Meyer 1 Texas A&M University-Kingsville Department of Language and Literature Summer 2017: English 1302: Rhetoric & Composition I, 3 Credit Hours Professor: Dr. Craig A. Meyer Office: Fore Hall 103C Office Phone: (361) 593-3503 Office Hours: M-F 7:30a-8a; 10-10:30a, and by appointment E-Mail: Craig.Meyer@tamuk.edu Preferred method of contacting: E-Mail Course Description Study of English grammar and usage and the principles of effective expository and argumentative writing; development of reading skills; analysis of short essays as models for writing. Required of all freshmen. Foundational Component Area This course fulfills the Communication portion of the general education curriculum. Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively. Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience. Course Objectives: 1) Critical Thinking: Students will develop critical thinking skills through creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, analysis, and/or evaluation and synthesis of information. 2) Communication: Students will demonstrate the effective development of ideas and/or the interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral, or visual communication. 3) Teamwork: Students will demonstrate the ability to consider different points of view and/or the ability to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal. 4) Personal Responsibility: Students will demonstrate the ability to connect choices to ethical decisionmaking, connect actions to ethical decision-making, and/or connect consequences to ethical decisionmaking. Student Learning Outcomes: 1. Demonstrates competence in written communication through correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. 2. Demonstrates competence in written communication by planning, organizing, and composing messages for various purposes and audiences. 3. Competence in planning, organizing, composing, revising, editing, and analyzing written compositions for various purposes and audiences. 4. Competence in information literacy, problem solving, critical thinking, and documenting sources through research-based compositions. Texts and Materials: The Structure of Argument, 8 th ed. By Rottenberg and Winchell, 2015 by Bedford/St. Martin s; ISBN: 978-1-45766235-5 Writing materials (paper, pens, folder, etc.) USB flash drive or online back-up system (e.g. Google Drive) Assignments: Introductory Paper (what you expect this semester and how we can improve) Annotated Bibliography This I Believe Midterm Argumentative Paper
Meyer 2 -Workshop for Argumentative (2 x 25 points each) Literacy Narrative -Workshops for Literacy Narrative (2 x 25 points each) -Multimodal presentation of Literacy Narrative Participation/ In-class assignments/debates Final 200 points Brief Descriptions of above assignments: Introductory paper: a short (2-3 page) paper about you as a student, goals, major, ambitions, how I can best assist you in this course, stuff I need to know to make this the best class ever! Annotated Bibliography: You will find (at least) five (5) credible sources for your forthcoming Argumentative Paper. Each annotation will be worth 20 points: 10 points for format and 10 points for the annotation. This I Believe: You will tell a story about a belief you have. 1 page. Argumentative Paper: Building from your proposal, you will research and explain the area under investigation through persuasive means. You argue your point to convince the audience. 6-7 pages. Literacy Narrative and Presentation: In this larger project, you describe how you have progressed from being unable to read to where you are now. You will present in a multimodal fashion (video, picture, interaction, demonstration, drama, etc.) about your findings and memories. 8-10 pages. Participation/ In-class assignments/ Debates: Please speak up in class. Most days we will write first thing. For Debates, read the selection, take notes, pick a side, and be ready to discuss and debate. Final: The final is a reflective final about this course. 2-3 pages. Grading Scale: Based on 900 points as noted above. A = 90-100% B = 80-89.9% C = 70-79.9% D = 60-69.9% F = below 59.9% *grades are not rounded up Course Policies: Attendance: Attendance is a critical part of your learning. You may miss 2 (two) classes without penalty; however, you should not miss any class without good reason. At the 3rd absence, you grade will drop 5% of your final grade. At the 4 th, it will drop another 5% of your final grade. At the 5 th absence, you will fail the course. To illustrate, at the end of the semester, you ve missed five classes and you have earned a 89%. You would drop to 84% for the 4 th and 79% for the fifth. If you missed a fifth class, regardless of reason, even if you are at 79%, you will fail the course. To be clear: If you are absent FIVE (5) times in total, you will receive an F in the course. IF there is some pressing matter in your life, please contact me immediately so I can work WITH you to find a solution. if you contact me after you ve missed classes or missed a due date, etc., I will not be able to help you. Tardy: If you come to class late, it will affect your grade. You disrupt the class. If you come to class after roll call, you are considered late. Any work due that day is due before the end of roll
Meyer 3 call. Typically, the class door will be locked after roll call, so please be on time. If you are late 3 times, it will count as one absence. Thus, if you are late six times, you will be considered absent twice (which will affect you overall attendance grade, see above). Buddy System: If you miss a class, do not contact me and ask what you missed. Please contact your classmates and learn what you missed. Then, if you have questions, contact me. Cell phones: Unless part of our class that day, cell phone usage is not permitted during class. Turn your phone off or on silent before class starts. Exceptions in unique circumstances, please inform me of such before class. IF you choose to use your phone during class, I will discreetly caution you ONE TIME. Every occurrence after that, I will ask you to leave class and you will be marked absent for that day, which will affect your overall attendance for the course (see above policy). Laptops: If you have a laptop, you are welcome to use it at the appropriate time. Do not use laptops for chatting or surfing the Web or the like during class. The enforcement will mirror the Cell Phone policy above, warning, asked to leave. Formatting Papers: Unless otherwise instructed, all papers must be produced on a word processor and follow MLA format (unless approved prior to final due date); specifically, essays must have a works cited page, one inch margins on all sides, and be double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font. Any essay that does not comply with these formatting guidelines will be penalized with a 10% lower grade. ***No computer problems will be accepted. Back all your work up with hard copy and on at least one other device beyond your computer (e.g. flash drive) and maintain an online copy. Late Essays: No late papers will be accepted. All work is due at the beginning of class (before the conclusion of roll call). If you are late to class, your paper will not be accepted. Revising: I strongly encourage you to see me for help with a draft before a final essay is due. In addition, you should use your classmates' feedback on drafts and the great peer tutors available in the Writing Center to help you to evaluate and improve your writing. You will be able to revise papers; you must consult with me to revise a paper. The revised grade will be averaged with the original grade, and the new grade will be the final grade on that paper (e.g. 70 on original, 90 on revised = 80 final grade). All revised work must be turned in by the Friday before the final exam class. If you received an 90% or above on the original work, no revision will be allowed. Civil Discourse and Responsibilities: In class discussions, readings, and writing throughout the term, we will examine ideas from diverse perspectives. At this university, students and faculty are afforded an academic environment that allows for intellectual expression: provocative or challenging ideas may arise, but no responses to such ideas should be expressed in an inappropriate manner, either verbally or in writing. One of the goals of a university education is to challenge us to think again about what we know or accept as fact. In order to achieve this goal, we all must share responsibility for creating and maintaining a democratic and civil learning environment in the classroom and the larger university community. This means that each of us should be conscious of how our words and actions may affect others. University Policies: Disability statement: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disability. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation please contact
Meyer 4 the Disability Resource Center (DRC) as early as possible in the term at (361) 593-2904. DRC is located in the Life Service and Wellness building at 1210 Retama Drive. Six-drop policy: The following provision does not apply to students with Texas public college or university credits prior to Fall 2007. The Texas Senate Bill 1231 specifies the number of course drops allowed to a student without penalty. After a student has dropped six courses, a grade of QF will normally be recorded for each subsequent drop. Additional information on Senate Bill 1231 is available at the Registrar s Office at (361) 593-2811 and at http://www.tamuk.edu/registrar/drop_policy.html. Academic misconduct statement: You are expected to adhere to the highest academic standards of behavior and personal conduct in this course and all other courses. Students who engage in academic misconduct are subject to university disciplinary procedures. Make sure you are familiar with your Student Handbook, especially the section on academic misconduct, which discusses conduct expectations and academic dishonesty rules. Forms of academic dishonesty: 1) Cheating: Using unauthorized notes or study aids, allowing another party to do one s work/exam and turning in that work/exam as one s own; submitting the same or similar work in more than one course without permission from the course instructors; deception in which a student misrepresents that he/she has mastered information on an academic exercise that he/she has not mastered; giving or receiving aid unauthorized by the instructor on assignments or examinations. 2) Aid of academic dishonesty: Intentionally facilitating any act of academic dishonesty. Tampering with grades or taking part in obtaining or distributing any part of a scheduled test. 3) Fabrication: Falsification or creation of data, research or resources, or altering a graded work without the prior consent of the course instructor. 4) Plagiarism: Portrayal of another s work or ideas as one s own. Examples include unacknowledged quotation and/or paraphrase of someone else s words, ideas, or data as one s own in work submitted for credit. Failure to identify information or essays from the Internet and submitting them as one s own work also constitutes plagiarism. 5) Lying: Deliberate falsification with the intent to deceive in written or verbal form as it applies to an academic submission. 6) Bribery: Providing, offering or taking rewards in exchange for a grade, an assignment, or the aid of academic dishonesty. 7) Threat: An attempt to intimidate a student, staff or faculty member for the purpose of receiving an unearned grade or in an effort to prevent reporting of an Honor Code violation. Please be aware that the University subscribes to the Turnitin plagiarism detection service. Your paper may be submitted to this service at the discretion of the instructor. Other Forms of Academic Misconduct: 1) Failure to follow published departmental guidelines, professor s syllabi, and other posted academic policies in place for the orderly and efficient instruction of classes, including laboratories, and use of academic resources or equipment. 2) Unauthorized possession of examinations, reserved library materials, laboratory materials or other course related materials. 3) Failure to follow the instructor or proctor s test-taking instructions, including but not limited to not setting aside notes, books or study guides while the test is in progress, failing to sit in designated locations and/or leaving the classroom/ test site without permission during a test. 4) Prevention of the convening, continuation or orderly conduct of any class, lab or class activity. Engaging in conduct that interferes with or disrupts university teaching, research or class activities such as making loud and distracting noises, repeatedly answering cell phones/text messaging or allowing pagers to beep, exhibiting erratic or irrational behavior, persisting in speaking without being recognized, repeatedly leaving and entering the classroom or test site without authorization, and making physical threats or verbal insults to the faculty member, or other students and staff. 5) Falsification of student transcript or other academic records; or unauthorized access to academic computer records. 6) Nondisclosure or misrepresentation in filling out applications or other university records. 7) Any action which may be deemed as unprofessional or inappropriate in the professional community of the discipline being studied. Non-academic misconduct: The university respects the rights of instructors to teach and of students to learn. Maintenance of these rights requires campus conditions that do not impede their exercise. Campus behavior that interferes with these rights will not be tolerated; examples include 1) interfering with the instructor's ability to conduct the class,
Meyer 5 2) causing inability of other students to profit from the instructional program, or 3) any interference with the rights of others. An individual engaging in such disruptive behavior may be subject to disciplinary action. Such incidents will be adjudicated by the Dean of Students under non-academic procedures. Ongoing behaviors or single behaviors considered distracting (e.g., coming late to class, performing a repetitive act that is annoying, sleeping or reading a newspaper in class, etc.) will be addressed by the faculty member initially either generally or individually. Cases in which such annoying behavior becomes excessive and the student refuses to respond to the faculty member s efforts can be referred to the Dean of Students. In the case of serious disruptive behavior in a classroom the instructor may first request compliance from the student and if it is not received, an instructor has the authority to ask the student to leave the classroom. If the student fails to leave after being directed to do so, assistance may be obtained from other university personnel, including University Police Department. An individual engaging in such disruptive behavior is subject to disciplinary action. Such incidents will be adjudicated by the Dean of Students under non-academic procedures to determine if the student should be allowed to return to the classroom. Harassment /Discrimination: Texas A&M University-Kingsville does not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation (or any other illegal basis) and will investigate all complaints that indicate sexual harassment, harassment, or discrimination may have occurred. Sexual harassment and sexual assault are types of sex discrimination. Such sexual misconduct is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Any member of the university community violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary action. A person who believes he/she has been the victim of sexual misconduct harassment, harassment, or discrimination may pursue either the informal or the formal complaint resolution procedure. A complaint may be initially made to the Office of Compliance at (361) 593-4758, complainant s immediate supervisor, a department head, a supervisory employee, or the Dean of Students at (361)- 593-3606 or the Office of Compliance at (361) 593-4758. Regardless of who the complaint is filed with, the Compliance Office will be notified of the complaint so it can be investigated. Schedule: All readings are noted below. On the date noted, please read and come to class ready for discussion. June Course Introduction 5 6 Introductory Paper DUE, read p. 3-45 7 Read 46-54, 337-368; Review p. 400-418; Finding Resources 8 Read p. 110-140 9 Debate I, p. 441-451 12 Read p. 149-171; Workshop Annot Bib 13 Read p.174-187; 200-204; 239-255 14 Read 262-276; 282-288; Annot Bib DUE 15 Read 296-321; This I Believe Workshop 16 This I Believe DUE; Debate II, p. 452-457 19 Conferences (in my office Fore 103C) 20 Read 372-385; Workshop Argument Paper 21 Workshop Argument Paper 22 Argument Paper DUE, Start Literacy Narrative 23 Debate III, p. 458-466 26 Read p. 60-90; Debate IV, p. 467-473 27 At-Home Writing Day (work on your Lit Narr) 28 Conferences (in my office Fore 103C) 29 Workshop Lit Narr 30 Debate V, p. 474-477
Meyer 6 July 3 Workshop Lit Narr 4 No Class! WHOOHOO 5 Lit Narrative DUE; Presentations DUE 6 FINAL EXAM DUE If you want any materials returned to you (papers, etc.), please contact me by August 1, 2017, so we can arrange for their return. Enjoy your summer!