Course Syllabus

English 1302.1040                                                                       Spring 2016

Instructor: Michael Berberich                                                    Phone: 409-944-1323      Office: N-317

Email: Use Canvas (required by federal regulations)             Office Hours: see Whitecaps Portal

Location and Meeting Times:   T/Th 11:00-12:20 FA-211

Final Exam: Thursday, May 5, 2016 10:30 am-12:30 pm          

 

Catalog Description: Intensive study of and practice in the strategies and techniques for developing research-based expository and persuasive texts.  Emphasis on effective and ethical rhetorical inquiry, including primary and secondary research methods; critical reading of verbal, visual, and multimedia texts; systematic evaluation, synthesis, and documentation of information sources; and critical thinking about evidence and conclusions.

Required Books, Materials and Supplies

Title       Author  ISBN      Publisher             Copyright            Price      Required

Writing with Style            Trimble, John     9780205028801           3rd                Required

The Art of Thinking          Vincent Ruggiero             9780205119387  10th                     Required

 

Supplies: Three-part Notebook

Learning Outcomes

Outcome 2.2: Analyze, interpret, and evaluate a variety of texts for the ethical and logical uses of evidence.

Measurement = 2.2.1: Students will write a minimum 500 word essay that requires the logical use of evidence; the assignment will demonstrate the logical use of evidence; the assignment will demonstrate the logical use of evidence, the application of analysis and interpretation. 

 

Course Requirements

Approximately half of the writing of the course will be comprised of a writer’s portfolio consisting of a variety of entries per week, including class notes and in-class writing, plus assigned homework. This portfolio will be maintained as hard copy or posted in an Assignments file in Canvas.  The portfolio will be reviewed at least three times during the semester. These writings will be scored as Complete or Incomplete.  They not be assigned a letter grade. This ungraded aspect of the course is a long-recognized best practice in the teaching of composition (See Peter Elbow, among others). Since these journal and portfolio writings comprise just over half the 6,000 words of composition for the course, a score of Incomplete on your notebook work will earn an automatic failing grade for the semester regardless of any other grades for the course. In a separate Assignments portfolio labelled Discussion Board, there will also be five graded online postings from the portfolio. These postings will be graded with grades combined into one aggregate score with a weight of one paper or test.

There will be two short papers, an early diagnostic essay scored on a 50 point scale, which will later be combined with a final exam that will likewise be scored on a 50 scale to equal one fully weighted grade equal to one paper.  The diagnostic essay which will be given to assess skills that should have been mastered in English 1301.  The other graded short essay will measure and reinforce specified learning outcomes.  There will be a research paper with proper citation of source attributions in either MLA or APA style, the knowledge and mastery of which is a requirement for passing the course. The research paper will be completed in graded stages and when completed and combined will have the weight of two papers or tests. Passing the research paper is required to pass the course. There will be four reading quizzes about the general content of the material with the four quizzes in aggregate having the weight of one test or one paper.  There will be required posting of some journal entries marked as complete or incomplete.  Completion of the journal postings can be a factor for raising a final grade that is borderline between two grades as noted in the Evaluation Criteria section on this syllabus. There will be one graded final exam.

 

Evaluation Criteria

Grading Philosophy Statement: Each grade in this course measures a standard of accomplishment. Grades are not awarded for showing up or for effort; they measure accomplishment. Graded assignments will be accompanied by a grading rubric that will inform students of the targeted knowledge, skills, or the application of skills that are measured along a continuum of accomplishment.

Revision Policy: Revision is inherent in good writing. Although I expect your best effort when you first submit each paper, I will permit one revision prior to completion of the research paper. The research paper will have mandatory writing stages, including a full revision, built into the assignment. Any student with a failing grade of the first pass/fail paper will be required to fulfill special assignments designed to rectify deficient areas of skill.

Each graded essay, quiz, test, or exam will be assigned an A through F letter grade where A=4.0; B+=3.5; B=3.0; C+=2.5; C=2.0; D=1.0; and F=0. All graded assignments will have an explicit grading rubric for every part of the assignment that is graded. For any 100 point mathematically scored assignments, the translation of mathematical grades into letter grades will be as follows: 100-93=A; 92-88=B+; 87-83=B; 82-78=C+; 77-70=C; 69-64=D; <64=F. (As a point of merit, the Fall 2006 edition of the National Education Association journal Thought & Action contains a well-supported discussion of grading theories titled “Common Errors in Calculating Final Grades” by Richard W. Francis {15}. My system as delineated above is consistent with best practices as discussed in that article.)

At the end of the semester an average of 4.0-3.6 will garner a final semester grade of A; an average of 3.5 will require a look at class attendance, the overall excellence of effort in the writer's portfolio, plus improvement over the semester. Effort over and above the stated expectations in these areas will be recognized by awarding the final semester grade of A. Effort that merely meets the expectations in these areas will earn a semester grade of B. It is not the policy of Galveston College to recognize (+) and (-) as transcript grades, which is also why a 92, 91, or 90 gets counted as a B+. (Many instructors grade a 92, 91, or 90 as an A-, but minus means "less than," which is why I assigned a properly scaled grade of B+; I will note as well that many instructors also record a B+ as an un-weighted B, as a B that just wasn't quite up to A level but a B nonetheless. But as you see from the scale above, I assign a higher weight (3.5) to a B+ when averaging final grades for the course.) Thus an average of 3.0-3.5 will normally earn a final semester grade of B, with exceptions as noted above.

An average of 2.0 to 2.9 will normally earn a grade of C. An exception of an awarded B for a 2.9 for an effort over and above stated expectations as noted above. Attendance that is weak and/or writing effort in the journal and e-Learning postings that merely meets expectations without exceeding them will be recognized by the awarding of a grade of C. A grade average of 1.5-1.9 will earn a grade of D. A final grade point average of less than 1.5 will earn a failing grade for the course because I do not believe in supporting a wide range of mediocrity. If the research paper is not turned in, or if three of the reading quizzes earn a failing score the earned grade for the course will be F.

Note about Incompletes: any final grades turned in as Incomplete will be for exigency situations where approximately ¾ of the work of the course has already been completed. An Incomplete must be arranged in advance, have the student’s signature or email arrangement, the instructor’s signature, and the program director's signature, plus contain a written plan and timeline for completing the required work, papers, and testing.

Works Cited:

Elbow, Peter. Writing with Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981.

Francis, Richard W. “Common Errors in Calculating Final Grades.” Thought and Action 22 (2006) 15-22.

"A Conversation with Kathleen Blake Yancey, Kellogg W. Hunt Professor of English at Florida State University."  Lee College English Department Fall 2014 Colloquium.  21 Aug. 2014.  Interview.

 

Special Services

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute which provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with documented disabilities be guaranteed reasonable accommodation for those disabilities. If you believe that you have a disability requiring such accommodation, please contact the Galveston College Counseling Center or call (409) 944-1223.

 

Course Outline

Weeks I-IV (January 19-February 14, 2016) Introductions, review of Course Policies & Procedures handout and required texts, diagnostic tests and writing, governing awarenesses of the course, note taking, defining rhetoric, discussion of reading theories for college students (as part of GC's Read Deeper QEP project), review of invention strategies, paragraph development, editing and revision, start Trimble’s Writing with Style, Trimble quiz #1, review of scholarly/academic methodology, and start working on short graded paper.

Weeks V-VIII (February 15-March 11, 2016) Writing about writing/critical reading/critical analysis, fine points in punctuation, vocabulary, styles, tone, using quotes, introducing documentation, Trimble quiz #2 over Trimble's Writing with Style. Start reading assigned sections of Ruggiero (The Art of Thinking); a short graded paper due.

Spring Break: (March 14-18, 2016)

Weeks IX-XII (March 19-April 17, 2016) The latter half of the course will focus on the writing and presentation of formal academic research; during these four weeks we will continue with further work in Ruggiero’s book, examine key concepts in thinking, issues and problem areas in research, in depth explanation of MLA style and rules for the presentation of research, library and online research techniques, research activities, the assessment of sources by expectations of various disciplines; drafting and submission of full drafts and final copies of various stages as you build and complete a graded written research project; later work in Ruggiero, esp. writing about moral/ethical dilemmas.  Quiz #3.

Weeks XIII-XV (April 18-May 4, 2016) Completion of research paper; review/preparation for final exam.  Quiz #4.

Week XVI (Final exam on Thursday, May 5th, 10:30 am-12:30 pm)

 

Attendance Policy

Students are expected to attend all lectures and laboratory periods, and an accurate record of each student's class attendance is kept by each instructor for the duration of the course. Moreover, students learn from one another in the course; it is not solely a matter of what the student takes from a course. Any student, who misses 10% of the total clock hours of instruction, i.e., 3 class days in a two-meetings-per-week class, without excused clearance by the instructor may be withdrawn from class by the instructor with a grade of "AWN." Students and the instructor are expected to report to class on time. At the discretion of the instructor, tardiness may be treated the same as an absence and the AWN policy may be applied. If an AWN is processed before a student completes the drop procedures, the "AWN" will become the grade of record. The student, instructor, and financial aid office will receive copies of the AWN form. Programs with special attendance requirements mandated by local, state, or national accrediting or professional agencies will observe the agency attendance requirements which affect student certification, registry, or licensure, as well as those of the College. All special attendance requirements must be approved in writing by the Vice President of Instruction. Absences that are part of special services to the college such as when a student represents the college in some way are automatically excused, though students are responsible for learning what they missed on that day.

 

Academic Integrity

Each student is charged with the responsibility of maintaining scholastic integrity. When written assignments require excerpts from material published by others, the student must give full credit to the author to avoid the possibility of plagiarism. For more information refer to "Students Rights and Responsibilities section (F) Student Code of Conduct." Any student violation of scholastic integrity for plagiarism or cheating falls properly within the realm of student/faculty relations and is subject to a faculty recommendation to the college administration for loss of credit for a particular assignment, examination, or unit of work; failure in a course; or, dismissal from the college.

 

Cell Phone / SmartPhone Use

Cell phones need to be turned off. If you anticipate the need to take an important call, inform your instructor prior to class and find a seat near the front door of the class.  Restricted use of phones and pads that access online resources will be allowed such as specific occasions warrant.

Computer Usage

Galveston College provides computer resources for the purpose of accomplishing tasks related to the mission of the college. Authorized users are allowed to use the college's computer resources for school related and incidental purposes, subject to the College’s Computer Use policy and other applicable college policies, and state and federal law. For additional information concerning the College’s computer usage policy and/or procedures, please consult the Galveston College Catalog and/or Student Handbook.

 

Late Work

Late work will earn a maximum grade of C+ unless some special exigency has been cleared in advance with your instructor.

 

Library Usage

A library tour will be included as part of the course to familiarize students with the vast resources that have been provided for their success by the college and the state of Texas.

 

Tutoring

Tutoring is available via the Student Success Center in room N-119 or from your instructor during office hours or by appointment.

 

Visitors

A guest is allowed provided you clear the visit with your instructor in advance.

 

Accessing and Using Canvas

Students will be required to use Galveston College’s new online Canvas Learning Management System. There are three types of courses which may be accessed through online at http://www.gc.edu. The first is a fully online course, indicated in the schedule as ARR (arranged). The second is a hybrid or blended course, in which some of the instructional coursework is done face-to-face while a substantial portion is done through Angel. The third is a web-enhanced course which meets face-to-face in a traditional classroom format.  This course will be a web-enhanced course.  On the top right menu bar click on e-Learning. 

 

posted January 18, 2016; minor modifications (boldfacing calendar dates; adding quiz #'s 3 & 4 to calendar outline) done on March 19, 2016.