English 1302
Cisco College
Abilene Educational Center
Spring 2010
Instructor: Kim Wombles
Credit: 3 Hours
Email: kim.wombles@cisco.edu
Prerequisite
Passing English 1301 is a prerequisite for English 1302. Some situations may allow this requirement to be
waived with the approval of the department chairperson.
Description, Purpose, and Goals
English 1302 is the continuation of the skills mastered in English 1301, including principles and techniques of
written, expository, and persuasive composition, critical thinking, and research writing. The course provides an
introduction to analysis of literary, expository, and persuasive texts. Research paper required; three lecture
hours per week. This course is part of the core curriculum and supports communication, cultural awareness, and
critical thinking competencies.
Course Structure & Major Units of Study
This is an online course and time will be divided between the study of techniques and principles of composition
and research writing, analysis of literary texts, and a review of MLA style.
Required Texts and Materials for the Course
• Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing, Compact Interactive Edition, 6/E, X. J.
Kennedy and Dana Gioia
•
Online access: Your Course ID is wombles705902L
• Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. This is available as a PDF online or you may purchase a copy.
Powerpoints relevant to the novel will be available, as will an online discussion board for extra credit points.
• Use of the internet to access articles, do research.
• Flash drive.
Learning Objectives
1. To understand and demonstrate writing and speaking processes through invention, organization, drafting,
revision, editing, and presentation.
2. To understand the importance of specifying audience and purpose and to select appropriate communication
choices.
3. To understand and appropriately apply modes of expression, i.e., descriptive, expositive, narrative, scientific,
and self-expressive, in written, visual, and oral communication.
4. To participate effectively in groups with emphasis on listening, critical and reflective thinking, and responding.
5. To understand and apply basic principles of critical thinking, problem solving, and technical proficiency in the
development of exposition and argument.
6. To develop the ability to research and write a documented paper and/or give an oral presentation.
Grading Criteria:
1. T and L Readings: Written Responses 30%
You will incorporate the materials you have read, along with any additional reading you did, to be at least three
hundred words, to be placed on discussion board. At least one response to another student’s piece is required.
Additional responses will count as extra credit.
2. Discussions 20%
You will provide answers to discussion questions each week on the assigned readings and offer commentary to
at least one fellow student’s response. Must be substantive for full credit and MLA cited.
3. Response Papers 30%
Eight pieces will be selected by the instructor for student response papers, which will be two pages in length,
submitted via turnitin on blackboard.
4. Final Exam: Slaughterhouse- Five by Kurt Vonnegut Unit of study. 20% Literary Analysis: 6 pages, 6
sources will be provided to you.
Attendance:
Failure to participate in course work each week will count as absences. Each assignment not completed will
count as one absence. Four absences and a failing grade will be grounds for being dropped from the course,
although this is at the instructor’s discretion.
Student Technology Use in the Classroom: N/A in online courses
Use of communication devices, which include but is not limited to cell phones, pagers, laptops, and palm devices,
is prohibited. All devices must be turned off and should not be taken out during class. Use of any
communication, electronic, or data storage device during a test, unless express permission has been granted by
the instructor, may lead to a charge of academic dishonesty. Exceptions may be granted at the discretion of the
instructor.
Additional Course Information
The schedule and procedures in this syllabus are subject to change if deemed appropriate by the instructor.
College-level courses may include controversial, sensitive, and/or adult material. Students are expected to have
the readiness for college-level rigor and content.
Warning: Students who practice academic dishonesty may be dropped from this course. It is the intent of Cisco
College to foster a spirit of complete honesty and a high standard of integrity. The attempt of students to present
as their own any work they have not honestly performed is regarded by the faculty and administration as a
serious offense and renders the offender liable to serious consequences, possibly suspension.
(Plagiarism is the presentation of another person’s work as your own, whether you intend to or not. Copying or
paraphrasing passages from another writer’s work without acknowledging that you have done so is plagiarism.
Allowing another writer to write any part of your essay(s) is plagiarism.)
If you are caught plagiarizing, you will be asked not to return to class and you will earn an F for the course. This
is non-negotiable. If plagiarism is suspected, but cannot be conclusively proven (i.e. the source text cannot be
found), you will be asked to defend your paper. If you cannot answer questions on your paper, you will receive a
0 for the assignment. If this happens twice, you will be asked to not return to the class and will earn an F.
Students who qualify for specific accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should notify
the instructor the first week of class. It is the student’s responsibility to provide the necessary documentation to
the Special Populations Coordinator.
Students are expected to take responsibility in helping to maintain a classroom environment that is conducive to
learning. In order to assure that all students have the opportunity to gain from the time spent in class, students
are prohibited from using cell phones or beepers, making offensive remarks, reading material not related to
class, sleeping, or engaging in any other form of distraction. Inappropriate behavior in the classroom shall result,
at a minimum, in a request to leave class. A more detailed list of inappropriate behaviors is found in the current
student handbook.
My expectations:
You should be prepared.
Be ready to participate in discussion.
Be ready to write and to think critically.
Late work will only be accepted for approved reasons. There will be points deducted.
Do your own work and follow directions.
Use MLA format.
Show respect for others’ opinions, and they will respect yours.
Students with attitude problems will not be permitted to remain in class.
Grading Standards for Composition Papers (includes response assignments as well as longer papers)
An “A” Essay
• establishes a clear thesis
• offers strong and relevant supporting evidence, logically organized
• is clearly written with varied sentence structure, effective transitions, and vivid language
• contains no more than 3 (if any) small grammatical/syntax/spelling errors, none of which distract from the
writer’s meaning
• is free of serious errors *
• is typed according to MLA format
A “B” Essay
• establishes a clear thesis, though it lacks the originality of the A essay
• offers relevant supporting evidence and is generally well-organized
• contains clear, though ordinary, language with mechanical transitions
• contains no more than 5 small grammatical/syntax/spelling errors, which may distract from the writer’s
meaning
• may contain no more than 2 serious errors *
• is typed according to MLA format
A “C” Essay
• has difficulty establishing a thesis or contains an unoriginal or unclear thesis
• offers weak or overly-general supporting evidence that is loosely organized
• contains decipherable main points, weak transitions, and awkward or generic language
• contains frequent small grammatical/syntax/spelling errors which interfere with the writer’s meaning
• may contain 3 or more serious errors *
• contains errors in MLA formatting
A “D” Essay
• lacks a thesis
• contains insufficient, or perhaps lacks, supporting evidence and has serious organizational problems,
making it difficult to reconstruct the writer’s train of thought
• contains vague language that lacks transitions
• contains repeated small grammatical/syntax/spelling errors and serious errors * that distract from the writer’
s meaning
• contains serious errors in MLA formatting
An “F” Essay may contain any one of the following errors;
• may be incomplete
• may be plagiarized
• does not follow the assignment
• is riddled with serious errors
• is not typed in MLA format
A serious error is defined as a(n):
• Run-on (fused sentence or comma splice)
• Sentence fragment
• Subject/Verb agreement error
• Illogical shifts in verb tense, pronoun reference, or voice