Syllabus, Engl. 122 Spring 09

The Community College of Denver
The Center for Arts & Sciences / Language, Arts & Behavioral Sciences Department
South Classroom 307, (303) 556-2473, fax (303) 556-3851
ENG 122: ENGLISH COMPOSITION II
Teacher: Jeff Becker

COURSE:

Course Title: English Composition I
Course Prefix, Number & Section: ENG 122-002
Crn #: 30161
Credits: 3
Course Description: Expands and refines the objectives of English Composition I. ENG 122 emphasizes critical and logical thinking and reading, problem definition, research strategies, and writing analytical, evaluative, and/or persuasive papers that incorporate research. This course is required for graduation with the AA and AS degrees and provides transfer credit.

Prerequisite(s)/Co-requisites: English 121
Semester and Year: Spring Semester 2009
Meeting Location, Times and Days: SO 127, 7 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., Monday and Wednesday
OFFICE/OFFICE HOURS SO 307B/ After Class: 8:15-9:30
Phone: None Email: Jeffrey.becker@ccd.edu


COURSE BUSINESS:

STUDENT OUTCOMES (IE WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW HOW TO DO WHEN WE ARE DONE HERE):
(1) Write unified, coherent and well-developed analytical/argumentative essays.
(2) Write an extended (e.g., 8-15 pages of text) argumentative research paper.
(3) Use a variety of research methods to locate appropriate sources.
(4) Evaluate the credibility and usefulness of researched sources.
(5) Read critically and understand complex source material.
(6) Integrate complex sources into YOUR writing.
(7) Continue to master and apply the writing process.
(8) Write grammatically correct sentences.

Student Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity Admission to the Community College of Denver implies that you agree to respect the rights of others and observe moral and civil laws. Interference with the normal processes of education in the classroom or elsewhere on the campus will be regarded as unacceptable conduct, warranting suspension or dismissal. Complete Student Code of Conduct is at this web site: http://ccd.rightchoice.org/Student_Life/COC.html.
Americans with Disabilities Act Students with a documented disability who need reasonable accommodations to achieve course objectives should notify the instructor and apply for services at the Center for Persons with Disabilities within the first week of classes. More information is available at http://ccd.rightchoice.org/EPAC/disabilities.html.
Grade of Incomplete
Incomplete: An "I" indicates that the course objectives are not yet fulfilled. It is the responsibility of the student to request, if needed, the assignment of an incomplete grade. The instructor's decision to authorize or not authorize an incomplete grade is final. The student must have completed 75% of the class with a C or better, and must complete the rest of the work with the same instructor. Arrangement for the completion of the course must be made with the instructor prior to the assignment of the "I" grade. This agreement must be written on a Contract for Incomplete Grde Form. The instructor may allow up to one full semester for the student to complete missing requirements. "I" grades not changed by the end of the following semester will automatically become failing grades (F).

CCD Critical Skills addressed in this course are: reading, writing, speaking/listening, and valuing diversity.

Reading 3 Identify, analyze and evaluate a variety of readings related to course content.
Writing 3: Compose essays and other written work which reflect the student’s ability to describe, analyze, and evaluate ideas and material related to course content.
Speaking/Listening 3: Summarize and respond to class material presented in the form of oral presentations and class lectures.
Valuing Diversity 3: Identify and summarize alternative viewpoints or approaches to major themes or issues within course content.

Course Description:

This class will focus on developing strategies for writing successful research papers. Our primary intent will be to reexamine much of the lore surrounding the writing of research papers in our attempt to define methods and processes that encourage effective research, writing and revision here in reality. There is no one strategy that works for everyone, and testing out and developing a process that works for you will be one of our chief concerns.

The majority of the class will be dedicated to reading, writing, and writing about what you read. The easiest way to fail this class is to refuse to do your homework. A lack of preparedness is like stepping into the batter’s box with a golf club in your hand.

Class Format: This class will adopt the style of a seminar. In a few instances, when I think the class can benefit from it, I will offer lecture on specific points of the writing process. For the most part, however, this means that this is a DISCUSSION- based course, not a lecture course, and what we learn will be driven by the questions, comments, ideas and energies that you bring to our in-class discussions.

In each class session you should be prepared to read, write and discuss the topics relevant to that day’s topic of interest.

Assignments: The principal assignment in this class is a documented research paper that will be 8 to 15 pages in length and include a Work’s Cited page. This paper will successfully argue your position on a controversial topic (using documented research to back up your claims). You will be responsible for choosing your topic and completing a great number of sequential assignments that will help build a successful final paper. In addition, we will write a Analysis of the Controversy Paper

Daily Homework: A common feature of this course will be daily writing assignments. These will be brief (1-2 typed, double-spaced pages) informal opportunities for you to practice the skills you will need for the major assignments in the course. Although these assignments are not heavily weighted individually, they are important cumulatively to your final grade and invaluable for the learning they encourage.

THE EASIEST WAY TO FAIL THIS CLASS IS TO REFUSE TO COMPLETE THESE ASSIGNMENTS. I do not intend these to be “busy work” and instead each is designed to relate to what we are doing for class that day. Failing to do these assignments means that you are not prepared for class.

Presentation: All of your work, be it a major essay or a daily assignment, must be edited and proofread before you turn it in. The work should appear neat and professional, but small handwritten corrections to the work are acceptable. Please feel free to discuss with me any issues or concerns you have with grammar and punctuation, editing and proofreading, etc. Work that is unreadable and filled with mistakes is impossible for me to grade (because I can’t access your ideas if they are not communicated in clear language) and will be returned to you for a mandatory revision.

Revisions: All good writing is rewriting. This process of creation, evaluation, and revision is the key to all good writing. Even after you have received a grade on a paper, you may still revise your work again. Depending on the improvement of your work, the revision may not raise your grade at all, or it may raise it substantially. A revision will never lower your grade.

NOTE: Please turn in the original and a revision self-analysis with the revision. This analysis should explain what you have changed in your paper, why you think it is better, and what weaknesses it still has. I cannot accept your revision without these items.

Assignment Format:
All written assignments should be typed. Always double-space. In the upper left-hand or right-hand corner of the first page, write your name, the date, the course and section number, my name, and the assignment (Ie “Ch. 1 summary”). Skip a few lines, write your title, and begin the assignment. Number the pages. Please make a copy (or save one on a flash drive) for yourself of each assignment.

Course Grading:
Your final grade will be the average of your grade on the following six factors:

Research Summary..…………………................................50 pts.
Analysis of the Controversy..............…………………….100 pts.
Rough Draft................…………………............................50 pts.
Research Paper.............................…………………….....300 pts.
Chapter summaries and other homework.…..............10 pts. each
In-class final…………………………………………………………20 pts.
Attendance...................................................................50 pts.
Participation………………………………………………………..20 pts.

The grading scale is:
A 90-100% Superior mastery or achievement.
B 80-89% Better than average mastery or achievement.
C 70-79% Acceptable mastery or achievement.
D 60-69% Less than acceptable mastery or achievement.
F Below 60% Fails to demonstrate achievement of course objectives.


COURSE POLICIES:


Stuff You Should Bring To Class EVERYDAY:
• Yourself and an active desire to learn. Your education is in your hands, it has been, so if think this class is “stupid” or “boring” guess whose job it is to make it otherwise. You have a great deal of intelligence; I will require you to use it.
• A notebook, spiral or otherwise. A folder or binder to keep track of your assignments.
• Textbook: Faigley, Lester and Jack Selzer Good Reasons with Contemporary Arguments. Fourth Edition. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2004
• Textbook: Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference Fifth Edition. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2003.

What I expect of you:
• Attendance. Show up. In this class being present is mandatory. That’s right--mandatory. Since we have only 15 weeks together, every class is important. If you are consistently absent, you gravely jeopardize your success in the course. Missing more than 6 classes with negatively influence your grade. You will lose up to 50 participation points. More than 6 absences and I will recommend that you drop the class. Important: Students will be held responsible for any and all information missed due to absence, including assignments. Please see me if you have problems. Another IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you decide not to complete the course, it is your responsibility to officially withdraw from the class roster. If you do not withdraw yourself by the appropriate deadline, you will receive a grade of "F" for the course. Please watch those deadlines!

In addition, please be punctual. This class starts at ________. Late arrivals disrupt the class and are inconsiderate. Two late arrivals count as an absence. In extreme circumstances, say the morning of a snow storm, certain leniencies will be granted but they must be cleared by me.

• Disruptions: The use of cell phones, iPods and other such devices are disruptive to the class. Therefore, these gadgets must be turned off before class and anyone caught using them in class will be marked absent for that day.

• Be here now. When you are in class, be there. Don’t think about the pile of bills you have to pay, your ingrown toenails, or your plans for world domination, and buy into what we are doing in class. Take interest. If you hate me, look to the book. If you hate me, hate the book, look for outside help (ie a tutor, the Writing Center, etc). More than anything, in this class I will expect a lot of you both at the homework level, but also in terms of the responsibility I will delegate to you in the classroom. What does this mean? Come to class prepared, do the reading, have opinions, be smart, and be ready to talk and write about anything and everything. Easy enough? We are peers here, so act like it.

• Preparedness: You are required to do every iota of reading and writing BEFORE class starts in exactly the format required. Homework assignments are due at the beginning of class and NO LATE WORK will be accepted. Chronic lack of preparation (which is easy to spot) will result in a point deduction from your final grade.

• Participate. Class participation is essential to the workings of this class. For this reason, your ability to participate is part of your grade in this class. While it may be difficult for some of us to speak up, discussion will encompass the majority of our class time. It is, then, impossible to have a discussion if you will not speak, so please let us hear what you have to say.

• I try to design this course to help you develop your skills as an academic writer. While each student struggles with a unique set of challenges in his/her writing, it is important that we, as a group, discuss those issues and offer our ideas. As noted above, your participation is essential to the quality of this class, and without it, our time together will be reduced to me asking questions followed by 45 minutes of silence, which will be horrible in all kinds of ways. I am interested in creating an in-class environment in which we all feel safe to request clarification, share our ideas, respond to the reading, respond to someone’s response, ask a question, object and offer alternate points of view (though respectfully). In short, I want this to be a place of honest exchange, so you do your part and I’ll do mine.

I addition, all students are encouraged to visit with me during my office hours.

• Be mellow. This classroom is a safe haven for all ideas. There are no rights and wrongs, just opinions. Throughout the class we will discuss topics on which we will not all agree. Respect everyone as an equal, even if you really, really, disagree with what they are saying. That means no punching, no cussing, no belittling/degrading a person’s pov, no yelling, etc. Basically, be cool. We are all unique individuals entitled to our own opinions and beliefs, however, any comments, jokes, actions, remarks, or sounds that denigrate the worth of an individual’s race, creed, culture, ethnic background, sexual preference, and gender are inappropriate and will not be tolerated. In other words, remember the golden rule, and everything will be fine. If you don’t think you can handle this, please drop now.

Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Write beautiful sentences, participate, laugh, cry, be alive, and when you are in this class find something you are interested in and run with it. Your enjoyment/happiness with this class, and all classes, is primarily wrought in your ability to make it your own. Put forth the effort. You are paying for it after all. If you aren’t interested in anything, well, I can’t really help you, that is your responsibility.

Late Papers: Late work will not be accepted unless otherwise approved by me.

Class Blog: I will keep a blog for this class that will act as a place for me to make notes, handouts, the syllabi, important information regarding the class, etc available to you. This blog is available at www.jeffbeckersclass.blogspot.com. I have two class blogs, so make sure you view the correct one.

Academic Integrity: Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses and represent violations of college policy. These violations will not be tolerated and will be dealt with according to the college’s Academic Integrity Procedures. The college defines plagiarism as intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic exercise. The following are considered to be forms of plagiarism:

• Word-for-word copying of another person’s ideas or words
• Interspersing one’s own words within a document while, in essence, copying another’s work.
• Rewriting another’s work, yet still using the original author’s fundamental idea or theory.
• Inventing or counterfeiting sources.
• Submission of another’s work as one’s own.
• Neglecting quotation marks on material that is otherwise acknowledged.

Clear cases of plagiarism will result in a failing (zero) grade on the assignment. In some cases, such a failing grade may result in a lowered or failing grade for the course. In the most serious cases, the instructor may pursue grievance procedures through the Dean of Students to administer a punitive failing grade or other appropriate disciplinary action.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Students with a documented disability who need reasonable accommodations to achieve course objectives should notify the instructors and apply for services at the Center for Persons with Disabilities with the first week of class.

Writing Center: All students are encouraged to work with tutors in the Writing Center or in the Online Writing Lab (OWL). The mission of the Writing Center is to provide a learning environment with rich and varied resources where a student may become an active learner. A student can work with a tutor on any part of a writing assignment or at any point during the writing process. The Writing Center is located in South Classroom, Room 142. The OWL can be accessed at: owl.ccd.edu.


Teaching Philosophy: I enjoy teaching writing and rhetoric and take great pleasure in my students’ developing proficiency in academic reading, writing, and critical thinking. I approach my teaching like a coach or mentor, but please be advised that I consider higher education an exercise in self-reliance. That said, I will not rescue students from the consequences of their choices. Please understand that enrolling in this class does not mean that you should expect me as your teacher to be solely responsible for your unique learning experience. I will do my utmost to ensure that you do improve your writing abilities and leave my class better equipped to handle future courses and job requirements; however, you must take responsibility if you fail to live up to the demands of the course. I expect that students will familiarize themselves with the course requirements and policies and do their best to follow these guidelines.

In other words, I will do my part, you do yours.

I understand these rules and regulations.

Signed _______________________________ Date: _______________________