Course

ENGL& 101: English Composition I

Term

Winter 2009

Days/Time

Daily 7:30-8:20am in R-204 (1172C)

Daily 10:30-11:20am in R-209 (1185O)

 

 

Instructor

Ms. Barbara Butler

     Email: bbutler@bellevuecollege.edu

     Office: R-230

Class Site

www.bellevuecollege.edu

     My BCC

 

Required Texts

Patterns for College Writing, Tenth Edition (Kirszner and Mandell)

A Writer’s Reference, Sixth Edition (Hacker)

 

Course Description

The focus of English 101 is the development of clear, effective writing skills with an emphasis on writing as a process, which includes drafting, editing, revising, and publishing. Students practice writing in a variety of forms and rhetorical modes such as narration, comparison-contrast, and argumentation.

 

Course Outcomes

·                  Demonstrate various invention practices: brainstorming, free writing, outlining, journaling

·                  Demonstrate the ability to write in various modes: personal narrative, expository, analytical, descriptive, and argumentative.

·                  Show comfort with the phases of writing: draft, revise, final copy.

·                  Explore sources of writing: reading, thinking, analyzing, discussing

·                  Create a thesis statement that suggests the focus of the paper, does not point out the obvious, and is written as a sentence.

·                  Locate the thesis statement in reading assignments.

·                  Develop and include enough details and examples to support the identified thesis and reinforce focus

·                  Differentiate between key ideas and supporting details in reading assignments.

·                  Organize the paper in a way that complements the thesis.

·                  Demonstrate style, of self and other writers.

·                  Open a paper effectively.

·                  Unite audience, purpose, and tone in an effective composition.

·                  Write in a vocabulary appropriate to the subject and audience.

·                  Conclude a paper effectively.

·                  Show effective control of mechanics: paragraphing, punctuation, spelling

·                  Practice good group skills: how to give useful feedback and how to make use of feedback received.

·                  Develop self-assessment skills.

 

Success in English 101

                With over twenty years of teaching experience, as well as innumerable years as a student, I can assure you that                 you will have the greatest success in class by observing the following:

ü  BE PREPARED     Check the course schedule and complete readings and assignments before class.

                                Make a plan and at least one backup plan to get word processed work to class in print form                                         when it is due. Bring your books to class. Take notes in class. Keep important papers organized.

ü  BE HERE                Plan to attend every class session in its entirety.  It’s important to be on time and ready to work                                                 every day. If you have scheduling conflicts—traffic, a class across campus, pending absences—                                        that will prevent your being here on time every day, you need to make changes in your schedule                   accordingly.

ü  BE HERE NOW    Give your full attention to the class activity by avoiding side conversations and socializing and by                                 silencing and stowing out of sight all electronic devices.

 

ü  BE CONSIDERATE             Respect the rights of others in class to voice opinions that differ from yours. Avoid                                          distracting and disruptive behaviors. Please do not eat during class time—beverages are fine.   

 

ü   BE CURIOUS      Ask questions. Look up words that are unfamiliar. Search for more information on a topic.

 

ü  BE ASSERTIVE    Ask for help from your instructor: I will gladly make time to meet with you to go over any                                             assignments. Ask for help from the Writing Lab: make an appointment with a writing tutor to go                                                 over your writing assignments. 

 

Assignment Policy

Because each assignment builds on the skills developed in the previous assignment, it is important to complete work on time.

·         Late assignments—for any reason—are due no later than two class sessions immediately following the original due date. For example, if an assignment is due on Monday, it can still be turned as late as during Wednesday’s class session. A penalty of 20% will be deducted from the overall assignment points possible.  After two class sessions past the due date, the assignment will no longer be accepted.

 

·         All assignments are to be submitted in class at the assigned time and date. Please do not use email or the college mail system (i.e., don’t drop off assignments to be put in my mailbox) to submit assignments.

 

·         For the four essays, there are no revisions allowed after the final draft is submitted. Consequently, it is important to take care in the drafting and editing stages to ensure that you earn the highest grade possible: check the printed directions sheet and scoring rubric to be sure you understand the assignment, complete all related readings, participate in peer reviews in class, ask your instructor for help both during class time and in individual conferences, and visit the Writing Lab for additional help with editing.

 

Assignments

Essays (4 x 100 points each)

400

Daily Assignments

200

Quizzes (10 x 10 points each)

100

Peer Reviews (5 x 10 points each)

50

Journals (15 x 5 points each)

75

 

 

Total

825

 

 

 

Grading

Final course grades are posted as letter grades. For ease of calculation, grades are based on a percentage system throughout the quarter. You are strongly urged to track your own grade, and I will give you computer-generated updates of your course grade periodically for verification.

A

93-100%

 

B+

88-89%

 

C+

78-79%

 

D+

68-69%

 

F

59%-

A-

90-92%

 

B

83-87%

 

C

73-77%

 

D

60-67%

 

 

 

 

 

 

B-

80-82%

 

C-

70-72%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attendance Policy

This course is designed for on-campus attendance, so it is important that you make every effort to attend each class in its entirety. From years of experience, I can assure you there is a very high correlation between attendance and success in class: Missing even one or two classes may seriously jeopardize your ability to earn a passing grade for the course. I am also aware that illness and emergencies do arise. As such, the attendance policy is as follows:

·         Attendance is taken promptly at the beginning of class. If you arrive late, you will need to check with me at the end of class to have your attendance record changed.

·         You may miss up to three 50-minute class periods with no points deducted from your overall grade. After that, an absence results in a deduction of 5 points each class. Late arrivals and early departures are counted as .5 class sessions, regardless of the time missed.

·         There are no excused absences in college courses in general. On one hand, this means that you do not have to explain why you are late or absent; on the other hand, it means that attendance counts regardless of the reason.

 

When You Are Absent

·         Study Partner     At the beginning of the quarter, find another student in class with whom you can trade email addresses or phone numbers. Then, in the event that you are absent from a class, the study partner can provide you with some kinds of information that you have missed in class, such as class notes.

·         My BCC        Check the My BCC site for this class to get any handouts or assignments missed.

·         Instructor   Although you did not need to give a reason for your absence, please do notify me by email when you will be absent and for what length of time.

·         Assignments will not be given out before they are assigned to the whole class.

 

Instructor Contact

It is important that you are able to reach me if you have questions regarding current assignments or would like help with drafting, editing, and revising.

  • Email – For brief questions, absence notification, or other concerns, the quickest way to reach me and receive a reply is by email. For security reasons, please include your name in the subject line if it is not clearly identified in your email address. Unidentifiable email will not be opened.
  • In Person – I encourage you to meet with me individually any time you would like help with your writing. To do so, please make an appointment by sending me an email message or asking during class time. In addition, I will often have some class time devoted to individual help, which I strongly suggest that you use.

 

Ownership

The work that you turn in under your name is expected to be your original work, written for this course and to the specifications of the assignment. Although you are encouraged to seek feedback on your writing from others and from the Writing Center, the writing must be demonstrably and essentially your own. Save drafts, outlines, and other preliminary steps toward your finished work, just in case a question of ownership arises.

 

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s words, ideas, or information as if they are your own or allowing someone else to use your words, ideas, or information as their own. It is important that you learn the correct techniques for documenting sources of information to be incorporated in your writing for any subject area in college, as well as in your professional and personal works. According to Bellevue Community College policy, for plagiarism or cheating, you may be given an “F” grade for an individual assignment or the entire course. In addition, the incident will be reported to the Dean of Student Services.

 

Disability Support Services

Students with disabilities who have accommodation needs are required to meet with the Director of the Disability Resource Center (Room B 132) to establish their eligibility for accommodation.  Telephone: (425) 564-2498 or TTY (425) 564-4110. In addition, students are encouraged to review their accommodation requirements with each instructor during the first week of the quarter