Spring 2007 Syllabus
English 102: Composition and Rhetoric

Dr. Tina L. Hanlon

Associate Professor of English
Ferrum College

thanlon@ferrum.edu

English 102 Home Page.
English 102 Schedule 2006
Schedule 2007 (copied from Angel Calendar at end of semester): http://www.ferrum.edu/thanlon/Comp102/sched07Angel.htm

Angel Log-in - see Angel Calendar and other pages for this course in 2007

It is your responsibility to check these pages regularly for updates and new materials. This includes material in the Angel site at http://angel.ferrum.edu. You are enrolled in Angel as a student of Ferrum College. When you log in, you should have automatic access to the course English 102-C.

Professor's Office Hours and Contact Information

Class Meeting: Britt 106, MWF 11:15-12:10

Textbooks

Prerequisite: English 102 with a grade of C or higher

Learning Outcomes:

The content of this course supports the following college learning outcomes for all students:

Communication
Write and speak with unity of purpose, coherent organization, and effective use of English consistent with standard rules and ordinary conventions
Use appropriate research methods and technology to collect and disseminate information
Read, comprehend, analyze, interpret, and evaluate as a process of forming mature judgments and arriving at sound conclusions

This course is also likely to engage you in activities that support the following college learning outcomes:

Creative Inquiry and Critical Thinking
Explore an area of interest through reading and research
Evaluate the validity, perspectives, and contexts of information

Multidisciplinary Learning
Examine a subject and solve problems from the perspective of more than one discipline
Connect and apply knowledge to the campus and the world beyond

Course Goals for English 102-D:

  1. To help you improve and become more independent in basic composition, editing and analytical skills you developed in English 101, which you will need for other college courses and your professional career. These skills include (a) using strategies for developing and refining topics on a variety of issues; (b) writing clear, coherent multiparagraph essays that support a precise thesis using a variety of rhetorical methods; (c) revising essays to improve content, style, and mechanics; and (d) practicing editing and proofreading techniques necessary to produce clear, error-free sentences in standard written English.
  2. To master the skills of research writing, including locating source materials, organizing and outlining a research project, synthesizing and incorporating sources into your own writing effectively, and documenting sources conscientiously and accurately.
  3. To improve your ability to evaluate critically ideas and written works, those of others as well as your own. Remember that we are evaluating ideas and pieces of work, not the individuals who produced that work, so comments on your writing and your comments on others’ work should not be taken personally. Writing assignments will focus on developing your ability to summarize, synthesize, and critique the ideas and writings of others.
  4. To expand your mastery of strategies that will make your writing interesting and convincing to others. You will practice methods for improving style and vocabulary, and for analyzing and developing arguments, as well as other forms of writing and communication. Your papers will be developed with more depth and detail than those that were required in English 101.

Grading

Your final grade for the course will be determined according to the following percentages:

   Two summaries    10%
   Three to five syntheses and critiques          30%
   First research paper (3-4 pages)   10%
   Second research paper (5-8 pages)  20%
   Proofreading 5%
   Daily work 10%
   Final exam 15%

Progress in the second half of the semester will be emphasized in determining the final course grade, especially in the case of borderline averages. See the college catalog (pp. 56, 59-60) for more information on writing requirements and the grading system. Be sure you are familiar with the Ferrum College Foundation Standards (at this link or p. 48).

Remember that a grade of C or higher in English 102 is now a prerequisite for 200-level literature courses and upper-level writing intensive courses. Anyone continuing in academic programs at Ferrum who does not earn a grade of C or higher in English 102 will need to repeat the course.

Revisions

You must revise two to four of your graded essays. The original grade and revision grade will be averaged for that essay. (You are exempt from this requirement if all your grades are A’s or B’s). Revisions will not be graded until they are polished papers (meeting the minimal requirements for a C or above in content as well as editing and proofreading). Unless other deadlines are announced for particular assignments, revisions are due within two weeks after an essay has been returned to you. Please turn in all previous graded versions along with each revision. Keep in mind that most likely it will not be feasible to revise the second research paper and any other papers submitted in the last two weeks of the semester; research papers must be complete by the end of the semester with accurate documentation in order to ensure that you earn a grade of C or higher in the course. You should be keeping track of your strengths and weaknesses in each assignment, and improving your writing and revising skills as the course progresses, with the goal of producing, independently, satisfactory polished papers in all your courses by the initial due date, without relying too heavily on feedback or assistance from others.

Attendance and Classroom Requirements

Attendance at all classes is required and is necessary for satisfactory progress in the work of the course. Accumulating more than five unexcused absences will lower your final grade in the course by as much as one letter grade. Ferrum College policy mandates that anyone who misses one-fourth of the class meetings automatically fails the course. If you are excused from a regular class meeting in order to attend an individual conference with the professor at another time, missing the conference will count as a regular class absence. It is your responsibility to inform the professor (preferably in advance) and arrange for make-up work if you have a legitimate reason for missing a class.

Feb. 10 is the last day to withdraw from a class without penalty. To withdraw from the course between that date and Mar. 31 with a WP, you must be in good standing, with all course work completed to that date (otherwise the grade will be WF). Withdrawing after the tenth week results in a grade of F. See the college catalog, pp. 4, 44-48 on grading, attendance, and withdrawal policies.

Arriving late is discourteous to others in the class and could result in your being marked absent for the day. You are encouraged to participate in class discussion and ask questions at any time during class, but you are expected to respect the needs and rights of others by not talking while others are talking or distracting others in the class in any way. If you disrupt the class or distract the professor or other students, you will be asked to leave the class and will be counted absent for that day.

Daily Work Grade

This 10% of your final course grade will be based on the quantity and regularity of your daily work in this course, and fulfillment of basic course requirements. (Other grades are based on the quality of work submitted and proficiency in writing skills demonstrated.) To receive an A for daily work, you must fulfill all of the requirements below. Minor lapses in one or two of these areas will not prevent you from receiving an A-, but your daily work grade will be lowered by one letter grade for each area in which there is a major omission or failure to complete that requirement.

  1. Attend class (no more than two recorded absences), behaving courteously in class at all times.
  2. Participate regularly and voluntarily in class discussion.
  3. Attend at least two conferences with the professor during the semester in which you demonstrate your understanding of corrections and comments made on graded essays, review problems you may be having with basic skills, and discuss plans for future work.
  4. Complete all homework and in-class exercises or quizzes on time.
  5. Submit all papers and revisions on time following the format requirements listed on page 3
    (including complete folder at end of semester).
  6. Optional: Submit any extra writing or exercises you do on your own. This may take the form of a regular journal or notebook, or samples of informal writing of any kind. Writing a brief summary or response to a campus cultural event and writing answers to study questions on readings are possibilities for “extra credit” writing. See me for other suggestions.

Due Dates

All homework and essays are due at class time on the assigned day. Late papers will not receive full credit for the assignment. Check the online class schedule frequently for updates. You must complete all graded essays and the final exam to pass the course. Keep all graded work in a manila folder to turn in when requested by the professor.

Format for Written Work

  1. For the format of your graded essays, follow the guidelines in LBH, chap. 9, “Designing Documents,” especially pp. 204-207. Format for documentation is covered in LBH, Part X.
  2. Typing (double-spaced) is required on out-of-class essays. See LBH, chap. 8, for advice on writing with a computer.
  3. All papers must have the pages stapled or clipped together. (Do this before class.) Don’t fold papers or put them in special binders. Label every assignment clearly with your name, the date, the professor’s name, and any other pertinent information (e.g., whether it is a revision).
  4. Remember that neatness and proofreading are essential on all work. Typographical errors and illegible words count as mechanical errors. Be sure to proofread papers one last time after they are typed and printed. Spelling checkers are useful but cannot substitute for careful editing and proofreading by a human writer/reader.
  5. Turn in outlines (when they have been required) with finished essays and turn in the original graded essay with each revision.

Honor Code

The Ferrum College Honor Code applies to all work submitted for credit in this course. Plagiarism or any other form of cheating on papers, reports, homework, or tests will result in severe penalties, which may include failure of the course. You are responsible for reading and understanding the Ferrum College Honor Policy and the section on plagiarism in LBH, chap. 47, and for avoiding the undocumented use of the words or ideas of others in your writing. If the professor has any questions about possible sources, inaccurate quoting, or inadequate documentation in a paper that has been submitted, the paper will not be graded until the questions are answered and/or the quoting or documentation has been corrected. At the end of the semester papers with inadequate or inaccurate documentation will receive an automatic F.

It is very important to understand the difference between acceptable and unacceptable help with your writing. Acceptable help includes getting a professor, a librarian, a tutor, or another reliable reader to help you with brainstorming, outlining, locating resources, suggesting revisions, learning to recognize proofreading errors, or typing a paper. It is unacceptable and unethical to get someone else to edit (i.e., correct errors) or write all or part of a paper, and to copy homework exercises from someone else. If you have any questions about documentation or help received, I would be glad to discuss it with you before an assignment is submitted. Obviously, it is to your advantage to ask questions early if you have doubts and to learn as much as you can by doing your own work.

Conferences, ARC, Writing Center

Conferences with the professor are important in writing courses for discussing individual essays and writing problems. You are encouraged to discuss questions, problems and ideas with me at any time. The Writing Center in the lower level of the library, which is available to students working on any writing project, is staffed by English faculty members in the afternoons and by student tutors at other times. You may drop by the center on your own for assistance with any aspect of your writing, or you may want to make an appointment with a student tutor. Other staff members in the Academic Resources Center are available to help with a variety of student needs relating to reading, language skills, test-taking and other study skills. See also the ARC's links to study skills on the web.

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