ENGLISH 0300 SYLLABUS

 

English 0300: Fundamentals of Grammar and Composition I

Text: Paragraphs and Essays with Culturally Diverse Readings (PE),

Ninth Edition: Lee Brandon

 

Instructor: Rosalind Burroughs                                          CRN:     71656

Office Number:281-983-8343 or  281-879-6799(H)       Office Hours: MW 6:30-7:00 p.m.   

Conferences available on a daily basis by appointment   Campus:  Alief

 

Course Materials:     

1) A Three Ring, Hardback Notebook, six dividers, a highlighter, 250 sheets of loose-leaf paper, 2 Scantron Sheets; 2) A pocket dictionary; thesaurus recommended; 3) one 3.5 IBM formatted 2 sided high density diskette; 4) $2-3 for printing in labs/library

 

Attendance: Texas State Law designates 87.5% minimum attendance for college courses.  This requirement allows a 12.5% absence maximum in a 3-hour course which computes as 6 hours.  MW and TR classes have 4 absences; MWF classes have 6 absences.  A student who exceeds the maximum is dropped from the course.

Tardies: A student who is tardy may sign the roll at the end of class.  A tardy student who fails to sign the roll will be counted as absent.  Excessive tardies, either individual or as a class, are an interruption of instruction.  Official tardy count is recorded as follows: three tardies (or early leaves) count as one class absence.

 

COURSE REQUIREMENT: The base course requirements necessary in order for a student to receive a grade are as follows: 4 Major Essays, Reading Journal, Freewriting Journal, Quiz Bank Grade, Instructor Choice, and Final Exam.   The minimum passing criteria for base course requirements is a grade of 70+ (a C or higher) on the Final Essay and a 70+ average in the course.  The grade distribution is as follows:

 

Essay Assignment One: Descriptive and                       

Narrative Paragraphs; 5% each 10%                 Reading Journal            10%

Essay Two                                           10%                 Freewriting Journal       10%

Essay Three (Collaborative Writing                               Quiz Bank                    10%

Project)                                                10%                 Instructor's Choice        10%

Essay Four: Final Essay                        20%                 Final Exam                   10%

 

GRADING SCALE:  90 - 100   A                 70 - 79   C                   Below 60   U/IP

                                    80 -   90   B                 60 - 69   IP                  (U=Unsatisfactory)

IP (In Progress grade) is given to students who do not meet the minimum grading standards but who are otherwise in good standing (complete all assignments on a timely basis, attend class, participate, etc.) An IP does not affect a student's GPA but does require the student to re-take the course.  A student may receive an IP grade only once in any developmental course.  When repeating the course, the student must receive a letter grade (A, B, C, or F). 

W (Withdrawn) is given to a student who exceeds the 12.5% maximum absence or to a student who withdraws from the course before the last drop date.  F may be given in cases of poor performance, scholastic dishonesty, or other severe academic violations.  An F or W grade requires that the student repeat the course.

 

Scholastic Dishonesty: The Houston Community College System Student Handbook 1999/2000 defines the following criteria: "Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion."  Please refer to the Handbook for the specifics of cheating on a test.  "Plagiarism means the appropriation of another's work and the unacknowledged incorporation of that work in one's own written work offered for credit.  Collusion means the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work offered for credit.  Possible punishments for academic dishonesty may include a grade of 0 to F for the particular assignment, failure in the course, and/or recommendation for probation or dismissal from the College System."

 

Course Overview: The dominant focus of English 0300 is on Writing Process, reading and thinking critically for evaluation purposes, and the production of writing products that demonstrate both provocative reading and effective presentation.  Students will have ample opportunities to learn, apply, practice, and refine writing skills.

 

Course Objectives: The primary objective of English 0300 is to teach students the central components of academic writing and prepare them for future composition and other college course writing as well as career writing.  Students will gain experience using Writing Process and standard conventions of grammar, usage, and mechanics.  Successful students will master these writing techniques with sufficient skill to address English 0310, freshman level English composition, and any state testing requirements.  Developmental English 0300 Objectives include and incorporate SCANS SKILLS development (workplace skills) in curriculum, classroom instruction, and applications.  SCANS SKILLS includes skills development in listening, speaking, reading, writing, critical thinking skills, and computer literacy.

 

Student Conduct: The guidelines for student conduct are specifically defined in The Student Handbook 2002-2003.  [As] "mature, responsible adults . . . they will voluntarily observe these rules as a matter of training and habit.  Students [will] not interfere with or disrupt the orderly educational processes of the College System."  Students are expected to demonstrate both courtesy and cooperation in the classroom.  A student who either cannot or will not extend both courtesy and cooperation may not continue the course.

 

HCCS Policy: Ringing cellular phones or sounding beepers constitute an interruption of instruction.  Students must remember to TURN OFF phones and beepers when they are in class.  A student who does not cooperate may be dismissed from class. 

 

ADA: HCCS is compliant with the American Disabilities Act and Sec. 504 of the Rehabilitation Act 1973.  Students with special needs or disabilities that may affect their ability to succeed in college courses should contact a Disability Support Counselor.

ENGLISH 0300 COURSE CALENDAR

Text: Paragraphs and Essays with Culturally Diverse Readings (PE),

Ninth Edition: Lee Brandon

 

Important Dates: 

2/21 Presidents' Day                 4/7 Last Day for Withdrawal                 5/9-15 Final Exams

3/14-20 Spring Break               3/25-27 Easter Holiday                        5/20 Grades Online

 

Course Content: Specific page assignments in PE, essay assignments in PE, and dates for assignments will be made by the instructor.  The instructor may make additional assignments and/or change assignments during the semester.

 

Week One

            Diagnostic Essays; Introduction to Course and Text; Course requirements and   additional materials; Course syllabus and calendar; course prerequisites and requirements as needed; Principles and Strategies; Writing Process and             Inventions; Purpose and Audience 

            Day One                                             Day Two

PE       Overview         1-6                               Chapter 2                     30-38

            Chapter 1         9-16; 18 (JW)              Chapter 3                     40-51

            ‘All-American Girl’ 20-22

Week Two

            Writing Process steps; Reading and writing strategies and key terms; Inventions;            Thesis/Topic Sentence; Grouping and Outlining; Drafting and Revising;   

            Understanding Description

PE       Chapter 4         52-61                           Chapter 4                     61-70

            Chapter 8         126-136                       Chapter 8                     136-141

            Begin Reading Journal (RJ) and Freewriting Journal (FJ)

 

Week Three

Application of Writing Process concepts and steps; Editing Technique; Writing Description and developing descriptive details; using checklists; Defining Paragraphs; Paragraph Patterns; Paragraphs and Writing Process; RJ and FJ Entries as assigned

Essay One: Begin Essay One with essay assignment, topic, and inventions

PE       Chapter 5         71-80                           Chapter 6                     83-90  

            Chapter 8         141-148                       Chapter 7                     102-110                      

 

Week Four

Essays and Paragraphs as writing units; Writing Introductory and Conclusion Paragraphs: using checklists for essay and descriptive writing; Understanding Narration; developing descriptive details for narration; RJ and FJ Entries as assigned

 

 

Week Four

Essay One: Draft Essay One in class, revise out of class

PE       Chapter 6         91-97                           Chapter 7                     116-124

            Chapter 7         111-115                       Parts of Speech            526-530

 

Week Five

Narrative readings and checklist; more on developing narration/descriptive writing; Practicing narrative patterns; Evaluating elements of narration; Understanding and using Parts of Speech; RJ and FJ Entries as assigned

Essay One: Essay One is Due: edit and complete final copy

PE       Part/Speech                  531-535           Chapter 9                     155-160

            Chapter 9                     150-155           Subjects/Verbs 406-410

 

Week Six

Understanding Exposition; Using Examples: Kinds, Choices, Patterns; Using Subjects and Verbs; CWP: planning, outlining, and division of tasks; choice of topics/assignments

RJ and FJ Entries as assigned

Essay Two: Begin Essay Two with assignment, topic, and inventions

PE       Chapter 9                     160-166           Coordination/Subordination      422-427

            Subjects/Verbs 410-413           Sentence Types                        413-422

 

Week Seven

Exemplification and using checklist; More on Subjects and Verbs; Identifying and using Coordination and Subordination; Identifying and understanding Sentence Types; RJ and FJ Entries as assigned

Essay Two: Draft Essay Two, revise Essay Two

PE       Sentence Errors            434-444           Chapter 13                   237-243

                                   

Week Eight

More on using Illustration and Example; Identifying and correcting Sentence Errors: Comma Splices, Run-ons, and Fragments; RJ and FJ Entries as assigned

PE       Review Sentence Errors            434-444

            Chapter 13                               244-248

Essay Two: Essay Two is Due: edit and complete final copy

 

Week Nine

Understanding Classification; Selecting a Subject and determining groupings;      Using a Principle; Classification and Essay Strategy; Sentence Combining;    RJ and FJ Entries as assigned

Essay Three: Begin Essay Three with assignment, topic, and inventions

PE       Chapter 13       249-257                       Chapter 15                   297-304

            Sentence Combinations     422-430      Verbs                           444-451          

 

 

Week Ten

Evaluating Classification development; Using Definition; Verbs: Regular and Irregular; Editing verbs for agreement, tense, voice,     predication, and mood       

RJ and FJ Entries as assigned

Essay Three: Draft Essay Four, revise Essay Four

PE       Chapter 15       305-310                       Chapter 15                   311-316

            Verbs               452-460                       Verbs                           460-466

Week Eleven

Understanding Definition; simple and extended definitions; Definition in essay form; developing definition criteria: terms, examples, and characteristics; Understanding and using pronouns for case, agreement, and reference;

RJ and FJ Entries as assigned

Essay Four: Essay Three is Due: edit and complete final copy

PE       Chapter 15       317-323                       Pronouns                      472-480

            Pronouns          466-472                       Modifiers                      481-488          

 

Week Twelve

More on Definition; using checklist; More on Pronouns; Understanding and using Modifiers effectively; Readings and Assignments from Chapters 10 and 11; Punctuation and Capitalization; RJ and FJ Entries as assigned

Argument and Persuasion: Sample Topics and Outlines

PE       Chapter 17       353-358                       Chapter 17                   358-364

Chapter 10 & 11                                  Chapter 12 &14

            Essay Readings & Assignments Essay Readings & Assignments

            PC/Caps          496-501                       PC/Caps                      510-513

           

Week Thirteen

            More on Punctuation and Capitalization; Spelling strategies and techniques;        Readings and Assignments from Chapters 12 and 14; ESL Tips

            RJ and FJ Entries as assigned

Argument and Persuasion: Sample Paragraphs and One Draft

PE       Chapter 17       365-371                       Chapter 17                   371-376

Chapter 16                                           ESL                             521-524

            Essay Readings & Assignments Follow-ups/Review

            Spelling            514-520                      

                                               

Week Fourteen: IN-CLASS FINAL ESSAY: 

 

Week Fifteen:  Review and Preparation for Departmental Exam

 

Week Sixteen:  Departmental Final Examination

Additional Readings for Assignments: Chapters 10, 11, 12, 14, and 16.

“Growing Up Asian in America” 177                 “Los Chino Discover el Barrio” 278

“Fast, Sleek, and Shiny” 201                            “The Story of an Hour” Kate Chopin 334

“Living in Sin” 221                                            “My Last Duchess” Robert Browning 339