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ENG 121 - English Composition I

Course Syllabus

Instructor Information | Course Information | Course Materials

Course Activities and Design | Grading and Evaluation | Course Policies

Instructor Information

Instructor: See individual courses for information after you register.

Contact Information:

Mailing Address: See individual courses for information after you register.
E-Mail: See individual courses for information after you register.

Instructor Accessibility:
The instructor will respond to e-mail as promptly as possible, usually within twenty-four to forty-eight hours during the week, Monday-Friday. Weekend response times may be longer.

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Course Information

Course Title: English Composition I

Course Description: Emphasizes the planning, writing, and revising of compositions, including the development of critical and logical thinking skills. This course includes a minimum of five compositions that stress analytical, evaluative, and persuasive/argumentative writing. This course is one of the Statewide Guaranteed Transfer courses.

Credit Hours: This course carries 3 semester credits. You can normally expect to put in 8-10 hours per week on this course.

Prerequisites: Level II assessment scores in English (Writing II and Reading II) or completion of ENG 100/090 with a C or better.

Since this is a college transfer course, you should have college-level reading and writing skills before taking this course. During the first few days of class, you will complete an additional assessment that will help the instructor determine if you are academically prepared for this course.

Student Outcomes:

The competencies you will demonstrate in this course are as follows:

1. Plan, write, and revise multi-paragraph compositions that not only demonstrate competence in the following, but also function as an integrated whole: generating and exploring ideas; writing for a variety of purposes and audiences; and focusing and developing a thesis by exploring a variety of appropriate organizational strategies.
   
   
2. Practice critical/logical thinking and reading skills - such as evaluation, analysis, synthesis, and criticism - through written assignments that stress analytical, evaluative, and persuasive/argumentative writing.
   
   
3. Practice critical reading skills.
   
   
4. Use accurate grammar, mechanics, and spelling and will choose diction and usage appropriate to their writing purposes and audiences.
   
   
5. Demonstrate the ability to select and apply contemporary forms of technology to solve problems or compile information.

What these competencies mean is that at the end of this course a student should be able to write grammatically and mechanically correct essays which use effective verbs, concrete nouns, and appropriate links between sentences and paragraphs. You will be familiar enough with the methods of development to determine which method leads to the fulfillment of your purpose in writing a specific essay. You will be able to transfer the fundamental principles of effective writing to any writing situation.

Specifically, you will be able to do the following by the end of this course:

1. Select a general subject, narrow it, and choose a reason for writing about it.
2. Write an effective thesis statement that states the topic and the reason for writing about that topic.
3. Place that thesis in an introduction that gains a reader's interest, sets the tone for the essay, and provides direction for what will come.
4. Use the fundamental rhetorical modes of development--narration, cause and effect, description, process analysis, comparison and contrast, illustration, definition, and argument--appropriately.
5. Choose and use the most effective rhetorical mode for the subject, the audience, and the assignment.
6. Use the chronological, spatial, and logical methods of organizing details.
7. Choose appropriate links/transitions between paragraphs and between sentences that lead to coherent prose.
8. Recognize a compound, a complex, a compound-complex, and a simple sentence and use each effectively.
9. Understand and use the concepts of subordination and coordination within sentences and paragraphs.
10. Use the active and passive voices effectively.
11. Recognize and correct wordiness.
12. Use specific, concrete, and vivid words rather than abstract and ineffective words.
13. Avoid common grammatical mistakes.
14. Know and abide by the conventions of punctuation and the mechanics of standard written English.
15. Correctly cite words and ideas drawn from another source.
16. Break the rules when the rules need breaking.

The most important objective of this class is to build your confidence as writers.

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Course Materials

Textbooks:
Textbooks change frequently and so are not listed here. However, you may see what texts are required for this course in any semester by clicking on this link to the CCCOnline Bookstore.

The Bookstore link opens a new window: Click on BUY > then the checkbox next to course name > then Submit Course ID Selection(s) button. Close that window to return here.

Textbook Web site:
This information will be available in the course syllabus, after registration in the actual course.

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Course Activities and Design

Unit and Chapter Assignments (see Course Schedule or Calendar for Due Dates):

Unit 1 -- Chapters 1-3
Unit 2 -- Chapters 4-8
Unit 3 -- Chapter 9
Unit 4 -- Chapter 13
Unit 5 -- (instructor choice essay)
Unit 6 -- Chapter 3 + essays
Unit 7 -- Chapter 18
Unit 8 -- Chapter 19
Unit 9 -- Chapter 20
Unit 10 -- Glossary

Participation and Interaction:
This is not a self-paced course. Students must adhere to the course schedule. In a composition class the weeks go by very quickly. It's important to make the due dates or you may find it difficult to catch up. The class is very doable for students who stay on schedule. You will be writing and interacting with the instructor and other students though your discussions, essays and assignments.

Participation in Discussions is Critical:
Participation in Discussions is a very important part of this class experience. This area serves as the virtual classroom. Participation will count as a percentage of your final grade, and in most cases it cannot be made up after each week's discussion ends. Discussions are where students and the instructor interact and discuss the readings, talk about how to develop writing strategies, and benefit from each class member's contributions and questions. You'll find Discussion Assignments to which you'll post replies in each unit. You will also respond to classmates' postings and some of their writing assignments, e.g., sharing what you think of a classmate's ideas for a potential paper or suggesting how to improve or change a submitted paper. A Grading Rubric is usually provided to help you understand expectations for Discussions.

Many instructors provide a Question-and-Answer discussion area. Participation in it is not required, but it is provided so you can ask any questions you have that are not related to the assigned discussions.

Communications About Difficulties/Absences:
It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor in a timely manner about illness, scheduling issues, or computer problems if any of these cause difficulty in regular weekly participation and interaction, or in submitting assignments on time.

Submission of Essays is Critical:
Most English Composition instructors require that assignments must be handed in by the due date. If you fail to submit an assignment on time, you may lose points (depending on the instructor).

Many instructors will give you the opportunity to revise and resubmit some or all essays to improve your grade. After registering for a class, check the syllabus to see what the instructor's policy is.

Do not plagiarize, i.e., copy from someone or something and turn it in as your work. Plagiarizing is morally unethical and against class and school policy. Check out your student handbook for more information on your school's policy on plagiarism.

Allow 7-8 days for a response to an essay assignment (i.e., before you get your graded paper back). Responses to emails and questions will usually be fairly quick during weekdays. Most instructors are usually online at least once a day, except for weekends and holidays.

Response to rewrites may take longer.

Keep a Copy of All Submissions:
It's a good idea to save copies of everything you send to the instructor -- email, journals and assignments. Murphy's Law of the Computer in an English Class seems to be -- What can go wrong, will. It's wise to keep a back-up copy of everything on a second disk and keep it in a safe place.

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Grading and Evaluation

Methods: Evaluation includes a combination of discussion participation, essay assignments, and other short assignments. Grading rubrics will be provided for evaluating Essays and Discussions.

Grading Policies: Mark the Unit Due Dates on your calendar for this class: You may be allowed to submit short assignments and essays AHEAD of schedule, but many instructors impose substantial penalties for late papers.

The syllabus in the course you register for will show how grades are assigned, explaining the number of points a student can earn for assignments, discussions, quizzes, etc. as well as the total number of points that adds up to a semester grade of A, B, C, D, or F. Since different sections of the course may be taught by various instructors, the details of grading in each class section might vary slightly from what is illustrated below.

Summary of Grading:

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Course Policies

Mutual Respect in CCCOnline Communications:

A very important aspect of online learning is respectful communication. The CCCOnline Learning Community is based on the value of mutually respectful communication.

Upon enrolling in programs in CCCOnline, students assume responsibility for respectful communications with other students and with course instructors, including communications which do not disrupt the online environment.

The CCCOnline Student Handbook includes a definition of disruptive communications and their consequences. Please visit the CCCOnline.org Web site to view the handbook.

Disruptive Communications

Definition:

• Communications which disrupt the learning environment
• Use of profanity and/or insulting or harassing remarks in email, discussions, chat or telephone communications

Consequences:

• A student who participates in disruptive communications forfeits the right to further class participation and is subject to removal from all CCCOnline courses for the given term without reimbursement by CCCOnline.
• A student who is suspended more than once for disruptive communications forfeits the right to further enrollments at CCCOnline.

Late Work:

CCCOnline courses are not self-paced. A schedule of assignments, discussions, and due dates are part of each course. A policy on accepting or rejecting late submissions, and how they will be graded, can vary from instructor to instructor. Check the syllabus in the actual course you register for to learn about the instructor's policy.

Incomplete Grades:

The "Incomplete" grade is a temporary grade indicating that the student has a satisfactory record of work completed but, for exceptional reasons, was unable to complete the final assignments.  It is designed for students who, because of documented illness or circumstances beyond their control, are unable to complete their course work within the semester but have completed a majority of the course work (75-85% of the course assignments and tests) in a satisfactory manner. The student is responsible for initiating the request for an "Incomplete" grade from the instructor. 

If circumstances beyond your control prevent you from completing an assignment at the end of the term, consult your instructor immediately. The instructor will determine whether you have a reasonable chance of satisfactorily completing the remaining activities without online access to course materials. Your instructor must work out a way for you to complete the course without benefit of the course Web site, if access is not possible. 

In requesting an "Incomplete" grade, the student should email the instructor the following information for evaluation: 

1. Documentation of Circumstances: Evidence of completion of 75-85% of the semester course work.
2. Completion of a work plan (contract) that includes what and how assignments and tests will be submitted to complete the course.  It must also include
1. the time period in which the work must be completed, not to exceed 15 weeks from the end of the CCCOnline semester, and
2. the grade to be assigned if the work is not completed.
3. Both the instructor and the student must acknowledge this written email and keep a copy of the acknowledgment as documentation.

NOTE: You are encouraged to let the instructor know as soon as possible if you are having difficulties with any part of the course. At no time will the "Incomplete" grade be used as entrance into another current or future course section for completion of the work. In the unlikely event that you and the instructor cannot reach some resolution, please contact the Academic Dean. 

Academic Integrity:

Plagiarism is the act of using words and/or ideas from another person or source without acknowledgment of debt to that person or source and is a serious academic crime. Students are expected to do their own work. Students are expected to follow the Academic/Plagiarism policies of their home institutions (available in your college catalogue).

Special Services:

If you have a learning or physical disability that will require special accommodation, please notify your instructor immediately upon enrollment.

End of Semester:

You will be able to access the class for one week after the end of the semester. However, the last day to turn in any work is the last day of the semester. The extra week of access is only to check your grades.

Notice of Non-Discrimination:

CCCOnline is an equal-opportunity educational institution and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. Reasonable accommodations will be provided upon request for persons with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of College Support Services at 1-800-801-5040 or the Student Services office of your home college.

Disclaimer:

Other than competencies, elements of this syllabus may be subject to adjustment.

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