monika.brown@uncp.edu                         ENG 105 COMPOSITION I                  uncp.edu/home/monika    
Dial 110 521-6257                                             SYLLABUS FALL 2004                             M&F 10, W 2:30, Th appt   

                                                                           Dr. Monika Brown                                                

COURSE GOALS AND PHILOSOPHY

College is a place where people are made to read difficult books. My own moments of peak collegiate learning
occurred whenever I acquired new tools to unlock difficulty. --novelist Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker 2002

In the UNCP Composition Program, students develop self-awareness as critical readers and writers, participate in public debate
as informed citizens, investigate and present informed insights for academic and public communities, and cultivate habits of mind
for successful living: meeting challenges, acquiring expertise, and growing in confidence, responsibility, perseverance, and cooperation.

      Writing courses, a cornerstone of UNCP General Education, prepare “students with broad vision, sensitive to values,” who
“recognize the complexity of social problems and [become] contributing citizens" who can “make informed decisions,”
"think critically and creatively, communicate effectively in writing and speech," and apply research and technology. 
Composition students engage in “6 r’s”--reading, research, (w)riting, revising, reaching out, and reflection--to develop knowledge
and skills set by the National Association of Writing Program Administrators (see uncp.edu/etl/composition/index.htm).

1. rhetorical knowledge to write effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences

2. critical reading, thinking, research, and writing: for inquiry, synthesis, integration of ideas, and action

3. flexible strategies for using writing processes, applying research & technology, and working with peers

4. conventions of genres, forms, and documentation, and standard English syntax and grammar

      In English 105 students critically analyze, research, and write informative texts. In Dr. Monika Brown’s Composition I,
you engage actively in academic reading, thinking, and writing but have opportunities for personal and creative approaches.
Our main textbook, Writing in the Disciplines, offers academic, general interest, and literary texts from social sciences,
science and technology, and humanities.

       Dr. Brown, your instructor, is a writing coach, who provides directions and guidance and responds carefully to your work.
Her teaching is shaped by 20 years of experience teaching process writing and these principles:

1. social construction theory: our knowledge of “reality” is shaped by culture and language; and language users,
by critical reading, inquiry, writing, & speaking, create & discover new meaning and influence others;

2. writing across the curriculum: writing and critical thinking promote learning in all subjects, and people enter
and influence academic and public communities by learning their vocabulary, genres, & methods of study;

3. developmental and social pedagogy: research shows that with active learning and structured support from instructors
and peers, students can master complex concepts and develop intellectual independence.

                        COURSE OUTLINE, ASSIGNMENTS, AND GRADING (100 points)      

 
 COURSE GRADE:   By the end of the semester, C or better is expected on the Portfolio, the Research Paper, and one Essay

       For evaluation criteria, see ENG 105 Writing Guide and http://www.uncp.edu/etl/composition/index.htm

     each paper: A 94, A- 91, B+ 88, B 84 ... average: A 93-96, A- 90-92, B+ 87-89, B 83-86

TEXTS AND SUPPLIES for ENG 105 (Dr. Brown’s sections)

Texts: Ruszkiewicz, Hairston, Seward SF Writer (3rd Edition)

           rhetoric/reader: for Dr. M. Brown, Kennedy, Kennedy, Smith, Writing in the Disciplines, 5th ed.

            a college dictionary: American Heritage Dictionary or The Webster's New World Dictionary

Supplies: two pocket folders for course work and portfolio, two disks, and a Writing Guide (class handout)

Technology:  for class word processing & internet research, you need an active harmony account, disks, & paper

Absences: An instructor may fail a student who misses more than 6 hours/2 wks of class, regardless of the reason

Plagiarism: Students should commit themselves to academic integrity and understand the Academic Honor Code.

*For a C or above in ENG 105, prove that you can document correctly and avoid unintentional plagiarism.

*Plagiarism as fraud, intentionally or knowingly presenting another’s work as yours, means F in the course.

ADA: A student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments should speak in the first week to the
teacher and to Mary Helen Walker, Disability Support Services, DF Lowry Bld, 521-6695. Discussions are confidential.

SUCCEEDING IN COLLEGE AND COMPOSITION:  DR. BROWN’S POLICIES

Commit yourself  to a successful freshman year.  Your education costs $9000 a year, so full-time college resembles a full-time job.

For successful completion of ENG 105 (C or above) and a good course experience.  follow these guidelines     
      *Commitment to these will improve your major essay grades as well as your 10% Class Involvement grade.
      *A student who is unengaged (frequently absent, late, unprepared) for more than two weeks will be withdrawn.

∙     attend class, on time (3x late=absence); over 3 unexcused absences lower your average by 1 point each

∙     take responsibility for any absences: if you miss a class, notify the instructor (e-mail) so you are prepared for the next class
(for a long absence, ask Student Affairs 521-6175 to notify your instructors)

∙     keep up with your out-of-class assignments (5-6 hrs/week) and follow directions for assignments and homework

∙     use class time well: bring books and work, share your work, learn from others, be respectful and courteous:

pay attention to the instructor and to each other for the entire class period: classes begin and end on time;
during computer presentations by instructor or students, your computer must be in sleep mode

       (after a warning, you may be asked to leave the classroom and counted absent)

∙     ask for help with a project--before it is due--from the instructor, class members, or the Writing Center;
visit the Writing Center to help you improve skills: writing process, proofreading, documenting, avoiding plagiarism

∙     submit essays and drafts correctly, with all work and sources in folder (reverse order, most recent on top), and on time

          - for final essay (NOT a draft) a 1-class extension is OK if you attend the day a paper is due and the day you turn it in

           -a late or unacceptable/returned paper  loses up to 1 letter grade and must be submitted within one week

∙     revise to improve a grade after an essay is returned (if caught up), revise for a new grade averaged with original grade;
the revised essays in your portfolio count again as part of the portfolio grade.

∙     save all work, all semester (drafts, sources), print a draft for each class & keep backup files on F: drive