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COURSE SYLLABUS

1. TITLE OF COURSE: Writing Fundamentals
  PREFIX/NUMBER: ENG 060 CREDIT HOURS: 3
2. PREREQUISITE: 50 or better on the Accuplacer Sentence Skills Test or completion of ENG 030 with a "C" or higher
3.

RESOURCES NEEDED:

 

TEXT:

  • Langan, John. Exploring Writing. Boston:  McGraw-Hill,  2008. 
  • A Dictionary
 

SUPPLIES:

See instructor
4. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will focus on paragraph structure and development and will introduce the formal essay.  Students will review and improve grammar, usage, and punctuation skills while employing critical thinking strategies and the writing process to respond to a wide variety of writing situations. 
5. COURSE GOAL: Students will develop their writing skills through a review of basic language and writing techniques.
6. COURSE OBJECTIVES:
  (A) Students will employ the writing process (pre-writing; analyzing purpose, audience, and point of view; revising; and editing) in order to write well organized paragraphs and essays.
(B) Students will demonstrate their ability to write well-developed, formal paragraphs with clear topic sentences using the following patterns of development: description, narration, and exposition.
  (C) Students will edit their writing for the following grammatical concepts:
   
  1. Subject-Verb Agreement
  2. Sentence Fragments
  3. Coordination and Subordination
  4. Run-on Sentences
  5. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
  6. Parallel Structure
  1. Adjective and adverb forms
  2. Verb form
  3. Shift in Tense
  4. Capitalization and Punctuation
  5. Pronoun Usage
  6. Spelling and word usage
  (D) Students will read and react to selections to practice reading and writing skills, improve vocabulary, strengthen paraphrasing and summarizing skills, and generate ideas.
7.   EVALUATION PROCEDURES:

Evaluation is an ongoing process, including the following: quizzes, a final exam, and writing assignments. Seventy percent of the final grade is based on writing (assigned compositions, journals, responses to readings, and/or summary and paraphrasing exercises). Thirty percent of the final grade is based on grammar and punctuation, quizzes, and exercises. A grade of "I" may be given at the close of a semester only because of illness or an equally valid reason if a minimum of 85% of the course work has been completed.

    Average of Grammar Tests/Exercises 30%
    Average of Writing assignments 70%

Grading Scale

    Raw Score Range Letter Grade
    90 to 100
80 to 89
70 to 79
60 to 69
0 to 59
A
B
C
D
F
Special Remarks:

a.

To receive full credit, all work must be submitted on time. Late work will receive one grade cut for each day beyond the due date of the assignment and will not be accepted during final exam week.

b.

Attendance: College policy states that students may be dropped from enrollment when absent 20% of the scheduled class meetings. If enrolled from the beginning of the term, 9 hours will usually constitute 20% of a three-credit semester course.  After missing the fourth instructional hour of a class, students may have points or a percentage deducted from their final grade for further absences. The specific number of points or percentage will be left to the instructor's discretion.

c.

Tardy Policy: Students are to be ready to begin classes at the scheduled start of the classes. It is considered unprofessional and disruptive behavior for students to arrive late and/or leave early. Three tardies or early exits may be counted as one absence.

d.

Assignments/Missed Exams: It is the student's responsibility, whether present or absent, to obtain all material presented and to complete all course assignments. If prior arrangements are made or extenuating circumstances exist, makeup of tests may be allowed. Late homework papers will not be accepted unless those same extenuating circumstances exist. Makeup of quizzes is to be at the instructor's discretion.

e.

Students are expected and encouraged to spend two to three hours outside of class for every contact hour in class.  

f.

Respect for others and for the teaching-learning situation is the key to successful interaction in the class. Therefore, instructors will manage the classroom environment to promote a positive learning experience for all students.  All cell phones and pagers must be turned off during class.

8. COURSE OUTLINE
  Tentative Schedule (Instructor may vary and/or supplement)

In addition to the formal writing assignments, informal writing will be a part of all grammar lessons.

  I. Introduction & Writing Diagnostic
  II. The Writing Process
  III. Subjects and Verbs
  IV. Purpose and Audience
  V. Brainstorming Techniques
  VI. Sentence Fragments
  VII. Topic Sentences
  VIII. Run-on Sentences
  IX. Supporting Details
  X. Verb Forms
  XI. Paragraph Coherence
  XII. Subject-Verb Agreement
  XIII. The Narrative Paragraph
  XIV. Consistent Verb Tense
  XV. Descriptive Paragraphs
  XVI. Pronoun Reference, Agreement, Point-of-View, and Case
  XVII Expository Paragraphs
  XVIII. Adjective and Adverb Forms
  XIX. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
  XX. Parallel Structures
  XXI. Capitalization and End Marks
  XXII. The Apostrophe
  XXIII. Revising and Proofreading
  XXIV. The Essay
  XXV. Other Uses of the Comma
  XXVI. Spelling Rules and Frequently Confused Words
  XXVII. Writing & Grammar Final Exams
9. METHODS OF INSTRUCTION:
  To be successful in this course, students are expected to participate in discussions, readings, in-class writing, conferences, and/or peer review activities. The instructor may assign point values to such activities.
10.    ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
  The English Department supports and adheres to the following policy on academic integrity. Students should refer to their PCC Student Handbook for the complete policy statement.

"Pueblo Community College is committed to providing a superior educational experience for all students who attend the college. Academic integrity and honesty in all educational classrooms and programs are critical in providing this high level of education. . . . . Academic Dishonesty is any form of cheating and plagiarism which results in students giving or receiving unauthorized assistance in an academic exercise or receiving credit for work which is not their own. . . . Plagiarism is the deliberate adoption or reproduction of ideas or words or statements of another person as one's own without acknowledgement."

Penalties for violating the standards of academic integrity may include warning, probation, suspension, and/or failure of the course or assignment at the discretion of the instructor.  However, if a student submits as his or her own a paper that has been purchased, borrowed, or copied from the internet, a published work, or another person's work, the student will receive an F for the course.

11.    ADA NOTICE:
Students who have a documented disability may be eligible to receive accommodations for this class. Please contact the Disability Resources Center at 549-3446 for further information.