Syllabus for Fall, 2008
English 101
Mr. Mike Briscoe,
BS, MA, Ed.S., The University of Alabama
Mike.briscoe@adjunct.wallacestate.edu
Fall, 2008
Monday 6-8:30pm
This syllabus is subject to change.
Class Meetings:
Class starts at 6pm. Please be prompt. Attendance is taken each week at the beginning of class. If you should come in late, please see the instructor after class in order to change your absence.
Cell phones need to be turned off during class meetings. If you have a situation that requires keeping one handy, please leave it on vibrate, and then step outside to take calls. Otherwise, cell phones need to be kept out of sight.
Materials:- MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. Gibaldi, Joseph. 2005.
- The College Writer: A Guide to Thinking, Writing, and Researching. 2nd ed. VanderMey, et al. Houghton Mifflin, 2005.
- Tuesdays With Morrie. Albom, Mitch. Doubleday. New York. 1999.
Absences for the nights of the essay are not allowed unless it is one of the reasons listed in the Wallace State handbook. Those usually include doctor’s notes, jury duty, etc. Those do NOT include routine doctor’s visits. It is your responsibility to check the handbook, and bring all necessary documentation to class upon your return. You will then be given a reasonable amount of time to complete them, usually one week. Absolutely no assignment can be made up later than one week after your return.
Office Hours:I can only be reached by email outside of class. My email address is listed above. If it is extremely, extremely urgent, contact Cindy Neal in the English department. She will then call me, and give me a message to contact you.
Bad Weather
I’m going to make every effort to be at Wallace on the assigned nights. However, storms do arise. If there is a Tornado Watch and/or Warning in effect for Cullman County, then you can pretty much bet that I’ll not risk driving to class. Look to my website at www.schoolrack.com/brisc001 to see if I have canceled class for that night.
Grading is done by a points system. The total number of points is divided by the actual number of points received, and the average is calculated.
Note cards: 20 points eachNote card grades are given each week in WebCT. Since this class is designed for Thursdays, then all note card grades are due in to WebCt by 9pm at the very latest. These cannot be made up for any reason. They are for students who are conscientiously and actively reading the textbooks and are “religiously” signing in to WebCT and turning them in on time. You must be actively logging in each week to complete these assignments. Twenty points doesn’t seem like much, but in the end, it can make the difference between a “C” or an “F."
Essays: 100 points each x 4 essays in class = 400 points
Essays will be done in class, with the exception of the research paper. No essay can be made up for any reason. I do not give make up work on these assignments. Make sure you are in class, well prepared, and ready to stay as long as it takes to write a thoughtful, five paragraph (or more), five hundred word essay.
Again, if you miss the assigned date of any essay, you will not get credit, and you will not receive a makeup opportunity. Unless you have a documented, acceptable excuse, what you will receive is a grade of “zero.” Performance = results! One essay may be dropped, but not the research paper or the final exam.Research Paper (100 Points)
Each student will be required to write a research paper this semester. It will be based on the short story “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber,” by Ernest Hemingway. I have included a link to the story on my website, www.schoolrack.com/brisc001 under the “Files” link. “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” takes approximately an hour to read. There is no need to go buy the story. Here is the link: http://www.geocities.com/cyber_explorer99/hemingwaymacomber . It is free on the Internet. There are minimal guidelines for the research paper. They are as follows:
- Paper must be typed, MLA format.
- Must be at least 1,500 words or more.
- Must be submitted to www.turnitin.com as well as to me, in person, on the date it is due.
- Must use at least five sources, no more than two of which can be from the Internet. Go to the library (we do have one J), and research the story from there, as well as using the Internet.
- Acceptable Internet sources do not include Wikipedia, Schoolnotes.com, Cliffnotes.com, Classicshorts.com, www.123helpme.com, or any of those “dot com” type sites. Most sites that are acceptable have the file extensions of “.org” or “.edu” or “.net”. As a rule, students should avoid any of the dot com websites, as these are commercial websites, and used for profit. Typically, they are not creditable sources, or sources that should be used for college level writing.
- Must include a “Works Cited” page
- Must use a five line heading on the front page; there is no need to turn in a title page.
- Outline
- (this left intentionally blank in case I think of something else)
There will be two tests assigned this semester. Make sure you have a scantron answer sheet for each test, and a number 2 pencil.
Other assignments may be given at the discretion of the instructor.
Date Have Completed before Class:
August 25 Introduction
September 1 No Class – Labor Day
September 8 MLA Handbook: Read pages 1-36
The College Writer: Chapters 1-3
September 15 Essay #1 - TONIGHT
September 22 MLA Handbook: Read pages 37-61
The College Writer: Chapters 4-6
Begin reading Tuesdays With Morrie, pages 1-32
September 29 MLA Handbook: Read pages 62-81
The College Writer: Chapters 7-9
Test #1
October 13 MLA Handbook: Read pages 81-102
The College Writer: Chapters 10-12
Read pages 33-61 in Tuesdays With Morrie
October 20 MLA Handbook: Read pages 103-129
The College Writer: Chapters 13-14
Read pages 62-99 in Tuesdays With Morrie
November 3 MLA Handbook: Read pages 130-160
The College Writer: Chapters 15-16
Read pages 100 – 129 in Tuesdays With Morrie
November 10 MLA Handbook: Read pages 161-193
The College Writer: Chapters 17-18
Read pages 130-159 in Tuesdays With Morrie
The College Writer: Chapters 19 & 20
Read pages 160-180 in Tuesdays With MorrieNote: Research paper is due next week, at the beginning of class.
December 8 MLA Handbook: Read pages 232-259
The College Writer: Chapters 33,35-37
Read pages 181-end in Tuesdays With Morrie
Test #2
December 15 Final Exam
