ENGLISH COMPOSITION 101
Fall Quarter 2008-2009
Instructor: Dr. Bruce R. Magee

English 101-025
Room: GTM 219
Time: 2:00-3:50 TR
E-mail: 
bmagee@LaTech.Edu
Web site: 
http://www2.latech.edu/~bmagee
http://garts.latech.edu/bmagee
Office: GTM 222 
Phone: 257-5494 
Hours: 10:00-12:30 MW 
9:30-12:00 TR
or by appointment
Textbooks
  • McCuen-Metherell, Jo Roy, and Anthony C. Winkler. Readings for Writers.  12th ed.  Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2007.
  • A "good" dictionary.
  • Magee 101 Packet
  • Richard III
  • Freshman Composition Computer Lab Packet.

Catalogue Description: Freshman Composition I. 0-3-3. Standard course for first-year college students; the three stages of writing (prewriting, writing, and rewriting); writing essays in various modes; grammar review.

Objectives

Departmental Writing Requirements
  1. At least 5 essays, including a final. These should be at least 70% of the grade.
  2. At least two essays should be written in class and should demonstrate a level of performance comparable to those written out of class.
  3. One essay should be written in the argumentative mode.
  4. Essays should build from around 500 to 700 words by the end of the quarter.
  5. At least one essay should be fully revised after the initial evaluation and preferably for a grade.
  6. An essay final should be given during the last week of classes. Topics should not be given in advance but should be assigned at the beginning of the examination period.
  7. Students should demonstrate a minimum level of writing competency on the final essay:
    1. There must be a stated thesis sentence and stated topic sentences.
    2. There must be clear evidence of organization, coherence, and unity.
    3. There must be adequately developed content (350-450 words) with ample paragraphs for support.
    4. There should be no more than 10 serious errors in grammar and punctuation.
General Requirements Attendance Requirements Conferences

Conferences are encouraged during the quarter. They will be used to discuss specific writing strengths and/or weaknesses.
 

Essays
Description (500 words)
15% 
Definition (600 words)   15%
Classification (In Class)    15%
Proposal Essay (700 words)   15%
Final (300-400 words)   15% 
75%
Reading
Test on Richard III  
15%
Attendance  
10%
Total 100%

The grading scale is A: 90-100%, B: 80-89%, C: 70-79%, D: 60-69%, F: 0-59%.
 

Graded Material
In the event of a question regarding an exam grade or final grade, it will be the responsibility of the student to retain and present graded materials which have been returned for student possession during the quarter.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Students needing testing or classroom accommodations based on  disability are encouraged to discuss those needs with me as soon as possible.
Honor Code
In accordance with the Academic Honor Code, students pledge the following: Being a student of a higher standard, I pledge to embody the principles of academic integrity.
Plagarism Statement
You must sign the plagiarism statement for English 099/101/102 (located at the beginning of the Freshman Composition Course Packet) and turn it in by the second day of class.  Your work (journals, homework, in-class work, and papers) will not be accepted or graded until I receive the signed plagiarism statement.

Guidelines for a paper's form

  1. OUT-OF-CLASS papers should be typed. Illegible handwritten papers will be returned ungraded; legible papers will be graded, but with a penalty assessed. I encourage you to learn to use a computerized word-processing program. It can save time, aid proofreading, and improve the appearance of an essay. This requires foresight since the computer lab closes on weekends.
  2. In-class papers MUST be written in ink.
  3. Use one side of the paper only.
  4. Use standard 8 1/2" by 11" white paper. Loose leaf or typewriter paper please--no frazzled edges ripped from notebooks.
  5. All essays, whether hand-written or typed, must by DOUBLE SPACED.
  6. Use margins of at least an inch on each side of the paper. Leave a 1.5" margin on the right-hand side.
  7. Papers should be folded vertically with the following information on the outside cover: name, section, theme assignment, instructor's name, and date.
  8. KEEP A PAPER COPY OF THE FINAL DRAFT IN YOUR OWN FILES. It's the cheapest insurance you can buy.
HOC OPUS, HIC LABOR EST.
Monday-Wednesday-Friday Assignments
PERIOD
READING
WRITING
Registration Week (September 4-5)
Initial assignments
Period 1
  • Begin reading Richard III. Don't wait until the last minute to try to read it! 
  • Turn in a 12" manilla folder with your name, course, and section number on the tab.
Week 1 (September 8-12)
Period 1
  • Packet 1-3. 
  • Reader.  20-26, 293-299
  • Packet exercises 1 & 2 (pp. 1-2) 
    • paragraphs (p. 3). 
Period 2
  • Packet 4-8, 19-26.
  • Packet 20-26. 
  • Packet 16, "Veal Calf Ad."
  • Packet A & B ( p. 7), 1-7 (21-22), 
    • "Questions" (25-26) .
Week 2 (September 15-19)
Period 1
  • Packet 29, "My Sister." 
  • DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY rough draft.
Period 2    
Week 3 (September 22-26)
Period 1 
  • Packet 28. 
  • Reader 26-27, 259-262.
  • Reader 261-262.
Period 2 
  • FINISH reading Richard III by today for class discussion. 
  • DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY DUE. Remember to keep a copy of the final version in your own files. 
Week 4 (September 29 - October 3)
Period 1
  • Packet 9-15. 
 
Period 2   Bring ROUGH DRAFT of Narration Essay to class. 
Week 5 (October 6-10)
Period 1

Period 2   
  • NARRATION ESSAY DUE. Remember to keep a copy of the final version in your file
Week 6 (October 13-17)
Period 1
EXAMINATION (in class) ON RICHARD III.
Period 2 
 
Week 7 (October 20-24)
Period 1 
  • Reader 34-36.
    • 325-328
    • 476-479
  • Reader 327-328
    • 479-479
  • Packet 35 (Iliad study questions). 
Period 2
  • Packet 30-31.
  • Packet 16-17.
  • PACKET 30: DOING THIS EXERCISE WILL GREATLY IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES FOR DOING WELL ON THE CLASSIFICATION ESSAY.
Week 8 (October 27-31)
Period 1 
  • Packet 16-18 (Veal, Bloom Co.)
  • CLASSIFICATION ESSAY (In Class). BRING DICTIONARY & HANDBOOK.
Period 2 
  • Packet 27 (Cats/Frogs). 
  • Bring rough draft of PROPOSAL ESSAY to class. 
Week 9 (November 3-7)
Period 1   
  • PROPOSAL ESSAY DUE. Be sure to keep a copy for yourself.
Period 2  
  • IN-CLASS ESSAY. BRING DICTIONARY & HANDBOOK.
Week 10 (November 10-14)
Period 1    
Period 2 CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN 
FRESHMAN COMPOSITION