English 3810 Advanced Composition

English 3810: Advanced Composition

*Assignments*	*Course Description*	*Course Objectives*	*Grades*
*Policies*	*Portfolio*	*Syllabus*	*Textbooks*

THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION FOR A WHILE--2nd Summer Session doesn't start until June 26, 2003--IT'LL BE UP BY LATE APRIL

This class meets in Bate 1018 Mondays through Fridays at 11:30 a.m.

Tentative Syllabus for 2nd Summer Semester 2003

Date Topic Reading Remarks/Assignments

#1 June 26-27 Introduction Letter of Introduction (due 6/26)

#2 June 30-July 1-2-3 Elements of the Essay Ch 1-7 in MW Narrative Essay (due 7/3)(No Class on the 4th of July)

#3 July 7-8-9-10-11

Language of the Essay Ch 8-9 in MW Expository Composition (due 7/10)

#4 July 14-15-16-17-18 Types of Essays Ch 10-14 in MW Lit Review (due 7/17)

#5 July 21-22-23-24-25 Types of Essays Ch 18-19 in MW Research Paper (due 7/24)

#6 July 28-29-20-31 August 31 Writing for the Web Ch 15-18 in MW Web Page (7/27); Reflective Paper (due 7/28)

Textbooks

Required

Rosa, Alfred and Paul Eschholz. Models for Writers: Short Essays for Composition. 7th ed. New York: St. Martin's, 2001.

Assignments

General Remarks
Format Standards
Late Assignments
Submitting Assignments
Summary of Assignments

General Remarks

Please notice that your fees for this semester include a Computer & Technology Fee, which entitles you to any empty seat at most of the computer labs located around campus. Although some labs are restricted (the BVTE Lab is reserved for BVTE students, the Writing Lab is reserved for freshman composition students, etc.), most students use the lab in Austin. For an up-to-date list of lab locations, visit http://www.ecu.edu/itc/lab/labtable.html.

Also, it's a pretty good idea to keep a backup copy of everything you write. You'll need a 3.5" DS/DD (720 KB) or DS/HD (1.44 MB) "floppy," and these are available at the bookstores.

Format Standards

A professional appearance establishes any writer's credibility and improves reader understanding; thus, all written work submitted for evaluation should follow the criteria below:

Use 20 lb., white, bond paper (or whatever paper is available for printers in the various campus writing labs)--avoid onion skin or erasable paper.
Maintain a 1-inch margin (top, bottom, left, and right margins).
Printed text should be dark and clear but without smears and smudges (if a dot matrix printer is used, make sure to print in the letter-quality mode).

If you should discover one or two typing errors (typos), neatly correct the mistake(s) by crossing out the error(s)d writing the correction(s) above (three or more errors require both correction and reprinting).
Late Assignments
There aren't any, but if an assignment is submitted after a deadline has passed, 10 points per class meeting will be deducted for the grade awarded.
Submitting Assignments
Assignments are submitted in either of two ways:

Turning it in at the end of the class when it is due, or
Delivering to the instructor (or his office) by the end of the day the assignment is due; actually if it's in the box by my door by the beginning of the next class day, that'll be okay, too (but remember that I get here around 7:00 a.m.).

Table 1: Summary of Assignments & Percentage of Final Grade

Letter of Introduction 05%

Narrative Essay
15%

Expository Essay 15%

Literary Review 15%

Research-Based Paper

25%

Web Page 10%

Reflective Paper
5%

Attendance & Participation
10%

Total

100%

Note: Add one point to your final grade for perfect attendance; deduct 10 points for no portfolio

Table 2: Grades and What They Mean

Letter Grade

What the Grade Means

A (100 - 90) Very Good--A great pleasure to read, this writing excites the reader by how well it achieves the purpose of the assignment.

B (89-80) Good--Well worth reading, this writing makes it easy for the reader to gain new insights and knowledge and to respect your point of view.

C (79-70) Fair--Not so good, but not too bad; the writing gives readers something for their efforts, but not very much.

D

Well, it's either fair or better or it's poor.

F (69-0) Poor--Lacking significant thought and hard to understand, this writing is plagued by such things as inappropriate or inaccurate word choice, weird syntax, grammatical errors, misspellings, and mispunctuation. This leaves the reader wondering or regretting any effort at reading.

Course Description

This course is designed to give students practical experience in developing the skills they will need to develop skills they will need to effectively write and evaluate different kinds of compositions, including narrative and expository writing, research-based writing, and writing for the web.

Policies

Attendance
Participation
Plagiarism

Attendance
Because this course starts with assignments that are challenging and proceed to the assignments that are down right hard, attendance is essential, and playing catch up is not the way to spend your semester.

Although "life's little problems" often come up at the darnednest times, students are expected to be in class on time, every time, for all the time allotted to this course because it is in the classroom that information essential for the successful completion of this course is presented. However, if circumstances require your presence elsewhere, you are still responsible for material presented in class. If you anticipate any absences, please see me before hand.

As an incentive to help motivate students with their attendance, those who have perfect attendance will be rewarded by having one point added to their final grade average; those who develop a problem with attendance (e.g., missing a 4th class) will have their final grades adjusted accordingly.

Participation

Class participation is an important element of the learning process, and students are expected to feel free to freely and openly discuss the subject at hand. Since participation demonstrates (at least in part) your preparedness for each class, you are expected to:

Participate in class discussions and honor the Honor Code (read: Don't Plagiarize!).
Develop and maintain a sense of professionalism and decorum at all times (by now, students should be serious about developing some degree of professionalism).
Be honest--don't try to B. S. me!

Plagiarism
In the past, I have encouraged students to review their assignments as they prepare for future assignments. In order to do this, students necessarily have to have each assignment returned to them. Some students have allowed their friends (fellow members of clubs, fraternities, or sororities, not to mention those they are dating or their best bud) to make photocopies of their assignments (or worse yet) place their original, corrected copy in club/fraternity/sorority file).

Know this: such action violates the university's Honor Code and does a disservice to students who "copy the 'right' solution" from past assignments. Although former students have thought they'd help their friends, they have really harmed them (by robbing students of the opportunity to learn from their mistakes). The "real world" doesn't follow this unethical practice, and if I find that any of my students (either present or former) participate in this form of plagiarism (by either copying a completed assignment of a former students or by providing an assignment for you to copy) both students will be prosecuted to the fullest of my ability. This is not a warning; it's a promise.

Portfolio
On the last day of scheduled class, students are expected to submit the following

all drafts (assuming their first two writing assignments were submitted after revising one or more drafts),

all graded material (to ensure the instructor's grade book is correct), and

any other material the syllabus requires to be submitted then.

To help keep your material from getting mixed up with the work of other students, please place all graded material (as well as drafts, but not an assignments that may be due on the last day of class) inside a 10" x 13" envelope, and secure it by opening its clasps (please don't lick the glue and seal your envelope; the glue tastes ucky, and glued envelopes are darn hard to open). Envelopes are available at most bookstores for about 20 cents. In the upper left-hand corner of the envelope, label as follows: Name
ENGL 3810-001
2nd Summer 2003 Students who fail to submit their portfolio of work will lose 10 points when their final grades are computed.
Packets may be picked up anytime after the start of Fall Semester 199; any packets not picked up by Labor Day will be disposed of in an ecologically safe manner #};=).

Course Objectives

During this course, students are expected to:

Compose a letter of introduction, a couple of short essays, a literature review, a research-based paper, and a reflective paper and compose a web page.
Develop an understanding of the elements of composition and the ability to effectively apply the language of composition.
Master grammar, rhetoric, and usage of the American English language.

In order to do this, students are expected to acquire the ability to:

Develop their ability to read and think critically.
Develop their ability to execute the composition process (identifying a topic, developing a draft, revising, editing, and presenting the composition).
Analyze each writing situation for its purpose, audience, and scope.
Recognize good writing--and--develop an effective writing style.

Created May 14, 2000
Updated Feb. 22, 2003

Date	Topic	Reading	Remarks/Assignments
#1 June 26-27	Introduction		Letter of Introduction (due 6/26)
#2 June 30-July 1-2-3	Elements of the Essay	Ch 1-7 in MW	Narrative Essay (due 7/3)(No Class on the 4th of July)
#3 July 7-8-9-10-11	Language of the Essay	Ch 8-9 in MW	Expository Composition (due 7/10)
#4 July 14-15-16-17-18	Types of Essays	Ch 10-14 in MW	Lit Review (due 7/17)
#5 July 21-22-23-24-25	Types of Essays	Ch 18-19 in MW	Research Paper (due 7/24)
#6 July 28-29-20-31 August 31	Writing for the Web	Ch 15-18 in MW	Web Page (7/27); Reflective Paper (due 7/28)

Table 1: Summary of Assignments & Percentage of Final Grade
Letter of Introduction	05%
Narrative Essay	15%
Expository Essay	15%
Literary Review	15%
Research-Based Paper	25%
Web Page	10%
Reflective Paper	5%
Attendance & Participation	10%
Total	100%
Note: Add one point to your final grade for perfect attendance; deduct 10 points for no portfolio

Table 2: Grades and What They Mean
Letter Grade	What the Grade Means
A (100 - 90)	Very Good--A great pleasure to read, this writing excites the reader by how well it achieves the purpose of the assignment.
B (89-80)	Good--Well worth reading, this writing makes it easy for the reader to gain new insights and knowledge and to respect your point of view.
C (79-70)	Fair--Not so good, but not too bad; the writing gives readers something for their efforts, but not very much.
D	Well, it's either fair or better or it's poor.
F (69-0)	Poor--Lacking significant thought and hard to understand, this writing is plagued by such things as inappropriate or inaccurate word choice, weird syntax, grammatical errors, misspellings, and mispunctuation. This leaves the reader wondering or regretting any effort at reading.