Eng 120 syllabus

SYLLABUS
For
ENG120 Advanced Composition

Instructor Information Class Session Information
Name: Dr. Kerry Hofheimer Meeting Dates: 2/11/08 - 3/12/08
Office: 406 Meeting Times: T/R 8:00 a.m.- 1 p.m.
Phone: 757-285-3129
E-Mail: khofheimer@ecpi.edu

Course Information

I. Course Credits: 3 Hours

II. Course Prerequisites: College Composition (ENG110 or ENG105)

III. Textbook: Pearson Custom Text: The Longman Writer: Rhetoric, Reader, and Handbook . Nadell, Langan, and Comodros; 2005.


IV. Course Description:
This course helps writers further develop skills in expository and persuasive writing. Using classical and modern rhetorical techniques, students hone critical thinking skills and critically evaluate the quality and sufficiency of evidence and other forms of support for an argument. Students will use writing processes to develop logical and ethical arguments and observe appropriate writing and documentation conventions. In addition, the course includes strategies for identifying main ideas and ethically assessing similarities and differences in points of view. Assignments and activities will include practice in locating primary and secondary sources in a variety of media, evaluating and analyzing those sources for validity, credibility, and applicability, and choosing which sources are most appropriate in meeting the rhetorical objectives of a given writing task. Plagiarism will also be addressed, and students will gain practice in paraphrasing, summarizing, quoting, and documentation conventions to avoid plagiarism. Although the course presumes a basic knowledge of grammar, mechanical principles will be reviewed throughout the course as needed.

V. Degree Program Student Outcomes Supported by This Course:
Communications and Information Literacy: At the end of the program, the student will be able to
• Use writing processes to explore, think, and learn critically, and to write and speak appropriately for various tasks and audiences
• Develop logical and ethical arguments, and observe appropriate writing conventions
• Show ability to identify main ideas and evaluate, analyze, and synthesize primary and secondary sources

Analytical Reasoning: At the end of the program, the student will be able to
• Critically evaluate the quality and sufficiency of evidence and other forms of support for an argument
• Ethically and objectively assess similarities and differences in points of view


VI. Learning Objectives:
1. Analyze the structure of arguments by locating contradictions and biased assumptions, identifying main ideas and competing claims, and anticipating opposing views.

2. Critically evaluate the quality and sufficiency of evidence and other forms of support for an argument.

3. Compose various types of persuasive, researched essays that address specific audiences for clearly articulated purposes.

4. Effectively apply conventions of MLA and/or APA documentation and formatting into essays.

5. Locate, evaluate, and analyze a variety of relevant print and electronic library resources, including electronic databases, as well as credible online resources to develop a topic and support a thesis.

6. Effectively incorporate sources to avoid plagiarism throughout the research, writing and revision processes.

7. Paraphrase sources in a language that is distinctly their own and quote sources accurately to avoid plagiarism.

8. Summarize sources to reflect the central idea, most significant supporting details, order, and emphasis of original work.

9. Synthesize material from various sources and integrate their own opinions to support a focused thesis statement.

10. Recognize and correct problems with grammar, mechanics, usage, and punctuation as part of the editing process.

VII. Course Grading:
Grading Scale:
90 – 100 A 65 - 69.9 D
80 – 89.9 B Below 65 F
70 – 79.9 C

*Grading Criteria:
Assessments:

Chapbook: 80%

Post-test: 5%

Grammar exercises, blogs, and class participation: 15%

Total 100%

* All coursework will be tied to specific Learning Outcomes

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School Policies

VIII. Late Assignments:
Assignments turned in late due to a documented excused absence will be graded as initially assigned. Late assignments due to unexcused absence will have 10 points subtracted from the final grade for each late day.

IX. Attendance:
Students are expected to attend all regularly scheduled class meetings. Students are encouraged to tell their instructor in advance or to call the administrative office if they will be absent.

Instructors may request a review board for students whose absences from class interfere with their ability to meet course objectives. Action may include being dropped from the course, probation, or suspension. If a pattern of excessive absences is noticed throughout the student’s program, a review board may be held as well.

Whenever a student believes his/her attendance record is in error, a written request challenging the error may be submitted to the Academic Dean within three weeks of the end of the course.


X. Electronic Communication/Recording Devices:
To minimize classroom disruptions and protect the integrity of test-taking situations, activated electronic communication devices such as pagers, cellular telephones, and recording devices are not permitted in classrooms at the College unless you have the specific written permission of the instructor. The only exception to this policy will be for on-call emergency personnel (police, fire, EMS), who will be required to notify their instructor of their need for such devices at the beginning of the term and provide documentation verifying their occupation. However, on-call emergency personnel may not leave a testing situation, communicate by electronic means and return to complete an examination. In these cases, instructors should make arrangements for retesting. Use of personal laptop computers is acceptable during class.

XI. Students with Disabilities:
Students who have documented disabilities that require accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact the Vice President for Academic Affairs as well as the instructor of the course in order to insure that together we create an optimal environment for educational achievement.

XII. ECPI Plagiarism Policy:

1. Purpose and Scope

The purpose of ECPI’s plagiarism policy is to promote awareness and adherence to copyright and intellectual property law. Refer to http://www.copyright.gov/laws/ for information on U.S. copyright law.

This policy applies to all students, faculty and staff of ECPI and all intellectual property including but not limited to all written and electronic publications, ideas and inventions, verbiage and phrasing. Refer to ECPI’s college catalog for a description of intellectual property.

2. Definitions
A. The Writer
The Writer is defined as any student, faculty, or staff to whom this policy applies. However, plagiarism is not limited to writers, per the definition of plagiarism and the scope of this policy. Examples of plagiarism other than through writing include but are not limited to creators of software programs, hardware designs, schematics, multimedia, charts, graphs, tools and other inventions.
B. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as n 1: a piece of writing that has been copied from someone else and is presented as being your own work 2: the act of plagiarizing; taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own (www.dictionary.com, 2005).

3. Plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional.

A. Intentional Plagiarism

Plagiarism is intentional when one or more of the following conditions apply:
• the writer uses exact words from a source but neglects to include quotation marks;
• the writer paraphrases ideas from a source but neglects to cite the source using an acceptable documentation style such as MLA or APA;
• the writer copies someone else’s work and presents it as his/her own;
• the writer purchases documents, ideas, and/or verbiage and presents it as his/her own;
• the writer fails to give credit to co-authors, team members, and/or editors of the writer’s original work;
• the writer uses previously published work protected under copyright and presents the work as original and not copyrighted elsewhere;
• repeated violation of unintentional plagiarism rules is considered intentional plagiarism.

B. Unintentional Plagiarism

Plagiarism is unintentional when one or more of the following conditions apply:
• the writer demonstrates ignorance of copyright law and plagiarism policy;
• the writer fails to quote or paraphrase accurately but attributes the words and/or ideas to a source;
• the writer attempts to document the source but does so incorrectly;
• the writer attempts to give credit to an original source but does not use acceptable documentation methods;
• the writer uses ideas, text and/or verbiage without giving credit to the original source because the writer incorrectly believes the information is common knowledge;
• the writer inadvertently fails to give credit to co-authors, team members, and/or editors of the writer’s original work;
• the writer inadvertently breaks copyright agreement of his/her own copyrighted work.

4. Consequences of Violating Policies

Violation of the college’s plagiarism policy, whether the plagiarism is intentional or unintentional, may result in disciplinary action up to and including suspension and expulsion from the college.

Disciplinary action may include initiation of a Judicial Review Board. For more information on ECPI’s general disciplinary actions, see the sections entitled, “Termination Policy” and “Academic, Judicial and Financial Review Boards” in the College catalog.

5. Resources and Prevention

The College offers several resources, which vary by campus, for students, faculty and staff who require information on plagiarism and documentation. These resources include:
• seminars and training on documentation methods;
• Writing Assistance Center handouts and workshops on avoidance of plagiarism;
• classroom instruction on documentation of sources.