Department of English
English
101A: Techniques of
EN 101A emphasizes the processes of critical thinking, reading, and
writing. Students move from writing
about personal experiences to writing for an outside, academic audience. Students write for different audiences and
purposes using a variety of rhetorical strategies. Students will write in response to outside
readings and will be introduced to appropriate documentation procedures. EN 101A teaches students the same skills as
EN 101 but provides additional time for grammar and skills review. To pass the course, students are required to
submit a final portfolio that meets departmental requirements. Instructors will provide further
information. The portfolio is separate
from and in addition to the English Composition Folder required for this
course.
Prerequisite: Placement through assessment testing,
successful completion of Basic English (EN 001 or EN 002 with a grade of B or
better), or completion of EL 104 with a grade of C or better. Assessment level: RD 110. It is
the student’s responsibility to make sure that she/he has satisfied the
requirements for admission in to EN101/101A.
(5 semester hours)
Students will learn to write unified, coherent, and well-developed
essays, observing the conventions of Standard American English. Students will read and critically analyze
essays that serve as models for written discourse. They will also learn to: organize ideas and information; adapt content
and style to audience and purpose; formulate thesis statements and topic
sentences; write unified and coherent essays; read analytically and think
critically; employ a writing process that includes prewriting, drafting, and
revising; compose multi-paragraph essays consisting of introduction, body
paragraphs, and conclusion.
Jane E. Aaron, The Little, Brown Compact Handbook
Kennedy, Kennedy and Aaron, The
A good English to English dictionary such as The American
Heritage.
A thesaurus
One white Montgomery College English Composition
folder
Stenographer’s notebook (to be used as a journal)
In order to successfully pass this class,
students must meet a number of requirements, including writing a number of
essays, attending class regularly, being prepared to work for each class
meeting, submitting all required assignments, and passing and satisfying
departmental exit requirements such as a portfolio. The grade breakdown is:
1.
Four essays, 10% each, for total of 40%
2.
A final exam essay that includes documentation, 15% (presented for
discussion during exams week)
3.
A portfolio containing two polished essays of your choice, as well
as a cover letter written in class, 30%
4. Class participation,
attendance, informal assignments, group work (including grammar presentations),
lab work and journals, 15%
Essays:
Students will write five formal essays during the course of the
semester, employing rhetorical strategies such as comparison/contrast, cause
and effect, analysis, argument, and an introduction to incorporating outside
sources. However, they will do a great
deal more writing in total, since revision is a key component of the writing
process. In addition, they will do extra
writing in class and in their journals.
Essays will originate in the
classroom and will be developed over the course of many days, using development
and revision methods, as well as small–group workshops. Essays will be graded on a number of
criteria, including strong thesis, development of ideas, appropriate structure
and organization, and good grammar.
Portfolio: EN
101 emphasizes the processes of critical thinking, reading, and writing. Students move from writing about personal
experiences to writing for an outside, academic audience. Students write for different audiences and
purposes using a variety of rhetorical strategies. Students will write in
response to outside readings and will be introduced to appropriate
documentation procedures. EN 101A
teaches students the same skills as EN 101 but provides additional time for
grammar and skills review.
All sections of EN101 and EN101A will
participate in the portfolio pilot in Fall 2003. To pass the course, students are required to
submit a final portfolio that meets departmental requirements. Instructors will provide further information. The portfolio is separate from and in
addition to the English Composition Folder required for this course.
Journals:
Journals: Students will keep a writing journal in
which they will write at least three times during the week, more than a
page each time. The topics for these
writings are fairly open, but the focus is on the course theme, the impact of
overwork. You may write about newspaper articles or TV shows you have sent hat
relate to this theme, or even about conversations you have had on this
topic. Occasionally, there will be a specific question or theme to
write on; otherwise, you are on your own.
Journals will be graded Pass or Fail, and will be collected at
mid-semester.
Grammar
Presentations: In groups,
students will present brief lessons on an assigned grammar problem. They will become “experts” in the grammar
area that causes them the most problems. Presentations are developed in
consultation with the instructor.
English
Composition Folder: Students will maintain a folder during the
course of the semester. This folder will
include all of the written assignments for the semester, which must be clearly
marked with date and description of the assignment (comparison-contrast, etc).
Lab
Work and Other Assignments and Exercises: Students are required
to supplement in-class instruction on grammar with independent work in the
Learning Lab. They are also advised to
attend tutoring sessions in order to receive additional, outside help on
assignments. Please note that tutors are
not editors, and that they will not rewrite, revise, or correct papers for
you. There will be a total of 10-12
informal assignments (including outlines, drafts, revisions, exercises, etc.)
during the semester. Students may miss
up to 3 without penalty.
a.
Attendance:
You are expected to attend each class prepared to participate in
discussions and collaborative activities.
Attendance is taken at the beginning of each class. If you are late by more than 5 minutes, your
absence will count against you. If you
are absent, it is your responsibility to ask about any assignments and to
complete them on time. If you have more
3 unexcused absences, I may “drop” you from the class. Talk to me if you have problems or
concerns. It is your responsibility,
if you stop coming to class, to officially drop yourself from the course
through the Admissions Office. If you do
not do this, your grade for the course will result in an F and will remain on
your college record as such.
b.
Academic Honesty: The maintenance of high academic standards of intellectual honesty
is the concern of all members of
c.
Classroom Conduct:
The College seeks to provide an environment where discussion and
expression of all views relevant to the subject matter of the class are
recognized as necessary to the educational process. However, students do not have the right to
interfere with the freedom of the faculty to teach or the rights of other
students to learn. All discussion must
be productive and respectful. (See Student Handbook, p. 79 for
additional information.)
d.
Late Assignments: Late assignments and essays will not be accepted. Students are to assume that unless they have
made previous arrangements with the instructor, they will forfeit the credit
for an assignment that is submitted late.
Extensions are available, by permission, if requested well in advance.
e.
Support Services: Any student who may need an accommodation due
to a disability, please make an appointment to see me during my office hour. A
letter from Disability Support Services (R-CB122; G-SA175; or TP-ST120)
authorizing your accommodations will be needed. Any student who may need
assistance in the event of an emergency evacuation must identify to the
Disability Support Services Office; guidelines for emergency evacuations for
individuals with disabilities are found at www.montgomerycollege.edu/dss/evacprocedures.htm.
f.
Cancellation of Classes: If class is cancelled due to inclement weather, students are to
assume that class will resume with the work scheduled for the cancelled
day. Students are always encouraged to
read ahead and to continue to work on their assignments and on their grammar
skills during that time. (For a recorded
announcement on college closing information, check local television stations or
call 301-217-8800 or 240-567-5310.)
Selected Grammar
The Writing Process (3-78) Comma
Splices (231--)
Subject-Verb
Agreement (192--) Quotation
Marks (263--)
Pronoun
Reference (208--) Fragments
(227--)
Parallelism (125--) Working
With Sources (324--)
Conciseness
(146--) Appropriate,
Exact Language (132--)
Week
One: 9/2, 9/4
Journal writing
assignment; Diagnostic Essay
(September 8: Last day to drop with refund)
Week
Two: 9/9, 9/11
Workshops: Narrative Writing. Sharing and responding, free writings
Discussion of “Fish
Cheeks” and “Once More to the
Week
Three: 9/16, 9/18
In-class work on
narrative revisions
Writing: Narrative Essay due
(September 22: Last
day to drop without grade)
Week Four:
9/23, 9/25
“Neat People vs. Sloppy
People” BR 185 and 191
Drafting C & C essay
Grammar: Fragments
Week
Five: 9/30, 10/2
C and C essay workshops,
cont’d
Week
Six: 10/7, 10/9
Lesson on editing
Comparison-Contrast
Essay due
Grammar:
Run-ons
Week
Seven: 10/14, 10/16 Midterms
Week
Grammar: Pronoun Reference
Week
Eight: 10/21, 10/23
Drafting
and workshops: Cause and Effect essay
Week
Nine: 10/28, 10/30
Revisions
and Peer feedback, C & E essay
Writing: Cause and Effect Essay due
Week Ten:
11/4, 11/6
Writing:
Portfolios are due!!
Week
Eleven: 11/11, 11/13
Reading: Useful terms, BR 683-697; Jamaica Kincaid
Writing: analyzing a text, exercise
Grammar: Quotations, working with sources
(November 17: Last day to drop with a W)
Week
Twelve: 11/18, 11/20
Week
Thirteen: 11/25 (Thanksgiving
week)
Writing:
Responding to a text (film)
Week
Fourteen: 12/2, 12/4
Writing: Workshops on Running Out of Time
Week
Fifteen: 12/9, 12/11
Chapters
on research, BR and Handbook
Writing: Research essay workshops
Week
Sixteen: 12/16, 12/18 (Exams Week)
Final Exam Essay presented