Sample Syllabus

Freshman Composition!
Course number: ENG 1301
Days: T/TR
Time: 9:30 – 10:45 and 3:15-4:30
Rm. TBA
Instructor: Cheyenne Riggs
Office: 109
Email: kriggs11@alamo.edu
Hours: 1:30 – 3:00 T/TR and after the 3:15 class
Course Description (e-catalog) - Principles and techniques, which may include documentation, of
written, expository, and persuasive composition; analysis of literary, expository, and/or persuasive texts;
emphasis on critical thinking.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES*: (San Antonio College)
Learning Outcome 1: The student will be able to recognize and apply the principles of writing as a
process, including pre-writing, drafting, revising, and editing, to produce essays as basic units of
writing.
Performance Objective and Measurement: The student will write a minimum of four essays, excluding
the final examination, that show awareness of audience and purpose and writing as a process. The
essays will constitute at least 60 percent of the course grade, and minimum competency
requirements for the course will be a grade average of 70 or better.)
Learning Outcome 2: The student will be able to make connections between reading and writing skills
by recognizing audience and purpose through the study of a variety of texts.
Performance Objective and Measurement: The student will demonstrate competency by reading a
variety of texts to include works that address global awareness and civic responsibility, participating
in discussions about the texts, and modeling an understanding of audience and purpose through
written assignments.
Learning Outcome 3: The student will recognize the importance of using a variety of rhetorical
strategies to write essays that have precise controlling ideas, clear thesis statements, coherent topic
sentences developed through appropriate supporting details, sufficient transitions and other cues to
help the reader connect ideas, and a logical overall structure containing an introduction, body
paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Performance Objective and Measurement: The student will demonstrate an understanding of
rhetorical strategies in essay writing by composing a minimum of four essays totaling 2000 words or
more and a final in-class exam essay of 500 words or more. An average grade of 70 or better on
essays will demonstrate competency.
Learning Outcome 4: The student will achieve basic competency in edited Standard American English
as expected in the local and national communities.
Performance Objective and Measurement: The student will demonstrate increased competency in
using effective grammar, spelling, punctuation, and discipline-standard formatting in academic
written assignments.
Learning Outcome 5: The student will be able to utilize basic research skills in the writing process.
Performance Objective and Measurement: The student will demonstrate research skills by attending a
library orientation and using library search tools to access at least one academic source relevant to a
written course assignment.
Necessary materials
-
Textbook:
The Bedford Guide for College Writers with Reader, Research Manual and
th
Handbook, 9 edition
ISBN:
-
9780312601539
Notebook: for in-class note-taking and writing assignments
An active internet connection, Microsoft word and the willingness/ability to use both
Description:
Welcome to Composition I! This course is designed to help students expand, refine, and ideally
master critical reading and writing skills. We will work together, studying various types of expository
reading and writing, to challenge you to think critically about the world around you, structure
arguments, develop personal narratives with voice and flow, and undergo research in any field. This
class will help develop the tools you will need to be successful readers and writers in any major, in a
post-university job setting, and in life.
After this class, you should feel confident and competent in:
-
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Understanding the writing process and how drafts and ideas morph and mold into polished,
carefully considered pieces of writing
Understanding reading as a means of self-enlightenment and writing as a tool for
communication and learning. Writing to communicate challenges you to produce clear,
coherent prose adapted to purpose, occasion and audience. Writing to learn gives you tools for
understanding complex texts and ideas – and for exploring your own thoughts and experiences
Understanding complex arguments and prose and analyzing them critically
Synthesizing a substantial amount of information on a narrow topic, setting up literary reviews,
and incorporating and building upon other scholars’ ideas when contributing valuable research
in a particular field
Class Structure:
This class will attempt to cover as many types of writing as possible, in order to fully prepare you
for the writing tasks you will face in your studies. We will begin by talking about audience and purpose,
the writing process, and self-reflection. We will read several articles that will give us a starting point
from which to form our arguments and eventually our papers. We will work on developing arguments
and creating well-structured and purposeful essays. We will also work on basic grammatical errors to
move our writing closer to Standard American English. Towards the end of the semester, we will
complete a collaborative research assignment. We will also work on in-class writing assignments to
prepare for the final exam (and for future in-class writing assignments.)
Course Policies and Attendance:
• This syllabus is your guide to this course. Please refer to the syllabus if you have any
questions before emailing me. Please also check it before every class meeting for assignments to make
sure you are prepared for class.
• Lessons and skills learned in this class are cumulative: each day, we will build on the lessons,
drafts, workshops and group discussions of the class before. Therefore, attendance is required.
1-2 absences – no penalty
3 absences – 10 points off your participation grade
4 absences – 20 points off your participation grade
More than 4 absences – You may be dropped from the class if it is before the drop date or
given an F if it is after
* Use your absences wisely. While I appreciate students letting me know if they will be absent,
there is ultimately no difference between an excused absence and an unexcused absence, so use your
absences wisely. I do my best to warn students if they are near their absence limit, but ultimately, it is
your responsibility to keep track of your attendance. (There is an additional attendance policy for peerreview days, see below.)
• Please come to class on time and stay the entire lesson unless you have a prior engagement
and you speak to me first. Leaving early and arriving late is disruptive to the students around you.
Repeated unexcused tardies will be counted as an absence.
• Please turn off your cell phones before class. I notice which students pay attention and which
are busy with their phones, and it does affect your final grade as well as how much I am willing to work
with you in different situations.
• Do not sleep in my class. This is incredibly rude. You will be counted absent or possibly woken
up with a loud noise and/or something thrown at you.
• Laptops should only be in use during active note-taking. If I find that you are doing anything
on your laptop other than classwork, you will be asked to leave and you will not get credit for that day.
Late Assignments:
My late paper policy is as follows:
<1 day late (this includes turning the paper in after class has begun) = minus 10 points
1 full day late = minus 20 points
2 full days late = minus 30 points
…and so on
Please let me know if you have extenuating circumstances that prevented you from turning in your
assignment on time. Being responsible and making an effort to work with me goes far. I encourage you
to come to me during office hours if you are having difficulties writing the assignment, including
brainstorming for ideas or finding a direction for your paper.
I DO NOT ACCEPT late reading responses, quizzes or notes. Period.
Canvas/Email:
There is a Canvas site for this course, which we will use throughout the semester for grades,
assignments, and email, so you must check your student email inbox regularly.
Peer-Review Policy
On peer-review days, I will check for complete typed drafts. If your draft is not substantially complete, or
if you miss class, I will lower your grade on that paper by one letter grade (10 points). You may also be
counted absent, even if you come to class. Being “present” means being prepared and actively
participating.
Contact via Email
This is a writing class. As writing students and future professionals, I expect all correspondence with me
to be edited and proofread as carefully as an assignment. Please open your emails with “Dear Ms.
Riggs” as a proper salutation, introduce yourself, identify your question or concern, and close with
“Sincerely,” “Best,” or any other form of closing, and your name. This is also true of mail sent within
Canvas. Please take the time to write me properly – professional communication is a necessary skill that
will take you far. Please allow at least 24 hours for me to respond to an email.
Academic Honesty
All students are expected to abide by this university’s academic honesty policy. While we recognize that
writing is often a collaborative effort, any and all borrowed ideas should be given the proper citation.
Style guides are available in the library to assist you. Plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated and
will result in an automatic 0 for the assignment, possibly the course, and a permanent mark on your
academic record. It’s not worth it.
Writing Center
SAC’s Academic Support Center is a free tutoring service available to all registered students. All writers,
myself included, benefit from additional feedback about our work. The Academic Support Center (ASC)
provides tutoring in math, writing, and other subjects to currently enrolled students on a walk-in basis,
and students can receive individual or group help. Tutors help students understand their class material,
develop study skills, and work collaboratively to help students achieve their learning goals. The ASC also
provides students access to computers, study spaces, and academic resources. For more information
visit: http://mywebdev.alamo.edu/main.aspx?id=7687
Grades
Each assignment will be graded out of a certain number of possible points, and each student’s final
grade will be computed according to the following weight:
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Quizzes and participation (Attendance/Preparedness/Classwork): 15%
Reading Responses and notes: 25%
Paper 1: 10%
Paper 2: 10%
Paper 3: 15%
Paper 4: 15%
Final Exam: 10%
Semester Grade (out of 1000)
A=90-100
B=80-89
C=70-79
D=60-69
F=0-59
* You MUST earn an average of a 70 or higher on all papers to move on to Comp. II, regardless of overall
course grade.
**Additionally, you MUST earn a C or better in the course to move on to Comp. II!
Extra Credit:
Extra credit opportunities will be available throughout the semester. Points will be added to your
participation grade. Stay tuned.
Explanation of Assignments
Papers: We will write five papers, including the final in-class essay, during the semester. All papers will
be turned in via Canvas in Microsoft Word format. More details will be provided as the due dates
approach.
Peer Review: Before our papers are due, we will have a peer-review day in which we will take turns
reading each other’s rough drafts and providing constructive feedback. This is a vital part of the writing
process, giving students a sense of audience and helping them improve their editing and critical thinking
skills. Rough drafts must be complete (no outlines or partial drafts.) Rather than turn your rough draft
in to me, you will receive your rough drafts with peer feedback after the peer review in order to help
you improve the rough draft for final revision. See the above peer-review policy for additional
information. All rough drafts are printed out and brought to class on the day they are due.
Reading assignments: During the semester we will read a variety of texts. It is your responsibility to read
all assignments before they are discussed in class. This class (and most of your future college courses)
relies heavily on what you learn outside of class – you cannot write about or discuss something unless
you have read it first. That being said, I take a lot of pride and go to great lengths to make sure that your
reading assignments are relevant and interesting, so please do not insult me by skipping the reading.
Reading Responses: I will frequently ask you to “respond” to your reading assignment. A good response
will not only include your thoughts and feelings about the piece, but will demonstrate your thorough
understanding of the argument and perspective of the reading and your ability to engage with others.
You will have a response due the class day after reading is assigned. Use this tool to not only gather
your thoughts on the readings so that you can contribute to class discussion. Responses are expected to
be a minimum of 2-3 paragraphs in length. We will discuss this more in class, and I will provide a sample
response as well. All reading responses are turned in via Canvas.
Notes: You will occasionally be required to take notes on the assigned reading for the day. Please turn
in these notes through canvas or on paper in class. A grade will be taken on how well these notes cover
the material and follow the assigned reading. This will help you to improve your note-taking abilities
and prepare for class discussions. Notes may be turned in either via Canvas or on paper.
Quizzes: After each paper is returned, you will need to go to Canvas and take a “quiz” on the comments
and feedback I have given you. I spend an incredible amount of time reading and commenting on each
essay, and I want to make sure you are understanding this feedback and utilizing it to better your
writing. These quizzes are easy and require no more effort than simply reading and synthesizing my
comments. All quizzes are taken via Canvas.
Discussion: This is a college level course. I expect you to come to class prepared to discuss the assigned
readings. I encourage you to make notes, underline, highlight, and generally destroy your textbook by
filling it with all your thought graffiti, to better gather your thoughts before the responses and
discussions. Regularly participating in discussions will help the class generate a better knowledge and
understanding of the readings, provide us with your unique perspective based upon your personal
experiences and worldview, and improve your participation score.
SAVE ALL OF YOUR WORK IN MULTIPLE PLACES! Do not discard any responses, quizzes, rough or final
drafts of papers, etc. until you are given a final grade for the course. Additionally, DO NOT rely on one
machine or location to save your work – use cloud-based hard drives or another means of saving your
work somewhere other than your central computer. Computer crashes, forgotten flash drives or other
mechanical failures will not be accepted as reason for not having an assignment ready turn in.
Responsible students save their work in multiple places, save it often, and do not wait until the last
minute to print/turn in assignments.
Week
Date
Class
Week 1
20 Jan
Introduction to the course: college reading, writing, and
thinking, Canvas demonstration
Watch: A Vision of Students Today, Rhetorical Situations, Syllabus Quiz (on Canvas)
Purpose and Audience, “Habits of Mind” from
“Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing”,
Writing reflections: Where are you?
Unit I: Cultural Studies: Race, Class and Gender
introduction
22 Jan
Week 2
27 Jan
Homework
Brooks, “The Opportunity Gap” pgs. 118-120
John Oliver: “The Gender Wage Gap”
29 Jan
Week 3
Week 4
3 Feb
Reading Strategies p. 18 - 22 and Critical Thinking p. 2529 and 37-43, Purpose and audience 12-13
Paper #1 assigned, discussion, The Writing Process p. 710, reading responses and critical thinking/reading:
“Disappearing Act”, “The High Cost of Manliness” pgs.
535-537 (sample reading response to HCoM on pg. 24)
and “
Reading discussion, intersectionality, peer review
discussion and expectations, sample paper examined
5 Feb
Rough Draft for Paper #1 Due, Peer review
10 Feb
Unit II: Rhetorical Analysis: Visuals
Intro to rhetorical analysis, Detroit and Chrysler
(commercial here,) photo essay, parts of an essay and
introductions
Print, read, and bring to class: “Defining
Racism” (.pdf pgs. 1-4) and submit Reading
Response #1 (via Canvas)
Print, read, and bring to class: “Straight White
Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is”
and annotation, “Explaining White Privilege to
a Broke White Person” and Reading Response
#2
Rough draft paper #1 (bring one hard copy to
class)
Paper #1 due
12 Feb
Week 5
17 Feb
19 Feb
Week 6
Week 7
24 Feb
Week 9
Notes #1, “Responding to Visual Representations”
p. 290-304
Watch this Apple commercial then print, read,
and bring to class: “Change the World: Ethos as
Brand Recognition in an Apple Commercial” and
post Reading Response #3
group ad analysis, create outline, dos and don’ts of
analysis
Outlines returned, Watch: Killing us softly, discussion
Be on the lookout for an advertisement to
analyze!
Rough Draft Paper #2 (bring one hard copy and
your ad to class)
Paper #2 Due
26 Feb
Peer Review, workshop papers
3 March
Unit III: Arguing a Position: Technology and Us,
introduction to unit, arguing a position, types of support,
Logos Pathos Ethos, Louie C.K Hates Cell Phones and
Slate Magazine’s Louis C.K. Hates Cell Phones, but He’s
Wrong
Listen: John Oliver, Net Neutrality: freewrite and
Notes #2, “Taking a Stand" pgs. 166-176
discuss, practice arguing a position (173)
SPRING
BREAK
read Clive Thompson, “The New Literacy” p. 584Listen: John McWhorter, Texting is Killing
586 and Reading Response #4
Language, JK!!! Freewrite and discuss, structure of
5 March
Week *
Visual rhetoric, Uncovering hidden messages in ads,
Watch Kate Walsh’s Cadillac Commercial and read “Life,
Liberty and the Pursuit” pgs. 305-307, PIE paragraphs,
Paper #2 Assigned
Discussion, outlining and organizing a paper,
Activity: class group ad analysis
10 March
12 March
17 March
arguments and logical fallacies
19 March
Discuss readings, They say, I say + activity ****
Week 10
24 March
Quoting vs. paraphrasing and activity, ***** I language
and emotive language
26 March
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
31 March
Thesis statement review, counterarguments and
rebuttals + activity
Listen: debate: More Clicks, Fewer Bricks,
2 April
finish More Clicks, catch-up day
7 April
Conferences
9 April
Conferences
14 April
Unit IV: Research: What Interests You?
16 April
Week 14
21 April
PRINT, READ, AND BRING TO CLASS
Brownstein, “You Can Tell Everybody This Is
Your Song” and EITHER Stone, “Grief in the Age
of Facebook” pgs. 587-589 OR Copeland, “Is
Facebook Making Us Sad?” pgs. 591-593 and
Reading Responses #5
Research and pick one article that relates to
either technology and language/writing, social
media, or technology and education. Write a
response over this article (as reading response
#6). Include link to article in response!
Rough Draft Paper 3 (Bring FIVE hard copies –
very important!)
Read and comment on group rough drafts, be
prepared to discuss!
Read and comment on group rough drafts, be
prepared to discuss!
Paper #3 due
Paper #4 assigned, research and research processes, how
to do annotated bibs, sample annotated bib, MLA
formatting
groups chosen, topic discussion, how to do research,
Notes #3, “Evaluating Sources” pgs. 679-686
Research questions, how to use sources, Wong, “5 Easy
Ways to Spot a B.S. News Story on the Internet”, assign
sample annotated bib
Source navigator (pg. 642), Searching Library databases
Research topic and question due (discuss with
667-669, computer lab tutorial and independent
me in class)
research
23 April
work in computer lab
Week 15
28 April
Week 16
30 April
5 May
7 May
Sample annotated bib returned, Computer lab and
presentations
Catch-up day
in-class essay practice, group review
thesis review and outlining, prompt practice
FINAL! (date is tentative)
Sample annotation due (as Reading Response
#7)
Paper #4 due