ENC 1101: Composition : Rules and Regulations
1. Attendance: You are allowed 3 unexcused absences. For each unexcused absence past the third your final grade for the class will drop one letter grade (10%). Regardless of excuses, if you miss fifteen class meetings you will receive a failing grade for the class. You are responsible for all work due for any missed class as well as for the homework for the following class. You should get the phone numbers of a couple of your classmates in case you miss a class. You can also contact me by email. If you know that you are going to miss class, please tell me.
2. Don't be late to class. The class depends on your presence in order to conduct peer review and other in class activities. Three tardies will count as 1 unexcused absence.
3. Assignments are due on the class day they have been assigned for. Unexcused late work will not be accepted and, as it is not accepted, it can not be revised.
4. All paper assignments (unless otherwise noted) must be typed on white 8 1/2X11" paper, to be double spaced, have 1" margins, in 12 point font, in either Times New Roman or equivalent, and be according to MLA style. Improperly formatted work will not be accepted.
5. All students are expected to honor the University's Honor Code. All work must be your own. Copying without giving credit is plagiarism. Collusion (working with another student or tutor not connected with the class in an attempt to pass their work as your own) is equally unacceptable. Multiple submissions, the practice of submitting the same paper for more that one class also constitutues academic dishonesty. Evidence of plagiarism, multiple submissions, and/or collusion will be dealt with according to the university's regulations.
6. Many different opinions will be expressed in this class. Students are expected to respect the views of other students. Sexist and racial hate speech will not be tolerated. A difference of opinion will naturally result and is expected and encouraged. But students must still respect the view points of the other students in the class.
7. Complaints about seperate assignments are to be discussed with me. Complaints about the final grade should be discussed with me in at least one conference soon after the next term begins. If the conference on the final grade does not resolve the problem in a valid, college-level manner, the complaint can be expressed on a form in the English Office, 4008 TUR; the form must be accompanied with copies of every assignment and my directions. The form and accompanying course material will be given to the Director of Freshman English for further action. Please note that the Department does not review the complaint about a seperate assignment nor will it review a complaint about final grades unless all assignments are submitted along with the instructor's directions for the assignments. The review committee may decide that the grade should remain as is, be raised, or lowered; but the review committee has the final decision. The material submitted for the complaint is to remain on file in the English Department.
Grades are calculated as follows:
First section: 10%
The second: 10%
The third: 15%
The final: 20%
Journals 20%: Two journals for the week's readings will be due each Friday. One of the two journals must be on the interactive text Soul Reaver. Each journal will focus on a single reading that you select from the entire week's readings. Each journal entry will consist of 2 sentences describing the main point of the writing, any questions on the reading, and 150 words about your thoughts on the reading. The journal entries must be handed in to me or put in my mailbox by classtime Friday of each week. Remember, one journal must be on Soul Reaver and the other must be on one of the readings for that week. Please put your name on the journal entries. The entries are due each Friday so you will have a choice of the week's readings to comment on. As with all other work, keep a copy of each journal entry for your records.
Participation and In-class Assignments 10%: These
can include in-class essays and anything else I assign to be done in
class. This is where attendance is especially important, because in-class
assignments cannot be made up.
Peer-review sessions: These are perhaps the most important part
of your work in class, the peer review. We will spend a lot of our time
talking about the importance of revision, and how we can use our skills
to help each other become better writers. There will be four peer-review
sessions, one for each of our web projects this semester. You will need
to be prepared to present your web project to your bandmembers for review.
Thus, your web project needs to be substantial enough for your bandmembers
to review and discuss it with you. We will focus on certain parts of
each others' writing, working to help each other with the revision process.
Reading Quizzes 10%: Some of these are on the daily schedule, others will be unannounced. I will certainly give an unannounced quiz if, during our in class discussions, it appears that a majority of the class has not done the reading.
Grammar quizzes: 5%
Revisions: You may revise either the second or third web project if it is under 85% (B). Revision is not editing. Merely correcting mechanical mistakes will not be sufficient. Revision is a "re-visiting", perhaps a restructuring or re-conceptualization. Revisions are due one week after the project grades are returned (if you are not in class the day they are returned, you do not get extra time unless it is an excused absence). If the revision is only a surface revision and not a true re-seeing of the paper, then it will not be regraded.
First, I'll check to make sure the work meets the base requirements:
on time, word count, hyperlinks, graphics, cites, works cited, for papers
- the right font and spacing, etc. If it doesn't, then it's unnacceptable
and it's an E.
If it does, then it is graded on this criteria:
Writing
Content and Style: Your information and how well you convey the information
are most important.
Voice: You should be heard through your writing.
Spelling/Grammar errors or problems: No, I'm not going to be super picky,
but grammar and spelling errors can hurt your ethos, and they can make
your writing less clear and more confusing.
Flow: How well does your writing move: Does it confuse your reader?
Am I wondering how your moving between topics or am I absorbed in your
writing?
Accuracy/understandability: Are there any factual problems with your
information - are you citing Jennifer Lopez as singing "The Thong Song"?
This is part of content, but needs to be remmebered as inaccurate information
can really hurt any writing.
And, while not as important for this class as the writing content, still important is the
Form
Intelligent Links
Use of the Medium
Aesthetics
Appropriate Language/Phrasings for an academic work.
Since each student must earn a C average or better to receive Gordon Rule credit for this class, anything below a C will be counted as failing (E). Remember: you must write 6000 words in order to get credit for this class. Even if a paper is so late that you will get a zero on it, you must turn it in for word count. Please make sure you meet word count.