Syllabi for Kokoulin

Fall 2019 ENC 1101

ENC 1101 Syllabus

Freshman Composition I

Valencia College, ENC 1101

Fall 2019

 

Instructor: Anna Kokoulin

 

Email: Akokoulin@valenciacollege.edu

or message me within Canvas

 

Everything submitted throughout the semester must be saved by students offline in case Canvas crashes or otherwise erases any recordsPlease, keep all your work for all courses, both online and face-to-face, until the final grades are posted in Atlas.

 

SUMMARY OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Complete assigned coursework by specified deadline with a “C” or better.

Course Description

Prerequisites: Score of 103 on writing component of PERT or equivalent score on other state-approved entry test or minimum grade of C in ENC 0027 or minimum grade of C in ENC 0025C or EAP 1640C and a score of 106 on reading component of PERT or equivalent score on other state-approved entry test or minimum grade of C in REA 0017C or EAP 1620C.

 

This is a Gordon Rule course in which the student is required to demonstrate college-level writing skills through multiple assignments. A minimum grade of C is required if ENC 1101 is used to satisfy Gordon Rule and general education requirements.

Major Topics/ Concepts/ Skills/ Issues

  • Development of essay form, including documented essay

  • Instruction and practice in expository writing

  • Emphasis on clarity of central and support ideas

  • Structure and Elements of an Essay

  • Logical organization

  • Coherence

  • Documentation (appropriate citing of primary and/or secondary sources)

  • Critical Reading

  • Grammatical and mechanical accuracy

     

    Required Books


Buschemi, Santi V., and Charlotte Smith. 75 Readings Plus. 10th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 201or later.

 

Bullock, Richard, Michal Brody, and Francine WeinbergThe Little Seagull Handbook. 2nd ed. New York:Norton, 201or later.

 

A dictionary of your choice. (I recommend Merriam-Webster: m-w.com (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.)

 

 

Expected Learning Outcomes

 

1) Students will compose expository essays.

Corresponding Evidence of Learning

Student will be able to construct a thesis that clearly expresses the main idea of the assignment.

Student will be able to develop topic sentences that support the thesis.

Student will be able to generate supporting ideas/details.

Student will be able to integrate supporting ideas/details.

Student will be able to connect supporting ideas/details to thesis statement.

Student will be able to compose introductions and conclusions.

Student will be able to implement transitions between ideas.

Student will be able to draft, revise, edit, and proofread.

 

2) Students will write in standard American English.

Corresponding Evidence of Learning

Student will be able to write grammatically correct sentences.

Student will be able to write mechanically correct sentences.

Student will be able to vary sentence patterns.

Student will be able to employ effective diction.

Student will be able to edit for clarity.

 

3) Students will write a documented essay.

Corresponding Evidence of Learning

Student will be able to recognize information that requires documentation.

Student will be able to integrate source materials into essay.

Student will be able to use a recognized documentation style, which includes in-text citations and a works cited/reference page.

 

4) Students will demonstrate information literacy.

Corresponding Evidence of Learning

Student will be able to recognize credible print and digital source material.

Student will be able to identify existing technological resources for writing.

 

5) Students will develop critical reading skills.

Corresponding Evidence of Learning

Student will be able to identify main ideas and supporting details.

Student will be able to recognize overall patterns of organization.

Student will be able to discern author's tone.

Student will be able to recognize intent and/or bias.

Student will be able to read texts for literal meaning.

Student will be able to read texts for inferential meaning.

 

Assignments

Multiple assignment are due every week, but a few of them require your particular attention as they are the most time-consuming and weigh the most for your overall grade for the course.

 

FIVE major assignments will be due during the semester, one every two weeks. They will make up the most of your final grade.

 

 

1 - Personal Experience (700-1000 words) – 50 points

This essay should reflect on a personal experience in support of a thesis.

 

2 – Descriptive Essay (700-1000 words) – 100 points

This essay should engage the reader's five senses with descriptive details.

 

3 - Comparison/Contrast (700-1000) – 100 points

This essay should compare or contrast two things (arguments) in support of a thesis.

 

4 - Documented Informative Definition (900-1200 words) – 200 points

This essay should define a term using at least two scholarly sources as support.

 

5 - Documented Persuasive Argument (1000-1300 words) – 300 points

This essay should argue for one side of an issue, while also addressing possible counterarguments, with the use of at least two scholarly sources. 

 

Format

 

  • use only 12-point Times New Roman font

  • double-space

  • no extra space between paragraphs (except for the cover letter, which follows the business letter format)

  • one-inch margin on all four sides

  • in the top left corner of the first page of every work, write the following:

Your Name

Professor Kokoulin

ENC 1101

Date

 

 

Please, include the word count at the bottom of every essay.  

 

Late Penalty

 

Late submissions (discussion postings, assignments, quizzes, and essays) will incur a penalty of 10% per calendar day. This is non-negotiable and will be strictly enforced for everyone. No exceptions will be made to this policy for any reason including technology issues (i.e. computer crashing, uploading wrong file, etc.) The late penalty will be waived only when official, written documentation of an emergency, such as hospitalization documents, is presented within 48 hours of the missed work (no handwritten doctors’ notes, please).

Discussion Posts

 

In addition to the five major assignments, there will be multiple quizzes, writing exercises, and discussions in Blackboard, which, in total, will also add up to a lot of points. Please, keep in mind that the deadline for your original post on the Discussion Board is always the Monday specified in Weekly Work, but the two required responses to your peers can be done the following week, by the following Friday. It is advisable, however, to respond to your classmates as soon as they post. Otherwise, you might forget. Anyway, don't forget to always come back to the previous week's page to check if you responded already.

 

Mid-Term Warning

If you are making a grade lower than C at or about mid-term, you will be notified by your professor. If you receive a “below C notice,” you should meet without delay with the professor. Your not receiving a “below C notice” at mid-term does not guarantee that you will pass the course.

 

Valencia Student Core Competencies

 

Valencia faculty have defined four interrelated competencies (Think, Value, Communicate, Act) that prepare students to succeed in the world community. These competencies are outlined in the College Catalog. In this course, through lecture and discussion, group work, and other learning activities, you will further develop your mastery of those competencies.

 

Questions and Issues

 

I welcome any questions about specific assignments. The best way to contact me and have your questions answered is by email.

Alternatively, you can use messaging options within Canvas.

Messages should always include your full name and the CRN for your section of ENC 1101 (because I teach several sections).

Online Etiquette

 

Though still a fairly young type of communication, certain aspects of this form of communication are becoming conventional. For example, in your personal messages or your posts, do not write using all capital letters, because it will appear as shouting. Also, the use of emoticons can be helpful when used to convey nonverbal feelings, but avoid using them in a professional setting. An online college class is certainly one of those settings.

Academic Honesty

 

An instance of academic dishonesty—any kind of cheating or fraud—will result in a zero for the assignment and/or no credit for attendance on the day(s) the dishonesty occurred.

The biggest concern in a composition class is plagiarism.

 

The American Heritage College Dictionary defines plagiarism this way: "To use and pass off as one's own the ideas or writings of another." To avoid this serious academic offense, document any direct quotations or ideas that you find and use in your papers. Visit the Library website for information on what and how to document: http://www.valenciacc.edu/library/west/research/documentation.asp

 

Make note of these two important policies concerning academic honesty:

First, you must submit original papers for ENC 1101, not essays submitted in any other course during any other semester, not even a previous attempt at ENC 1101. Turning in the same essay for two different courses is considered self-plagiarism and will result in an F for this course. Second, copying and pasting from Internet sources without providing correct documentation is not college-level work. The first instance—even if it is a single sentence—will result in a grade of zero for the assignment. The second instance will result in your immediate withdrawal from the course. 

 

Students with Disabilities

 

Students with disabilities who qualify for academic accommodations must provide a

notification from the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) and discuss specific

needs with the instructor, preferably during the first two weeks of class. The Office

for Students with Disabilities determines accommodations based on appropriate

documentation of disabilities.

West Campus SSB, room 102. Phone: 407-582-1523 

 

Withdrawals

 

If you decide to drop this course for any reason, before or after the witrhdrawal deadline, you must initiate the process. After the withdrawal deadline, you need to request to be withdrawn by email so I have a written record of the request. Before considering a withdrawal, please, discuss the available options to complete the coursework despite the circumstances.

Make-ups

 

All assignments must be completed by the specified deadline. No makeups are available without explicit consent of instructor, which will only be granted in case of documented extreme emergency. It is college policy that makeups are offered in case a hospital stay (not necessarily yours, but one of a close family member), jury duty, or military service prevented you from completing the work on time. Other than in cases of these documented emergencies, this class does not offer rewrites, such as for assignments that received bad scores or that have been missed. To earn the highest possible score, read all of the assigned readings, follow the schedule, email me with questions prior to deadline, and proofread carefully for sentence errors. Before you press "Send" or "Submit,"check that you have attached the right file.

Additional Resources


All campuses offer plenty of academic and other support, so, please, just check the website. I only include West for your reference here because this is my home campus that I personally am familiar with. But the same resources are available on all Valencia campuses.


The Library [Building 6 on West]Books, magazines and newspapers are available. You have full Internet access from the computers on the first and second floors. Most importantly, there are librarians who are always happy to help and may answer most of your Composition-related questions.

 

The Computer Lab [6-101 on West]As a Valencia student, you may use the computer lab to write your papers for Valencia classes. The staff recommends that you purchase a USB Flash Drive. To use the lab, a photo ID is required.

 

The Writing Center [5-155 on West]. Call 407-582-5454 to schedule an appointment. Each appointment is 30minutes. Ask for 60 minutes for your research papers.

For a quick question or two, you can also stop by the mobile Writing Center, located at the Library. Walk-ins are available throughout the semester but are harder to get towards the end of the semester.

 

Additional tutoring services are available in building 7, room 240 (extension 1633)

 

Face-to-face writing workshops. http://valenciacollege.edu/studentservices/skillshops.cfm

 

Valencia is committed to making sure all our students have a rewarding and successful college experience. To that purpose, Valencia students can get immediate help that may assist them with psychological issues dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, adjustment difficulties, substance abuse, time management as well as relationship problems dealing with school, home or work. Students have 24 hour unlimited access to the Baycare Behavioral Health’s confidential student assistance program phone counseling services by calling (800) 878-5470. Three free confidential face-to-face counseling sessions are also available to students.

 

More resources are available online. Here are some of my favorite:

 

Online Writing Consultations - available through Atlas, under Courses

This is basically just like going to the Writing Center and working one-on-one with an instructor.

The absolute best you can get in the comfort of your home.

Online consultations are available 24/7 !!!

 

Online Writing Lab. Owl.excelsior.edu

Step-by step intructions on how to produce any kind of paper.

 

Online Grammar handbook. Chompchomp.com

Your guide to resolving any possible grammar issues.

Course Calendar

The course calendar can be viewed in Canvas. The calendar lists what has to be completed prior to the date specified as the deadline.

All the assigned texts must be read prior to the due date. All coursework has to be submitted prior to midnight on the date specified as the last day of the week, which is always a Monday.

This syllabus as well as the Course Calendar may be amended at a later date at the instructor’s discretion, during the course of the term. If any changes need to be made, all students will be notified by an announcement in advance. It is the responsibility of the student to make any adjustments as announced. I don't change my syllabus but do reserve the right to do so just in case. If any changes need to be made during the course of this term, you will receive a special notification by email