Syllabus

Melissa Arenson marenson@raypec.k12.mo.us  Raymore-Peculiar High School University of Missouri-Kansas City English 110: Introduction to Academic Prose 3 Credit Hours Fall 2011 **Textbooks: ** Colombo, Gary, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, eds. //Rereading America// 6th Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s,  2004. (0312405545)  You will also need two other books of your choosing from the reading circle list. **Other Supplies: **You will need all the usual school fair (pens, pencils, paper, etc.). You will also need much access to a computer with the internet. This is an absolute must just as it would be if you took the class on campus. **Course Description/Goals: **English 110 is a dual-credit college course. According to the standards set by UMKC, throughout the course students will be able to effectively demonstrate the following: **Objectives/Essential Skills: **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">A successful student in English 110 will have mastered the following skills throughout the course of the semester: understand and be able to apply the writing process; be capable of writing formal, well-researched, well-argued essays; be able to differentiate between reliable sources and unreliable sources, be able to use MLA documentation correctly. **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Grading Scale: **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Individual grade tabulations will only be estimated throughout the course of the semester and will not be done on the spot. If you are concerned about your grade and wish to know what it is, you will need to give me notice before the class you need it, and it will only be approximate because of variations in participation points. The final essay will be worth 10% of your grade.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">The ability to develop sustained, essayistic prose that is coherent and cohesive, the effective use of quotations and other forms of evidence and support, and the presentation of revised work that is carefully proofread and edited are important and will be assumed as basic formal requirements for students passing English 110.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Students should demonstrate the ability to draft and revise three or more essays of at least 4-8 pages. A student successfully completing English 110 will demonstrate, during the course of the semester, the ability to:
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Express and analyze personal ways of thinking,
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Engage in critical, political, and rhetorical analysis of assigned texts, including
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Produce cultural, historical and scholarly essays
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Revise, edit and proofread essays that develop complex thinking and that conform to academic conventions of quotation and presentation.

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">100-93 A  <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">92-90 A-   <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">89-88 B+   <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">87-83 B   <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">82-80 B-   <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">79-78 C+   <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">77-73 C   <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">72-70 C-   <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">69-68 D+   <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">67-63 D   <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">62-60 D-   <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">59-0 F

**<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Paper format: **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">All assignments must be typed in Times New Roman in size 12. The margins of all assignments must be 1 inch all around with your last name and page number in the upper right hand corner of every page. MLA format is required. You must use standard usage, consistent documentation and appropriate mechanics and punctuation. Essays that do not meet the required length will be given no higher than a D+! You cannot pass an assignment until you have finished it. **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Plagiarism: **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Plagiarism is the use of another person’s writing or ideas without giving that person credit by means of quotation marks and source citation. All source material, whether presented through direct quotations or through summary or paraphrase must have an adequate source citation. UMKC assumes that all students are enrolled to learn; therefore, any cheating is at variance with the purposes of the student and this institution. Any dishonesty in any course (including during examinations or in submitting plagiarized material) may be cause for dismissal or suspension. =<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px;">Workshops: <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal;">For each of the out of class essays, you will be required to bring drafts for workshop day. If you come to class without a typed, full length draft it will count as an unexcused absence due to the fact that you will be unable to participate and you will lose the points for the activity. Workshops are an excellent opportunity for you to learn from one another. On the day of workshops I will put you into groups and you will work together to improve each other’s essays based on the directions I give that day. = **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Make-ups/deadlines/late work: **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">I do not take late work on small assignments. If your absence is excused, you will have until the **next class** to turn it in. If it is unexcused, you will get a 0. Essays are due regardless of the reason for an absence as they should be completed by that day anyway and are submitted online. You may email any work to me as a Word document attachment if you are gone due to illness. Essays will be accepted up to 48 hours after the due date. There will be a full letter grade deduction for late essays. If the essay was due on a Friday, it is expected that it be emailed to me by Sunday at 7am. After 48 hours, it will become a 0. You have one class period after you return to school to make up any missed quizzes. **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Reading Journal: **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">You will be keeping a reading journal of your thoughts over the articles you read from the text. This will be in online form in a wiki you make for yourself only. You are to email me the link by the date listed on the schedule to get points. Late links are not graded. **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Reading Groups: **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;"> You will participate in two reading groups this semester. As a group you will pick a book from the list provided and read that book. There are online journals for these groups as well. See the handouts on reading groups for more information. **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Attendance: **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">You are expected to attend all classes. You are allowed three absences. Every absence after the third will result in a half letter grade deduction from your final grade. On the sixth absence you will an F for the class at UMKC. If you are absent from class, you are responsible for finding out what work you have missed and any changes to the syllabus from a classmate. Since arriving late to class is a distraction to others, including myself, you are expected to be on time. Three late arrivals (walking in after I start class) will be counted as one absence. Only school functions are counted as excused. This includes both sports and field trips that are necessary for other classes and your three college visits you are allotted. All other absences, though excused by the high school, will still count toward the absences that you are allowed for the college. These unexcused absences include doctor appointments, illness, etc. You are expected to make every attempt possible to come to class. **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Turnitin.com: ** <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Class ID – <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Password – <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Use the above information to set up a new account. This information will link you to this class. <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Due to the increase in the number of plagiarized documents received in the past few years, you will be required to use turnitin.com this semester. The primary function of this website is to prevent you from unintentionally plagiarizing. For each essay you will be required to submit your paper to turnintin.com and turn in the originality report with your essay. All I need is the opening page with your percent on it, not the whole essay. To add a paper, follow the directions below: **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">NOTE: **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;"> Your originality report may not appear for at least an hour (sometimes more or less). Do not wait until the last minute to do this if you intend to check yourself!!!!!! You //should// submit your essay early enough to check yourself. If you wait until the night before of the day the essay is due and you do not get your percent in time, it will be counted off on your grade. **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Writing Wednesdays: **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;"> Every Wednesday we will take a break from class discussion and focus on a specific aspect of writing. Part of these days will be writing **tutorials**. You will be broken into groups for these by last name. On the day of your tutorial you are to come to class with a three page, typed draft of the essay you will be turning in. You and I will discuss it in the time allotted. This will not be a full edit of your essay due to time constraints (for that you will have to come in before or after school), but it will be personalized help on your biggest issues. Come with things you want specific help on. These days are worth points. Failure to bring a typed essay of the correct length or failure to participate in a dialogue with me over your essay will result in loss of points. **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Class Participation **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">: Every day except Wednesday will be a class discussion over the assigned reading(s). You are expected to actively participate and contribute in an appropriate manner. This is worth 100 points of your final grade. The function of class discussion is to stimulate essay ideas. **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Class Expectations: **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">You should expect a drop in your grade if you put in the same amount of work you did in English 3. Essentially, you have skipped a grade (your senior year of English) by taking this class. That is not to say that you can’t pass with A, but that you will have to work for it. You are now officially a college student. As such, I expect for you to take ownership of your work and your grade. This means that you need to start your essays early and come in with a draft ahead of time for me to look at. I am here every morning at 7:00 and stay until 3:00. If you are concerned about your grade, it is your responsibility to come in for extra help. Waiting until the night before to do an essay, even if you have always gotten an A doing so, will probably result in a D or F on your essays! **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Classroom Rules: ** **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Consequences for violations of school or class rules: **<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Depending on the nature of the offense, not all steps may be followed.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Respect your classmates and my own thoughts and opinions! In many ways, this is the hardest part of the class because the topics discussed are so sensitive.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Do as you are asked, when you are asked.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">No interruptions during class lectures or other direct instruction (this means randomly getting up to throw things away).
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Pick up after yourself when you leave.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">No sleeping is allowed.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Students will be informed they are misbehaving and asked to change the behavior.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Students will be sent to a Buddy Room and must process with me prior to re-admittance to class. Days spent in the Buddy Room count against missed class periods for UMKC (after 6 absences, you will lose letter grades). You must process before or after school (not between passing time or class time).
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Students will be given a detention to be served with me. Failure to serve a detention with me will become an automatic office referral.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Student’s parents will be notified of discipline issues.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 115%;">Students will receive an office referral.