ENGL 101 sections 009 & 011
Comp 101
--Mainpage--


Fall 2004 / section 009 MWF 9-9:50 a.m./section 011 MWF 10-10:50 a.m./Caruthers 114
Dr. A. Nick Melczarek Office phone: 410-546-6203
Office: HH 344 e-mail anmelczarek@salisbury.edu
(send no attachments!)
Office hours: MW 2-3 p.m., T 9-10 a.m. & by appt.
"There are no cultural objects or practices that do not constitute capital, no reserves of culture that escape value" -- Susan Willis, "Disney World: Public USe/ Private State (SoL 751)
This website and the schedule updates linked to it for ENGL 101.009/.011 supercede and overrule the paper syllabus. You must have an e-mail account and web access to participate in this course. If you don't have both of these yet, obtain them immediately.
FINAL ESSAY EXAM DATE/TIME/ROOM:
Monday December 13, 3:15-5:15 p.m., Henson Science Hall 101
Both my sections of 101 take the exam at the same time. You must take this exam -- no late make-ups. If for whatever reason you need to take the exam early, you must notify me at least two weeks in advance so that I can arrange accomodations.
Contents on this site
(click to jump to the following sections below)
Course Decsription and Rationale Course Objectives and Goals
Required Texts and Materials Assignments & Grade Distribution
Essays Mid-term and Final Exams
Quizzes, etc. Attendance & Tardiness
Participation Class Conduct
Cell phones, etc. Academic Dishonesty & Plagiarism
Students with Disabilities

Related ENGL 386.001/.002 pages (click to jump to the following additional sites)
Writing Tips Site
Paper 1 assignment site Paper 2 assignment site
Paper 3 assignment site Paper 4 assignment site (coming soon)

Updated Schedules (highlighted as available); these sites overrule the paper syllabus schedule:
This syllabus remains deliberately brief to allow flexibility to the unpredictable needs of students. Once updates are posted online, you are responsible for tracking due dates. To ensure that you do not miss class notes, familiarize yourself with at least two other students -- trade 'phone numbers or e-dresses so that you have two people to contact. I should be the last person you contact for any such information. Always consult the online syllabus and schedule updates before asking me any questions about assignments or the class.
»»Course Decsription and Rationale
Composition I is part of a two-course sequence in composition. C-level work in Composition I and Composition II demonstrates a student's ability to
  • formulate and support a thesis
  • inform, argue, and persuade
  • address a variety of audiences effectively
  • analyze, synthesize, evaluate and formulate arguments
  • support claims with adequate and relevant evidence
  • support generalizations with specific evidence
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    »»Course Objectives and Goals
    This course seeks to prepare you for the different writing tasks you will face during your college career. The strategies you learn will apply to any writing situation you face, especially academic writing. Successful completion of the course will enable you to
  • describe content, organization, and style in the work of other writers
  • choose effective strategies for overcoming problems in your own writing process
  • use appropriate evidence, organizational patterns, and styles for specific writing tasks
  • summarize, paraphrase, and evaluate textual evidence -- including evidence that presents views opposing your own -- and incorporate it into your writing
  • analyze the purpose, audience, and requirements of different writing tasks
  • analyze your writing and the writing of others, critically evaluating the effectiveness of content, organization, and style
  • find, evaluate, and use sources from the library and the internet
    NOTE: SALISBURY UNIVERSITY REQUIRES THIS COURSE FOR ALL STUDENTS. YOU MUST EARN A GRADE OF C OR BETTER IN THIS COURSE TO PASS.
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    »»Required Texts and Materials
  • Kirszner and Mandell, The Holt Handbook, 6th Edition
  • Maasik and Solomon, Signs of Life In the U.S.A., 3rd Edition
  • A Manual/Casebook for Freshman English
  • active e-mail account
  • Internet access for online materials
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    »»Assignments & Grade Distribution (elements described below)
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    »»Essays
    60% of your grade consists of four long essays (1,500-2,000 words each). As you acquire skills and strategies, your essays count for more. I will distribute essay assignments, either hard-copy or via the course website, far in advance of first-draft due dates. Each essay will ask you to argue a certain position within the cultural studies topics/milieu that we will have discussed within a given section. Type or clearly computer-print your essays written outside of class. The assignment handouts/websites will list other specifics for each assignment (margins, length, focus, etc.) in explicit detail. Follow these criteria carefully and exactly; failure to do so will drop your possible essay grade. Late essays will be penalized one letter grade for each day late, including weekends. Failure to turn in any one of the major essays will fail you from the course.
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    »»Mid-term and Final Exams
    In Week 9, I will administer an in-class mid-term exam, in the form of an in-class brief essay, to gauge your progress. This exam counts 10% toward your final grade.

    During exam week (date/time t.b.a.), you will write a final in-class essay on a topic that I will provide you beforehand. This experience should not only evaluate how well you have absorbed the skills covered in the course, but also prepare you for other essay-type exams in your future courses. This exam counts 20% toward your final grade.
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    »»Quizzes, brief class writing, etc.: Expect unannounced quizzes on reading comprehension and/or grammar issues. I may also ask you to write brief, informal responses to class readings to supplement classroom discussion; I will announce due dates/times for these assignments upon issuance.
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    »»Attendance & Tardiness Since most of this class comprises writing, peer evaluation, revision, and class discussion, class attendance remains crucial. This counts for unannounced quizzes and in-class assignments as well. Nevertheless, I allow you 3 absences (equivalent to a week of class) before I begin to penalize you. If you anticipate an absence, notify me in person or by e-mail; e-mail must be time/date-stamped at least 24 hours before your absence. Tardiness disrupts class flow. Arrive to class on time -- not five or ten minutes later. Travel difficulties are immaterial. Three late arrivals will count as an absence. Check with me at the end of class to be counted on that day's roll; unless you check with me, you will stay marked absent.
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    »»Participation Simply attending class is not enough. Have assigned book pages read before you come to class. If drafts have been assigned, bring sufficient copies to distribute to your peer group members and to me. Always have a pen and writing material available for in-class notes. I also expect you to actively participate, in class in general but particularly in your peer groups. Ask questions and offer ideas based in the texts. I do not give you participation points just for showing up. You may contribute to the course discussion through e-mail as well. I also welcome individual student conferences.
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    »»Class Conduct This course will discuss diverse perspectives and ideas, many of which may be unfamiliar to you. Whether you agree with ideas and perspectives from the reading material, peer groups, or class discussion, you will show respect for those ideas, perspectives, and the people who hold them. This counts in class, on paper, and in e-mail. You will participate in class discussion in a polite, responsible, adult manner. ANY name-calling, derogatory or belittling comments, disparaging attitude or the like, directed toward either myself or another student, will NOT be tolerated One instance will receive a verbal reprimand; another will lose you all class participation points. After the first instance, it remains at my discretion to expel you from class and seek disciplinary measures from SU authorities.
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    »»Pagers, cell phones, beepers, PDAs, electronic alarm watches, etc. All such electronic devices must remain switched off during class time and in individual conferences -- turn them off before class. If any of these in your possession goes off during class or conferences, you will automatically be counted absent for that session. This counts especially for exams: your pager, etc., going off during an exam will automatically fail you from the exam. Repeated incidents of interruption by such devices and your checking/responding to them will result in your expulsion from the class.
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    »»Academic Dishonesty & Plagiarism You're here to learn and to prove yourself, not simply to accrue empty grades like a scavenger hunt. I will therefore pursue and prosecute any instance of cheating, plagiarism, or other academic dishonesty in my class with the utmost vigor, in accordance with SU policies. "Plagiarism" constitutes any of the following
    Any form of dishonesty will result in automatic failure from the course; will be reported to SU authorities; and could result in expulsion from the university.
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    »»Students with disabilities Please discuss with me during the first week of the semester any special accommodations you will require due to a verifiable disability.
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    Students remain responsible for knowing when assigned readings and essays are due. I advise you to collect 'phone numbers from at least two peers in class, so that you have someone to contact for assignments in case of absence. After I have announced the website's launch, check the website regularly for schedule updates. Avail yourself of my office hours as well -- instructor availability remains one of the key advantages of a small university.
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