Welcome to the Summer 2020 edition of Composition 1!
Directly after this paragraph, you will find a new link posted each week by 9 AM on Tuesday, leading to a short YouTube video in which I discuss concepts that will generally help you improve your writing and specifically help you complete this course.
Week Eight Videos:
Purdue MLA Guide Link (Electronic Source Section)
Week Seven Videos:
Follow this general structure for formatting direct quotes:
Julia Exampla provides insight about [insert idea you’ve just been writing about above] in her article “A Totally Relevant Read,” for Mega Reputable Word Magazine: she writes, “[insert quote].”
Week Six Videos:
Week Five Videos:
Thoughts Concerning the Thesis Statement
Week Four Videos:
Week Three Videos:
Instructions for APA In-text Paraphrase Citation
Week Two Videos:
Week One Video:
^ What to take away from the above video: Select a topic for your informative paper, write a topic sentence, and email it to me before the end of Friday, June 19. For example, if a writer decides to compose a paper about the natural phenomena of rogue waves, s/he might write a topic sentence such as, “Researchers now study the scientific causes and effects of rogue waves, the towering and singular walls of water that were long considered little more than a matter of mysterious sea lore.”
On this page you will also find the simple syllabus and schedule that this course will follow over the next eight weeks.
To successfully complete this course, each writer must compose two 4-page papers—an informative paper due at the end of week-4 and a persuasive paper due at the end of week-8. Each paper must included cited information from at least three academically reputable sources, which, for the purposes of this course, can include peer-reviewed journal articles from a library database, trade journals, educational institutions, government agencies, news papers, news magazines like The Economist, magazines like Smithsonian or National Geographic with area-specific writers, and recorded interviews with experts.
We will develop these papers in graded increments, so you can earn credit for your engagement in the writing process—not just the final product. The combination of each paper’s developmental increments and the completed composition will equal 50 points.
I will not qualitatively grade these developmental increments. If you do them, and if you provide them on time, you will earn the points. That means 60% of this course’s points depend strictly on your own diligence—not writing skill.
Here’s our schedule, with each assignment completed and sent to allenrob@easternflorida.edu before the end of Friday on the week listed:
Week One— one sentence topic proposal (5 points)
Week Two— introductory paragraph (10 points)
Week Three— Three APA style paraphrases from reputable sources (15 points)
Week Four— complete APA informative paper (20 points) = a 50-point paper
Week Five— one sentence thesis statement (5 points)
Week Six— introductory paragraph (10 points)
Week Seven— Three MLA style quotes from reputable sources (15 points)
Week Eight— complete MLA persuasive paper (20 points) = a 50-point paper
*
The rubric I will use to grade the two completed papers follows:
Does the paper address the assigned objective?
No (0 points) In some ways (2 point) Yes (4 points)
Does the paper include fewer than five major mechanical errors? Major mechanical errors include sentence fragments, comma splices, subject/verb disagreements, and antecedent/pronoun disagreements.
No (0 points) Yes (4 points)
Is the paper free of unclear and/or ambiguous language? Ambiguous language includes misplace modifiers, unidentifiable pronouns, and inconsistent tense or perspective.
No (0 points) In all but one or two sections (2 points) Yes (4 point)
Does the paper employ a discernible and systematic structure?
No (0 points) Yes—but an ineffective one (2 points) Yes (4 point)
Does the paper follow the assigned formatting?
No (0 points) In some ways (2 point) Yes (4 points)
Was a digital copy submitted before the designated deadline?
No (0 points) Yes (4 point)
Additional College-wide Information (required in every course syllabus)
Religious Observations:
When the observance of a student’s religious holiday(s) interferes with attendance in class, class work assignments, examinations, or class activities, the student must notify the instructor in writing within the first week of class. Students are held responsible for material covered during their absence. The instructor should provide alternative arrangements for students to complete the work for the missed session. Students excused for religious observances will be expected to meet the class requirements for those days without undue delay. Students who believe they have been unreasonably denied educational benefits due to their religious beliefs or practices may seek redress through the student appeal procedure. [FS 1001.64, 1002.21, 1006.53] Nationally recognized religious holidays shall be acknowledged plus any significant day of religious observance as recognized by the highest governing body of that particular religious faith. Students may be required to provide information or proof the religious holiday if such holiday is not generally known.
Academic Dishonesty:
EFSC Policy: Any form of academic dishonesty is subject to the disciplinary actions set forth in the Student Code of Conduct. Cheating, plagiarism and any other misrepresentation of work are prohibited. Students who are found to be in violation of this standard may receive severe sanctions, including a failing grade in their respective course and depending on the circumstances, possible expulsion from Eastern Florida State College.
In general terms, plagiarism is the adoption or incorporation of another’s ideas without proper attribution of the source. It is more simply defined as taking the writings of another person or people and representing them to be one’s own. Please note that access to or obtaining information/copying assignments provided from sources like CHEGG, Course Hero, Accounting Tutor, or any other online applications that purport to offer the answers to exercises or instructor materials for courses, may be considered CHEATING, and any instances that can be substantiated will be treated as such.
To avoid plagiarism, you should always credit the sources used when writing as essay, research paper, or other assignment in accordance with the appropriate style manual or format required in your course. Confirm with your instructor the appropriate format to use.
Types of actions defined as plagiarism include but may not be limited to:
- Cutting and pasting to create a written document from a single or various sources.
- Citing a source with false or inaccurate information. (Bibliographical or URL).
- Quoting less than all the words copied or paraphrasing a source without proper citation or notation the document has been altered.
- Submitting papers, assignments, exams, or forums that were completed by someone other than yourself.
- Working in a group or otherwise colluding with other students to prepare and submit work without prior acknowledgment and approval from the instructor.
- Receiving or giving outside help without prior written faculty consent, this includes assistance from tutors, websites, or other online resources.
- Sharing assignments, exams, or discussions with other students.
- Selling or purchasing (or copying) papers, assignments, or exams from any website that buys or sells them and submitting them as your work in whole or in part.
- Using a quotation without proper quotation marks and citation.
- Preparing a draft for final paper for another student.
- Submitting a paper, assignment, quiz or exam that you submitted in a previous and/or concurrent class without requesting and receiving in writing prior permission from your instructor(s). This could also apply to “revising” papers, assignments, quizzes or exams that were previously submitted in any course.
- Copying a non-text material such as: image, audio, video, spreadsheet, PowerPoint presentation, etc., without proper citation and reference.
- Altering any information on forms, electronic attachments or emails after the original has been submitted.
- Presenting statistics, facts, or ideas that are not your own, or is not common factual knowledge either by the general population, or commonly known within the particular discipline, without citation, even if you view them as common knowledge in your own educational background.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding plagiarism, ask your instructor or Associate Provost for assistance before a plagiarism problem arises. For more information about plagiarism and proper citations please visit the campus learning lab and/or writing center.
Sexual Misconduct:
Eastern Florida State College is committed to providing a safe and productive learning environment. Title IX and our school policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. Sexual Misconduct—in any form, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking—is prohibited at EFSC. Our school encourages anyone experiencing Sexual Misconduct to talk to someone about what happened, so they can get the support they need and our school can respond appropriately. For more information about your options, please visit easternflorida.edu/our-campuses/campus-security/titleix-sexual-misconduct. Our school is legally obligated to investigate reports of Sexual Misconduct, and therefore it cannot guarantee the confidentiality of a report, but it will consider a request for confidentiality and respect it to the extent possible. As an instructor, I am also required by our school to report incidents of Sexual Misconduct and thus cannot guarantee confidentiality. I must provide other EFSC officials with any relevant information reported to me.
Sail:
Faculty at EFSC are innovative and may utilize additional resources and technology (including recording devices) above and beyond the required course materials to enhance the instructional experience. EFSC strives to provide equitable access at the same academic and instructional level for all students and is committed to ensuring access for students with documented disabilities. A person with a disability may qualify for reasonable accommodations. SAIL (Student Access for Improved Learning) ensures that reasonable accommodations are provided for students with documented disabilities that significantly impact major life functions While personal services and personal aides cannot be provided, reasonable accommodations will be arranged to assist a student with a disability based on documentation provided by the student. For more information about accommodations and the resources available to students with disabilities, students are encouraged to go to the website or visit a SAIL office on any campus
Related Links:
Thoughts, Revised & Refined 