098 Syllabus DIS.docx

 

General Information

Instructor: Kate Brady

E-mail address: kbrady@ccp.edu 

Office phone: (215) 751-8694

Office: BR-68 (Bonnell Building, Rotunda Floor)

Office Hours:  

 

Please feel free to drop by during my office hours or contact me if you have a question. If these times don’t work for you, contact me to set up a meeting. I check my e-mail M-F between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. I will do my best to respond to you as quickly as possible.

Required Materials

• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
• Handouts/resources on Canvas

Course Description

Instruction and intensive practice in the development of academic reading and writing skills. Analysis of literary and non-fiction materials. Extensive practice in the writing process leading to the five-paragraph essay. Study of advanced grammar. Some sections will be linked to other English courses. Some linked sections are designated “ESL” for non-native speakers of English. Credit will not be applied toward graduation.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Analyze a written assignment
• Demonstrate ability to complete various states of the writing process
• Complete essays of 400-500 words in various rhetorical modes
• Structure essays with paragraphs including an introduction, body and conclusion
• Compose essays with no consistent pattern of verb errors or sentence boundary issues
• Evaluate effectiveness of their own writing via feedback from professor, peers and self

Grading

You will receive one of the following grades:

P:         70-100%

Student has completed and passed the course and is ready to move on to the next level (ENGL 101)

MP:     60-69%

Student has made progress toward passing this course, but will need to take it over again, with no negative impact on the student’s GPA

F:         59% and lower

Student has not passed the course

 

Assignment                                          Points

Graded Discussions (15)                                    375 (25 points each)

Outlines (4)                                          40 (10 points each)

Rough Drafts (4)                                   40 (10 points each)

Peer Reviews (3)                                               30 (10 points each)                   

Essays (4)                                              400 (100 points each)

Grammar & Punctuation Quizzes (4)     100 (25 points each)

Mid-term Exam (Timed Writing)                       50                                

Final Exam (Timed Writing)                  100

 

                                    Total points: 950

 

*To calculate your percentage at any time, divide the total points you have earned by the total points possible.

Graded Discussions

Once a week, you are required to complete a graded discussion on Canvas. You response (minimum 100 words) should be in-depth and thoughtful and should end with a question for your peers to answer. After posting your response, you should read all the other posts and respond to at least two of your peers’ ideas. In this way, we can still discuss the ideas, though we are not face-to-face. What should you write in response to your peers? Here are some ideas: agree or disagree with the idea and state why, answer the question the writer has asked, comment on what the ideas remind you of, or ask another question altogether. Your responses to peers should also be in-depth and thoughtful, a minimum of fifty words. Depending on the question, you may or may not be able to see your peers’ responses until after you post your response.

Brainstorming, Outlines, Rough Drafts & Essays

Throughout the semester, you will write four essays. For each of these essays, you will go through a writing process that includes brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revising, and editing. You are required to submit some parts of this process along the way. The content of these essays will change, but most will relate to our class text, The Glass Castle.

Peer Reviews

Throughout the semester, you will complete several peer reviews, giving your classmates feedback on their writing. These help your classmates to do their best work, and they help you to become a more critical reader and writer. Everyone wins!

Grammar & Punctuation Quizzes

To improve the grammar and punctuation in your writing, we will practice and complete quizzes on different grammar and punctuation rules. You will then apply these skills to the essays you write. We will cover verbs, sentence structure, pronouns, and punctuation (and anything else as needed).

 

Expectations

Attendance

• Prompt attendance is required. More than six absences and/or excessive lateness/leaving early will result in unsatisfactory grades.  In the case of extenuating circumstances, contact me as soon as possible to discuss your attendance.
• If you find your absences or other factors are severely affecting your ability to pass the course, you have the option of withdrawing from the course. The student, not the instructor, will be responsible for completing the withdrawal. The last date to withdraw is November 18, 2014.
• In the case of an absence, late arrival, or early departure, students are responsible for getting caught up on missed classwork, handouts, and assignments and completing assignments due for the next class period.
• All assignments are due on the date posted in Canvas.
• Late work is only accepted for one week after the due date. I will deduct  5% from your grade for each calendar day it is late.
• Students are responsible for their actions and are expected to maintain the highest standard of conduct at all times. Please read the Student Code of Conduct, as you will be responsible for complying with it in all your classes.
  • Class discussions create an environment for individuals with different perspectives to discuss and debate ideas. This is an important part of the learning process. However, keep in mind we will be debating the merits of an idea, not the merits of the individual who expresses the idea. Any posts which are found to be offensive, inappropriate, or off topic will be immediately deleted from the forum, and the student will be given 0 points of credit for the week.

Late Work

Classroom Environment

Academic Honesty

In accordance with college policy, neither plagiarism nor cheating in any form will be tolerated. In general, this means that you should do your own work and not use the words, ideas, or work of others without giving them proper credit. If you use the words and/or ideas of another person without giving them proper credit or if you cheat, I will report the incident to the college. If the college finds you responsible, you will receive a zero on the assignment. If you do so a second time, you may fail the class and be subject to disciplinary actions from the college.

 

Technology Policy

Because this is a computer-based course, you will be required to adhere to certain technology requirements.

• Students should have reliable and consistent access to a computer and internet connection. Students WITHOUT a home computer and/or internet access should make sure that they have access to a computer which can be used at specific times and in an uninterrupted and quiet place.
• Students must have access to Microsoft Office 97- 2003 or 2007
• Weekly presentations are viewable only in MS Power Point; Power Point Viewer may be downloaded at a fraction of the cost of all full version of MS PowerPoint.
• All written assignments must be submitted in MS Word only. Word Perfect, Word Pad, MS Works, and other like programs are NOT acceptable programs for document submission.Please contact me about using these programs and converting them to MS Word for submission.
• Students must have Adobe Acrobat downloaded onto their computers so that they may open PDF documents
• Students should backup ALL work submitted for the course. This means keeping a version of your work saved onto a CD or flash drive as well as your personal computer.

 

Forum Guidelines

• Required number of weekly posts: One original response to the weekly forum prompt; at least two responses to classmate posts.
• Post Lengths: Original responses must be a minimum of 100 words and end with a question for your classmates to answer
• Classmate responses must be a minimum of 50 words each.
• Posting Days: Original responses MUST BE posted between Monday and Thursday of each week. Classmate responses MUST BE posted between Thursday and Sunday of each week. Failure to post during the required period will result in a deduction of forum points for that week.
• The discussion forum is the portion of our course which most closely mirrors the communication that goes on in a traditional face-to-face classroom. For this reason, it is extremely important that you give your classmates and instructor the same respect that you would give them in person. 
• Make sure you use academic grammar, spelling, and punctuation in your responses. 

Resources

Learning Lab

If you need extra help with assignments, please plan to meet with me. However, you can seek additional tutoring at CCP’s Learning Lab. A scheduled tutoring appointment is the best way to make sure you receive personal attention. However, whenever the Learning Lab is open, you may also stop by to request a drop-in appointment. To schedule a tutoring session, visit the Learning Lab at the Main Campus or Regional Centers. The Learning Lab tutoring centers are located in B1-28 (liberal arts and English), B2-36 (math and business), and W3-26 (allied health and science) on the Main Campus. You will need your college ID.

Computers

Access to a computer, a word processing program, and the internet are required for this class. All assignments will be typed and submitted through Canvas. Students are responsible for checking Canvas and their e-mail regularly. Not having access to these is not a valid excuse for not completing your work. If you do not have access to these at home, you can use the on-campus computer labs. The Student Academic Computer Centers for Main Campus are located in B2-33 (Bonnell) and C3-17 (Center for Business and Industry). There are also computers available in the library (Mint Building).

Statement on Disability

Students who have special needs that require testing and/or classroom accommodations should contact the Center on Disability at 215-751-8050, or stop by Room BG-39 to make an appointment to speak with a counselor.  In order to receive testing/and or classroom accommodations, students with disabilities must be registered with the Center On Disability and must provide their instructors with accommodation forms that have been prepared by the counselor in the Center.

 

 

Calendar

(This calendar may be revised throughout the semester.)

 

Week	Date	Topic	Work Due
1	9/1	No Class: Labor Day
	9/3	Introductions Syllabus
	9/5	Introductions Cont. Reading Process & The Glass Castle
2	9/8	Subjects & Verbs Reading Process	Read pages 9-18
	9/10	Subjects & Verbs Writing Process
	9/12	Subjects & Verbs Writing Process	Read pages 19-28
3	9/15	Subjects & Verbs Essay 1 Introduction	Read pages 29-41
	9/17	Subjects & Verbs Essay 1 Prewriting
	9/19	Subjects & Verbs Essay 1 Outlining	Read pages 42-53
4	9/22	Subjects & Verbs Essay 1 Drafting	Read pages 54-66
	9/24	Subjects & Verbs Quiz
	9/26	Essay 1 Workshop	Rough Draft Essay 1
5	9/29	Sentence Structure Essay 1 Revising & Editing	Read pages 67-80
	10/1	Sentence Structure Reflection	Final Draft Essay 1
	10/3	Sentence Structure Essay 2 Introduction & Prewriting	Read pages 81-93
6	10/6	Sentence Structure Essay 2 Outlining	Read pages 94-105
	10/8	Sentence Structure Essay 2 Drafting	Read pages 106-115
	10/10	Essay 2 Workshop	Rough Draft Essay 2
7	10/13	Sentence Structure Essay 2 Revising & Editing	Read pages 116-125
	10/15	Sentence Structure Quiz
	10/17	Mid-term Preparation	Final Draft Essay 2
8	10/20	Mid-term Preparation	Read pages 129-139
	10/22	Mid-term Exam
	10/24	Pronouns Essay 3 Introduction & Prewriting	Read pages 140-154
9	10/27	Pronouns Essay 3 Outlining	Read pages 155-167
	10/29	Pronouns Essay 3 Drafting	Read pages 168-179
	10/31	Essay 3 Workshop	Rough Draft Essay 3
10	11/3	Pronouns Essay 3 Revising & Editing	Read pages 180-192
	11/5	Pronouns	Final Draft Essay 3
	11/7	Pronouns Quiz
11	11/10	Punctuation Essay 4 Introduction & Prewriting	Read pages 193-205
	11/12	Punctuation Essay 4 Outlining	Read pages 206-217
	11/14	Punctuation Essay 4 Drafting	Read pages 218-234
12	11/17	Essay 4 Workshop	Rough Draft Essay 4
	11/19	Punctuation Essay 4 Revising & Editing	Read pages 235-251
	11/21	Punctuation Reflection	Final Draft Essay 4 Read pages 252-268
13	11/24	Punctuation	Read pages 269-288
	11/26	Punctuation Quiz
	11/28	No class: Thanksgiving Holiday
14	12/1	Final Exam Preparation
	12/3	No Class: Professional Development Day/Study Day (Potential Emergency Closing make-up day)
	12/5	Final Exam Preparation
15	12/8-12/13	Final Exam Week: time & date of our final exam to be announced