JOE NAPORA—ACTC: Office Rm. 438 / Ext. 326-2037 Office Hours: posted
on my office door. And you can contact me at any time via email:
joe.napora@kctcs.edu
| Before you consider taking this course, read
this note about deadlines: Each assignment has a deadline.
Failure to meet this deadline will result in a grade reduction after one
week and a failing grade after two weeks. Writing is a process.
Learning to write better is a process; it can only happen over time.
This deadline policy, therefore, is necessary to ensure that 1) I have
time to give you appropriate commentary about your work, and 2) you have
time to make the revisions necessary to make the final product of your
writing the best that you can make of it during the semester.
I want flexibility, but I also want to acknowledge that writing and
learning to write is a process. My main goal of this course is to help
you to be a better writer. I have found that deadlines are not a
punishment but help students to learn to write better.
If you think that you cannot accept this deadline policy, do not begin this
course. |
Be sure to follow the guidelines at VISIBLE
SPEECH. It is your main site for course information, student model themes,
and explanations.
REQUIRED MATERIALS: access
to an online computer. You must use MS Word or Open Office
[Available for free on the internet] as your word
processor program. You can usually find used copies for free. You do not
have to use the latest version of Word.
TEXT BOOK:
There is no required text for this class. All of the class materials are
available online, linked to my homepage.
COURSE
DESCRIPTION:
a course in writing emphasizing argument. Instruction
and practice in reading critically, thinking logically, responding to texts,
developing research skills, writing substantial essays through systematic
revision, addressing specific audiences, expressing ideas in standard and
correct English. Includes grammar and mechanics review. Note that (a) credit
is not available by special examination and (b) English 101 and English 102
may not be taken concurrently.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: This course has one main
objective: to help you write better.
Unlike speech, writing is not a natural activity; you must make a conscious
effort to learn to write. To learn to write better, you must continue to
make that effort. During this introductory writing course, you will learn
to write better by writing: essays, in-class unstructured writing, short
critical writing, out-of-class writing in your notebook, and an assortment
of writing exercises designed to give you an appreciation and working knowledge
of style so that you can write what you want when you want. Major emphasis
in this course will be on developing writing that is clear, precise, and
consciously directed for specific purposes.
LEARNING
OUTCOMES:
The primary goal of English 101 is
to facilitate students communicating effectively using Standard Written
English. To this end, the course will focus upon these composition
fundamentals:
·
choosing
appropriate writing topics
·
developing
topics thoughtfully and clearly
·
structuring
paragraphs around clear and specific topic sentences
·
structuring
short essays around clear and specific thesis statements
·
organizing
paragraphs and essays effectively
·
supporting
main ideas adequately
·
developing
introductory and concluding paragraphs for essays
·
organizing
and developing essays according to various rhetorical modes, with an emphasis
on argumentation
·
becoming
familiar with the writing process: pre-writing, writing, revision
·
writing
with an acceptable level of sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and
spelling errors
·
analyzing
and responding to the writings of professionals and students in order to
improve reading skills, writing skills, and critical thinking abilities
·
using
rudimentary research and documentation methods when composing essays.
Make
up work:
Work can be made up without
penalty with a legitimate excuse; however, there are course deadlines that
must be met. Not meeting these deadlines means getting reduced or no credit for the assignments.
Incomplete
work:
If you are passing the course but
are unable to finish all of the assignments, you may receive an Incomplete for
your course grade. I can only give a grade of Incomplete if you have completed
at least 75% of the course work, which for this course means everything except
the final drafts of Themes Five and Six. To receive an incomplete, you must
first see me before the end of class work.
Written
Work Policy.
The
papers must be word-processed in Microsoft Word and double-spaced.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Please note: Writing assignments must be done in order. Only after you have
received comments and / or grades from me, can you proceed to the next
assignment.
Keeping a log of your attendance, recording the
date and a brief account. See Summary of
Classes.
of the class activity or lesson; [Keeping
this log is part of the participation requirement and counts for one theme grade.]
Successful writing of 3 themes
of approximately 500 words; [three theme grades]
Completion of
the
writing
exercises; [one theme grade for
participation]
Completion of the last writing exercises [Theme
Five]
Completion of specific in and out of class writing
exercises; [The exercises include quizzes about the basics of
writing as well as quizzes on the required
readings of the online student essays.] [one theme grade]
Completion of Library Review; [one theme
grade]
[Note: the library review is graded on a Pass / Fail, either an A or an E.
If the first attempt is not an A grade, then the student continues with the
assignment until an A grade is received.]
Writing Review Exam [one theme grade]
[See the calendar for a link to the exam.]
Writing of a Self - Assessment Theme;
this is THEME SIX.
[one theme grade]
The Final Exam: You will be exempted
from taking the exam if your grades on your themes are A or A-. See the calendar below for the content of the exam.
ATTENDANCE: Success in this course
requires that you participate in every class meeting. Attendance will be
recorded, and the result of frequent absences will mean that you will fail the course.
The result of frequent excused absences will result in a grade of Incomplete
because only by attending class will you succeed in this course. A significant
part of this course is the Attendance Log, your documentation of your own
attendance.
At the conclusion of every class, you will record what you consider to be
the significant thing that you accomplished during the class: what was the
"lesson of the day." If you were not in attendance during that class meeting,
during the next class meeting, you will record the reason that you missed
class.
GRADES: To a large measure, grades are determined
by your participation (see above, ATTENDANCE). By the midterm you will have
a good idea of how you are doing in the class; you have the option of withdrawing
and receiving a grade of W.
For an explanation of how due dates affect grades, go
HERE.
Plan on attending the class; plan on succeeding.
General Education Competencies
You may have heard or read something about General Education Competencies.
If you haven't, you soon will. The following is a description of what they
are and how they are related tot he work you will be doing in this course.
English 101 is designed to incorporate all of these competencies. Completion
of this course will enable you to better realize these competencies in your
other courses.
Writing: to communicate effectively using standard
written English.
Reading: to analyze, summarize, and interpret
a variety of reading materials.
Integrated Learning: to think critically and
make connections in learning across the curriculum.
Creative Thinking: to elaborate upon knowledge
to create new thoughts, processes and / or products.
Ethics / Values: to demonstrate an awareness
of ethical considerations in making value choices.
During this course you will be asked to identify and discuss how what you
have done during the course has met these competencies. Don't worry. If you
do the assignments, you will be able easily identify and discuss the
competencies.
Disability Student
Statement: If
you have a disability that requires any type of accommodation, please see
me as soon as possible. I will direct you to the Disabled Students Coordinator,
and the three of us will discuss the appropriate accommodations to be
made.
Disability Services: CDC 220, Ext. 62051
And, finally, this is a reminder that Plagiarism
is a serious academic offense that is punishable by a failure on the
paper in question or expulsion from the school. Check your student handbook
for more details. Plagiarism, in short, means claiming someone else's work
as your own. Again, see the handbook for a more detailed explanation. It
is not possible for you to plagiarize in this course. I will know your writing
style, and a big part of this course is designed to make sure that you don't
plagiarize by mistake.
CALENDAR and COURSE OUTLINE English
101
[Print out this calendar and keep it handy. It will be your constant reminder
of what assignments are due and what you need to do to prepare for getting the
work done on time for class discussions. You will need to also read the
student essays and the explanations in the English 101 online workbook.
Quizzes on the readings may be given at any time.]
Week Ten is the Spring Break: March 15 - 20
| Week
Seventeen
May 3 |
Final Exam done in class |
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