Rick Dollieslager, Asst. Professor of English

Office: Wythe Hall 246 Phone: 825-3543

e-mail: dollier@tncc.cc.va.us

• Tuesdays 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Until further notice)
• Also by arrangement (Call to make sure I'm in.)

• A pocket folder to keep handouts and assignments.
• A 3.5" computer disk.

*Note: We will use Microsoft Word97 as our word processing system, and we will use other components of the Microsoft Office Suite as needed. You need not purchase these since they will be available on campus.

The goals of ENG 111 College Composition I are to aid the students in developing writing ability for study, work, and other areas of life, with emphasis on the expository and persuasive writing expected in college courses. Includes writing based on experience, observation, research, and reading of selected material. Guides students in learning writing as a process: understanding audience and purpose, exploring ideas and information through analytical reading, composing, revising and editing. Supports writing by integrating experiences in thinking, reading, listening, and speaking.

Prerequisites: Satisfactory scores on the placement exam or satisfactory completion of prerequisite writing course.

This course will not be like any English class you have ever taken. Upon the foundation of the traditional composition course, we will build a bridge to the new millenium, into the Information Age. This is the composition course of the future.

Upon successful completion of the course, you should have a better understanding of your own writing process and should be able to apply the strategies of narration, exposition and persuasion / argumentation appropriately in writing situations. You should be familiar with the basic form of the academic essay and other forms of written electronic and print communication, you should have an increased awareness of tailoring writing to the needs of the audience, you should have an understanding of how to use various print and electronic resources, you should be able to analyze academic and professional readings to determine the main points and methods of development, and you should be able to edit your own writing to satisfactorily conform to the accepted practices of standard (American) English prose.

The course will be conducted in workshop fashion, requiring individual work at the computers, small group discussion and exercises, peer evaluation, collaborative learning, and group or student/instructor conferences. There will be a few sessions which are predominantly lecture and discussion, but there will be a good deal of in-class writing and collaborative projects, so you should expect to, and be prepared to, work in class at every scheduled meeting.

First, keep disk and/or paper copy of all handouts and assignments that you receive or do this semester. That way, if there is any question of policy or of accuracy in recording a grade, you have copies of everything of importance. In order to receive full credit, all work will be submitted on time (by the stated deadline). The grade for any late work, if accepted, may be substantially reduced.

All of the graded assignments will be worked on the computer. We will use the Internet extensively for our readings and research/analysis projects. You will publish your edited work in your own electronic portfolio, and I will ask for some of the exemplary projects to publish on my English 111 class web site. Knowledge of HTML programming language will be very useful but is not a pre-requisite for the course. Likewise, off-campus access to the Internet will be convenient but not mandatory, as you will have access through the Academic Computing Lab, room 255 in Wythe Hall.

Attendance and participation at all meetings of the class are mandatory. TNCC policy stipulates that I may drop any student who has missed 20% of the scheduled classes, regardless of the reason for the absences. Therefore, if you miss five classes, you will be dropped. This policy is not simply of a motivational nature. This class will be a workshop. You will work in class at every meeting, and you will conference with me and with your classmates throughout the production of every written assignment. For these reasons, absences will adversely affect your grade. Schedule no appointments, vacations, spats with loved ones, hangovers, etc. which will conflict with our class times. If you have an absence, please don't tell me why. I'm not a truant officer, and my students are adults: adults take responsibility for their own decisions.

If there is any validity in our placement criteria, which makes you eligible to take ENG 111, then you should have the ability to pass the class if you complete all the assignments as prescribed. My wish is for students to be successful in composition class; however, I can't help you to achieve your goals if you aren't in class to work toward them. In short, if you miss classes, you will not be successful. While I'll take pleasure in your success, I'll take no credit for it. Likewise, you'll find me to be conscientious, diligent, and willing to help; therefore, I'll take no responsibility for anyone's failure to succeed. My experience has shown me that anyone can succeed who really tries.

Plagiarism: In accordance with provisions published in the TNCC catalog, disciplinary action will result if plagiarized work is turned in. The TNCC Student Handbook describes plagiarism thus: "To steal and pass off as one's own the ideas or words of another; to use without crediting the source; to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source; to commit literary theft" (1999-2000, p. 159). Whether intentional or inadvertant, plagiarism is a serious academic offense, and the consequences for intentional plagiarism are severe: "Plagiarism at Thomas Nelson Community College will constitute a dismissable offense..." (1999-2000, p. 159).

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Separately (on paper copy), you will sign a permission form similar to the one below

I understand that my work will be read by my instructor, my classmates, and a broader audience. I understand that the confidentiality of the grades for my work is protected by law. I give Professor Dollieslager my permission to publish, for educational purposes only, any of my work which he finds exemplary. I understand that my work may be published or shared in print or electronic media and that I retain rights of ownership of my work, should I wish to publish it elsewhere.

sign:________________________________ssn:_____________date:______

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