Monmouth College Department of English
English 110-4: Composition and Literature
Professor Erika Solberg
Spring 2012 MTRF 10:00-10:50    Mellinger 2

 

THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Printable version here

▲ Course Overview

Catalog Description: A writing and reading course designed to help students analyze and evaluate what they read, recognize and use a variety of rhetorical modes and argumentative strategies, improve their critical thinking skills, and arrange their thoughts into well-organized, concise, thesis-focused essays. (Four credits.)

Objectives: English 110 is designed to strengthen your skills in writing, reading, critical thinking, analyzing, and constructing an argument for a variety of audiences.  Strengthening these skills will allow you to develop and support your own arguments, to communicate your arguments effectively, and to evaluate and understand the arguments of others.  Strengthening these skills will also benefit you throughout your academic career and in the workplace because argument is a central mode of communication.  We will write two in-class essays and five out-of-class essays, with each assignment building on what you learned in the previous ones.  More specifically, we will focus on

• reading strategies that help you understand, analyze, and challenge arguments; 

• approaching writing as a process that involves continuous rethinking, reframing, and revising of one's ideas, argumentative strategies, organization, and words;

• developing a practical writing process that involves inventing, planning, drafting, reading critically, revising, editing, and reflecting;

• building arguments with focused thesis statements, solid reasoning, ample and effective evidence and explanation, effective organization, clear sentences, and an awareness of audience;

• elaborating on initial ideas and explaining not only WHAT you think but WHY you think it;

• achieving and maintaining college-level practices of time-management, organization, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and mechanics;

• and working independently and collaboratively.

Ultimately, you should leave this course with a better understanding of how reading, writing and arguing work.  A greater understanding of reading, writing, and arguing will enable you to enjoy them better; will give you confidence as a reader, writer and arguer; and will allow you to read, write, and argue more effectively.

My Educational Rationale: I believe in the value of struggle; I believe that writing is about struggle; I believe that true achievement requires struggle; and I believe that struggle can be enjoyable.  Therefore, I expect and hope that you will struggle in this course and achieve something through that struggle.  I also believe becoming a better reader and writer is important, so I expect my students to put forth a lot of effort – this course will involve work that is neither minimal nor mindless. I will work hard to supply you with opportunities to learn, and you will need to work hard to make the most of those opportunities.  Most of all, I hope you will learn to take responsibility for and satisfaction in your own education and learn to value the struggle that comes with true achievement.

▲required Textbooks/Materials/resources (You must have these editions for the textbooks.)

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▲course assignments

Overview: This class will be student-centered and discussion-based.  I will rarely lecture.  Instead, we will mostly use small-team discussion, full-class discussion, peer reviewing, and group and individual conferences.  Since you will be very active during class, it is crucial that you keep up with your work, attend all classes,  and come to class with your assignments done – if you are not prepared for class, you will not learn much during class and will therefore have a difficult time doing well in this course.
     We will be writing seven essays.  Each essay assignment will build on the skills, strategies, and concepts of the previous essay assignments. These written assignments will be the bulk of your course grade, but you will also be graded on reading quizzes, short homework assignments, and essay portfolio presentation; and on class participation (including attendance), teamwork, and peer evaluations. 

Breakdown of grades:

Overall course grades are calculated using the following scale:

I encourage you to make an appointment with me whenever you have a question about grades.

More information on the assignments:

Quizzes/Homework/Essay Portfolio Presentation. Worth 6.5% of your overall grade.

• In order to motivate you to complete all reading assignments, for every reading assignment we will have a quiz on the day the reading is due. The quizzes are designed to test not only whether or not you have done the reading but also how effectively you have done it. They will also assume that you have looked up and noted any unfamiliar words in the reading.  I usually do not return reading quizzes unless you request them from me—feel free to ask for them.

• Homework assignments will include, among other things, submitting drafts of thesis statements, correcting grammar errors on essays, and completing goal statements for essays.

• Because this class stresses the writing process, for each essay, when you submit your final draft, you will also submit all work relating to that essay (such as drafts and a self-evaluation). You will receive a portfolio presentation grade for each essay based on the completeness, neatness, and organization of your portfolio and the neatness and correct formatting of your essay. (Your overall essay grade will also be affected by whether or not you include all required essay work -- see below.)

• Although the overall value of this category toward your final course grade is not high, I have found a reliably strong correlation between homework/quiz averages and overall grades.  In other words, if you are not doing your reading and your homework, you probably will not do well on the essays, and if you are doing your reading and your homework, you probably will do well on the essays.

Class Participation/Teamwork/Peer Evaluation. Worth 6.5% of your overall grade.

• This class will be discussion-based; your contributions are vital to the entire class’s learning experience.  If you are naturally quiet, you will need to overcome your silence and speak up; if you are naturally talkative, you will need to make sure you allow others to contribute and listen when others speak.  At midterm and at the end of the semester, you will earn a class participation grade that takes into account attendance and punctuality; how often you volunteer answers, ideas, and comments in class; how much effort you make when called on to answer; how fully you participate in class activities; and whether your attitude contributes to or detracts from the learning atmosphere in the classroom.

• Throughout the semester you will work on various activities in cooperative learning teams (which are not the same thing as simple “group work” groups). You will receive team grades from the work you do in these teams. The goals of teamwork are to give you the opportunity to practice concepts that you will be using on essays and exams, to facilitate students’ learning from each other, and to promote independent thinking.  For more information, see Cooperative Learning (Teamwork) Guidelines.

• For each essay, I will randomly select one written evaluation that you have completed on a peer’s draft.  You will receive a grade based on the quality and comprehensiveness of the evaluation.  You will also receive a grade based on the oral comments you make during the peer evaluation team meeting.

Diagnostic Essay/Reading, Rhetoric, & Argument Analysis: Mini-Essay. Worth 8% of your overall grade.

• Diagnostic Essay: The diagnostic essay is an in-class argumentative essay done by all sections of English 110.  It is designed to give you and me a sense of your current English skills. 

• Reading, Rhetoric, & Argument Analysis: Mini-Essay: We will follow up the diagnostic essay by studying techniques for reading argumentative essays, looking at different rhetorical and organizational strategies, and analyzing arguments.  The mini-essay will synthesize your work in each of those areas.

Evaluation Essay. Worth 11% of your overall grade.
This essay will ask you to evaluate a specific subject using clear criteria and evidence.

Position Essay. Worth 14% of your overall grade.
This essay will ask you to take a position on a controversial issue in a short story. Please note that there will be important work due on this essay in the days before and after Spring Break; make travel plans accordingly.

Proposal Essay. Worth 17% of your overall grade.
This essay will ask you to argue for a solution to a problem that affects you directly. Please note that there will be important work due on this essay in the days directly before and after Easter Break; make travel plans accordingly.

Argument Using Sources Essay. Worth 20% of your overall grade.
This assignment will ask you to apply the different rhetorical, writing, and argumentative strategies you have practiced during the semester in a longer essay that makes an argument and utilizes outside sources which will be provided by the instructor. .

Final Exam.  Worth 17% of your overall grade.
This exam will combine a take-home essay that asks you to evaluate your work during the semester with an in-class final completed during the scheduled final exam time for this course.  The in-class portion will include a cumulative, short-answer section on the concepts we have studied this semester and an argumentative essay that will draw on the writing and argumentative strategies you have learned this semester.  The scheduled exam time can be found at the end of this syllabus and on the college webpage.

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▲ additional course policies:

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY:
You are responsible for completing all assignments. I will not remind you of missed work. I am much more receptive to problems discussed ahead of time instead of after-the-fact.

Attendance:
Attendance in this course is essential and required.  You are expected to attend all classes, including required conferences.  As per departmental policy, you are allowed three unexcused absences.  If you have FOUR UNEXCUSED ABSENCES, you automatically FAIL the course. 

• EXCUSED ABSENCES:

  • Definition: Excused absences are limited to

    • illness with a corroborating doctor’s note;

    • death in the family with documentation;

    • court appearance with documentation AND advance notification;

    • official college function with documentation AND advance notification. 

Other special situations, such as family emergencies, must be discussed with me on a case-by-case basis. 

• How to have an absence excused: In order for an absence to be considered excused, you must personally SPEAK to me before the absence if possible, or else after the absence but BEFORE THE NEXT CLASS SESSION.  If you cannot reach me in person, you can initially leave me an email or voice mail message, but you must follow up by speaking to me face-to-face or on the phone before the next class session. You will also have to submit any appropriate documentation.
  **Please note that ONLY emailing me or leaving me a voice mail does NOT get you an excused absence.  You MUST follow up.**
   

• Assignments: Any work (quizzes, etc.) done during a class period missed due to an excused absence cannot be made up but will not be counted against you.  Assignments due on the day of a planned excused absence (such as college functions) must be turned in ahead of time.  Assignments due on the day of an unplanned excused absence (such as illness) will be handled on a case-by-case basis: you MUST discuss the assignment due date with me personally (face-to-face or over the phone) BEFORE THE NEXT CLASS SESSION.  Again, ONLY emailing me or leaving me a voice mail does NOT allow you to turn in work late without penalty; you must SPEAK with me.

• UNEXCUSED ABSENCES:

  • Definition: Any absence that does not fit into the above categories is considered unexcused.  Since car trouble, minor illness, appointments, etc. may on occasion prevent you from attending class, you have a three-class cushion to work with, but these absences will be considered unexcused.  Any absence that COULD have been excused but that was not handled properly (see above) will also count as unexcused.
     

  • Assignments: Any work (quizzes, etc.) done during a class period missed due to an unexcused absence cannot be made up and will count against you.  Assignments due on the day of a unexcused absence are still due and will be considered late.  I encourage you to speak with me personally and ASAP after an unexcused absence, especially if you missed an assignment deadline.  
     

• EXTENDED ABSENCES: Extraordinary circumstances such as extended, serious illness will be dealt with on a one-to-one basis.  Contact me as soon as possible.

• NON-CLASS REQUIRED ACTIVITIES: When other activities (such as a required conference) are held in place of a regular class, failure to attend that activity counts as a regular class absence.

• MISSED MATERIAL: It is your responsibility, not mine, to find out what occurs during a missed class.  You are still responsible for any assignments given or lessons learned during missed classes.

Tardiness:
Arriving to class more than ten minutes late or leaving class more than ten minutes early counts as an absence.  Continual tardiness, even if it is just a few minutes each class, will affect your participation grade and may incur further penalties.  In addition, you are responsible for any activities that occur during the class minutes you miss, and any work done during that time, such as quizzes, cannot be made up.

Coming to class prepared/class behavior:
As with ANY college course, you are expected to arrive at class with all necessary materials, with unneeded electronic equipment put away, and ready to participate.  I reserve to right to request any unprepared student or any student who texts during class; sleeps in class; in any way disrupts class; or leaves the room unnecessarily, frequently, or for long periods of time to leave class for that day, resulting in an unexcused absence.

Books:
There are two required texts for this class and you must purchase your own copies (the assigned editions) and bring the appropriate book(s) to class each day. The written word is foundational to our class, and you cannot meet the course objectives without your own texts. Students who consistently forget books will receive an unexcused absence.

Grammar:
Using correct grammar and spelling signals a clear understanding of a language and allows you to communicate effectively in that language. Incorrect grammar and spelling, on the other hand, indicate either an inability or a lack of desire to communicate effectively. Thus, grammar and spelling errors distract readers and diminish the clarity of a writer’s ideas.  Therefore, your essays will be penalized for grammar, spelling, and mechanical errors. The most significant errors are explained on the Major Errors sheet.  If your essay grade is significantly affected by grammar problems, you will have opportunities to raise your essay grade by doing assigned grammar exercises.  We will go over major grammatical problems in class as they come up.  I am available to work with you on any problems that you may have.

Plagiarism, Other Forms of Academic Honesty, and Academic Responsibility:

• PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is a serious offense.  As stated on page 498 of the Bedford Handbook, “borrowing another writer’s language, sentence structures, or ideas without proper acknowledgement is a form of academic dishonesty known as plagiarism.” Plagiarism can come from using another writer’s work, whether professional or amateur, or using the work of another student with or without that student’s knowledge.  Any student caught plagiarizing will automatically fail the course and be reported to the college.  Ask if you suspect you are committing plagiarism before you submit work in order to avoid later difficulties. For more information, talk to me or see "Academic Dishonesty" in the online Scot’s Guide or college catalog and chapters 51-3 in the Bedford Handbook.

• ACADEMIC HONESTY: You are expected to practice academic honesty in every aspect of the course. Make sure you are familiar with the college’s policies on academic honesty.  Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to plagiarism (see above), getting excessive help from another individual on work assigned to you, collaborating too closely with another student on work assigned to you as an individual, cheating on a quiz or exam, or submitting the same work to more than one course (whether a current or past course) without permission. Any student caught committing academic dishonesty will face penalties ranging from failing an assignment to automatically failing the course and will be reported to the college.  For more information, talk to me or see "Academic Dishonesty" in the online Scot’s Guide or college catalog. 

• HONESTY STATEMENT: Each piece of submitted work must include an honesty statement and your signature to indicate that this piece of work is yours alone and that you have documented any use of outside sources (see formatting guidelines).  I will not accept work submitted without an honesty statement and signature.

• TURNITIN.COM: Each student is required to submit each essay to Turnitin.com (a website to help prevent plagiarism) on the day that the essay is due in class.  See my instructions page about TurnItIn for more info.  Please talk to me if you have any questions or concerns about using TurnItIn.

• For each essay type, I will describe criteria/basic features on a handout. I will remind you of these criteria on assignment sheets and grade sheets I use to evaluate the essays. Throughout the semester I will emphasize the important criteria for each assignment during our class discussions and as we evaluate sample essays. If you are uncertain how I measure your success in meeting the criteria, please ask.

• Essay grades will be calculated by combining two halves:

  • The first half, worth up to fifty points, will come from all the preliminary work done on each essay, including prewriting, outlines, drafts, revisions plans, peer evaluations, etc. 

  • The second half, worth up to fifty points, will come from the quality of your final essay, including the strength of its argument, organization, use of sources, grammar, etc. 

  • Your total essay grade combines both halves, so that you must complete all preliminary work AND have a high-quality essay in order to get as high a grade a possible on your essay.  The highest possible grade is a 100; the lowest possible grade if the essay is submitted on time is a 50 (even if your total points are below 50, I will round up the grade to 50 in recognition of your having at least completed the essay and submitted it on time).

  • The rationale for this grading is

    1. as you get better at doing the steps in the writing process, your finished essay will be better;

    2. since this course is about learning a method of writing as well as writing good essays, your grade will come from both those activities. 

  • I will provide much more information and details for each essay assignment.  Please let me know if you have any questions. 

• Late penalties: Essays submitted late will lose 10 points per day (not class day) that they are late.  Essays submitted late to TurnItIn.com will be penalized 10 points, though this penalty can be made up on the subsequent essay.
  

• Once your total essay grade, minus any late penalties, is calculated, it is graded with letters (A+, A, A-, etc.) on the following scale (the same scale used for overall course grades):

Requirement to complete all major work:
ALL ESSAYS ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO ME AND TO TURNITIN.COM (IF REQUIRED) IN ORDER FOR YOU TO RECEIVE COURSE CREDIT. YOU MUST ALSO COMPLETE THE FINAL EXAM TO RECEIVE COURSE CREDIT. You will receive an F for the course if you do not submit all papers and exams. If you do not submit an essay on time, I reserve the right to give you a final deadline by which to submit the work in order to get course credit.

A Note on Emails and Voice Mails:
Email and voice mail are wonderful tools, and I encourage you to use them to communicate with me WHEN APPROPRIATE. However, they do not replace direct communication; many times, you will need to speak to me directly, either face-to-face or over the phone.  You may want to begin with email or voice mail, but FOLLOW UP by speaking directly to me.  Basically, when you need something from me, such as an excused absence, a crucial clarification of an assignment due the next day, a new appointment time, etc. you need to SPEAK with me. Otherwise, you are leaving it all up to me to provide you with what you need by the time that you need it, and I may be unable or unwilling to do so.  Thus, take control of your education by using communication tools appropriately. In addition, you should treat voice mail and email as formal communication: be clear, concise, respectful, and correct -- and proofread your writing. 

Computer Use/Computer Problems:
In order to avoid last-minute computer problems that might prevent you from submitting work on time, such as losing files, hard-disk crashes, printer break-downs, etc., all students are REQUIRED to save all drafts of their essays on the college network's F-drive. You may still use your own computer's hard drive, but you need to back up your work on the F-drive. Talk to me immediately if you foresee any problems with this policy.  Talk to Information Services if you need assistance with using the F-drive.  Please note that this F-drive requirement means you cannot be excused from submitting work on time due to computer problems.  Also, if you save your work on the F-drive, you can always access it from our classroom, even when you forget a hard copy on the day a draft is due.  A basic explanation of the F drive can be found here: How to Save to the F-Drive. 

Mellinger Learning Center (Writing Tutors):
Located on the 3^rd floor of Mellinger Center, the Writing Center is open from 7-10 PM, Sunday-Thursday; and 3-5 PM, Monday-Thursday. Tutors work with writers from any class at all stages of their writing processes, from pre-writing to planning to drafting to revising to editing. The focus of a session depends on students’ needs and goals—and on where they are with the assignment.  Writers at every level, freshman-senior, can improve by having tutors review their work and offer feedback. For more information about the writing center view the FAQ at http://www2.monm.edu/cac/writing-center/faq.htm .

Special Needs:
If you have any special needs, you should register them with the college and inform me as soon as possible of any specific classroom accommodations required. Monmouth College wants to help all students be as academically successful as possible. It is the goal of the college to accommodate students with disabilities pursuant to federal law, state law, and the college’s commitment to equal educational opportunity. Any student with a disability should speak with the Teaching and Learning Center, located on the 2nd floor of Poling Hall. You can also call 457-2257 or go to http://www.monmouthcollege.edu/life/disability-services.