Web Composition Syllabus

Syllabus for English 101: Composition
Summer, 2001: June 10 - July 19

Instructor: John S. Nelson
Office: 226 Beadle Hall, Dakota State University, Madison, SD
Phone: 605-256-5273
Home Phone: 605-694-2826
Email: nelsonj@pluto.dsu.edu
Online Assistant: To be determined.

Office Hours: I will usually be online early in the day and late afternoon or evening.

TEXT: The Brief Holt Handbook, revised second edition. By Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Text may be purchased on your own or at the DSU Bookstore (605-256-5238). Text will be supplemented by readings online.

COURSE GOAL: So that you will have authentic, relevant, cognitive and practical skills, this course will engage you in the production and analysis of effective academic writing.

CREDIT HOURS: 3 APPROVED COURSE DESCRIPTION: "Practice in the skills, research, and documentation needed for effective academic writing. Analysis of a variety of academic and non-academic texts, rhetorical structures, critical thinking, and audience will be included. Prerequisite: Appropriate student placement based on entry-level assessment or successful completion of ENGL 010." (Dakota State University Undergraduate Catalog 2001-2002).

PREREQUISITES: Students must demonstrate, through a diagnostic essay that they possess entry level competency in basic writing and language. If they do not, they will be able to withdraw from the course and receive a complete refund.

ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION: ENGL 101, Composition via Internet is designed to meet the composition needs of business professionals as well as beginning or returning college students. It will teach the rhetorical and research skills which are basic to effective writing in any discipline. This class will focus upon reading short arguments and writing short expository essays so you will learn to write clear, concise and coherent college-level papers, including research papers, in standard written English using current academic citation practices. The benefit of the course is the development of a valuable skill: the ability to write well.

PROCEDURES:

Students enrolled in the online composition course must be ready to devote a significant part of each day to the course during the course. Students will need daily to log on to the Internet, check the schedule, check assignments, check the discussion board, and check and respond to email. Students will also be composing writing assignments, reading, doing research, and responding to other students' work. Assignments will be posted on a schedule and/or emailed.

Generally, major writing assignments will be emailed to the instructor. The instructor will comment on and grade the assignment and respond by email. Grades will be emailed to students in response to their work. After three weeks, students will be informed of their grade at that point.

You will get plenty of feedback on your writing this semester. Some feedback will be from other students, some from an online assistant, and some from the instructor. Some will occur privately, through email or chat, and some will occur publicly on the discussion board. You should try to be sharp and honest in your comments on others' work. I will expect you to make evaluative statements about your own work as well. I will give you opportunities and will expect you to make use of this feedback. The course and the methods are all geared toward helping you learn to write, from me, from the activities, from the writing, and from each other.

You will be expected to write and rewrite, and the portfolio you produce at the end of the semester--which is the most heavily weighted of the things you will hand in--will be a collection of the final versions of many drafts of papers you write this semester.

We will make good use of electronic resources at DSU and on the Internet. You will use word processing to write your papers and you will use electronic mail and discussion boards to communicate with me and with others in the course. You will make use of DSU’s on-line library resources, using electronic sources and the Mundt Library to complete your research.

I believe that writing best progresses in a context of discussion and feedback, rather than in isolation. You may be more comfortable keeping your writing private, but little growth occurs this way. The structure of this course will give you lots of opportunity to share your writing, as well as the frustration and satisfaction that producing pieces of writing creates.

POLICY REGARDING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: All work you submit must be your own. Ideas and words taken from other sources must be acknowledged. The submission of written work which includes the words or ideas of another without citing or attributing them to their author possibly constitutes plagiarism. Papers which are plagiarized will be given a failing grade and their authors treated in accordance with the DSU Student Conduct Policies and Procedures as stated in the Trojan Handbook. If you have questions about plagiarism, make sure that they are answered. It is possible to fail this course if plagiarism is committed.

LATE PAPER POLICY: Assignments are due on the dates indicated. Late papers will result in lower grades. Any change in this policy must be arranged before the assigned due date and be accompanied by a written explanation for your need to make any adjustment to the schedule of due dates.

COMPUTER HARDWARE: Students must have easy access to a computer that has a modem and is capable of running Netscape or Internet Explorer. A Pentium-based machine, a 28.8 bps modem, and an Internet hookup should be sufficient.

COMPUTER SKILLS USED: Word processing, electronic mail, discussion boards, chat, world wide web, and on-line library resources.

Students are encouraged to develop web publishing skills. For this you will need some kind of web page building software. Netscape Composer is freeware that works, and Word or other word processors can save texts as web files. If you want a good program, Front Page is very usable--it's what I have used to create the course pages.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. You will understand and practice writing as a process that will include rewriting, drafting, writing, rewriting, peer reviewing, and editing.

2. You will use writing as a way for discovering, clarifying, and explaining ideas as you join a discourse community that embodies the ideals of collaboration, shared ownership, and shared authority.

3. You will develop a portfolio of writings for different occasions and diverse audiences.

4. You will read and respond analytically to a variety of texts including published documents and classmates' works.

5. You will support your researched arguments and expositions with quotations, paraphrases, and summaries accurately using current MLA citation practices.

6. You will use electronic technology (on-line library resources, word processing, Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment, and electronic mail) to access information, and to compose and share your writing.

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODOLOGIES: In addition to the traditional practices of reading and writing academic essays, this composition course will incorporate current pedagogical approaches including process writing, collaboration, small group activities, and portfolio assessment. The above approaches will be implemented through the writing and communication software available on the DSU computer network.

ADA STATEMENT: If there is any student in this class who, due to a disability, has need for non-standard note taking, test taking, or other course modification, please feel free to come and discuss this with me privately, as soon as possible. Also, please contact the DSU ADA Coordinator, Nancy Moose, 256-5146, located in the Student Services Center.

EVALUATION PROCEDURE:

Research project 10%
All other papers 30%
Portfolio evaluation 30%
Daily work 30%

GENERAL PAPER-GRADING STANDARDS:

F: No paper, plagiarized work, or a paper which bears little or no resemblance to the assignment.

D: The writing is unclear and the text lacks substance either because the exposition is superficial or the argument is very poor or nonexistent.

C: The writing is effective enough to meet the basic needs of the assignment, but it fails to engage the reader in a significant way. Either the writing is unclear or the exposition or argument is incoherent, insufficiently supported, or does not suit the intended audience, or the text exhibits non-standard spelling, usage, punctuation or citation practices.

B: The writing is clear and the exposition or argument is basically sound, exhibiting good development and cohesiveness, and the surface of the text exhibits current standard written academic grammar, punctuation and citation practices.

A: The writing is both clear and graceful, the argument or exposition well arranged and suited to its audience, and the essay as a whole exhibits depth of thought and unity of structure, and a surface free from error.

ACCESS: Please notify me with any concerns, questions, or problems, preferably before they become major ones. Call me, email me, or call the College of Liberal Arts office.