Harford Community College

English 101 Syllabus

THIS SYLLABUS IS A SAMPLE.

Class Meeting Time

Since this is an online course, you must check the course website at least three times a week to:

1) receive and post your assignments
2) participate actively in posted discussions
3)  read the posted “lectures.”

Texts

Successful College Writing: Skills, Strategies, Learning Styles, by  Kathleen T. McWhorter . 3RD Edition.

Rules for Writers, by Diana Hacker.

Course Prerequisite

Prerequisites: ENG 012 or qualifying score on the writing assessment. CIS 011 or concurrent enrollment in CIS 011 or a qualifying score on the computer skills assessment. 

Course Description

This course is designed to develop mature writing skills in the essay form, including the documented essay. Through writing a series of essays in a variety of modes, such as the argumentative essay, the process analysis, the research paper, and the summary analysis, students achieve proficiency in presenting and supporting their own ideas and incorporating the ideas of others into their essays. 

Course Requirements, Due Dates, and Grading

Please see the  CALENDAR on the course home page to get more specific due dates.

NOTES:       

1) Our class week runs from Sunday through Saturday. You will be participating in our discussions throughout the week and then turning your assignments at the end of the weekm or by midnight Saturday.

2) You are expected to participate in the discussions at least three times a week. This means posting at least two substantive, quality posts each day for three days a week. I have posted discussion questions (DQs) at the beginning of each week to help get the conversations started. Your posts should comment on the Discussion Questions of other students, ask questions or comment about the readings/grammar exrcises that week, and generally contribute to the discussion. You can contribute to the discussion all week long, from Sunday through Saturday.

3) Your Discussion Question (DQs) answers are what jumpstart our weekly discussions. Therefore, you should post your DQs by no later than midnight Tuesday of each week. Late posts will have points deducted. Post your DQs to the Discussion Board, with your name and assignment number in the subject line. EX: "John Smith DQs Week 4." All the DQ questions are listed below, so you can work on them ahead of time, but you cannot post them until the week in which they are due!

4) Your Papers and Grammar Exercises should be emailed to me by midnight Saturday of the week they are due. Points will be deducted for late papers.  Please note: In my schedule, I make every effort to grade papers and assignments in a timely manner. However, late assignments will have to wait until I have time to grade them.

5) Grammar Exercises: As you read through the chapters, you should work through a number of exercises provided on your own according to those skills you know you need to work on. For some chapters, I will assign exercises for you to complete and submit. These must be turned in on the due date and be complete; no partial credit will be awarded and no credit will be awarded for late assignments. Grammar Exercises should be posted by midnight Saturday of the week they are due. I will only count that you have done the grammar exercises; it is up to you to post questions that you may have about them to the Weekly Discussion forum. Questions and posts related to Grammar Exercises will count toward your participation points for the week.

6) To receive a passing grade, students must:

          - Complete all assigned essays and grammar exercises

          - Receive a passing grade on the Research Essay

          - Demonstrate at least "C" level writing on the Final Exam

7) IMPORTANT: English 101 is a fast-paced course. You will be working on many different types of essays and the reading for the next type of theme will sometimes overlap with your work on the previous theme. It is important to keep up with the assignments as they are presented. This is especially important when it comes to the Research Essay, which you will begin working on independently starting in Week 6. You will need to continue working on the Research Essay throughout the course, even as you work on the weekly assignments.

8) All assignments must be formatted in MLA format, which means they must be double-spaced with 1-inch margins on all sides. Use 12 point Times New Roman (or a similar font). Your name, course title, date, and assignment type must appear in the upper left-hand corner. For essays, do not use cover sheets. Rather, the title should be centered and underlined in the middle of the page after the info in the upper left-hand corner. Skip two lines after the title and begin the body of the essay.

9) Towards the end of the semester, you will be able to access  the final exam, which should be completed by midnight, Sunday, of Week 15. You do NOT have to report to a test center to take this exam. It is an online, open-book exam to be completed in your own time.

10) ALL written assignments, such as papers and grammar exercises, MUST be completed and submitted as MS Word documents. That means that your paper must be formatted as a.doc or an .rtf document. If you do NOT have MS Word, you might be able to type your paper in another program, such as MS Works, and save it as either a .doc or .rtf document. Assignments submitted as .wpd or .wps or any other format will not be graded.

Navigating the Course

The list below should help you navigate and understand the course.

On the course homepage, you will find several icons:

1) Syllabus -- this is the document you are reading now, which governs all the rules and assignments in this class.
2) Calendar -- although assignment due dates are listed by week (when something is due in Week 3, that means by midnight Saturday of the third week of the course), the calendar is there to give you more specific due dates (in other words, Week 3 = August 11th , for example).
3) Communications -- this icon takes you to your course emails, where you can send and receive email from me or anyone else in the course, and to the Discussion Board, which includes:
            * Announcements board- check this often for announcements from me
            * Questions board -- post any questions you have about the course here
            * Weekly discussion boards -- each Sunday, you will move to the next week's discussion board and post your DQs, discussions, etc. Your participation grade will be based on your                 posts in these discussion boards. They are listed as Week One Discussion, Week Two Discussion, etc.
4) Assignments -- This is where you can find more information about your paper and grammar assignments. This is also where you will upload your assignments for me to grade.
5) Course Content -- Here, each week, you will find a new lecture for you to read and use as you go through the course.

Students with Special Needs

Harford Community College is committed to serving students who have documented physical, learning, psychological, or other disabilities.  Students who have a disability are responsible for contacting Disabilities Support Services at 410-836-4402 to discuss their needs for accommodations.  All information shared with Disabilities Support Services will be held in confidence.  

Plagiarism

Students guilty of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will receive an “F” on the specific assignment and, at the discretion of the instructor, the student may receive an “F” for the course.  Be careful that a well-intended tutor or friend does not write your essay for you or that you fail to document the use of outside source materials in your essay.  Remember that the teacher wants to help you to express your unique perspective and to develop your writing skills.  Simply using someone else’s words or ideas will not help you to become a better writer.  To avoid concerns about plagiarism, save all your drafts to show your writing progress, and acknowledge ideas from other writers through proper documentation.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Week 1

• Spend time becoming familiar with the course and with the WebCT platform. 
• Read through the syllabus carefully and post any questions you have to the Discussion Board.
• Answer Week 1 DQs.
• Read Lecture 1. 
• Post a message to the Discussion Board introducing yourself. Tell the class about yourself!
• Provide a 300-word writing sample, uploaded to the Assignments icon by the end of Week One (Saturday). In the sample, tell me what your strengths and weaknesses in writing are, and what areas of grammar you feel you need to work on the most.

Week 2

• Read "Prewriting: How to Find and Focus Ideas," pp. 63-91 in Successful College Writing (SCW).
• Read the Lecture for Week 2.
• Answer Week 2 DQs.
• Grammar Exercises:  #3.1 and #4.1 in SCW (these will be posted in the Announcements discussion folder).

Week 3

• Read "Writing and Thesis" and "Drafting the Essay," pp. 93-147 in SCW
• Read "Planning, Writing, and Revising a Draft," pp. 18-42 in Decisions
• Answer Week 3 DQs
• Read the Lecture for Week 3
• Grammar Exercises:  #5.1 and  #6.1, in SCW  (these will be posted in the Announcements discussion folder).

Week 4

• Read "Illustration: Explaining with Examples," pp. 287-323 in SCW
• Answer Week 4 DQs.
• Read the Lecture for Week 4.
• Example Essay Due this week.

Week 5

• Read "Revising Content and Organization" and "Editing Sentences and Words," pp. 157-179 and pp. 181-204 in SCW
• Answer Week 5 DQs.
• Read Lecture for Week 5.
• Grammar Exercises:  #7.1, and  #7.3, in SCW  (these will be posted in the Announcements discussion folder).

Week 6

• Read "Writing the Research Paper" and "Considering Resources," pp. 670-693 and pp. 733-784 in SCW
• Read "Researching Print and Electronic Resources," pp. 61-120 in Decisions
• Answer Week 6 DQs
• Read Lecture for Week 6
• Start working on your Research Paper this week: think of topics and start looking for sources. Do not leave this assignment to the last minute!

Week 7

• Read "Process Analysis: Explaining How Something Works or is Done," pp. 335-379 in SCW
• Answer Week 7 DQs
• Read Lecture for Week 7
• Process Essay Due this week.

Week 8

• Read "Definition," pp. 475-518 in SCW
• Answer Week 8 DQs
• Read Lecture for Week 8
• Grammar Exercises: #9.1 and  #10.1, in SCW  (these will be posted in the Announcements discussion folder).
• Summary/Response Essay Due this week

Week 9

• Read "Reading and Writing," pp. 23-58 in SCW
• Read pp. 100-120 in Decisions
• Read "Using Sources," pp. 699-731 in SC
• Answer Week 9 DQs
• Read Lecture for Week 9

Week 10

• Read "Cause and Effect Essays," pp. 519-563 in SCW
• Answer Week 10 DQs
• Read Lecture for Week 10
• Cause/Effect Essay Due this week

Week 11

• Read "Reading Arguments," pp. 567-599 in SCW
• Read "Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing," pp. 1-17 in Decisions
• Answer Week 11 DQs
• Read Lecture for Week 11
• Grammar Exercises:  #12.1,  #13.1, and #15.1 in SCW  (these will be posted in the Announcements discussion folder).

Week 12

• Read "Writing Arguments," pp. 601-647, in SCW
• Read "Writing and Arguing in the Disciplines," pp. 157-186 in Decisions
• Answer Week 12 DQs
• Read Lecture for Week 12

Week 13

• Work this week on your Research Paper. By this point, you should have your topic, thesis statement, and your resources, so you can begin writing the rough draft. Be sure that you contact me during the week if you have any questions or concerns as you write.

Week 14

• Read "Reading Writing about Literature," pp. 787-823 in SCW
• Read "Writing about Literature," pp. 206-210 in Decisions
• Answer Week 14 DQs
• Read Lecture for Week 14
• Research Paper Due this week

Week 15

• Final Exam Due this week.

Weekly Discussion Questions

* All of these questions should be approached after you have completed the assigned readings for the week. 

* Remember that you may work ahead on the readings and DQs, but you may not post the answers until the week in which they are due.

* Answer each of the following questions in the Discussion Board, and make sure that you comment on and discuss the answers of other students.  Discussion of these topics is a vital part of learning in this class and a vital part of your grade.

Week 1

1) Post a message introducing yourself to the class. What is your major? Where do you live? What are your interests?

2) Read the essay, "Po-Po in Chinatown" on page 282. What do you think of the author's description? What passages were most interesting or effective for you? Did you find it interesting? Why or why not?

3) What do you think are your strengths and weaknesses in writing?

Week 2

1) How does a topic differ from one's purpose? What are the main purposes of writing, and how does your audience affect what you are writing? Give examples to support your points.

2) What are the various techniques in which you can decide on a topic for your papers? Which one(s) do you feel will work best for you? Which one(s) will be least helpful?

Week 3

1) What are some important points to remember when developing a thesis? In "Pet Therapy for Heart and Soul" (page 109), what is the author's thesis and how does she support it? Give examples of her evidence.

2) In "The Value of Volunteering" (page 127), identify the topic sentence of each paragraph. What is the thesis? How does each topic sentence support the thesis statement?

Week 4

1) What are the characteristics of Illustration essays?

2) In "Family Secrets" (page 303), what are some of the ways Deborah Tannan illustrates her points? Are these illustrations effective? Why or why not?

Week 5

1) Do you consciously revise your work according to the suggestions in this week's reading? What tips or techniques about revision did you find helpful?

2) After reviewing this week's reading on "Editing Sentences and Words," how do you think your own sentences compare? What are some areas you know you will want to improve, based on the information given in the reading?

Week 6

1) What are the differences between summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting a source?

2) Review the MLA style. What are some of your weak areas with it? What are some things you do not understand about it?

Week 7

1) What are some everyday uses of process analysis? Describe a work or home situation in your life that requires process analysis.

2) On page 350, there is a list about how to integrate process analysis into your essays. How well does the author of "Creating Your Own Website" integrate those characteristics? Give examples from the text.

Week 8

1) What is an extended definition, and how can it be used in an essay?

2) In the essay, "Hip Hop Music," how effectively did the writer integrate the characteristics of extended definition into her writing? Give examples, referring to pages 488-489 on integration.

Week 9

1) In the essay, "Purse Snatching" (page 28), several passages have been highlighted. What is their significance?

2) Study the tips (page 38) for reading difficult texts. Which of these do you expect will be most helpful for you?

Week 10

1) How can the strategies of Cause and Effect be useful in your own essays?

2) How well does the author of "An Early Start" (page 548) utilize the strategies and characteristics of cause and effect?

Week 11

1) What are some of the unfair and illogical appeals mentioned in our text? Do you experience them in everyday life? Give one example.

2) Compare the essay "How Much Is That Kidney in the Window?" (page 589) to the checklist on page 590. How effective is it? Does it compare? Give examples.

Week 12

1) What are some of an argument's most important characteristics?

2) Why is it important to consider opposing viewpoints in your argument? What are some ways in which you can do that? Refer to pages 624-625.

Week 13

No DQs this week: Work on Research Paper.By now, you should have a topic, a thesis statement, and a working bibliography.

Week 14

1) What are some important points to keep in mind when reading and writing about literature? What are some key factors/characteristics of which you should be aware?

2) Read "Story of an Hour" (page 801). Describe ONE of the following in detail: the story's plot, setting, theme, character, or point of view.