SEE FULL SYLLABUS ON BLACKBOARD IN THE "HELP" SECTION

PREREQUISITES

One of the following must apply:

• TSI exempt

• TSI Assessment Scores: Reading (351); Writing (Essay 4/Objective 340)

• Grade of C or better in INRW 0230 or 0430

• Grade of C or better in Writing and Grammar 5 (ESOL 0384) and Reading and Vocabulary 5 (ESOL 0364) or Reading, Writing, and Grammar 4 (ESOL 0314) or Reading, Writing, and Grammar 4 for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (ESOL 0424).

SUMMARY OF STUDENT EXPECTATIONS

To successfully complete Composition I, students should enter with the following basic skills: critical reading; content development; organization of writing to include an introduction, appropriate thesis, coherent paragraphs, transitions, and a conclusion; grammar, mechanics, and sentence construction; and an initial understanding of documentation of sources.

Here is a link to a list of expectations and skills for students who are enrolling in Composition I: http://www.austincc.edu/english/ExpectationsOfSkills.php

TEXTS/MATERIALS

Instructors will assign required texts/materials for individual courses. It is the responsibility of the student to acquire required texts/materials. Instructors will retain course work for one semester following enrollment. Students are responsible for making copies of any papers they want to keep for their files.

Students are responsible for obtaining printouts of topic articles.

No book is required

A microphone, webcam, and ability to download a lockdown browser are required for the final exam.

USE OF ACC EMAIL

All College e-mail communication to students will be sent solely to the student’s ACCmail account, with the expectation that such communications will be read in a timely fashion. ACC will send important information and will notify you of any college related emergencies using this account. Students should only expect to receive email communication from their instructor using this account. Likewise, students should use their ACCmail account when communicating with instructors and staff. Instructions for activating an ACCmail account can be found at http://www.austincc.edu/accmail/index.php.

BLACKBOARD

Students MUST use Blackboard to review in-class materials and activities, check announcements, ask questions, check grades, sign up for office hours, and participate in discussion boards.

GOOGLE DOCS 

Students MUST use Google Docs and Drives to submit essays and other assignments.

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODOLOGY

Individual faculty syllabi will indicate course methodology, which may include lectures, small group activities, use of electronic media, and in-class writing workshops.

ESSAYS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Students will submit at least four essays over the course of the semester, including an essay known as the Departmental Exam, for a total minimum of 4000 words. Instructors will provide specific written guidelines for each assignment and may require part or all of at least one paper to be written under supervision. The Departmental Exam is an exit-level test graded Pass/Fail, which will be written in an ACC Testing Center. DIL, SAS, and Dual Credit students may be allowed other program-approved options.

Students will learn to develop a writing project through multiple drafts.

Essay assignments will achieve at least two rhetorical purposes (expressive, referential, persuasive, and/or literary) using rhetorical strategies such as narration, description, cause/effect, comparison/contrast, definition, illustration, process analysis, and evaluation.

The research process will be a significant focus of the class, with assignments sequenced to build facility with integration of outside source material using MLA format. Early assignments will involve work with one or two sources, building to a more substantial research project (parameters to be determined by individual faculty).

At least one essay will be a textual analysis in which students demonstrate the ability to identify an essay’s purpose, thesis, and rhetorical strategies and evaluate the essay’s effectiveness.

Students will complete the Academic Honesty/Plagiarism Research Tutorial (located at http://library.austincc.edu/help/Tutorials.php), and additional tutorials as assigned by the instructor.

Students are also responsible for module quizzes, topic article discussion board activities, online grammar activities, multiple drafts of essays, and participation in class participation activities that affect final grades.  The instructor will provide specific written guidelines for each assignment and may require part or all of at least one paper to be written under supervision.

GRADING

As a means of assessing student learning, all course assignments (essays, in-class writings, quizzes, journals, homework, group work, presentations, etc.) should align with course goals and learning outcomes. A range of methodologies may be used to determine and assign grades on these assignments and for the course. Individual faculty syllabi will explain grading systems in detail. Faculty will design evaluation instruments to measure student learning, providing grading/assessment criteria for assignments as needed.

All students in all sections must receive “Accepted” on 4 essays to be eligible to receive a Test Permit for taking the Departmental Exam or “C” test.  

Of these essays, two will be research papers and two will be rhetorical analysis. The research papers will use MLA documentation style and will require a minimum of three sources, including at least two different types of academic sources.

Unacceptable essays will require revisions and online grammar work.

The Departmental Exam

All eligible students must take the departmental exam. Given a selection to read, students will write an interpretive essay of at least 600 words analyzing the selection. The instructor will provide more detailed instructions about the test, which will be evaluated "ACCEPTED," "RETEST," OR “NOT ACCEPTED” only. Students who do not pass on the first try may retest once. Students that do not pass the test cannot earn a grade of higher than a “D” in the course. Essays must demonstrate the following:

Coherence, analytical thinking, and an understanding of the selection’s thesis, purpose(s), rhetorical strategies, and method(s) of development;

Adherence to stylistic, grammatical, and mechanical conventions of standard written English

A microphone, webcam, and ability to download a lockdown browser are required for the final exam.

Students using Chromebooks and iPads will be required to sign up with an online proctor in order to take the final exam.

See specific grading rubric criteria for each essay assignment.

Essay Revisions and Online Grammar

Students will revise essays and complete online grammar activities related to their mistakes in order to earn back points. You must avoid similar errors in subsequent papers in order to progress in the course. Failure to progress will lead to withdrawal from the course.

Summary of Course Requirements:

    3 essays + self reviews 

     3 Essay revisions and related online grammar activities 

    5 Module quizzes 

     1 Syllabus quiz

     6 Library Research tutorials

4 Essay discussion boards 

    4 Topic article rhetorical analysis discussion boards 

    4 Topic article reading check quiz discussion boards

     Sample article rhetorical analysis discussion board

    1 Exam accepted (no grade: pass or fail)

    Satisfactory attendance and completion of participation activities

Grade Calculation:

50% Essays

25% Analysis Activities and Discussion Boards

25% Module Quizzes and Essay Discussion Boards

ATTENDANCE AND TARDIES

Attendance is mandatory. More than four absences will lower a student's grade and will lead to withdrawal from the course. Essays are due even in the event of an absence.

Tardies accrue into absences. See detailed policy on Blackboard.

LATE WORK

Some late will be accepted if submitted within 48 hours of the deadline. Points will be deducted for late work.

EXTRA CREDIT

See Blackboard for details.

Module Topics

Syllabus Module

Module 1- Basic Essay Writing

         Writing Conventions

         Grammar and Revisions

         Generic format

         Kinds of evidence

         Writing Process

         MLA Format

         Incorporating source evidence

         Diagnostic Essay 1: Compare and Contrast

Module 2- Argument and Rhetorical Analysis

         Argument, evidence, persuasion, and critical reading

         Logic, fallacies, and rhetorical analysis

         Topic article practice rhetorical analysis 

         Essay 2: Rhetorical Analysis

Module 3- Research and MLA Documentation

            Library Tutorials

Conducting research

Summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting source information

Essay 3: Problem- Solution Research Argument  

Rhetorical Analysis Topic Articles

TOPIC 1: IMMIGRATION AND THE WAR ON DRUGS

TOPIC 2: TECHNOLOGY AND PRIVACY

TOPIC 3: GUNS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

1301 Schedule Summer 2024 

Due dates are on FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS, AND SUNDAYS

Week 1 May 29- June 4 THERE IS NO CLASS ON MEMORIAL DAY. The first day of class is on Tuesday.

DUE Sun: syllabus quiz, getting to know you discussion board, Module 1 part 1 quiz, sample essay 1 discussion board, essay 1 drafting discussion board 

Week 2 June 5- June 11

DUE FRI. : optional essay 1 peer review 

DUE SAT.: final essay 1, module 1 part 2 quiz,

DUE SUN: practice paraphrasing, sample researched essay 1, researched essay 1 drafting  

Week 3 June 12- June 18

DUE FRI.: optional essay 1 revisions, optional researched essay 1 peer review

DUE SAT.: submit final researched essay 1, Debate vs Dialogue,

DUE SUN.: Module 2 part 1 quiz, practice identifying supporting evidence

Week 4 June 19- June 25

DUE FRI.: Module 2 part 2 quiz

DUE SAT.: topic 1 article reading check quiz discussion board, Daryl Davis,

DUE SUN.: topic 1 article  practice rhetorical analysis discussion board + topic 2 article reading check quiz 

Week 5 June 26- July 2 

DUE FRI.: topic 2 article practice rhetorical analysis

DUE SAT.: topic 3 or topic 4 article reading check quiz

DUE SUN.: topic 3 or topic 4 article practice rhetorical analysis discussion board

Week 6 July 3- July 9 

DUE FRI.: sample essay 2, essay 2 drafting

DUE SAT.: optional researched essay 1 revisions

DUE SUN.: optional essay 2 peer review

Week 7 July 10- July 16 

DUE FRI.: Final essay 2

DUE SAT.: library tutorials

DUE SUN.: module 3 quiz, sample essay 3, essay 3 topic selection

Week 8 July 17-July 23 

DUE FRI.: optional practice essay

DUE SAT.: essay 3 drafting #1

DUE SUN.: optional essay 2 revisions and grammar

Week 9 July 24- July 30 TEST WEEK

You have Monday- Sunday to complete the test. Once you begin the test, you have 6 hours to finish it.

DUE SAT.:  essay 3 drafting discussion board #2

DUE SUN.: last day to test

Week 10 July 31- August 6

DUE FRI.: optional essay 3 peer review

DUE SUN: retests due, submit final essay 3

COURSE OBJECTIVES/RATIONALE

The goals of Composition I are to promote

• critical thinking, reading, and writing;

• clear, coherent, confident, and effective communication;

• collaborative writing and learning; and

• exposure (through reading or composing) to a range of genres, including genres incorporating visual design elements.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES 

Upon completion of English 1301, students should be able to

• demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative writing processes

• develop ideas with appropriate support and attribution

• write in a style appropriate to audience and purpose

• read, reflect, and respond critically to a variety of texts

• use Edited American English in academic essays

• identify rhetorical purposes and methods of organization appropriate to topic, thesis, and audience;

• collect, read, analyze, and use information from a wide range of sources;

• write a coherent essay observing appropriate grammatical, mechanical, and stylistic conventions;

• write competently in the informative, analytical, and persuasive modes

DISCIPLINE/PROGRAM STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

The following outcomes are developed in all English Composition I students regardless of student age or course location:

• expanded critical reading ability;

• ability to write to the specifications of a writing assignment in terms of subject, rhetorical purpose, method(s) of organization and length;

• ability to form a research question, develop a thesis, locate and select credible sources applicable to the thesis, and write an essay of the specified length that responds to the thesis;

• ability to analyze a piece of writing to detail the elements identified in the writing assignment;

• ability to evaluate a piece of writing using specified or developed criteria for evaluation;

• expanded ability to develop content for an essay and organize writing to include an introduction, appropriate thesis, coherent paragraphs with transitions, and a conclusion; and

• expanded ability to use correct grammar and mechanics in every writing task.

CORE COMPONENTS OF COMP I

• purpose

• audience

• language/diction/style

• thesis statements

• topic sentences

• the writing process (invention, drafting, revision)

• organization (including methods of development)

• paragraph unity, development, and coherence

• grammar and mechanics

•  the research process

GENERAL EDUCATION LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of the general education component of an associate’s degree, students will demonstrate competence in:

Critical Thinking—Gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and applying information.

Interpersonal Skills—Interacting collaboratively to achieve common goals.

Personal Responsibilities—Demonstrating effective learning, creative thinking, and personal responsibility.

Technology Skills—Using appropriate technology to retrieve, manage, analyze, and present information.

Written, Oral and Visual Communication—Communicating effectively, adapting to purpose, structure, audience, and medium.

      Civic Awareness--Analyzing and critiquing competing perspectives in a democratic society.

     Critical Thinking--Gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and applying information.

    Cultural Awareness--Comparing, contrasting, and interpreting differences and commonalities among 

    peoples, ideas, aesthetic traditions, and cultural practices.

    Interpersonal Skills--Interacting collaboratively to achieve common goals.