ENG 1001 Home Page | Illinois Valley Community College

English Composition 1

Syllabus: ENG 1001-02 (Spring 2022)

Monday/Wednesday/Friday 10:00-10:50 a.m. (Room B-213)

Instructor

R. Rambo
Office: A313
Phone: (815) 224-0338
E-mail: randy_rambo@ivcc.edu
Instructor Home Page: http://facultyweb.ivcc.edu/rrambo
Course Home Page: http://facultyweb.ivcc.edu/rrambo/eng1001.htm

Office Hours (at Oglesby Campus, A-313)
Mondays: 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Wednesdays: 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.
Fridays: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Other times and Zoom conferences by appointment

COVID Considerations

All students attending in-person classes must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly COVID testing. Students who are not in compliance will be removed from their in-person classes. Please see "IVCC's Response to COVID-19" for more information.

Due to the risks of COVID infection, the college also requires the wearing of masks by everyone in classrooms, labs, and common areas. This requirement applies both to the vaccinated and unvaccinated. The only exceptions are those that are approved by the college's Vice President for Student Services, Mark Grzybowski (Mark_Grzybowski@ivcc.edu; (815) 224-0393; Oglesby Campus, Room CTC-203). The college is also expecting proper social distancing in classrooms. Therefore, in this class, all students are required to wear a mask and to wear it properly (covering both the nose and mouth) unless they have an exception from Mr. Grzybowski, and all students are expected to do their best to maintain appropriate social distancing while in the classroom (the specifics will be explained in class). Students who violate these rules must leave the classroom, and repeated violations of the rules will result in a withdrawal from the course. This is a serious situation: the health and well being of other members of the class depend upon your actions. In addition, you should not attend class if you are experiencing symptoms associated with COVID or if you are under orders to self isolate because of a recent COVID diagnosis. Please see "IVCC Response to COVID-19" for more information about college policies regarding COVID.

As we begin the semester, we are able to have our regularly-scheduled class meetings, but the situation might change depending on the status of COVID infections and state or college regulations. If necessary, you may need to complete part of the course remotely. I will communicate this information to you if this is the case.

Textbook

There is no required textbook for the course. All assigned readings are available online.

Course Description

English Composition 1 allows the student to study and apply rhetorical principles of writing in developing effective sentences, paragraphs, and essays, with particular emphasis on writing expository prose about short fiction and non-fiction prose. Students' essays will be based upon their readings of a variety of texts on various topics. (The Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) equivalent for the course is C1 900.)

Prerequisites

Students may enroll in ENG 1001 with appropriate English and Reading placement as explained on IVCC's "Placement Options" webpage.

Just ask the instructor if you have any questions about the prerequisites for the course.

Institutional Learning Outcomes

Students successfully completing ENG 1001 will be able to demonstrate the ability

  1. To communicate effectively, and
  2. To apply critical, logical, creative, aesthetic, or quantitative reasoning to formulate a judgment or conclusion.

Expected Student Outcomes

Upon successful completion of English Composition 1, students will be able to

  1. Read a variety of texts with understanding and appreciation;
  2. Understand invention as a part of the writing process;
  3. Organize and develop ideas effectively and logically in essays;
  4. Develop effective, logical, and well-supported arguments;
  5. Understand and use a variety of rhetorical methods for developing ideas;
  6. Maintain a consistent and appropriate viewpoint, tone, and voice;
  7. Strengthen essays through the revision process;
  8. Write essays free from common stylistic weaknesses;
  9. Write essays free from excessive errors;
  10. Use word-processing software and the Internet to assist in the writing process; and
  11. Understand documentation and plagiarism.

Assignments

Essays: You have a total of five essay assignments, including one ungraded diagnostic essay submitted near the beginning of the course, along with optional revisions of one or two essays. The essays written for the course are analytical, interpretive, and persuasive, with various texts as the subjects. The course does not include creative writing (the writing of poems and short stories, for instance) and does not include the writing of personal narratives.

Miscellaneous Assignments: "Miscellaneous assignments" include assigned readings; exercises over grammar, punctuation, style, and other aspects of writing; and written peer critiques of student essays.

Final Exam: The final exam covers the same type of material appearing on the exercises, including grammar, punctuation, style, and other aspects of writing discussed in class and presented on course web pages.

Evaluation

Writing assignments will be evaluated and graded according to the grading standards in IVCC's Style Book. Additional assessment criteria will be given for specific assignments. For the optional revision(s), consideration will be given to the extent and quality of revision (possible reorganization, further development and support of ideas, the elimination of errors, etc.).

Course work that is not submitted or that is significantly below the minimum requirement for the assignment will receive a "0," not an "F."

Final course grades will be determined as follows:
15%    Essay 1
15%    Essay 2
20%    Essay 3
20%    Essay 4
20%    Miscellaneous Assignments
10%    Final Exam

At the end of the semester, final course grades will be calculated using the following scale: 90%-100% = A, 80%-89% = B, 70%-79% = C, 60%-69%= D, 0%-59%= F.

Attendance 

This is not a "flexible attendance" class. Students are expected to attend class regularly and to be on time for class. Absences may result in a lowered course grade, and more than six absences may result in a withdrawal from the course without warning. Students who are persistently late for class must meet with the instructor to discuss the situation.

This participation policy will change if we must switch to remote learning at any point during the semester.

If you must miss several class meetings due to COVID or other legitimate reasons, please let me know as soon as possible, and other arrangements can be made for you to complete assignments.

General Policies / Requirements for Successful Completion of the Course

  1. Come to class regularly and come to class prepared. Students are expected to complete all reading and writing assignments. Failure to complete assignments may result in a substantial reduction of the course grade.
     
  2. Be active participants in the class. Active and meaningful student participation is expected, so ask questions, offer comments and suggestions, share your thoughts, make a meaningful contribution to the exchange of ideas in the classroom.
     
  3. Demonstrate a genuine desire to learn and to succeed in the course. A positive attitude can take you far, so be willing to work: read and reread the texts carefully, take pride in your class work, and please see me if you need additional help. You probably need this course for the credit, but try to work hard both to gain the credit and to gain knowledge and better writing skills.
     
  4. Be familiar with IVCC's "Student Code of Conduct" (in the college's Student Handbook), which stipulates the behavior expected of students. Violations of the "Student Code of Conduct" include "disruption of the educational process." This disruption could include conduct that is detrimental to the learning environment of the classroom, such as persistent tardiness, sleeping in class, use of cell phones in class, or other distracting and disrespectful behavior. Cell phone use in class is prohibited unless permission is granted for course-related use of phones, such as the taking of pictures of information presented in class. Please keep cell phones out of sight. Students text messaging, using cell phones or other electronic devices without permission, or engaging in other disruptive behavior may be asked to leave the classroom. Students consistently engaged in disruptive behavior may be withdrawn from the course.

Assignments are due on the due dates. In-class assignments cannot be turned in after the class period during which they are assigned and completed. Essay assignments also are due on the due dates. However, the instructor can approve a late submission of an essay if an emergency or some other legitimate situation arises that prevents a student from turning in an essay when it is due. Talk to the instructor if this situation comes up.  

Working in the Computer Lab

All of our class meetings are held in one of the college's computer labs. The computers should help us complete assignments and should not be a distraction from those assignments. While we are in the computer lab during class time, we must work on material related to the course. Students who use the computers during class time for purposes that are not course related (reading or writing e-mail, playing games, working on assignments for other classes, surfing the Internet for information unrelated to the course, etc.) will be asked to leave the classroom.

Academic Accommodations

IVCC's Center for Accessibility and Neurodiversity provides support for qualifying students who have accessibility or learning differences. Please see the Center for Accessibility and Neurodiversity website for more information.

Plagiarism and Cheating

Plagiarism is the use of another person's ideas, information, or exact words in your own writing without properly acknowledging your source in accordance with a standard system of documentation. In writing classes, plagiarism most often occurs when students use someone else's work and submit it as their own.

Make sure that all of the work you contribute to the class is your own. If a student is discovered submitting work that is plagiarized, depending on the severity of the plagiarism, the student will receive a grade of "F" on the assignment, a grade of "0" without the option to revise, or a failing grade in the course. In addition, the student's name and a description of the incident will be reported to IVCC's Office of Academic Affairs. The Office of Academic Affairs will keep a record of these submissions. According to IVCC's "Student Code of Conduct," "when a student has been identified as committing an act of academic dishonesty twice" in any courses, the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Vice President of Student Services "will conduct an investigation, which may include a formal hearing, and will recommend or impose appropriate discipline."

Most Important of All

It's my job to help you succeed in the course, so please let me help you. Do not hesitate to ask questions and to see me during my office hours. Also, be aware that additional assistance to help you succeed is available through the college's Writing Center.


Tentative Schedule: ENG 1001-02

Please see the course home page for daily assignments. This schedule is subject to change.

Week 1 (1/10, 1/12, 1/14)
Introductions. The course syllabus. Reading assignment to be announced. Review of the Essay form. Explanation of the Diagnostic Essay assignment. In-class Diagnostic Essay.

Week 2 (1/17, 1/19, 1/22)
Explanation of Essay 1: Analysis of a Photograph or Painting. In-class prewriting for Essay 1.
No class Monday, January 17 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day).

Week 3 (1/24, 1/26, 1/28)
Continued discussion of Essay 1. Organizing and developing ideas in Essay 1. Continued in-class work on Essay 1. Draft of Essay 1 of at least 600 words due for peer critique. Peer critiques of Essay 1.
Monday, January 24: Last day to drop the course for a refund.

Week 4 (1/31, 2/2, 2/4)
Revising Essay 1: the thesis statement, topic sentences, and support and development of ideas. Strengthening writing style. Understanding and avoiding grammar and punctuation errors. Second peer critiques of Essay 1.      

Week 5 (2/7, 2/9, 2/11)
Revised Draft of Essay 1 of at least 800 words due. Read "Commas" and "Four Comma Rules." In-class exercise on using commas. Read Katherine Mansfield's "The Garden Party," "The Doll's House," and "The Fly." Quiz over the assigned stories. Explanation of Essay 2: Writing about a Short Story. Generating ideas about the assigned stories. 

Week 6 (2/14, 2/16, 2/18)
Discussion of Essay 2 and the assigned stories. Organizing and developing ideas in Essay 2. In-class work on Essay 2. Essay 2 draft of at least 800 words due for peer critique. Peer critiques of Essay 2.  

Week 7 (2/21, 2/23, 2/25)
Revising Essay 2: the thesis statement, organization, and support and development of ideas. Using quotations effectively. Read "Integrating Quotations into Sentences" and "Using Quotations Properly." Second peer critique of Essay 2.
No class Monday, February 21 (Presidents' Day).

Week 8 (2/28, 3/2, 3/4)
Revised Draft of Essay 2 of at least 1000 words due. In-class exercise on using quotations. Reading assignment to be announced. Quiz over the reading assignment. Explanation of Essay 3: Writing about a Short Story with Sources. Generating ideas about the assigned stories.
No class Friday, March 4 (Development Day).

Week 9 (3/7, 3/9, 3/11)
No class (Spring Break).

Week 10 (3/14, 3/16, 3/18)
Discussion of Essay 3 and the assigned stories. Organizing and developing ideas in Essay 3. Locating and using material from secondary sources for Essay 3. In-class work on Essay 3.

Week 11 (3/21, 3/23, 3/25)
Essay 3 draft of at least 800 words due for peer critique. Peer critiques of Essay 3. Revising Essay 3: organizing and developing ideas, using material from secondary sources, integrating quotations with correct punctuation, avoiding errors. Preparing the Works Cited page for Essay 3.

Week 12 (3/28, 3/30, 4/1)
Revised draft of Essay 3 of at least 1250 words due. In-class exercise on identifying and correcting errors in a paragraph. Explanation of Essay 4: Persuasive Essay with Sources. Discussion of possible topics for Essay 4. Finding good online sources for Essay 4.

Week 13 (4/4, 4/6, 4/8)
Continued discussion of Essay 4. Organizing and developing ideas in Essay 4. Using and citing supporting material from sources. Avoiding logical fallacies. In-class work on Essay 4. Draft of Essay 4 of at least 1000 words due for peer critique. Peer critiques of Essay 4.

Week 14 (4/11, 4/13, 4/15)
Revising Essay 4. Preparing the Works Cited page for Essay 4. Second peer critiques of Essay 4.
Thursday, April 7: Last day for withdrawal from the course.

Week 15 (4/18, 4/20, 4/22)
Continued work on Essay 4. Revised draft of Essay 4 of at least 1500 words due. In-class exercise on using sources effectively, in the same format as the practice "Using Sources Quiz." Explanation of the optional revision(s).

Week 16 (4/25, 4/27, 4/29)
Work on the optional revision(s). What to expect on the Final Exam.

Week 17 (5/2, 5/4)
Optional revision(s) due. Final Exam Pre-Test. Answers to the Final Exam Pre-Test.

Final Exam
Monday, May 9

Randy Rambo, 2022