NMSU-A Mission Statement

The mission of the Alamogordo Branch of New Mexico State University, a comprehensive community college, is to
 

	Provide quality education that includes academic, technical, vocational, developmental, and career-oriented skills;
	Promote student competence, confidence, and success by providing personal enrichment programs through continued response to the cultural, intellectual, and economic needs of the community;
	Maintain active ties and continuity with the main campus;
	Afford equal opportunity for individuals who meet admission criteria to receive educational services within the community without regard to age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

In Case of Emergency
If someone in your family needs to contact you in an emergency, the person calling should know the class you are attending and use the following telephone numbers:
  Alamogordo Campus:
   Daytime:  439-3700 (Admissions Office)
   Evening:  439-3751 (Faculty Office Secretary)

In Case of Holloman Air Force Base Closure
National or international events may cause Holloman Air Force Base to close, keeping students from leaving the base to attend classes on campus, and keeping instructors from entering the base to teach classes there.  To alleviate the problems a closure would cause,
• the instructor may collect student phone numbers and email addresses;
• the instructor may use email addresses to create a distribution list to keep students up-to-date on assignments and activities;
• students should note the instructor’s email address and be adept at sending word-processed assignments as attachments via computer;
• instructors and students may need to mutually agree on a make-up class or classes, times, places, and modes of instruction (including email or chat room discussions), in order to abide by state requirements of 750 minutes of class time per credit hour.

Classroom Conduct
• You are not allowed to use tobacco products in classrooms at NMSU-A or HAFB.
• You are not allowed to eat or drink in computer classrooms at NMSU-A or HAFB.
• Any student engaging in disruptive behavior will be required to leave the class.

Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty
In an effort to fulfill our mission to “maintain active ties and continuity with the main campus at Las Cruces,” the following statement on plagiarism and academic dishonesty is taken from Paideia IV: A Course Guide for English 111 Composition and Rhetoric, edited by Rebecca Blackwell and Gina Hochhalter, published for the NMSU-Las Cruces Department of English by Outernet Publishing, 2002.

 It is academically dishonest, and often illegal, to present someone else’s ideas or writing as your own.  You cannot use even short phrases or parts of sentences obtained from other sources unless you properly document those sources.  Documentation includes marking quotations, as well as providing notes, citations, and a reference list.  If you receive assistance from a source other than your instructor, your colleagues in the class, or the Writing Center, then you must acknowledge that assistance.  Identify the source and the nature of the assistance in an acknowledgment note at the end of the assignment.  Failure to acknowledge constitutes academic misconduct.
 In addition, it is academically dishonest to submit your own previously written work for a current assignment or to submit an assignment in more than one class without the prior permission of the instructors.
 You will be held responsible for furnishing upon request all the sources and preliminary work (notes, rough drafts, etc.) that you use when preparing written assignments.  If you cannot produce that material upon request, the assignment will be considered unsatisfactory and given a failing grade.
 Plagiarism and academic misconduct of any kind may constitute grounds for failing the course and may result in further disciplinary action according to university policy.  Consult the . . . [NMSU-A] Student Handbook regarding your responsibilities and rights concerning plagiarism and academic dishonesty.  In addition, writing textbooks contain useful discussions of plagiarism.
 As a student, you are responsible for protecting your own work.  It is your responsibility to ensure that other students do not copy your work or submit your work as their own.  Allowing your work to be used inappropriately makes you guilty of academic misconduct and subject to sanctions. (xi)

Catalog Description for ENGL 111G, Rhetoric and Composition
Skills and methods used in writing university-level essays.

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.

In order to promote students’ academic success and to enable them to pursue personal and professional goals involving writing and research skills, the objectives of this course are to prepare students to

• understand and practice writing as a multiple-stage process;
• develop reading, research, and critical thinking skills necessary for success in college courses;
• become competent in language usage, grammar, and mechanics;
• construct multiple-paragraph essays with clear thesis and adequate evidence in a variety of modes acceptable in college-level courses, such as argumentation, exposition, narration, and description;
• produce a formal research paper similar to those expected in other college courses;
• use logic and rhetoric to communicate clearly with an educated audience.

Outcomes Assessment: Objectives, Methods, and Standards
In an effort to fulfill our mission to “maintain active ties an continuity with the main campus,” and to measure student learning outcomes,  the following assessment procedures have been adapted from Paideia IV: A Course Guide for English 111 Composition and Rhetoric, edited by Rebecca Blackwell and Gina Hochhalter, published for the NMSU Department of English by Outernet Publishing, 2002, page x.  These procedures also closely match pilot assessment projects in English 111G conducted during the 1998-99 academic year, and reported in NMSU-A’s Institutional Assessment and Strategic Planning publications for 1999.

The NMSU-A writing program assesses students’ writing products and processes separately from grade evaluation.  We do this to measure how well our writing courses carry out our established objectives.  Results of assessment projects will be used to revise the curriculum, both at the instructor level and at the program level.  The ultimate goal of assessment is to satisfy the needs of the students and the university’s mission.

Typical assignments that may be collected for assessment projects include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Writing samples taken at the beginning of the year
• Early semester essays
• Late semester essays
• annotated bibliographies
• portfolios demonstrating achievement
• portfolios demonstrating proof of process
• research papers

 For some assignments, such as the research paper assignment, students will be asked to submit two copies: one with identifying information, and one without identifying information.  Selected assignments will then be reviewed anonymously.  For program assessment, instructors will not be identified.  Individual instructors may be identified for their own purposes to assess their section-specific objectives.  However, results of program-wide assessment projects will only be reported for the entire program, not for individual students, sections, or instructors.

Because of staff limitations, only a random sampling of student papers will be reviewed.  If students do not want their work considered for random selection, they must notify the Humanities Coordinator in writing before the fifth week of the semester.

Using the above assessment methods, we work to align our succinct course objectives with the national learning outcomes promoted by the Council ofWriting Program Adminstrators, as  originally published in WPA:  Writing Program Administration 23.1/2 (Fall/Winter 1999: 59-63), and reprinted in College English, January 2001.  The WPA Outcomes Statement rightly leaves to "individual campuses the approproate authority for standards" (5).  The WPA outcomes are as follows:

Rhetorical Knowledge:  By the end of first-year composition, students should

• Focus on a purpose
• Respond to the needs of different audiences
• Respond appropriately to different kinds of rhetorical situations
• Use conventions of format and structure appropriate to the rhetorical situation
• Adopt appropriate voice, tone, and level of formality
• Understand how genres shape reading and writing
• Write in several genres

• The main features of writing in their fields
• The main uses of writing in their fields
• The expectations of readers in their fields

Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing:  By the end of first-year composition, students should

• Use writing and reading for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communication
• Understand a writing assignments as a series of tasks, including finding, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing appropriate primary and secondary sources
• Integrate their own ideas with those of others
• Understand the relationships among language, knowledge, and power

Faculty in all programs and departments can build on this preparationby helping students learn

• the uses of writing as a critical thinking tool
• The interactions among critical thinking, critical reading, and writing
• The relationships among language, knowledge, and power in their fields

Processes:  By the end of first-year composition, students should

• Be aware that it usually takes multiple drafts to create and complete a successful text
• Develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proof-reading
• Understand writing as an open process that permits writers to use later invention and re-thinking to revise their work
• Understand the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes
• Learn to critique their own and others' work
• Learn to balance the advantages of relying on others with the responsibility of doing their part
• Use a variety of technologies to address a range of audiences

Faculty in all programs and departments can build on this preparation by helping students learn

• To build final results
• To review work-in progress in collaborative peer groups with purposes other than editing
• To save extensive editing for later parts of the writing process
• To apply the technologies commonly used to research and communicate within their fields

Knowledge of Conventions:  By the end of first-year composition, students should

• Learn common formats for different kinds of texts
• Develop knowledge of genre conventions ranging from structure and paragraphing to tone and mechanics
• Practice appropriate means of documenting their work
• Control such surface features as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling

Faculty in all programs and departments can build on this preparation by helping students learn

• The conventions of usage, specialized vocabulary, format, and documentation in their fields
• Strategies through which better control of conventions can be achieved.

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

Attendance Policy

20 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 20  excludes conference days, last day

-10 points for each absence

-5 points for each tardy

ENGLISH 111G, RHETORIC & COMPOSITION
 

Instructor Contact Information Mr. Ron McNeel  Professor of English  Office #115, Faculty Office Building  Office Hours, Summer II, 2003 Mon., Tue., Wed., Thur:   4:00-5:00 pm 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
4. Mon. 7/7	Discussion of Rodriguez and Friedrich articles.  Drafting and Revising time.  Concentration on Revision Strategies and group work. Discussion of Chapters 7 and 8.
5. Tue. 7/8	Discussion of Chapter 11, Description(White).  Peer reviews of Essay #1.  Bring 3 copies of your word-processed draft.
6. Wed. 7/9	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.
7. Thu. 7/10	Essay #1 is due.  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

Week 3

Session # and Dates	Assignments and Activities
9. Mon. 7/14	Peer reviews of Essay #2. Bring 3 copies of your typed or word-processed draft. Instructor review time. Revision exercises and revision time
10. Tue. 7/15	First journal submissions are due.  Discussion on Chapter 16, Comparison/Contrast (Hamill). Assignment of Essay #3.  Pre-writing and drafting of Essay #3. This assignment will eventually require the use of an outside source, formally documented in MLA style.
11. Wed. 7/16	Essay #2 is due at the beginning of class.  Further discussion of selected readings in Chapter 15 (Cole, Malcolm X, Rhodes).  Discussion of Readings on Reserve in the Library. Activities regarding research: bibliography cards and note cards.  Individual conferences over Essays #1, over the journals, and over research progress.
12. Thu. 7/17	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.

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Week 5

Week 6

Session # and Dates	Assignments and Activities
21. M., 8/5	Return of journals, annotated bibliographies, and essay #4. Discussion of Chapters 21 & 23.
22. Tu., 8/6	Exit Essay. Portfolios are Due.
23. W., 8/7	Research Papers are due.  Individual Conferences on Portfolios.
24. Th., 8/8	Course wrap-up and evaluation.

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1. The University administration insists 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 Thursday, July 31.  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, Ms. Kathy Fuller (phone: 439-3722). 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.

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