Dr. Susie Crowson
English 1301 Composition I
Course SyllabusDepartment of English and Philosophy
Del Mar College
Office: CB248
Phone: 361- 698-1432
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English 1301 Composition I Online
Summer 2008Students registered for the course must
- Click here for a general information letter about English 1301 online
- look for a letter from Del Mar College's Distance Learning Department containing your user name and password. If you have not received the information by May 29, contact the Help Desk at 698-2330.
- expect to be dropped from the course if they have not contacted the instructor and logged in to the course by May 30.
Students who are new to WebCT and online courses should also contact Distance Learning at (361) 698-1379 for information about a separate WebCT orientation. Information about WebCT can also be found at http:www.delmar.edu/webct
Students must provide their own computer and internet service provider. Before signing up for an online course, students should be fluent in navigating the web, operating email, managing files (saving, uploading, downloading, and installing). Students are responsible for configuring and maintaining their own equipment. Students who are new to using computers should reconsider registering for an online course.
Students should realize that an online course requires as much or more time as a traditional classroom course.
10 - 15 hours per week 10 - 15 hours per week
Plagiarism Instructor Contact Info Course Description:
ENGL 1301- Composition course providing instruction in the writing and analysis of expository prose; emphasis on rhetorical principles and basic organizational modes. One-hour lab required.
ENGL 1301 emphasizes the generation, selection, organization, and support of rational thought and the expression of that thought in literate prose.Required Textbooks and Supplies:
Ruggiero, Vincent R. Beyond Feelings: A Guide to Critical Thinking. 8th Edition
Lunsford, Easy Writer 3rd edition
MS Word (available on campus if you do not have it at home)
working knowledge of your MyDMC.delmar.edu email accountStudents in English 1301 are required to be enrolled in and participate regularly in an online Writing Lab.
The lab assignments will be contained in a separate WebCT course. However, five points will be deducted from your final average in English 1301 for each absence from Writing Lab that is not made up. Any assignment not turned in on time constitutes an absence in the online lab.
Educational Objectives:
The objective of the composition component in the core curriculum is to enable the student to communicate effectively in clear and correct prose in a style appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience.Upon successful completion of this course, the student should
1. Understand and demonstrate academic writing processes through invention, arrangement, drafting, revision, editing, and presentation.
2. Understand the importance of purpose and audience analysis and make appropriate communication choices.
3. Understand and appropriately apply means of expression in written communication.
4. Participate effectively in online group discussion with emphasis on reading, critical thinking, and responding.
5. Understand and practice basic principles of critical thinking, problem solving, and technical proficiency the development of written exposition and argument.
6. Possess the ability to research and write a documented paper.Instructional methods: English 1301 will general be conducted as an online workshop with discussion, collaborative activities, and frequent formal and informal writing assignments. Reading quizzes will be given to reinforce the importance of class preparation.
Class requirements and instructor policies:
Regular participation in discussion lists is mandatory. Assignments must be completed on time. Students should start early in the assignment week in order to have enough time to read, think, and respond on the discussion lists. Late postings will not count toward your class discussion grade. Students should keep electronic backup copies of their work in the unlikely case that submissions are lost, misplaced, or destroyed.
Writing assignments must be submitted according to the timeline. WebCT is available from any computer with internet access twenty-four hours a day; therefore, late work will not be accepted. Plan your schedule so that you can adhere to the timelines given. The flexibility that an online course allows also eliminates the need for sick or personal days that would cause work to be late. Natural disasters or widespread internet outage will, of course, cause exceptions to be made. Disruption of your personal internet service is not reason to submit work late. Students who feel they cannot adhere to the established timelines should contact the instructor immediately.
All essays must be typed in MS Word using MLA format. Because we will exchange text files, a common word processing format is necessary. MSWord is installed on many of the computers on campus for your use if your home computer does not have MSWord. All formal essays must be submitted to the WebCT MSWord format. Do not use a separate cover sheet. A 60 day trial version of MS Word can be downloaded at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/HA101741481033.aspx Free versions of Open Office, which can create MS Word compatible files, can be downloaded at http://www.openoffice.org.
Grading Policy:
30% On-line Class Discussions
20% Quizzes
30% Writing Assignments (formal essay assignments)
20% Final ExamThe final exam will be completed on campus June 28, June 30, or July 1. The time and place will be announced.. There will be no makeups for missed final exams.
The last day to drop a course is June 23, 2008. You must go to the Registrar's Office and complete a drop slip if you choose to withdraw from a course and want to avoid an "F" grade on your transcript.
Students who do not participate regularly and actively in the course may be dropped by the instructor. Failure to participate in 2 consecutive weeks' discussions or assignments could result in the student being dropped from the course. Failure to turn in major writing assignments could result in the student being dropped from the course.Students must do their own work. Plagiarism is cause for disciplinary action, which will include a zero on the assignment, in question and may include further action such as a failing grade in the course or suspension from the college. Presenting someone else's work as your own is plagiarism. Having someone else write all or part of your paper, quoting directly from books, web sites, magazines, or newspapers without giving credit to the source, or representing someone else's ideas as your own is considered plagiarism. If you use material found in print sources, be sure to give credit to that source in your paper. Student work may be submitted to the plagiarism detection website Turnitin.com. Work submitted to Turnitin.com will become a part of their database.
Free tutoring is available on campus or online from the Writing Center. Online tutors are available at http://www.delmar.edu/wrtctr.
Contact Del Mar College's Help Desk for problems or assistance with WebCT or MyDMC mail. Email them at helpdesk@delmar.edu or call 698-2330. http://www.delmar.edu/itdept/helpdesk/
For information on services available at Del Mar College, see the office of Student Services at http://www.delmar.edu/studentlife/
Students requiring disability accommodations or information are encouraged to contact the office of Special Services, 188 Harvin Center, 698-1298, http://www.delmar.edu/specserv/disability.html. If the office of Special Services has documented that you have any special needs, please provide me with that notification at the beginning of the semester.
Good communication is imperative for success in this course. Please feel free to come to me (in person, by phone, or via email) with questions or problems that may arise during the semester. If you have questions about an assignment, problems with a paper, or difficulties with any part of the class, do not hesitate to let me know.
Suggestions and Advice
Save and archive all your email pertaining to the class. Use MyDmc.delmar.edu email account for communication outside of WebCT.
Learn how to copy and paste text from your word processor to WebCT and to email messages. Using the word processor this way allows you to take advantage of spell-check and other features that might not be available in the other media.
Learn how to copy and paste URL’s instead of typing them. It is extremely easy to make a mistake when manually typing each character of a URL. Use the bookmark capabilities of your browser.
Stay in contact with the instructor and classmates. Frequent communication can minimize frustration and unrealistic expectations for the instructor and students.
Recognize this course as an opportunity to hone communication skills. Avoid sending overly emotional or "flaming" emails. Take some time away to think before responding to discourse that might at first appear to be negative or confrontational.
Be generous in extending the benefit of the doubt and assuming good intent when reading postings. Expect that the same courtesy will be extended to you if your moments of frustration or confusion.
Try to have fun!
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Contact me at
scrowson@delmar.edu
Phone: 361-698-1432
Office hours for Summer 2008:
Mornings online
on campus by appointment
updated: 26 May 2008
