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TULSA COMMUNITY COLLEGE: SOUTHEAST CAMPUSCOURSE SYLLABUS

Professor Virginia B. Garrett-CannonENGLISH 1213 – Composition I

CRN 20875 | Sec. 317Tuesday & Thursday8:00 a.m. – 09:20 a.m.

Spring 2015

Instructor: Virginia B. CannonCRN and Sec. #: 20875 and Sec. 317Room/Meeting Times: BLDG 1, Room 1222 / Tue. and Thur., 08:00-09:20 a.m.

TO CONTACT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:Email: virginia.cannon@tulsacc.edu Mailbox: Academic and Campus Support (ACS), Room SE2202Phone: 918-595-7673 (leave message)

TO CONTACT THE DIVISION OFFICE:Communications Division, Room SE1202Associate Dean: Dr. Cindy Hess, 918-595-7694

TO GET HELP WITH BLACKBOARD, MYTCC: Call 918-595-2000 for help with Blackboard, MyTCC, or TED. Technology issues are not an excuse for failing to complete an assignment on time.

COURSE PREREQUISITES: ENGL 0933 with a grade of C or better, or appropriate placement score. See pages xii-xiv in The Little, Brown Handbook for a detailed list of prerequisites.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The first in a sequence of two courses, Composition I introduces students to academic writing (with a focus on academic argument), basic research, and documentation. More detailed course objectives are listed below. Note that you will need to access the Internet, Blackboard, and the library’s online databases to complete the requirements of this class.

COURSE THEME: “Millennials: Who Are They and Where Are They Going?” Please be aware that the texts we’ll be studying contain adult language and themes.

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NEXT COURSE IN SEQUENCE: English 1213, Composition II.

TEXTS:1. The Little, Brown Handbook, 2nd custom ed. for TCC, Fowler & Aaron (ISBN

9781256656593)2. They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, 3rd ed., Graff &

Birkenstein (ISBN 978-0-393-93361-1).3. Other assigned readings are available online through TCC’s Library

databases and on the Web. The readings are free, but you will need to print out a copy of each reading, read the text, annotate the text, and bring it with you to class on the days it’s assigned. In addition, you must keep all readings in a three-ring binder and bring the binder to each class session.

REQUIRED SUPPLIES:1. 4-inch binder2. Tab dividers3. Paper Folders with brads and pockets, minimum of 24. Loose leaf paper5. Pens: blue or black AND red6. Pencil and eraser7. Highlighter8. Hole Puncher9. Stapler

10. White-out or another page correction method

COURSE OBJECTIVES: The primary objective in this class is to teach you to write various kinds of academic essays. As such, you are expected to learn to

Analyze academic writing situations to determine purpose, audience, and focus for a written composition

Choose the best possible words to communicate clearly and effectively Construct sentences that emphasize your meaning and make your writing

interesting Think critically to develop and support thesis statements about different

subjects Create a coherent, unified essay with an orderly progression of ideas Write focused, detailed, coherent paragraphs that develop your ideas and

support your arguments with evidence appropriate to the academic situation Incorporate other sources into your writing by quoting, paraphrasing and

summarizing, and documenting correctly, according to MLA format Use the TCC Library for college-level research Read, comprehend and respond to college-level texts

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TEACHING METHODS: Class periods usually involve a variety of activities, including lecture, discussion, group work, and writing. For more information, see pages xxiii-xxv in Little, Brown.

GRADING: Final grades will be determined according to the following:ASSIGNMENTS POINTS EARNED

Essays: 3 @ 150 points each 450Summaries: 6 @ 30 points (drop lowest 1) 150Reading Quizzes (short answer): 5 @ 20 points 100Exercises: 10 @ 10 points 100Final Essay Exam 200

Total: 1000A=1,000-900; B=899-800;C=799-700; D=699-600; F=599-0

Please note that the final grade in this class is based on the total number of points earned. Because I allow students to drop the lowest summary score, I do not round up grades.

Essays and summaries will be graded using the criteria described in your Little, Brown Handbook, p. xxvi-xxii. More specific information will be given for each kind of assignment.

Students will receive full credit on exercises if they are completed according to directions and reflect a general understanding of the skills emphasized in the assigned readings.

Quizzes are designed to assess how well you have learned and can apply the concepts presented in assigned readings and during class. As such, quiz questions will not ask for a simple regurgitation of definitions provided in the readings or during class; you will have to demonstrate you truly understand the concepts by proving short-answer responses to prompts. To do well on quizzes, therefore, you must take notes over the assigned readings and during class. As incentive to take good notes, I allow students to refer to their notes during the quizzes. Please arrange an appointment to meet with me if your note-taking strategies are not helping you on the quizzes.

English professors assign "I" grades (“Incompletes”) only when genuine emergencies prevent a student from completing the class and/or from withdrawing before the deadline and only when the student is earning a satisfactory ("C" or better) grade.

I will update the Blackboard grade book once a month and/or after grading essays. Do not rely solely on the Blackboard grade book to determine your grade, though; use the grade distribution presented above.

LATE WORK: Essays 1 and 2 may be submitted late, by up to 48 hours, but will be penalized one letter grade. The other penalty is the missed opportunity to revise using

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my feedback. The late essay(s) should be submitted to the appropriate area in Blackboard, by the date indicated on the syllabus.

Essay 3, summaries, quizzes and exercises will not be accepted late. Missing a few 10-point exercises or quizzes will not hurt your grade, especially if you take advantage of the extra credit opportunities. Failure to submit an essay, though, or to submit several summaries will likely jeopardize your final grade.

ATTENDANCE/WITHDRAWAL: In this course, each class meeting is important. If you miss class, for whatever reason, you will miss important instruction, which will always put you at a disadvantage. I appreciate when students let me know they’re going to miss class, but doing so is only a courtesy; it does not change the late work policy or help you find out what you missed. To find out what you missed, you need to talk to another classmate and check the course schedule.

If you arrive to class without completing assignments and/or are genuinely not interested in the course (e.g., you don’t take notes, don’t have your textbook, readings, etc.), your lack of participation will undermine your attempts to complete in-class work and—more importantly—to do well on major assignments.

Students who miss more than nine hours of class and/or who fail to turn in a significant number of assignments may be dropped from the class, which will result in an “AW” on the transcript (see below for more details).

Students may also drop classes themselves and will receive a “W” on their transcripts. The deadline to drop this class is _____________.

A “W” and an “AW” are grade-point neutral, but non-completion of a class may affect financial aid for the current and future semesters.

FORMAT FOR COURSE WORK: All essays and summaries must be submitted as Microsoft Word documents to SafeAssign, a plagiarism detection tool. Follow MLA formatting as described in Little, Brown and save the essays and summaries as your last name, first name, and the assignment number (e.g., Smith, John_S1.docx for summary 1). If you have any trouble submitting your work by the deadline, call or email the Help Desk and me immediately. Problems with technology do not excuse late work.

Unless there is a college-wide problem with Blackboard, I do not accept any work emailed to me.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY OR MISCONDUCT: Academic dishonesty or misconduct is neither condoned nor tolerated at TCC. For details about what constitutes dishonesty or misconduct, see the college’s Academic Code of Integrity, available online at http://www.tulsacc.edu/sites/default/files/Student_Code_of_Conduct.pdf.

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PLAGIARISM POLICY: Please see “Plagiarism” on pages xxvi in Little, Brown, as well as Chapter 44: “Avoiding Plagiarism and Documenting Sources.” TCC’s Academic Code of Integrity, available in the Student Policies and Resources Handbook at http://www.tulsacc.edu/sites/default/files/Student_Code_of_Conduct.pdf, further defines plagiarism, lists its common forms, and explains how to avoid it.If you submit any assignment containing plagiarism of any kind, and it is your first offense, you will receive a 0 for that assignment and may be dropped from the class. If you wish to remain in the class, you will need to email me within 24 hours to set up a time to meet. Before our appointment, you will need to study the sources cited above to ensure a better understanding of plagiarism. During our meeting, we’ll discuss whether you understand plagiarism well enough to remain in the class. I may allow you to revise the assignment, but I’m not obligated to and will not if the plagiarism is blatant and/or extensive. A second offense will result in an automatic withdrawal from the class.

CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE: See Little, Brown, page xxvii. Students who do not follow the etiquette policy may be dismissed from class and required to meet with the TCC dean of student services. Texting during class is a violation of the etiquette policy, and it annoys me. Keep your cell phone out of sight unless you’re using it for class work.

WRITING CENTER: Students should be aware of the many services offered in the Writing Center. For more information, see page xxiv of Little, Brown.

EDUCATIONAL ACCESS POLICY: It is the policy and practice of Tulsa Community College to create inclusive learning environments. Accommodations for qualifying students in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act are available. To request accommodations, contact the Education Access Center (EAC) at eac@tulsacc.edu or call (918) 595-7115 (Voice). Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students may text (918) 809-1864. EMAIL: Students are expected to check their College email account on a regular basis in order to stay current with College-related communications, particularly those that may be time sensitive in nature. Students will be held responsible for the information transmitted to the College email account. For information about the Office 365 e-mail system for students, please visit http://www.tulsacc.edu/office365/students.

Emails to professors (especially to English professors!) should be clearly written, with correct grammar and punctuation. Use a salutation (e.g., Dear Professor Cannon) and maintain a civil tone.

I check email Monday-Friday and will usually respond within 72 hours. I also try to check email at least once during the weekend. If you don’t receive a prompt response from me, you should assume I didn’t receive your email.

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INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY: If extreme weather conditions occur, TCC sends alerts to all students (http://www.tulsacc.edu/about-tcc/tcc-alerts), gives cancellation notices to radio and television stations, and posts notifications on the TCC website. If you lose power, call the TCC main number (918-595-7000) for an updated, recorded message regarding closure.

Students will be expected to complete any homework or assigned readings and may be required to complete an online assignment, using Blackboard. In addition, if TCC is closed, students should keep up with the course agenda and check Blackboard for updates on assignments.

FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law designated to protect the privacy of a student’s education records and academic work, applies to all schools, including TCC, that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. This law protects your right as a student by stipulating that instructors will not share information about your grades, your progress in the class, or any materials you submit in their courses with anyone other than you.

GENERAL EDUCATION GOALS: The General Education Goals are designed to ensure that graduates of Tulsa Community College have the skills, knowledge, and attitudes to carry them successfully through their work and their personal lives. General Education Goals relevant to this course include Critical Thinking, Effective Communication, Engaged Learning, and Technological Proficiency.

ENGLISH DISCIPLINE GOALS: All English courses are designed to help students meet the English discipline goals, which are Effective Writing, Critical Reading, Informed Discussion, and Scholarly Research.

INSTITUTIONAL GOALS: Each student is responsible for being aware of the information contained in the TCC Catalog, the TCC Student Policies & Resources Handbook, and semester information listed in the class schedule. All information may be viewed on the TCC website: www.tulsacc.edu.

POLICY ADJUSTMENTS: Occasionally, when genuine emergencies or problem situations occur, the course policies outlined here can be modified to help a student complete the course if the student has been attending regularly, has completed most assigned work, and is earning at least a "C." It is always in your best interest, therefore, to contact me immediately if a crisis situation prevents you from attending class or completing assignments.

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TENTATIVE SCHEDULE: Below is a schedule of activities for the semester. Keep it with you and refer to it frequently.

Readings and exercises must be completed BEFORE coming to class, unless otherwise noted.

Summaries and essays should be submitted to SafeAssign before the beginning of class, on their assigned days.

Always bring all course texts and course supplies to class along with any work due. Any schedule changes will be based on the needs of the class and will be posted to Blackboard.

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TENATIVE COURSE CALENDAR:

Note: This Course Calendar is subject to change, with or without prior notice, in order to accommodate learning objectives.

*LB=Little, Brown Handbook, TSIS=They Say, I Say,BB=Blackboard, DB=Discussion Board

Week Class Date

Due: In-class Work Due

UNIT ONE:ORIENTATION TO COMPOSITION I

INTRODUCTION TO WRITING AND ARGUMENT1 01-13 Introductions

Syllabus Lecture – Avoiding Plagiarism In-class write (Diagnostic)

none

01-15 Quiz: Syllabus and LB Writing Center Orientation –

Joseph Boyne

Oral Instructions – semester research project

Lecture – thesis statements, organization, and outlines

Syllabus Acknowledgment (Exercise 1 – 10 points)

Peer Contact Handout (Exercise 2 – 10 points; due by midnight via BB)

Read LB, p. vii-xxxvii Read LB, Ch. 2b-2c, Thesis

Statement, organization, and outlining (skim sample essay)

2 01-20 Library Orientation Read LB Ch. 41 & 42, “Planning a Research Project” and “Finding Sources”; this will prepare you for Library Orientation.

Read LB, Ch. 44 – Avoiding Plagiarism

01-22 Lecture – Paragraphs Lecture – TSIS, Introduction Lecture – TSIS, Ch. 1

Read LB Ch. 4, “Writing and Revising Paragraphs” (skim sample paragraphs)

Read TSIS, Introduction Read TSIS, Ch. 1, “Starting

with What Others Are Saying”3 01-27 Lecture – LB, Emphasizing

and joining ideas; achieving coherence and variety ***This is a crucial grammar and

Read LB Ch. 23-26, Emphasizing and joining ideas; achieving coherence and variety

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punctuation lecture!01-29 Lecture – TSIS, Ch. 2 – 3

Lecture – LB, 37-39 Read TSIS, Ch. 2 – 3, “The Art

of Summarizing” and “The Art of Quoting”

Read LB Ch. 37-39, “Using Appropriate Language, Using Exact Language, and Writing Concisely”

4 02-03 Quiz: Sentence Diction Lecture – TSIS, Ch. 4 – 5 Lecture – LB Ch. 6a – c and

43c – 44c

Read TSIS, Ch. 4 – 5, “Three Ways to Respond” and “Distinguishing What You Say from What They Say”

Read LB Ch. 43c-44c, “Working With Sources”

Read LB 6a-c, “Critical Reading, Summarizing, and Analyzing”

02-05 Lecture – TSIS Lecture – LB, Ch. 7 and 8 a – g Instructions for Summary

Writing. Exercise: Fallacy Worksheet

Read TSIS, Ch. 6 – 7, “Planting a Naysayer in Your Text” and “Saying Why It Matters”

Read LB Ch. 7, “Writing in Academic Situations” (to page 185)

Read LB Ch. 8 a-g, “Reading Arguments Critically”

UNIT TWO:APPLICATION OF WRITING SKILLS

ANALYZING ACADEMIC ARGUMENTSLEARNING MLA DOCUMENTATION

5 02-10 Bring “Sample Informal and Formal Summary” to class. Please critique the formal summary. What does the summary do well? Is there anything that can be improved?

Watch “You’re Not Special” (5 minutes)

Exercise: Bad Summary of “You’re Not Special”

Watch “Hunting for Hope in Modern America” (27 minutes); classroom discussion.

Explain Essay 1

Read “Sample Informal and Formal Summary”

Read “Hunting for Hope in Modern America.” Prepare an informal summary for class discussion.

Skim LB Ch. 46a-b, “Using MLA Documentation and Format” List of sources (Ex. 2) and notebook

Read TSIS, Ch. 8, “Connecting the Parts”

02-12 NO IN-HOUSE CLASS. 02-12, Watch – The Graduate.

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THIS IS A RESEARCH DAY & VIDEO DAY

Library Research Time. Please complete: “Exercise: List of Sources.” You will need these citations for future assignments.

Plan and brainstorm for Essay One. Visit the Writing Center if you need help with the writing process.

Consider if Millennial behavior is different from previous generations?

02-15, DUE – Summary 1, “Hunting for Hope in Modern America”

Read TSIS, Ch. 9, “Academic Writing Doesn’t Always Mean Setting Aside Your Own Voice”

Continue drafting your Essay 16 02-17 Lecture – TSIS, Ch. 9 – 11

Discussion – The Graduate and summary readings

Presentation – Using Microsoft Word’s editing, comment balloons, track changes, and accept/deny changes

02-17 – Read “The Kids Are Actually Sort of Alright”

02-17, DUE – Summary 2, “The Kids Are Actually Sort of Alright”

Read TSIS, Ch. 10-11, “Connecting the Parts”

Continue drafting Essay 102-19 Watch TEDx: Scott Hess,

“Who They Are and Why We Hate Them” (22 minutes) Found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-enHH-r_FM

Lecture: Argument Analysis Apply Argument Analysis to

Scott Hess

Read “The Beat (Up) Generation”

02-19, DUE – Summary 3, “The Beat (Up) Generation”

Read TSIS, Ch. 12 – 13, “Entering Class Discussions” and “Is Digital Communication Good or Bad – or Both?”

Continue drafting Essay 17 02-24 Lecture – “Preparing Students

for the New Reality” Lecture – TSIS, Ch. 12 – 14 Watch “Millennials: Why Are

They The Worst?” TED Talk (http://youtu.be/ygBfwgnijlk)

Read “Preparing Students for the New Reality”

02-24, DUE – Summary 4, “Preparing Students for the New Reality”

Read TSIS, Ch. 14 “Reading for the Conversation”

Continue drafting Essay 102-26 Discussion – Summary reading

Lecture – TSIS, Ch. 15 Exercise: Practice Workshop

Read “What Pop Lyrics Say to Us Today”

02-26, DUE – Summary 5, “What Pop Lyrics Say to Us Today”

Read TSIS, Ch. 15 “Entering Conversations about Literature”

Print Practice Workshop. Bring to class. We will read

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and critique sample essay Continue drafting Essay 1

8 03-03 Lecture – TSIS, Ch. 16 Start watching “Millennials

Don’t Stand Chance” http://youtu.be/ARDfbMJpMqQ

03-03, DUE – Rough Draft, Essay 1; please upload to Blackboard’s Discussion Board before class begins.

Look for Exercise: Peer Review, via Blackboard for Essay 1; please check Blackboard for your workshop partners.

Read TSIS, Ch. 16 “Writing in the Sciences”

03-05 Finish watching “Millennials Don’t Stand Chance” http://youtu.be/ARDfbMJpMqQ

Exercise: Template

03-07, DUE – Peer Review for ESSAY 1, by 12 noon.

UNIT THREE:SYNTHESIZING OTHERS’ DISCCOURSE INTO AN ARGUMENT

REFINING MLA SKILLS9 03-10 Explain Essay 2 – Movie

Analysis Exercise: Practice Synthesis Lecture – TSIS, Ch. 17

03-10, DUE – FINALIZED ESSAY 1

Read TSIS, Ch. 17 “Writing in the Social Sciences”

03-12 Lecture – Summary Readings Review MLA documentation Start Movie, Waiting for

Superman

Read “Alone Together: The Unromantic Generation”

03-12 – Due Summary 6, “Alone Together: The Unromantic Generation”

Continue drafting Essay 2, You need to watch movie and read essays

10 03-17 SPRING BREAK Continue drafting Essay 2, You need to watch movie and read essays

03-19 SPRING BREAK Continue drafting Essay 2, You need to watch movie and read essays

11 03-24 Finish movie, Waiting for Superman

Prompt – reminder that research project proposal due 04-07

Continue drafting Essay 2, You need to watch movie and read essays

03-26 Lecture: How to Write an Argument

Read LB Chapter 9 03-26 Due, Rough Draft for

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Quiz Essay 2. Upload to Discussion Board. Look for your group and your name.

12 03-31 Quiz In-class mini-conferences Lecture – Proposal Writing Explain Essay 3

03-31 Due, Peer Reviews

04-02 NO IN-HOUSE CLASS; RESEARCH AND WRITING DAY

04-04 Due – Finalized Essay 2 Continue brainstorming and

drafting Essay 3UNIT FOUR:

ADDING TO THE DISCOURSEWRITING AN ARGUMENT

13 04-07 Lecture: TSIS and application to argumentative paper

Sign up for conferences

Continue drafting Essay 3

04-09 In-Class Conferences, bring laptops to work on Essay3 while I speak with individual students

Continue drafting Essay 3

14 04-14 In-Class Conferences, bring laptops to work on Essay3 while I speak with individual students

04-14 Due – Rough Draft Essay 3; please upload to Discussion Board; look for your peer group and your name

04-16 Quiz TBA

04-16 Due – Peer Review; upload to Discussion Board

15 04-21 TBA 04-21 Due – Finalized Essay 304-23 TBA

16 04-28 Review for final exam Read final exam essay04-30 Review for final exam Read final exam essay05-05 to 05-07

Class Final: 8:15-10:15 a.m.

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