TEXTBOOKS:

Kennedy, Kennedy, Muth, & Holladay:  THE BEDFORD GUIDE FOR COLLEGE WRITERS, 8th ed.
Glazier, THE LEAST YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT VOCABULARY BUILDING: WORD ROOTS, 6th ed.

COURSE CONTENT:

 1.  Fundamentals:  Spelling, vocabulary, usage, grammar, and mechanics.
 2.  Writing:  Rhetoric of sentence, paragraph, theme, research paper.
 3.  Reading:  Analysis of student and professional writing; vocabulary skills.

OVERALL OBJECTIVE:

To promote the maturation of writing, reading, and research skills.
 

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:

 1.  To aid the student in improving writing skills by:
  (a) Recognizing and using appropriate vocabulary.
  (b) Improving sentence structure.
  (c) Providing adequate development.
  (d) Selecting the most effective organization.
 2.  To develop critical reading for content, purpose, technique, tone, and organization.

ATTENDANCE:

    Regular attendance at class is most important and is the student’s responsibility.  An instructor may drop a student from class with a grade of WF when a student has missed twenty percent (20%) of regularly scheduled class meetings.  If such absences are excused, the withdrawal grade will be W or WF, depending on the student’s status at the time he/she was dropped.
    Tardiness:  Class will begin on time.  Students are expected to remain in class until dismissed by the instructor.  Two tardies and/or two early departures will count as one absence.
 

HOW A STUDENT MAY DROP A COURSE WITHOUT PENALTY:

    In order to drop a course officially without penalty, a student must obtain and fill out a Drop/Add form from the Registrar’s office, acquire appropriate signatures, and return the completed form to the Registrar’s office before the designated date published in the Academic Calendar on the College's web site and in the Waycross College Catalog.
 

MAKE-UP WORK:

    It is the student’s responsibility to make up missed work absolutely no later than one (1) week after his/her absence.  Such opportunity for make-up work shall be given at the instructor’s discretion.  Habitual absences on essay days will not be excused.
 

CLASSROOM CONDUCT:

    This course is designed to foster intelligent, mature discussion. It is NOT a suitable environment for children or pets; please do not bring either to class. If a student exhibits disruptive behavior, he/she will be asked to leave the classroom. Disruptive behavior includes talking while the instructor is talking, working on homework for other courses while in English class, not paying attention, gathering belongings before class has been dismissed, sleeping in class, and/or possession of activated pagers, beepers, or telephones in class.

GRADING:

The final grade will be determined as follows:  

ESSAY GRADE EQUIVALENCIES:
 

A+ = 98	B+ = 88	C+ = 78	D+ = 68	F = 55
A   = 95	B   = 85	C   = 75	D   = 65
A- = 92	B- = 82	C- = 72	D- = 62

REQUIREMENTS TO PASS ENGLISH 1101:

 1. An overall average of at least C-.
 2. An average on in-class essays (minimum of 6 out of 7) of at least C-.
 3. Satisfactory completion of all assignments.

ADA STATEMENT:

    “The College is committed to providing accessibility to all students in accordance to ADA/504 guidelines.  Students should contact the Director of Student Life regarding accessibility.”
 

ACADEMIC SUPPORT CENTER:

    The Academic Support Center (ASC) was created to offer supplemental assistance to students enrolled in all courses at the College.  The ASC offers a variety of services at all levels, ranging from personal tutoring in math, reading, and composition skills to providing handouts and supplementary materials on writing research papers and critiques, taking essay and objective tests, and developing effective study techniques.  Through audio-visual, computerized, self-paced, and one-to-one tutorial work, the ASC assists students in developing strengths and eliminating deficiencies.  Students may be referred by instructors or may independently seek additional help.
 

INDIVIDUALIZED ASC ASSIGNMENTS:

     Instructors may make additional individualized assignments in the ASC.  Students will be informed of such assignments and should check their instructor's file in the ASC for instructions.
 

THE REGENTS' TEST:

   "The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia instituted the Regents' Testing Program to serve as one means by which each institution in the University System can ensure that students receiving degrees from the institution possess certain minimum skills of reading and writing. Since 1972, passing both the essay and reading comprehension parts of the Regents' Test has been a requirement for students receiving transfer associate or baccalaureate degrees from the 34 institutions of the University System" (BOR Regents' Testing Program website). The Board of Regents requires most students to take the Regents' Test during their first semester of enrollment, and preparation for the Test begins in English 1101. If either or both portions of the Test are not passed on the first attempt, students must retake the Test until they pass it. If a student has not passed either or both portions of the Test by the time s/he has earned 45 semester hours of College credit, s/he will be required to enroll in the appropriate Regents' Skills course(s) prior to retaking the Test.


TIPS FOR TAKING THE REGENTS' TEST:

1.  Make sure you register for the Test via the College's web site (http://www.waycross.edu/stlife/forms/test-registration.htm) by the appropriate date.
2.  Get a good night’s sleep the night beforehand; eat breakfast before you take the Test.
3.  Arrive at the Testing Center at least ten minutes early and bring a picture ID with you.
4.  Attend to personal needs before testing begins. No children are allowed in the Testing Center, so arrange for childcare before you arrive.
5.  Bring at least 2 pencils for the Reading Test, 2 blue or black ink pens for the Essay Test, and a dictionary. You will be allowed to use the dictionary only during the last 15 minutes of the Essay Testing period.
6.  Remember: the Reading Test must be completed in pencil and the Essay Test must be completed in blue or black ink. No form of white-out or Liquid Paper™ or eraseable ink is allowed.
7.  Choose a topic about which you know something.
8.  Do not skip lines when writing your essay; if you make a mistake, simply draw a line through the mistake and keep writing.
9.  Pace yourself; for the Essay Test, don’t spend too much time brainstorming, and make sure you allow time for proofreading. For the Reading Test, allow ten minutes per passage; don’t spend too much time on any one question.
10.  You are not penalized for guessing on the Reading Test, so make sure you mark an answer for every question.
11.  Remember: an effective essay has an interesting and concise introduction, a well-organized body with specific details, and a clear conclusion.
12.  If you have a tendency to wander from the topic, reread the topic after every paragraph you write and make sure you answer the question.
13. If you suspect misspelling, place an asterisk or check mark in the margin to aid in finding the suspected error when you proofread.
14. Always, always, always proofread!
 

RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT:

    An annotated bibliography is required in English 1101 and represents a significant portion (15%) of the final grade.
    Topic: The bibliography should present evidence of research on a topic of interest to the student (preferably a topic pertinent to the student's field of study). The topic must be approved by the instructor. The bibliography will be developed using a minimum of 5 (five) critical sources; encyclopedias, MASTERPLOTS, CLIFF'S NOTES, MONARCH NOTES, etc., are not allowed as sources. All sources must come from the Waycross College Library or from (or approved by) the instructor.
    The bibliography will follow MLA documentation style.

Steps for the annotated bibliography:

1)    Identify a tentative topic and submit the topic for instructor's approval.
2)    Find sources and submit a working bibliography without annotations.
3)    Read sources.
4)    Complete notes.
5)    Write annotations.
6)    Write draft of annotated bibliography.
7)    Revise and edit final draft.
8)    Submit annotated bibliography.

    Annotations should represent the student's own evaluation of the sources used.  Proper documentation is essential and should follow the forms reviewed in class. The bibliography should be typed in proper format. Proper format consists of one-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman (or an equivalent) font, and double spacing. Students are not allowed to use a topic already researched for another course. LATE PAPERS WILL BE PENALIZED ONE LETTER GRADE PER DAY LATE. FAILURE TO TURN IN AN ACCEPTABLE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY WILL RESULT IN FAILURE OF THE COURSE.
 

PLAGIARISM:

    PLAGIARISM, INTENTIONAL OR UNINTENTIONAL, IS PROHIBITED AND WILL RESULT IN FAILURE OF THE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY.   Plagiarism is defined by Webster as the stealing and passing off of the ideas or words of another as one's own.  Further, the MLA HANDBOOK states:  “Plagiarism may take the form of repeating another's sentences as your own, adopting a particularly apt phrase as your own, or even presenting someone else's line of thinking as your own” (4).  Alleged violations involving plagiarism and other academic misconduct will be handled according to the procedure outlined in the WAYCROSS COLLEGE STUDENT HANDBOOK.

Outstanding vocabulary, sentence structure, development, and organization
Outstanding maturity of thought and logic
No major errors
No more than one or two minor errors, depending on the length of the essay

Good vocabulary, sentence structure, development, and organization
Good maturity of thought and logic
Only one major error
No more than a few minor errors, depending on the length of the essay

Average vocabulary, sentence structure, development, and organization
Average maturity of thought and logic
No more than two major errors
Several minor errors, depending on the length of the essay

Weak vocabulary, sentence structure, development, and organization
Weak maturity of thought and logic
No more than three major errors
Multiple minor errors

Unsatisfactory vocabulary, sentence structure, development, and organization
Unsatisfactory maturity of thought and logic
Three or more major errors
Multiple minor errors
 

1.  Sentence fragment (frag)	4.  Garbled sentence (awk)
2.  Comma splice (cs)	5.  Faulty subject-verb agreement (s-v)
3.  Run-on sentence (run-on)

 

1.  Misused verb form (vb)	8.  Error in pronoun-antecedent agreement (agr)
2.  Nonparallel element (non-11)	9.  Error in capitalization
3.  Misused or omitted comma	10.  Error in pronoun case or reference (upr)
4.  Misused or omitted semicolon	11.  Inappropriate word choice or sentence structure
5.  Dangling or misplaced modifier (mm)	12.  Misspelled word (sp)
6.  Misuse of adjective or adverb	13.  Omission of word ending
7.  Misused or omitted apostrophe

Week One:
Bedford: STRATEGIES FOR GENERATING IDEAS, pp. 291-309;  FRAGMENTS AND COMMA SPLICES, sec. H-3 to H-14 and A-27 to A-28; Regents' Reading Pretest

Week Two:
Bedford: STRATEGIES FOR STATING A THESIS AND PLANNING, pp. 310-333; VERBS, sec. H-14 to H-36 and A-28 to A-32; Vocabulary Diagnostic Quiz; Diagnostic Essay

Week Three:
Bedford:  STRATEGIES FOR DRAFTING, pp. 334-349; STRATEGIES FOR DEVELOPING, pp. 350-370; PRONOUNS, ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS, SHIFTS, sec. H-36 to H-57 and A-32 to A-36; EFFECTIVE SENTENCES, sec. H-58 to H-30; Vocab: A, AN - BI, pp. 12-29; Quiz #1 (Vocabulary); Review of Diagnostic Essay

Week Four:
Bedford:  STRATEGIES FOR REVISING AND EDITING, pp. 371-388; PUNCTUATION, sec. H-96 to H-126 and A-40 to A-45; WORD CHOICE, sec. H-81 to H-95 and A-46 to A-51; A GLOSSARY OF TROUBLEMAKERS, A-54 to A-60; Vocab:  BIO - DIS, DI, DIF, pp. 30-52; Quiz #2 (Vocabulary); In-class Essay I

Week Five:
Bedford:  MECHANICS, H-127 to H-146 and A-36 to A-40; Quiz #3 (Grammar); In-class Essay I Revision

Week Six:
Bedford: WRITING PROCESSES, pp. 3-20; Quiz #4 (Grammar); In-class Essay II

Week Seven:
Bedford: READING PROCESSES, pp. 21-32; Vocab: EQU-LOQU, LOC, pp. 54-79; Quiz #5 (Vocabulary); In-class Essay II Revision

Week Eight:
Bedford:  CRITICAL THINKING PROCESSES, pp. 33-50; Quiz #6 (Grammar); In-class Essay III

Week Nine:
Bedford:  RECALLING AN EXPERIENCE, pp. 51-70; Vocab: MAL-PHOB, pp. 80-102; Quiz #7(Vocabulary); In-class Essay III Revision

Week Ten:
Bedford: OBSERVING A SCENE, pp. 71-86; INTERVIEWING A SUSPECT, pp. 87-103; COMPARING AND CONTRASTING, pp. 104-120; DISCUSSION OF PREPARATION FOR REGENTS' TEST

Week Eleven:
REGENTS' TESTING ON OCTOBER 28TH; In-class Essay IV

Week Twelve:
Bedford: EXPLAINING CAUSES AND EFFECTS, pp. 121-138; TAKING A STAND, pp. 139-165; Vocab: PHON-SPEC, SPIC, SPECT, pp. 104-121; Quiz #8 (Vocabulary); In-class Essay V

Week Thirteen:
TOPIC DUE; Bedford: PROPOSING A SOLUTION, pp. 166-182; EVALUATING, pp. 183-198; WRITER'S RESEARCH MANUAL, pp. 587-623;  In-class Essay VI

Week Fourteen:
WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE; Bedford: SUPPORTING A POSITION WITH SOURCES, pp. 199-232; WRITER'S RESEARCH MANUAL, pp. 624-662; WRITING FOR ASSESSMENT, pp. 277-290; QUICK RESEARCH GUIDE, pp. A-1 to A-24; Vocab: SUB-VOC, VOKE, pp. 122-145; Quiz #9 (Vocabulary); In-class Essay VII

Week Fifteen:
Bedford: WRITER'S RESEARCH MANUAL, pp. 687-717; QUICK RESEARCH GUIDE, pp. A-1 to A-24; Quiz #10 (Grammar)

Week Sixteen:
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE; Vocabulary Posttest; Review for Final Exam

Final Exam -- See Final Exam schedule on the College web site for time and day