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ENG099 Spring 2004 |
"Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go." - E.L. Doctorow |
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Instructor: Rebecca L.
Busker
Office: C247 Phone: 403-1906 Email: rbusker@parkland.edu Office Hours: M 9-11, TW 9-10, F 12-1 or by appointment Course Description and Goals The primary goal of this course is to prepare you for English 101. As such, we will focus on learning to think critically, develop ideas, organize those ideas in a clear and coherent structure, and communicate those ideas in clear and precise language. We will do this by writing four papers, focusing on a process of planning, writing, revision, and editing.
Special Note: Assessing into ENG101 After completion of this course, whether you progress into ENG101 will be determines in one of two ways:
If neither of these things happen, you will be required to repeat ENG099. Primis Reader. Look in bookstore for the ENG099 reader. Beason, Larry, and Mark Lester. A Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage.
An email account accessible both on and off campus
You should have a folder or binder in which to keep handouts, and a
notebook or looseleaf paper. Attendance Attendance is mandatory. I know everyone has problems from time-to-time in getting to class. However, the subject of this course, writing skills, requires that you actually be in class to acquire and practice those skills. It helps if you think of the class like a science lab: if you are not here to do the experiment, you cannot fulfill the requirements of the course. Also, most of the "experiments" cannot be made up - I cannot reproduce the conditions of a class discussion or paper workshop. You may miss 4 classes with no penalty. After 4 absences, each missed class will result in a 3% deduction from your FINAL grade. Please note that there is no difference between an “excused” and “unexcused” absence. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out what was discussed that day. You may contact me via-email, but you should also get the phone numbers or email addresses of two fellow students as well. (Note: you may want to check the schedule first.)
Please note that there is no difference between an “excused” and “unexcused” absence. I know this sounds harsh, but in the end, it really doesn't matter why you aren't here, only that you aren't.
As a special side note: those 3.5 floppies that we all use to save
work? They are remarkably fragile things. The corrupt if
exposed to magnets. They corrupt if bent in any way. They corrupt
for no immediately obvious reason at all. If you only take to heart
one thing I tell you, it should be this: SAVE YOUR WORK IN MORE THAN ONE
PLACE. Get into the habit of emailing drafts to yourself.
Please note that a corrupted disk IS NOT an acceptable excuse for not
having a draft or final paper. It is YOUR responsibility to ensure
that you will have a draft or final paper on time even if something goes
wrong.
Plagiarism is the use of another's words, content, or ideas without acknowledgment. Don’t do it. Plagiarism will result in failure of the assignment. You may also wish to refer to Parkland's policies on plagiarism for potential repercussions. Please note that copying material from a web page, even a reference site, without proper attribution, is plagiarism. And before you consider doing that, take a good, long look at this web page. I've been on the internet a long time. If you can find it on the web, I can find it on the web. Just as a note: I encourage you to seek feedback on your writing from family and friends. However, they should limit that feedback to reactions, comments, and general suggestions. Do not let them write the paper for you. The goal of this course is to improve your writing strategies, and we cannot achieve that goal if you are turning in someone else's work. Note on the Public Nature of Writing and Class Discussions Part of becoming a good writer is learning to appreciate the feedback of others. You will be sharing your writing with many people in this course. Therefore, you might wish to avoid writing about a topic that you are not prepared to subject to public scrutiny, or on which your feelings are so strong that you cannot consider alternate viewpoints Classroom Conduct I tend to run a fairly informal classroom. In return, I expect that you will treat me and each other with respect. Please be attentive and polite during discussions: you don’t need to raise your hand to speak, but you should also be careful to give everyone a chance to speak. Remember that we will be discussing some "touchy" subjects. Again, I expect you to be respectful of one another. You can argue and disagree, even passionately, but don’t get personal. Please not that absolutely NO ethnic, gender, religious, sexual orientation, or other slurs will be tolerated, in either spoken discussion or on-line.
Special Note for Computer Classrooms: Classroom time is to be used for classroom activities. If you finish your work early, I will not object to you checking your email or looking at web sites; however, I expect you to return to class work when directed.
At no point should either a chat program or a game be opened during class time, even if you are finished with your activity. The first time I see a chat program or a game open on your computer during class time, you will receive a warning. The second time, you will be asked to leave the classroom and be assessed an absence for the day.
Extra Credit I do not offer extra credit options.
Final Grade Breakdown by Percentage:
Final grade Breakdown by Points:
Successful completion of the course requires that all assignments be completed. Failure to turn in any of the four major projects WILL RESULT IN FAILURE OF THE COURSE. |