P.O. Box 3649
501-788-7000
General Syllabus
English 1213: Freshman English 2
Credit Hours: 3
Pre-Requisite: ENGL
1213
Instructor: Dr.
Kelly Jennings
Office: Vines 139
Office Hours: Office Hours: TR 8:00-11:00;
Thurs: 2:00-5:00; Or by appointment
Phone:
788-7907
Email: Kelly.Jennings@uafs.edu
You can also friend me on
Facebook – my FB is the Kelly Jennings in Fort Smith with this picture:
I have created a blog for the
class; you will need to access the class assignments through this account. The blog address is http://drdelagar.blogspot.com/
Text: Mammoths of the Great Plain, Eleanor Arnason
ISBN 1604860758
Little Seagull Handbook and a dictionary
Reliable access to the internet
1213 Course Description
Provides instruction in rhetoric, academic research, and critical
reading
Curricular Requirements
·
Students use
recursive writing processes (invention, drafting, peer review, instructor
feedback, revision, and editing) to produce 3 to 4 writing assignments
requiring research and the incorporation of source material (one of which is an
analysis of a book-length work).
·
Students produce at least 15-20 pages of polished (graded)
writing over the course of the semester.
·
Students write a
final exam (may be the final writing assignment turned in on the scheduled day
of the final exam or an in-class final chosen by the instructor).
Major Course Topics
·
Recursive
processes of writing;
·
Analysis of the
rhetorical situation in reading and writing: audience/purpose/text/context;
·
Aiming writing at
specific, and differing, audiences;
·
Use of rhetorical
strategies such as appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos;
·
Use of narrative,
analytic, and argumentative structures appropriate for the rhetorical
situation;
·
Editing for
conventions of usage and style;
·
Use of research
tools and methods, including library databases;
·
Evaluation of
sources for audience/purpose;
·
Integration of
source material in writing;
·
Use of MLA
style/documentation; and
·
Introduction to
APA style/documentation.
Student Learning Outcomes—Subject Matter
Upon
successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
·
Use available
library databases and other research tools to locate sources;
·
Analyze and
evaluate sources for audience/purpose;
·
Summarize and
synthesize source material;
·
Make claims and
support them using source material;
·
Document sources
using proper MLA format.
Assessment Measures
·
Portfolio of
syllabi/assignments/reflection; and
·
Students’ final
essays.
Requirements for this class:
(1)
Essays: You will
submit three typed essays to me this semester.
Initial submissions will be evaluated, but not graded. Only when you have turned in a final draft to
me, via the portfolio, will I grade the work. You will, however, receive 10% of their grade for turning in the
essays on time, in the proper format.
(2)
Conference and
quiz grade: You are responsible for meeting with me at least three times this
semester. I will also be giving daily reading quizzes, which cannot be made up.
NB: You may use your reading notes on these quizzes. These must be your own
handwritten notes. 30% of the final grade is based on the conference/quiz grade.
(3)
The Portfolio: 60% of the final grade is based on
Portfolio work: final drafts submitted to me as ready to be graded. The very latest you can turn in final drafts
is the day of the final exam: you may, however, turn work in earlier.
Attendance:
I require regular attendance. Note that regular means missing no more than three
sessions for whatever reason. After three classes have been missed the final average will be dropped 3 points for
every absence. On the other hand:
Bonus points! Any student who attends all classes without fail will receive a 5
point bonus at the end of the semester.
Grading scale: 100-90 = A;
89-80; 79-70=C; 69-60=D; 59 & below =F.
Late Work: If
you know you will have trouble getting your essay to me on time, contact me via
email or Facebook. We can work something
out. You will probably lose the 10%
credit listed under point (1) above; but I do generally accept late work if you
have a valid reason for needing an extension.
Extra Credit: From
time to time, I will make available extra credit opportunities. These are due by the last day of class, and
the credit will be added to your quiz grade average.
Electronic Devices: Turn off your phone when you come into the classroom. If you need to have it on for an emergency
situation, switch it to silent and sit near the door so that you can leave
quietly if it rings. If you need to use
a laptop to take notes, use it only to take notes. Playing games or the use of social media is
distracting to other students, and readily apparent to your professor, who
tries very hard not to let such things enter into her evaluation of you at
semester’s end, but is not always successful.
Music, Chatting, Sleeping in Class: Don’t play your iPod, don’t talk to your neighbor,
try hard to stay awake. Again, you’re
distracting people who want to pay attention, and you’re lowering my opinion of
you as a student. Everyone gets tired
sometimes, and sometimes you’ve got something crucial you’ve got to say – maybe
there’s a spider on your neighbor’s head!
But otherwise, not cool.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism
is the major felony in the academic world.
Sometimes it surprises students that professors get so upset about
it. Trust me, we do, we will, and we’re
justified in taking it so seriously. It
is intellectual dishonesty.
Plagiarizing will get students
into serious trouble. I know how to
recognize plagiarism, I know what a paper written by someone not in the class
looks like, I know how to find things on the net. If someone plagiarizes in my class, on any
assignment whatsoever, that person will
fail the class.
What is plagiarism? It is any
time you turn in work you did not do with your name on it: any time that you
present work you have not written as though it were your work.
- If you get an essay off the net, that’s
plagiarism.
- If you patch together half a dozen pieces from
various web sites without citing them, and turn the result in as your own
work, that’s plagiarism.
- If you use an essay your roommate wrote in high
school, that’s plagiarism.
- If your mama, brother, girlfriend, roommate
writes your essay for you, that’s plagiarism.
- If you take part of an essay off the net, change
a few of its words, and add it to your paper without citing it, that’s
plagiarism.
Additional Course Policies
ADA STATEMENT
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), UA Fort
Smith seeks to provide reasonable accommodations and services to students who
have documented exceptionalities.
Students who believe they are eligible to declare a disability for the
purpose of requesting and receiving accommodations must submit all required
documentation of their disability to Roger Young, ADA Coordinator, for
validation. Mr. Young will develop an
individualized plan for reasonable accommodation in learning and testing for
all students qualifying for accommodation.
Mr. Young can be reached at 479-788-7577.
FERPA STATEMENT
According to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, you have
certain rights with respect to your educational records, including the right to
inspect your own educational records, to request an amendment if you believe
them to be in error, and the right to consent to disclosure of your records
(with certain exceptions). Please refer
to the UA-Fort Smith catalog for more information.
AVAILABLE SUPPORT SERVICES
The Gordon E. Kelley Academic Success Center (ASC) provides programs designed to meet individual student needs not met
through the general curriculum.
Currently, the ASC is located in Room 202 of the Vines Building. Students may contact ASC staff at (479) 788-7675.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
Students who have questions or concerns about their grades, the course,
or an assignment are encouraged to see their instructor as soon as
possible. If not satisfied with that
discussion, students may see the Chair of the department (if there is an acting
Chair). If not satisfied with that
discussion, students may see the appropriate Dean. If not satisfied with that discussion—or to
dispute an official course grade, students should contact the Academic
Integrity Committee.
RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES
The instructor reserves the right to make changes in the syllabus and/or
schedule when necessary to meet learning objectives, to compensate for missed
classes, or for similar reasons.
Further Advice:
I’ve hit the obvious things—don’t cheat, come to class, be on time. For further
advice, I would add: come to my office for help. It’s why I’m there. Feel free to email me,
also. I love email.
