Spring 2018 Syllabus 1 ENC 1101 - Freshman Composition I Spring 2018 A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions. --Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Instructor: Dr. Angela Blewitt Office: Building 5, Room 117 Telephone: (407) 582-5822 E-mail: ablewitt@valenciacollege.edu Office Hours: MTWR 2:30-3:30, and by appointment Office Hours by EMAIL ONLY: Friday 9:00am-1:00pm Class Meeting Time and Location: The meeting time and location for this class are as follows: ENC 1101-21630 11:30 A.M. 12:45 P.M. 4-103 Monday and Wednesday ENC 1101-21434 1:00 P.M. 2:15 P.M. 4-103 Monday and Wednesday COURSE OBJECTIVES Development of essay form, including documented essay; instruction and practice in expository writing. Emphasis on clarity of central and support ideas, adequate development, logical organization, coherence, appropriate citing of primary and/or secondary sources, and grammatical and mechanical accuracy. Gordon Rule course in which the student is required to demonstrate college-level writing skills through multiple assignments. Minimum grade of C is required if ENC 1101 is used to satisfy Gordon Rule and General Education Requirements. Prerequisites: A score of 103 on writing component of PERT or equivalent score on other state-approved entry test or minimum grade of C in ENC 0027 or minimum grade of C in ENC 0025C or EAP 1640C, and a score of 106 on reading component of PERT or equivalent score on other state-approved entry test or minimum grade of C in REA 0017C or EAP 1620C. BOOKS AND MATERIALS 75 Readings Plus. Ed. Santi V. Buscemi and Charlotte Smith. 10 th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2013.
Spring 2018 Syllabus 2 Little Seagull Handbook Online reading resources (provided by professor) Required Course Materials A spiral notebook or paper and binder for note taking Blue or Black ink for in-class writing Reliable electronic storage for all writing assignments a USB drive for use in writing labs Access to college dictionary and thesaurus Reliable access to a word processing program, preferably Microsoft Word Reliable internet access Reliable printer access Email: Students must check their Atlas email accounts daily. Blackboard: Check Blackboard daily for announcements, assignments, etc. If students cannot purchase the textbook, then they must meet with the instructor before the beginning of the second class so that they can discuss options for students to access material which appears within the textbooks. Otherwise, students may encounter problems later in the term, and, unfortunately, the instructor cannot accept responsibility for those problems. There are two 75 Readings textbooks available for 2-hour checkout at the library. LEARNING OUTCOMES AND OBJECTIVES Students will compose expository essays (first course outcome). Objectives related to this outcome: Student will be able to construct a thesis that clearly expresses the main idea of the assignment. Student will be able to develop topic sentences that support the thesis. Student will be able to generate supporting ideas/details. Student will be able to integrate supporting ideas/details. Student will be able to connect supporting ideas/details to thesis statement. Student will be able to compose introductions and conclusions. Student will be able to implement transitions between ideas. Student will be able to draft, revise, edit, and proofread. Students will write in standard American English (second course outcome). Objectives related to this outcome: Student will be able to write grammatically correct sentences. Student will be able to write mechanically correct sentences. Student will be able to vary sentence patterns. Student will be able to employ effective diction. Student will be able to edit for clarity. Students will write a documented essay (third course outcome).
Spring 2018 Syllabus 3 Objectives related to this outcome: Student will be able to recognize information that requires documentation. Student will be able to integrate source materials into essay. Student will be able to use a recognized documentation style, which includes in-text citations and a works cited/reference page. Students will demonstrate information literacy (fourth course outcome). Objectives related to this outcome: Student will be able to recognize credible print and digital source material. Student will be able to identify existing technological resources for writing. Students will develop critical reading skills (final course outcome). Objectives related to this outcome: Student will be able to identify main ideas and supporting details. Student will be able to recognize overall patterns of organization. Student will be able to discern author's tone. Student will be able to recognize intent and/or bias. Student will be able to read texts for literal meaning. Student will be able to read texts for inferential meaning. VC Competencies: Think, Value, Communicate, and Act are Valencia's core competencies. In this class you will develop these four cores through reading, viewing, online discussion, group work, and writing, etc. Course outcomes: Think: As you engage with the literary texts we will be reading, you will be asked to think critically and creatively about them. You will also apply and hone your skills of analysis and synthesis as you evaluate and incorporate material from your experiences and opinions, the original texts, and synthesis. Value: Through the process of reading and writing about various academic essays, you will gain an appreciation of a variety of viewpoints and modes of organization of thought. Through class discussion and writing, you will also gain an understanding of and an appreciation for the opinions of others (peers, critics, etc.). Communicate: Through discussion, you will engage in thoughtful dialogue with your peers and instructor about the various texts we will read as well as yourself. You will also express your opinions and integrate the opinions of others into your writings and share these with your peers. Act: You will take personal responsibility for your own learning, work, collegial attitude, and behavior and participate fully and to the best of your ability in the learning environment. Let s make this a fun semester!
Spring 2018 Syllabus 4 COURSEWORK For this course, students are required to write essays outside and during class, as well as complete readings, homework, classroom assignments and quizzes. ESSAYS All essays are due at the beginning of class. If you are late on a day that an essay is due, your paper is late as well. If you are absent the day a paper is due, it is your responsibility to have someone deliver your paper to class on time. If that is not possible, and I receive prior notice, you may send it via email before the assigned due date. Please note: I will not accept assignments electronically unless otherwise arranged prior to the due date. FORMAT: Each out-of-class essay must be typed, double-spaced, meet the requirement length per assignment, and should follow MLA standards (12 Font, New Times Roman, 1 margins). Each essay should be spell-checked and free from typos and grammatical errors. Please make sure all essays are stapled before handing in. Format all papers with the proper heading and the following information: (double spaced and in the top LEFT corner of your paper). Your name My name ENC 1101 Date Last Name Page # Documented Research Essay In this course you will acquire the methods/tools to conduct college-level research and will be required to complete a documented essay by the end of the semester. The paper should be between 1,000-1,200 words in length, fully researched, and accurately documented according to MLA style.
Spring 2018 Syllabus 5 Peer Review Workshops Peer reviews and in-class workshops offer students an opportunity to have a classmate review their paper prior to editing and revision. Each workshop/ review session is done in class; therefore, it is an activity that cannot be made up. This is a valuable opportunity for students to seek guidance on specific questions/ issues that they may have. CLASSWORK/HOMEWORK/QUIZZES Homework and classwork will be accepted in class on the due date only. They will not be accepted late. Quizzes may not be made up due to an absence except in the case of verifiable written documentation for extreme emergency cases, military service, or jury duty. CLASS PARTICIPATION Participation in small groups is mandatory, as this is a collaborative-based class. This class relies heavily on collaboration and participation. This means that we will all be learning from one another and constantly coming to know different ideas and ways of thinking and writing through group activities and class discussions. Please read the assigned texts before class, bring all texts and assignments according to schedule, and anticipate lively informal discussions, peer editing, class presentations, and in-class writing. Participation in collaborative small group work is mandatory for ENC 1101, as discussion and analysis deepen our learning. A student who does not participate in collaborative group work will be marked absent for the day. **Important note: Because this is an interactive class, we need to realize that there will be multiple opinions and points of views expressed. In addition, some of the texts and readings engage in controversial topics and opinions. Please keep in mind that we come from a variety of cultural, social, and ethnic backgrounds and will likely have many differences in views. I welcome these differences; therefore, it is imperative that every class member be comfortable in sharing their ideas in a nonthreatening, respectful environment. ENC 1101 FINAL GRADE Classwork/Homework/Quizzes 10% Reading Journals 20% Identity Essay 5% In-Class Essay #1 5% Response Paper 10% College Essay 20% In-class Essay #2 5% Documented Research Essay 25% Final Exam 10% You may periodically track your progress on the class Blackboard site by clicking the My Grades tab. Grading Scale
Spring 2018 Syllabus 6 A = 90-100% B= 80-89% C= 70-79% D=60-69% F=0-59% Late Work and Missed Work: One of the out-of-class essays may be turned two days late with one letter grade off for the first day and another letter grade off for the second day only ONE paper. Other than that, I do not accept work later than the due date; please do not ask for special treatment. Unless accompanied by verifiable written documentation for extreme emergency cases, military service, or jury duty, I will not consider accepting late work. Failure to turn in an assignment will result in your receiving no credit for that work. Failure to complete all out-of-class and in-class essays will result in an F for not meeting Gordon Rule Requirements. Please turn in your work and let s make this a great semester! Assignments (papers, drafts, etc.) done outside of class are due at the beginning of the class period. Deadlines are part of everyday life, and we all need to meet them. Be sure to plan ahead broken printers, fried hard drives, long lines at the computer lab, emailing assignments to yourself, car trouble, lack of parking, alarm not going off, etc. are not valid excuses for late work. If you have a printer, I advise you to have a backup black ink cartridge ready to go at all times, since printers have a habit of running out of ink at 3 a.m. the night before a paper is due. Quizzes or Peer Reviews missed due to an absence cannot be made up. Plan vacations around the college and class calendar. On that note, if you do miss work, don t let it fester. Speak to me if you have any concerns or questions the worst I can do is say no. Attendance Policy: Attendance is directly related to success in this course. After two absences, students will be sent an Excessive Absence notification via your Valencia email account. A third absence may result in withdrawal from the course. I reserve the right to withdraw any student with three or more absences before the withdrawal deadline but do not guarantee that I will do so; if a student prefers the withdrawal (W) to the grade of F, he or she is advised to initiate the process or contact me to discuss this. I will not withdraw any student after the withdrawal deadline has elapsed and in that instance will record the final course grade as F. Students are expected to be on time. Two lates count as an absence; if attendance is not also an issue, six lates put a student at risk for withdrawal. I may choose to exercise my right to withdraw chronically late students because absent students injure only themselves, but late students injure morale and interfere with the learning of others. Absence does not excuse you from being prepared or handing in an assignment when it is due; however, you may always hand in an assignment early (within reason and with permission). Following an absence, it is your responsibility to determine what you missed and to obtain notes, assignments, and due dates from your fellow students. The federal government recently passed legislation exempting students with one type of absence from the stated attendance policy for this course. When students are absent, they must contact the instructor to determine if their absence is in fact exempt. Students missing class for a religious holiday or jury duty must meet with the instructor before absences related to those situations.
Spring 2018 Syllabus 7 POLICIES College Policies and Procedures: Appropriate classroom conduct promotes an environment of academic achievement and integrity. Disruptive classroom behavior that substantially or repeatedly interrupts either the instructor s ability to teach, or a student s ability to learn, is prohibited. I encourage the civil discussion of ideas; however, repeatedly talking without being recognized, talking while others are speaking, or arguing in a way that is perceived as crossing the civility line will not be tolerated, and students engaged in this behavior may be asked to exit the classroom. Students should come to class prepared to discuss the scheduled reading(s) and hand in the out-of-class writing assignments. Please follow the course schedule for assigned readings. All cell phones and other electronic devices should be turned off or switched to silent and put away before class starts: I DO NOT WANT TO EVEN SEE THEM. If you have an emergency situation in which your phone must be on vibrate please let me know before class begins. Cell Phone or Texting in class: Texting or other cell phone use in not permitted in class. On the first (1st) violation, the learner will be dismissed from class for ten (ten) minutes (after which, if the learners chooses, he or she may return to the work of the class. On the second (2nd) violation the learner will be dismissed from the class and be considered absent for the day (see attendance policy). On a third occurrence, the learner will have a mandatory meeting with Dr. Renn, Dean of Communications, before being readmitted to class. NO EXCEPTIONS. Students can locate a complete listing of the College s policies and procedures in the college catalog, policy manual, and student handbook. College catalog: Policy manual: Student handbook: http://valenciacollege.edu/catalog http://valenciacollege.edu/generalcounsel http://valenciacollege.edu/studentdev/campusinformationservices.cfm First Day of Term Absence: If students miss the first day of class, the instructor will withdraw them from the class. No-Show Policy: The no-show reporting period is January 17, 2018, to January 26, 2018. If students registered for the course have not attended any classes from the first day of class to the beginning of the no-show reporting period, then the instructor will withdraw them from the course on the first day of the no-show reporting period. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the use of someone else s words, ideas, pictures, design, and/or intellectual property without the correct documentation and punctuation. Plagiarism takes many forms: for example, turning in the same essay for two different courses is considered self-plagiarism and will result in a zero for the paper. You may legitimately wonder how anyone would ever know; this is one of the purposes of the SafeAssign plagiarism scan. Valencia College subscribes to SafeAssign. This Blackboard feature allows students to upload their essays so that software can compare these essays to every available electronic resource in the world, looking for parts that match up with previously published sources. All written assignments must be submitted for plagiarism analysis at SafeAssign.
Spring 2018 Syllabus 8 Plagiarism is morally indefensible. Any assignment showing signs of plagiarism, either the deliberate cut-and-paste of online or print sources the recycling of essays from previous classes essays written on behalf of the student by family members or friends result of inattention and incompetence Penalties: The first infraction is a zero for the assignment (that cannot be made up). A second instance is course failure. Period. You may also need to attend a mandatory meeting with dean to determine further disciplinary action. This is at my discretion. Withdrawal Policy: Per Valencia Policy 4-07 (Academic Progress, Course Attendance and Grades, and Withdrawals), a student who withdraws from class before the withdrawal deadline of Friday, March 30, 2017, will receive a grade of W. A faculty member MAY withdraw a student up to the beginning of the final exam period for violation of the class attendance policy. A student who is withdrawn by faculty for violation of the class attendance policy will receive a grade of W. Any student who withdraws or is withdrawn from a class during a third or subsequent attempt in the same course will be assigned a grade of F. Important Dates o Full Term: Classes begin 1/8. Regular classes end 4/20. Withdrawal deadline for W grade is 3/30. Final exams held 4/23 4/29. College Closed (Credit Classes Do Not Meet): o Jan. 15 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day o March. 12-16, Spring Break o See Valencia College calendar for important dates and final exam schedule at http://valenciacollege.edu/calendar ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES Students with Disabilities Information: Valencia is sensitive to and concerned about meeting the needs of all students. Students with disabilities who qualify for academic accommodations must provide a Notification to Instructor (NTI) form from the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) and discuss specific needs with the professor, preferably during the first two weeks of class; accommodations will not be applied retroactively. The Office for Students with Disabilities (West Campus SSB, Rm. 102 Phone: 407-582-1523 Fax: 407-582-1326) determines accommodations based on appropriate documentation of disabilities. Smoking on Campus: Smoking is not permitted on any Valencia College campus. Student Assistance Program Information: Valencia College strives to ensure that all students have a rewarding and successful college experience. To that purpose, Valencia students can get immediate help with issues dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, adjustment difficulties, substance abuse, time
Spring 2018 Syllabus 9 management as well as relationship problems dealing with school, home, or work. Bay Care Behavioral Health Student Assistance Program (SAP) services are free to all Valencia students and are available 24 hours a day by calling (800) 878-5470. Free face-to-face counseling is also available. Gordon Rule Requirement: In Freshman Composition I, students must write multiple written assignments and earn at least a C for this course to count toward graduation requirements. Failure to complete all outof-class and in-class essays according to specific requirements will result in an F for not meeting Gordon Rule Requirements. Contact Information (Name and Phone Number) Classmate #1: Classmate #2: Classmate #3: Time Management: How to Successfully Navigate a College Course Plan 6-9 hours per week dedicated to this course. Make sure you follow the course calendar, preview all requirements for assignments in advance, and set a realistic schedule to meet all deadlines to perform at your best. Plan time to take advantage of office hours and support resources as needed. Check your grades often through My Grades in Blackboard to determine if you are devoting enough time to this course s assignments and lessons. Email Etiquette E-mail etiquette: E-mail used for class purposes should be professional and appropriate in tone and content. Remember, e-mailing your professor is NOT like texting a friend. To ensure a response from me, send emails from your Atlas email to my Atlas email: ablewitt@valenciacollege.edu Before you email, review the email etiquette rules below: DO include a greeting with my name. DO be specific and concise with your question and commentary. DO sign your email with your first and last name. Sincerely, Your full name DO proofread for tone, content, and spelling. DON T write informally: unedited content, abbreviations, all lowercase letters, slang.
Spring 2018 Syllabus 10 Acceptance of All Syllabus Policies If you are enrolled in this class after the drop/refund deadline, then you automatically accept and agree to abide by the policies in this syllabus and deadlines in course calendar. Circumstances may require changes to the policies in this syllabus or even the course calendar, which will be announced in Blackboard or in class.