ENGL 1101: Introduction to Composition         Office Phone:

University of North Carolina-Charlotte                                                                                          Office Hours:

Instructor: Dr. Marcelle Crickenberger                                                                                       Office Location:

Fall 2007                                                                                                                                               Email:

PORTFOLIO GRADING METHOD

CRITIQUES:                        15%

JOURNAL:                           25%

PAPER 1:                              20%

PAPER 2:                              20 %

PAPER 3:                             20 %

GENERAL POLICIES

  • Talking: Chatter is distracting not only to your professor but to your classmates as well, so please keep conversations to a whispered minimum. 

  • Cell Phones:  Please turn your cell phone ringers off and refrain from participating in text messaging while class is going on.  You may be asked to leave if your phone becomes a nuisance. 

  • Tardiness: If you must be late to class, please come in as quietly as possible.  If you are no more than one half hour late, you may come up and sign the attendance book at the end of class; however, you will be marked “tardy.”  Three tardies count as an absence.  More than three tardies may be considered disruptive classroom behavior and may result in your being prevented from entering the class late in the future.

  • Other Disruptive Scenarios: This professor reserves the right to ask that a student leave class if his or her behavior is deemed to be excessively disruptive. 

GRADING SCALE

You must complete all three major papers in order to pass the class. Failure to turn in the research paper will result in the grade of F. Also see Attendance Policy.

A             =              90-100                     C             =              70-76

B             =              87-89                       D+           =              67-69

B             =              80-86                       D             =              60-66

C+           =              77-79                       F              =              < 60

ATTENDANCE POLICY

You will be required to sit according to a seating chart placing you in alphabetical order. Each class I will pass around the Attendance Notebook which you must sign in order to be counted as “present.”  You may miss four classes without penalty. The fifth class you miss will result in a 10-point reduction in your final grade. The sixth class you miss will result in another 10-point reduction in your grade.  The seventh class you miss will result in the grade of F for the class.  Please be advised that any attempt to sign in for a student who is not present will result in the assignment of the grade of F for the student.

LATE WORK

Papers are due at the beginning of class on the day marked on our class calendar.  I allow students to make up exams and turn in papers late only for the most extreme emergencies and unforeseen circumstances. Please be prepared to provide paper evidence or documentation of your excuse.  Journals and Critiques will not be accepted late under any circumstances.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “steal[ing] and pass[ing] off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own…[or as] commit[tingling] literary theft: present[ing] as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.” <www.websters.com>.  It is a violation of Academic Integrity and will not be tolerated in this class under any circumstances.  Please be advised that papers must follow MLA Guidelines for documentation. If you are unsure about the rules governing documentation, you should ask your professor or consult the Writing Center for assistance as this professor reserves the right to assign any student the grade of F for the course if he or she is found to be guilty of committing plagiarism.

GROUPS

The class will be divided up into several groups which will each have their own individual calendars.  Due dates for each group will be assigned.

CRITIQUES

While your own writing is certainly emphasized in the grading structure for this course, your ability to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your classmates’ writing will be assessed in the form of formal written critiques. These critiques will comprise 15% of your final grade.  They must be submitted on the day after the workshops for which they were assigned. You must turn in two copies of your critique in order to receive credit—one for me to return to you and one to be given to the author.

 

JOURNALS

Each journal entry should be 1 page typed single-spaced with 1 inch margins in Times New Roman 12.  Your journal heading should look like this:

[1 inch margins on all sides]

Your Name                                                                                    

JOURNAL #?: “Title”

            Begin typing journal here.  Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text atext text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text.

            Text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text atext text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text.

Journals should be 1 full page single-spaced unless otherwise specified.  Be sure to fill the entire page to the very end. Journals that do not meet the length requirements may receive partial or no credit. Credit will not be given for journals that do not comply with the aforementioned formatting specifications.

Receiving Credit for Journals

You will have many journal assignments in this class. In order to receive full credit for your journal grade, you will need to turn in 25 thoughtfully written and complete journals altogether.  Journals are due at the end of class on the date assigned.  They will not be accepted late or early. You cannot receive credit for a journal due on a day that you are absent and you cannot make up missed journals. Each time you turn in a journal, I will record it in my grade book and return it to you the following class with a mark showing that it was entered into my grade book as being “on-time.”  All “on time” journals will be resubmitted in bound form at the end of the semester for content review. It is recommended that you keep a backup hardcopy of your journals.

PAPERS

Assignments for Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 will be given at the beginning of each paper unit. I will provide you with detailed instructions and will allow plenty of time for questions. Each paper will be workshopped during class time so you will need to bring enough copies for everyone. You can turn in a standard, properly formatted copy for me and then place 2 pages on the Xerox machine side by side, reducing them to 66%.  This should help cut down on your printing costs. Be prepared to spend about $40.00 on copies this semester.

REVISION

You are welcome and encouraged to revise your essays before submitting them with your final portfolio.  In order to receive credit for your revisions, however, you must submit them by the deadline and you must attach the graded original to the front of your revised copy. You must include a cover letter with your revised copy and you must highlighted or otherwise indicate ALL CHANGES on the revised copy. The cover letter should be addressed to me and should explain exactly how your revisions respond to comments made during your workshop, in your critiques, and in my marginalia. Please do not simply change small errors and resubmit as a revision.  Your grade will not go up if you do this.  Revision is re-vision. That means that sometimes your revised paper may look nothing at all like your original.

READINGS

From time to time readings will be posted on the class website: www.thelemming.com. You must be prepared to print and read these before class on the day they are assigned.