English 122: College Composition
Fall 2007: Class Act

Syllabus Links:


Required Textbooks
Attendance Policy
Course Objectives  
General Education Criteria
Classroom Etiquette
Conferences 
Weekly Schedule
Class Act Assignments
Plagiarism

Useful UNC Links
Disability Access Center
UNC Honor Code
UNC Maps
Webster
Black Board
Michener Library

Email Me if you have questions

 
Instructor: Ann Rasmussen
Office: Ross Hall 1187
Office Phone: 351-2198
Email Address:
ann.rasmussen@unco.edu

Office Hours

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Friday

10:00-11:00
12:20-1:00
2:30-3:30

By Appointment

10:00-11:00
12:20-1:00
2:30-3:30

10:00-11:00
12:20-1:00
2:30-3:30

*To schedule an appointment: Sign up in class or call
*Please call or email to cancel an appointment
*During my office hours, students are welcome to drop in without an appointment.

Required Texts:

  • Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers by Stephen Reid
  • A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker
  • Learning Dynamics by Marjorie and John Ford

 

Instructor's Course Objectives:

1. To help students improve their written and oral communications skills.
2. To help students write clean, well organized, well supported essays using good grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
3. To encourage students to apply computer and word processing skills.
4. To encourage students to use the Internet and email for academic purposes.
5. To help student develop an interest in the world around them and the daily political and social issues they must deal with.
6. To help students express their opinions about the world around them and to be able to write about them clearly and logically.
7. To help students develop critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, and arguing techniques and to write good essays using these skills and techniques.
8. To help students learn important library skills.
9. To help students have a positive university experience

 

 

Attendance: Attendance is required. In case of illness or family emergency, which may cause lengthy absences, please contact the instructor and the Dean of Students. No late assignments can be accepted, so students must turn assignments in early if they plan to miss class on the day an assignment is due. If students turn work in early, they must make arrangements with me to do so. Students are allowed 3 absences before absences, after which 3 points for each absence will be deducted from students’ final grade. Students may fail the course if they miss more than 5 classes and do not turn in satisfactory work. There are no excused absences. Tardies count as absences, so be on time.
Students with disabilities who believe they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the Disabilities Support Services (970) 351-2289 as soon as possible to better insure that accommodations for their disabilities can be implemented in a timely fashion.

Classroom Considerations and Etiquette

Be On Time
Eat, Drink, and be Merry before class: Please, no snacking during class
While it is understood that smoking is not allowed in the classrooms, neither is smokeless tobacco
CELL PHONE POLICY:

In academia, students must feel free to express their opinions openly and honestly without fear of unfair, harsh, or cruel criticism. While healthy discussion and disagreement can stimulate class discussions, students are expected to listen politely and participate in healthy class discussions without unfairly criticizing other students' view points. All opinions will be deserve respect.

Conferences: Students are required to hold 2 conference during the semester to discuss their writing skill, progress on their essays, and to receive personal writing assistance.Each conference is worth 30 points. Students can schedule as many conferences with me as they need, earning 5 points extra credit for each visit. If students cannot make a scheduled conference, they should call the instructor and leave a voice message or they can send an email to cancel their appointment. Please be on time. Conferences will be held in my office, Ross 1187. Students can schedule as many conferences as they need.

Extra Tutoring: Students are encouraged to their essay drafts to the Writing Center for extra help. With proper Writing Center documentation, students will earn 10 extra credit points per visit.

Class Act Weekly Schedule

Note: Underlined text indicates a link to a helpful page on the web site. Be sure to check these links out for clarification of assignments and to retrieve course handouts. All handouts and class materials. If you cannot find a handout, please email for instructions.

Week 1: Aug27, 29, 31

Welcome, Syllabus, Chapters 1,2,3 Reid text. What is an essay? What are your writing strengths and weakness? Log onto BlackBoard (maybe). Write a 5 paragraph essay discussing your writing. Due Sept. 1

 Due Friday, Aug 31 Take Black Board introduction quiz
) (NOTE: BLACK BOARD OFTEN HAS PROBLEMS. THIS QUIZ MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE)

Week 2: Sept.5,6
No Class Monday

Remembering Essay: Due Sept. 14

 

 Reading: Reid Chapter 4, p. 105; examples on course web site; Read "The Red Chevy" p. 150; "Learning to Read and Write" by F. Douglass in Learning Dynamics, p. 16.
Week 3: Sept. 10, 12, 14

Grammar Review Lesson 1: Writing Better Sentences NOTE ABOUT ONLINE EXERCISES:

  • When you sign on to do exercises, provide both your first and last name
  • Turn exercises in on time. I will not accept any late exercises.
  • When you turn in exercises, make sure you add up number of correct answers and make sure your name is on each page and that pages are stapled together.

Hacker Exercises: Go to Hacker web site: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/writersref6e/Player/Pages/Main.aspx/ to locate exercises. Click on Grammar Exercises. Do these exercises:

S2-1
S3-1
S4-1
S6-1

Print only scores for each exercise completed. Add up the total number correct.
Exercises due Friday Sept. 14

Sentence Quiz on Black Board completed by Sept. Wednesday 19 midnight

Week 4: Sept.17, 19, 21

Date for library week pending; I will announce dates in class

Navigating Michener Library

  • Monday Meet in Michener Library (location TBA)
  • Tuseday Meet in Michener Library (location TBA)
  • Wednesday Meet in Michener Library (location TBA)



Compete Library Search;

Complete Library Quiz on BlackBoard. Quiz must be completed by TBA
Week 5: Sept. 24, 26, 28

Writing the Summary/Response Essay Due Oct. . View Summary Response Notes

  • Monday: understanding a summary/Response Essay

Reading: Chapter 5 p. 157; Read Deborah Tannen's Essay "How Male and Female Students Use Language Differently." Then read two responses to Tannen's essay p. 217-222.

 Week 6: Oct. 1, 3, 5 Understanding Pronouns and the problems they present in writing

Do Hacker exercises on Hacker web site http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/writersref6e/Player/Pages/Main.aspx. Do these punctuation exercises:

E ex G3-1 Pronoun Antecedent Agreement
E ex G3-3 same
E ex G3-4 Pronoun Reference
E ex G3-6 same
E ex G3-7 Pronoun Case such as I vs. me
E ex G3-9 Pronoun Case Who vs. Whom

Print only scores for each exercise completed. Add up the total number correct. Due Friday, Oct. 5. Take Black Board quiz by Wednesday, Oct. 10 midnight.

 
Week 7: Oct. 8, 10, 12

Black Board:Using Safe Assignment

Understanding Law

Students will write a short essay with cited internet sources, then upload it Black Board to Save Assignment.
Week 8: Oct. 15, 17, 19

Evaluation Essay

Choose which initiative you want to write on by visiting the Colorado General Assembly web page that lists each initiative. Choose of these:

This essay requires students to select an initiative that Colorado voters will vote on in the general election in November. Check the links provided here to help choose which initiative you want to write on. All registered voters will receive in the mail a blue booklet published by the Colorado General Assembly with each initiative's pros and cons. Ask your parents to save this booklet for you. Or find the booklet on the General Assembly's web site.

Reading: Reid Chapter 8 p. 361 and Colorado Legislature Blue Book for analysis. Information may also be obtained by visiting the The Colorado General Assembly Web Site. Look for the Blue Book on this site. Essay due Nov. 1 Wednesday
Week 9: Oct. 22, 24, 26

 

Punctuation Problems

Reading: Hacker p. 244 and do exercises http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/writersref6e/Player/Pages/Main.aspx.:

P1-1 Major uses of the Comma
P2-1 All uses of the Comma
P3-1 Semicolon and Comma
P4-1 Colon; Semicolon; Comma
P5-1 Apostrophe

Print only scores for each exercise completed. Add up the total number correct. Due Friday, Oct. 26. Take Black Board quiz by Wed. Oct. 30 midnight
Week 10 :Oct.29, 31, Nov. 2   Problem solving  Reid:  Chapter 9 Problem Solving p. 421: "No Parking" p. 458
Week 11: Nov. 5, 7, 9

Problem Solving Due Nov. 16
Outlines

 
Week 12: Nov. 12, 14, 16

Argument Essay

See Reid Text

 Reid: Chapter 10 Arguing p. 471; Read these essays:

"Internet: A Clear and Present Danger" p. 492
Read all 3 Perspectives on the Death Penalty p. 506
"Standardized Tests: Shouldn't We be Helping Our Students?" p. 544
"Multiple Intelligence" in Learning Dynamics p. 94

Week 13: Nov.19, 21    
Week 14: 26, 28, 30    Passive Voice: Take home quiz Due Dec.
Week 15: Dec. 3, 5, 7  Final Essay Due Dec.  
Finals Dec.10-14 Finals

 

Attendance for final is required.

 

Please note that dates are tentative and subject to change. Changes will be announced in class and revised on the 122 Home Page.

Using Black Board: All of your quizzes will be taken on line in a program called Black Board. You must log on to Black Board, so your first assignment will be to take a short 30 point quiz by TBA. Follow these instructions:

Assignment 2: Create your Black Board log in and take the short quiz for 30 points. Must be Completed by Monday, Sept 6. Follow this instructions for creating your Black Board log-in:

  1. From your computer, open your web browser, type in http://unco.blackboard.com/
  2. Enter your username: the first 8 characters of your UNC generated email address (Bear Mail). You can locate your Bear Mail address on URSA
  3. Your password will be your Bear number
  4. Remember that the email address that Black Board uses is your UNC email @blue account.


Class Act Assignments

Assignment: The Essays
Description
Point Value
Due Date
Introduction to Black Board Quiz Black Board Quiz covers information on the English and FYE Syllabi, and it serves as an introduction to test taking on Black Board
TBA
  
Library Exercises

Library Scavenger Hunt;

Black Board Library Quiz

25

25

  
Remembering Essay 3-4 page essay using a personal experience, person, or place that has had an impact on the writer's life. Remember, this is an essay, not just a story, so essay will have a point or lesson learned.
50
  
Summary Response Essay

Short 1.5-2 page Essay summarizing an article's text and responding to the author's ideas. Reading will be provided

 

50

 

Evaluation Essay 3-4 page critical analysis essay on an amendment or law that Colorado voters will vote on in the November election. visit Colorado General Assembly web site for the blue book, or use the one your family has received in the mail to select the law you want to write about.
100
  
Problem Solving Essay Students will study a problem and present a solution to the problem
100
  
Final Essay 5 page essay in which student defends his/her point of view. This essay is sometimes called the mini research essay since it requires at least 3 research sources.
125

 
Tutor ting Students are required to have at least TWO individual conference with the instructor to discuss the student's writing. Students can seek advise on any stage of the the writing process from choosing a topic to their outline, rough drafts, revision, grammar, punctuation. Of, course students can schedule as many conferences with me as they need. For further tutoring, students can visit the Writing Center for 15 extra credit points for each documented Writing Center visit. Extra credit of 5 points will be given for each extra conference they schedule with me.
60
  One before mid-term; one after mid-term and as many in between as needed
Grammar Lessons

We will review 4 grammar concepts:

  • Writing Better Sentences
  • Understanding Proper Pronoun usage
  • Punctuation
  • Active and Passive Voice

Students will complete assigned exercises found on the companion web site for our handbook A Writer's Reference. They will also take a quiz for each review on Black Board.

3 grammar quizzes on BlackBoard
75@ 25 each

PV Quiz @ 25 points

100 total quiz points

 

 
Misc. computer exercises TBA 20 each TBA
    Total 606  

 

 


Computer Use: Our Lab Time will be announced in Class.
All essays and any other work turned in will be word processed. The instructor will not accept handwritten work, expect for in class writings. Students will use these fonts in 12 point: Times, Helvetica, New York, Bookman, Geneva. Papers will be printed in black ink. Papers printed in color will not be accepted. A note about computers use: Remember this computer rule: Bad Computer Karma engulfs the universe. Equipment fails. Computer problems with hard drives, disks, or printers, are not excuses for late assignments. If you do have a computer problem, notify me. Use campus labs that full time technicians to help solve problems. Most importantly, if you compose on screen, print after each work session even if you are using your personal computer. Save frequently. Near the end of the semester, buy new ink cartridges and paper. Back-up your work on a back-up disk. Protect your floppy and zip disks from extreme heat, extreme cold, magnetic fields, food, drink, dogs, and roommates.

A Note about Plagiarism: University policy states that students suspected of not turning in original work or work that is not their own may fail the course or be expelled from the university. University professors take plagiarism quite seriously and students can expect the harshest consequences if their professors suspect that they have not turned in their own work.

I look forward to a wonderful semester working with ambitious and dedicated students. English 122 will provide great academic challenges for college writers. If you have questions, email me, call me, visit me in the office if you feel frustrated or anxious.