Name: Dr. Dnna Smith E- Mail: dsmith@dessa.edu Of,ice Lcatin: WH 208 Odessa Cllege 201 W. University Odessa, TX 79764 OfHice: 432.335-6548; Cell: 553-1393 Of,ice Hurs: MWF 9-10; MW 11-11:30; 1:30-2:30; TTH 11-12 (I knw that yu re web students, but these are the hurs where yu can reach me by telephne. Als, there s an fhice- hurs functin in Blackbard that we can arrange t use). Curse Infrmatin: Title: ENGL 1301: Cmpsitin and Rhetric Curse Dates: August 22 thrugh December 9 Curse Credits: 3 lecture hurs Lcatin This curse is a full Web curse and is cnducted in Blackbard. Prerequisites C in ENGL 0370 r a satisfactry placement scre Curse Catalg Descriptin: In this class, we ll learn hw t write the kinds f essays that cllege teachers expect expsitry essays that explain a cncept and persuasive essays that argue a pint f view. Mre imprtantly, we ll be learning hw t think mre clearly because if yu cannt write smething clearly, then yu dn t understand it clearly. Writing is a way t learn what yu knw as well as a way t cnvey it t thers. Of all the skills yu ll pick up in cllege, the ne that will value mst and use mst ften nce yu leave cllege is the ability t express yurself well in writing. As a result, it s imprtant that yu take this skill acquisitin- pprtunity seriusly. We ll be wrking n rganizatin, develpment, fcus, clarity and crrectness. Curse Overview: This curse is primarily an essay- writing curse where yu ll learn hw t rganize and develp thesis- driven essays in respnse t writing ccasins. Yu ll als learn sme fundamental research techniques. Curse Learning Outcmes and Objectives: Learn t write thesis driven essays, with clear internal rganizatin gverned by a series f cntrlled paragraph tpic sentences; Learn t mve lgically in a bdy paragraph frm the generalizatin f the tpic sentence t mre specihic clarihicatins; Learn t understand and apprpriately apply mdes f expressin in written cmmunicatin; Learn t maintain a lgical mvement thrugh an essay with cntrl f transitins, clarihicatins, and reasnable cnclusins t ideas;
Learn t analyze an audience t determine the best strategies fr effectively cmmunicating with that audience; Demnstrate an understanding f sme basic research techniques and hw t use library resurces; Demnstrate a knwledge f research dcumentatin including qutatin integratin, prper citatin, and sme knwledge f bibligraphic frm; Demnstrate cmpetence in using cnventinal English; Articulate ideas in clearly- written, well- rganized, lucid prse that exhibits the applicatin f the afrementined skills. Required Materials: Textbk: N text required Cmputer Skills: Yu must be able t type, brwse and research internet, uplad and dwnlad Hiles, attach Hiles, save Hiles and Hind Hiles n yur cmputer. Yu shuld als have a fully functinal wrd prcessing prgram and knw hw t save a Hile in Rich Text Frmat. (There are a number f free wrd prcessing prgrams available fr dwnlad frm the Internet. Cntact me fr suggestins.) Curse Schedule: The curse is divided int units, and I direct the cursewrk fr each unit as we g thrugh the semester. In ther wrds, the curse is nt self- paced, but rather, yu will have weekly assignments with due dates, and yu will cmplete curse units n the schedule that I prvide thrugh weekly annuncements. Classes begin January 17, 2012 Final Exam May 9, 2012 Last day t withdraw/drp April 13, 2012 Curse Requirements: Five multi- paragraph essays, 12% each, Grammar, preliminary writing activities, grup wrk, discussin bard and miscellaneus wrk: 20% Final exam: 20% (failure t take the Hinal will result in failing the curse). The Hinal exam takes place in Blackbard and is nt prctred, unless smething has ccurred that has prmpted me t require yu t take yur exam with a prctr (see Plicies and Prcedures belw). Letter Grade Explanatin: 90 t 100 = A 80-89 = B 70 79 = C 60 69 = D 59 and belw = F What Yu Need t Knw in Order t Cmplete the Curse Successfully:
This curse is NOT self- paced. Typically, I will make assignments n Mnday mrning with the deadline cming the fllwing Sunday night. In ther wrds, yu ll nrmally have a full week t cmplete assignments. In additin, I will pst explanatry and (I hpe) helpful annuncements several times a week t assist yu. S while yu can chse when yu want t wrk n yur assignments during a nrmal week, yu ll still need t meet the psted deadlines r else suffer late penalties (explained later in the plicy statement). Yu must have regular access t a cmputer and the Internet. If yur cmputer crashes during the semester, yu must Hind an alternate cmputer and cntinue t access the curse and submit assignments n time. A cmputer crash is NOT an excuse fr failing t wrk the class. The Student Learning center (Hirst Hlr f the library) has pen access cmputers that are available fr yur use when campus is pen. Yu can call them at 432-335- 6673 t learn their hurs. Yu als need t activate yur OC student email accunt, if yu have nt already dne s. The instructins fr ding s are n OC s hme page. Please use yur OC student email t wrk the curse and t cmmunicate with me. When yu cmmunicate with me via email, read yur emails ver befre yu send them t me. When yu talk t me, yu re talking t yur English teacher, and thus, yu need t make sure that yu re cmmunicating clearly. Please dn t use texting abbreviatins when cmmunicating with me. Befre yu hit send, ask yurself if yu ve given me enugh infrmatin and backgrund t answer yur questin r respnd t yu. Frm yur pint f view, it smetimes feels like it s just me and yu in the class, but frm my pint f view, I have lts f students, and smetimes I dn t immediately remember the particulars f yur situatin, even if we ve cmmunicated befre. Yu need t knw hw t attach a Hile when yu re submitting thrugh Blackbard. All yur graded wrk must be submitted as Hile attachments. Failure t d s may result in penalties. Yu will need a wrd prcessing prgram f sme type (Wrd, WrdPerfect, Wrks, Open OfHice, etc.). If yu use wrd prcessing sftware ther than Micrsft Wrd, yu will need t save yur wrk in Rich Text Frmat. Otherwise, I will nt be able t pen it and grade it. If I cannt pen yur dcument because it s saved in a frmat ther than Wrd r Rich Text, yu may be subject t late penalties (even thugh yu submitted the wrk n time if I can t pen it t read it, then it s nt submitted). Yu shuld always save multiple cpies f everything yu d bth n yur cmputer s
hard drive and in a backup system, like a USB thumb drive. Never, ever give me r any ther teacher the ONLY cpy f yur wrk. Because there is sme audi and vide cntent, yu will need wrking speakers. There are als PwerPint presentatins as part f the instructinal material. If yu d nt have PwerPint installed n yur cmputer, yu can dwnlad a free PwerPint viewer at http://www.micrsft.cm/dwnlad/en/details.aspx?id=6. Assignments and Late Wrk: Unless yu make prir arrangements with me, I will deduct Hive pints per day fr each day an assignment is verdue. Assignments ver ne week late will receive (if turned in) n mre than 55 pints, smetimes less depending n quality. Cmputer prblems are nt an acceptable excuse fr late assignments. Make sure yu have a backup cmputer in case f emergencies. The Student Learning Center has pen access cmputer labs yu can use. Call 335-6879 fr hurs. Fr full credit, yu MUST submit yur wrk via the Assignments link in the Cntent sectin f Blackbard. If yu miss a deadline n an exam, yu have ne week t make up the test. Yu ll lse Hive pints per day fr each day yu re late in taking the test. After ne week, I release the graded exam back t the students wh tk it. Once the graded test has been released, yu lse the ptin f taking that exam and yu ll receive a zer n that assignment. If yu have prblems during a testing perid, please cntact me immediately. Discussin bard participatin must ccur during the time the discussin bard is pen. Once the discussin bard clses, yu lse the pprtunity t participate and must take the grade yu ve earned. Cheating/Academic Dishnesty Plagiarism is dehined as using smene else s wrds and/r ideas withut giving that persn credit. Plagiarism includes cpying and pasting frm the Internet, turning in a purchased piece f wrk, wrking with a classmate and each f yu turning in exactly the same prduct. If yu plagiarize an assignment, yu ll receive a zer n that assignment withut the ptin f re- ding it fr a higher grade. DISABILITIES: Students with disabilities shuld refer t http://www.dessa.edu/dept/ cunseling/disabilities.htm r cntact Becky Rivera directly, brivera@dessa.edu. All requests fr accmmdatins must be channeled thrugh the cunseling area. COURSE OVERVIEW: What fllws is an apprximatin, subject t mdihicatin based n what
the class needs. Essay One Essay Tw Essay Three Essay Fur Essay Five FINAL Our fcus here will be n learning the basic rganizatinal and develpmental structure. We ll wrk n this essay (as well as all the thers) in varius pieces, and yu ll be respnsible fr writing preliminary wrk, cnducting peer critiques, cnferencing with me at times, via Blackbard, prducing multiple drafts and revisins. Als, n an as- needed basis, we ll wrk n grammar cncepts. We ll be wrking n the same writing cncepts as essay ne, with similar supprting assignments. The additin in this essay is that we ll als be wrking with secndary surce material, and yu ll learn hw t write a descriptive utline. Much f the writing yu d in cllege is n- the- spt writing, s essay three will apprximate an in- class essay. This essay will incrprate the elements yu ve practiced in the ther essays yu ve written. In additin, it will include a mre frmalized research cmpnent and yu ll learn hw t cite secndary surces and write a wrks cited page. This assignment attempts t build a bridge between 1301 writing and 1302 writing by having yu apply a literary structure t a persnal experience f yurs. The Hinal is an essay similar t the kind yu wrte in essay three, thugh typically in respnse t a reading. Once yu ve turned in essay Hive, yu ll be cleared t write the Hinal. I ll pen it at the end f the last week f classes (smetimes earlier), and yu ll need t get it written n later than Wednesday f Hinals week. Essays ne, tw, and Hive will take apprximately three weeks frm start t Hinish including all intermediate wrk. This assignment will take nly ne week. This assignment usually takes fur weeks.