ENGL 1004.

02 Introduction to College Writing for Non-Native

English Speakers
Location: CH-251 Time: 10:20AM to 12:00PM
Instructor: Carlos D. Acosta-Ponce Semester: Summer II 2017
Office Hours: 8:00AM-10:00AM Office: ZH-318
Office Phone: (918) 631-2810 Cell Phone: (787) 219-4513
Email: carlos-acostaponce@utulsa.edu

Contacting Me :
Please email me with questions about policies or technical problems. One-on-one meetings are
preferable for more complex issues such as the readings, revisions, or assignments. Therefore, you
should see me during my office hours if your questions require more than a short response. Please allow
at least 24 hours for email responses. If you have a question that can be answered by looking at the
syllabus, I will probably refer you to the syllabus for your answer.

Catalogue Description
Review and practice in the fundamentals of college writing, including organization, paragraph
development, basic research skills, logic, and mechanics. Lecture three hours per week, lab one hour per
week. Some sections are designated for non-native speakers of English. Enrollment is determined by
performance on placement tests.

Detailed Description
English 1004 is designed to help students refine their writing skills through a variety of course activities:
reading and discussing challenging texts; analyzing a variety of rhetorical modes; responding to writing
assignments designed to develop multiple approaches to prewriting and revision; learning to spot and
correct syntax, usage, and vocabulary errors; developing basic research and library skills; using computer
technology, word processing, electronic mail, and electronic discussion; and participating in peer-tutoring
and workshops in class as well as in the Writing Center.

The primary goals of English 1004 are to assist students to become better writers, helping them
overcome the anxiety of the writing process by providing them with foundational skills for writing in
college. Once students complete this course, they should have a stronger sense of their unique voice, a
greater command of language, and the basic skills to write successfully at the collegiate level. 1004
students will (1) learn how to read more actively and effectively, overcoming notions of “fear” and
“difficulty” when approaching a text, (2) learn how to translate active reading into critical thinking, and (3)
work on mastering the modes of expression through extensive practice of the fundamentals of college
writing.

Course Objectives
English 1004 provides opportunities for review and practice in the fundamentals of college writing,
including organization, paragraph development, and mechanics. The writing process is broken down into
steps with the goal of producing well-developed essays. This course will help you:

 develop critical reading skills to analyze a variety of texts effectively;

 develop skills in generating and organizing ideas;
 improve paragraph and essay development and organization;
 improve sentence fluency and revising, editing, and proofreading skills;
 recognize acceptable academic writing;
 understand the concept of integrating outside sources of information into your writing and
documenting these sources correctly;
 gain confidence in meeting responsibilities for written discourse in college courses;
  understand writing as a life-long practice and seek to improve your writing and learning
throughout your lifetime.
.

Course Materials:

Required Texts:
 Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writers. 7th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016 (ISBN 978-1-
4576-8304-6)
 Oshima, Alice, Ann Hogue, and Lara Ravitch. Longman Academic Writing Series, Level 4:
Essays. 5th ed. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education, 2014. Print. (ISBN 978-0-13-291569-
4)
 Student Guide to the University of Tulsa Writing Program, 6th ed. Fountainhead Press, 2016.
(ISBN 978-1-6803-6136-0)

Optional Texts:
 Companion Website for Textbook: http://www.myenglishlab.com/courses-writing.html
 A good collegiate dictionary

Additional Materials:
 Binder with dividers (for homework, notes, and handouts)
 Pencils, pens, and paper
 Access to Microsoft Word
 Online Course Portal (Harvey)

Required Coursework:

In order to receive credit for this course, all work must be completed. You should have a
binder where you KEEP ALL OF YOUR WORK FOR THE ENTIRE TERM. It is your record of
your achievement and a reference of what you have studied. You will be held responsible
for material covered in missed classes.

Major Assignments:

Workshop 90
Summary and Evaluation assignment 150
Essay 1: Descriptive Essay 50
Essay 2: Process Essay 100
Timed Writings (3) 150
Essay 3: Formal Documented Essay 100
Essay 4 and Portfolio 150
Oral Presentation 50
Daily Work (diagnostic essay, peer reviews, textbook 160
activities, drafts, satisfactory completion of all writing
assignments, group work, discussions, participation,
attitude, etc.)
TOTAL 1000
points

Other Required Coursework:

 Two instructor-student writing conferences
 Attendance of writing workshop sessions
 Completion of all three major essays
Conferences and Office Hours
You will meet with me in writing conferences at least twice this semester. Conferencing is
required by the Writing Program and, since I cancel classes the weeks they are held, you will be
counted as absent if you miss one. I also encourage you to meet with me during my office hours.
If you need to see me outside of those hours, please send me an email to set up a time.

Writing Workshops
Since this is a four-hour course, you must attend workshops related to your work in this class.
Workshops will focus on skills needed to succeed in becoming a proficient writer. The workshop
times will be announced at a later date. You must attend all workshops, as announced in class,
email, and on Harvey.

Grading Scale: The University of Tulsa uses the following percentage-to-letter grading scale:

A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C = 70-79
D = 60-69
F = 00-59
A) Excellent work. This is a well-written, polished document that could be released in the workplace
immediately. The document fulfills all of the assigned tasks and purposes of the assignment, and it is
formatted perfectly. It considers its audience, and employs appropriate tone and stance towards
each audience.
B) Good work. This document is written well, but could not be immediately released to the workplace. A
little more work is needed to make it presentable. This document contains minor editing errors,
awkwardly worded or ambiguous statements, or perhaps a questionable tone. This document needs
a more thorough revision process.
C) Average work. This document is a good draft, but it cannot be considered as a completed document.
It may have too many editing errors to appear to be written by a professional, and/or the tone conveys
the wrong message. The content may be incomplete or so ambiguous as to cause serious problems
for the document's recipient. This document may not address the purpose of the assignment and
needs to be heavily revised.
D) Below average work. This work is not up to basic standards of competence for writing in English.
Here, revision is neglected to the point that it seriously compromises the reader’s ability to use the
document. This is a rough draft that has not been properly revisited to address content, design, or
editing.
F) Failing work. This writing usually demonstrates virtually no effort to engage seriously the subject
matter within a given assignment. It is incoherent and filled with technical errors. If any assignment is
plagiarized, grossly incomplete, formatted improperly, or late, it will automatically earn, at the least, an
F and possibly a zero.

Late Homework:
All homework is due at the beginning of class. No late homework will be accepted. You should arrange to
turn in homework even if you are absent.

Late Essays:
Essays must be turned in on time, with the related drafts to receive full credit. Grades for late essays will
be reduced by one letter grade each day after the due date, including weekends and holidays. No essay
will be accepted after three days. Keep in mind that you must turn in all three essays in order to pass the
course. The requirement to write twenty pages of revised writing means that outlines and early drafts
must be turned in along with the final draft of each essay. Essay assignments with no outline or rough
drafts will not be accepted.
Plagiarism is defined in the University of Tulsa Student Handbook (http://www.utulsa.edu/studentaffairs/)
as:

Plagiarism is presenting as one's own efforts the work of someone else without proper acknowledgment
of that source. Exact copying is to be enclosed in quotation marks with an appropriate indication of its
origin. [Unacknowledged] paraphrasing, wherein the basic sentence structure, phraseology, and unique
language remain the same, is also plagiarism. The failure to acknowledge unique, unusual, or new ideas
and facts not the product of one's own investigation or creativity is plagiarism. When in doubt in a
particular course on these matters, it is the student's responsibility to seek guidance from the instructor.

Plagiarism is grounds for failure of this (or any other) course and dismissal from the University. Rules
against plagiarism are meant to ensure that students are applying themselves freshly to every
assignment, that they are completing their own assignments, and that they are respecting the intellectual
property of others. In an environment where writers work closely with one another, it is important to
understand the boundaries between collaboration and plagiarism. You are expected to present your own
work, properly documented. Keep all of your preparatory work (drafts, notes, and prewriting) for each
assignment. I may freely question you about work that does not seem to be your own.

Attendance Policy
Attending class is an important part of any college course, but it is crucial in a writing class where much of
the work is accomplished in groups and in conferences with the instructor. In general, the University of
Tulsa honors a freedom of attendance policy, except in courses where much of the work is done in the
classroom. Writing courses meet this exception. According to the University of Tulsa Writing program
policy, excessive unexcused absences constitute grounds for lowering the final grade by the following
scale: 10 percent classes missed equals loss of one letter grade; 15 percent equals two letter grades; and
20 percent or more equals grounds for an F.

For our purposes:

 Missing 10% of classes or workshops (3 absences) results in the loss of one
letter grade.
 Missing 15% of classes or workshops (4 absences) results in the loss of two
letter grades.
 Missing 20% of classes or workshops (6+ absences) could be grounds for an F.

I don’t think I need to point out to you that you are all adults. That being said, you have the freedom to be
anywhere you want during the hours our class meets. If you choose not be in class, I will not begrudge
you. Unfortunately, freedom comes with certain responsibilities. In other words, choices have their
consequences, and part of being an adult and college student involves owning up to those
consequences.

If you are going to be absent for any reason, let me know by sending me an email, calling my office
phone, or telling me personally. Most absences such as work conflicts, class conflicts, unofficial campus
activities (sorority/fraternity or social clubs), and minor inconveniences are not considered excused
absences. However, official and documented absences will be excused. You are still required to provide
the proper documentation, such as permission from the athletics department, the Center for Student
Academic Support (CSAS), another university office, or a doctor, within one week of the absence. If you
do not provide the documentation within this time period, the absence will not be excused. Section 41 of
the Student Handbook explains how to obtain official permission from CSAS
(http://www.utulsa.edu/studentaffairs/).

If you choose to attend class, I expect you to be here when you are here. By this, I mean that you should
always come to class having read the material and being prepared to discuss it. I also mean that you
should not be on your cell phone, asleep, on a laptop, etc. Your choosing to attend tells me that you are
here to learn, discuss, contribute, and share. I reserve the right to dismiss any student from class for
being disrespectful, disruptive, or for otherwise not participating professionally.
In addition, please do not leave class early for any reason other than a genuine emergency; if you do, you
will be marked absent. This policy applies whether you leave 10 minutes early or 1 minute early.

No matter what the cause of the absences, you are responsible for finding out what material was covered,
getting notes, being prepared for class on the day you return, and turning in subsequent assignments on
time.

Tardies
Coming in late disrupts the class, means you miss information, and is unprofessional. Because this class
is a kind of practice for a real-world work environment, but also because I know being late happens to
everyone, every two tardies will count as an absence. This policy means that you get one “freebie” tardy.
In addition, being more than 10 minutes late at any time will result in an absence.

Resources
The TU Writing Center, located on the third floor of the McFarlin library, is a great place to have a one-on-
one consultation about your writing assignment. Consultation is free, so I strongly encourage you to take
advantage of this valuable resource. Call or email the Writing Center to set up an appointment. The
Writing Center is free for all TU students. For more information on the Writing Center, see the Student
Guide to the Writing Program at the University of Tulsa. The Writing Center will be open M-Th from
12:00PM to 4:00PM over the summer.

The Center for Student Academic Support (CSAS) is here to provide services such as tutoring,
academic counseling, and developing study skills. If you have any special educational or physical needs,
please discuss them with me as soon as possible so you can access accommodations. Students with
disabilities should contact CSAS to identify their needs in order to facilitate their rights under the
Americans with Disabilities Act. Specifically, the Center offers support concerning issues such as test
taking anxiety, time management skills, overcoming procrastination, learning styles assessment, and
academic rebounding. You may, again, get official documentation for an excused absence from them by
bringing such evidence as hospital documents, obituaries, etc. Excused absences for doctor’s visits for
routine procedures or minor illnesses will be determined by me. The Center provides confidential
consultations to any student with academic concerns as well as to students with disabilities and is located
in Lorton Hall, Room 210.

McFarlin Library will be an invaluable tool when you begin to look for secondary resources. A lot of
students tend to be intimidated by the library, but, in order for you to conduct research, you must become
familiar with the stacks (believe it or not sometimes the internet doesn’t have all the sources you need).
It’s tall and intimidating, sure, but there are some invaluable sources in book form. If you have any
questions or concerns about how to find and use what you need from the library, please ask me or check
with a reference librarian.

Use the feedback from your classmates during peer review. At times, we will peer-review drafts of certain
documents. Remember that your classmates’ comments are designed to help, and I strongly advise you
to take them to heart.

General Rules
There will be no use of electronic devices in the classroom (such as cell phones, laptops, etc.) unless
specified by me on certain work days. I like technology as much as the next person, but unless you’re
giving a presentation, there’s no real need for electronic media in the classroom as it can distract you
from important discussions. If you have a disability which necessitates the use of such a device, see
CSAS for the proper accommodation and documentation.

Respect is one of the most important aspects to academic learning; therefore, respecting your fellow
students (and me, as your boss) will be expected of you. Concordantly, disrespect will not be tolerated.
Sometimes class discussion can lead us into some controversial topics, and you may find that your
classmates may have opinions that differ from your own. This type of discussion, if done in a respectful
manner, can be conducive to the formation of new ideas and the advancement of academic learning. The
classroom, therefore, is a place of sharing and safety. No one in the classroom should ever feel
threatened to express his or her thoughts and opinions in the classroom. If at any point you are being
disrespectful, you will be dismissed. On the other hand, if you feel as if you have been treated poorly, by
all means let me know. The bottom line is you should never feel embarrassed or shy about expressing
your opinion; I even require as much, since a portion of your grade weighs on your contribution to the
class discussions. Speak up, and speak out; the classroom is place a safety and freedom.

Elastic Clause
Topics and dates are subject to change at the instructor’s discretion. Keep your eyes and ears open for
emails and announcements detailing date and assignment changes.

Finally, KEEP ALL YOUR WORK UNTIL AFTER YOUR FINAL GRADE IS TURNED IN!!!
SAVE ELECTRONIC WORK IN MULTIPLE PLACES!!!

A DETAILED SCHEDULE WILL BE FORTHCOMING