Humanities
Division
Composition
I (EG 1113)
Fall,
2001
Instructor: Yoon Sik Kim, Ph.D. Office: AD 119A Phone: x5165
Hours: MWF 10:55-1:00; TTh 10:50-1:00 and 1:50-2:50
Also by appointment
e-mail: yskim@sgc.edu
Catalog Description: EG 1113 is designed to develop students’ writing skills through descriptive, expository, or argumentative writing. Major components include development of effective sentences, well-organized body paragraphs, persuasive essays, and argumentative research papers.
Rationale: The composition sequence develops students’ abilities to think clearly, analyze/interpret persuasively, and argue convincingly, and express themselves in purposeful, well-organized, standard written English.
Objectives: By the end of the semester, a successful student should be able to do the following:
· Show how to narrow topics to a manageable scope.
· Demonstrate an understanding of different modes of rhetoric, such as description, narration, illustration, definition, process, comparison and contrast, and argument, among others.
· Explain how to effectively organize an essay, using a clear thesis and topic sentences.
· Demonstrate how to use 5W1H details/examples/ illustrations as well as sensory images to enhance contextual backing up.
· Utilize inductive and deductive reasoning and recognize logical fallacies.
· Understand the writer’s stance: writer’s authority, identification of the audience, explicit thesis, and well-defined subject segments as organizing principle.
· Demonstrate research skills, using MLA style documentation.
· Be familiar with standard written English
Methods: Instruction includes lecture, in-class exercise/writing, peer Review, and homework. These learning activities will help students focus, develop, and draft ideas into essay form.
Requirements: All assignments must be typed in double-space: a hand-written assignment will not be accepted.
1. To help your teacher identify writing weaknesses as early as possible, all students will take two diagnostic tests, one pre-assessment in the beginning and one post-assessment at the end of the semester. These tests have nothing to do with your final grade.
2. Students will write four, three-paragraph, three-page, typed essays as well as one ten-page (including Works Cited) research paper.
3. Students must also submit a writer’s portfolio, which is required of each freshman English student. A writing portfolio contains a selection from a student’s total writing over a given time. The selection should be chosen to represent the student’s overall performance. The “given time” for this portfolio is Fall semester. The student will choose the pieces to include in his/her portfolio using guidelines provided by the English instructor. This portfolio is due Friday, November 30, 2001. The portfolio will be reviewed by at least three English instructors. An evaluation of Pass with Distinction, Pass, or No Pass will be given to each portfolio.
Students who
fail to take, turn in, or revise any of these assignments will receive an
automatic F for the course.
Methods of Evaluation
Four Essays
80% (20% each)
Research Paper 20%
Portfolio 20%
Total_____________ 120%
Minus the lowest grade= Final Grade
Textbook
Axelrod, Rise B. and Charles R. Cooper. The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing. 5th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1997.
Grading
Criteria
Essays and the Research paper will be graded according to the following criteria:
A
Excellent (90-100). An
“A” essay or paper is exceptional with originality.
Student’s responses contain specific details that more than adequately
explain/argue the topic. The
organizational plan is established and consistently maintained with minor, if
any, lapses. The writer addresses
the intended audience. Errors in
sentence formation, if present, do not interfere with meaning.
Errors in spelling, usage punctuation, and capitalization, if present, do
not interfere with meaning.
B
Good (80-89). The
information is presented clearly, and irrelevant information does not interfere
with clarity. The paper contains
some specific details that adequately explain the topic although some details
may not contribute to the development of the explanation.
An organizational plan is established and generally maintained.
The paper addresses the intended audience, and errors in sentence
formation, if present, do not interfere with meaning.
Errors in spelling, usage, punctuation, and capitalization, if present,
do not interfere with meaning.
C
Average (70-79). A
“C” paper shows some details, but the details may be too general (vague/too
broad) may not adequately explain the topic.
An organizational plan is established yet minimally maintained.
The paper addresses the intended audience. Errors in sentence formation, if present, may interfere with
meaning; errors in spelling, usage, punctuation, and capitalization, if present,
may interfere with meaning. Errors
in mechanics, punctuation, grammar, and documentation will not be so frequent as
to distract the reader from the content.
D
Poor (60-69). A “D”
paper lack sufficient details to explain/describe/argue the topic, and the
details present are often vague and inadequate.
An organizational plan, if established at all, is not maintained; worse,
the paper fails to address its intended audience.
Errors in sentence formation interfere with meaning and confuse the
reader. Errors in spelling, usage,
punctuation, and capitalization interfere with meaning and confuse the reader.
F
Failing (Below 60). An
“F” paper lacks specific focus or substance, or shows consistent, serious
problems with writing, producing the impression of ineptitude.
It lacks a clear focus, fails to accomplish its intended purpose, or is
not usable by the intended reader, for it blatantly ignores the specific
instruction given in class discussion. A
paper, deemed to be an accidental plagiarism, will also result in an “F” for
the course, just as an essay whose drafts your instructor has not seen prior to
the paper’s deadline.
2. The absent student will be held fully responsible for the missing information. Under no circumstance will your instructor be obliged to repeat it; therefore, students should get the missing information from other students or their notes.
3. After one verbal warning, your instructor will also dismiss habitually tardy or disruptive students from the class.
4. Students who are absent at the time of roll will also be considered absent for the whole period. So will the student who leaves the class early, prior to its termination.
1. Students are not allowed to take a make-up examination or turn in a make-up essay. Your instructor uses easier questions in the first examination or a simpler assignment in the original essay requirement; therefore, the make-ups tend to be much more difficult than the original assignment, a serious reason why you are discouraged to take any make-up.
2. The final will be given on time, never early nor late: do not purchase airline tickets before the final examination is officially over. Also, if you must travel out of town on official school functions, turn in your assignment in advance. Works slid under my door will not be accepted: you must, in person, hand them in during the class they are due. Always keep a copy of your work, but you must turn in the original.
3. A letter grade will be dropped for each day your work is late, counting weekends and holidays. No work will be accepted whose first and second drafts your instructor has not seen in advance.
4. To receive the assigned grade, all essays must be revised correctly: unrevised or incorrectly revised essays will receive an “F” regardless of the initial grade. After the revision, the essay’s grade may not go up higher than one letter from the original grade. Once revised, all the essays must be turned in immediately.
5. For all
parties involved, a single incident of plagiarism will be grounds for failure in
the course.
Writing
Center:
Once referred to the Writing Center by the instructor, the student must
attend each session regularly: failure to do so may result in his/her failure in
the course. Only the Director of
the Writing Center or the course instructor can release the student from
attending it.
Disability
Statement: Any student with a
disability that will affect his/her progress in this class and registered with
student services should inform the professor during or after the first class
meeting.
SCHEDULE
ASSIGNMENTS
Week 1 Introduction to Course
(8/21-26) Chapter 15 Definition
Reading
Sample Essays
Week 2 Writing/Peer Review
(8/28-9/1)
Reading/Diagnostic
Evaluation
Week 3 Peer Review
(9/4-8) Chapter 3
Essay
#1 [Definition] due
Week 4 Chapter 9: Narration
(9/11-15)
Convention/Writing/Reading
Sample Essays
Conference
on #1
Week 5 Writing and Peer Review
(9/18-22)
Convention/Reading
Sample
Essays
Essay
#2 [Narration] due
Week 6 Chapter 10: Description
(9/25-29) Writing/Peer Review
Conference
on #2
Week 7 Writing and Peer Review
(10/2-6)
Essay
#3 [Description] due
Week 8 Chapter 12: Process
(10/9-13) Writing and Peer Review
Conference on #3
Week 9 Reading Samples and Peer Review
(10/16-20)
Essay
#4 [Process] due
Week 10
Chapter
17: Argument [Research
Paper]
(10/23-27) Writing and Peer Review
MLA Style Documentation
Conference
on #4
Week 11
Reading
Sample Essays/Writing
and Peer Review
(10/30-11/3) MLA Style Documentation
How
to do “Research”
Week 12 Peer Review/Revision/MLA Style
(11/6-10)
Essay
#5 [Argument/Research
Paper] due
Week 13
Conference
on #5
Convention/MLA
(11/13-17) Revision/Research Paper
Peer Review
Week 14 Revision Due/Convention/MLA
(11/20-24) Oral Presentation
Week 15
Oral
Presentation
Convention/MLA
(12/27-12/1) Course Review
Week 16
Finals
Week
(12/4-8)