English 111 Composition I

Fall-Spring 2015

Northwest State Community College and Patrick Henry High School

3 Credit Hours

Mrs. Lisa Frania

Patrick Henry High School, Room 9

Office phone: 419-274-3015

Email: lfrania@phpatriots.org

This is an expository composition course emphasizing the expectations of college-level writing, including thesis development, support, and coherence. Students will gain experience using a variety of rhetorical modes. In addition to a number of full-length essays, a short documented paper, based on research materials and using parenthetical references, is required.

1. 
   Academic writing starts with “text” (literature, research, data, etc.)
   
2. 
   Student then enters the academic dialogue by developing an opinion/new idea about the text
   
3. 
   In academic communities, it’s not enough to state an opinion: students must develop, support with sources as necessary, and prove their position (how this is done varies from field to field)
   
4. 
   Effective relation to audience, style, grammar, and documentation, etc., is essential to all writing
   

By the end of ENG 111, students should be able to:

• 
  Produce documents that have a clear purpose, meet the needs of a specific audience, and adhere to expectations of style and format.
  
• 
  Compose essays in several rhetorical modes/genres.
  
• 
  Demonstrate critical thinking skills in their approaches to both reading and writing.
  
• 
  Understand writing as a process involving planning, drafting, and revision.
  
• 
  Collaborate in order improve their own and others’ writing, and use this feedback to improve and take greater responsibility for their own work.
  
• 
  Adhere to academic conventions regarding format, organization, grammar, mechanics, and source citation.
  
• 
  Use electronic environments and technology to aid in the research and writing process.
  
• 
  Apply the basics of academic research, including how to locate and evaluate sources and how to use those sources to support an argument correctly and ethically.
  

Ruszkiewicz, John J. and Jay T. Dolmage. How to Write Anything: A Guide and

ENG 111 is intended to sharpen your writing skills as well as encourage critical thinking. While it will review fundamentals, the main purpose is to give you practice in college- level writing. Assignments will vary in length from short, in-class essays to a research paper that incorporates information borrowed from several outside sources. Learning to ethically incorporate research into your writing is a goal of the course, and one which you will continue to pursue in courses beyond English 111.

Keep in mind that writing is a process. We will therefore pay attention to many stages of it throughout the semester: brainstorming/invention, prewriting, outlining, revising, editing and proofreading. It is helpful to view this class in part as a collaborative workshop in which you will work with your instructor and classmates to insure that your ideas are communicated clearly to your audience. Your focus will be on responding effectively to texts that you read, situations that you encounter, and ongoing public arguments. Creativity is encouraged.

You will see from the attached syllabus that a great deal of reading will be required during the semester. Doing the reading will provide inspiration for your own writing tasks. We will examine a wide variety of writers across different genres. The various selections are designed to help generate ideas for your own writing assignments as well as to encourage creative and critical thinking skills. Regular reading quizzes in the form of essay questions will be given throughout the semester.

So many activities in this class are student-led and driven by your active participation. I am asking you interact with the readings—and with one another—in engaging and meaningful ways which will help us all learn from each other. Please come to class prepared and ready to participate in the activity for that day. It is especially important to do so since our numbers are small in this class. Everyone needs to be fully participating.

Much of your work will often take place in class; therefore, attendance is crucial. For the unavoidable times when you must miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out what was done and make up the assignment if possible. Please notify me ahead of time or contact me via email (or through Power School) if you know in advance when you will be absent.

I continue to maintain my teacher webpage that can be visited in one of two ways. First, the Patrick Henry website will lead you to the high school page specifically, and then you can link to the “Teacher Pages” where you’ll see my name. Click on my webpage, which will allow you to see the general reminders, lesson plans for the week, including attachments to documents and assignments you will need to complete. If you must miss a class during the week, please visit the webpage for make-up work on the day you miss. Otherwise, visit mrsfraniasenglishclasses.weebly.com.

CCP English 111: 81010 / @ccp401 or email to: ccp401@mail.remind.com

Grades will be assigned for most of the work you will do in this course, and they will follow the Northwest State Community College grading system. They will be interpreted according to the following scale:

A (100), A- (92), B+ (88), B (85), B- (80), C+ (78), C (75), C- (70), D+ (68) D (65), D- (60),

F (0).

vary depending upon the assignment and the questions per assignment.

Because good writing evolves through a process, you will be asked to demonstrate your competence in the typical steps of that process: prewriting, revising, editing, and proofreading various drafts, until a final version is ready to submit for a grade. During the year, five such fully developed essays will be turned in. These assignments will include a rough draft for peer evaluation and a final draft.

The grade breakdown by writing assignment is as follows (subject to change):

Narrative essay 100 pts.

Evaluation essay 100 pts.

Argument essay 200 pts.

Causal analysis essay 200 pts.

Research paper 435 pts.

Cheating on daily assignments and/or tests (other assessments) is not allowed. Copying answers from others, bringing in cheat sheets, borrowing or loaning answers in testing situations are all unacceptable behaviors. Both (or all) parties will be given zeroes on the immediate assignment. Upon the second offense, the student may forfeit the credit for the quarter. Patrick Henry handbook rules and guidelines will be followed.

Since there will be numerous times you’ll be asked to bring your own device, if you have your phone, please put your cell phones on silent mode. Texting in class is not permitted (this includes “hidden” texting!) Many activities involve group work, class discussion, and collaboration. As a class, we will strive to foster an environment of respectful dialogue, even when we disagree/question/challenge one another’s views and opinions.

• 
  Respect yourself, others, and me while in class.
  
• 
  Be in school! Be in school! Be in school!
  
• 
  Do your own work and assignments on time.
  
• 
  Participate and cooperate regularly.
  
• 
  Use the course as a building block for college!
  
• 
  Talk to former graduates—they feel prepared when heading to college! Trust me on that!
  

I wouldn’t have chosen teaching as a career if I didn’t want what’s best for you and your

future; getting you to the next level will take a lot of work on both of our parts, so we need to work together as a team!
Final Paper Submissions:

Students access the e-portfolio through MyNSCC.

Log-in to MyNSCC

Click on Student Tab

The e-portfolio channel is toward the bottom of the page (need to page down)

Click on the link. This takes students to a new page

Click on upload a new document—this will bring up the list of documents to be

submitted

If you have need for special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the ADA Coordinator, Dave Donaldson (419-267-1265), then let me know about any special accommodations you will need. I am here to help you.

We do not provide extraordinary protection for the student who is a minor. We do not filter or monitor the computers on our campus. Class subject matter may contain provocative content. FERPA rights belong to the student.

NSCC faculty are committed to supporting our students and providing an environment that is free of bias, discrimination, and harassment. If you have been the victim of sexual harassment/misconduct/assault we encourage you to report this. If you report this to a faculty member, she or he must notify NSCC’s Title IX coordinator. The Title IX coordinator will assist the student in connecting with all possible resources both on and off campus.

1. 
   Special Assignment Writing/Personal Writing Genre—5-6 weeks
   

1. 
   Resume , Cover Letter, and Classified Ad—Page length: 1 page each (x3)
   
   1. 
      Analyze current resume trends
      
   2. 
      Select an appropriate template for resume and cover letter
      
   3. 
      Create, draft, revise personal resume and cover letter for future job application opportunities
      
   4. 
      Make professional connections in field of your choosing and select three adult references
      
   5. 
      Reading assignments: Resume (pages 296-303); Cover Letter/Business Letter (pages 288-295)
      
2. 
   Narrative or Memoir for College Application Essay (Personal Writing Genre)—Page length: 3 pages
   
   1. 
      Text introduction regarding genres (xix-xxv)
      
   2. 
      Text introduction to Narratives Unit 1 and Story Corp website
      
   3. 
      Brainstorming introduction: why do we tell stories? (Story arcs and pacing)
      
   4. 
      Topic should be something students know from personal experience (narrative or memoir form).
      
   5. 
      Is it possible to select college application prompt and/or contact institution of choice
      
   6. 
      Select organizational structure
      
   7. 
      Draft
      
   8. 
      Revise
      
   9. 
      Reading assignments: Introduction to genre (xix-xxv); Narratives unit (4-35); “Check Mate” (21-27); “Persepolis” (28-34); “Mint Snowball,” (621-23); “Chop Suey” (624-27); “Mother Tongue” (603-604); “Zombie Spaceship Wasteland” (605-613)
      
   10. 
       Other skills: Brainstorming Unit 19 (334-339); Smart Reading Unit 20 (340-342); Revising ( 422-427); Peer Editing (423-428); explore StoryCorp webstite: http://storycorps.org/, clichés
       

2. 
   Evaluation Assignment—2-3 weeks
   

1. 
   Write a review of a service or product—page length: 3 pages
   
   1. 
      Text introduction of Evaluations Unit 4
      
   2. 
      Bring an advertisement to class
      
   3. 
      Create one paragraph negative review
      
   4. 
      Create one paragraph positive review
      
   5. 
      Develop a claim for service or product
      

g. Revise

2. Reading assignments: “The Hunger Games” (103-05); “A Word from My Anti-Phone

Soapbox” (118-22); “To Sir, with Love” (723-27); “Dudes Come Clean” (933-37); “The Next

Day” (742-44); “Why Mad Men is Bad for Women” (745-51); “Force Fields” (728-41);

“Domino’s, the Pizza That Never Sleeps” (752-58)

3. Other skills: Understanding audience: High, Middle, and Low Style (400-07); Paragraphs

and Transitions (383-90); Outlines (377-82); Titles (395-97)

1. Write an argument—page length: 4 pages

Topic could be something students know from personal experience.

1. 
   Text introduction for Argument Unit 3
   
2. 
   Using literature to inspire real arguments from “Ain’t I a Woman?” (awareness of audience could be an issue here: think about persuading people who hold other opinions
   
3. 
   Concentrate on at least two examples of ongoing debates, one local and one global
   
4. 
   Logical fallacies
   
5. 
   Discussion of claim/thesis importance
   
6. 
   Decide whether agree or disagree
   
7. 
   Develop claim and outline
   
8. 
   Draft
   
9. 
   Revise
   

2. 
   Reading assignments: “Worth the Lie” (70-76); “The Limits of Panic” (92-5); “Can We Stop Worrying About Millennials Yet?” (96-8); “The Sad Science of Hipsterism” (695-98); “Hitting Bottom” (699-703); “The Young, The Rich, and the Famous” (704-713); “Glutton Intolerance” (714-19)
   
3. 
   Other skills: Thesis (362-66); online and library sources/Research and Finding Sources (433-46); Introductions and Conclusions (391-94); Organization (374-7); Critical Thinking (343-49); Documenting Sources (MLA) 470-511; *Inclusive and Culturally Sensitive Style (408-411); *Vigorous, Clear, Economical Style (412-19)
   

1. Write a cause and effect essay—page length: 4 pages

You will be arguing in defense of a specific cause and effect relationship (you will be

arguing something causes or is caused by something else

1. 
   Introduction for Causal Analysis Unit 5 (128-59)
   
2. 
   Discussion of claim/thesis importance
   
3. 
   Read example selections for structure analysis
   
4. 
   Develop claim and outline
   
5. 
   Draft
   
6. 
   Revise
   

2. Reading assignments: “How Twitter is Reshaping the Future of Storytelling” (762-66);

“Almost Before we Spoke, We Swore” (767-73); “A History of Like” (774-79); “Hip Hop

Causes Violence” (780-808)

3. Other skills: Avoiding procrastination; Writer’s Block (356-59); Strategies (367-73); What

is your learning style? (VARK)

1. 
   Research argument—page length: 6-8 pages
   

1. 
   Introduce research Unit 37 “Beginning Your Research” (436-41)
   
2. 
   Students select (with instructor guidance) a topic or issue to argue, supported by research
   
3. 
   Research, which includes evaluation of sources, instruction on keeping track of sources, summarizing/paraphrasing/quoting, etc.
   *Mini-assignments of summarizing the text, paraphrasing the text, etc.
   
4. 
   Develop a thesis: emphasis on having an opinion to support.
   
5. 
   Organize main ideas, including opposing views and ways to answer them.
   
6. 
   Draft.
   
7. 
   Incorporate research in support of an argument, with appropriate documentation
   
8. 
   Revise
   

2. 
   Reading assignments to be read and discussed in intervals:
   

1. 
   Finding Print and Online Sources (442-46)
   
2. 
   Doing Field Research *Optional (447-50)
   
3. 
   Evaluating Sources (451-55)
   
4. 
   Annotating Sources (456-59)
   
5. 
   Summarizing Sources (460-62)
   
6. 
   Paraphrasing Sources (463-65)
   
7. 
   Incorporating Sources Into Your Work (466-69)
   
8. 
   Documenting Sources and MLA Format (470-511)