English 0990: Intro. to College Writing: Paragraph to Essay

Course times & locations: section 2: MWF 8:00--8:50 in MH214

section 3: MWF 9:00--9:50 in MH214

section 9: MWF 12:00-12:50 in MH214

Instructor: Mike Mutschelknaus

Office: 337 Memorial Hall

Office phone: 507-280-3510

E-mail: Mike.Mutschelknaus@roch.edu

Web page: http://www.acd.roch.edu/mmutschelknaus/

Office hours: 10:00--10:50 MWF & by appointment
 
 

This syllabus has three parts: a learning plan, a calendar, and a policy section.

The learning plan takes the course description, breaks it down into objectives, and then states assignments for you to reach those objectives. It is the most important part of the syllabus because it shows you how the entire course fits together to help you learn to write.

Course description (from the most recent catalog)

In English 0990, students will learn to read carefully, to react thoughtfully in speaking and writing, and to use these reactions as a source of ideas for writing paragraphs and short personal essays. Students will learn relevant invention, revision, and editing skills. The goal of this reading-based writing course is to prepare students for college-level work.

Objectives

By the end of the course, you will be able to

1. write sentences with clear subjects and verbs, specific supporting details, and good organization;
2. compose paragraphs with clear topic sentences, specific supporting details, and good organization;
3. create essays with thesis statements, specific supporting body paragraphs, and good organization;
4. use invention techniques in order to develop ideas;
5. critically respond to poems, essays, and short stories.

1. Sentence mastery tests (10% of course grade): You will take twenty mastery tests during the semester. They are on grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
2. Paragraph mastery (10% of course grade): Based upon what we learn about paragraphs, you will write ten paragraphs with clear topic sentences, specific support, and clear patterns of development. These paragraphs do not have to be typed, but you must write them as neatly as possible. If I cannot read your handwriting, I will ask you to rewrite the paragraph, or type it.
3. Essay mastery (24% of course grade, 6% apiece): You will write four essays. Each essay will be at least two complete, double-spaced pages of Times New Roman 12 point font. Each essay must have a thesis statement, well-organized body paragraphs, and grammatically correct sentences. The essays must be in response to material that we cover in The Visual Guide to Writing.
4. Journal (30% of course grade): You will keep a journal in this course. By the end of the course, you should have filled this journal. I will check your reading journals occasionally. If you are an ESL student, you may write half of each journal entry in your native language. Then you must use the other half page to translate it into English. At the end of the semester, you will receive credit for the amount of writing you have done. If you have filled the journal, you get 30 points. If you have filled 80% of the journal, you get 24 points. If you have filled half the journal, you get 15 points. If you haven't written very much at all, you get 0 points. Don't worry about grammar or spelling in your journal.
5. Reading quizzes (15% of semester grade): I may give unannounced quizzes over any assigned readings for the course. Therefore, you must do your homework before class.
6. Final exam (11% of course grade) This is your chance to demonstrate all of your writing skills, so for this test you will create sound sentences, paragraphs, and an essay in response to a short critical reading.

The calendar shows the assignments for every course day.
 

Date	Assignments due	Did I do the homework?
Week one		Yes	No
8/26	Go over the syllabus--no homework
8/28	Diagnostic test Go over VISUAL WRITING No homework
8/30	Go over LONGMAN'S WRITER's JOURNAL No homework
Week two
9/4	What is a paragraph: 83-97
9/6	Tips for writing effective pararaphs: 98-110
Week three
9/9	How do I set up an effective essay: 45-63
9/11	Writing the essay: A summary: 64-78 First paragraph due
9/13
Week four
9/16	Three stages of successful writing: 31-36
9/18	What should I write about?: 37-44 Second paragraph due
9/20	Monday Morning Blahs 343 The Car 348
Week five
9/23	Revising for content and style: 115-138
9/25	Third paragraph due
9/27	My Long Distance Life 352 The Use of Force 357
Week six
9/30	The fatal four: 141-143 Is it a sentence?: 144-174
10/2	Sentence mastery tests  Fourth paragraph due
10/4	Essay #1 due Don't Let Job Hunting… 363 Human Family 368
Week seven
10/7	What do I put at the end of a sentence?: 174-186
10/9	Sentence mastery tests  Fifth paragraph due
10/11	Sick Humor 372 One Ordinary Day… 378
Week eight
10/14	Do I have the right verb?: 187-223
10/16	Sentence mastery tests  Sixth paragraph due
Week nine
10/21	Spelling: 225-234
10/23	Sentence mastery tests  Seventh paragraph due
10/25	Essay #2 due Mental Workouts 390 Richard Cory 395
Week ten
10/28	Pronouns and antecedents: 235-240
10/30	Sentence mastery tests  Eighth paragraph due
11/1	On Behalf of Common Courtesy 398 Everyday Use 402
Week eleven
11/4	Apostrophe: 240-248
11/6	Sentence mastery tests  Ninth paragraph due
11/8	We Real Cool 413 The Bean Eaters 416 kitchenette building 419
Week twelve
11/13	Endings: 249-255
11/15	Sentence mastery tests Tenth paragraph due
Week thirteen
11/18	Capital letters: 255-259
11/20	Sentence mastery tests
11/22	Last day to withdraw Essay #3 due
Week fourteen
11/25	Commas: 259-261 Misplaced Modifiers: 262-265
11/27	Parallelism & minor errors: 266-270 Sentence mastery tests
Week fifteen
12/2	Thinking about your writing: 271-273
12/4	Writing for different purposes: 276-286
12/6	To be announced
Week sixteen
12/9	To be announced
12/11	To be announced
12/13	Final exam review
Week seventeen
12/16	Final exam review Sentence mastery tests
12/18	Final exam
12/20	Final exam Essay #4 due

The policy section includes information on disabilities, required textbooks, class rules, and the grading scale.

Disabilities

Any student who has a disability that may affect her performance in this course is encouraged to talk to me as soon as possible so that satisfactory arrangements can be made for classroom success.

Required textbooks

1. The Longman Writer's Journal. Written by Mimi Markus. Published by Longman, 2001. ISBN # 0-321-08639-2.
2. The Visual Guide to Writing. Written by James Knudsen and Joanna Leake. Published by Longman, 2001. ISBN # 0-321-09135-3.

Class rules

1. Late students are absent. If you show up for class without your books and materials, you are absent. If you show up for class without your homework done, you are absent. After six absences, I have the right to fail you or significantly lower your grade. I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences.
2. Work must be turned in on the assigned due dates. Late work will be significantly penalized. Assigned work is due at the beginning of the class period for any specified date, not later that same day. Cheating/plagiarism is unacceptable. Refer to your student handbook for possible sanctions.
3. If you miss a class, find out the homework, notes, and important points from another student. You must come fully prepared for the next class you attend.
4. Turn off your cell phone. I reserve the right to deduct points if your cell phone rings during class.
5. If you miss a quiz, you don't get to make up the quiz points.

A = 90-100%, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, F = 0-59
 
 

Student name________________________________________

Points_______________________________________________
 

	Well done	Competent	Needs improvement
Thesis statement
Body paragraphs
Sentence structures
Thoughtful content
Specific details
Punctuation
Spelling
Formatted correctly
Long enough

Comments

Thesis statement
 
 

Body paragraphs
 
 

Sentence structures
 
 

Thoughtful content
 
 

Specific details
 
 

Punctuation
 
 

Spelling
 
 

Formatted correctly
 
 

Long enough
 
 

Student name________________________________________

Points_______________________________________________
 

	Well done	Competent	Needs improvement
Unity
Mix of general and specific information
Organization development snapshot picking a pattern
Clear topic sentence
Thoughtful content
Grammar
Length

Comments

Unity
 
 

Mix of general and specific information
 
 

Organization
 
 

Clear topic sentence
 
 

Thoughtful content
 
 

Grammar
 
 

Length
 
 

Figuring out your grade in this course is easy. Look at the grading scale below:

• A = 90-100%
• B = 80—89%
• C = 70—79%
• D = 60—69%
• F = 0—59%