ENG102HN Honors Composition II Fall 2016

Liberal Arts

English 102-103HN, College Composition II, 3 credits
Tuesday, Thursday 0800-0920, Laurel Hall 204

 

William Patrick Wend, Instructor

wwend@rcbc.edu

 

Office, Laurel Hall 110

Monday/Wednesday 1230-1330

Tuesday/Thursday/Friday 1100-1200

 

I am primarily in my email during office hours except for Wednesday when I do "EOffice" hours (2100-2200) on Skype. If you send an email after about 1600, there is a good chance I will not answer it until the next morning.


SECTION 1: Course Information

Course Description: This course in composition focuses on reading, analyzing, and discussing literature. It emphasizes reading skills, the expression of insights in writing, and the pleasures of reading literature.


Required Texts and other Materials: Robert DiYanni, Literature: Approaches To Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, McGraw Hill, 978-0-07-312445-2 (This book is required immediately)


Course Learning Outcomes ~ By the end of English 102, you should be able to:

  1. Discuss works of literature through extensive reading and discussion.

  2. Analyze short stories for plot, setting, characterization, theme, and point of view.

  3. Examine poetry for imagery, diction, tone, speaker, language, and structure.

  4. Examine plays, focusing on character development, dramatic structure, and performance.

  5. Write essays, using MLA-style documentation, analyzing works of short fiction, poetry, and drama.


General Education Outcomes:

Written and Oral Communication: Communication

* Students will logically and persuasively support their points of view or findings.

* Students will communicate meaningfully with a chosen audience while demonstrating critical thought.

* Students will conduct investigative research which demonstrates academic integrity, originality, depth of thought, and mastery of an approved style of source documentation.

 

Quantitative Knowledge and Skills: Mathematics

* Students will analyze data to solve problems utilizing appropriate mathematical concepts.

* Students will translate quantifiable problems into mathematical terms and solve these problems using mathematical or statistical operations.

* Students will logically solve problems using the appropriate mathematical technique.

 

Technological Competency or Information Literacy: Technology

* Students will use critical thinking skills for computer-based access, analysis, and presentation of information.

* Students will exhibit competency in library online database tools appropriate to accessing information in reference publications, periodicals and bibliographies.

* Students will demonstrate the skills required to find, evaluate, and apply information to solve a problem.

 

Humanistic Perspective: Humanities LITERATURE:

* Students will recognize and assess the contributions of people from various nations and/or cultures.

* Students will analyze the changing significance of social constructions of religion, race, class, and/or gender in cultural artifacts (music, art, literature) throughout time.

 

Historical Perspective: History

* Students will demonstrate knowledge of the nature, origins, central events and significant institutions of major civilizations

 

Global and Cultural Awareness: Diversity

* Students will be able to compare and contrast cultural norms from diverse populations.

* Students will be able to explain how communication and culture are interrelated.

Core Course Content:

  • Writing about and reading fiction, poetry, & drama – summary of the process and comprehension strategies

  • Language and literary techniques: precision and ambiguity, description, metaphor and simile, symbolism

  • Fiction: reading, responding, writing, the short story

  • Narration and point of view

  • Foreshadowing and irony Character and setting

  • Theme and plot chart

  • Poetry: reading, responding, writing, poetic forms: the sonnet, the dramatic monologue, odes, stanzaic forms

  • Tone and rhyme scheme

  • Speaker and imagery

  • Situation and setting

  • Diction and connotation

  • Allusion and personification

  • Drama: reading, responding, writing, Soliloquy Aside Dramatic Irony

 

SECTION 2: Course Information –

Course and Classroom Policies:

ATTENDANCE: The following Board-approved Attendance Policy will be enforced. Students are required to attend all class sessions for the full duration of each such instructional session. Grade penalties for absences will be imposed when a student exceeds a ten-percent absence rate (in the case of 15-week English 101 courses, starting with the third absence). The policy can be accessed at http://my.bcc.edu/PDFFiles/Human%20Resources/Policy%20No%20206%20Academic%20Attendance%20Policy%2006

Student attendance is important. Students are expected to attend every session unless there is a legitimate reason for them missing class. Failure to regularly attend a class a class like this like this will greatly impede student success. Your grades will be determined by your writing, but attendance and what you contribute to the course are crucial. If you do not attend class or contribute actively, you are unlikely to comprehend the course material well enough to pass the course. Leaving early, without prior permission, is considered disrespectful and will not be tolerated. I will not tolerate frequent lateness. If this is a morning class and the student has difficulties staying awake or showing up on time, I would strongly suggest finding another section of this course to take.

Special Note for Students Receiving Financial Aid and/or Veterans Aid:  Attendance will be reviewed by Financial Aid and Veterans Aid programs, and benefits will be contingent upon compliance with the program’s regulations. (Updated Spring 2014 by AL, SL, BL, VC With Administrative Addition Fall 2014)

 

COMMUNICATION: Students are responsible for communicating with instructors within 48 hours following a missed class to make arrangements for the completion of course requirements not completed due to absence. If a student does not communicate within 48 hours as stated above, the student forfeits his or her right to receive the missed work, and such assignment grades will be entered as zeroes.

 

PLAGIARISM (see Academic Integrity Policy, below) will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Be aware that plagiarism includes (but is not limited to) copying someone else’s words without crediting the source; paraphrasing someone else’s words without crediting the source; using someone else’s ideas without crediting the source (even if rephrased in your own words); using facts not universally known which are obtained from a source without crediting the source; asking someone else to write your paper, either in whole or in part; or obtaining a paper or portion thereof by any means and submitting it as an original document. The penalty for plagiarism is failure of the assignment and potentially failure of the course (at the instructor’s discretion), and it may result in suspension or expulsion from the College (at the discretion of the Student Affairs Committee)..


Assessment Methods:

Course Contribution 10%

Professional Email 5% (15%)

Citation Practice 5% (20%)

Midterm Paper 20% (40%)

Paper #2 20% (60%)

Service Learning Project 20% (80%)

Reflective Essay 10% (90%)

In Class Research 10% (100%)

 

There is no extra credit

 

Criteria for meeting grade determination are as follows:

A: Meeting course goals by demonstrating perceptive understanding of readings and course concepts; excellence and originality in compositions; superior scores on exams and other assigned work; active participation in class discussion and small groups; and compliance with attendance and assignment requirements.

B+/B: Meeting course goals by demonstrating mastery of subject and concepts; above average quality in compositions and exams; good participation in class and small groups; and compliance with attendance and assignment requirements.

C+/C: Meeting course goals by demonstrating a satisfactory level of understanding of subject material and concepts; acceptable quality in compositions and exams; adequate participation in class and small groups; and compliance with attendance and assignment requirements.

D: Not meeting all of the course goals; minimal knowledge of subject material and concepts; marginal quality in compositions (poor quality of development, support, or grammar); poor performance on exams; passivity in class and small groups; non-compliance with attendance and assignment requirements.

F: Not meeting course goals; unsatisfactory progress in understanding and applying subject material and concepts; incomplete or unacceptable work in compositions (gross grammatical, developmental, and structural errors); failure of exams; non-compliance of attendance and assignment requirements.

 

SECTION 3: College Information

College Policies: In order for students to know their rights and responsibilities, all students are expected to review and adhere to all regulations and policies as listed in the College Catalog and Handbook. These documents can be accessed at http://www.bcc.edu/academic-resources. Important policies and regulations include, but are not limited, to the following:

 

  • College Attendance Policy

  • Grading Standards

  • Withdraw (W) and Incomplete Grades (I & X)

  • Withdrawal date for this semester

  • Student Code of Conduct

  • Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism and Civility

  • Use of Communication and Information Technology


Office of Student Support and Disability Services: RCBC welcomes students with disabilities into the college’s educational programs. Access to accommodations and support services for students with learning and other disabilities is facilitated by staff in the Office of Student Support (OSS).  To receive accommodations, a student must contact the OSS, self-identify as having a disability, provide appropriate documentation, and participate in an intake appointment. If the documentation supports the request for reasonable accommodations, the OSS will provide the student with an Accommodation Plan to give to instructors.  For additional information, please contact the Office of Student Support at 609-894-9311, ext. 1208, disabilityservices@rcbc.edu, or http://www.rcbc.edu/studentsupport


Academic Integrity Policy: The following Board-approved Academic Integrity Policy will be enforced. Board definitions of cheating, fabrication or other misconduct in research, plagiarism, and facilitating academic dishonesty will be de determined according to the discretion of the instructor. Students found guilty of more than two offenses should expect to receive sanctions of disciplinary probation, suspension, or dismissal, depending upon severity of said offenses. Students have within five working days to appeal any sanction to the Chief Academic Officer of the College, or his/her appointed designee. The policy can be accessed at http://my.bcc.edu/PDFFiles/Human%20Resources/Policy%20No%20903-C%20Academic%20Integrity%20061714.pdf


Educational Technology Statement: Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) advocates the use of technology to enhance instruction. Students should assume that classroom and online technology will be used throughout their coursework at RCBC, as it will most certainly be used in their future education and careers.  The College provides on-campus facilities for the convenience of the RCBC community.  Various college departments, including the Office of Information Technology and the Office of Distance Education, provide technology training and assistance to faculty and students.


Student Success Services: RCBC offers a variety of free services for its students including those listed below. Descriptions of these services, as well as many others, can be found in the College Catalog and Handbook and on the RCBC website at http://www.bcc.edu/pages/109.asp.

 

  • Academic Advisement (http://www.bcc.edu/advising)

  • Career Services (http://www.bcc.edu/careers)

  • Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) (http://www.bcc.edu/eof)

  • Financial Aid (http://www.bcc.edu/financialaid)

  • International Students Office (http://www.bcc.edu/international)

  • Library/Integrated Learning Resource Center (ILRC) (http://www.bcc.edu/library)

  • Office of Veteran Services (http://www.bcc.edu/vets)

  • Student Support Counseling (http://www.bcc.edu/cpit)

  • Tutoring Center (http://www.bcc.edu/tutoring)

  • Test Center (http://www.bcc.edu/testcenter)

  • Transfer Services (http://www.bcc.edu/transfer)

 

SECTION 4: Instructor Policy

Technology Policy: Please mute your cell phone BEFORE entering the classroom. If your cell phone goes off more than once while class is in a session, you will be asked to leave. I fully encourage whatever technology suites your learning style, accommodations, or interests whether they are laptops, tablets, apps on smart phones, etc, as long as they do not distract from our purpose in the classroom. Paper is totally fine too.

With that being said, during opening and closing remarks in class focus should be away from technology and on discussing our goals and outcomes for the day. Please remove all earbuds before entering class and keep them removed until you leave the room at the end of class.

In my classes, I have an expectation students will have access to email and computers in general. All of your work will be submitted to via your RCBC Gmail account and returned, with annotated comments, via Google Drive. Given there are public and school libraries, the ILRC, coffee shops, etc, students need to budget their time better; I do not see any excuse for having “no access” to email outside of the classroom.

Students are expected to check their RCBC Gmail account on a regular basis. I do not accept the excuse, “I didn't check my email for two weeks” as a valid problem. Digital correspondence should be written using proper grammar and form. I will not reply to emails filled with texting speak (2, u, 4, lol, j/k) or poor grammar and/or misspellings.

Please include a subject and "sign" your email with your name, student ID number, and course section. If you miss class, please check the syllabus for information about assignments, due dates, and outcomes from class. Do not email the professor and ask “did we do anything in class today?” or any variations on that theme. (Updated Spring 2013 by NC, MS, MM, LG)

 

Writing Policy: My expectation for this class is that all of your work will be free of errors. Papers, projects, etc should be proofread for spelling, mechanics, and grammar. I will mark down for these errors: Please do an exhaustive job of proofreading and revision. All papers should follow standard MLA 8 formatting: Typed; titled; double spaced; page numbers, with your last name, in the top right hand corner; and a page break before your works cited page. All papers will be digitally shared via Google Drive by 23:59 to my RCBC email (wwend@bcc.edu) on the due date. I will not be accepting print copies of your papers. No matter the email students submit their work from, all work will be returned to their school email.

If you use Microsoft Works, please convert your file (.wps) to something more accessible (.odt or .doc is fine) before submitting your paper. Same goes for .pages files. Please do not submit a .pdf file.

Upon sharing your paper via Google Drive, do not consider your paper submitted until, if and only if, you receive a confirmation reply (usually within 24-48 hours). If you do not receive a confirmation email, it is the student’s responsibility to get in touch with me about their work. I am not responsible for making sure you hand in your assignments.

Please make sure you are backing up your work to an external hard drive, flash drive, cloud based source, or other backup method. I will not accept excuses involving crashed computer or broken files.

Please follow the “24 hour rule” for graded work. I do not discuss returned student work until 24 hours have elapsed since I returned them. There will be no discussion, in person or via email, until that time window has elapsed.

All submitted work should be completed by the due date. Please consult the extension policy for details about asking for, and receiving, an extension. With prior permission to submit late work, a full letter grade will be taken off for each day that it is late. (Updated Spring 2015 by AB, CD, and MW)

 

Revision Policy: I strongly believe one of the most important lessons I learned about writing was that quality work almost always entails rewriting, but also reflection on what lessons can be learned and implemented in future writing. In this class, in place of a straight paper revision, you will analyze the mistakes I noted in comments on your paper and write a response discussing the comments and how you would correct them in future writing. This means if you are not satisfied with your grade, you may submit a response (directions are below), shared to my school Google Drive (wwend@rcbc.edu), within 3-5 days after I comment on your paper.

My expectation that for every mistake you are fixing, there is a brief paragraph discussing how to correct your work. I would consider directly citing our book readings (and the writing manual from ENG101) or your notes from class discussions in this response. Please do not cite random writing from the world wide web. There should be a second paragraph discussing specifically how you would fix it in your own essay as well.

If you are unsure what to write about, you can always schedule an appointment during office hours whether in person or electronic. Regardless, I would strongly suggest meeting with me to make sure you understand your grade and how to improve it.

Anywhere between one (1) to three (3) points can be added to your paper proportionally depending on the overall point total of the paper.

  Of course, there are no revisions on term papers. Also, you may not use your revision to correct a plagiarized paper (see academic honesty policy below). Finally, revisions on your citation practice assignment do not count towards your revision. (Updated Fall 2015 by HC, DH, TC)

 

Extension Policy: Extensions are gifts, not a right. College work involves responsibility and ownership over your individual situation. With that in mind, here are a few caveats about extensions. First, I need to know 48 hours before an assignment is due if you need an extension. This will be clearly addressed on the class schedule. To apply for an extension, we must speak in person or over email immediately. A rough draft of your paper in progress will be required to be handed in at this time. I will then determine whether to grant or deny the extension and how much time would be allotted for it. 
To apply for an extension beyond the 48 hour mark for reasons of hospitalization, bereavement, military service, observance of religious holidays, legal reasons (jury duty, etc), or work related issues (ie: getting called into work at the last minute), written documentation not given before the due date must be in by Saturday night after the due date.
For the following reasons, extensions will not be permitted: short term illnesses and family vacations.
Only one extension will be granted per semester, although an "emergency" extension can be granted under certain circumstances. (Updated Fall 2011 by LD, EP, AF)

 

Course Contribution Policy: I have found in past semesters that "participation" isn't a sufficient means of assessing students. How do you grade shy, or otherwise quiet, students who do very well in your class? At the same time, does a student who does very poorly on papers/quizzes/etc, but "participates" in class deserve a high grade? Instead, I have switched this to an assessment of a student's contribution to the course. How do you do in group work? Are you always on task, or do you take others off task with your actions? Do you bring useful ideas and thoughts into class? Do you go beyond commentary that is intended to please me or make you look smart? Do you experiment, take chances, and offer untested commentary? Do you attend our peer review sessions to not only accentuate your own work, but also help your classmates? Are you punctual and always prepared? Do you do more than just listen to me? What about your presence in the class adds to it? These are some of the factors I will consider when assessing your class contribution grade.

 

Finally: Students in my classes are responsible for reading and understanding these course policies. Do you have questions? 

  • Send me an email: wwend@rcbc.edu  

  • Talk to me before or after class

  • Come to my office during office hours (Laurel Hall 110)  

  • If you are a student who has progress reports for a sport, EOF, or anything else, I will only fill these out during office hours. I will not fill them out at the end or beginning of classes.  

  • The syllabus is a living document. Sometimes, things might not work and we will need to make a change. This syllabus is subject to change at all times. Any changes will be discussed in class.

  • Just a reminder that all readings should be completed before class begins.

  • Finally, a matter of general respect: I do not tolerate homophobic, misogynistic, ableist, or racist language in the classroom.

 

 

Section 5: Course Schedule

Session One

  • Attendance Sheet

  • Discuss Syllabus

  • Introduce Our Short and Long Term Assignments

    • Professional Email Assignment

    • Citation Practice Assignment

    • Midterm Paper

    • Service Learning Project

 

For Next Week: Please Read The Three Essays For Your Citation Practice Assignment. We Will Discuss and Then Peer Review It In Class. Your Professional Email Assignment Is Due To My School Account (wwend@rcbc.edu) by 2359 on Sunday evening.

 

Session Two

 

Session Three

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Citation Practice Peer Review

 

For Next Week: Your citation practice assignment to due to be shared to my RCBC account (wwend@rcbc.edu) by 2359 on Sunday evening. We will begin doing research for our first story, John Updike's A&P and Have Our First Service Learning Project Work Day.

 

Session Four

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Service Learning Project Day

    • We Need To Work On Initial Assignment Plans and A Rubric For The Project

 

Session Five

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Research and Secondary Source Discussion For John Updike's A&P

 

For Next Week: We Will Discuss John Updike's A&P and Begin Doing Research For Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper.

 

Session Six

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Discussion Of John Updike's A&P

 

Session Seven

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Research and Secondary Source Discussion For Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper

 

For Next Week: We Will Discuss Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper and Begin Doing Research For Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

 

Session Eight

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Discussion Of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper

 

Session Nine

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Research and Secondary Source Discussion For Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

 

For Next Week: We Will Discuss Shirley Jackson's The Lottery and Begin Doing Research For James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues

  •  

Session Ten

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Discussion Of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

 

Session Eleven

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Research and Secondary Source Discussion For James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues

 

For Next Week: We Will Discuss James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues and Peer Review Our Midterm Paper

 

Session Twelve

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Discussion Of James Baldwin's Sonny's Blues

 

Session Thirteen

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Peer Review For Midterm Paper

 

For Next Week: Your Midterm Paper Is Due To My School Account (wwend@rcbc.edu) by 2359 On Sunday Evening. We Will Have A Service Learning Project Day, Begin Doing Research For Henrik Ibsen's A Doll House, and Introduce Paper #2.

 

Session Fourteen

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Service Learning Project Day

  • Introduce Paper #2

 

Session Fifteen

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Research and Secondary Source Discussion For Henrik Ibsen's A Doll House

 

For Next Week: We Will Conduct Midterm Meetings During Office Hours. We Will Discuss Henrik Ibsen's A Doll House and Begin Doing Research For August Wilson's Fences.

 

Session Sixteen

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Discussion Of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll House

 

Session Seventeen

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Research and Secondary Source Discussion For August Wilson's Fences

 

For Next Week: We Will Discuss August Wilson's Fences and Have A Service Learning Project Day With Dr. Baldt's Students.

 

Session Eighteen

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Discussion Of August Wilson's Fences

 

Session Nineteen

  • Peer Review With Dr. Baldt's Students

 

For Next Week: We Will Do Research AND Discuss William Shakespeare's Othello.

 

Session Twenty

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Research and Secondary Source Discussion For William Shakespeare's Othello

 

Session Twenty One

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Discussion Of William Shakespeare's Othello

 

For Next Week: We Will Peer Review Paper #2 and View Presentations By Dr. Baldt's Students.

 

Session Twenty Two

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Peer Review For Paper #2

 

Session Twenty Three

  • We Will View Presentations By Dr. Baldt's Students

 

For Next Week: We Will Meet With Dr. Baldt's Students To Peer Review Their Papers One More Time

 

Session Twenty Four

  • Peer Review With Dr. Baldt's Students

 

For Next Week: We Will Have A Built In Snow/Hurricane/Etc Day and A Service Learning Project Day

 

Session Twenty Five

  • Built In Snow/Hurricane/Etc Day

  • Introduce Reflective Essay

 

Session Twenty Six

  • Attendance

  • Announcements

  • Service Learning Project Day

 

For Next Time: We Will Meet With Dr. Baldt's Students One Final Time To Present Our Projects To Them and Work On The Reflective Essay.

 

Session Twenty Seven

  • Meet With Dr. Baldt's Students One Final Time To Present Our Projects To Them

 

Session Twenty Eight

  • Work On Reflective Essay

 

***During finals week we meet on _ at _. We will discuss final grades and your progress in the course***

ENG101 Composition I Fall 2016

English 101-327, College Composition I, 3 credits

Tuesday 0930-1050, Laurel 305; Thursday 0930-1050, Laurel 305

 

William Patrick Wend, Instructor

wwend@rcbc.edu

 

Office, Laurel Hall 110

Monday/Wednesday 1230-1330

Tuesday/Thursday/Friday 1100-1200

 

I am primarily in my email during office hours except for Wednesday when I do "EOffice" hours (2100-2200) on Skype. If you send an email after about 1600, there is a good chance I will not answer it until the next morning.

 

SECTION 1: Course Information

Course Description:

This course develops skills in expository writing. It emphasizes the writing process, organization, methods of development, and diction. It requires a research essay using the MLA documentation format.


Required Texts and other Materials:

  • Bullock, Richard H., Michal Brody, and Francine Weinberg. The Little Seagull Handbook. New York: W. W. Norton, 2014. Print.

  • Graff, Gerald, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel K. Durst. "They Say/I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, with Readings. 3rd ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2015. Print.


Course Learning Outcomes ~ By the end of English 101, you should be able to:

  • Apply the writing process: invent, draft, revise and edit using the conventions of academic writing.

  • Analyze and synthesize textual evidence to produce academic writing with attribution.

  • Express thoughts logically, clearly and coherently in a variety of essays.

  • Compose an argumentative research essay using MLA format.


General Education Outcomes:

Written and Oral Communication: Communication

* Students will logically and persuasively support their points of view or findings.

*Students will communicate meaningfully with a chosen audience while demonstrating critical thought.

*Students will conduct investigative research which demonstrates academic integrity, originality, depth of thought, and mastery of an approved style of source documentation

 

Society and Human Behavior: Social Science

*Students will demonstrate a general knowledge of political, social and economic concepts and systems and their effects on society.

 

Technological Competency or Information Literacy: Technology

*Students will demonstrate competency in office productivity tools appropriate to continuing their education.

* Students will use critical thinking skills for computer-based access, analysis, and presentation of information.

*Students will exhibit competency in library online database tools appropriate to accessing information in reference publications, periodicals and bibliographies.

*Students will demonstrate the skills required to find, evaluate, and apply information to solve a problem.

 

Global and Cultural Awareness: Diversity

* Students will be able to explain how communication and culture are interrelated.

 

Ethical Reasoning and Action

* Students will analyze and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different perspectives on an ethical issue or a situation.

Core Course Content:

Grammar

  • Brief review of parts of speech

  • Fragments, comma splices, and fused sentences

  • Prepositional phrases, main clauses, and subordinate clauses

  • Comma rules

  • Semicolons and conjunctive adverbs, colons, hyphens, and apostrophes

  • Subject-verb agreement and consistent tenses

  • Pronoun usage and agreement

 

Writing

  • Brief review of the components of a body paragraph (topic sentence, supporting details, restated topic sentence/concluding sentence)

  • Components of an essay (introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion)

  • Creating specific and articulate theses

  • Supporting the central idea by using effective personal examples

  • Supporting the central idea by using textual evidence

  • Identifying subject, audience, and purpose

  • Creating unity via usage of transitional words and phrases, key terms etc.

  • Paraphrasing verses quoting and parenthetical citations (MLA)

 

The Reading/Writing connection

  • Annotating a text for understanding

  • Summarizing a text by identifying the main idea and key supporting details

  • Responding to a text via written and oral analysis

  • Identifying and discussing the writer’s purpose when reading texts

  • Identifying and discussing effective writing strategies by reading applicable texts

  • Collecting and synthesizing evidence from texts in order to write persuasive essays

 

Research

  • Utilizing electronic databases to locate articles

  • Blending quotations into written analyses

  • Constructing correct Works Cited pages

 

SECTION 2: Course Information

Course and Classroom Policies:

ATTENDANCE: The following Board-approved Attendance Policy will be enforced. Students are required to attend all class sessions for the full duration of each such instructional session. Grade penalties for absences will be imposed when a student exceeds a ten-percent absence rate (in the case of 15-week English 101 courses, starting with the third absence). The policy can be accessed at http://my.bcc.edu/PDFFiles/Human%20Resources/Policy%20No%20206%20Academic%20Attendance%20Policy%2006

Student attendance is important. Students are expected to attend every session unless there is a legitimate reason for them missing class. Failure to regularly attend a class a class like this like this will greatly impede student success. Your grades will be determined by your writing, but attendance and what you contribute to the course are crucial. If you do not attend class or contribute actively, you are unlikely to comprehend the course material well enough to pass the course. Leaving early, without prior permission, is considered disrespectful and will not be tolerated. I will not tolerate frequent lateness. If this is a morning class and the student has difficulties staying awake or showing up on time, I would strongly suggest finding another section of this course to take.

Special Note for Students Receiving Financial Aid and/or Veterans Aid:  Attendance will be reviewed by Financial Aid and Veterans Aid programs, and benefits will be contingent upon compliance with the program’s regulations. (Updated Spring 2014 by AL, SL, BL, VC With Administrative Addition Fall 2014)

 

COMMUNICATION: Students are responsible for communicating with instructors within 48 hours following a missed class to make arrangements for the completion of course requirements not completed due to absence. If a student does not communicate within 48 hours as stated above, the student forfeits his or her right to receive the missed work, and such assignment grades will be entered as zeroes.

 

PLAGIARISM (see Academic Integrity Policy, below) will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Be aware that plagiarism includes (but is not limited to) copying someone else’s words without crediting the source; paraphrasing someone else’s words without crediting the source; using someone else’s ideas without crediting the source (even if rephrased in your own words); using facts not universally known which are obtained from a source without crediting the source; asking someone else to write your paper, either in whole or in part; or obtaining a paper or portion thereof by any means and submitting it as an original document. The penalty for plagiarism is failure of the assignment and potentially failure of the course (at the instructor’s discretion), and it may result in suspension or expulsion from the College (at the discretion of the Student Affairs Committee)..


Assessment Methods:

Professional Email Assignment 5%

Citation Practice 5%

Source Blend 5%

Event Report 5%

Time Management Paper 10%

Reflections On Writing Paper 15%

Grammar Paper 15%

Term Paper 25%

Course Contribution 10%

=100%

 

There Is No Extra Credit

 

Criteria for meeting grade determination are as follows:

A: Meeting course goals by demonstrating perceptive understanding of readings and course concepts; excellence and originality in compositions; superior scores on exams and other assigned work; active participation in class discussion and small groups; and compliance with attendance and assignment requirements.

B+/B: Meeting course goals by demonstrating mastery of subject and concepts; above average quality in compositions and exams; good participation in class and small groups; and compliance with attendance and assignment requirements.

C+/C: Meeting course goals by demonstrating a satisfactory level of understanding of subject material and concepts; acceptable quality in compositions and exams; adequate participation in class and small groups; and compliance with attendance and assignment requirements.

D: Not meeting all of the course goals; minimal knowledge of subject material and concepts; marginal quality in compositions (poor quality of development, support, or grammar); poor performance on exams; passivity in class and small groups; non-compliance with attendance and assignment requirements.

F: Not meeting course goals; unsatisfactory progress in understanding and applying subject material and concepts; incomplete or unacceptable work in compositions (gross grammatical, developmental, and structural errors); failure of exams; non-compliance of attendance and assignment requirements.

 

SECTION 3: College Information

College Policies: In order for students to know their rights and responsibilities, all students are expected to review and adhere to all regulations and policies as listed in the College Catalog and Handbook. These documents can be accessed at http://www.bcc.edu/academic-resources. Important policies and regulations include, but are not limited, to the following:

  • College Attendance Policy

  • Grading Standards

  • Withdraw (W) and Incomplete Grades (I & X)

  • Withdrawal date for this semester

  • Student Code of Conduct

  • Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism and Civility

  • Use of Communication and Information Technology


Office of Student Support and Disability Services: RCBC welcomes students with disabilities into the college’s educational programs. Access to accommodations and support services for students with learning and other disabilities is facilitated by staff in the Office of Student Support (OSS).  To receive accommodations, a student must contact the OSS, self-identify as having a disability, provide appropriate documentation, and participate in an intake appointment. If the documentation supports the request for reasonable accommodations, the OSS will provide the student with an Accommodation Plan to give to instructors.  For additional information, please contact the Office of Student Support at 609-894-9311, ext. 1208, disabilityservices@rcbc.edu, or http://www.rcbc.edu/studentsupport


Academic Integrity Policy: The following Board-approved Academic Integrity Policy will be enforced. Board definitions of cheating, fabrication or other misconduct in research, plagiarism, and facilitating academic dishonesty will be de determined according to the discretion of the instructor. Students found guilty of more than two offenses should expect to receive sanctions of disciplinary probation, suspension, or dismissal, depending upon severity of said offenses. Students have within five working days to appeal any sanction to the Chief Academic Officer of the College, or his/her appointed designee. The policy can be accessed at http://my.bcc.edu/PDFFiles/Human%20Resources/Policy%20No%20903-C%20Academic%20Integrity%20061714.pdf


Educational Technology Statement: Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) advocates the use of technology to enhance instruction. Students should assume that classroom and online technology will be used throughout their coursework at RCBC, as it will most certainly be used in their future education and careers.  The College provides on-campus facilities for the convenience of the RCBC community.  Various college departments, including the Office of Information Technology and the Office of Distance Education, provide technology training and assistance to faculty and students.


Student Success Services: RCBC offers a variety of free services for its students including those listed below. Descriptions of these services, as well as many others, can be found in the College Catalog and Handbook and on the RCBC website at http://www.rcbc.edu/pages/109.asp

 

 

SECTION 4: Instructor Policy

Technology Policy: Please mute your cell phone BEFORE entering the classroom. If your cell phone goes off more than once while class is in a session, you will be asked to leave. I fully encourage whatever technology suites your learning style, accommodations, or interests whether they are laptops, tablets, apps on smart phones, etc, as long as they do not distract from our purpose in the classroom. Paper is totally fine too.

With that being said, during opening and closing remarks in class focus should be away from technology and on discussing our goals and outcomes for the day. Please remove all earbuds before entering class and keep them removed until you leave the room at the end of class.

In my classes, I have an expectation students will have access to email and computers in general. All of your work will be submitted to via your RCBC Gmail account and returned, with annotated comments, via Google Drive. Given there are public and school libraries, the ILRC, coffee shops, etc, students need to budget their time better; I do not see any excuse for having “no access” to email outside of the classroom.

Students are expected to check their RCBC Gmail account on a regular basis. I do not accept the excuse, “I didn't check my email for two weeks” as a valid problem. Digital correspondence should be written using proper grammar and form. I will not reply to emails filled with texting speak (2, u, 4, lol, j/k) or poor grammar and/or misspellings. Please include a subject and "sign" your email with your name, student ID number, and course section. If you miss class, please check the syllabus for information about assignments, due dates, and outcomes from class. Do not email the professor and ask “did we do anything in class today?” or any variations on that theme. (Updated Spring 2013 by NC, MS, MM, LG)

 

Writing Policy: My expectation for this class is that all of your work will be free of errors. Papers, projects, etc should be proofread for spelling, mechanics, and grammar. I will mark down for these errors: Please do an exhaustive job of proofreading and revision. All papers should follow standard MLA 8 formatting: Typed; titled; double spaced; page numbers, with your last name, in the top right hand corner; and a page break before your works cited page. All papers will be digitally shared via Google Drive by 23:59 to my RCBC email (wwend@rcbc.edu) on the due date. I will not be accepting print copies of your papers. No matter the email students submit their work from, all work will be returned to their school email.

If you use Microsoft Works, please convert your file (.wps) to something more accessible (.odt or .doc is fine) before submitting your paper. Same goes for .pages files. Please do not submit a .pdf file.

Upon sharing your paper via Google Drive, do not consider your paper submitted until, if and only if, you receive a confirmation reply (usually within 24-48 hours). If you do not receive a confirmation email, it is the student’s responsibility to get in touch with me about their work. I am not responsible for making sure you hand in your assignments.

Please make sure you are backing up your work to an external hard drive, flash drive, cloud based source, or other backup method. I will not accept excuses involving crashed computer or broken files.

Please follow the “24 hour rule” for graded work. I do not discuss returned student work until 24 hours have elapsed since I returned them. There will be no discussion, in person or via email, until that time window has elapsed.

All submitted work should be completed by the due date. Please consult the extension policy for details about asking for, and receiving, an extension. With prior permission to submit late work, a full letter grade will be taken off for each day that it is late. (Updated Spring 2015 by AB, CD, and MW)

 

Revision Policy: I strongly believe one of the most important lessons I learned about writing was that quality work almost always entails rewriting, but also reflection on what lessons can be learned and implemented in future writing. In this class, in place of a straight paper revision, you will analyze the mistakes I noted in comments on your paper and write a response discussing the comments and how you would correct them in future writing. This means if you are not satisfied with your grade, you may submit a response (directions are below), shared to my school Google Drive (wwend@rcbc.edu), within 3-5 days after I comment on your paper.

My expectation that for every mistake you are fixing, there is a brief paragraph discussing how to correct your work. I would consider directly citing our book readings (and the writing manual from ENG101) or your notes from class discussions in this response. Please do not cite random writing from the world wide web. There should be a second paragraph discussing specifically how you would fix it in your own essay as well.

If you are unsure what to write about, you can always schedule an appointment during office hours whether in person or electronic. Regardless, I would strongly suggest meeting with me to make sure you understand your grade and how to improve it.

Anywhere between one (1) to three (3) points can be added to your paper proportionally depending on the overall point total of the paper.

  Of course, there are no revisions on term papers. Also, you may not use your revision to correct a plagiarized paper (see academic honesty policy below). Finally, revisions on your citation practice and source blend assignments do not count towards your revision. (Revised Fall 2015 by HC, DH, TC)

 

Extension Policy: Extensions are gifts, not a right. College work involves responsibility and ownership over your individual situation. With that in mind, here are a few caveats about extensions. First, I need to know 48 hours before an assignment is due if you need an extension. This will be clearly addressed on the class schedule. To apply for an extension, we must speak in person or over email immediately. A rough draft of your paper in progress will be required to be handed in at this time. I will then determine whether to grant or deny the extension and how much time would be allotted for it. 
To apply for an extension beyond the 48 hour mark for reasons of hospitalization, bereavement, military service, observance of religious holidays, legal reasons (jury duty, etc), or work related issues (ie: getting called into work at the last minute), written documentation not given before the due date must be in by Saturday night after the due date.
For the following reasons, extensions will not be permitted: short term illnesses and family vacations.
Only one extension will be granted per semester, although an "emergency" extension can be granted under certain circumstances. (Updated Fall 2011 by LD, EP, AF)

 

Course Contribution Policy: I have found in past semesters that "participation" isn't a sufficient means of assessing students. How do you grade shy, or otherwise quiet, students who do very well in your class? At the same time, does a student who does very poorly on papers/quizzes/etc, but "participates" in class deserve a high grade? Instead, I have switched this to an assessment of a student's contribution to the course. How do you do in group work? Are you always on task, or do you take others off task with your actions? Do you bring useful ideas and thoughts into class? Do you go beyond commentary that is intended to please me or make you look smart? Do you experiment, take chances, and offer untested commentary? Do you attend our peer review sessions to not only accentuate your own work, but also help your classmates? Are you punctual and always prepared? Do you do more than just listen to me? What about your presence in the class adds to it? These are some of the factors I will consider when assessing your class contribution grade.

 

Finally: Students in my classes are responsible for reading and understanding these course policies. Do you have questions? 

  • Send me an email: wwend@rcbc.edu  

  • Talk to me before or after class

  • Come to my office during office hours (Laurel Hall 110)  

  • If you are a student who has progress reports for a sport, EOF, or anything else, I will only fill these out during office hours. I will not fill them out at the end or beginning of classes.  

  • The syllabus is a living document. Sometimes, things might not work and we will need to make a change. This syllabus is subject to change at all times. Any changes will be discussed in class.

  • Just a reminder that all readings should be completed before class begins.

  • Finally, a matter of general respect: I do not tolerate homophobic, misogynistic, ableist, or racist language in the classroom.

Session One

  • Attendance Sheet

  • Class Introduction

  • Discuss Syllabus

  • Introduce Professional Email Assignment

  • Introduce Event Report Assignment

  • Log Into Your Email/Web Advisor/Set Up Signatures/Check Contact Information

 

For Next Week: Read about citation in Seagull (97-108 + 109-157). Also take a look at the reading in They Say/I Say (30-37) which we will discuss during Session Three. Please make sure you bring two copies of your citation practice for peer review. If you have not yet purchased the required texts for this class, please acquire them as soon as possible.

 

Session Two

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements/Introduce citation practice assignment

  • Second: Group work on citation

  • Third: Discussion of citation

 

Session Three

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: Discuss reading from They Say/I Say

  • Third: Citation practice peer review

 

For Next Week: Read about evaluating sources in Seagull (92-97). Also read 42-51 in They Say/I Say. Your citation practice needs to be shared to my school account (wwend@rcbc.edu) by 2359 on Sunday.

 

Session Four

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements/Intro Source Blending Assignment

  • Second: Group work on evaluating sources

  • Third: Discussion of source evaluation

 

Session Five

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: Discuss reading from They Say/I Say

  • Third: Source Blend Peer Review

 

For Next Week: Read about Writing Contexts in Seagull (2-6). Read about Academic Contexts in Seagull (6-9). Your source blend needs to be shared to my school account (wwend@rcbc.edu) by 2359 on Sunday evening.

 

Session Six

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements/Introduce Time Management Paper

  • Second: Group work on Writing Contexts

  • Third: Discussion of Writing Contexts

 

Session Seven

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: Group work on Academic Contexts

  • Third: Discussion of Academic Contexts

 

For Next Week: Read about revision in They Say/I Say (139-144). Please bring two (2) copies of your Time Management paper to peer review.

 

Session Eight

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements/Time Management Paper Discussion

  • Second: Group Work on revision

  • Third: Discussion of revision

 

Session Nine

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: Peer Review “Speed Dating” For Time Management Paper

 

For Next Week: Read about the Writing Process in Seagull (9-16). Read about Reading Strategies in Seagull (75-78). Your Time Management Paper Is Due To Be Shared To My School Account (wwend@rcbc.edu) by 2359 Sunday night.

 

Session Ten

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements/Introduce Reflections on Writing Paper

  • Second: Group work on Writing Process

  • Third: Discussion of Writing Process

 

Session Eleven

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: Group work on Reading Strategies

  • Third: Discussion of Reading Strategies

 

For Next Week: Read “They Say” in They Say/I Say (19-29). Please bring two (2) copies of your Reflections On Writing paper to peer review.

 

Session Twelve

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: Group work on “They Say”

  • Third: Discussion of “They Say”

 

Session Thirteen

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: Peer Review “Speed Dating” For Reflections On Writing Paper

 

For Next Week: Read about pronouns (277-282), subject/verb agreement (272-277), and commas, semicolons, and colons (324-331). Your Reflections On Writing paper Is Due To Be Shared To My School Account (wwend@rcbc.edu) By 2359 On Sunday Evening.

 

Session Fourteen

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements/Introduce Grammar Paper

  • Second: Pronouns/Subject Verb Agreement Group Work

  • Third: Discussion of Pronouns/Subject Verb Agreement

 

Session Fifteen

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: Group work on Commas/Semicolons/Colons

  • Third: Discussion of Commas/Semicolons/Colons

 

For Next Week: Read About Fragments, Splices, and Fused Sentences in Seagull (255-260). Please Bring Two (2) Copies of Your Grammar Paper to Peer Review.

 

Session Sixteen

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: Group Work on Fragments, Splices, and Fused Sentences

  • Third: Discussion of Fragments, Splices, and Fused Sentences

 

Session Seventeen

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: Peer Review “Speed Dating” For Grammar Paper

 

For Next Week: We Will Have Our Five Minute Meeting Day and Have a Visit From The Library. Depending On Their Schedule, We May Need To Swap These Dates. Your Grammar Paper Is Due To Be Shared To My School Account (wwend@rcbc.edu) by 2359 On Sunday Evening.

 

Session Eighteen

  • Five Minute Meetings

 

Session Nineteen

  • Librarian Visit

 

For Next Week: We Will Begin Discussing The Term Paper. Please Read About Argumentation (43-49) and Rhetorical Analysis (49-53) in Seagull.

 

Session Twenty

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements/Introduce Term Paper

  • Second: Group work On Argumentation

  • Third: Discussion of Argumentation


 

Session Twenty One

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: Group work On Rhetorical Analysis

  • Third: Discussion of Rhetorical Analysis


 

For Next Week: We will have a “library day” and then a day to present and discuss term paper topics.

 

Session Twenty Two

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: “Library” Day


 

Session Twenty Three

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: Term Paper Topic Discussion/Presentation Day


 

For Next Week: We Will Have A Built In Snow/Hurricane/Etc Day. If We Have Class, We Will Work On Annotated Bibliographies.


 

Session Twenty Four

  • Built In Snow/Hurricane/Etc Day


 

For Next Week: We Will Continue Working On Term Papers.


 

Session Twenty Five

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: Lab Day To Work On Term Papers


 

Session Twenty Six

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: Rough Draft Meetings


 

For Next Week: We Will Continue Working On Term Papers.


 

Session Twenty Seven

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: Writing Workshop Day


 

Session Twenty Eight

  • First: Attendance Sheet/Announcements

  • Second: Peer Review

 

***During finals week we will meet on Tuesday December 13th at 1000 to discuss final grades***
 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

CIN109 American Cinema Fall 2016

Liberal Arts

Cinema 109, American Cinema, 3 Credits

Distance Education Course

 

William Patrick Wend, Instructor

wwend@rcbc.edu

 

Office, Laurel Hall 110

Monday/Wednesday 1230-1330

Tuesday/Thursday/Friday 1100-1200

 

On Wednesday I do "EOffice" hours (2100-2200) on Skype (professorwend). If you send an email after about 1600, there is a good chance I will not answer it until the next morning.


SECTION 1: Course Information

Course Description: This course examines how business savvy, creativity, and technical skills drive the film industry. Studio executives, directors, cinematographers, and others share their thought and experiences. Clips from over 300 movies demonstrate why movies continue to captivate audiences.


Required Texts and other Materials:

  • American Cinema by John Belton (ISBN: 978-0073535098)

  • Films For Assigned Papers

  • Additional Materials Supplied By Instructor


 

Course Learning Outcomes ~ By the end of Cinema 109, you should be able to:

  1. Recognize and explain essential elements of film language, such as mise en scene, basic camera, lighting, and editing techniques, and cinematic uses of sound. This knowledge will provide a solid foundation for any future film appreciation or film/video production courses, or for entry –level jobs as television studios and video production houses.

  2. Recognize typical narrative and visual styles of Hollywood movies from specific time periods, especially since the 1950’s.

  3. Recognize and analyze characteristics of familiar Hollywood film genres, such as romantic comedy, the Western, science fiction, and film noir.

  4. Recognize the interrelationship between the popularity of Hollywood genres and events in American society during specific time periods.

  5. Be able to see beneath the surface story and identify deeper layers of meaning in films screened for this course, particularly as they relate to cultural, historical, or cinematic themes the instructor chooses to emphasize.

  6. Write clearly, coherently and convincingly about films screened for this course. Be able to ask well-constructed questions and make intelligent comments.


General Education Outcomes:

Written and Oral Communication: Communication

* Students will logically and persuasively support their points of view or findings.

* Students will communicate meaningfully with a chosen audience while demonstrating critical thought.

 

Technological Competency or Information Literacy: Technology

* Students will demonstrate competency in office productivity tools appropriate to continuing their education.

* Students will use critical thinking skills for computer-based access, analysis, and presentation of information.

* Students will exhibit competency in library online database tools appropriate to accessing information in reference publications, periodicals and bibliographies.

* Students will demonstrate the skills required to find, evaluate, and apply information to solve a problem.

 

Ethical Reasoning and Action

* Students will analyze and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different perspectives on an ethical issue or a situation.

* Students will take a position on an ethical issue or a situation and defend it.

Core Course Content:

  • Mise en Scene

  • Camera and Lighting

  • Editing Sound

  • Hollywood “studio system”

  • Hollywood narrative style

  • Hollywood visual style

  • Romantic Comedy

  • The Western

  • Science Fiction/Horror

  • Film Noir

  • The Coming-of-Age Experience in Hollywood Films

  • Quest and Conquest: The American Story

  • The Outsider: the Search for American Identity

  • Ethnic Diversity in Contemporary American Films

  • The Family Experience in American Film

  • America’s New Wave of the 70’s

  • Ideology, Feminism, and Auteur theories

  • Myths and Archetypes: Hero’s Journey

 

SECTION 2: Course Information –

Course and Classroom Policies:

ATTENDANCE: You do not "attend" a distance learning course in the traditional manner, but there are still some concerns we need to address in regards to this issue. Despite this not being a "face to face" course, all assignments, papers, etc, need to be complete by the due dates listed on the syllabus and assignment description pages. No work is optional. There is no extra credit. You can expect to spend anywhere between six to ten hours per week reading and writing for this course. If you spend less time on this course, it will be difficult to earn a passing grade.

 

You do not "attend" a distance learning course in the traditional manner, but there are still some concerns we need to address in regards to this issue. Despite this not being a "face to face" course, all assignments, papers, etc, need to be complete by the due dates listed on the syllabus and assignment description pages. No work is optional. There is no extra credit. You can expect to spend anywhere between six to ten hours per week reading and writing for this course. If you spend less time on this course, it will be difficult to earn a passing grade. (Updated by SB Fall 2012 With Administrative Addition Fall 2014)

 

COMMUNICATION: Students are responsible for communicating with instructors within 48 hours following a missed class to make arrangements for the completion of course requirements not completed due to absence. If a student does not communicate within 48 hours as stated above, the student forfeits his or her right to receive the missed work, and such assignment grades will be entered as zeroes.

 

PLAGIARISM (see Academic Integrity Policy, below) will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Be aware that plagiarism includes (but is not limited to) copying someone else’s words without crediting the source; paraphrasing someone else’s words without crediting the source; using someone else’s ideas without crediting the source (even if rephrased in your own words); using facts not universally known which are obtained from a source without crediting the source; asking someone else to write your paper, either in whole or in part; or obtaining a paper or portion thereof by any means and submitting it as an original document. The penalty for plagiarism is failure of the assignment and potentially failure of the course (at the instructor’s discretion), and it may result in suspension or expulsion from the College (at the discretion of the Student Affairs Committee)..

 

Assessment Methods

Discussion Forums 10%

Course Contribution 10%

Film Journal 20%

Citation Practice 5%

Professional Email 5%

Midterm Paper 15%

Topical Discussions 15%

Term Paper 20%

=100%

 

Criteria for meeting grade determination are as follows:

A: Meeting course goals by demonstrating perceptive understanding of readings and course concepts; excellence and originality in compositions; superior scores on exams and other assigned work; active participation in class discussion and small groups; and compliance with attendance and assignment requirements.

 

B+/B: Meeting course goals by demonstrating mastery of subject and concepts; above average quality in compositions and exams; good participation in class and small groups; and compliance with attendance and assignment requirements.

 

C+/C: Meeting course goals by demonstrating a satisfactory level of understanding of subject material and concepts; acceptable quality in compositions and exams; adequate participation in class and small groups; and compliance with attendance and assignment requirements.

 

D: Not meeting all of the course goals; minimal knowledge of subject material and concepts; marginal quality in compositions (poor quality of development, support, or grammar); poor performance on exams; passivity in class and small groups; non-compliance with attendance and assignment requirements.

 

F: Not meeting course goals; unsatisfactory progress in understanding and applying subject material and concepts; incomplete or unacceptable work in compositions (gross grammatical, developmental, and structural errors); failure of exams; non-compliance of attendance and assignment requirements.

 

SECTION 3: College Information

College Policies:
In order for students to know their rights and responsibilities, all students are expected to review and adhere to all regulations and policies as listed in the College Catalog and Handbook. These documents can be accessed at http://www.bcc.edu/academic-resources. Important policies and regulations include, but are not limited, to the following:

  • College Attendance Policy

  • Grading Standards

  • Withdraw (W) and Incomplete Grades (I & X)

  • Withdrawal date for this semester

  • Student Code of Conduct

  • Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism and Civility

  • Use of Communication and Information Technology


Office of Student Support and Disability Services: RCBC welcomes students with disabilities into the college’s educational programs. Access to accommodations and support services for students with learning and other disabilities is facilitated by staff in the Office of Student Support (OSS). To receive accommodations, a student must contact the OSS, self-identify as having a disability, provide appropriate documentation, and participate in an intake appointment. If the documentation supports the request for reasonable accommodations, the OSS will provide the student with an Accommodation Plan to give to instructors. For additional information, please contact the Office of Student Support at 609-894-9311, ext. 1208, disabilityservices@bcc.edu, or http://www.bcc.edu/studentsupport.


Academic Integrity Policy: The following Board-approved Academic Integrity Policy will be enforced. Board definitions of cheating, fabrication or other misconduct in research, plagiarism, and facilitating academic dishonesty will be de determined according to the discretion of the instructor. Students found guilty of more than two offenses should expect to receive sanctions of disciplinary probation, suspension, or dismissal, depending upon severity of said offenses. Students have within five working days to appeal any sanction to the Chief Academic Officer of the College, or his/her appointed designee. The policy can be accessed at http://my.bcc.edu/PDFFiles/Human%20Resources/Policy%20No%20903-C%20Academic%20Integrity%20061714.pdf


Educational Technology Statement: Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) advocates the use of technology to enhance instruction. Students should assume that classroom and online technology will be used throughout their coursework at RCBC, as it will most certainly be used in their future education and careers. The College provides on-campus facilities for the convenience of the RCBC community. Various college departments, including the Office of Information Technology and the Office of Distance Education, provide technology training and assistance to faculty and students.


Student Success Services: RCBC offers a variety of free services for its students including those listed below. Descriptions of these services, as well as many others, can be found in the College Catalog and Handbook and on the RCBC website at http://www.bcc.edu/pages/109.asp.

 

  • Academic Advisement (http://www.bcc.edu/advising)

  • Career Services (http://www.bcc.edu/careers)

  • Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) (http://www.bcc.edu/eof)

  • Financial Aid (http://www.bcc.edu/financialaid)

  • International Students Office (http://www.bcc.edu/international)

  • Library/Integrated Learning Resource Center (ILRC) (http://www.bcc.edu/library)

  • Office of Veteran Services (http://www.bcc.edu/vets)

  • Student Support Counseling (http://www.bcc.edu/cpit)

  • Tutoring Center (http://www.bcc.edu/tutoring)

  • Test Center (http://www.bcc.edu/testcenter)

  • Transfer Services (http://www.bcc.edu/transfer)

 

SECTION 4: Instructor Policy

Electronic Literacy & Issues of Online Etiquette: Due to this being a distance learning course, the following skill set is required: Starting and ending programs on a Windows/Macintosh/Linux computer; opening, editing, saving, storing, and backing up files; creating, sending, receiving, and reading email, including attachments; uploading and editing files onto Blackboard. You must have a Rowan College At Burlington County email account to participate in this class.

 

In my classes, I have an expectation students will have access to email and computers in general. All of your work will be submitted to me digitally. Given there are public and school libraries, the ILC, coffee shops, etc, students need to budget their time better; I do not see any excuse for having “no access” to email outside of the classroom.

 

Students are expected to check their RCBC email on a regular basis. I do not accept the excuse, “I didn't check my email for two weeks” as a valid problem. Digital correspondence should be written using proper grammar and form. I will not reply to emails filled with texting speak (2, u, 4, lol, j/k) or poor grammar and/or misspellings. Please include a subject and "sign" your email with your name and course section.

 

Finally, a matter of general respect: I do not tolerate homophobic, misogynistic, ableist, or racist language in the classroom. Please be respectful to your classmates, and me, on the forums.

 

Forum Journal Discussions: Each week, there will be a series of forum discussions, instead of the journal I normally do in face to face classes, on our topics for the week. You are required to add a post with your thoughts/ideas/etc about the topic with at least 50 words and, also, reply to at least one (1) of your classmates. These discussions are worth 10% of your grade. Please do not repeat observations previously made or reply with "I agree" style sentiments. Significant points will be taken off your grade for doing this. If someone has already stated what you wished to say, find a way to expand on their statement or reply to someone else.

 

If I find something problematic about your discussions, I will be in touch as soon as possible.

 

Writing Policy: I expect your work to be error free. You are expected to proofread for spelling, mechanics, and grammar. I will mark down for these errors; please revise and proofread often. All papers are to be typed, titled, double spaced, and given page numbers with your last name. All papers will be submitted digitally via Google Drive by 11:59pm on the due date. I will not be accepting print copies of your papers.

 

If you use Microsoft Works, I would like you to convert your files (.wps) to something more accessible like .doc or .odt before submitting. Also, students writing in the .pages format will need to do the same. Please see me if you need help.

 

It is the student’s responsibility to get in touch with me about their work. I am not responsible for making sure you hand in your assignments; it is yours. Please make sure you are backing up your work to an external hard drive, flash drive, cloud based source or other backup method. I will not accept excuses involving crashed computers or broken files.

 

Finally, please follow the “24 hour rule” for paper returns. I do not discuss returned student papers until 24 hours have elapsed since I returned them. There will be no discussion in person or via email about them until that time window.

 

Paper Revision Policy: (Revised Fall 2015 by HC, DH, TC): I strongly believe one of the most important lessons I learned about writing was that quality work almost always entails rewriting, but also reflection on what lessons can be learned and implemented in future writing. In this class, in place of a straight paper revision, you will analyze the mistakes I noted in comments on your paper and write a response discussing the comments and how you would correct them in future writing. This means if you are not satisfied with your grade, you may submit a response (directions are below), shared to my school Google account (wwend@rcbc.edu), within 3-5 days after I comment on your paper.

 

My expectation that for every mistake you are fixing, there is a brief paragraph discussing how to correct your work. I would consider directly citing our book readings (and the writing manual from ENG101) or your notes from class discussions in this response. Please do not cite random writing from the world wide web. There should be a second paragraph discussing specifically how you would fix it in your own essay as well.

 

If you are unsure what to write about, you can always schedule an appointment during office hours whether in person or electronic. Regardless, I would strongly suggest meeting with me to make sure you understand your grade and how to improve it.

 

Anywhere between one (1) to three (3) points can be added to your paper proportionally depending on the overall point total of the paper.

 

Of course, there are no revisions on term papers. Also, you may not use your revision to correct a plagiarized paper (see academic honesty policy below). Finally, revisions on your citation practice assignment do not count towards your revision.

 

Extension Policy: Extensions are gifts, not a right. College work involves responsibility and ownership over your individual situation. With that in mind, here are a few caveats about extensions. First, I need to know 48 hours before an assignment is due if you need an extension. This will be clearly addressed on the class schedule. To apply for an extension, we must speak in person or over email immediately. A rough draft of your paper in progress will be required to be handed in at this time. I will then determine whether to grant or deny the extension and how much time would be allotted for it.

To apply for an extension beyond the 48 hour mark for reasons of hospitalization, bereavement, military service, observance of religious holidays, legal reasons (jury duty, etc), or work related issues (ie: getting called into work at the last minute), written documentation not given before the due date must be in by Saturday night after the due date.

For the following reasons, extensions will not be permitted: short term illnesses and family vacations.

Only one extension will be granted per semester, although an "emergency" extension can be granted under certain circumstances.

 

Course Contribution: I have found in past semesters that "participation" isn't a sufficient means of assessing students. How do you grade shy, or otherwise quiet, students who do very well in your class? At the same time, does a student who does very poorly on papers/quizzes/etc, but "participates" in class deserve a high grade? Instead, I have switched this to an assessment of a student's contribution to the course. How do you do in group work? Are you always on task, or do you take others off task with your actions? Do you bring useful ideas and thoughts into class? Do you go beyond commentary that is intended to please me or make you look smart? Do you experiment, take chances, and offer untested commentary? Do you attend our peer review sessions to not only accentuate your own work, but also help your classmates? Are you punctual and always prepared? Do you do more than just listen to me? What about your presence in the class adds to it? These are some of the factors I will consider when assessing your class contribution grade.

 

A lot of these ideas were inspired by Lisa M. Lane's writing about this issue.

 

Finally: Students in my classes are responsible for reading and understanding these course policies. Do you have questions?

  • Send me an email: wwend@rcbc.edu

  • Come to my office during office hours (Laurel 110)

  • If you are a student who has progress reports for a sport, EOF, or anything else, I will only fill these out during office hours.

  • The syllabus is a living document. Sometimes, things might not work and we will need to make a change. This syllabus is subject to change at all times. Any changes will be announced on Blackboard.

 

Just a reminder that all readings should be completed before the due date.

Section 5: Course Schedule

Week One (August 31st)

  • Introduce Course

  • Introduce Citation Practice Assignment

  • Introduce Professional Email Assignment

  • Introduce Midterm Paper

  • Introduce Film Journal

  • Introduce Topical Threads

 

Remember: Your citation practice and professional email are due to my school account (wwend@rcbc.edu) by 2359 on Sunday.


 

Week Two (September 5th)

  • Read/discuss chapters one and two in American Cinema

 

Week Three (September 12th)

  • Read/discuss chapters three and four

 

Week Four (September 19th)

  • First two Topical Threads

  • Read/discuss chapter five

 

Week Five (September 26th)

  • Read/discuss chapter six

 

Week Six (October 3rd)

  • Read/discuss chapter seven

 

Week Seven (October 10th)

  • Second batch of Topical Threads

  • Read/discuss chapter eight

 

Remember: Your midterm paper is due to my school account (wwend@rcbc.edu) by 2359 on Sunday.

 

Week Eight (October 17th)

  • Read/Discuss Chapter Nine

  • Introduce Term Paper


 

Week Nine (October 24th)

  • Read/Discuss Chapter Ten and Eleven


 

Week Ten (October 31st)

  • Read/Discuss Chapter Twelve


 

Week Eleven (November 7th)

  • Read/Discuss Chapter Thirteen

  • Final Batch of Topical Threads


 

Week Twelve (November 14th)

  • Read/Discuss Chapter Fourteen


 

Week Thirteen (November 21st)

  • Read/Discuss Chapter Fifteen


 

Week Fourteen (November 28th)

  • Read/Discuss Chapter Sixteen


 

Week Fifteen (December 5th)

  • Read/Discuss Chapter Seventeen


Remember: Your term paper is due to my school account (wwend@rcbc.edu) by 2359 on Wednesday December 14th.

What I Am Up To In Fall 2016

  • I took most of August off from the internet. Nothing in particular prompted this, but I needed a break. Regular posting and correspondence should resume starting today.
  • This semester I am teaching my normal assortment of composition courses, but new this semester will be our first ever honors section of ENG102. I am really excited about this after having been on a community to create it for the past few years. I will post a syllabus in a few days.
  • I am also teaching American Cinema again and, for the first time in a few years, Masterpieces of World Literature II.
  • My office hours for the fall are...
    • Monday/Wednesday 1230-1330
    • Tuesday/Thursday/Friday 1100-1200
  • News about the 2017 edition of THATCamp Community College will be coming soon. 
  • I will be attending THATCamp Philly next month at UPenn.
  • I will also be presenting a paper at Rowan University a week later. My paper is entitled “Peasants and Barbarians: How Valkyria Chronicles Uses The Tropes Of War To Reexamine The Past And Present.”