Monday, January 15, 2018

ENC1101 Syllabus


ENC1101

Winter 2018                                                       Instructor: James Mulhern

Email: james.mulhern@browardschools.com.  Please do not email assignments to me.  You must give all assignments to me in hard-copy form.

Office hours: Mondays and Thursdays after school. You must sign up ahead of time, as well as notify me that you will be coming. I am usually at school by 6:30 a.m. You may also see me before first period for any issues concerning make-up work (excused absences), grade concerns, or additional help with assignments.


Course Description

A university parallel course in which the student writes expository themes in various modes. Research methods and library skills are introduced, and a documented paper is required. Placement in ENC 1101 is determined by both standard and departmental assessment tests. A student must earn a grade of "C" or higher to meet the requirements of the Gordon rule.

General Education Requirements – Associate of Arts Degree (AA), meets Area(s):  Area 1A
General Education Requirements – Associate in Science Degree (AS), meets Area(s):  Area 1
General Education Requirements – Associate in Applied Science Degree (AAS), meets Area(s): Area 1 

General Course Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  • Write several essays using various patterns of development that employ conventions of Standard American English;
  • Write a documented research paper including internal citations and a bibliography;
  • Write clearly and coherently; and
  • Read with critical comprehension. 

Course Prerequisites and Resources

Students: To maximize your chances for success in this course, make sure that you meet the following course prerequisites:
  • Course Prerequisites and Co-requisites: There are no prerequisites to this course; however, you are expected to have a proficiency in English grammar and usage before taking ENC 1101.
  • Computer Knowledge and Skills:
      • File Management - You should be familiar with finding and saving files on your computer.
      • The Internet - You should be familiar with connecting to the Internet through an Internet Service Provider or Network Connection.
      • Web Browser Software - You should be familiar with using web browser software to navigate the Internet and locate information.
      • Email - You should be familiar with sending and receiving email messages.
      • Attachments - You should be familiar with sending email messages with attached files.
      • Word Processing - You should be familiar with creating, editing, saving, and printing documents using Microsoft Word.
Obtain a County Library Card or University/College Library Card. You will need either a County Library Card which you may obtain at either North Campus or South Campus Library or a University/College Library Card from the Central Campus Library. These cards will allow you to use select library databases.

Required Course Materials

Required Texts:
Kirszner, Laurie G and Stephen R. Mandell, eds. Patterns for College Writing. Thirteenth Edition. Boston: Bedford, St. Martins, 2016.
Hacker, Diana and Nancy Sommers, eds. Rules for Writers. Eighth Edition. Boston: Bedford, St. Martins, 2016.

You should also have the following supplies: 3-ringer binder with loose-leaf paper, a folder for handouts, pens, pencils, highlighter, thumb drive to save documents.

Methods of Instruction

In this course, students will read and discuss essays written in a variety of rhetorical patterns. Students will learn to recognize these patterns and to use them in their own writing. Lectures, class discussion, oral presentations, homework, and writing/grammar assignments will be used to achieve the learning outcomes outlined above. Students are expected to attend all classes, actively participate in class discussions, turn homework in on time, and complete the writing assignments on time.

Course Attendance and Participation Policy

Students:  Regular attendance is vital to your success in this course. Writing is a process and is learned as a process. You cannot succeed if you are not here, doing the work, at all points throughout the process. Please see me if you are late, so that I can mark your attendance accordingly. Please refer to the College Class Attendance Policy at www.broward.edu.
  • Participation: Active participation is expected of all students in this course. 
  • BC Attendance Policy: Please familiarize yourself with BC's Attendance Policy. (See Broward College website: www.broward.edu. Search “Rights and Responsibilities Policy Matters.”) 
Withdrawals:  If you do not attend the first class meeting, you will be withdrawn from the class and receive a WN for non-attendance. If you stop participating after the withdrawal date (January 16, 2018), you will receive a WF that will then be computed as an F in your GPA. To avoid this situation, you should remain an active learner in this class and always communicate extenuating circumstances to me. Ongoing communication with the instructor is critical to your course success. I will use completion of tests, assignments, and other class activities as indicators of your participation in order to satisfy this reporting requirement. 

Grading and Exam Policy

  • Submission Deadlines
Late assignments are not accepted. You receive a grade of zero. All assignments must be submitted on the day that they are due at the beginning of the period. If you are absent, you are not allowed to make up any work done in class that day, or due that day. Please do not send me your assignments via email. You must submit a hard copy of all assignments to me personally.

How your Grade will be Determined:  In this course, I utilize a point system: Assignments are graded anywhere from 10 to 200 points.

If you earn 90% or higher, you will have earned an A grade. Likewise, a B grade is 80-89% and a C is equivalent to 70-79%. If you accumulate 60-69%, you will have earned a D. Below 60% is a failing grade. You need to earn a C grade in this class and write 6,000 words to fulfill the Gordon rule and meet the school’s degree requirements. That is possible in this class, but you have to do the work.

Other Policies and Procedures

Code of Conduct:  All students should review and adhere to the rules outlined in the Student Handbook: http://www.broward.edu/studentresources/rights-and-responsibilities/Pages/student-handbook.aspx

Special Needs - Students having special needs as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act should:
  • Notify the Office of Disability Services as early in the term as possible. It is the student's responsibility to contact the Disability Support Office prior to document disability prior to receiving services.
  • Notify the instructor after you have contacted the Office of Disability Services so that the instructor can consult with the Office of Disability Services to discuss what reasonable accommodations would be appropriate for your situation.
Academic Honesty
  • Each student's academic work must be the result of his or her own thought, research, or self-expression.
  • Cheating includes, but is not limited to: copying the work of another person or permitting your work to be copied by another person and collaborating on the completion of assignments not specifically designated in the syllabus as being group projects.
  • Cheating will be considered a breach of BC's Code of Conduct Policy and will result in a failing grade for the course. If it appears that a student has copied an assignment from published material (including Internet sites), the student will receive a failing grade for this course.
Changes to the Syllabus: The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus. A writing class is process-oriented, and the instructor may adapt/amend the syllabus as needed. Remember that these dates are tentative; additional homework or other in-class assignments may also be given as needed. Quizzes, homework, and in-class assignments/activities may not be made up. If you miss it, you miss it.

Course Schedule and Assignments

Students: Read and refer to this document regularly. It will tell you assignments and readings for each week of the course. Because this is a dual enrollment course for a high school campus, flexibility is required. Some readings on this syllabus may not be discussed; however, I encourage you to read all of them. Essays are great models for writing. Pay attention in class or through my website for definitive reading assignments. The dates for the essays you write are set unless otherwise informed.

All assignments to be turned in should be typed, double-spaced on plain white paper. You should include your name and the course title in the heading, but please do not include a title page unless specifically asked to do so. Paragraphs are to be indented.  For formatting requirements, see the link to a sample MLA essay on my website.


See earlier post for particular assignments. https://scholarmulhern.blogspot.com/2017/08/enc-1101-quick-overview-of-class.html. Dates for formal assignments will be assigned as the course progresses.