Course Syllabus

OHIO UNIVERSITY ZANESVILLE

ENGLISH 151: Writing and Rhetoric I

Winter 2012

WEATHER RELATED CLASS DELAYS OR CAMPUS CLOSINGS: CALL 453-0762 OR CHECK WWW.ZANESVILLE.OHIO.EDU

Course: ENG 151 (5)

Instructor: Jim Fox

Email: foxj1@ohio.edu

Home Phone: 

Office: Elson 226

Office Hours: T/R 12:30-1:10 and by appointment

    Class Number                   Meeting Time                   Room                                Final Exam

15652

T/Th 1:10-3:30

WPTC 520

Th, 3/15 @ 1:10

BASIS FOR GRADING:

Essay I: 15%

Essay II: 25%

Essay III: 35%

Assignments and quizzes: 15%

Final exam: 10%

Total: 100%

Participation: +/- 10%

Grading scale: 93-100 A, 90-92 A-, 87-89 B+, 83-86 B, 80-82 B-, 77-79 C+, 73-76 C, 70-72 C-, 67-69 D+, 63-66 D, 60-62 D-, 0-59 F

Essays: You will write three short essays using the rhetorical skills we cover in class.  These essays will be evaluated using a two-part grading system—one portion of the grade will evaluate the writing process, and a second portion will evaluate the final product.  Essay length and other requirements will be announced.  

Assignments: Readings and short (one page or less) writing assignments will be announced in class.  Plan for a reading and/or writing assignment for most class meetings. 

Reading quizzes: Class meetings will sometimes begin with a short multiple choice or short answer quiz based on the reading assigned for that day.  Students who carefully read the assigned text should have no trouble earning high quiz grades.    

Participation: This grade reflects the extent to which each student demonstrates a commitment to learning and becoming a better writer.  The most obvious ways to do so are by making regular and thoughtful contributions to class discussion, scoring high on quizzes, and doing your very best work on both in and out-of-class assignments. 

REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS:

A Writer’s Reference 7^th ed. Diana Hacker & Nancy Sommers

You will be asked to print out readings and essays, so budget accordingly.

POLICIES:

Attendance: Plan to attend every class.  Students who miss more than 10% of scheduled meetings will be penalized on a scale corresponding to amount of time missed (e.g. a student who misses an additional 5% of class meetings will have his or her final course grade reduced by 5%).  Any student who misses more than 30% of scheduled meetings will automatically fail the class.  For an absence to be excused due to bona fide medical, personal, or family emergency, students should contact the instructor immediately upon returning to class.  Although I sympathize with students struggling to balance work, childcare, and other commitments with their education, these do not constitute valid reasons for missing class.   

Make-up work: It is the student’s responsibility to make up, at the convenience of the instructor, class assignments and previously scheduled quizzes or exams missed due to excused absence.  Work missed due to unexcused absences may not be made up.  If a student misses class on the day an assignment is due, I will accept an emailed copy as a placeholder until a hard copy can be submitted on the student’s first day back in class.

Late work: Late work will not be accepted.  Back up all computer files, keep a copy of everything you hand in, and be prepared for printing problems.

Phones: Please silence and put away all phones.  Texting is highly distracting; any student seen texting during class can expect a participation grade of F.

PLAGIARISM:

Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s words, ideas, or structures as your own and without proper documentation.  It is a serious academic offense whether intentional or not and may result in a failing grade on an essay, a failing grade in the course, and referral to university authorities.

DISABILITIES/SPECIAL NEEDS

“Ohio University is committed to accessibility for all students.  At the college level, students with disabilities are eligible for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990).

Any student who feels that S/HE [sic] may need an accommodation based upon the impact of a disability should contact Teresa Headley, DISABILITIES COORDINATOR, to privately discuss HER/HIS [sic] specific needs.  STUDENTS WHO are not yet registered as a student with a documented disability SHOULD contact Teresa in the Learning Advancement Center, VIA PHONE, (740) 588-1510, or via email at headley@ohio.edu.”

CLASS SCHEDULE

• Changes to the following schedule will be announced in class and/or electronically. 
• Quizzes, assignments, and readings are not listed on this schedule; they will be announced in class. 

Week

1.            Course overview, forms of communication, first day essay, precise language, generalizations.  Thesis, focus, and organization.

2.             Rhetorical situation.  Types of writing.

3.            Informative and descriptive writing.  Specific examples. Essay I due.

4.            Introduction to Argument.  Essay II assigned.

5.            Logic and fallacies.  Analysis.

   

6.            Essay II due.  Evaluating sources, using the library and internet.

7.            Introduction to research.  Locating sources using the library and internet.  Plagiarism, integrating sources, citations.

8.            Analysis.

9.            Conferences, Revision workshop.

10.             Last week of class. Evaluations.

Finals Week:            Exam.  Final essay due.