English 101 Course Information &
Syllabus
Fall 2004
Dr. Nancy Chick
“Discipline is never a restraint.
It’s an aid. The first commandment of the romantic school is
‘Don’t
worry about grammar, spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, plot or structure—just
let it come.’ That’s not writing; that’s vomiting, and it leads to
uncontrolled, unreadable prose. Remember: Easy writing makes hard reading, but
hard writing makes easy reading.”
—
“Wordstruck is exactly what I was—and still am: crazy
about the sound of words, the look of words, the taste of words, the feeling
for words on the tongue and in the mind.”
—Robert MacNeil
Dr. Nancy Chick 121 Meggers 234-8176,
ext. 5425
Associate Professor of English Office hrs: 2-3 MW; 1-1:45 TTh or
appt nchick@uwc.edu
MWF
11-11:50am or 1-1:50pm in SC402
English 101 is a writing course that focuses on the basic techniques of composition, on the composing process with attention to drafts and revisions, and on coherence and organization of student essays.
A grade of
C or better in English 098 or exemption through sufficiently high placement
test score
Required
Materials
☼
☼ A three-ring notebook &
plenty of paper (Keep all work for this class in this folder, and bring
it to every meeting.)
☼ A spiral notebook devoted solely to your Reading Journal
Recommended
Texts
A good
dictionary (one is available for purchase in UW-BC Business Office, Meggers
Hall)
Course
Objectives
The main
course objective is to prepare you for future college writing assignments,
particularly those in English 102, and for basic writing tasks in the world off
campus, so we will focus on specific skills to meet this objective. Furthermore, because writing and reading
skills go hand in hand, our goals will address both. As readers, we will focus
on the following abilities:
As
writers, we will focus on the following abilities:
·
To
integrate knowledge and experience to arrive at creative solutions.
I rarely
lecture; instead, you will participate actively in creating a learning
environment in the classroom by constantly supporting each other’s learning
through writing workshops. These workshops will require you to share your
writings and read and respond to your classmates’ writings, with much small
group discussion and active participation in large group discussion expected of
each student. Thus, be prepared to talk often and to participate in class
activities beyond simple note taking. In addition, I expect to see prepared and
thinking students. This means that you
will bring the required materials (including your book, notebook, and all
class writings, including drafts in progress) and complete any assignments
due for a particular day. Along with doing well on written assignments, the
best way to illustrate that you are an active, engaged, and interested student
is by contributing regularly to class discussions and actively participate in
these workshops.
Completing the readings listed on the syllabus before you
come to class is the very least of your responsibilities. Schedule appropriate
times for reading every day to make sure you have completed all assignments
before you come to class, not just by skimming the material but by actively and
carefully reading each assignment.
Further, to help you enter into class discussions, read the assigned
selections carefully, take notes in the margins and in your Reading Journal,
and look up unfamiliar words in the dictionary.
Format
of Writing Assignments:
All papers
must be typed, double-spaced, and stapled.
Use 12-point font (Arial or Times New Roman, please) and one-inch
margins to standardize paper length and be kind to my eyes. MLA guidelines for parenthetical
documentation must be followed when documenting any source. Specific guidelines
for each paper will be provided.
Late papers:
Late papers
will be reduced according to the following scale:
after class, but the same day it's
due 1/3 of a
letter grade (A to A-)
next calendar day 2/3
of a letter grade (A to B+)
every day after that 1
letter grade per day (A to B)
To state the obvious, you must be
present to participate in class. I expect you to attend every class and to be
on time, prepared, and attentive. You are responsible for all
assignments whether you attend class or not. Except
in extraordinary circumstances when
the absence is excused, missing the equivalent of three weeks of class will
result in a failing grade for the course. If you do miss a class or part of a class, you should get
missed assignments, notes, and handouts from your study partner before
you return to class, rather than asking me my least favorite question, “Did I
miss anything important in class yesterday?” (Every class is important!) If you miss key discussions or announcements
because of an absence, it is your responsibility to seek out that information
before the next class period. If you
miss a due date on an assignment for any reason, you should turn in that
assignment the very next day (not the next class period) and expect your
work to be lowered by a single grade per day. Some assignments assess
preparedness for that particular class period, so they cannot be submitted
late. (See the Grade Breakdown below for details.)
Conferences & Tutoring
I will be
available to see you during office hours to discuss your work, your progress,
or any other concerns you may have. (Be aware, though, that when I’m in my
office, I’m working, so while I enjoy social or “extracurricular” visits,
please keep them brief.) To assure that I will be able to see you, you should
try to set up an appointment with me. I am also available for questions and
concerns via e-mail. If you want help with your writing (in any class), we also
have writing tutors in the Learning Lab (Meggers 124), and the UW Colleges has
an Online Writing Lab. You can find information about both at
http://www.barron.uwc.edu/English/engdept.htm.
Study Partners
Early in the semester, we will set
up study partnerships. Your partner will be responsible for providing detailed
notes and handouts for you if you are absent, but it is your
responsibility to contact your partner if you are absent. He or she will just
gather handouts and take notes for you. List the contact information
below.
Partner Name
__________________________________ phone # ___________________________
Backup Partner Name
_________________________________ phone # ______________________
Computers
You must submit all out-of-class,
written assignments in a typed or computer-printed form. Using computers or word processors is the
preferred mode for class writings because it makes composing and
revising easier for you and reading easier for me. There is ample computer lab
space on campus if you do not have a computer at home, so
familiarize yourself with this equipment and hours of availability as soon as
possible. If you are not familiar with word processing on a
computer, see me and we'll arrange for instruction.
As a student in the
10% Class
Participation
10% Various Daily Reading and Writing Activities and Quizzes (completed and submitted only during the assigned class time)
15% Reading Journal
60% Four Essays
(15% each)
5% Final Exam
You must
submit a reading journal, four essays, and final exam to receive a passing
grade for the course, and you must earn a C to pass English 101.
Assessment
The UW Colleges-wide assessment program was
established to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the curriculum,
programs, and services of the institution. The institution-wide
assessment activities focus on analytical, quantitative, and communication
skills because they are of primary importance in the general education of our
students. This semester, students in composition will be assessed on
communication skills, specifically the ability to communicate clearly,
precisely, and in a well-organized manner.
Course Syllabus[1]
Week One
(Sept 3)
C
Introduction
to the Course, Your Classmates, and Your Professor (SMH 1d-f)[2]
Week Two
(Sept 8, 10)
C
Reading
Actively (1b), "The Difference Between High School and College" (h) [3],
"What True Education Should Do" (h), Discuss Overall
Essay Structure,
Receive English 101 Rubric, Diagnostic
Mini-Essay due Wednesday
C
Week
Three (Sept 13, 15, 17)
C
"Freshmen Can Be Taught to Think
Creatively" (h)
C
Mapping
the Writing Process (1a), Audience (2h), Prewrite Essay One (2a-d, 3a1-7, 42c2-3,
48), Commas in a Series (30d)
C
Week
Four (Sept 20, 22, 24)
C
Peer
Review of Essay One (4a-c before Peer Review; 4d-j after Peer Review; bring
printout of your completed, computer-composed draft to Peer Review or be
counted absent)
C
Parts
of Speech and Parts of a Sentence (7a; 7b1-3, 7b6-7; 7c; 7d1)
C
Week
Five (Sept 27, 29, Oct 1)
C
NEA
Study excerpts (h)
C
C
Week Six
(Oct 4, 6, 8*)
C
Prewrite
Essay Two, Outlining Workshop (3e, pp541-43)
C
Week
Seven (Oct 11, 13, 15)
C
Commas
with Introductory Elements (30a), The Thesis Sentence (3b, 5c)
C
Peer Review of Essay Two (bring printout of your
completed, computer-composed draft or be counted absent), Apostrophes (33)
C
Week
Eight (Oct 18, 20, 22*)
C
Commas with Compound Sentences/Comma Splices/Fused
Sentences (30b, 30j, 15)
C
Week
Nine (Oct 25, 27, 29)
C
Subject-Verb
Agreement (10), Fragments (16), Prewrite Essay Three
C
Paragraph
Unity (6a, 6c)
C
Week Ten
(Nov 1, 3, 5)
C
Discuss
Locus of Control and
C
Prewrite Essay Three, continue discussion of reading Jurassic
Park
C
Documenting Paraphrases (42d, 44a; MLA 6.4.2)
Week
Eleven (Nov 8, 10, 12)
C
Introductions and Conclusions (6f1-2)
C
Commas
with Quotes (30h), Integrating and Documenting Quotes Correctly (43d, 44a; MLA
3.7.1)
C
Semicolons (31), Peer Review of Essay Three (bring
printout of your completed, computer-composed draft or be counted absent)
Week
Twelve (Nov 15, 17, 19)
C
Peer Review Workshop
C
Peer Review Workshop, Commas with Nonrestrictive Clauses (30c, 30e-f, 30j)
C
Bring
your completed Reading Journal to class, Essay Three due Friday
Week
Thirteen (Nov 22, 24)
C
Group
analyses of Reading Journals
C
Workshop on selecting and narrowing ideas from
Reading Journal
C
Workshop
on synthesizing articles with Reading Journal
Week
Fourteen (Nov 29, Dec 1, 3)
C
Workshop
on organizing Essay Four
C
Peer Review Workshop
C
Peer Review Workshop
Week
Fifteen (Dec 6, 8, 10)
C
Peer
Review for Essay Four (bring printout of your completed, computer-composed
draft or be counted absent)
C
Peer Review Workshop
C
Peer Review Workshop
Week Sixteen (Dec 13, 15)
C
Essay Four due Monday
C
Review
for Final Exam
Final Exam: Tuesday, Dec 21, 11am – 1pm (11am class) or Friday, Dec 17, 2 – 4pm
[1] This is a
weekly syllabus, so specific daily readings and assignments (as well as any
changes to the syllabus) will be announced in class. It’s your responsibility
to come to class and keep up with such announcements. Any changes to the syllabus—a common
occurrence as we need to spend more time on something or as we amend
assignments—will be announced in class.
[2] Numbers and
letters in parentheses indicate the sections in your St. Martin’s Handbook or MLA Handbook, most often SMH. SMH
places these numbers/letters in a mustard-colored box on the top corner of the
page, next to the page numbers, and MLA places them in bold, red font and at
the top of each page. (For instance, SMH
1d-f appears on pages 12-17, and MLA 6.4.2 is on pages 244-247.) You should
read these selections carefully and actively, taking notes (especially details
about terms in bold and about the headings/subheadings), annotating the book
with Post-It notes, and looking up words in the dictionary, before you come to class.
[3] An
"h" in parentheses means that this reading is a handout I'll
distribute the class period before we discuss or apply the reading. It is your responsibility to get this reading
in time whether you’re in class or absent.