NMSU-A English Department Goal
The goal of the English Department of New Mexico State University at Alamogordo is to provide a curriculum of comprehensive, post-secondary education in English in a local environment to meet the diverse and lifelong needs of those students who
a) need developmental instruction in English,
b) intend to transfer to other institutions of higher learning,
c) enroll in technical, vocational, certificate, or associate degree programs, or
d) seek personal enrichment through the formal study of the English language and its literature.

ENGL 111G Objectives
Through a sequence of reading, writing, and workship exercises, students will

• Develop analytical reading and critical thinking skills
• Develop expository and argumentative writing skills
• Develop skills for responding in various rhetorical communicative situations
• Use collaborative learning in various contexts
• Read, evaluate, and synthesize information from print, online, and traditional research
• Develop process skills:  planning, drafting, reviewing, revising, editing, and presenting documents
• Write with a clear sense of purpose, audience, and situation
• Improve Standard English awareness

Prerequisites
To qualify for admission into this class, you must have

• earned the appropriate placement score on the ACT Compass test, administered in the NMSU-A Writing Center; or
• provided the counselors with proof of a high score on the ACT English test or the SAT verbal test; or

completed the CCDE 110N non-transfer-level course at NMSU-A with a grade of C or better.

Semester Grades: 500-450= A; 449-400= B; 399-350= C; 349-300= D; Below 300 = F

Attendance Policy

25 bonus points are possible for attendance.  However, since bonus points are possible for attendance, there are NO EXCUSED ABSENCES, except for authorized University functions, as provided for in the Student Handbook. Also, absences and tardies may eventually cost you points, and therefore semester grades, thus:
 

+1 point for each class, up to 28;  excludes conference days, final exam

-10 points for each absence

-5 points for each tardy

It may be possible for students to get credit for attending by entering into our class discussions and class work via email:  emailing journal responses on readings, emailing drafts as attachments if students cannot physically attend the class.

ENGLISH 111G, RHETORIC & COMPOSITION
 

Instructor Contact Information Mr. Ron McNeel  Professor of English  Office #115, Faculty Office Building  Office Hours, Spring 2002 Mondays and Wednesdays,  10:30-12:30  Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2-4  Phone and voice mail: 505.439.3742  email: mcneel@nmsua.nmsu.edu website: http://alamo.nmsu.edu/~rmcneel

Required Texts and Materials The Macmillan Writer (MW), 4th edition A Pocket Style Manual, 3rd ed. A good dictionary An NMSU-A computer account Access to reliable word-processing equipment 2-3 floppy disks A spiral notebook with pockets for journal-keeping 2-3 letter-sized manila folders A medium three-ring notebook with loose-leaf filler paper and dividers

If changes to the schedule are necessary, I will do my best to announce them in advance. However, occasionally minor changes may occur at the beginning of a class session. Major changes to the syllabus will be made in writing and handed out as an addendum to the syllabus, and/or posted at the syllabus website.

Reading assignments are to be completed before the date on which they are scheduled for discussion. If a lack of discussion and preparation indicate that the selections have not been read, then I may give unannounced quizzes over the day's readings.

Week 2

Session # and Dates	Assignments and Activities
3.  M, Jan. 14	Discussion of Chapter 3 on Identifying a Thesis and Chapter 4 on Finding Evidence.  More time for pre-writing and drafting.  Introduction of readings not in the text:  selection from Rodriguez's Hunger of Memory;  and Friedrich's "Five Ways to Wisdom."
4.  Tu, Jan. 15	Discussion of Chapter 10 on Patterns of Development (Woolf) and Chapter 12 on Narration.  Discussion of student essay in Chapter 12.  Discussion of Suina, p. 361.
5.  W, Jan. 16	Discussion of Chapter 5 on Organization, and Chapter 6 on Drafting a Paper. Discussion of Chapter 13, Illustration (Lindbergh). Discussion of student essay in Chapter 13 and Rodriguez.  Review of pp. 655-665.
6.  Th, Jan. 17	Discussion of Friedrich's article.  Drafting and Revising time.

 

Week 3

Week 4

Session # and Dates	Assignments and Activities
9.  M, Jan. 28	Essay #1 is due.  Chapter 14, Division-Classification (McClintock, Tannen). Discussion of Chapters 9 and 20. Assignment of Essay #2. Essay #2 will require the use of an outside source. Research Paper topic is due. .
10. Tu, Jan. 29	Discussion of Readings on Reserve.  Research time.Review of Chapter 20, the Research Paper and Process. New lecture on Chapter 21. Pay particular attention to the sample research paper, pp. 666-693. Assignment of the Annotated Bibliography.  Library tour, possibly computer lab time
11. W, Jan. 30	Peer reviews of Essay #2. Bring 3 copies of your typed or word-processed draft. Instructor review time. Revision exercises and revision time.
12.  Th, Jan. 31	First journal submissions are due. Computer-mediated communications and research.

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Week 5

Week 6

Session # and Dates	Assignments and Activities
17.  M, Feb. 11	Review of Chapter 5 on Organization and Chapter 6 on Writing the First Draft. Activities from Chapter 16 and activities on the Research Process. Possible Quiz.
18.  Tu, Feb. 12	Peer Reviews of Essay #3. Bring 3 copies of your typed or word-processed draft.   Library Time and Word Processing Lab time.
19.  W, Feb. 13	Discussion of Chapter 17 on Cause and Effect (reserve article in the library by Gallup, and Staples). Assignment of Essay #4, an essay using cause and effect development to some degree to explain some environmental issue. Brainstorming and pre-writing for Essay #4.
20.  Th, Feb. 14	Continued discussion of Chapter 17 on Cause and Effect (Angier, and discussion of Chapter 18, Definition (Gibbs). Library and computer research time.

Week 7

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Week 8

Session # and Dates	Assignments and Activities
25.  M, Feb. 25	Essay #4 is due.  Individual Conferences on Research Papers. You must bring a complete draft to this conference or risk losing 25 of the possible 125 points for this assignment.
26. Tu, Feb. 26	Journals are due.  Individual Conferences on Research Papers. You must bring a complete draft to this conference or risk losing 25 of the possible 125 points for this assignment.
27. W, Feb. 27	Return of journals, annotated bibliographies, and essay #4. Discussion of Chapters 20 and 24.
28. Th, Feb. 28	Research Papers are due.  Sign up for individual conferences for the return of portfolios. Course wrap-up and evaluation.

Week 9

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1. The University administration and the U.S. Air Force insist that you do not smoke, eat, or drink in the classrooms--especially computer  laboratories.

2. I insist that you attend class: excessive absences will adversely affect your final semester grade, as explained in attendance and grading policies above.

3. Chronic tardiness will also affect your final grade. If you do come in late, just take a seat quietly in the row of desks nearest the door. This row is to be set aside for this purpose. Please don't walk in front of me.

4. If you have a serious and legitimate reason for missing class, I will discuss the possibility of your making up your work, provided that you see me as soon as you return.

5. No matter the reason or excuse, all late papers will lose 10% of the possible points for the assignment. No assignments will be accepted after Wednesday, Feb. 27, 5:00 PM.  Please consider emailing assignments as attachments to get them in on time.

6. Work that is missed and not made up, or make-up work that I will not accept, will receive a grade of zero.

7. If you plagiarize a paper or cheat on a test, you will be urged to drop the course. Also, you will receive a zero grade on the falsified assignment.

8. A plagiarized research paper is sufficient cause for failure in the course. I reserve the right to ask for all your pre-final draft materials, such as your note cards or photocopied notes and your rough drafts--paper or electronic--before agreeing to grade your research paper, or any essay.

9. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A FOUR TO SIX PAGE DRAFT OF YOUR RESEARCH PAPER AT YOUR SCHEDULED INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCE, THE RESEARCH PAPER WILL BE DOCKED 25 POINTS.

10. Regardless of how many points you may amass on essay assignments during the semester, you must complete a research paper to pass the course.

11. Students with Disabilities: If you have or believe you have a disability, you may wish to self-identify. You can do so by providing documentation to the Counselor for Special Populations, Mr. Jim Payne (phone: 439-3724). Appropriate accommodations may then be provided for you.

12. If you have a condition which may affect your ability to exit safely from the premises in an emergency or which may cause an emergency during class, you are encouraged to discuss this in confidence with the instructor and/or the ADA Coordinator. If you have general questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), call the ADA Coordinator, Doris Lynch, at 439-3717.

13. NMSU-A's Holloman staff person Kay Denny can also be of service:  479-4318
 

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