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The Composition Program

English 101

Sample Syllabus and Course Calendar:

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

English 101

Spring 2004

Dr. Marie Nigro

Office: UH 301, Room 3

X7518, mnluenglish@lycos.com

COURSE DESCRIPTION

            ENG101 is an intensive writing course, and students are expected to write, rewrite, and revise. The objective of the course is to prepare students to write at the college level. Class time and assignments will be devoted to writing as well as to usage and grammar. Types of writing in this course include narration, description, process, and exemplification.

            Grammar and usage instruction will be integrated with writing assignments, using Writer’s Resources as the student’s handbook. Class will spend several class periods in computer lab, stressing use of MS Word and various search engines.

COURSE PRE-REQUISITES

            Students should have successfully completed English 100 or have been placed into the course.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS

Eschholz, Paul, and Alfred Rosa. Subjects/Strategies A Writer's Reader. 11th Ed. NY: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007.

Moody, Anne. Coming of Age in Mississippi.

Robitaille, Julie, and Robert Connelly. Writer's Resources: From Paragraph to Essay. NY: Wadsworth/Thomson, Latest Ed.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

1.         Folder with pockets for drafts

2.         Single subject notebook for journal entries and class notes

3.         College dictionary

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1.            Students will write a minimum of six essays; at least three will be written in class

2.         All drafts must be retained in student’s folder.

3.            Students will be required to revise and submit all drafts with revisions.

4.         Some assignments will require student to keep a journal.

5.         A Course Portfolio containing essays, revisions and discussions will be assessed and will be considered as part of the student’s final grade.

6.         Writing Lab Requirement: Students are required to spend 12 hours during the semester in the Writing Lab. Six should be completed by mid-term.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

            In accordance with University policy, students are permitted three absences in this three-credit course. However, if a student is absent on the day of an announced test or writing, the instructor may deny that person the privilege of making up the work. Excessive absences will result in lowering the final grade or in failing the course. This is English Department policy.

CALCULATION OF MIDTERM AND FINAL GRADES

1.         English Department requirement for English 101: students must earn at least a C- on four of six essays. Failure to achieve this will result in an F as a final grade.

2.         Course grade will be based primarily on essays and other writing. Grades from quizzes and other assignments will be taken into account only if student has earned a grade of C- or higher in assigned essays.

Grade will be calculated:

•           One fourth of final grade will be based on student’s numerical average at end of first half of semester considering graded writing, class work, quizzes, lab attendance, class attendance and preparation.

•           One fourth of final grade will be based on student’s numerical average for work 2nd half of semester considering graded writing, class work, quizzes, lab attendance, class attendance and preparation.

•           One fourth of final grade will be based on final exam, consisting of a take-home essay and in-class essay during exam period.

•           One fourth of final grade will be based on Course Portfolio of essays, revisions and Writer’s statements

UNIVERSITY APPROVED INTEGRITY STATEMENT is attached to the syllabus.

SCHEDULE OF WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS

Week 1—Intro to course, texts, warm-up writing

1/7-9 Reader: Narration, assigned readings

e-mail: role in today’s world, appropriate format

Assignment 1: discussion

Week 2—Drafting for Essay #1

1/12-16 Assigned readings, Writer’s Resources

Registration at Writing Lab

Essay #1 due

Week 3—Internet search engines, assignment

1/21-23 Discussion, drafting, peer editing

Writer’s Resources

Week 4—Essay #2 written in class

1/26-30 Assigned readings, discussion, description: writing effective description

Writer’s Resources

Week 5—Continue selections in Longman Reader, discussion

2/2-6 Drafting, Writer’s Resources

Week 6—Essay #3 using sources

2/9-13 Drafting, peer editing

Continue assigned readings and Writer’s Resources

Week 7—Description, Process, assigned readings

2/16-20 Discussion, drafting, Writer’s Resources

Week 8—Mid-Term Essay, written in class (Essay #4)

2/23-25 Begin student conferences

Begin reading

Week 9—Continue student conferences

3/1-5 Continue Douglass

READING

2/27 Introduction, Preface

3/1 Pages 19-45

3/8 Pages 46-62

3/10 Pages 62-102

3/12 Pages 103-124

For the unit, students are required to keep a journal and to bring it to class. Students should keep up with readings and should expect quizzes.

Week 10—Discussion, journal entry,

3/8-12 Writer’s Resources

Drafting for in-class essay

Week 11—Essay #5, written in class

3/15-19 Selected readings Longman Reader

Week 12—In-class work on student’s Portfolio

3/22-26 Writing using examples, discussion, drafting

Assignments from Reader

Week 13—Essay #6 due

3/29-4/2 Review of grammar, usage, WR

Revising essays, Portfolio workshop

Week 14—Exemplification, Longman Reader

4/5-9 Assigned readings, discussion

Drafting, short writings

Week 15—Catch-up, review

4/12-16

COURSE PORTFOLIO

RATIONALE FOR THE COURSE PORTFOLIO

Effective writing requires revisions with attention to audience, purpose, organization, and correctness. As students work their way through this course, they will be expected to be able to revise for a more effective essay.

CONTENTS OF PORTFOLIO

1. Revisions of two essays. All earlier drafts of these essays must be included. Although these essays may have been revised earlier in the semester, they must be revised again for this portfolio. Revisions must demonstrate that student has engaged in real revision, changing, adding, refocusing the essay. The revision should be clearly different from the earlier revision. Correcting errors of grammar and usage does not qualify as revision. Revisions must include changes in content of essay.

2. One new essay based on a journal entry or on another class assignment. Journal entries should be removed from journal and attached along with drafts showing progress from first idea to completed essay. Essays on topics not discussed in class or in journals must be approved by the instructor.

3. Writer’s statement for each essay. This statement should goals, problems, changes the writer made and reasons for the changes. (3-4 sentences)

4. Brief writer’s statement for the overall portfolio. This would be a one or two paragraph discussion of the writer’s overall intentions, strategies, hopes and problems encountered in the production of the portfolio.

5. All portfolio submissions, including writer’s statement must be computer generated.

6. Portfolios must be logically and clearly organized and labeled.

Summary of Portfolio Contents

• Two revised essays with all drafts

• One new essay with all draft

• Three writer’s statement: one for each of the essays described above

• One overall statement about the student’s work and concerns in submitting portfolio.

Evaluation of Portfolio

• Quality of work in portfolio

•Inclusion of all required components

• Submission of portfolio on time.

• Grade earned for portfolio will constitute 25% of student’s course grade.

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