English 044
Shawnee Community College
Course Description:
Study of the form and content of effective writing. Includes review of the essentials of grammar and usage, and intensive practice in writing complete sentences, effective paragraphs, short essays/compositions and reports.
Prerequisites:
Developmental Composition 143
Credit Hours:
Three (3) semester hours
Textbook:
Langan, John. College Writing Skills, 2nd edition. St. Louis: McGraw-Hill, 1989.
Course Objectives:
To get students working-writing and thinking from the start of the course.
To have students plan and think through an essay.
To teach a series of pre-writing techniques.
To provide a number different ways to organize and develop essays.
To provide practice in skills needed to write.
To observe all the rules of punctuation.
To use parallel structure.
To vary sentence style.
Instructional Modes:
1. lecture/discussion
2. videocassettes
Student Attendance:
Each student is expected to attend all class meetings. The student is expected to be on time and ready to begin class with the proper materials at the beginning of each class period.
Student Evaluation:
Attendance
Mastery Tests
Selected Writings/Journal
Class Participation
Grading Policy:
Final grades will be determined with the following grading scale and will be based upon the total number of points accumulated on the unit exams, mid-term, final, resume, and any extra credit earned.
A = 90% or above
B = 80 - 89%
C = 70 - 79%
D = 60 - 69%
F = 0 - 59%
Office Hours:
Office hours will be posted on the bulletin board outside the instructor's office. Other times are possible by scheduling individual appointments at mutually convenient hours. Students are encouraged to consult regularly with the instructor regarding class progress or other topics of concern.
Student Expectations:
1. Read assigned material prior to discussion in class.
2. Be prepared for exams over assigned material.
3. Take daily notes from class discussion.
4. Review previous class notes prior to class.
5. Turn in assignments on time.
6. Take tests at the regularly scheduled times unless extenuating circumstances prevent this.
7. Attend class regularly and be on time.
Tentative Class Schedule:
Date Topic
Week 1 Orientation, Pretests
Week 2 Introduction to Essay Format
Week 3 The Four Steps in Essay Writing
In Class Essay - Process
Week 4 Manuscript Form and Four Bases
Week 5 Definition Essay
Week 6 Division/Classification
Week 7 Cause and Effect
In Class Writing
Week 8 Description
Week 9 Narration Essay
Week 10 In Class Essay
Week 11 Argument on Persuasion
Week 12 Paraphrasing/Summary
Week 13 Paraphrasing/Summary
Week 14 Reports
Week 15 Reports
Week 16 Reports
Week 17 Reports
Week 18 Final Examination Controls
Note: The above schedule and procedures in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.