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.
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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 Works Cited page.
- Write clearly and coherently.
- 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. Boston: Bedford, St. Martins, 2012.
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, folder for handouts, pens, pencils, highlighter, thumb drive to save documents, tape, and stapler.
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. If you are not present, you cannot participate. Attendance is vital.
- Attendance Policy:
--Please familiarize yourself with BC's Attendance Policy. See Broward College website: www.broward.edu. Search “Rights and Responsibilities Policy Matters.”
--Professor’s Attendance Policy: You are considered a college student in this class, and as such, must adhere to the following guidelines:
1.) For every four unexcused absences, your final grade will be reduced by 10 points. For example, four unexcused absences would reduce a final grade of B to a C, and eight unexcused absences would reduce a final grade of B to a D. If you receive a D in this course, you do not receive college credit.
2.) For every excused absence, in addition to having your parent or guardian call the Attendance Secretary, you must provide a note from your parent/guardian/physician that explains the legitimate reason for your absence. The note should be given to the Attendance Secretary in Portable 14. Written documentation for the absence is necessary and will be kept on file.
3.) Field trips are an important part of high school life; however, you should exercise discretion in deciding which field trips to attend (an important club event, a college or career event).
4.) Any work due when you have an unexcused absence or unexcused tardy will not be accepted. All assignments are due at the beginning of class.
5.) Makeup work for unexcused absences or unexcused tardies is not allowed.
6.) If you go to a field trip from school on a day that an assignment is due, you must hand deliver the assignment to me in the morning. If I am not in my room, you should bring the assignment to the office secretary. You also have the option of turning the assignment in the day before.
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 (October 28, 2017), 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: First version of essays receive a grade based on 30-50 points; final revised essays receive a grade based on 100 points; the final research paper grade is based on 100 points; other in-class graded assignments usually count between 20 and 50 points. The final course grade is the percentage determined by total points earned over total points possible.
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
Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
If you are requesting academic accommodations, you must first register with Accessibility Resources (contact information is provided below). Accessibility Resources will evaluate your request and determine eligibility. If approved, you will be provided with an Accommodation Plan that you must deliver to me either electronically or in person. Once received, we will discuss which accommodations you are requesting for this class, and in accordance with Broward College policy 6Hx2-5.09 you will be provided with the appropriate accommodations. Students who wait until after completing the course, or an activity, to request accommodations should not expect any grade to be changed, or to be able to retake the course or activity.
North Campus BC Online: 954-201-2313
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.
- Assignments will be adapted for students in need of special accommodations.
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.
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Week, Topics, Readings, and Assignments
Week One:
Introductions; course overview and expectations; lecture/discussion/notes on rhetoric; annotated readings of essays with discussion; discussion of the essay form itself; vocabulary development activities; writing and language pointers and/or exercises; discussion of current events.
Week Two:
Continue reading and discussion of essays; discussion/notes on analysis. Group work (analysis) of essays. Discussion and note taking on cognitive biases; learn additional rhetorical terms and analysis skills; in-class reading and writing activities; discussion of current events; vocabulary development activities; writing and language pointers and/or exercises; discussion of current events.
Week Three:
Continue reading and discussion of essays; discussion/notes on analysis. In-class reading and writing activities; in-class work on MyLabsPlus; internet research—common errors in writing and language; vocabulary development activities; writing and language pointers and/or exercises; discussion of current events.
Week Four:
Continued reading and analysis of essays with note taking; compare and contrast essays; additional notes on rhetorical terms; peer study groups—rhetorical terms; group work on cognitive biases; rhetorical terms test; in-class work on MyLabsPlus; internet research—common errors in writing and language; vocabulary development activities; writing and language pointers and/or exercises; discussion of current events.
Week Five:
Discussion of and notes on summary techniques; summary activities—essays; test on essays; brainstorming draft of Compare/Contrast Analysis Essay due next week; vocabulary development activities; writing and language pointers and/or exercises; discussion of current events.
Week Six:
Writing exercises—modifiers, conciseness, ambiguity; vague/specific; independent work and peer editing—Compare/Contrast Analysis Essay; Final Compare/Contrast Analysis Essay due; MyLabsPlus work; grammar workshop—Grammar Pitfalls; silently read and answer questions on essays; vocabulary development activities; writing and language pointers and/or exercises; discussion of current events.
Week Seven:
Group presentations all week—analysis of assigned essays; vocabulary development activities; writing and language pointers and/or exercises; discussion of current events.
Week Eight:
Continued reading and analysis of essays with notes; essay test; brainstorming/draft of Analysis Essay; vocabulary development activities; writing and language pointers and/or exercises; discussion of current events.
Week Nine:
In class writing activities—various rhetorical modes; Read silently and answer questions—various essays; activities—main ideas and organization; discussion and note taking with handouts—political rhetoric; group work activities—political rhetoric in general; group work—presentations on assigned political speeches; vocabulary development activities; writing and language pointers and/or exercises; discussion of current events.
Week Ten:
Writing workshops; lecture and notes on the argumentation; reading/discussion/notes—argumentative essays; vocabulary development activities; writing and language pointers and/or exercises; discussion of current events.
Week Eleven:
Final Draft of Analysis Essay due; discussion/notes—reflective essay; MyLabsPlus; vocabulary development activities; writing and language pointers and/or exercises; discussion of current events.
Week Twelve:
Typed summaries of assigned political speeches; workshop on writing and revision techniques; additional discussion and notes on Reflection Research Essay; group presentations—analysis of assigned political speeches; brainstorming/in-class writing of next paper; vocabulary development activities; writing and language pointers and/or exercises; discussion of current events.
Week Thirteen:
MyLabsPlus; peer editing Reflection Research Essay; continue presentations of political speeches; Final Draft of Reflection Research Essay due; vocabulary development activities; writing and language pointers and/or exercises; discussion of current events.
Week Fourteen:
MyLabsPlus; presentations of Reflection Research Essays; continue presentations of political speeches; vocabulary development activities; writing and language pointers and/or exercises; discussion of current events.
Week Fifteen:
Finish presentations of political speeches; Finish MyLabsPlus; prepare for group Grammar Presentations—PowerPoint; vocabulary development activities; writing and language pointers and/or exercises; discussion of current events.
Week Sixteen:
Grammar presentations; in-depth discussion of "Politics and the English Language" (Orwell); discussion of most interesting readings and lessons of course; final vocabulary development activities; final writing and language pointers and/or exercises; discussion of current events. Review of major aspects of course—writing and language pointers, exercises. Synthesize and evaluate learning in course.
Week Seventeen:
Continue previous week activities; tie up “loose ends.”
Note: This syllabus is subject to change at any time.
