Syllabus For Composition I
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Prerequisite: Successful College
Placement Exam or Completion of Engl 099
Course
Description: Instruction
in writing and reading expository prose, making oral presentations, and using
computers. Emphasis on organizing and
developing paragraphs and essays, as well as fine tuning proofreading and
editing skills, mechanics, and correct, clear expression of ideas.
Student
Learning Objectives: Students will be able to use
effectively in writing English grammar, mechanics, usage, diction, spelling,
and punctuation; to write essays –following the conventions of standard English
– that is clear, well organized, coherent, and unified; to read with
understanding and insight; to respond orally and in writing to specific reading
assignments; to make at least one oral presentation and to make use of computer
technology.
Course
Materials:
Individual Handouts from
Dr. Peckham
The Best American Essays
of the Century
Joyce Carol Oates
The Elements of Style
by EB White and William Strunk
Grammatically Correct
Anne Stillman
A
composition notebook to be used as a journal.
A folder
for storing in-class writings and course handouts.
A computer storage device (usb preferred) for storing typed essays.
Methodologies of Instruction
and Learning/Assessment:
Course Goals: In this class we will discover and practice
the basics of good essay writing while building a community of writers willing
and able to help each other to
1) learn about the essay form
through reading strong work by master essayists
2) learn to use that form as a means
of exploring and examining ourselves and our world
3) improve our skill in the writing of
clear and complex sentences and paragraphs and shaping them into logically
ordered and designed essays.
4) give and take feedback
5) use that feedback to revise and
complete these essays
Note: There is no single writing process and
therefore no single method for learning how to write. Every one of you will be coming in with
particular talents and shortcomings. I
will do everything I can to help you.
Work hard, help each other, trust your abilities and work on your
weaknesses.
Methods of Instruction: I believe that everyone learns
at different speeds and in different ways.
For that reason, I will have you reading, responding, and writing
individually and in groups. There will
be many in-class projects and you will be asked to work with and respond to the
writings of others. Good writing comes
from gradual and consistent effort over time. With that in mind there will be a
great deal of focus on revision.
Assessment: You will be assessed in multiple ways
designed to judge not only your ability to write but your ability to give and
respond to criticism.
Grade
Breakdown in Brief:
Journal—100 pts
Learning Folder , Class
Participation, Pop Quizzes—-100 pts
Essay #1 and all Revisions—“Observe and Reflect”
Essay #2 and all
Revisions—“Re-define”
Essay #3 and all
Revisions—“Sweet Charity”
Learning Letter
Final Portfolio (ungraded course requirement) A 3
ring binder portfolio containing a learning letter, the three major essays and
all revisions must be turned in on the final exam period for this class for
successful completion of the course.
Students must also back-up all typed
assignments on a computer disk—a copy of which must be included with the
portfolio.—800pts
A:
90-100 B: 80-89
C: 70-79 D:
65-69 F: 64 and below
(900-100)
(800-899) (700-799) (650-699)
(649 and below)
Grade
Breakdown with Explanations (Non-essay Component)
Journal (100 points total)—The journal should be a spiral or flat-spined
writer’s journal and it should contain your handwritten assignments from this
course. These would include in In-Class
Writings, Free-writing, Pre-writing, and any exercises assigned with the
reading.
Class
Participation ( Discussion, Learning Folder / Pop Quizzes / Discussion Board/ etc.) (100 points total)— (Note: the point breakdown
here is a rough approximation; your class participation grade is assessed holistically.)
The Learning Folder (20 pts out of 100) should
contain all writing prompts, peer review sheets (written by others about your
paper), content quizzes (if assigned), any daily assignment I might ask for,
and class notes. It is one of the fundamental
means by which I evaluate class participation and should not be taken
lightly. Learning folders will be graded
on their completeness (presence of all in-class materials), and thoroughness. A shoddy or sparse folder can result in a 0
for class participation. A good one can
make the difference between a B and a C.
Pop Quizzes (20 pts out of 100) I will definitely have surprise
quizzes based on reading content. We
cannot afford to have anyone in this class who is not keeping up with the material . Each pop
quiz will have 10 questions worth 2pts each regarding the reading. All pop quizzes will be averaged together to
determine the pop quiz grade.
Other Class Participation Factors (60 pts out of 100)
1) the number and
quality of the questions you ask and answer in class,
2) your willingness to participate in class activities,
especially peer groups
3) your willingness and ability to bring your own experiential
knowledge into class discussion,
4) your positive and respectful attitude toward your fellow
students, the readings, authors, and professor of the course. I don't tolerate disrespect in any manner
toward anyone or anything. I’m a
good-natured man, and I want us to enjoy the course, but I don’t like fools or
clowns. Harassment is absolutely taboo
(see policies). Keep your off-color
comments to yourself if you are inclined to make them. Don’t proposition members of the opposite sex
in class. Don’t comment on the physical
appearance of your classmates or the professor. Keep your language clean. Make certain that any criticism given is
constructive. In short, show respect to
others and to yourself.
5) your ethics and
honesty. If I catch a student cheating
on a test, quiz, or writing assignment, that student will fail the assignment
and will lose an extra 5 points from his or her total grade. If you cheat on a quiz, then, you get zero
on quiz and you lose 5 points out of your possible 100. If it happens a second time, there will be
administrative involvement.
*If I deem class participation to be exceptional to
the point where other students substantially benefit from a particular
classmate’s presence, I reserve the right to weigh this portion of the grade
more heavily than 100pts. The opposite
is true if a student’s class participation is poor enough or disruptive enough
to hurt the learning community. A “B”
can become a “C” very quickly if I feel that you are doing damage to a fellow
classmate’s experience in the course.
Grade
Breakdown with Explanations (Essay Component)
Graded Paper Assessment Breakdown:
All Papers are graded, roughly, on the following
Scale
The evidence of a clear controlling idea or
purpose—40 pts
Quality of Ideas/Commentary/Analysis—40 pts
Quality of Depiction / Observation / Attention to
detail—40 pts
Evidence of Coherence, Organization and
Paragraphing—40 pts
Quality of Grammar and Style—40 pts
For a total of 200 pts
Note: the grade on individual papers is entirely
provisional. I will give the student a
grade so that the student knows how he/she is doing, but the grade that
“counts” is the grade on the final portfolio.
Graded Papers in Brief:
Graded Paper #1
(200 points total) The first paper topic is an
observation / reflection paper in which you are asked to closely observe /
describe an event an object (or collection of objects) a
place, or a person and then reflect on the significance of what you have
observed. This paper will require the
rhetorical skills of description and analysis.
Graded Paper #2 (200 points total) The second paper will be a
definition paper in which you attempt to explain a concept through personal
experience. I am most interested in
large concepts here like Redemption, Grief, Joy, etc. In this essay, you are required to re-define
a concept, pushing beyond traditional definitions by bringing your personal
experience to the table. The paper will
require rhetorical skills of, narration and definition
Graded Paper #3 (200 points total) The third paper, “Sweet
Charity,” is a definition / persuasion
paper in which you must inform your fellow students about a local charitable
organization (history, function, role), and attempt to persuade them to
volunteer their time to that organization.
If you wish you may pick out a specific person as your audience. In order to complete the assignment you must
devote at least an hour of your time to that volunteer organization.. Commuting students
may choose an organization located in their home communities.
Learning
Letter (200
points total) The learning letter will accompany the
final portfolio and will be a letter to the professor in which the student
recounts his or her learning process.
The purpose of this essay is not so much to convince the professor to
give a certain grade, but to give an honest account of the student’s experience
in the class.
Revisions are substantially re-written graded papers that are
averaged together with the original graded paper. A student must revise each graded
paper once (between the original due-date and the submission of the portfolio)
but may revise it more often that that.
In order to be considered a revision there must be the equivalent of at
least one paragraph of new writing. All
revisions must be submitted for review within one week subsequent to appts with the professor.
The
Writing Process We Will Employ
While
there is no single writing process, students must complete a
specific writing process to complete each essay
Step
1) Complete in class all writing prompts, pre-writing, brainstorming, and
free-writes on your topic
Step
2) Complete a rough draft of at least 2 pages in length developed from those
writing prompts and free-writes
Step
3) Submit that rough draft and an author’s letter for peer review
Step
4) Revise a significant portion of the essay based on a specific piece of
advice given by one of your peers
Step
5) Hand in the author’s letter, the original draft and the new draft (revised,
typed, and saved on a computer disk).
Clearly label everything.
Step
6) Sign up for an appt. with Dr. Peckham to discuss this draft
Step
7) Meet with Dr. Peckham for a 15 minute appt.,
receive feedback and W.C. referral, and take notes during the appt.,
(At this time nothing or very little will be written
on the paper and no grade will be offered.
This meeting is meant to warn students regarding possible grammar
hotspots that they need to review and to give suggestions regarding content,
organization, and style)
Step
8) Revise paper based on your notes
Step
9) Optional Hand in paper, notes, and new author’s letter to Dr. Peckham
Step
10) Hand in all
Drafts and revisions with your final portfolio
Withdrawal dates
Withdrawals are subject to the standard University of Cincinnati procedures and dates. The student, not the professor, is responsible for completing the appropriate withdrawal procedures.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious academic offense. This is the University’s definition of plagiarism:
•Submitting another's published or unpublished work, in whole, in part, or in paraphrase, as one's own without fully and properly crediting the author with footnotes, citations or bibliographical reference.
•Submitting as one's own original work material obtained from an individual or agency without reference to the person or agency as the source of the material.
•Submitting as one's own original work material that has been produced through unacknowledged collaboration with others without release in writing from the collaborators.
We will be working on how to properly cite sources in 103. Therefore, there will be no excuse for plagiarizing in this class.
American with Disabilities Act policy
The policy of the University of Cincinnati Clermont College requires students with physical or learning disabilities to identify themselves to the coordinator of disability services, Jennifer Radt, in the Student Services Building, for appropriate academic assistance.
Administrative Procedures
and Class Policies:
A. Completion of the drop/add
process and the withdrawal process is the responsibility of the student.
B. Absence Policy: Don’t miss the class if you
can avoid it. I don’t allow make-ups for
missed quizzes and I don’t allow students to turn in papers that haven’t gone
through the entire writing process. You
will struggle if you miss this class.
C. Tardiness. If you are late, I don’t let
you in. If you arrive and the door is
closed don’t open it, you are being disrespectful and disruptive.
D. Policy for make-up work. Students are responsible to
complete any work they miss during an absence.
Missed work can only be made up if the student has a legitimate excuse
for missing the class and provides supporting documentation. Legitimate excuses include illness, serious
family obligations, and sanctioned college activities for which absence is
required.
E. Harassment Policy: I see sexual and racial
harassment as a direct attack not only on the victim, but on the entire
community. Harassment is any behavior
that would either threaten a reasonable person or inhibit that person’s ability
to learn or work by creating an uncomfortable environment. Don’t say or do anything to a fellow student
that you wouldn’t say or do to your own mother, father, sister, or brother. Sexual or racial comments made in the
classroom, even if not directed at anyone in particular and even if made in
jest, will be considered harassment.
The presence of materials that demean others –inappropriate or offensive t-shirts or
magazines for example—will also be considered harassment. Such behavior will directly affect the
offending student’s grade for class participation and may result in dismissal
from the class for the day or even for the quarter.
F. Dress Code: Though
I have no official dress-code, I would expect students to
dress as professionally as possible. How
you dress not only gives signals to your classmates and to your professor, it
affects your self-image. If you take
yourself seriously, other people will as well.
G. Late Assignments: I do not accept late
assignments. Assignments should be ready
for submission at the beginning of class on the day that they are due. Because I understand that events may happen
that are beyond a student’s control, I allow for one 24 hour pass a semester.
That means that one time during the semester, for whatever reason you
might have, or for no reason at all, you may hand in an assignment 24 hours
late. If an assignment is due on a
Friday, I expect you to send it to me over the e-mail by attachment or as text
by Saturday, 11am. If electronic
submission is not possible, contact me and I will arrange another method for
you to hand in the assignment on time. I
urge students to use this option only when and if they desperately need it. If
a student must miss a class on the day an assignment is to be turned in, the
student must find another student to turn it in for them or must send the
assignment to me via e-mail by the beginning of class on the day the assignment
is due. I will make rare exceptions if I
have ample reasons. The 24 hour pass cannot be used for a final portfolio or a
pop-quiz.. A
late portfolio will assure failure in the course.