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COURSE SYLLABUS: ENG101 - College Writing I

Course Title: ENG101 - College Writing I
Department: School of General Studies
Instructor: John Hanlon, MA, BA Contact - Vita
Credits: 3 Semester
Prereqs: None


Course Description

Starting with the assumption that If you don’t think clearly, you won’t write clearly, the course will teach techniques for developing cogent arguments and effective writing structures to support and present those arguments. The course will use examples of good writing as models and encourage students to emulate those models with their own writing.

This course teaches the fundamental of writing, not basic grammar, syntax, vocabulary, punctuation and the like. Students who feel they are weak in those areas may, with extra effort and guidance from the instructor, be able to remedy their weaknesses.

Students will be assigned six to ten writing assignments during the course. Each assignment will be 250 to 1000 words in length (depending on the requirements of the project) and submitted by email to the instructor. The assignment must be embedded (cut&paste) in the body of the email – no email attachments will be allowed.

The instructor’s revisions and corrections will be indicated on the student’s work using the Track Changes feature on Microsoft Word, and returned to the student.

Course Objectives

The student will learn how to develop, organize, and order ideas and concepts for written presentation. The emphasis will be on effective, clear communication of ideas to a variety of audiences.

The practical application of writing styles and techniques for academic, business, and persuasive purposes will be explored and practiced.

At the end of the course, the student will be able to effectively communicate complex ideas in a writing style appropriate to a specific reading audience.

Required Texts     Online Bookstore

College Writing Skills with Readings by John Langan Seventh Edition
Published by McGraw-Hill
ISBN-13: 9780073384085
ISBN: 0073384089

Note: This book can be rather expensive, but used paperback copies can be found on the Web ranging from $5.00 to $25.00 (plus shipping). The seventh edition is preferred, but earlier editions are acceptable.

Course Outline

READING: AN INTRODUCTION TO WRITING
Do Activities 1 through 6

READING: THE WRITING PROCESS
Do Activities 1 through 13

READING: THE FIRST AND SECOND STEPS IN ESSAY WRITING
Do Activities 1 through 13

READING: THE THIRD STEP IN ESSAY WRITING
Do Activities 1 through 13

READING: THE FOURTH STEP IN ESSAY WRITING
Do Activities 1 through 12

READING: FOUR BASES FOR REVISING ESSAYS
Do Activities 1 through 12

Grading

The grade for each assignment will be based on the following criteria:
  1. CONTENTS: Are ideas well developed and applied? Are the ideas sufficiently original? Is there a central purpose? Are concepts and terminology appropriate and clear? Are the critical thinking functions of the field or discipline used well?
  2. SUPPORTING DETAILS: Are there adequate and appropriate details – e.g., quotations, paraphrases, the paper’s central concepts? Are the details well explained and connected to the concepts?
  3. AUDIENCE/STYLE: Does the paper show evidence of consideration of its audience? Does it use an appropriate academic or professional tone? Does it speak in an appropriate voice to its audience?
  4. ORGANIZATION: Does the paper have a central subject or argument? Are there clear, separate topics and/or sections that start with appropriate topic sentences or subtitles? Are there clear, developed paragraphs?
  5. PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCE: Are mechanics – e.g., grammatical usage, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, graphics/illustrations, and typing—sufficiently correct?
Each of the five criteria will be awarded a letter-grade from A to F. The numerical equivalent of the letter grade is as follows.

A = 4
B = 3
C = 2
D = 1
F = 0

The average of those five grades will yield a numerical grade for the project.

The numerical grades for all projects will be averaged (total of numerical project grades divided by total number of projects) to yield a final numerical grade for the course. The equivalent letter grade is shown below.

A = >3.6
B = 2.8 – 3.5
C = 2.0 – 2.7
D = 1.2 – 1.9
F = <1.2

The instructor is available for teleconferences with the student regarding current projects, course material or grades. Conferences may be held between 9:00 a.m and 5:00 p.m, Monday through Friday or other times for emergencies. It may be necessary to set an appointment time if the instructor is not available at the time of the call.

After submission of projects, students should receive revisions and corrections from the instructor within 24 to 48 hours

Additional Information
Course Requirements

A computer with word processing software, Internet connection and an email client and address. Microsoft Word compatible with version 11.5.3 is the preferred application, but others may be useable (check with instructor). Revisions and corrections will be indicated using the Track Changes feature.

About the Instructor

John Hanlon has written broadcast and print advertising for advertising agencies and public relations firms in Atlanta, Tallahassee, Orlando, and New Orleans. Recently, he taught "Creative Strategy for Advertising” at Florida State University and developed an online art appreciation course for Education Direct (now Penn Foster Career School).

He has also written for Encyclopedia Britannica, Viking Studio Books, Antiques West, Discovery.com, Gannett Newspapers, Encyclopedia Americana as well as numerous metro magazines and specialty publications.

Version #1 – 16 Oct 2009