General Course Schedule – English 111 – Computer Lab 12-2

EVANGEL UNIVERSITY Humanities Department Rev. 1/2010

ENGLISH 111 3 credit hours Composition Spring 2010

Meeting times: MWF (Sec. 1 - 11:00-11:50 a.m. Trask 206) (Sec. 2 - 1:00-1:50 p.m. Trask 206)

Instructor: SC Vekasy Voice Mail: 8647 Office Hours: Posted (Trask 312A)

EU e-mail: vekasys@evangel.edu Personal Website: www.wordtinker.com

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Introduction to the thesis-support essay form, including informative, persuasive, documented, and literary analysis, with an emphasis on avoiding plagiarism. Includes strategies for organizing, writing, editing, revising, quoting, summarizing, paraphrasing, and documenting. Requires passing of general course work, documented essay, and proficiency essay. Prerequisite: ENGL 102 or ACT 20-28/SAT 496-629 or Essay 6-8.

TURNITIN.COM INFORMATION – Sec. 1 11 a.m. Class ID: 3034518 Password: strawberry

Sec. 2 1 p.m. Class ID: 3034519 Password: watermelon

COURSE PURPOSE: To help students communicate clearly and correctly in writing

REQUIRED SUPPLIES: English 111 Write Book Composition Notebook from EU Bookstore

Disk or flash/zip drive for backing up files

9” x 12” envelope; 3” x 5” cards

COURSE OBJECTIVES: At the end of the course, a student should be able to

1. write with greater ease, fluency, and confidence by understanding the writing process for any writing

situation, whether in course work or in life experiences

2. organize, develop ideas, and write competently at the college level by using a variety of invention, support

gathering, organizing, drafting, and revising strategies

3. write an effective thesis essay by knowing how to a) develop a thesis statement, b) create strong support

paragraphs using specific examples and logical thinking, c) use effective transitions, d) construct sentences effectively, and e) eliminate errors by proofing, editing, and revising one’s writing

4. develop a greater sensitivity by writing with specific purposes for specific audiences

5. understand and apply various levels of usage

6. effectively discover a writing "voice" and appreciate the "voices" of others in a culturally diverse society

7. develop a critical eye by offering and accepting peer criticism of written work

8. differentiate between the composing and editing processes

9. synthesize and integrate information from media sources into one’s writing

10. understand and avoid plagiarism by learning to accurately summarize, paraphrase, and quote others

11. learn to use MLA documentation forms correctly

12. compose at the computer in a timed situation

METHODS AND PROCEDURES:

1. Lecture and discussion of good writing using the text and supplemental materials

2. In-class notes covering both text and lecture content

3. Individual conferences in and out of class when necessary

4. Work with tutors at the Write Place (college writing lab on Trask second floor)

5. Writing assignments, including informative, persuasive, and documented papers, as well as class notes,

exercises, online help, outlines, rough drafts, peer reviews, revisions, and final drafts

6. Revision of out-of-class papers to improve both writing skills and final grades

7. Research on a complex topic in order to present convincing arguments in a formal style

UNITS:

1. Plagiarism/Collusion Issues

2. Planning and Drafting Papers

3. Paragraph Development

4. Keyhole Essay Format

5. Illustration

6. Persuasion

7. Documentation

8. Literary Analysis

HELPFUL ONLINE REFERENCE SITES

Go to www.wordtinker.com “Helpful Sites” for a list of grammar and writing helps.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES:

1. EU computer password and personal e-mail account that you check every day. E-mail is the primary communication between instructor and students. You MUST keep your box cleaned out (Use Edit, Select All, Delete). If the instructor sends you a message, and you do not receive it because your box is full, the instructor is not responsible for the consequences.

2. Basics: 1) You should be able to type at least 30 wpm to function well in class. 2) Any personal use of the computer during the class period (net surfing, e-mailing, games, etc.) results in your being marked absent for that day along with a forfeiture of any daily points. 3) No electronic devices can be used during class. Keep them turned off and out of sight! 4) Always bring your Write Book to class or you may lose daily points.

3. Daily Assignments, including class notes, will be kept in a “Class Notes” file to be turned in late in the semester; written exercises, group activities, etc. also earn daily class points.

4. Completion of formal papers following appropriate writing procedures (rough notes, thesis, outline, rough draft, peer review, revision, final draft, etc.); Red Flag paper counts the same number of points, Proficiency Essay is double points.

5. Oral Presentation of one selected paper near end of course

6. Work missed during an absence: Daily points receive credit only if made up by the following class period. ALL

missed work is totally the responsibility of the student. Find out what you missed complete the work before you return to class. Call or e-mail a classmate for this information. After an absence, do not ask, “What did we do last time? or “Did I miss anything?” Information about assignments is not fully explained on the class calendar on TurnItIn.com, and the instructor cannot catch you up individually.

7. ONE late paper will be accepted without penalty. However, it must be submitted by the next class period and must have a LATE PAPER sticker attached. A paper without a LATE PAPER sticker will not be accepted for credit. If you do not use your LATE PAPER sticker, you may redeem it at the end of the term for extra points.

8. Plagiarism or Collusion on any assignment will result in a failing grade for the course and University disciplinary action.

9. Copies of Papers: Always keep several copies of your work on both the hard drive and on floppy disks or flash

drive. If a paper is lost or misplaced and no copy exists, the points are lost. This is your responsibility.

10. Tip: You can assess your own writing by using the Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level

indicators in the Word program. Go to Tools, Spelling and Grammar, Options, then check “Show Readability Statistics” at the bottom left of the menu. A “ballpark” level for the Reading Ease score should be 60 to 70. Your Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level should be 7.0 to 8.0. Passive sentences should be below 10 percent. This is one way to evaluate your writing in progress. KEEP THIS INFORMATION HANDY FOR YOUR REFERENCE THROUGHOUT THE TERM! DO NOT ASK THE INSTRUCTOR FOR THESE NORMS.

11. Class Attendance: The University does not “allow” a certain number of cuts. Any student who misses 11 classes

for any reason will receive an F in the course regardless of other progress (See #14).

12. Arriving Late to Class: Lateness reflects a careless attitude toward one’s work and calls negative attention to

oneself. Be ready to work on time. The instructor reserves the right to view a student’s attendance and tardiness as an “attitude” grade if a borderline case exists at the end of the term.

13. NOTE: A student who 1) over-cuts the class, 2) fails the assigned course work, 3) fails the documented essay,

OR 4) fails the proficiency essay will need to repeat the course with a different instructor.

Students who fail ONLY the final essay may receive an Incomplete IF they 1) have had good attendance, 2) have turned in every paper, 3) have visited the Write Place appropriately, and 4) have shown a positive attitude during the semester.

FORMATTING PAPERS:

q ALWAYS title your work. If you can’t think of a title, the piece probably is not focused.

q Papers = 600-700 words; Documented Essay = 1000-1200 words. Include word count for each paper.

q Save each stage of your work under similar, but different file names (Outline, Rough Draft/Peer Review, etc.).

q Back up your files on disks or drives often! Remember, no hard copy, no points.

q Include your last name and the page number in upper right corner of each sheet (e.g., Johnson 1).

q ON PAPERS SUBMITTED TO TURNITIN.COM, DO NOT USE YOUR ID NUMBER OR YOUR NAME.

q All papers must be submitted with an outline, a rough draft/peer review, and a final copy.

q Fold sheets like a book (open on the right), endorse near top with Row #, Name, Section #, Date, and Assignment Title.

EVALUATION: (Appropriate points are earned for each assignment.)

1. Daily assignments, exercises, class notes, peer review sessions, etc. (These may be unannounced.)

2. Out-of-class formal papers

3. In-class formal papers

4. Proficiency essay

5. Oral presentation of one selected paper

6. Final writing at end of course (optional)

Daily Course Schedule – English 111 – Fall 2009 – Trask 206 – Vekasy

Jan 13

Jan 15

W – Introduction – Texts, Procedures

F – Course Syllabus, Schedule, Policies, etc. -- In-class paragraph

Jan 18

Jan 20

Jan 22

M— MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY – NO CLASS MEETING

W -- Submitting Papers to TurnItIn.com – Plagiarism Resources (Quiz on Feb 15)

F – In-class writing of Diagnostic Essay (Make appt. with Write Place to see results by Feb 8)

Jan 25

Jan 27

Jan 29

M -- Planning Your Paper -- Begin Class Notes file

W – Drafting Your Paper – Online helps for Writing / FANBOYS / Parallelism

F – Writing Strong Body Paragraphs (WB) / PP-Topic Sentences

Feb 1

Feb 3

Feb 5

M – In-class Paragraph Exam (TurnItIn.com)

W – Keyhole Structure (WB) / Transitions

F – CONFERENCE DAY – NO CLASS MEETING

Feb 8

Feb 10

Feb 12

M – Forming a Thesis (WB) / WRITE PLACE APPT DEADLINE

W – Outlining (WB)

F – Introductions (WB) / Rubric for Formal Papers

Feb 15

Feb 17

Feb 19

M – QUIZ on Plagiarism Resources

W – Using Examples / Illustration Paper “Personal Ethics” Topic

F – Thesis and Working Outline DUE

Feb 22

Feb 24

Feb 26

M – Rough Draft of Illustration Paper DUE / Peer Reviews

W – Illustration Paper DUE (TurnItIn.com) / Argument/Persuasion

F – Documentation / Notes, Works Cited Pages / Avoiding Plagiarism and Integrating

Sources (H) / MLA Section / Argument Paper Topic “How to Be a Good Steward”

Mar 1

Mar 3

Mar 5

M – Thesis Statement / Outline DUE

W-- Rough Draft DUE (Peer Review)

F – Persuasive Paper DUE (TurnItIn.com) - Online Quiz Points

Mar 8-12

M—F FALL BREAK (NO CLASS MEETING)

Mar 15

Mar 17

Mar 19

M -- Documented Essay Topics / Begin Research / Pro-Con Lists Explained (WB) /

Distribute Library Reports and Essay Checklists; Topics Assigned

W -- RED FLAG ESSAY (Written in class) (TurnItIn.com)

F -- Pro/Con List DUE / Basic Documentation PP

Mar 22

Mar 24

Mar 26

M – Thesis and Outline DUE / Documented Essay (WB)

W – LIBRARY PERIOD (no class meeting) – Continue Research, Make Source Cards and

Note Cards for Documented Essay {LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW WITH W}

F – Rough Draft DUE (Peer Review) / Library Reports DUE

Mar 29

Mar 30

Mar 31

Apr 2

M -- KEYHOLE REVIEW PROFICIENCY ESSAY [SIGN UP FOR A COMPUTER AT WRITE PLACE]

T -- PROFICIENCY ESSAY [SIGN UP FOR A COMPUTER AT WRITE PLACE]

W – Bring Source Cards to class – Works Cited Help

F -- GOOD FRIDAY – NO CLASS MEETING

Apr 5

Apr 7

Apr 9

M – Documented Essay DUE (TurnItIn.com) / PROFICIENCY ESSAY [SIGN UP FOR A COMPUTER

AT WRITE PLACE] / Short Stories Assigned (By Friday, read your story at LEAST TWICE!)

W – Writing About Literature / Character Analysis (WB)

F – READING PERIOD – NO CLASS MEETING

Apr 12

Apr 14

Apr 16

M -- For class points, bring your copy of the story to class for group discussion

W— Character Analysis Sample Paper

F – CLASS NOTES DUE (We will format them in class before we turn them in.)

ORAL REPORTS EXPLAINED

Apr 19

Apr 21

Apr 23

M – Thesis Statement and Working Outline DUE (Peer Reviews)

W -- Rough Draft of Literature Analysis DUE (Peer Review)

F -- (Literature Analysis DUE (TurnItIn.com) / ORAL REPORTS (5-7 minutes each)