English CompositionMid-State Technical College

Spring 2014

Course Description & Objectives

This course will focus on developing writing skills, which include prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. After completing this course, students should be able to:

Establish document purpose Apply audience analysis techniques Employ rhetorical strategies Organize document content and differentiate

essay parts Construct topic sentences Devise thesis statements Compose paragraph types Apply revision skills Prepare written documents Establish critical reading skills Investigate information sources & integrate research techniques

As an instructor in higher education, I also believe that classroom experiences should strengthen employability skills. The following is a list of skills that students will work on mastering throughout the semester:

Personal Responsibility Self-Motivation, Self-Management, & Self-

Awareness Interdependence Life-long Learning Skills Emotional Intelligence Confidence

Classroom Conduct

You will be exposed to new and divergent views in this class. Every student has a right to freely express his or her opinions, ideas, and questions throughout the semester. Please respect everyone’s point of view, even if it is contrary to your own. You do not have to agree with everyone (including me!!), but I do ask that you listen with an open mind. This is what education is all about – opening oneself up to new philosophies, realities, and possibilities!

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Instructor: Kelly Soczka KaiserOffice: Room 156Phone: 715-342-3125E-mail: Kelly.kaiser@mstc.edu

Office Hours:Monday: 10-11 a.m., 1-3 p.m. & 4-5 p.m.Tuesday: 10 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.Wednesday: 10-11 a.m., 1-3 p.m. & 4-6 p.m.Thursday: 10-11 a.m., 1-3 p.m.Friday: By appointment only

Required Materials:1. Textbook (rent from bookstore or

purchase online).

Russell, K. (2012). Write Now: Read. Think.

Research. Communicate. New York:

McGraw Hill, Inc.

ISBN: 978-0-07-339707-8

Email Courtesy Instructions: First, write what the email pertains to in the subject line of the email. Secondly, open with an appropriate greeting or salutation. Next, make sure to sign the email with your full name and section number. Finally, remember, a thank you is always appreciated by the receiver.

My goal is to respond to your email within 24 hours, but realize, I may or may not check email on the weekends. Do not expect an immediate response over the weekend or other holidays. MSTC e-mail is the college's primary method for communicating important information to students and staff. You are required to use your MSTC e-mail account in this course and are encouraged to check your email regularly to keep current.

Electronic Technology (Cell phones, Laptops, etc.): Please try to remember to turn off your cell phones, blackberries or pagers during class. Since laptops are a distraction for students in the classroom, both for the user and other students, I do not allow their use

unless they are incorporated into a classroom activity. If you do require a laptop for taking notes due to a disability, please see me after class and obtain a note to this affect from disability services.

Students may NOT create audio/video recordings of classes, with the exception of those students requiring an accommodation. (An approved accommodation plan is required BEFORE audiotaping is allowed). Students creating unauthorized audio recording of lectures violates an instructor’s intellectual property rights and are subject to disciplinary action under the Student Code of Conduct.

Course Policies

Attendance: Attendance is mandatory due to the nature of the course. Your involvement and participation are required – whether it be as a presenter, critic, respondent, or listener.

For a class that meets 2 times per week for 2 hours, you may miss THREE class periods without penalty. After three absences, 20 points will be subtracted from your final grade for each additional absence. If you have a prolonged absence due to illness or other conflict, you should inform me and contact Mary Marks in

Disability Services so that you can be excused from my course and your other courses.

If you no longer wish to attend this class, you must officially withdraw from this course. I am not allowed to drop students from courses. Students who do not withdraw officially remain responsible for class costs and will be issued a failing grade. Plus, not officially withdrawing from a course may negatively impact your ability to receive financial aid in the future.

Late Assignments: All work is due by the end of the class period listed in the syllabus. Any written work that is that turned in late will receive an automatic 25% reduction regardless of the excuse presented by the student. If you do not turn in your paper by the next class period, you will receive a zero. You may turn assignments early if you would like. You will not be able to make up any in-class peer review assignments or quizzes.

Extra Credit: There will be no extra credit opportunities this semester.

MSTC Academic Integrity Policy: The Mid-State Technical College Board, administration, faculty, and staff believe that academic honesty and integrity are fundamental to the mission of higher education. All students are expected to maintain and promote the highest standards of personal honesty and professional integrity. These standards apply to all examinations, assigned work, and projects. Therefore, a student who is found to have been dishonest, fraudulent, or deceptive in the completion of work or is willing to help others to be so, or who plagiarizes; presents the work of others as his or her own, is subject to disciplinary action up to and including suspension.

Disabilities Services: If you know you have a recognized disability or suspect that you might have one it is your responsibility to identify yourself as soon as possible to the Disability Services staff in the Student Support Service’s office. On the Stevens Point Campus, you can contact Mary Marks. Course standards will not be lowered, but various kinds of accommodations are available to you.

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Adequate and reasonable time will be required to develop and provide appropriate accommodations, so contact Disability Services as soon as possible.

Academic Success Center & Writing Center: Struggling in class? The first step is to talk to your instructor for clarification. Still confused? If you need some additional assistance with understanding course concepts, finding research or are struggling to organize your ideas, stop by Academic Success Center or the Writing Center for additional support. The hours for the Writing Center will be posted in the “Resources” area of Blackboard.

Coursework

Written Assignments: All written assignment descriptions and grading rubrics are posted on Blackboard. Please print off these sheets and bring them to class. All work turned in for a grade must be typed and cited according to the APA style manual (see pgs.360-380 in your text). All papers and outlines must be in Times New Roman Font, Size 12. Deductions will be taken for not following these instructions. Further instructions will be outlined in your assignment descriptions.

Thesis Postings: Students will need to post on a Blackboard discussion board so that each student in the class will have a different speech topic. There will be 4 topic postings (worth 20 pts. each). If you post past the due date and time, you can still receive ½ credit for the posting (5 pts.). You can post late up until I grade the postings (see syllabus for due dates).

Course Grading Outline

Grade Calculation: This course runs a standard grading scale.

Assignments PointsDescriptive Paper 100Narrative Paper 100Analysis Paper 100Paraphrase Assignment 25Research Proposal 25Annotated Reference Page 25Persuasive Research Paper 150Quizzes (9 X 10 pts.) 90Thesis Postings (4 X 20 pts.) 80Peer Reviews (4 X 20 pts.) 80Outline Assignment 25Total Points 800

The grading scale for this course is as follows:

A 95-100% B+ 89-86% C+ 79-76% D+ 69-66%A- 94-90% B 85-83% C 75-73% D 65-63%

B- 82-80% C- 72-70% D- 62-60%

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Final Grade Points Breakdown

A 800-760 C 607-584A - 759-720 C- 583-560 B+ 719-688 D+ 559-528B 687-656 D 527-504 B- 655-640 D- 503-480 C+ 639-608

All papers, exams, and speech evaluations will be returned to the student once they are graded. Students should review their grades on Blackboard to make sure they match the grades written on their returned exams or papers. This will assist in assuring that all grades are recorded accurately.

Blackboard

What is Blackboard? Blackboard is an online electronic instructional course management system that aids both the student and the instructor. You will need to log onto Blackboard to obtain the important course information.

How can I access Blackboard? Additional student log-in procedures and directions can be found at this link.

What information will I find on Blackboard for this course?

This syllabus All written assignment packets (includes

assignment descriptions & grading rubrics) and course handouts

Links to helpful web sites & videos Assignment due date reminders Your grades

Saving work to the “Cloud”Sick of losing your work due to computer malfunctions? Have you ever accidently saved your work to an MSTC computer only to find out the computer was wiped clean at the end of the day? To avoid losing your electronic documents, I would highly suggest saving your documents to a “cloud” service.

What is the Cloud? Cloud computing is when you can access software or save documents via the internet (typically for free!).

Why save to the Cloud? Access your documents 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week, via the internet. Many services allow you to access your documents via computer, smartphone or i-pad.

Documents will sync with all of your devices. If your device crashes, your documents are safe & secure on a cloud server. WHEW! You can share documents (and folders) with others and create hyperlinks to your documents. You can upload photos and videos to many services as well!

Which Cloud programs can I use to save my documents?1. MSTC Office 365 (Email)

a. Log on to your MSTC email account to access the free 25GB storage. 2. Dropbox

a. This is my FAVORITE program. Dropbox is free, easy to use, and presents documents exactly like the originals.

b. The disadvantage is you can’t create new documents, only upload and download current documents.

3. Google Drive (a.k.a. Google Docs) a. Google Drive is free, easy to use, but sometimes has issues with formatting. I have

also had problems with hyperlinks working and the organization of files appears more cumbersome.

b. Google drive does allow people to create new documents and save them as word documents.

c. Google drive does allow people to edit documents synchronously and provides a text-based chat area for collaboration while working on documents (similar to a Wiki).

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MSTC Wireless Internet: After connecting to the STUDENT-GUEST wireless account, you will need to open an Internet browser to connect to the Internet. Just before the connection is made, a security warning could appear on the screen showing an unsecured web page but with an option to continue. The warning received is OK and you should click “to continue” at this point. Enter the following:

Login: guestPassword: guest

Public wireless access is available at the Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point, and Marshfield Campuses. Adams Campus does not support any wireless networks.

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