eng syllabus

UNM Valencia
English 100
Maggie Griffin

Welcome to English 100. Hopefully, this syllabus will give you the information you need to succeed in the course.

CATALOG DESCRIPTION
"Developmental writing course providing concentrated practice writing and revising basic essays, as well as intensive study of grammar, punctuation, and usage. Credit does not count toward a degree." See UNM Valencia Catalog

COURSE OVERVIEW
English 100 is designed to help students prepare for college-level writing. It combines basic skills such as grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure with strategies for creating basic essays. Using a process approach to writing instruction, the course helps students develop fluency and makes use of computer-assisted revision to help students learn and incorporate needed skills.

DEVELOPMENTAL STUDIES LAB
Accompanying English 100 is a Lab. Lab assignments are intended to supplement classroom instruction by incorporating out-of-class tasks, such as computer-assisted revision of essays, library assignments and projects, working with a tutor in the TLC, improving grammar and composition skills through on-line exercises, and attending workshops or study groups at the TLC (The Learning Center).
Students with access to computers at home may use them when possible to complete the lab assignments.

Some specific lab assignments for English 100 might include: word-processing (student essays, brief paragraphs, answers to questions), revision of essays (saved to disk), e-mail (responses to readings, brief paragraphs, discussions with other students), Internet exploration for various research and writing tasks, use of specific Websites for on-line writing help or topics of interest, skills software (Electronic Handbook, PHWords, Langan Sentence Skills, and Learning Plus) for individualized skills review.

REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS

Mosiacs TEXT)

Two floppy disks --available in the bookstore

Loose leaf paper (college ruled)

Three ring binder or folder(for the portfolio)

SPECIFIC COURSE AND PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS FOR ENGLISH 100

Portfolio --Each English 100 student will prepare a portfolio consisting of a minimum of four fully revised, word-processed essays (done in the TLC lab or on a home computer) in final-draft form. The essays may be revised several times, and all of the revisions of each essay should be attached to each final draft. The portfolio will also include a letter/essay that describes your progress during the semester. The letter/essay is an opportunity to argue that the work presented in the portfolio is sufficient to earn a passing grade. The letter/essay also provides an opportunity to reflect on your process and your progress during the semester.

Link here for more about portfolios Students whose final essay exams (see below) are satisfactory will have their portfolios graded by the instructor, but if the student's final essay exam is borderline or failing, the portfolios will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis by the English 100 grading panel. Students must ultimately receive a grade of "pass" from the panel in order to pass the course.

Final Exam-- In addition to submitting portfolios, English 100 students are required to pass a two-part final exam consisting of a short essay exam and a core skills exam: The essay exam is panel-graded by English 100 instructors and assessed in terms of basic coherence and competence. Students may use computers for the exam or may write out the exam.

The Core Skills Exam covers the following skills areas: fragments, run ons, comma splices, comma usage, apostrophe usage, subject-verb agreement, pronoun reference, agreement, and point of view, commonly confused words, and parallelism.

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR STUDENT WRITING IN ENGLISH 100

By the end of the semester, students should

write competent basic essays that are coherently organized by means of a recognizable structure, held together by a focus, a thesis, or an overall expository pattern of development

use separate paragraphs logically for separate ideas

develop paragraphs sufficiently with details, personal experience, or explanations

write sound sentences--avoiding fragments, run on sentences, comma splices, and mixed constructions

use parallel structure, adequate diction, and appropriate tone

use basic marks of punctuation adequately: coordinating conjunction commas, commas after introductory elements, apostrophes, periods, and end marks

include basically correct word usage

demonstrate adequate grammar skills

MAIN REASONS FOR FAILING THE FINAL EXAM OR COURSE

lack of coherence

poorly expressed or confused ideas

poor organization and development of ideas

one-paragraph essays or one-sentence paragraphs

overly-informal, inappropriate, or confusing word usage or tone

weak sentence structure: fragments, run on sentences, comma splices

excessive choppiness

severe problems with point of view

severe spelling/usage/punctuation/grammar errors

GRADING

Grading options for both the course and the lab include A, B, CR, NC. A minimum grade of CR is necessary in order to pass the course and go on to enroll in English 101. A grade of NC will require students to repeat the course. A grade of NC will also jeopardize most lottery scholarships.
A=excellent B=Good CR=passing (replaces the usual "C") NC=no credit/repeat the course

Grades will be assigned as follows:

Portfolios	400
Final	200
Core Grammar Exam	100
Attendance, Assignments, and Participation	200
"Mid-term" Portfolio	100

A=at least 900 points
B= at least 800 points
CR=at least 720 points
NC=below 720 points

CLASS POLICIES
Attendance is vital
Respect others by not "visiting" while your instructor or a class member is speaking
Assignments are due at the beginning of class or considered late
When possible, late work will be accepted, but you will receive a reduction of 10% of the grade. Late assignments must be turned in no later than one class period after the original assignment was due unless you have made arrangements with me. Group work and peer editing sessions are difficult to duplicate; thus, these activities cannot be made up.
If you miss three classes in a row without contacting me, I will assume that you have decided to stop coming, and I have the option to drop you from the course
If you decide to stop coming to class, please drop the class; otherwise, you will receive an "NC" and hopes for scholarships fade
Please contact me by phone, e-mail, or in person if you know you will be missing class
Please understand that I cannot "excuse" you and change class policy about late work simply because you have taken time to e-mail or call. However, if a real emergency occurs during the semester, I will make every effort to help you.
More than three absences during the semester is considered excessive. According to departmental policy, your instructor can choose to drop you from the course if you miss more than four classes.
Devices such as cell phones and beepers distract you and others from class work. They are intolerable. Plan on putting your cell phone or beeper away for the duration of class--no text-messaging, no games, etc. Please let friends and family know that they should not call you during class time unless there is a genuine emergency.
Be on time for class. When you are late, you distract others from their work. If you are late, please enter quietly and wait for your instructor to fill you in on what you have missed.
The most vital rule is to respect others and yourself. Everyone in class has the right to express an opinion and make a mistake without being criticized. Everyone has the right to an education. If you talk in class, you prevent yourself and others from learning. Keep in mind why you are here.
DISABILITIES ACT
It is your responsibility to inform your instructor immediately if you have some kind of special need. We make every effort to accommodate our students.

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