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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "EN 105-3"
COURSE NAME: "English Composition"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2018
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Joan E. Westley
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MW 1:30-2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: Placement via JCU English Composition Placement Exam
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course concentrates on the development of effective paragraph writing in essays while introducing students to the various rhetorical modes. Elements covered include outlining, the introduction-body-conclusion structure, thesis statements, topic sentences, supporting arguments, and transition signals. Students will also become familiar with the fundamentals of MLA style, research and sourcing, as well as information literacy. To develop these skills, students will write in- and out-of-class essays. Critical reading is also integral to the course, and students will analyze peer writing as well as good expository models. Students must receive a grade of C or above in this course to be eligible to take EN 110. Individual students in EN 105 may be required to complete additional hours in the English Writing Center as part of their course requirements.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
The most important aspect of the course will be your actual writing assignments, including four in class and another one at home, generally around 500-700 words. You will be required to revise almost all of your writing; this may involve anything from correcting awkward or ungrammatical sentences to rewriting the entire essay. You will work at crafting clear, elegant sentences. A good deal of time will also be spent reading, discussing and summarizing essays. The readings serve to exemplify the various rhetorical modes (process, cause and effect, argument, etc.) and to generate material for writing assignments. More importantly, we will use them to develop your ability to read critically (that is, learning to analyze the content and structure of an essay) and to appropriately demonstrate that knowledge in effective analytical summaries – skills you will need throughout your academic career. Grammar and structural problems will be reviewed as needed.   
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of the course you will be a more perceptive reader with a clearer understanding of what actually makes good writing. In your own writing, you will find yourself using a broader vocabulary and more varied sentence structures, taking advantage of various rhetorical modes to improve essay organization and clarity. All this should increase your confidence and make writing more enjoyable for you as well. 

READINGS ON RESERVE IN THE LIBRARY 

Alice Oshima and Anne Hogue. Writing Academic English, Fourth Edition; Longman ISBN 0-201-83410-3

Readings will be provided in the form of handouts. You must bring the handout to class when that handout is scheduled for discussion. All handouts should be kept in your folder.  Many of the handout readings are taken from Rhetorical Choices: A Reader for Writers (Gilyard, Holdstein, Schuster), which is available on reserve. If you should not have a copy of the handout, you can photocopy from that text.

Students are encouraged to buy and bring to class a mono-language dictionary of American English. These may be used for in-class writing and for mid-term and final exams. Students are also encouraged to make extensive use of a thesaurus.

MATERIALS FOR CLASS: You should come to class with a notebook of A4 lined paper used often in class for writing short responses and reactions. These will be collected by me from time to time.


TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberComments
Writing Academic EnglishOshima and HogueLongman0-201-83410-3  
Rhetorical Choices Gilyard and Holdstein Schuster978-0321444929  

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
mid-term examination  20
final examination  30
In-class essays and take-home essays  20
homework, attendance and participation  30

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the cour
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Attendance is mandatory and not optional. Frequent absences (more than 3 classes missed) could lead to a lowering of your grade or dismissal from the course, and you will be required to repeat the course. If you are seriously ill and will be out for more than one class, please contact the professor via email and the Dean's Office. Late arrivals are very disruptive. Habitual late arrivals will not be tolerated. Two late arrivals (after the class has already started) will be counted as one absence. If, for whatever reason, a student cannot attend classes regularly, the student may be invited to withdraw from the course. It is the student’s responsibility to contact a classmate to find out what was missed and to come to the next class fully prepared. Attendance is mandatory to all graded in-class writings which you will be told about in advance. Make-ups of in-class writings will not be given. Please refer to the University catalog for the attendance and absence policy.


ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE


Week 1: January 15, 17
a) Discuss syllabus, in class writing 
b) Simplicity by William Zinsser, academic versus informal writing; writing tips

Week 2: January 22, 24
a) Introduction, Conclusion, Titles, MLK Dream Speech
b) Ways of Meeting Oppression, audio Dream speech, On Not Getting From There to Here L. Inturrisi

Week 3: January 29, 31
a) Paraphrase, Summary Exercises (Paranoia), Handouts: A Poor African, We Need to Harness 
b) Classification, Potato Scale handout, College Pressures by Wm. Zinsser, A. Lamott Shitty First Drafts, in class essay

Week 4: February 5, 7
a) Caring for Your Introvert J. Rauch, The Meanings of a Word G. Naylor
b) Plagiarism, Definition exercises , writing tips, in class essay

Week 5: February 12, 14, 16 

a) Narration and Description exercises, Shooting and Elephant G. Orwell, I Want a Wife J Brady
b) The Chase A. Dillard, What I’ve Learned From Men B. Ehrenreich
c) Exemplification, The Same Difference A. Wang, Sex, Lies and Conversation D. Tannen, Compare Contrast 

Week 6: February 19, 21

a) In class essay
b) Gender issues, Handouts by N. Kristoff, Rana Faroohar 

Week 7, February 26, 28

a) Gender issues, Women in the Boardroom, When Women Rule
b) Review

Week 8: March 5, 7
a) Midterm Exam
b) MLA parenthetical citations , Bibliography, Why I Crave Horror Movies S. King, writing Humor 

Week 9: March 12, 14
a) Compare and Contrast Two Ways to Belong to America B. Mukhergee
b) Cause and Effect, A Black Man Ponders B. Staples, Process, My First Conk Malcolm X

Week 10: March 19, 21
a) Argument, The Tyranny of the Majority L. Guinier
b) Who Killed Benny Paret? N. Cousins, Handout on Mohammed Ali

Week 11: March 26, 28

a) A. Quindlin, The Penalty of Death, Thoughts on Abortion
b) In class essay

SPRING BREAK (April 2-6)

Week 12: April 9, 11
a) Internet handouts, folders, conferences
b) Same as above

Week 13: April 16, 18
a) Internet handouts, folders

Week 14: April 23
a) Review 
b) Evaluations and feedback (attendance compulsory)

Final Exam (see University schedule for date and time)