Course Syllabus

 

 

Bunker Hill Community College - Course Syllabus

ENG095: Writing Skills II

Fall 2012

Instructor Information

Instructor:                   Kara Waite, Adjunct Professor

Office Location:         Adjunct Faculty Center

E-mail:                         klwaite@bhcc.mass.edu

Office Hours:              By appointment only

Important Information About Contacting Me: PLEASE use your Bunker Hill Community College email address for all correspondence with me.

Course Identification

Course Number:          ENG095-90

Course Name:             Writing Skills II

Course Location:         Rm. 206 (Chelsea)

Class Times:                Tuesdays, 6-8:45PM

Course Description/Overview

This course develops language skills needed to communicate effectively in college study, in the professions, and in the business world. The course includes sentence formation, applied grammar, spelling, mechanics, and paragraph development. Note: Students must pass the Basic Writing Competency Exam in order to receive a passing grade for this course. The course does not satisfy the college writing requirement for graduation. Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in Writing Skills I (ENG090) or placement.

Course Learning Objectives

1.      Demonstrate comprehension of short college readings by annotating, paraphrasing, and summarizing.

2.      Use individual experience and perspective as support in response to a text.

3.      Employ the writing process to:

a.       Plan and write a paragraph that demonstrates effective uses of an appropriate rhetorical mode (e.g. narration, illustration, definition, classification, description, process analysis, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, & argumentation).

b.      Develop a topic in two or more logically sequenced paragraphs introduced by a unifying statement.

c.       Produce one (1) five-paragraph essay.

4.      Introduce a secondary source into one’s own writing by quotation or paraphrase.

5.      Distinguish between general ideas and specific details in texts and in one’s own writing.

6.      Identify an author’s point of view.

7.      Distinguish fact from opinion in a text (and in one’s own writing).

8.      Revise writing for improved structure, support and coherence.

9.      Edit writing for correct grammar, syntax, punctuation and spelling.

Course Resources

Course Website(s)

Course Blog < http://www.professor-waite.blogspot.com/>

Required Course Text

Akpan, Uwem. Say You're One Of Them. Little, Brown and Company, 2008. Print. (available in campus bookstore)

Course Supplies/Materials

You will need a computer with internet access and a printer for this course. If you do not have one of your own, there is a lab available on campus here at Chelsea, as well as several at the Charlestown Campus.

Bring the following to class each day: a pen or pencil, plenty of notebook paper, your textbook and any handouts we’ll be discussing.

Grading

Grading System

We’ll use this scale: A = 93-100, A- = 90-92, B+ = 87-89, B = 85-86, B- = 80-84, C+ = 77-79, C= 70-76, D+ = 67-69, D= 60-66, F = Below 60

Grade Breakdown

Final grades will be based on the following:

Participation (includes: discussion, peer reviews, quizzes, and tutoring, if required)	15
Homework & In-Class Writings	20
Response Paragraphs (5 total, 5 points apiece)	25
Essays (2 total, 15 points apiece)	30
Final Portfolio (Reflection Assignment & Revision of at least one essay)	10
Exit Exam (graded pass or fail, student must pass in order to pass the course)
Total Points	100

Late Assignments

Late work will receive a zero. Assignments must be completed by the assigned due date/time. There are no exceptions.

Extra Credit

I do not offer extra credit. Do not slack off expecting to complete extra credit at the end of the semester.

Course Requirements

Course Blog

All students will be required to create a course blog using the Google application, Blogger. Blog is short for weblog, which is a form of online journaling. You will submit all homework assignments, response paragraphs, and essays as posts on your course blog. There are instructions for creating your blog attached to this syllabus.

IMPORTANT: All work submitted on your course blog should be copied, pasted, and saved to your computer or storage device such as a USB. “Blogger ate my work!” will not be accepted as an excuse for missing assignments.

For the two essays, you must also email me a copy.

I would strongly suggest typing all of your blogging assignments in a word processing program like Microsoft Word. This way you can save them and simply copy and paste into Blogger.

Homework & In-Class Writing

You will use your blog to complete all in-class writings. Plan to complete some sort of in-class writing each class period. For homework, I may assign worksheets or other activities like short responses to a reading, making an outline, writing a topic sentence, etc. as homework. All homework assignments should be submitted as a post on your course blog, unless otherwise specified.

Readings

You must keep up with the assigned readings. Readings will be selected from the textbook. They may also be posted on my course blog (see url above) or handed out in class.

Participation

Your active participation in this course is very important. Participation includes: taking part in class discussion and group activities, completing in-class writing exercises and short homework assignments, reviewing your peers’ work and completing daily quizzes over the assigned reading.

Discussion: You MUST be prepared to discuss any assigned readings in small groups or as a class.

Peer Reviews: Writing is a form of communication. That means your writing is meant to be read by your peers. Throughout the semester you’ll read your classmates’ work and they’ll read yours. We will use Blogger’s comment function for peer reviews. You’ll be given more detailed instructions on how this works later.

Quizzes: Short comprehension quizzes are a tool for me to gauge your understanding of the reading assigned throughout the course. If you completed the reading, the quizzes should be simple. Expect one each class period.

Tutoring: Based on the writing sample you complete the first day of class, you may be referred to a tutor. If that’s the case, I do ask that you meet with said tutor at least once this semester. Documentation is required. If this applies to you, you will be provided with clear instructions.

Response Paragraphs

One of your course objectives is to integrate the reading and the writing process. To achieve this goal, you will do five (5) response paragraphs this semester. You will be asked to practice the following types of paragraphs in a response to assigned readings: description, cause & effect, comparison/contrast, illustration and classification.

All response paragraphs should be posted to your course blog by NOON on Tuesdays, when class meets.

Essays

You will write two (2) essays this semester. Each essay must be at least five (5) paragraphs in length. You will be given detailed guidelines well before these assignments are due. Essays should be submitted on your course blog and a copy must be emailed to me.

You will submit a rough draft of each essay before the final version is due. You will be given a grade range for the rough draft, but I will record the grade on the FINAL draft (for example: if you receive a C on the rough draft, revise, and get an A on the final, I will record the A). You must complete a rough draft for each essay. Rough drafts are required, not optional. Students who do not complete a rough draft will not be allowed to turn in a final draft and will fail the assignment.

Final Portfolio

At the end of the semester, you will turn in a revision of at least one essay as well as a short (one to two paragraph) reflection exercise.

Exit Exam

Students must pass an exit exam to move on to College Writing 1. All ENG095 students take the same exam. You will have two (2) opportunities to take the exam in class. You can read more about the exit exam on the course website. We will also discuss it in detail throughout the semester.

Course Policies

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory. Roll will be taken with a sign-up sheet at the beginning of each class. Do not miss more than one class. Students who miss more than one class will receive a 5-point (1/2 letter grade) penalty for each additional absence. Students who miss more than two (2) classes will fail this course.

You are expected to arrive on time and stay the whole class period: do not arrive late; do not leave early. More than two instances of arriving late or leaving early will count as an absence. Arriving more than fifteen minutes late counts as an absence, regardless of the number of times  a student has been late in the past.

Classroom Conduct

Students’ rights and responsibilities are outlined in the college’s Student Handbook; you can download a copy of that online (go to the homepage and search for “student handbook”). There is a list of behavioral policies contained in this book. You are required to obey these policies. There is a zero tolerance policy for: threatening behavior, disruptive behavior, hate crimes/hate speech, and academic dishonesty. I will not hesitate to report any of these offenses. I am committed to making this classroom a safe, comfortable place for all students.

College Closure

At some point this semester, BHCC is bound to close due to a snowstorm or other weather issue. Closures will be announced on the local news as well as the college website homepage (www.bhcc.edu). If you do not see a cancellation notice either on the website or on the news, COME TO CLASS!

Distractions

Using cell phones or other electronics during class signals that you do not take the course seriously. Students who text or receive calls in class will be asked to leave and accrue an absence that counts toward the semester total.

Disability Resources

Generally speaking, I'll make every effort to accommodate different learning styles. However, Bunker Hill Community College also offers a program of support specifically for students who have learning disabilities, sensory impairments, psychological disabilities, or physical conditions. If you think this program may apply to you, please visit the Office for Students with Disabilities located in D106.

If you have already consulted with the program and need reasonable accommodations, please speak with me immediately. I will ask that you provide the documentation you received from the office. All information relating to this matter is confidential.

Plagiarism Rules

In a writing course, plagiarism is a major concern. Plagiarism occurs any time you use another person’s original ideas without giving them credit. We will practice source citation in this course. You will learn to integrate others’ ideas into your own work in ways that are ethical and acceptable. If you are concerned about whether or not you are plagiarizing, seek help (from me, from a tutor, or from a librarian). Consequences for plagiarism range from failure for the assignment to expulsion from the college. Plagiarism is cheating. Do your own work!

Additional Support

Bunker Hill Community College offers a variety of support resources to students. Please, please take advantage of these services. They include: The Writing Place, the Language Lab, the Library and Learning Commons, the Center for Tutoring and Academic Support and the Academic Computing Center (a.k.a. computer lab). I am happy to provide an informational booklet about these options upon request.

Syllabus Agreement

This syllabus is considered contractual. If you remain enrolled in the course after reading it, you consent to the policies outlined above. It is important that you read all policies carefully and address any questions or concerns with me immediately. Attached you will find a syllabus agreement form. Please sign it and return it to me in class on 9/11.