ENGL 1301: Student Syllabus
Spring 2016
Course Name/Section Number: Rhetoric & Composition 1301
Instructor Name:
Division/Dept:
Office Hours:
Krystal Hernandez
Humanities and Fine Arts/Language Department
By appointment
Office Location: VCAL, IT 1 Building, Room 7
Office Phone: 361-788-9650, Ext. 37024
Instructor Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Course Description
English 1301 is an introductory composition course that exposes students to an intensive study
of and practice in writing processes, from invention and researching to drafting, revising, and
editing, both individually and collaboratively, emphasis on effective rhetorical choices, including
audience, purpose, arrangement, and style, and focus on writing the academic essay as a
vehicle for learning, communicating, and critical analysis.
Prerequisite(s)
Texas Success Initiative complete in Reading and Writing.
Required Textbook(s), Supplies, and Materials
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Kirszner, Laurie G. and Stephen R. Mandell. Patterns for College Writing: A
Rhetorical Reader and Guide. New York: Bedford, 2012.
Hacker, Diane. A Writer’s Reference (With Exercises). 7th ed. New York:
Bedford, 2011.
Collegiate Dictionary, recommended
Three-ring binder with tab dividers
College-ruled spiral notebook, two-subject
Blue/Black ink pens
Learning Outcomes/Assessments
1. Understand and demonstrate writing and speaking processes through invention, organization,
drafting, revision, editing, and presentation
Disclaimer: The instructor reserves the right to change this syllabus as deemed necessary and appropriate.
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Assessment: Final Exam Essay and IDEA Survey Essential Objective #8
2. Understand the importance of specifying audience and purpose and select appropriate
communication choices. (Write in a style appropriate to audience and purpose.)
Assessment: Final Exam Essay and IDEA Survey Essential Objective #8
3. Understand and apply basic principles of critical thinking, problem solving, and technical
proficiency in the development of exposition and argument.
Assessment: Final Exam Essay and IDEA Survey Essential Objective #11
4. Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative writing processes.
Assessment: Argument Essay
5. Develop ideas with appropriate support and attribution.
Assessment: Argument Essay
Core Competencies
WRITING: the ability to produce clear, correct, and coherent prose adapted to purpose,
occasion, and audience.
Assessment: Final exam and IDEA Survey Essential Objective #8
CRITICAL THINKING: embraces methods for applying both qualitative and quantitative skills
analytically and creatively to subject matter in order to evaluate arguments and to construct
alternative strategies.
Assessment: Final exam and IDEA Survey Essential Objective #11
Course Requirements
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At least four essays and one revision will be required during the semester and submitted
to Turnitin.com.
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Additional exercises will be required for class, including grammar work, vocabulary warm
ups, and/or other objectives exercises.
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The final exam essay, which constitutes 25% of the overall grade, will be written on an
unannounced topic during the officially scheduled final examination period.
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Class attendance, class participation, and completion of all reading assignments are
expected of every student. Students not present in class are unable to participate in the
class and unprepared to complete assigned work.
Course Policies
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Out of class papers are due at the beginning of class on the assigned date.
Absenteeism is not an excuse. Make-up work is the student’s responsibility.
If you must miss class, please contact me about any make-up work.
→Late Policy – Essays must be made up. One letter grade will be
deducted for late papers if they are turned in no later than one week
after the specific due date. Students will continue to drop one full
letter grade for each subsequent week a paper is late. A zero will be
Disclaimer: The instructor reserves the right to change this syllabus as deemed necessary and appropriate.
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assigned for any essay not turned in.
→Late Policy – All other assignments may be turned in within one
week of the due date but the student will receive a deducted grade.
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All out of class essays must be typed and stapled. Format: Times
New Roman, 12 pt. font, double spaced, MLA citation style.
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Plagiarism and all other forms of cheating will result in a failing grade for the
assignment without a possibility of making up this grade. A second case of plagiarism or
cheating will result in an immediate failing grade for the semester. Plagiarism and/or
cheating includes, but is not limited to, buying essays on the internet, using another
person’s words and ideas as your own, re-using papers written for other courses, and
getting answers from other students on quizzes and exams.
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Cell phones must be turned off and kept out of sight. No personal laptops may be used
in class.
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Please function with respect at all times. Misconduct and/or disruptive behavior will not
be tolerated.
English 1301 Binder
You will be expected to keep all Cornell notes, discussions, and any other class work in your
binder. The binder should be a three-ring binder with tab dividers.
Grading Determination
Reading Questions
English 1301 Binder
Essay 1: Description
Essay 2: Compare & Contrast
Essay 3: Rhetorical Analysis
Essay 4: Argument
Final Exam Essay
10%
15%
15%
10%
10%
15%
25%
Attendance
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Attendance in class is essential to your success! There is no substitute for class
participation, class discussion, small group interaction, and taking your own notes to
guide your understanding and absorption of course objectives, as well as the attainment
of critical thinking skills crucial for success at the collegiate level.
Attendance will be taken for every class meeting and recorded electronically on a daily
basis. Attendance records will then be submitted electronically to the appropriate
division dean on the last day of the course.
While it is the final responsibility of the student to drop a class that she/he is no longer
attending, there are instances in which a student may be dropped by the instructor
of the class if absences have become excessive and meet the criteria for
Instructor-Initiated Withdrawals.
Disclaimer: The instructor reserves the right to change this syllabus as deemed necessary and appropriate.
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Tentative Course Schedule
Please note: Instructor reserves the right to make changes in the syllabus.
Week One January 4-8, 2016
 Course Introduction
 Discuss aspects of good writers; how close reading and annotations enhance the
reading-writing connection; introduce English 1301 Binder
 Patterns of College Writing “Part One: The Writing Process” pp. 13-63
 A Writer’s Reference: to be used as needed per directions from instructor
 Grammar Warm Up / Vocabulary Study: define at least 2 unknown terms from preceding
chapter in Cornell notes
Week Two January 11-15, 2016
 Lecture/Discussion: Patterns of College Writing—“What is Description?” pp. 151
 Discuss function of a thesis; review sample student essays and practice developing
thesis statements
 “My Grandfather’s Globe” pp. 161-164: Description Handout
 Homework: Read/SOAPStone E.B. White’s “Once More to the Lake” pp. 194-199 and
complete “Style and Structure” questions on pp. 199-201.
 Grammar Warm Up / Vocabulary Study: define at least 2 unknown terms from preceding
chapter in Cornell notes
Week Three January 18-22,2016
 Patterns of College Writing—“What is Description?” pp. 151 and “Using Description” pp.
152
 Patterns of College Writing—“Using Visuals” pp. 154-156 (picture assignment)
 Introduction to Essay #1-Descriptive Essay
 Grammar Warm Up / Vocabulary Study: define at least 2 unknown terms from preceding
chapter in Cornell notes
Week Four January 25-29,2016
 Patterns of College Writing—“Planning a Descriptive Essay” pp. 157
 Patterns of College Writing—“The Valley of Windmills” pp. 165-166
 Patterns of College Writing—“Structuring a Descriptive Essay” pp. 158
 Patterns of College Writing – “Ground Zero” pp. 182
 Begin outlines and drafts of Essay #1: Description
 Grammar Warm Up / Vocabulary Study: define at least 2 unknown terms from preceding
chapter in Cornell notes
Week Five February 1-5, 2016
 Descriptive Essay Rough Draft due – Peer Review
 Patterns of College Writing—“Revising and Editing a Descriptive Essay” pp. 159-161
 Patterns for College Writing—“What is Comparison and Contrast?” pp. 371-372 and
“Using Comparison and Contrast” pp. 372
 Patterns for College Writing—“Brains versus Brawns” pp. 379-382 (subject by subject
comparison) and answer “Style and Purpose” questions
 Patterns for College Writing—“A Comparison of Two Web Sites on Attention Deficit
Disorder” pp. 385-388 (point-by-point comparison)
Disclaimer: The instructor reserves the right to change this syllabus as deemed necessary and appropriate.
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 Grammar Warm Up / Vocabulary Study: define at least 2 unknown terms from preceding
chapter in Cornell notes
Week Six February 8-12, 2016
 Patterns for College Writing—“Planning a Comparison-and-Contrast Essay” pp. 372-375
and “Structuring a Comparison-and-Contrast Essay” pp. 375-377
 Patterns for College Writing—“Why Chinese Mothers are Superior” pp. 410-414 and
complete Style and Structure questions #1-5.
 Introduction to Essay #2: Compare and Contrast
 Patterns for College Writing – “Grant versus Lee” pp. 393-396 and complete a Venn
diagram and create outline.
 Homework: Create outline for essay #2.
 Grammar Warm Up / Vocabulary Study: define at least 2 unknown terms from preceding
chapter in Cornell notes
 Final Descriptive Essay due to Turnitin.com
Week Seven February 15-19, 2016
 Patterns for College Writing—“Planning a Comparison-and-Contrast Essay” pp. 372-375
and “Structuring a Comparison-and-Contrast Essay” pp. 375-377
 Students will draft Essay #2: Compare and Contrast
Week Eight February 22-26, 2016
 Back to the Lake: “Rhetorical Analysis” and College Board resources
 College Board Resources: various rhetorical analysis prompts
 Patterns for College Writing: “Revising a Comparison-and-Contrast Essay” pp. 377-378
and “Editing a Comparison-and-Contrast Essay” pp. 378-379
 Essay 2 Rough Draft due – Peer Review
 Essay 2 – Teacher Conference
 Grammar Warm Up / Vocabulary Study: define at least 2 unknown terms from preceding
chapter in Cornell notes
 Introduce Essay #3: Rhetorical Analysis prompts
Week Nine February 29-March 4, 2016
 Final Comparison-and-Contrast Essay due to Turnitin.com
 Back to the Lake: “Planning a Rhetorical Analysis Essay” and “Structuring a Rhetorical
Analysis Essay”
 Utilize student created rhetorical analysis essays and peer edit using QOEGV/College
Board rubric
 “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” SOAPStone and complete “Style and Structure
Questions”
 Grammar Warm Up / Vocabulary Study: define at least 2 unknown terms from preceding
chapter in Cornell notes
 Homework: Create an outline for Essay #3: Rhetorical Analysis
Week Ten March 7-11, 2016
 Back to the Lake: “Revising a Rhetorical Analysis Essay” and “Editing a Rhetorical
Analysis Essay”
 Review student outlines
 Grammar Warm Up / Vocabulary Study: define at least 2 unknown terms from preceding
chapter in Cornell notes
 Essay #3: draft due by the end of class on Thursday, March 10th.
Disclaimer: The instructor reserves the right to change this syllabus as deemed necessary and appropriate.
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**Spring Break March 14-18, 2016**
Week Eleven March 21-25, 2016
 UHV Resources: Signaling Sources and Commentary
 MLA Citations
 College Board student samples: Argument/Synthesis (looking at signaling of sources
and commentary)
 Signaling source exercises using articles and books
 Final Rhetorical Analysis Essay due to Turnitin.com by Thursday, March 24th.
Week Twelve March 28-April 1, 2016
 Introduction to Essay #4: Argument
 Patterns for College Writing: “What is Argumentation?” pp. 525-526 and “What is
“Understanding Argumentation and Persuasion” pp. 526-527; “What is Rhetoric?”
Lecture/Discussion
 Ethos/Pathos/Logos and audience by identifying appeals in a scene from “Julius Caesar”
 Patterns for College Writing: “An Argument against the Ann Todd Jennings Scholarship”
pp. 545-547 and create an outline
 Homework: Complete Style and Structure Questions for “Todd Jennings Scholarship”
 Examine visual texts (advertisements, websites, and cartoons)
 Grammar Warm Up / Vocabulary Study: define at least 2 unknown terms from preceding
chapter in Cornell notes
Week Thirteen April 4-8, 2016
 Patterns for College Writing: “Planning an Argumentative Essay” pp. 527-533 and “Using
Deductive and Inductive Arguments” pp. 533-540
 Fallacy Clips
 Discuss audience and rhetorical strategies: rhetorical appeals in TV commercials
 Patterns for College Writing: Martin Luther King Jr. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” pp.
566-578 and annotate for ethos, pathos, and logos.
 Patterns for College Writing: “Structuring an Argumentative Essay” and “Revising and
Editing an Argumentative Essay” pp. 541-545—identify thesis statements.
 Vocabulary Study: define at least 2 unknown terms from preceding chapter in Cornell
notes
Week Fourteen April 11-15, 2016
 Introduce topic for Essay #4: Thomas Paine “Rights of Man”
 Deconstruct Argument Prompt packet
 Homework: Read Patterns for College Writing - “Structuring an Argumentative Essay”
pp. 541-542.
 Score sample argumentative essays from College Board resources
 Create outline and construct rough draft of argument essays
Week Fifteen April 18-22, 2016
 Teacher conference of argumentative essay drafts
 Essay 4 Rough Draft Due – Peer Review
 Compose final drafts of Essay #4: Argument
Disclaimer: The instructor reserves the right to change this syllabus as deemed necessary and appropriate.
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Week Sixteen April 25-29, 2016
 Final Argument Essay due to Turnitin.com by the end of the period on Monday,
April 25th.
 Prepare for Final Exam: deconstruct prompt, score sample student essays, create
outlines, and compose written draft of essay for teacher conference.
Week Seventeen May 2-6, 2016
 Revise rough drafts using RACIOCINATION.
 Quick check of fallacies, ethos, pathos, logos, etc.
 Make changes to essay prior to teacher conference.
 Teacher Conferences
 Type final essays to submit to turnitin.com
Week Eighteen: Final Exam Schedule (May 9-12, 2016)
 Final Exam – Essay 5 (Argumentative Essay)
Disclaimer: The instructor reserves the right to change this syllabus as deemed necessary and appropriate.
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Disclaimer: The instructor reserves the right to change this syllabus as deemed necessary and appropriate.