Engl 1301 Composition 1 Prof. Jo Anne Johnson

Syllabus – What you need to know NOW  Your Instructor is Jo Anne Johnson  My office hours are by appointment, and virtual hours are offered M/W 7 – 8 PM.   1 st Period meets in Room 1601  2 nd Period meets in Room 1225

Contact Please contact me if you are having problems in this class AT ANY POINT DURING THE SEMESTER. DO NOT WAIT until you receive a poor grade or are failing. There are many solutions available, and I will guide you to them, or help where I can. Also, if you have a personal issue, I can’t help if I don’t know about it.

College Courses This is a college course, not a high school course. That means:  I won’t be talking to your parents  I am not concerned with your dress code  I hold you to a very high standard  This is a rigorous course

Required Materials  (BR) The Bedford Reader, 12 th Edition. ISBN  (MH) The New McGraw Hill Handbook (download from Connect)  (SG) English 1301 Study Guide (download from Connect)  2 Blue Books fro In-Class Writing Exams  Pens/Highlighters  ½” – 1” binder for your course materials  Paper for in-class assignments and taking notes (spiral, etc. is fine)

Grading  You will be assigned 6 major essays  You will be assigned 10 Journal entries (blogs) and various other assignments in Connect  You will complete a LearnSmart Achieve Plan  Papers will be turned in using TurnItIn.com

Grading Caveats  The average of your two in-class essays cannot be lower than your class grade. You must pass both to pass the class. If your average for them is a C, and the rest of your classwork is an A, then you will earn a C for the course.  If you do not do the pre/post tests and the LSA, you will not pass this course.  LSA is graded on percentage complete. 85% complete = 85.

Grading Breakdown  You have the opportunity to earn 1125 points (1000 applied to your final grade). That means I only take your top 5 essays.  I cannot drop your in-class essays, and will not drop your research paper, so the one dropped will be one of the other 3.  You still have to turn in all 6 essays!  All other writings and work will go into your portfolio grade.

Grade Breakdown PointsAssignmentPointsAssignment 125Narrative1002 Oral Presentations 125Critical Analysis12.5MH Connect Pretest 125Argument Analysis12.5MH Connect Posttest 125Persuasive Research Essay 100MH Connect LSA 100In-Class Midterm50Participation 100In-Class Final150Portfolio (homework, quizzes, journals, etc.)

Attendance  Attendance will be taken every day. Should your attendance become an issue, my record will be the final mediator.  Per HCC Policy, if you miss more than 6 hours of instructional time, you may be withdrawn from the course.  If you stop coming to class, it is your responsibility to officially drop – NOT MINE

Late Work  I do not accept late work, especially essays. There are points built in to accommodate one error.  You are informed well in advance of due dates. If you are absent, your work should still be electronically submitted.  You cannot make up in-class assignments, group work, or peer editing.

Caveats  If you have a true emergency, talk to me. In rare instances, we can work something out. Do not count on this clause, though. Except in very rare cases, my previous statements stand true.

Class Etiquette  You are in a college course. I expect you to act like an adult, so please do. Disrespect for me or your classmates will not be tolerated.  Please turn off all electronics while in class unless specifically asked to use them.  The use of recording devices is specifically prohibited.

Scholastic Dishonesty  Plagiarism is not tolerated in any form. Penalties may range from a 0 on the assignment to removal from the HCC system, depending on severity.  We will discuss what plagiarism is, and how to avoid it, so ignorance is not an excuse.  TurnItIn.com is a powerful tool for finding unoriginal material. Remember to cite your sources.

What you need to do this week  Purchase your textbook and supplies  Sign up for MH Connect using the supplied sheets for login information  Take the LSA Pretest  Create an account at TurnItIn.com. I will provide course number and pw information as soon as it is available.  Read assigned material per calendar.  Visit for updated information until our Learningweb site is up.  Complete Journal entry (blog) 1

Diagnostic Essay  Critical Analysis of one of 3 Songs  Luke Bryan – Drink a Beer  David Banner – Cadillacs on 22s  Imagine Dragons - Radioactive

Diagnostic Analysis  Write a page critical analysis of one of the songs presented, and you can analyze the lyrics, video, or both.  Include an analysis of the literary elements present, and you should include 1 paragraph about what you think the song means to me (as the person who selected it).  Your purpose is to analyze; your audience is me.