ENGLISH 1010: Expository Writing



ENGLISH 1010: Expository Writing

Spring 2005

1010-20 MWF 11:30-12:25 KOM 163

Instructor: Karine Gavand e-mail: kgavand@mtsu.edu

Office: AMG 305 Office hours: W 8-11 Phone #: 904-8262

THIS IS A CONTRACT

This syllabus is a contract between you (as the student) and me (as the instructor). By staying in this class you are agreeing to follow all following guidelines and to be responsible for your own actions.

TEXTS & MATERIALS

▪ Mauk, John, and John Metz. The Composition of Everyday Life; A Guide to Writing. Brief Ed (2004)

▪ Hodges, John C. Hodges, et al. Harbrace College Handbook. 15th edition

▪ Smith, Allison D., and Trixie G. Smith. Surviving Freshman Composition. 2nd edition

▪ A dictionary of your choice

▪ Working MTSU e-mail account (your instructor will use the address automatically created by MTSU to communicate with students. If you have not yet activated your MTSU e-mail account, go to MTSU Homepage and follow the links to do so).

▪ WebCT will also be used for various postings, such as class announcements, assignments, handouts, etc.

COURSE OBJECTIVES--English 1010 will introduce you to the writing process and give you practice in writing, an activity in which you will have to engage regularly in college and everyday life. The skills you acquire will benefit you in college and throughout your life. More specifically, you will learn

▪ To become a critical reader of your own writing

▪ To become a critical reader of the writing of others, including your classmates' writing

▪ To use vocabulary associated with writing for the purpose of communicating about the writing process and writing genres

▪ To demonstrate an awareness of purpose and audience in your writing

▪ To generate ideas for writing and to explore and limit subjects for writing

▪ To draw content for your writing from your imagination and experience and from written, electronic and interview sources and to summarize, paraphrase, analyze, quote from, and document these sources in your writing

▪ To adapt the structures of sentences and paragraphs to the purposes of a given piece of writing

▪ To become familiar with the revision techniques necessary to create interesting, unified, coherent essays that are adequately developed

▪ To edit your writing (a) to ensure that you have used specific, appropriate language and varied sentence types and (b) to eliminate serious grammatical and mechanical errors.

COURSE ACTIVITIES

Reading—The more you know about the composing process, the more effective your writing. For this purpose, you will read (1) chapters from The Composition Of Everyday Life and Surviving Freshman Composition that will introduce you to strategies for writing and reading, (2) sections from The Harbrace Handbook, and (3) essays written by others, including the writing of your classmates.

Writing—In addition to an in-class introductory writing, you will submit five essays (550-750 words each) and

( REVISE—Effective writing is a matter of rewriting. You will thus complete multiple drafts for the same assignment. During Peer Group or Revision workshops, your peers will respond to your writing with suggestions for revisions which will ask you to rethink and reshape content and organization, thus targeting global issues. We will also address local issues described in Surviving Freshman Composition as grammar, sentence variety, mechanics, spelling, formatting (59) when editing.

Conferencing— You will regularly present your writing to your peers and discuss it during Peer Group Response days (see above). However, because discussing one's writing with others tremendously helps to clarify one's ideas and isolate potential problems, we will have two mandatory conferences. Failing to attend these two conferences will result in course failure.

GRADES

Final Course Grade—To pass the course and earn three credit hours, you must achieve a course grade of C- or better.

Also, to be eligible to earn course credit, you must (1) complete all in-class writings, (2) complete at least three drafts of all five essays, (3) meet writing assignment deadlines, and (4) meet all attendance requirements for classes, conferences, and peer groups.

Your course grade will then be determined as follows:

80% average of 5 Essays

10% Homework, in-class journaling, in-class quizzes

10% Participation (progress reports, peer group work, journaling assignments, etc.)

Grading Scale:

90-100 = A; 80-82 = B-, 83-86 = B, 87-89 = B+; 70-72 = C-, 73-76 = C, 77-79 = C+; below 70 = F or N if applicable

Final grades will be reported as A, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, F, N. Students who fulfill all course requirements but fail to achieve C- or better and who are attempting the course for the first time may receive a course grade of N (not passing), which gives them another opportunity to pass the course without lowering their GPAs.

COURSE POLICIES

Attendance—Because class attendance is extremely important to you and your classmates’ success in English 1010, you will be allowed only three unexcused absences. Only university-sponsored functions (e.g., trips relating to sports, chorus events, livestock judging) are excused. In such cases, you are responsible for notifying me of the absence well in advance, and you are responsible for getting your work in early—before you have to be absent.

Absences due to illness, death in the family, and the like must thus be covered by the three allowed absences. Each additional absence will incur a two-point penalty on your final grade. Missing more than 7 classes will result in automatic failure.

If missing, it is your responsibility to check the syllabus for homework and contact me for any additional assignments.

Tardiness—Three late arrivals or early departures (0-15 minutes into class period) will equal an absence. If you arrive after I call roll, it is your responsibility to alert me to your attendance.

Late Work—Late work will be accepted only once in the semester and only within 48 hours of the due date. Also note that all essays must be turned in at the beginning of class.

Reasonable Accommodation for Students with Disabilities—If you have a disability that may require assistance or accommodation, or you have questions related to any accommodations for testing, note takers, readers, etc., contact the Office of Disabled Students Services (KUC 120 898-2783) with questions about such services.

Cell phones—Make sure that cell phones and beepers are turned off before coming to class. As stated in “Guidelines and Standards for General Education Courses,” receiving calls or playing with your cell phone during class time constitutes “disruptive behavior.” If you choose to engage in those activities, you will be marked absent.

Plagiarism—Using another's work as your own is wrong. Plagiarized work will receive a zero, and, as MTSU policies require, such cases will be reported to the Dean of Judicial Affairs for disciplinary action.

The most flagrant instances of plagiarism are (1) submitting work that is copied from another student's writing, (2) having someone dictate what should be written (such as having a typist rewrite a paper, substituting his/her language for the student's), and (3) using printed or electronic sources without documentation.

Make sure to sign and submit the original Plagiarism Statement featured on page 11 of Surviving Freshman Composition by 01/31. If you fail to submit this document on time, your work will not be graded.

Tutoring Services--The Writing Center is located in Peck Hall 325 (Phone 904-2837; mtsu.edu/~uwcenter). There, you can receive valuable one-on-one instruction to improve your writing.

Lottery Scholarship Recipients. Important Information—Students receiving the lottery scholarships must earn a 2.75 GPA after attempting 24 credit hours and a 3.0 GPA after attempting 48 hours or more. Students who drop below full-time status (12 hours) during the first 14 days of the semester will have their awards adjusted and will owe money to the University. Students who drop after the 14th day of class will have their future lottery scholarships suspended unless the drop was approved in advance by the Office of Financial Aid. For more lottery information please see .

For further information on policies and guidelines, go to

This schedule is subject to modifications; you will be notified in due time of any alterations and/or additions.

|Week |Date |Class Activity |Homework Due |

|1 |W 1/18 |Introduction to English 1010 | |

| |F 1/21 |In-class Diagnostic Essay |Read pp. xxi through xxviii in CEL + SFC 34-35 |

| |M 1/24 |Assignment #1, Narrative essay |Go to Web CT and print out assignment sheet 1 |

| | |Introduction |Read 39-45 in SFC + 26-30 in CEL |

|2 |W 1/26 |Discuss assigned readings |Progress report 1 |

| | | |Read “The Thrill of Victory…” CEL 18-21 |

| | | |Read & take notes on “Delivery” sections 38-39, 44-48, 92-93, and 143-45 in CEL |

| |F 1/28 |Discuss assigned readings |Read “How I Lost …” CEL 6-10 + 30-33, 36-37 in CEL |

|Jan. 31: LAST DAY TO DROP without a grade. If you are a Lottery Scholarship recipient, review information included above on page 3. |

| |M 1/31 |Read and discuss student sample essay |Plagiarism Statement (SFC 11) |

| | |Prepare for peer group |Read ch. 3 in SFC |

|3 |W 2/2 |PG 1 |Typed second draft + Bring HH and SFC |

| |F 2/4 |Mini lesson (comma splices) |Bring Harbrace + SFC |

| |M 2/7 |Assignment # 2 Explaining Relationship essay,|Final draft of Essay 1 |

| | |Introduction—brainstorming |Go to Web CT and print out assignment sheet 2 |

| | | |Read in CEL 80-81 (disregard material on intimate personal relationship) + 108-111 |

|4 |W 2/9 |Discuss Relationship essay |Read in CEL “Friend or Foe?” 76-78; “Analysis” 84, 86, + 138-139; “Public Resonance” |

| | | |88-89 + 140-41 |

| |F 2/11 |Discuss Relationship essay |Progress report 2 |

| | | |Read in CEL “A Building of Mailboxes” 130-32 |

| | | |Read CEL 90-91 + 94-95, 97, 142-43 |

| |M 2/14 |Paragraph development |Read in CEL 147-148 |

|5 |W 2/16 |Using and documenting outside sources |Read in CEL 580-85 |

| | | |+ 578-79, 596-97, 604-607 |

| |F 2/18 |Discuss student sample essays |Go to Web CT and print out student sample essays |

| |M 2/21 |PG 2 |Typed second draft + Bring HH and SFC |

|6 |W 2/23 |Mini lesson on fragments |Bring Harbrace + SFC |

| |F 2/25 |Assignment # 3, Ad analysis/critique |Essay 2 due |

| | |Introduction—brainstorming |Go to Web CT and print out assignment sheet 3 |

| | | |Read section 35 F in Harbrace, Reply in writing to 4 p 515 in Harbrace. Read SFC |

| | | |161-63 |

| |M 2/28 |Practice on ad analysis on class |Go to Web CT and print handouts |

|7 |W 3/2 |Practice on ad analysis on class |Bring 2 print ads to class |

| |F 3/4 |CONFERENCES |Rough draft & Progress report due |

|3/7-3/11 SPRING BREAK |

| |M 3/14 |Discuss thesis and organization for essay 3 |Go to Web CT and print student sample ad analysis |

|MARCH 15 LAST DAY TO DROP WITH A ‘W’ IF APPLCABLE |

|8 |W 3/16 |PG 3 |Typed second draft + Bring HH and SFC |

| |F 3/18 |Mini lesson pronoun use |Bring Harbrace and SFC |

| |M 3/21 | |TBA |

|9 |W 3/23 |Assignment #4, Evaluation essay Introduction |Essay 3 due |

| | |to argumentation |Go to Web CT and print out assignment sheet 4 |

| | | |Read in CEL 242-46 + 296-97 |

| |F 3/25 |Discuss evaluation essay |List of potential topics for essay 4 |

| | | |Read in CEL “Star Wars” (324-26) + 350-51 |

| | | |Read ch. 10 + 11 in SFC 145-48, 155-56 + 169-75 |

| |M 3/28 | |Rough draft/Progress Report 4 |

| | | |Read in CEL “Pulp Fiction…” (337-39)+ 348-49, 352-55, 358 |

|10 |W 3/30 |CONFERENCES—NO CLASS Schedule TBA |

| |F 4/1 |PG 4 |Typed second draft |

| |M 4/4 |Discuss evaluation essay |Go to Web CT and print out student sample essays |

|11 |W 4/6 |Using secondary sources in essay 4 |Read in CEL 592-94 |

| |F 4/8 |Assignment #5, Introduction |Essay 4 |

| | |Reading critically |Go to WebCT and print out assignment sheet 5 + the 5-essay selection. Read in CEL |

| | | |272-73 |

| |M 4/11 |Discuss the first three essays |Annotations on essays 2 &3 |

|12 |W 4/13 |Discuss the last two essays |Annotations on essays 4& 5 |

| |F 4/15 |Documenting, Paraphrasing and quoting |Rough draft/ Progress report 5 |

| | |directly |Bring CEL + Harbrace |

| |M 4/18 |Thesis statement and Organization |Read in CEL 302-305 |

|13 |W 4/20 |Review paragraph structure and development |Read in CEL 602-603 |

| |F 4/22 |PG 5 |Typed second draft |

| |M 4/25 | |TBA |

|14 |W 4/27 | |ESSAY 5 |

|Final exam period: W 5/4 10:00-12:00 (Attendance is compulsory) |

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