Lamar State College - Port Arthur

House Bill 2504

Fall 2015 Course Syllabus

ENGL-1301-85 - English Composition I

Faculty Information
SemesterFall 2015
InstructorDoiron, Jessie John
Phone(409) 984-6330
E-maildoironjj@lamarpa.edu
Department
Inmate Instruction
Chair:Barbara Huval
Phone:(409) 984-6330
E-mail:huvalbj@lamarpa.edu
Office
Hours:N/A
Building:Mark Stiles Correctional Facility (MSCI)
Room:N/A
MyLamarPA Be sure to check your campus E-mail and Course Homepage using MyLamarPA campus web portal (My.LamarPA.edu). When you’ve logged in, click the email icon in the upper right-hand corner to check email, or click on the “My Courses” tab to get to your Course Homepage. Click the link to your course and review the information presented. It is important that you check your email and Course Homepage regularly. You can also access your grades, transcripts, and determine who your academic advisor is by using MyLamarPA.
Course Information
Course Number91383
Course Description Intensive study of and practice in writing processes, from invention and researching to drafting, revising, and editing, both individually and collaboratively. Emphasis on effective rhetorical choices, including audience, purpose, arrangement, and style. Focus on writing the academic essay as a vehicle for learning, communicating, and critical analysis.
Course Prerequisites This course emphasizes reading and understanding expository

prose. The focus of the course is on organizing and writing

at least six (6) substantive expository essays, each of which is to be a minimum of 500 words in length. The essays should show progressively more mature exposition of topics. The course will also include other assignments that stress the writing process of prewriting, drafting, and thoughtful revising. The final exam will be a mechanics and grammar test that allows students to demonstrate their general understanding of, and ability to use, the essential elements of Standard English as presented in the course.



There are no prerequisites.
Required Textbooks The Macmillan Reader, 5th ed., Judith Nadell. Longman.



The Little, Brown Handbook. Fowler, H. Ramsey, and Jane E.

Aaron. HarperCollins, tenth edition, 2007.



Any college-level dictionary.
Attendance Policy Class attendance is required. Failure to attend classes regularly will

result in a significant loss of points from your course grade.



You must receive specific permission from me to make up missed         work or turn in an assignment after its original due date.



I will permit make-up work and accept overdue assignments only under excused absences or in situations of extreme hardship. Requests to make up work or exceed due dates will be evaluated case by case.



A student who stops attending classes but does not complete

the official drop procedure will in all likelihood earn a grade of "F" in the course.
Course Grading Scale  90 - 100 = A     80 - 89 = B     70 - 79 = C     60 - 69 = D     Below 59 = F
Determination of Final Grade Class Essays        25%         (5 Pass/Fail Grade)

Five essays that are scored as “pass” or “fail.” A passing essay will earn the student 5% of his total course grade. A failing class essay will earn the student 2.5% of his total course grade.



Final Essay        25%        (1 A-F Grade)

One essay that is scored discreetly from A to F. This essay will earn the student 25% of his total course grade.



The scoring range is A=100-90, B=89-80, C=79-70, D=69-60, F=59-50.



Final Exam        25%        (Numerical Scores)

One final exam that is scored discretely from 100-0. This exam is

multiple choice and covers various elements of grammar,

mechanics, punctuation, usage, and conventions of Standard

English.



Class Work        25%        (Completed / Participation)

All student work performed during class or in preparation for class.

This work includes: attendance, participation, discussion,

cooperation, effort.



NOTE: _____________________________________________

Since the goal of the course is to improve writing, grading will proceed from more lenient to less lenient during the course.





Final Exam Date December 9, 2015 - 6:00 PM
Major Assignments Descriptions of Major Assignments and Assessments



Narrative Essay

Narrate a personal experience that brought you to a heightened level of emotional

response. The experience can be first-hand or one endured by another person close to

you. Write a unified composition (500 words) on the assigned topic. Use Narration as

your major method of exposition. Your writing will be judged on focus, organization,

mechanics, standard conventions, word choice, usage, and sentence structure.



Process Analysis Essay

From the list of Additional Writing Topics in “Chapter 7 – Process Analysis” of The

Longman Reader, select a topic with which you feel comfortable and knowledgeable.

Compose a “directional” or an “informational” essay that analyzes the topic as a process.

Write a unified composition (500 words) on the assigned topic. Use Process Analysis as

your major method of exposition. Your writing will be judged on focus, organization,

mechanics, standard conventions, word choice, usage, and sentence structure.



Exemplification

Select one (1) of the topics below for this assignment.

Topic 1: Bad Drivers -- Dangerous Driving

Topic 2: Rude Behavior of Moviegoers

Topic 3: Proper Etiquette for Modern Electronic Communications

Write a unified composition (500 words) on the assigned topic. Use Exemplification as

your major method of exposition. Your writing will be judged on focus, organization,

mechanics, standard conventions, word choice, usage, and sentence structure.



Division/Classification

Review the items listed in the assignment topic. Classify the items into logical groupings.

Give category names to the groups you make. Write a unified composition (500 words) on

the assigned topic. Use Division – Classification as your major method of exposition.

Your writing will be judged on focus, organization, mechanics, standard conventions,

word choice, usage, and sentence structure.



Cause and Effect

Select one (1) of the topics below for this assignment.

Topic 1: Failing Grades                                                

Topic 2: Sudden Industrial Growth

Topic 3: Youth Culture

Topic 4: Domestic Violence

Write a unified composition (500 words) on the assigned topic. Use Cause and Effect as

your major method of exposition. Your writing will be judged on focus, organization,

mechanics, standard conventions, word choice, usage, and sentence structure.









Argumentation and Persuasion

Select one (1) of the topics below for this assignment. Take one side or the other of the issue and defend your position by employing logical arguments to support your view. Write an essay that clearly indicates your position on the topic.

Topic 1: Open Adoption Records

Topic 2: Little Girl Beauty Pageants

Topic 3: Tough Love

Topic 4: Advertising of Tobacco Products

Topic 5: Two-party Political Systems v. Multi-party Political Systems

Topic 6: American-style Honesty

Topic 7: Uniforms at Public Schools

Topic 8: Dependence upon Computers

Topic 9: Minority Celebrations

Write a unified composition (500 words) on the assigned topic. Use Argumentation and

Persuasion as your major method of exposition. Your writing will be judged on focus,

organization, mechanics, standard conventions, word choice, usage, and sentence

structure.



Mechanics and Grammar Final Exam

This test will focus on important elements of Standard English that have been presented in the course (mechanics, grammar, standard conventions, usage, sentence structure, style, and diction). The test consists of 50 multiple choice items that cover a wide range of these mechanical and grammatical elements.













Week 1                First Day of Class

August 26        Introduction to course, books, methodology

                READER The Writing Process        LBH The Writing Process





Week 2                READER Reading to Writing         LBH Critical Thinking, Reading, Writing

September 2        Major Errors in Style and Mechanics                







Week 3        READER Narration                 LBH Grammatical Sentences

September 9                                        Comma Splice and Fused Sentence







Week 4                READER Process Analysis         LBH Clear Sentences

September 16                                        Pronoun Agreement and Pronoun Reference







Week 5                Process Analysis (continued)

September 23







Week 6                READER Illustration                 LBH Effective Sentences

September 30        (Exemplification)                Verb Tense, Mood, Sequence







Week 7                Illustration (continued)

October 7







Week 8                READER Division-Classification LBH Punctuation

October 14                                         Wordiness, Deadwood, Diction







Week 9                Division-Classification (continued)

October 21







Preliminary Work Schedule (continued)







Week 10        READER Cause and Effect         LBH Mechanics

October 28                                        Effective Words









Week 11        Cause and Effect (continued)

November 4







Week 12        READER Argumentation        LBH (general grammar review)

November 11







Week 13        Argumentation (continued)        LBH (general grammar review)

November 18







Week 14        Review Week                        LBH (general grammar review)        

November 25







Week 15        FINAL EXAMS BEGIN

December 2







Week 16        Last Week of Classes        

December 9        All Course Work Due                                

                FINAL EXAM – Mechanics and Grammar Test



        

        
Calendar of Lecture Topics and Major Assignment Due Dates Preliminary Work Schedule







Week 1                First Day of Class

August 26        Introduction to course, books, methodology

                READER The Writing Process        LBH The Writing Process





Week 2                READER Reading to Writing         LBH Critical Thinking, Reading, Writing

September 2        Major Errors in Style and Mechanics                







Week 3        READER Narration                 LBH Grammatical Sentences

September 9                                        Comma Splice and Fused Sentence







Week 4                READER Process Analysis         LBH Clear Sentences

September 16                                        Pronoun Agreement and Pronoun Reference







Week 5                Process Analysis (continued)

September 23







Week 6                READER Illustration                 LBH Effective Sentences

September 30        (Exemplification)                Verb Tense, Mood, Sequence







Week 7                Illustration (continued)

October 7







Week 8                READER Division-Classification LBH Punctuation

October 14                                         Wordiness, Deadwood, Diction







Week 9                Division-Classification (continued)

October 21







Preliminary Work Schedule (continued)







Week 10        READER Cause and Effect         LBH Mechanics

October 28                                        Effective Words









Week 11        Cause and Effect (continued)

November 4







Week 12        READER Argumentation        LBH (general grammar review)

November 11







Week 13        Argumentation (continued)        LBH (general grammar review)

November 18







Week 14        Review Week                        LBH (general grammar review)        

November 25







Week 15        FINAL EXAMS BEGIN

December 2







Week 16        Last Week of Classes        

December 9        All Course Work Due                                

                FINAL EXAM – Mechanics and Grammar Test



        

        
General Education/Core Curriculum Student Learning Outcomes
Communication skills:Students will demonstrate effective written, oral and visual communication.
Critical Thinking Skills:Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking, and/or inquiry, analysis, evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions.
Empirical and Quantitative Skills:Students will demonstrate applications of scientific and mathematical concepts.
Teamwork:Students will demonstrate the ability to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal and consider different points of view.
Social Responsibility:Students will demonstrate intercultural competency and civic knowledge by engaging effectively in local, regional, national and/or global communities.
Personal Responsibility:Students will demonstrate the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making.
Program Student Learning Outcomes This course emphasizes reading and understanding expository

prose. The focus of the course is on organizing and writing at least six (6) substantive expository essays, each of which is to be a minimum of 500 words in length. The essays should show progressively more mature exposition of topics. The course will also include other assignments that stress the writing process of prewriting, drafting, and thoughtful revising. The final exam will be a mechanics and grammar test that allows students to demonstrate their general understanding of, and ability to use, the essential elements of Standard English as presented in the course.





Students will compose expository essays with a clear thesis.



Students will be able to use appropriate support for a thesis.



Students will compose clear and fluent sentences.



Students will demonstrate a knowledge of Standard English.



Students will be able to manipulate grammar appropriately.



Students will be able to correctly use conventional punctuation.



Students will write argumentative and analytical essays.
Course Student Learning Outcomes Students will compose expository essays with a clear thesis.



Students will be able to use appropriate support for a thesis.



Students will compose clear and fluent sentences.



Students will demonstrate a knowledge of Standard English.



Students will be able to manipulate grammar appropriately.



Students will be able to correctly use conventional punctuation.



Students will write argumentative and analytical essays.
Academic Honesty Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSC-PA policies (Section IX, subsection A, in the Faculty Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.
Facility Policies
  • No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom.

  • Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission.

  • Electronic devices (including but not restricted to cell phones, MP3 players, and laptop computers) shall not be used during examinations unless specifically allowed by the instructor.

  • Use of electronic devices during normal class hours distracts other students, disrupts the class, and wastes valuable time. Instructors have an obligation to reduce such disruptions.

  • Turn your cellphones to vibrate when you enter the classroom.

    Classroom Etiquette



    All students are required to contribute to class discussions        appropriately. The course

    requires active participation in all discussions of assigned topics. A student owes it to

    his colleagues to approach each assigned topic with enthusiastic contributions to the

    discussion underway.



    Full participation requires a student to give and to receive ideas in a courteous and

    forthcoming manner. Refusal to actively contribute to discussions is an insult to a

    student’s colleagues and his instructor. Dominating the discussion is equally insulting.

    Contributing willingly and productively to discussions is ideal.



    All students must share rough drafts with the class for peer critique. All students must participate in peer discussions.



    At times, all students will work with people of similar backgrounds, with people of opposing views, with people whose company is enjoyable, or with people there is little to find in common. Cooperation in this style of peer instruction always results in a pleasant learning environment.



    Students should exchange information and ideas on all of the assignments.



    All graded work must be submitted as scheduled. Failure to submit graded work in a timely fashion will result in a failing grade for the assignment
Additional Information Attendance                

Class attendance is required. Failure to attend classes regularly will

result in a significant loss of points from your course grade.



Make-up Work        

You must receive specific permission from me to make up missed work or turn in an assignment after its original due date.

I will permit make-up work and accept overdue assignments only under excused absences or in situations of extreme hardship. Requests to make up work or exceed due dates will be evaluated case by case.



A student who stops attending classes but does not complete

the official drop procedure will in all likelihood earn a grade of "F" in the course.





Mature Content Warning



This course contains strong language, adult situations, graphic depictions of human interactions. The course also contains discussions that are intended for mature audiences. Were the course a motion picture, the rating for it would be at least R (for restricted to adults 18 years or older).



It is never the intention of the instructor to disturb students whose sensitivities do not permit full, frank, candid, light-hearted, serious, intense, and adult conversation.



Terms, words, comments, statements, ideas, concepts, and descriptions that appear in the textbooks or surface in classroom discussions may be offensive to one or more persons in the class group at some time or another.



Nothing intentionally offensive should ever be directed at any single individual, minority group, social class, ethnicity, gender, or race. Never should any single individual feel personally affronted by the language used in the books, handouts, or classroom discussions.



American conversational English has multiple levels of social acceptance. Misunderstandings of comments or words will occur that might discomfit or annoy some individuals. I will do my best to serve as model and moderator for the classroom discussions by ameliorating these unavoidable misunderstandings through personal example and by providing clarifications, explanations, and counseling if needed.



Should any terms, phrases, words, or comments offend a particular individual, please bring this to my attention at the earliest convenient time so that I might do what I can to alleviate the perceived injury.



With the above observations in mind, remember that we live in a free and democratic society, one in which all individuals have the right to think and believe and speak what they will without fear of governmental sanctions.



In America, individuals have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Let us balance these inalienable rights with the need to get along with one another in our classroom community so that we may all successfully achieve our course objectives.
Important Information
ADA Considerations The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Special Populations Coordinator, Room 231, in the Madison Monroe Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.
Copyright Violations Some material in this course may be copyrighted. They may be used only for instructional purposes this semester, by students enrolled in this course. These materials are being used fairly and legally. No one may distribute or share these copyrighted materials in any medium or format with anyone outside this class, including publishing essays with copyrighted material, uploading copyrighted material to Facebook or YouTube, or painting or performing copyrighted material for public display.

Copyright violation is not the same thing as plagiarism. Plagiarism is intellectual dishonesty. Offenses of plagiarism result in lower grades or failing scores, and professors and the college strictly enforce plagiarism rules. There is never any acceptable use of plagiarism. Copyright violation is a legal offense, punishable by large fines and penalties.

Copyrighted material can be used if permission from the material’s creator is obtained, or if its use meets the standards of fair use in an educational setting. For example, a student can quote a line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet in a report without violating copyright but still be guilty of plagiarism if the quotation is not properly documented.

If you are in doubt about what material can be freely used, ask your professor or contact the Dean of Library Services, at (409) 984-6216.
Assessment Statement Assessment is a process by which LSCPA can help you learn better and gauge the level of progress you have made to attain knowledge, skills, beliefs, and values. It also helps your professors understand how to improve teaching and testing methods in your classes, and it helps each department understand and improve degree and certificate programs.

Periodically LSC-PA will collect assessment data for research and reporting purposes, including statistical data and sometimes copies of your work. Be assured that all material the college uses for assessment purposes will be kept confidential. To ensure anonymity, your name will be removed from any material we use for assessment purposes, including video-recorded performances, speeches, and projects.

If you object to allowing LSC-PA to use your material for assessment purposes, submit a letter stating so to your professor by the 12th class day. You will still be required to participate in whatever assessments are being done; we just won’t use your data.

What’s the difference between assessment and grades? The grades you get on papers, projects, speeches, and assignments are specific types of focused assessment. LSC-PA’s assessment efforts include class grades, surveys, standardized tests, and other tools.
Privacy Notice Federal privacy laws apply to college students. This means that college employees, including instructors, cannot divulge information to third parties, including parents and legal guardians of students. Even if the students are minors, information about their college work cannot be shared with anyone except in very limited circumstances.

Anyone requesting information about a student should be referred to the Registrar. Instructors will be notified in writing by that Office about what information may be released and to whom.

Please remember that releasing private information about a student, however innocuous it may seem, can be a violation of federal law, with very serious consequences.

Circumstances under which information may be released:

An adult student may submit, to the Registrar, a handwritten, signed note granting permission for release of information. The note must specify what information may be divulged, and it must specify the name of the person to whom the information may be given.

A parent or guardian may be given access to information about a student by providing a copy of a filed tax return that shows that the student was listed as a dependent of that parent or guardian. The tax return must be for last complete tax year. Again, this documentation must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office.

A parent or guardian may be given access to information about a student if the student logs on to My.LamarPA.edu and sends an email to the Registrar granting permission. The email must specify what information may be given and the name of the person to whom it may be given.

Co-enrollment students are protected by the same privacy laws as adult students.

The Registrar’s office is located in the Student Center room 303B, and can be reached at (409) 984-6165.

College-Level Perspectives This course helps add to the students’ overall collegiate experience in the following ways:

  • Establishing broad and multiple perspectives on the individual in relationship to the larger society and world in which s/he lives, and to understand the responsibilities of living in a culturally and ethnically diversified world.

  • Stimulating a capacity to discuss and reflect upon individual, political, economic, and social aspects of life in order to understand ways in which to be a responsible member of society.

  • Developing a capacity to use knowledge of how technology and science affect their lives.

  • Developing personal values for ethical behavior.

  • Developing the ability to make aesthetic judgments.

  • Using logical reasoning in problem solving.

  • Integrating knowledge and understand the interrelationships of the scholarly disciplines.

Degree Plan Evaluation A Degree Plan Evaluation will help you determine which classes you need to complete your program.

  1. Sign in to your my.lamarpa.edu account.

  2. Click on the “My Services” tab.

  3. Click on the “Student” tab.

  4. Click on Student Records.

  5. Click on Degree Evaluation.

  6. Select the term you are planning on registering for (i.e. Summer I, Summer II, Fall, or Spring)

  7. Verify that the Curriculum Information (your MAJOR) is correct

  8. Click on “Generate New Evaluation” at the bottom of the screen.

  9. Click the radio button next to Program

  10. Click on the Generate Request button.

All of the classes that you have taken that apply to your declared major will be listed on the right. If you have a class that still needs to be completed, a “NO” will be listed on the right next to the required class.

HB 2504 This syllabus is part of LSC-PA’s efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.

Lamar State College - Port Arthur

Mission
Lamar State College - Port Arthur, a member of The Texas State University System, is an open-access, comprehensive public two-year college offering quality and affordable instruction leading to associate degrees and a variety of certificates. The College embraces the premise that education is an ongoing process that enhances career potential, broadens intellectual horizons, and enriches life.

Core Values
  • Shared commitment by faculty, staff and administration to a mission characterized by student learning, diversity, and community involvement

  • General education/core curriculum that develops the values and concepts that allow the student to make a meaningful contribution in the workplace or community

  • Academic and technical programs designed to fulfill our commitment to accommodate students with diverse goals and backgrounds, using a variety of delivery methods, on and off campus

  • Technical education programs that provide for the acquisition of the knowledge, skills and behavior necessary for initial and continued employment

  • Student achievement characterized by attainment of individual goals and measured by successful accomplishments and completion of curriculum

  • Co-curricular opportunities that develop social, financial and civic acuity

Principles
Lamar State College - Port Arthur operates in the belief that all individuals should be:

  • treated with dignity and respect;

  • afforded equal opportunity to acquire a complete educational experience;

  • given an opportunity to discover and develop their special aptitudes and insights; and,

  • provided an opportunity to equip themselves for a fulfilling life and responsible citizenship in a world characterized by change.

Copyright ©2011 Lamar State College - Port Arthur. All Rights Reserved.