Central Texas College ENGL 1301 Composition I Rachel Ohmes Class Location: Building 217, Room 201 Email: rjohmes@gmail.com Class Time: Wednesdays, 5:10pm-10:00pm Phone: 785-845-1154 I. INTRODUCTION ENGL 1301 is the first semester of Freshman English and is designed to meet the first semester English requirement for students transferring to a senior college or for students desiring the general education of the first two years of college. The course aims primarily at helping students develop skills and techniques necessary for writing effective expository prose. Emphasis is placed on sentence structure, word choice, paragraph development, and organization of the whole essay. Analysis of selected expository prose serves as a vehicle for learning, communicating, and critical analysis. II. LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon successful completion of this course, Composition I, students will be able to do the following: Organize their thoughts into effective sentences and sentences into paragraphs which adequately expand a central thought. Individually and collaboratively read, reflect, and respond critically to a variety of texts. Organize paragraphs into a logical, coherent compositions which effectively communicate to an intended audience. Develop ideas with appropriate support and attribution Use Edited American English in academic essays. III. COURSE REQUIREMENTS A. Reading Assignments: Reading assignments from Handbook for Writers and The Longman Reader will be given frequently. B. Papers: Two outlines, two formal drafts, and two formal essays will be written during the semester, some of which will be written in class, either partially or in their entirety. Students will also complete a written formal reflection and homework during the term as well. These assignments will be supplemented by out-of-class exercises. C. Class Performance: Students are expected to attend all classes, bring textbooks and other supplies to class, and learn to take and keep good class notes. All assignments are given in class; therefore, if a student misses class, they will find they have difficulty keeping up with assignments. Whether present or absent, students are responsible for all assignments. The student must contact the instructor concerning missed assignments.
Note: Two or more unexcused absences may result in an Administrative Withdrawal. D. Class Participation: Students are to participate constructively in class discussion and attend class regularly and punctually. This class depends on your active participation which includes listening to your peers points and voicing your own. If you are very comfortable with sharing in class, be aware of more introverted classmates. If you have already spoken several times, consider waiting before jumping back in. E. Exams: I will administer reading quizzes throughout the semester. These quizzes will be unannounced and will generally consist of short, descriptive questions. Each quiz will test your close reading abilities, comprehension, and critical thinking skills. You should plan on quizzes asking you to recall what you have read, so read carefully and actively. These quizzes cannot be taken at an alternative time; if you are not in class, you cannot take the quiz. A final examination will be given at the end of the course. For the final exam, a Composition essay with a minimum of 600 words is required. F. Late policy. All work for a given week is due at the start of each class period. I will accept one assignment late during the term if I know ahead of time a student will miss an assignment. I will only take an assignment within 7 days of a deadline. The late assignment will be penalized 10%. At times, I may also ask you to submit your work electronically. IV. SEMESTER GRADE COMPUTATIONS The possible grades for the course are A, B, C, D, or F. The semester grade will be computed on the following basis of 100 points: Written Assignments: Week 2-Essay Outline 1 4 points Week 3-Essay 1 Draft 5 points Week 4-Essay 1 Final Draft 15 points Week 5-Essay Outline 2 4 points Week 6-Essay 2 Draft 5 points Week 7-Essay 2 Final Draft 20 points Week 8-Final Reflection 5 points 6 Homework Assignments 12 points total Participation/ Pop Quizzes (.50 each): 5 points Final Written Examination: 25 points Outlines must be formally written and typed in a Word document. Additional requirements will be specified in class.
Drafts must be at least 500 words and must include a thesis and at least 2 welldeveloped body paragraphs. Drafts must be formally written and typed in a Word document. Additional requirements will be specified in class. V. WITHDRAWALS AND INCOMPLETES A. Withdrawal from Course: It is the student's responsibility to officially drop a class if circumstances prevent attendance. Any student who desires to, or must, officially withdraw from a course after the first scheduled class meeting must file an Application for Withdrawal or an Application for Refund. The withdrawal form must be signed by the student. Application for Withdrawal will be accepted at any time prior to Friday of the 6th week of classes. Students who officially withdraw will be awarded the grade of "W," provided the student's attendance and academic performance are satisfactory at the time of official withdrawal. Students must file a withdrawal application with the college before they may be considered for withdrawal. A student may not withdraw from a class for which the instructor has previously issued the student a grade of "F" or "FN" for nonattendance. B. An Administrative Withdrawal: An administrative withdrawal may be initiated when the student fails to meet College attendance requirements. The instructor will assign the appropriate grade on the Administrative Withdrawal Form for submission to the registrar. C. An Incomplete Grade: The College catalog states, "An incomplete grade may be given in those cases where the student has completed the majority of the course work but, because of personal illness, death in the immediate family, or military orders, the student is unable to complete the requirements for a course." Prior approval from the instructor is required before the grade of "IP" is recorded. A student who merely fails to show for the final examination will receive a zero for the final and an "F" for the course.
Essay Rubric Score Content /Organization refers to topic; thesis; order and focus of ideas; integrated and documented support; presents perspectives; awareness of diversity Diction refers to using words appropriate to the audience and purpose; choosing words for deliberate effect Sentence structure refers to positioning and varying sentence length and rhythm to create a deliberate effect; fragments are a rhetorical choice Research and Documentation (if applicable) Refers to the synthesis and integration of varied and credible research; uses current MLA (or other) citation style; avoids plagiarism (for Comp1 students) Grammar/ mechanics refers to spelling, word usage, grammar, punctuation, and ability to proofread Outstanding Well-defined, insightful focus and examination of context and topic; presents viewpoints that show an diverse viewpoints; Compelling word choice, demonstrating insightful use of figurative language Sentences are carefully formed and positioned with attention to emphasis, rhythm and pace to engage the reader Credible research is accurately and skillfully quoted, paraphrased, and summarized to support ideas; correct APA or MLA format Demonstrates mastery of grammar, creating compelling prose; few to no errors Strong Clear focus and examination of topic; logical progression of ideas with perspectives showing an diverse viewpoints; smooth transitions Specific word choice including metaphor and analogy Sentences show variety in length, pattern, and rhythm and are linked with appropriate transitions Clear integration of varied research using some documentation; Works Cited page (if applicable) format is globally correct Demonstrates most grammar; specific comma, homonym, ref errors, or spell check errors remain Satisfactory Conventional focus and related support; limited perspective showing some awareness of diversity; adequate transitions Conventional but accurate word choice; wordy Sentences are clear but show too little variety in length, pattern and rhythm Integrates conventional research as support relies on quotation; documentation shows understanding Multiple errors in sentence structure, verb agreement, Limited Uninformed or unclear focus; inconsistent organization; transitions do not connect ideas Vague, inaccurate word choice with slang, clichés and jargon Simple sentences are frequent with occasional fused sentences and fragments Weak integration of research; errors in documentation Frequent errors in sentence structure, verb agreement,
Flawed No identifiable focus; no meaningful discussion of the issue; no control of organization and/or transitions Word choice doesn t fit audience or purpose Awkward and unclear sentences; little variety; frequent run-ons and fragments Poor use of documentation; questionable plagiarism; no attention to research Continuous errors in sentence structure, verb agreement,