Georgia Highlands College ENGL 1101 Spring 2010-Kemper (F-136)

Basic Course Information

English 1101–20319 (Composition I)--9:30-10:45 a.m. MW (3 credit hours)

Withdrawal Deadline – March 4 (last day to withdraw with a “W”)

English 1101 is a composition course focusing on skills required for effective writing in a variety of contexts, with emphasis on exposition, analysis, and argumentation, and also including introductory use of a variety of research skills.

Prerequisite: One of the following - (1) appropriate

placement test scores or (2) satisfactory completion of required Learning Support English

Textbooks: Hodges Harbrace College Handbook, 17th ed. and

The Sundance Choice reader

Disability Support: Any student who feels he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability may discuss this with the instructor or contact Student Support Services (706-295-6336). This should be done as early in the semester as possible. GHC has resources available for students with certain disabilities. Accommodations (such as providing materials in alternative formats, assuring physical access to classrooms, or being sensitive to interaction difficulties that may be posed by communication and/or learning disabilities) may be made through Student Support Services on all campuses.

Electronic Devices: All electronic devices (cell phones, laptops etc.)will be turned off and stored out of sight during class. It is not appropriate to leave class to take a call.

Course Description

English 1101 is designed to help you develop the written communication skills you will need to be successful in your other college courses, competitive in the job market, and confident in your daily life.

In this course you will practice your writing skills by composing paragraphs and essays and by revising your papers once the errors have been marked. Outlining and grammar review are also part of the course, and you will learn some basic research techniques. You will receive instruction related to library orientation/research skills and use this information in a research exercise. This exercise supports the college’s commitment to Information Competency (see http://www.highlands.edu/ic/index.htm ).

Class writing assignments and research exercises will be done on a computer. You may also communicate with your instructor by e-mail, and you will be expected to monitor your e-mail for messages from the instructor. Georgia Highlands College provides you with an e-mail account, but you must have your own Internet Service Provider for at-home access.

Out-of-class assignments may be done on a Georgia Highlands College computer or some other computer that is compatible with the software and capabilities of the Georgia Highlands College computers. The Information Technology (IT)Office(706-295-6775)can provide you with information about minimum computer specifications.

Non-fiction essays will be read as models of essay writing and for ideas that may carry over into written assignments. You will also read some short stories and become acquainted with some of the skills needed when writing about material you have read, such as the proper use of quotations. The introduction to literature will serve as a transition to English 1102, if you need to take that course.

Throughout the semester there will be a number of written and discussion assignments for which daily grade points will be given.

***The instructor reserves the right to alter the dates, material covered, or format of any exam after notifying the students in advance.

***Any anticipated absence by the instructor (to attend professional meetings, etc.) will be announced no later than the class period just prior to the expected absence, and you will be told what will take place during class time while the instructor is absent. In the event of an unexpected absence by the instructor (due to illness, etc.) an effort will be made to notify you or to find someone else to meet the class. (There are no provisions for substitute teachers at colleges.)

Grading

The major portion of the course grade will be determined by the grades on the essay assignments.

Essay assignments

Essays are expected to be logically organized and written in clear, correct English. In general, errors resulting in deviations from Harbrace sections 2, 3, 6a, 7a, 33c, 34c, and 34d are considered the most serious. However, errors related to Harbrace sections 5, 6b, 7b, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 23, and 28 are also considered serious, and any error that interferes with the clear expression of your ideas may be regarded as serious. Persistent serious errors will result in lower paper grades. Generally, assuming all writing assignments have been turned in, the final basic course grade will not necessarily be determined by a straight average, but will reflect the level of writing you have reached by the end of the semester. (For averaging, essay letter grades will be converted to numbers using the scale: A = 4, A- = 3.73, B+ =3.5, etc.) You will be required to submit written assignments through Turnitin.com and to also provide a printed copy to the instructor on the assignment due date.

Toward the end of the semester, the instructor may set a cut-off date after which late papers will no longer be accepted. Any paper not turned in before the cut-off date will be recorded as receiving two F grades. Before you can be eligible to be considered for a passing grade for the course, you must turn in your essay folder containing your revised written assignments.

Daily Grade

The daily grade comes from points given for folder corrections, class discussion assignments, daily grade papers, and other daily assignments and will make up to one-half letter grade difference (plus or minus) in your basic course grade.(Since the course grade is supposed to reflect the quality of your writing, it is unlikely that your course grade will be raised to a grade higher than that made on at least one essay.)

**Please note that according to college policy, the lowest passing grade in English 1101 is C.

Plagiarism

You are expected to write your own papers without excessive help from anyone else. Also, if you use in your papers any statements or ideas (even ideas put in your own words) from books or magazines or other print, broadcast, or computer accessed sources, you must identify the source of your information in order to avoid plagiarism. If you turn in a plagiarized paper, it will receive a grade of F that will be averaged with your other essay grades, and you may also be given a grade of F for the course. In addition, you may be subject to disciplinary actions by the college.

The instructor also reserves the right to refuse to grade any paper that shows traces of plagiarism or indicates that the student received excessive help from another person and to require that a new paper be written to replace it.

Turnitin.com, which will be used in this class, is an Internet service subscribed to by GHC in order to encourage originality and also careful documentation of all research used in student papers. Papers submitted to Turnitin.com are compared to numerous active and archived Internet sites, other publications, and Turnitin.com’s database of submitted student papers. Since Turnitin.com does compare submitted student papers, you should be careful to not let another student use your work since you could be implicated in a plagiarism or excessive collaboration situation, both of which are prohibited by the college’s Academic Integrity Code.

The Georgia Highlands College “Academic Integrity Code” and polices on student conduct are located in the GHC “Student Guide and Planner” and in the student handbook at www.highlands.edu/campuslife/handbook . There you will find a detailed definition of plagiarism and other types of academic dishonesty and a description of the procedures and sanctions relating to violation of the Code.

Attendance and Late Work

1. You are expected to be in class every day. If you miss class for any reason, you are still responsible for finding out what went on in the class you missed and for keeping up with assignments missed. You are also expected to arrive on time to class to avoid distracting the other students. If you are ever unavoidably late and come in after attendance is taken, it is your responsibility to see the instructor after class to be sure you are recorded as present but late. Three “late” designations equal one unexcused absence.

By Humanities Division policy if any student accumulates 5 unexcused absences in a class that meets two days a week, he or she may not return to class without appealing to the division chair. This appeal must be made within five days after the fifth absence.

Absences may be excused by the instructor if you notify the instructor by phone or email prior to the absence or within two days after the missed class. You will also need to hand the instructor a written request for an excused absence the day you return to class. The written request must have your name, the current date, the course name and section number, the date of the class missed, a brief statement of the reason for the absence, and your signature. If you have a medical excuse, attach a copy to your written request. Leaving class early may also count as an absence. Please note that any absence—excused or not—may interfere with your ability to succeed in the class.

2. The normal penalty for a late paper is one-half letter grade off for each class period the work is late. It may be possible to avoid the penalty for late work if you present a statement from your doctor or notify me immediately when you realize you will not be able to turn an assignment in on time. You may contact me by phone at my office in F-136 (706-368-7626 or 1-800-332-2406) or at home or by email at kkemper@highlands.edu. Because of the often interactive and timely nature of daily grade assignments, many of these cannot be made up. However, bonus/makeup points offered throughout the semester provide a way to regain points lost from a missed daily grade assignment. Also, requests for makeup work due to an anticipated extended absence must be approved in advance by the instructor and division chair.

3. If you are going to participate in a college sponsored event (and will receive an official excuse), notify me before the date of the expected absence if it will interfere with written assignments.

4. Students receiving VA educational benefits should be aware that instructors may be required to report poor attendance on their part.

Course Outcomes for English 1101

1. Through writing short essays students will demonstrate their ability to conceive ideas about a topic, synthesize and arrange them logically, and express them clearly in written standard English.

2. Through written assignments, students will demonstrate their understanding of development and argumentation.

3. Through writing and revision, students will demonstrate their mastery of proofreading skills developed through an understanding of the principles and mechanics of standard English usage.

4. Through research exercises, students will demonstrate an awareness of basic research techniques.

5. Through discussion and/or writing, students will demonstrate appreciation and understanding of assigned readings.

6. Through discussion and writing, students will demonstrate their recognition of differing perspectives and points of view, as well as their ability to form hypotheses and anticipate consequences.

GHC Student Learning Outcomes for English 1101

Communication: 1) Students will demonstrate their ability to express ideas logically and clearly in standard written English.

Critical Thinking: 1) Students will be able to recognize differing perspectives and points of view. 2) Students will be able to construct arguments.

Technology: 1) Students will demonstrate ability to prepare course assignments in a variety of courses using computer technology.

Special Notes

· The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia requires that all students enrolled in transfer degree programs pass the Regents’ Test as a requirement for graduation. GHC also requires that students entering certain career programs, such as nursing and dental hygiene, pass the Regents’ Test. Students who are eligible for English 1101 and who have not already satisfied the Regents’ Test requirement should take the test during their first semester.

Instructions on how to find information on the sign-up deadline, testing times, and testing locations are given in the class schedule bulletin.

Scores on certain national standardized tests may fulfill the Regents’ Tests requirements. You may look at your records in SCORE to see if you have exempted any portion of the test. Students who need to take one or both parts of the test may register through SCORE.

The Regents’ Test consists of a one-hour reading comprehension test and a one-hour essay writing section. The essay is handwritten. There is no charge for taking the test. Contact the GHC Assessment Center (706-802-5318) for details.

· To students receiving financial aid: Federal regulations

state that if a student does not attend classes and receives

failing grades, then the grades were not earned and financial aid needs to be reduced accordingly. Any student receiving a 0.00 GPA will be required to prove that the 0.00 GPA was earned by attending classes or completing requirements for each class. Students who have passed at least one class for the semester will not be affected by this regulation. If a student has properly withdrawn from all classes, the student’s financial aid should be adjusted from the time he/she signed the withdrawal form.