficiency.
ENGLISH DISCIPLINE GOALS: All English courses are designed to help students meet the English
discipline goals, which are Effective Writing, Critical Reading, Informed Discussion, and Scholarly Research.
INSTITUTIONAL STATEMENT: Each student is responsible for being aware of the information contained
in the TCC Catalog, the TCC Student Policies & Resources Handbook, and semester information listed in the
class schedule. All information may be viewed on the TCC website: www.tulsacc.edu.
OTHER: Occasionally, when genuine emergencies or problem situations occur, the course policies outlined
here can be modified to help a student complete the course if the student has been attending regularly, has
completed most assigned work, and is earning at least a "C." It is always in your best interest, therefore, to
contact me immediately if a crisis situation prevents you from attending class or completing assignments.
The specific needs of the class may require minor changes in the policies in this syllabus. Students will be given
written notification of any policy changes.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
TSIS = They Say, I Say; Zinn = A People's History of the United States; LB = Little, Brown
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Class
Week 1 March 9 & 11
M
W
Homework (for the next
class)
TSIS Intro, 1–2
TSIS ch 3–7
Week 2 March 16 & 18 Spring Break
M No Class
TSIS 8–9
W No Class
Zinn chapters 1–2
Due
Discussion 1
Discussion 2
Week 3 March 23 & 25
M
W
TSIS 10–11
Zinn chapters 3–5
Discussion 3; Summary 1
Essay 1
Week 4 March 30 & April 1
M
W
TSIS 12 and 14
Zinn chapters 6–7
Discussion 4
Summary 2
Week 5 April 6 & 8
M
W
TSIS 13, 15–16
Zinn chapters 8–9
Discussion 5
Essay 2
Week 6 April 13 & 15
M
W
Zinn chapters 10–11
Zinn chapters 12–13
Summary 3
Week 7 April 20 & 22
M
W
Zinn chapters 14–15
Zinn chapters 16–17
Summary 4
Week 8 April 27 & 29
M
W
Zinn chapters 18–19
Zinn chapters 20–21
Essay 3
Week 9 May 4
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