FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY: Department of English and Foreign Languages
Current Syllabus, good through 12/07
ENGL 1101 Composition 1 
(This syllabi is valid for both online and non-online courses)
online course login information available here.
non-online course web site:  http://www.keithmurphy.info/1101.htm

Instructor: Keith Murphy, Ph.D.
Office: 013 HMB.
Office hours announced in class.
Telephone: (912)825-6680 (messages only: 6392) Fax: (912)825-6110
Email: Sophist@Bigfoot.Com

Yahoo Instant Messenger ID:  docsophist
 

DEPARTMENTAL POLICIES

Course Description:
English 1101 is an introduction to the rudiments of  English Composition in which the student will develop communication skills, namely reading, writing, and speaking, with particular focus on expository and argumentative essays in standard written English, in addition to basic research skills.

Course Objectives:

To communicate clearly and logically in Standard English.

To comprehend, interpret, and appreciate academic discourse.

To become familiar with the resources and conventions of library and on-line research.

To respond critically to reading selections and peer writing.

In order to achieve this goal, the student will perform the following tasks:

• All students, in the traditional classroom setting, will be required to complete a separate writing enhancement program consisting of 1 to 2 hours per week at the WIN lab (Bond 124). The specific content of this program will be determined by the instructor and the WIN staff. To evaluate achievement on such enhancement activities, WIN staff will assign a lab grade to each student which will count as 5% of the course grade.  Online students will, instead, begin with the "writing primer" module which concludes with the "diagnostic essay."

• During the first full week of class, the on-campus student will confer with the instructor on a diagnostic essay. A student whose writing reflects deficiencies in grammar, sentence structure, and/or mechanics will be required to attend the WIN for specific remedial help.  On-line students will, upon completion of the diagnostic essay, will be assigned additional timed essays or online remediation in an attempt to correct perceived deficiencies.

• Students who need remediation with vocabulary or reading comprehension will be recommended for English 1108 or for WIN tutorial.

• The student will read and analyze selected essays in terms of structure and detail, thesis, style and tone. 

• The student will write [at least] 8 essays per semester excluding departmental essays tests or WIN essays in response to literature discussed in class or on topics assigned by the instructor. When revisions are allowed the student has SEVEN calendar days to return the revised work for consideration; otherwise the grade reverts to F.  (Note:  these numbers may vary due to time constraints or events beyond the instructors control).

• The student will complete a research project, with goals and deadlines set for accomplished tasks. The student will receive points both for meeting deadlines and the quality of the final research report. The research essay must be typed and sources must be documented appropriately. Copies of research material must be submitted for verification. Plagiarism, in any form, will not be tolerated. See text for documentation guidelines. Full details of the research project will be provided separately.   For more information about plagiarism, click here.

General Education Outcomes

• Writes clearly and correctly:  Written communication skills will be developed through various modes of writing including essays, summaries, position papers, and personal reflection.
• Speak effectively:  Oral communication skills will be enhanced through class presentations, peer review of essays, and class discussion.
• Facility with computers and information technology will be enhanced through the use of technology such as the Internet, Gallileo, and Electronic Communication.
• Comprehends critically and thinks logically and critically:  Critical thinking skills will be developed through pre-writing, argumentative and analytical writing.

Grading Breakdown:

Essays/Portfolio 85%
Research Project 10%
WIN grade 5% (for online students, this is replaced with appropriate participation in discussion forums)

Departmental essay:  P/F
 

Semester grades are determined as follows: A=90-100%; B=80-89%; C=70-79%; D=60-69%; F=59-0%. Thus, since you need a C to pass this class, the minimum passing requirement for all assignments in 70%.

Course Policies:

1. Attendance. The student will attend class regularly. Attendance will be recorded daily. If a student arrives late, it is their responsibility to make certain the instructor records them as present. The student, not the instructor, is responsible for any work missed whether or not the absence is excused. Be Aware: This is NOT a class that one can pass by merely getting there in time to sign the roster.  Online students should be aware that the server records the number of times you log on to the class, the pages you view, how long you are on each page, as well as uploads, downloads and a great deal of other information that I can access at any point in the semester.  So be careful when you come up with your, "What had happened was...." tale.

FVSU has an official policy on "cuts" or unexcused absences which states that students may be absent from class a number of times equivalent to the credit hour value of the class. This is a 3 credit class, thus, you have 3 allowed absences. The policy also states:

The student may expect to lose one percentage point for each absence in excess of the above scale. (Points to be deducted from the final course average.) Exceptions to this policy in regard to point reduction may be approved by the instructors involving death in the family, illness of the

student or member of the immediate family, or military duty. It is the student's responsibility to provide legitimate written excuses (From the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs) to the instructors of classes involved. Other reasons not covered here must be cleared with the appropriate school office.

An absence may be excused if cleared with the instructor in advance or if the student can provide a written excuse with the date, signature, and phone number from some responsible person. Graded assignments missed due to excused absences may be made up within one weeks of the student's return to class; however, it is the student's responsibility to initiate such arrangements and to persist in efforts to complete the work within the deadline.

Obviously this does not apply directly to online students.  However, if you have not spent a reasonable amount of time logged into the class, it will cause me to ask you some awkward questions come grade time.

Assignment Format:

Unless instructed otherwise, all essays must be typed or LEGIBLY written in blue or black ink on 8 1/2" by 11" paper. The research project MUST be typed. All assignments become the property of Fort Valley State University; they will be kept on file for one semester after the present semester and then destroyed.

Please type, and double space all work not written in the classroom.  I prefer that you NOT send me email attachments of your work.  The simple reason for this is that spam filters will often shred attachments or simply assume that your email is spam and not deliver it to me and, I don't have the time to print the hundreds of essays and revisions I will receive the last weeks of the semester. 

Turning in Work:

1. I prefer that you NOT send me email attachments of your work.  The simple reason for this is that spam filters will often shred attachments or simply assume that your email is spam and not deliver it to me and, I don't have the time to print the hundreds of essays and revisions I will receive the last weeks of the semester. 
2. Please, if you are on campus, print our your work and put in my mailbox in Bond 248 (The English Office). 
3. If you are off-campus, the best way to get your assignment to me is to fax it to me at 478.825.6110  [Be sure to put "ATTN:  DR. Murphy, ENGL:1101 (the section number) and your name clearly on the cover page.
4. If you are turning in revisions, remember you must attach all preceding drafts of the essay with the newest one you are turning in.
5. Always keep copies of what you have turned in.  Both a hard and a soft copy, just in case I lose it, or your disc crashes, or you lose it.
6. Remember that this is a portfolio class.  It is up to you to hang on to all of your work, all of the papers I have ripped up, and your revisions.  Because all of them must appear in your portfolio.  And that is what determines your final grade.
7. You can also mail homework to me at either:  Dr. B. Keith Murphy, Dept. of English, Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, GA, 31030  or if you are in a real hurry, send them to my home at Dr. B. Keith Murphy, 1509 Kingston Rd. Perry, GA  31069.  However, be aware, if I get any chain letters or anyone subscribes me to Hustler, I will start failing people until I get the right one.  Note:  I will NOT accept "postage due" mail.

Getting Graded Work Back
I am frequently amused by the number of students who fail to read their syllabus.  As educators, we spend hours of our lives trying to make the educational process as simple as possible for the student.  That task is impossible if you, the student, chooses to not even take the initiative to read a document as basic as the syllabus, which is a combination of a contract and owner's manual.  Perhaps that is why your teacher gets frustrated when you ask a question like, "How come I never get any of my essays back?", when the answer is clearly spelled out in the first document you should have read.  End of lecture.

1. Whether you are an online or a traditional student, unless you have given me instructions to the contrary, as soon as I have graded a piece of your work, it is gently placed in the "Graded Work Box."  This Holy Grail of Academia is that dinged up black plastic box under the clock in the English office (248).  It's up to you to check it frequently.
2. If you are an online student or are going to be off-campus, you need to make arrangements with me to have graded work returned to you.  Don't Panic.  There are several ways this can be accomplished.  You can simple mail me a package filled with SASE's (self-addressed-stamped-envelopes) and I will just mail your graded work back to you for revisions.  We can work out a fax-back or even a dancing email system, but just contact me (email is best) so we can work out a plan so you can do your revisions.

Recording: 

Some (face to face) classes may be recorded to be archived as "podcast lectures" which will be available for use by  students in online sections of 1101 as well as students who take future sections of this course in a "normal" classroom setting.  If you do not wish to have your voice recorded, please let me know, in writing, within 5 business days of receiving notice of the location of this syllabus, that you wish to be exempt from recording sessions and I will make separate arrangements for you.  To listen to a podcast from previous semesters, click HERE and then scroll down beneath the picture of Sigmund Freud's head exploding.  There you'll find a list of available podcasts which you can either download to an Ipod-type device or just steam through your computer.  Or click here to listen to any of the full selection of podcasts.

If you wish to make your own audio recordings of the classes, that is fine with me as long as the making of the recordings are not interfering with any other student's ability to hear and understand what I am saying.  The second restriction that you must abide by is that these lectures are copyrighted by me.  I own them.  It's like buying a ticket to go see a concert.  You, legally, can make a recording of the concert if you can PROVE that you won't make copies of your recording and sell them at a profit.  Since there is no way to police that, most judges have sided with the artists and have simply not allowed any concert-goers to record, videotape, or photograph (up close at least) a concert of a big-name band.  So, in this case, I'm trusting you to not violate my copyright and go out and make some huge hit rap song by sampling one of my 1101 lectures (like that's really gonna happen...but you get the idea.)

Oh, and if you start selling t-shirts with my image on them, I want my 15% cut...understand?

Unless you notify me, in writing, of your objection; essays turned in for this course may be used as sample essays for future courses and may be posted online.  The author will not be identifiable in anyway if their material is used as examples for future courses.

Required Texts and Materials:

Texts: Toby Fulwiler and Alan R. Hayakawa. The Blair Handbook.  ^5th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2007. (or most recent version available in bookstore or online).  Click here to read more about this book from Amazon.com and from Prentice Hall.   This Text is Required for BOTH 1101 and 1102 and, if you are smart,  you will want to hang on to it for the rest of your college career.

Materials: Pens and writing paper.

High Density 3.5" diskette or, preferably, a USB flash drive.

A standard college desk dictionary.

Email Adress: All students are expected to have an active email address through which they can contact the instructor and the instructor can contact them.  If you do not have an email address, you may register for one at:  http://bunniwerks.zzn.com

If you are an online student you will need access to the internet (preferably high bandwidth access), a reasonably new computer that is java-enabled, and a self-starting attitude and dedication.

Dr. Murphy's online library

Grading Criteria:

To earn a grade of C, an essay must:

• Contain either a clearly implied or explicitly stated central idea.
• Be unified and coherent. The paragraphs must stand in clear relation to the thesis and each other.
• Be fully developed. Each paragraph should contain a leading idea and specific details or examples that clarify, support, and explain the leading idea.
• Contain clear sentences that are in general conformity with standard English. Errors in grammar and/or mechanics must be so minimal that they do not distract from the meaning of the essay.
• Preferably the essay will end with a paragraph, or at least a sentence, which conveys a sense of completion.

An essay fulfilling the above criteria represents acceptable college work. To exceed this criteria, an essay must show superiority in content and development, organization and coherence, sentence style, and vocabulary.

Departmental Examination Requirements:

Twice each semester, the Department of English and Foreign Languages administers timed essay tests, graded holistically by two readers, to all sections of 1101.

The first essay, coming around the third week of the semester, is diagnostic and is not used in the calculation of grades.  The second essay, coming at the end of the semester, will be included in a Pass-Fail portfolio which must recieve a PASS if the student is to be eligible to earn a grade of C or higher in the course.

Tentative course schedule:

• Week One: Course Introduction. Diagnostic Essays
• Week Two: Styles of analysis. Organization.
• Week Three: Clarity and Development. 
• Week Four: Sentence structure.
• Week Five: Narrative analysis
• Week Six: Word choice.
• Week Seven Beginning of Research Project
• Week Eight: Editing and proofreading
• Week Nine: Argumenatative writing.
• Week Ten: Persuasive writing,
• Week Eleven: Expository writing
• Week Twelve: Dramatic Structures
• Week Thirteen: Style
• Week Fourteen: oral presentations.  (traditional sections only)
• Week Fifteen: oral presentations.
• Departmental Common Essay Final (TBA).

Online courses:  reading assignments are embedded in the course content

For non-online students, reading Assignments will be made in class.

Return to ENGL 1101(Murphy's sections) Topics Page