Course Information

Course Description:

English Composition I is a course in expository writing, including the development and revision of paragraphs and essays using various rhetorical strategies; reading and discussion of selected essays, short stories, and poems; introduction to writing about literature; and introduction to incorporation and documentation of material from primary sources.
  

Course Objectives:

Upon satisfactory completion of this course students will have learned

1. to generate ideas for writing activities and to explore and limit subjects for writing;
2. to demonstrate an awareness of audience and purpose in writing;
3. to formulate a clear thesis and support it fully and specifically in an essay;
4. to demonstrate skill in the use of the following strategies: narration, description, illustration, cause and effect, compare and contrast;
5. to recognize and analyze the major elements of fiction and poetry such as plot, character, setting, tone, structure, figurative language;
6. to understand and use a basic vocabulary of literary terms;
7. to use a set of critical conventions for writing about literature;
8. to use quoted and paraphrased evidence from primary sources in a formal essay about literature;
9. to edit their writing to ensure that they have used varied sentence types and specific, appropriate diction;
10. to edit and proofread their writing to eliminate major grammatical and mechanical errors.

Prerequisites and Corequisites:

 Satisfactory ACT or placement test scores.

Course Topics:

1. Considering audience and purpose in planning an essay
2. Using prewriting and revision strategies
3. Using illustration (narration, description, and short illustrations) to support a thesis
4. Using cause-and-effect analysis to support a thesis 
5. Using comparison and contrast to support a thesis
6. Improving unity and coherence in paragraphs and essays
7. Correcting sentence fragments and run-ons; subject-verb agreement errors; and nonstandard verb forms
8. Reading  fiction / Writing about fictional character, plot and setting
9. Reading  poetry / Writing about imagery and figurative language
10. Using literary evidence to support a thesis; quoting and paraphrasing from primary sources; documenting primary sources

Specific Course Requirements:

Displayed on TBR Regents On-line Degree website.

Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements

Required Textbooks:

http://rodp.bkstr.com

Supplementary Materials:

None

Hardware Requirements:

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm.

Software Requirements:

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific software requirements for this course include Microsoft Word 97 or newer. Essays and other assignments will be submitted electronically.

Students must use a WebCT-compatible Internet browser software. If students use AOL software, they must minimize the AOL window and open up Internet Explorer or Netscape when they access the course.

Assessment and Grading

Testing Procedures:

No special arrangements are necessary.

Grading Procedure:

The course is designed so that students can earn up to 1000 points.  Each student will receive a letter grade based on where his or her cumulative point total falls in the following grade scale: 

Grading Scale:

900 - 1000---A
800 - 899----B
700 - 799----C
600 - 699----D
    0 -  599----F

Assignments and Participation

Assignments and Projects:

Students will complete reading assignments, short writing activities and a short research activity, formal essays, quizzes, exercises, a short research project and a final exam.   The maximum number of points a student can receive for completion of each assignment or group of assignments is listed below:

500 points--------five formal essays in final-draft form
150 points--------final exam (timed writing)
180 points--------nine quizzes and exercises (20 points each)
105 points--------seven short writing activities (15 points each)
  15 points--------one short research activity
  50 points--------participation in discussions, Working Groups

Class Participation:

Every student is expected to participate in discussions as described in the Assignment Guidelines and listed in weekly assignment schedules; every student is also expected to participate in Working Group presentations and draft reviews for every essay.  Finally, students will be required to publish their work on student homepages and as drafts for Working Groups' discussions (as assigned).  Minimum requirements for contributions to threaded discussions (for both class and Working Groups) are listed in each weekly schedule.

It is especially important for students in an on-line course to maintain contact with their instructor.   The instructor must hear from every student at least once a week; if during a given week, a student fails to make contact in some way (by submitting an assignment or participating in a chat or discussion), he or she must email the instructor, even if the student is sick or out of town.  A student who fails to contact the instructor on a regular basis may miss important updates or even fail the course.

Punctuality:

An assignment is late as soon as the deadline passes, and work is one day late for exactly twenty-four hours after the deadline.  For example, if an essay is due on Sunday at midnight, it is one day late on Monday at 12:01 a.m. and two days late on Tuesday at 12:01 a.m.  The following policies apply to assignments handed in after the deadline:

·         Essays will be penalized five points for every day that has passed since the deadline.

·        Short writing and research activities will be penalized 20% of the final grade for every day that has passed since the deadline.

·        Quizzes and exercises will not be accepted late.

·        Final Exams will not be accepted late.

·        Postings to discussions may be made after the deadline, but students will receive credit only for those postings made on time.

A student who expects to miss a deadline and believes that an exception should be made for him or her must contact the instructor before the deadline.  Exceptions will be considered on an individual basis.

Course Ground Rules

A student will not succeed in English Composition I on-line unless (s)he learns early on to navigate the course website, to participate in class discussions and group work, and to submit assignments using various course tools.  Coursework in the early weeks is designed to familiarize students with various course components and tools.  Some students will catch on quickly; others less comfortable with the demands of an on-line course will need to spend a great deal of time learning to use WebCt.  During the first unit, all students must familiarize themselves with the course policies and assignment guidelines. 

It is the responsibility of the student to maintain contact with the instructor and to inform her promptly of any problems, including difficulty accessing course materials, difficulty understanding requirements or assignments, inability to contact Working Group members,  difficulty submitting assignments, or even individual problems with software or hardware.  Technical problems with one's own equipment, such as a hard-drive crash or modem failure, should be communicated to the instructor as soon as possible but do not constitute justification for missing assignments or handing in work after the deadline.  (Exceptions may be made on an individual basis.)  Students must make back-up arrangements for equipment failure before it happens, so that there will be no interruption in their course participation should such a failure occur.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated in English Composition I.  If a student copies the words or ideas of another student or a published writer--without attributing those words or ideas to the person with whom they originated-- he or she has committed plagiarism.  If the instructor determines that a student has committed plagiarism or has purchased an essay from any source, the student will receive a 0 on that assignment.  If the same student commits a second offense, he or she may fail the course.  Students should be aware that, although there are more and more services available on the internet to help students copy or buy essays, there are also more and more services available to help instructors catch them.

Students are responsible for backing up all of  their work.  If an essay or an assignment is lost, the student must be prepared to submit a new copy.

Students (and instructor) must observe course netiquette at all times. 

Guidelines for Communications

Email:

Students are required to use the in-course WebCt email for all correspondence involved in English Composition I.  Guidelines for submitting assignments as email attachments are described on the Assignment Guidelines page.  The subject line of any email sent to the instructor should include the student's name and the assignment title (if applicable).

Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.

Use standard fonts.

Do not send large attachments without permission.

Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.

Respect the privacy of other class members.

Discussion Groups:

Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.

Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.

Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other's ideas.

Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.

Be positive and constructive in group discussions.

Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Chat:

Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.

Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.

Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.

Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.

Be constructive in your comments and suggestions.

Web Resources:

Web resources are listed on the Useful Links page, which will be updated regularly.

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading will be included in all courses.

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes in the syllabus if necessary due to time constraints or other unforeseen events.   If this is necessary, members of the class will be notified as soon as possible BY E-MAIL and changes will be posted in the Course Calendar.