COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF BALTIMORE COUNTY

English 101
English Composition 1

Semester: Fall 2014
Instructor: Jonas Kyle-Sidell
Mailbox: English Department
Office Hours:
E-mail: jkylesidell@ccbcmd.edu
Required Texts:
NONE, your texts and assignments will be posted to Blackboard as we go

Learning Objectives

After successfully completing this course, a student should be able to

Use prewriting, drafting, and revising strategies to complete college-level essays and other writing projects.
Write a college-level essay that has a thesis statement, effective topic sentences, an introduction and
conclusion, adequate development and support, and a logical overall pattern of organization.
Critically analyze poetry and short stories, and the literary devices employed.
Incorporate and document primary textual material according to MLA conventions.
Recognize plagiarism, avoid plagiarism, and produce essays that contain no plagiarized material.
Recognize and use Standard English appropriate to academic writing.
Recognize and use correctly basic punctuation and grammar.
Format papers according to current MLA conventions.

Course Requirements

For this course, you will write one paragraph and four essays. You will also have quizzes and/or a midterm exam as
assigned, and a final exam. Your essays will be given points as shown below (90-100 = A; 80-89 = B; 70-79
= C; 60-69 = D; <60 = F). Your grade for the course will be calculated as follows:

The paragraph 50 points
The four essays: 400 points (100 points each)
The final essay exam 60 points
Class participation, i.e. Journal Entries,
Response Papers, 75 points
Oral Presentation 65 points
Total 650 points

Note: You must complete all of the papers in order to pass the course.

A=585-650 (90%) ; B=520-584 (80%) ; C=455-519 (70%) ; D=390-454 (60%) ; F=<390

Course Policies


1. Attendance: Regular attendance is crucial to classroom learning. You are expected to attend all classes. If you
miss more than three hours of instruction, your must provide a documented excuse or risk a negative
consequence to your final grade. Frequent lateness and leaving early may also hurt you final grade. Note:
Regardless of your reason for missing a class, you are responsible for arranging to make up missed work.

2. Participation: You are expected to be prepared for class and to participate in class discussions and other
activities. Such participation will be difficult unless you have read the assigned material and have the text with
you.

3. Late Papers: You are expected to turn in papers on the specified due date. If you are unable to meet this
requirement, please speak with me in advance of the due date to make other arrangements. Unexcused late
papers will be penalized, and excessively late papers may not be accepted. I will take off 5 points for each class
date late. Also, to discourage emailed papers, you will lose 5 points automatically if you email me your
papers.

4. Make-up Exams: You are expected to take all exams on the date they are scheduled. If you are unable to meet
this requirement for some very good reason, please speak with me in advance about the possibility of making
other arrangements. Unexcused, missed tests and quizzes will be penalized and may not be made up.

5. Academic honesty: Plagiarism and other kinds of academic dishonesty will be dealt with as prescribed in the
Colleges Academic Integrity Policy published in the College Catalog.

6. Getting Help: If you feel you need help with your work, speak with me before or after class or go to the Writing
Center in room Y-121 (Library building). You can make an appointment or try a walk-in. One-on-one tutoring
from faculty is available each week. You will be able to get help on such matters as organization, grammar,
punctuation, and research documentation.

Standards for a C paper

These standards were developed by Marylands Statewide English Composition Committee to ensure rigor at the
college-level for all general education courses.


Content

The C paper fulfills the assignment, meeting all specified requirements, such as subject, organization,
and length, and reflects the authors awareness of audience and purpose. The paper presents a central idea
supported by relevant material (facts, figures, examples, quotations, or other details). The reasoning is
sound; arguments are supported with adequate evidence. Other points of view are acknowledged and
responded to as appropriate. Sources of information are accurately presented and fully attributed.


Organization

The C paper has a discernible and logical plan. It has a focus, and the writer maintains the focus
throughout the essay. The writer has unified the entire essay in support of the central idea, or thesis, and
individual paragraphs in support of subordinate points. Some individual paragraphs, however, may be
weak. The writer promotes coherence through the logical order of paragraphs and the use of some or all of
the following devices: thesis statement, topic sentences, opening and closing paragraphs, and transitions.
The use of these devices may lack smoothness, but the writer has achieved an acceptable level of
organization.

Style/Expression

The C paper uses reasonable stylistic options (tone, word choice, sentence patterns) for its audience and
purpose. As a rule, the paper has smooth transitions between paragraphs, although some transitions may be
missing or ineffective. The meaning of the sentences is clear, although some sentences may be awkward or
there may be a lack of variety in sentence patterns. Nonetheless, sentence structure is generally correct,
although it may show limited mastery of such elements as subordination, emphasis, sentence variety and
length, and modifiers. The paper reflects current academic practices of language use established by
professional associations such as the Modern Language Association and the American Psychological
Association.

Grammar/Mechanics

The C paper follows the conventions of standard written U.S. English; thus, it is substantially free of
errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and mechanics. What errors are present must not impede
meaning nor overly distract the reader. The paper reflects current citation and documentation of sources as
specified in relevant guidebooks.

ENG 102 Essay Assignments

Paper #1

Paragraph, instructions to come



Paper #2

Interview Essay, instructions to come




Paper #3

Based on Buck by MK Asante, instructions to come




Paper #4 (Oral Presentation will be associated with this assignment, instructions to come)

Literary Lifestyles essay, instructions to come



Paper #5

Historical fiction piece with Annotated Bibliography, instructions to come