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Essential Objectives

Course Syllabus


Revision Date: 11-Sep-24
 

Fall 2024 | ENG-1061-VO07 - English Composition


Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Location: Online
Credits: 3 (45 hours)
Day/Times: Meets online
Semester Dates: 09-03-2024 to 12-16-2024
Last day to drop without a grade: 09-16-2024 - Refund Policy
Last day to withdraw (W grade): 11-04-2024 - Refund Policy
This course has started, please contact the offering academic center about registration

Faculty

Janice Mitchell-Love
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Cindy Swanson

General Education Requirements


This section meets the following CCV General Education Requirement(s) for the current catalog year:
VSCS Introductory Written Expression
    Note
  1. Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.
  2. Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

In this course, students develop effective composition skills and research techniques. Students learn strategies for organizing, evaluating, and revising their work through extensive reading of a variety of essay styles and literary texts; apply writing and research techniques to their papers; and demonstrate proficiency in first-year college-level writing and information literacy.


Essential Objectives

1. Consistently apply an appropriate writing process that includes planning, drafting, revising, and editing.
2. Demonstrate in written work an awareness of the relationship among writer, subject, audience, and purpose.
3. Demonstrate writing proficiency with a range of rhetorical approaches to include narration, exposition, argument, and critical analysis and recognize the stylistic and structural strategies in the writing of others.
4. Discuss writing by authors from diverse (such as racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and gender) backgrounds to explore how perspectives and experiences may shape voice in composition.
5. Focus written work around an explicit central thesis, a position statement or proposition advanced by the writer that is arguable and supportable and develop the thesis systematically, using specific details and supporting evidence.
6. Compose written work that demonstrates effective use of sentence structure, paragraphing, grammar, syntax, punctuation, and spelling.
7. Demonstrate proficiency in research writing skills by completing one or more papers that:
a) Develop and support an arguable thesis;
b) Locate, evaluate, and incorporate appropriate scholarly and professional sources, including primary and secondary evidence as needed, to address an academic research question;
c) Appropriately acknowledge and document sources, using standard MLA or APA styles.


Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.


Required Textbooks and Resources

ENG-1061-VO07 Link to Textbooks/Resources Information for this course in eCampus.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.


Methods

The methods and materials for English Composition will include weekly writing and reading assignments. Writing will be in a variety of forms such as but not limited to journals/reading logs, formal essays, research assignments, and a mini research project. Students will read essays and other writings in order to explore writing possibilities, study different writing styles, and develop/hone critical analysis skills. There will be active participation in the discussion forum, submission of essay drafts to the discussion board for peer review, constructive feedback to peers, and submissions of journals. Students will review grammar/punctuation conventions weekly and study related topics in-depth as needed. Finally, there will be work on vocabulary development in the area of commonly confused words/homonyms.

Overview:

Your work this semester is to improve your writing through close reading, drafts of your own writing, revisions of your own writing, and critiques and discussions of your own and classmates' writings. I will give you detailed comments on your work. Your classmates will also comment on your work through peer review. Both of these types of comments will help you to improve as a writer. However, the major driver of your success will be you; online courses are much more self-directed than if you were in the traditional classroom. That's a good thing in that the online format gives you significant freedom to choose when and where to do your week's work, but do make sure you keep up with the schedule of assignments and feel free to ask me any questions that you might have. I'm always, always here for you.

It is critical for your success in English Composition I to complete the reading assignment before starting the essay assignment. The reading will inform your work with both information and examples.

Each week you might have the following kinds of assignments: reading about the type of writing we are discussing that week in instructor handouts and in The English Composition Reader and reading several essays that illustrate that kind of writing in The English Composition Reader; either a practice writing, a short essay, or a rough draft of a longer essay; a journal that is either a reading log on essays you've read or an examination of your own writing strategies; grammar exercises; and a few commonly confused words or homonyms to make your own. Midway in the semester when work begins on the short researched argument, you will also have weekly homework assignments involving preparation tasks for that essay.

Course Structure:

For purposes of this course, the week begins on Tuesday morning, when the Discussion Board for the week opens. Generally the due dates for homework tasks are Monday nights at 11:59 p.m. (most journals, writing, and discussion forum tasks). Occasionally, drafts of writing exercises, whether they are practice writings, drafts of short essays, or rough drafts of longer essays, will be due earlier in the week, generally Saturday nights at 11:59 p.m., to allow time for peer review comments before the week's end. As a general rule, please remember the following: the later you post your work and responses, the less time people have to respond to your work and to engage in any meaningful dialogue. Occasionally, this could affect your grade. Each week ends at 11:59 p.m. on Monday nights.

Note: I attempt to establish generous due dates for posting to the forum and for final drafts of your writing assignments, knowing that many of you are taking this class online because of complex professional and familial commitments. However, you will be required to post on the weekly discussion forum several different times on different days during the week; posting is not a task you can accomplish in one day. For the discussions of essays, in particular, the goal is to have as closely as possible the one-on-one conversations we would have in the traditional classroom.

Absences

Please note: weekly attendance is taken from Discussion Board participation and/or submitted assignments. If you contribute at all during the week, you will get credit for attendance. Attendance and the discussion board grade are two different entities: the grade for Discussion Board is dependent on the quality of your participation.


Evaluation Criteria

Your final grade will be derived from the following: participation in discussion forums (which requires complete homework preparation); formal essays, one of which is a mini research project; informal essays that are homework practices for the graded writing assignments; journals/reading logs on some of the readings; grammar exercises (homework); and vocabulary development (homonyms and commonly confused words).

The final grade will be derived using the following weighting of components:

25% Participation in discussion forums

60% Seven formal essays: four @ 5% each (description, definition, cause/effect, and process analysis), two @ 10% each (personal narrative and comparison/contrast),and a mini research essay @ 20%

5% Journal/reading logs and examinations of your own writing strategies (11)

5% Research Tasks -- 10 assignments having to do with mini research essay

5% Grammar and Vocabulary (Commonly Confused Words) Exercises (9)

Grading for Discussion Board

A = Outstanding Quality: Postings demonstrate a solid understanding of the concepts, topics and ideas as evidenced by thoughtful responses and questions that show a clear connection with and/or are integrated with the course material at hand. Postings show depth and include many supporting details. A posting of outstanding quality might demonstrate, for example, a critical analysis of an existing posted idea or introduce a different interpretation to an existing concept or idea. When discussing literature, quotes from the reading, when appropriate, are included. Outstanding postings demonstrate the following characteristics: they are thoroughly developed; they are completely free of major grammatical or mechanical errors; they demonstrate a reasonable attempt to be free of minor grammatical or mechanical errors; they are well argued with many supportive examples and illustrations from readings and discussion; and they show strong evidence of original thinking. In outstanding postings, the tone is clear and respectful Postings are submitted on-time and are distributed throughout the week. All directions, such as required number of sentences per post, are followed. (Note: underlining is simply to emphasize points often overlooked by past students.)

B = Good quality: Postings demonstrate an adequate understanding of the concepts, topics, and ideas as evidenced by posting more general statements in the forum. A good quality posting might, for example, indicate agreement or disagreement with an existing discussion including a limited explanation or justification but would not offer depth of critical analysis or a different interpretation to an existing concept or idea as an outstanding post might. When discussing literature, quotes from the reading, when appropriate, are included. Postings are thoroughly developed, largely free of major and minor grammatical or mechanical errors, are reasonably argued with some supportive example and illustrations from readings and discussions, and show evidence of original thinking. In good postings, the tone is clear and respectful. Postings are submitted on-time and are distributed throughout the week. Directions, such as required number of sentences per post, are generally followed. (Note: underlining is simply to emphasize points often overlooked by past students.)

C = Fair quality: Postings demonstrate a restricted understanding of the concepts, topics, and ideas as evidenced by posting information that could be derived from prior posts and/or including highly general comments. When discussing literature, quotes from the reading, when appropriate, are not included. Postings show average development, contain consistent major and minor grammatical or mechanical errors, incorporate few supportive examples and illustrations from readings and discussion, and/or show marginal evidence of original thinking. In fair postings, the tone is clear and respectful. Postings are submitted on-time but are not distributed throughout the week. Directions, such as required number of sentences per post, are not followed. (Note: underlining is simply to emphasize points often overlooked by past students.)

D = Poor quality: Postings do not contribute materially to discussion. There is insignificant interaction with peers and little development of thought or technique. Demonstration of acceptable grammar and mechanics usage is poor. In poor postings, the tone is respectful. Postings may not be submitted on-time and may not be distributed throughout the week.

F= Unsatisfactory quality: Postings are not submitted on-time or postings are not submitted at all. Student work could be plagiarized. Student work is so insubstantial that credit cannot be awarded. Posting could be so unintelligible that a determination of tone cannot be rendered.

0 = Zero: no postings submitted for the week.

Grading for Other Assignments:

Grading details and/or rubrics will accompany other course assignments.

Evaluation of Essays:

Grading details and/or rubrics will accompany essay assignments.

Evaluation of Discussion Forums:

See the Course Description.

Explanation of Grading in the Course.

See the Course Description.


Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

 HighLow
A+10098
A Less than 9893
A-Less than 9390
B+Less than 9088
B Less than 8883
B-Less than 8380
C+Less than 8078
C Less than 7873
C-Less than 7370
D+Less than 7068
D Less than 6863
D-Less than 6360
FLess than 60 
P10060
NPLess than 600


Weekly Schedule


Week/ModuleTopic  Readings  Assignments
 

1

Getting Started

  

Introductory Reading in The English Composition Reader

  

Discussion Forum

Getting-to-know-one-another Activities

 

2

Essay Organization

Begin Description

  

Readings in The English Composition Reader

  

Discussion Forum

Practice Essay

Journal

Grammar Review

 

3

Description, continued

  

Readings in The English Composition Reader

  

Discussion Forum

Description Essay

Grammar Review

 

4

Begin Narration

  

Readings in The English Composition Reader

  

Discussion Forum

Narration Essay: Rough Draft

Peer Review Activities

Journals

Vocabulary Review Work

 

5

Narration, continued

Cause/Effect

Begin the Research Process

  

Readings in The English Composition Reader

Reading in A Pocket Style Manual

  

Discussion Forum

Cause/Effect Essay

Journal

Grammar Review

 

6

Narration, continued

Illustration/Exemplification

Begin Argumentation

The Research Process, continued

  

Readings in The English Composition Reader

Reading in A Pocket Style Manual

  

Discussion Forum

Narration Essay: Final Draft

Mini Research Essay: The Research Proposal

Journals

 

7

Argumentation, Continued

Research Process, Continued

  

Readings in The English Composition Reader

Reading in A Pocket Style Manual

  

Discussion Forum

Mini Research Essay: The Bibliography

Mini Research Essay: Interview Questions

Mini Research Essay: The Working Outline

Journal

Grammar

Vocabulary Review Work

 

8

Argumentation, Continued

Research Process, Continued

  

Readings in The English Composition Reader

Reading in A Pocket Style Manual

  

Discussion Forum

Peer Review

Mini Research Essay: The Thesis Statement

Mini Research Essay: The Bibliography (Revision)

Mini Research Essay: The Interview Process

Journal

 

9

Argumentation, Continued

Research Process, Continued

  

Reading in A Pocket Style Manual, as needed

  

Discussion Forum

Peer Review

Mini Research Paper: The Opening Paragraph

Mini Research Paper: The Rough Draft

 

10

Argumentation, continued

Research Process, continued

  

Readings in A Pocket Style Manual, as needed

  

Discussion Forum

Peer Review

Mini Research Paper: Final Draft

 

11

Comparison/Contrast

  

Readings in The English Composition Reader

  

Discussion Forum

Comparison/Contrast Essay: Rough Draft

Journals

 

12

Comparison/Contrast, continued

Definition

  

Readings in The English Composition Reader

  

Discussion Forum

Definition Essay

Journal

 

13

Comparison/Contrast, continued

Begin Process Analysis

  

Readings in The English Composition Reader

  

Discussion Forum

Comparison/Contrast Essay: Final Draft

Journals

Grammar

Vocabulary Review Work

 

14

Process Analysis, continued

Begin Division & Classification

  

Readings in The English Composition Reader

  

Discussion Forum

Process Analysis Essay

Journal

Grammar Review Work

 

15

Division & Classification, continued

Semester Wrap-up

  

No reading

  

Discussion Forum

 

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

  • In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
  • Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
  • Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.


Missing & Late Work Policy

Attendance Policy:

Late Work:

Unless you have an emergency situation, have talked to me before the assignment is due, and have gotten permission from me to be late, no late assignments are accepted. Note: simply notifying me does not give you permission to be late; I have to answer you and give you that permission.

Attendance Policy:

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential components of a student's success in this class. Please be aware that missing more than three (3) classes may result in a non-satisfactory grade. Students on financial aid (grants and/or loans) should be aware that they could lose their financial aid by missing multiple classes.


Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:


CCV strives to mitigate barriers to course access for students with documented disabilities. To request accommodations, please
  1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
  2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
  3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.


Academic Integrity


CCV has a commitment to honesty and excellence in academic work and expects the same from all students. Academic dishonesty, or cheating, can occur whenever you present -as your own work- something that you did not do. You can also be guilty of cheating if you help someone else cheat. Being unaware of what constitutes academic dishonesty (such as knowing what plagiarism is) does not absolve a student of the responsibility to be honest in his/her academic work. Academic dishonesty is taken very seriously and may lead to dismissal from the College.