ENGLISH 155 -- Freshman Composition
Spring 2004
Ticket # 17072
1:00 pm: Mon and alternate F JR 247; Wed and alternate F JR 248
|
Instructor: Mary Marca |
|
Office: ST 425 |
|
Office hrs: MW 11-12:30 |
|
Office Tel. 818/677-0917 |
|
or by appointment |
|
English Office: 818/677-3431 |
|
Email: mary.marca@csun.edu |
Website: |
http://www.csun.edu/~mm2173/English155-72 |
Course Description:
(University Catalog)A course in expository writing designed for freshmen and transfer students who have not taken freshmen composition elsewhere. Its emphasis is on both content and form: to help students express ideas and convey information in writing (1) with logical reasoning and adequate factual support and (2) with clarity of purpose, organization, and language. Beyond these fundamental concerns the course encourages and assists students to develop a degree of grace and style which will make their writing not only clear and convincing, but also interesting and readable.
Course Prerequisite:
An EPT score of 151 or higher (or its equivalent), or EPT and a grade of Credit in Eng. 097 and/or 098, if applicable.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Highly Recommended:
Course Philosophy
Throughout your college career you will be required to read, investigate and analyze, then write about what you have learned. What I hope you will master in this class is how to tap your own reservoirs of knowledge, to use resources to explore the ideas of others, and to organize these fragments into a cohesive whole in the form of an essay. Words are tools that you will learn to use with increasing skill as we progress through the semester.
Participation: Reading Responses/Reading Logs/Online Tasks/Grammar
Presentation/Attendance-20%.
Assignments are due on the date stated on the syllabus during the class period. A computer problem is not an excuse for a late paper; campus labs are open late into the night and Kinko's is open 24 hours. Do your work early in the week so that you're not late to class because you're printing something out. Keep extra copies of hard copies, or duplicate diskettes, OR better yet, email your papers to yourself.
Make sure your name, my name, our course & session number, and the date, per MLA format, is on "everything "you turn in.
Reading Responses/Logs--due at beginning of class
Reading logs are an essential component of this class and will be collected regularly as announced on Weekly Schedule. Keep typed double-spaced reading logs in your notebooks and bring to class. Each reading log should be on a separate page with each reading identified by the specific title, author of the reading, your name and date of your response.
The reading assignments are to be done by the day due. You are required to participate in the discussions and you cannot do so if you have not read the assignment. Unannounced quizzes on the reading assignments will be given at regular intervals.
Online Tasks
On-line tasks such as postings on our class bulletin board in HyperNews or listserve assignments on email are to be completed as assigned.
Your class participation grade will also be based on:
How much and how well you join in oral class discussions, how your interact with your peers and me in class discussion, individual presentations, email, Class Bulletin board, and group work of any kind.
Written Assignments
NO LATE PAPERS ACCEPTED!!!
Three 4-6 page revised essays-30%
There will be three revised, 4-6 page formal essays, each of which must show substantial revision, all of which will be included in your portfolio.
Short Papers/Quizzes-15%
NO LATE PAPERS ACCEPTED!!!
These consist of anywhere between weekly and bi-monthly 1 to 4 page writing assignments that will be done in response to issues in our text and may be used as significant steps toward or even drafts of the major essay assignments. There is usually no redrafting of these assignments unless directed to do so by the instructor.
In-Class Essays-10%
There will be two to three in-class essays written in blue books, unless otherwise instructed, (you choose which one counts for inclusion in your portfolio). These cannot be made up if missed.
Conference. You are required to attend at least one individual conference with me this semester to discuss your work and progress.
Portfolio Requirement-25%due in class Wednesday May 19.
A portfolio (see below) of your work will be submitted to the Department of English at the end of the semester for evaluation by a team of English instructors. Below are the requirements for the portfolio submission in 155.
Your grade on your portfolio depends in part on submitting all the required materials. You must submit at least one rough draft of each essay. You must submit your revised draft of each essay showing substantial improvements to it in your clean copy.
You can revise your three essays as much as you wish. A polished, informative, entertaining, and error-free essay will represent your best work. The in-class essay (bluebook) goes in "as is." Your reflective cover letter should discuss why you chose the essays you did and how these essays demonstrate what you have learned during the semester. Your reflective cover letter should be concise and to the point, and be no more than a page long. . Late portfolios run the risk of not being evaluated and such an omission could seriously affect your grade. Remember the portfolio is 25% of your grade.
* INSIDE LEFT POCKET OF FOLDER A portfolio reflective cover letter explaining why you selected the pieces you did and how those pieces represent what you have learned in general from the course. Your letter will describe the rationale for your choice of the essays you included in your portfolio and a discussion of how you believe these essays are representative of your growth in skill and maturity as a writer.
* A bluebook containing one of the in-class essays (or instructor designated online essays) (ungraded, no written comments, with the assignment attached).
* INSIDE RIGHT POCKET OF FOLDER Two essay "packets" 4-6 pages each, clipped together with a clean copy, meaning the polished, unmarked draft, and including one of your rough drafts as required by each assignment, ungraded.
* Any portfolio missing one of the assignments listed above will not be accepted by instructor and that 25% of your semester grade will receive an immediate fail.
Quizzes. There will be unannounced quizzes on the readings. They will usually be given at the beginning of class. No make-ups, so be on time.
Class Policies
ATTENDANCE: It is crucial to your success and that of other students that you attend class regularly. Please be here on time and be prepared. We will work on reading and writing in every class. If you miss class, you miss important work that cannot be made up. Because of this your grade will be lowered after four absences and you will automatically fail the class after eight absences.
You will find that the collaborative model helps to create a friendly and encouraging classroom environment and we will benefit tremendously from each other's contributions. But as you can see from the above list of projects, attendance is essential. There is no way you can make up the in-class exercises, discussions, short-paper workshops, or missed presentations, and any absences may seriously harm your grade. One day, for example, we might be reworking a paper we wrote the previous class session; if you weren't at the previous class session you will have nothing to work with and, essentially, will be missing grades for two classes.
If something is due a particular class session and you haven't done it, don't compound the problem by skipping class.
It is up to you to contact me before an absence or as soon as possible after an absence. Do not, however, ask me to "tell you what you've missed;" it is not my job to take time to update you for classes you have chosen, for whatever reason, to be absent from. It is up to you to get notes and copies of handouts from peers. I would suggest that you make friends with someone before you leave class today and trade phone numbers and email addresses so you can keep apprised of what's going on in your absence.
There is no such thing as an excused or unexcused absence; there are only explained and unexplained absences. For example, let's say you miss class because your car breaks down. Then you missed class for a good reason. But you still missed class and it counts as an absence. Students who miss class have said that they come back completely disoriented because so much has occurred while they were gone.
Written documentation of jury duty attendance, court appearances, hospitalization, and genuine medical emergencies will be handled with compassion and flexibility determined in large part by your demonstrated responsibility in the course to date (i.e., work is turned in on time, active participation, etc.).
TARDIES: Be on time. It is disrespectful both to me and to your fellow students to interrupt the flow of the class by coming in late. Two tardies of more than ten (10) minutes late counts as an absence. Allow plenty of time for traffic jams and to find a parking space. Be on time!
PLAGIARISM: Don't do it. We will discuss in class how to credit others for their ideas and words. Plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the paper involved and could result in failing the course.
Please familiarize yourself with this link. Plagiarism: What It is & How to Recognize It
PAPER FORMAT: All papers must be typed, double-spaced, in MLA format. (See Handbook, Part 3.)
BEHAVIOR: You are all adults so I need not remind you to treat every member of the class with respect. Please, no obscenities or deliberate baiting, in-class or on-line.
****ACCOMMODATION: If you need special course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or you have special medical information to share, please speak to me immediately after the first or second class session.****
I use the plus/minus form of grading.
|
A 94-100 |
C 73-76 |
|
A- 90-93 |
C- 70-72 |
|
B+ 87-89 |
D+ 67-69 |
|
B 83-86 |
D 63-66 |
|
B- 80-82 |
D- 60-62 |
|
C+ 77-79 |
F below 60 |
B
represents solid, readable writing that does what the assignment asks. B-level writing demonstrates concrete support for claims, fine organization, and substantive thoughtfulness, but it is not rich in specific detail. B-level writing is free of grammatical problems.A
represents a writing level of unusual polish and style, and often takes a surprising angle in developing a topic. A-level writing is rare, because it shows consistent excellence. A-level writing always surpasses assignment expectations.C
represents writing which probably satisfies all the requirements of an assignment. However, such writing lacks sufficient, concrete support needed to illustrate its assertions or prove its point. C-level writing also shows lapses in editing proficiency and contains careless errors.D
represents writing that has some serious problems. Although the writer may seem to have an idea about the subject, the thesis is vague, the development skimpy. Readers have trouble following the writer's line of thought because of jumbled organization. Sentences are awkward and mechanical errors add to readers' difficulties, suggesting that the writer worked in haste, perhaps without taking time to understand the subject thoroughly.F
represents writing that lacks competence in one or more of the major areas of composition. Readers have difficulty discerning a pattern of organization, the ideas are undeveloped or incoherent, and problems in sentence structure, usage, and mechanics render the piece unacceptable as college-level writing.
Return to Welcome Page | Schedule