Welcome to the Fall 2025 Composition 1 course with Robert Allen!
Throughout this face-to-face 3-credit course (ENC 1101), we work toward becoming more purposeful and precise with our written language, while also developing research, documentation, and formatting skills. We pursue these goals through the composition of a thesis-driven paper in which each student must state and support an original argument through the creative and well-reasoned application of information from reputable sources—worth 20 points and due as a hard copy by the Wednesday before finals week.
Preceding the final paper, students earn credit for their paced engagement in the writing process through the completion of a rough draft—worth 20 points and due as a hand-annotated hard copy before November 1. These two drafts meet the standards required under Florida State Board of Education Administrative Rule 6A-10.030. As such, students must earn a “C” (28/40, 70%) or better on the combined writing project to pass the course.
In the pursuit of understanding the assignments, specifically, and improving as writers, generally, students also complete A ) ten short in-class activities (each worth two points, and due before dismissal on the day assigned) with various parameters, designed to sharpen how we think about words, reasoning, and syntax; B ) a word of the day and casual discussions relating to the correction of common sentence problems, presented on the board; and C ) a free-writing entry at the beginning of each class. A legible notebook with a complete set of daily words/definitions, sentence problems, and free-writing entries earns each student 10 points, due when we meet for our assigned time during finals week, as charted on page 3. Note: For full credit on the free-writes, the quality or the quantity of content must reflect the time in class allocated for the entry, generally 15 minutes for each class that meets twice a week or 25 minutes for each class that meets once a week.
Each writer also completes a diagnostic / revision exercise, worth 20 points and due with the notebook when we meet during finals week. Finally, writers maintain the course’s remaining 10 points throughout the semester by participating. To participate, writers must attend class, stay awake, and refrain from any preoccupation with electronic devices. For the possibility of excusing an absence beyond those allowed by the college’s participation policy, linked at the bottom of Appendix B, writers must present the situation to me in person or via email before the date/s in question—excepting sudden emergencies, which I may retroactively excuse if presented with verifiable documentation of an extenuation circumstance outside the writer’s control. The journal and the diagnostic / revision document constitute the course’s final, collectively worth 30 points (10+20).
Considered cumulatively, the above assignments account for 100 points, so that each point simply equals 1% of each writer’s overall grade—which I translate to letters, according to the most customary 10-point increments:
100-90% (A), 89-80% (B), 79-70% (C), 69-60% (D), and 59-0% (F).
Writers who miss five or more consecutive class meetings without providing an assignment or other communication may earn a non-participatory designation that leads to their withdrawal from the course, as facilitated by the college’s mid-semester participation reporting.
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The rubric I use to grade the rough draft follows:
Does the draft include hand-written annotations, with corrections clearly addressing matters of grammar and mechanics?
No (0 points) Yes (4 points)
Does the draft include paraphrased and quoted content from at least four reputable* sources with all formatting and bibliographic information/description prescribed in the provided model** provided below.
No (0 points) Yes (4 points)
Does the draft include an introduction that gives the reader a reason to care about the argument?
No (0 points) Yes (4 points)
Does the draft include a countered counter argument?
No (0 points) Yes (4 points)
Did the writer provide a hard copy before the designated deadline?
No (0 points) Yes (4 points)
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The rubric I use for grading the completed paper follows:
Does the paper include a clearly conveyed and original thesis statement?
No (0 points) Yes (4 points)
Does the paper address the assigned objectives, which include the effective incorporation, application, and citation of paraphrased and quoted content from at least four different and reputable* sources, according to the model** following this rubric?
No (0 points) 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 and/or unclear language includes misused or misplaced words, unidentifiable pronouns, and inconsistent tense or perspective.
No (0 points) Yes (2 point)
Does the paper follow the assigned MLA formatting and documentation?
In some or no ways (0 points) In all ways (2 points)
Did the writer provide a hard copy before the designated deadline?
No (0 points) Yes (4 point)
*For the purpose of this paper, a reputable source requires a designated author (allowing for organizational or institutional designations), a title, a name of the containing platform, and a date of publication.
**In [insert author / speaker’s name]’s [insert year of publication] piece, [insert “title”], for [insert italicized name of containing platform], the [insert author / speaker’s credential in place of pronoun] explains [insert paraphrase of pending quote, to guide readers’ understanding]: [“insert quote”] (insert page number if available).
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Class Meeting Place and Time
Titusville Campus, Building 1, Room 128
Monday/Wednesday: 10:50 – 12:05 PM and 12:15 – 1:30 PM
Monday: 5:30 – 8:10 PM
Office Hours
Titusville Campus, Building 1, Room 128:
Monday/Wednesday: 1:30 – 2:30 PM and 8:10 – 8:40 PM.
Tuesday: 3:00 – 5:30 PM and 8:10 – 8:40 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, by appointment on campus or remote
Office Phone: (321) 433-5143
| Time of Exam | Monday May 4 | Tuesday May 5 | Wednesday May 6 | Thursday May 7 | Friday May 8 |
| 8:00 – 10:00 AM | Classes meeting Mon, Wed or Mon, Wed, Fri 8:00 AM | Classes meeting Tues, Thurs 8:00 AM | Classes meeting Mon, Wed or Mon, Wed, Fri 9:25 AM | Classes meeting Tues, Thurs 9:25 AM | |
| 10:10 AM – 12:10 PM | Classes meeting Mon, Wed 10:50 AM or Mon, Wed, Fri 11:00 AM | Classes meeting Tues, Thurs 10:50 AM | Classes meeting Mon, Wed, Fri 10:00 AM | Classes meeting Tues, Thurs 12:15 PM | Classes meeting Friday 9:00 AM |
| 12:10 – 1:00 PM | LUNCH | LUNCH | LUNCH | LUNCH | LUNCH |
| 1:00 – 3:00 PM | Classes meeting Mon, Wed, Fri 1:00 PM or Mon, Wed 1:40 or 2:15 PM | Classes meeting Tues, Thurs 1:40 or 2:15 PM | Classes meeting Mon, Wed 12:15 PM | Classes meeting Friday 1:00 PM | |
| 3:10 – 5:10 PM | Classes meeting Mon, Wed 3:05 PM | Classes meeting Tues, Thurs 3:05 PM | Classes meeting Mon, Wed 4:30 PM | Classes meeting Tues, Thurs 4:30 PM | |
| NORMAL CLASS MEETING TIME | Monday Evening Classes | Tuesday Evening Classes | Wednesday Evening Classes | Thursday Evening Classes | Friday Evening Classes |
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Appendix A
The following information appears in all syllabi for ENC 1101 classes, per college-wide requirement.
This course introduces students to rhetorical concepts and audience-centered approaches to writing including composing processes, language conventions and style, and critical analysis and engagement with written texts and other forms of communication.
Course competencies direct students to 1) use written conventions for academic writing in Standard American English,
2) integrate information literacy into the composition process, 3) select processes required for college-level composition,
4) incorporate critical thinking strategies in the reading process, 5) incorporate critical thinking strategies to communicate effectively, 6) integrate appropriate rhetorical methods, 7) write critically as a means of mastering course content, 8) select research and documentation methods appropriate to the task, and 9) compose an argumentative research project on a selected topic.
Student Learning Outcomes: Students will apply rhetorical knowledge to communicate for a range of audiences and purposes. Students will employ critical thinking to analyze forms of communication. Students will engage in writing processes that involve drafting, revising, and reflecting. This is a state-designated general education core course.
This course links to the college’s “core ability” regarding students’ capacity to “communicate effectively.”
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Appendix B
The following information appears in all syllabi for all courses, per college-wide requirement.
In face-to-face classes, students must physically attend at least one class in the first two weeks and complete one graded assignment. For students who registered during the add or drop period after the course’s last meeting for the first week, students must attend the first class of week two (2) and follow-up with their instructor regarding the missed graded assignment. Failure to meet the participation requirements will result in the student being marked as not participating and withdrawn from the course.
For 16-week and 12-week classes, instructors are required to submit an additional Class Participation Report. A student is considered actively participating if they have recently completed assignment(s) leading up to this checkpoint and continue to engage in the course as outlined in the syllabus. This report verifies each student’s continued participation.
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 the following:
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 or revising 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);
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.
Link: https://www.easternflorida.edu/academics/syllabus-addendum/index.php
Withdrawing from a course
Link: https://www.easternflorida.edu/registrar/course-related/course-withdrawal.php
College-wide participation policy
Link: https://www.easternflorida.edu/registrar/class-participation.php
College-wide participation reporting policy
Link: https://www.easternflorida.edu/registrar/course-related/class-participation-reporting.php
Thoughts, Revised & Refined 