ENGLISH 101.

D04
COMPOSITION I
CREDIT HOURS, 3
FALL 2010
TUESDAY/THURSDAY, 02.30-03.45PM
BEADLE HALL, ROOM 330

Dr. Stacey Berry | Beadle Hall 111 | 605.256.5269 | stacey.berry@dsu.edu | https://d2l.sdbor.edu/

Course Description
from Dakota State University: 2009-2010 Undergraduate Catalog, 221.
ENGL 101 COMPOSITION I. Practice in the skills, research, and documentation needed for
effective academic writing. Analysis of a variety of academic and non-academic texts, rhetorical
structures, critical thinking, and audience will be included. A library research component will be
included. Some coursework incorporates multimedia assignments.

Course Goals

The primary goal of this course is to learn and to practice effective techniques for organizing, developing
and writing academic essays that reflect a collegiate level of writing. The purpose of this course is to
help you write clearly and thoughtfully. We will engage in basic reading and writing skills required for
success in college, with emphasis on fluency in personal, descriptive, argumentative and research
analysis prose.

This section of 101, specifically, considers the popular origin story narrative, Batman Begins—that is, we
will use the film as text to investigate ideas that are meaningful to our individual lives and our collective
culture(s).

Prerequisites and Technology Skills

This course presumes a familiarity with basic computing technologies and digital environments.

Required Textbooks

Harris, Muriel. Prentice Hall Reference Guide: Custom Edition for Dakota State University.

The support website for this text will also be used

Additional readings, videos, and handouts on D2L and may be added as necessary.
 ENGLISH 101.D04 2

Course Delivery and Instructional Methods

This course requires heavy reading, writing, interaction with media, and class participation in both the
traditional and online classroom. This course presumes that you learn to read and to write better by
reading and writing regularly, not by listening to lectures about writing. Consequently, this will be a
student-centered workshop course where we will write daily. We will spend significant time not only in
individual writing, but also in small groups working collaboratively, sharing and responding to each
other’s writing. By the end of the term, you will have produced four (4) essays (the equivalent of 25
typed, double-spaced pages) in addition to a series of shorter writing assignments leading (directly or
indirectly) to the finished formal pieces.

Grading

Assignment 1 10%
Assignment 2 10%
Assignment 3 15%
Assignment 4 25%
Final Portfolio 10% [70% for polished writing]

D2L – Course Shell 15%

This system of grading rewards you for timely serious effort on daily assignments and in workshops. It
gives extra weight to your highest level of achievement near the end of the semester.

More specific grading criteria for assignments and class participation are available via the course shell.

Classroom Policies

Attendance
A student who misses more than 20% of this class will not receive credit. This means that
missing six (6) or more class sessions will result in an automatic failure of the course.

Habitual tardiness will affect your final grade. I make no distinction between excused and
unexcused absences—you are either here or you are not. If you experience some kind of
catastrophic event or if you cannot attend because of the flu, please let me know as soon as
possible.

Participation
Earning high marks for attendance and participation means not only that you turn up, but that
you are prepared. You must actively participate in discussion and in group work.

See the Trojan Handbook for more specific details regarding “Student Conduct Policies and Procedures”
(http://www.dsu.edu/documents/0910-student-handbook.pdf).
 ENGLISH 101.D04 3

Classroom Policies continued

Make-up Policy
In general, I do not accept late work for credit. Nor do I allow you to make-up work that you
missed if you were absent from class.

If I need to cancel class, I will try to post a message on D2L and send an email. Missing classes is rare for
me, but if after 15 minutes I have not arrived, and there are no other signs or messages, please assume
that class is cancelled.

Assignment Guidelines

Paper Specifications

Submit all assignments to the appropriate D2L dropbox.

All formal writing assignments must be typed in Times New Roman 12-point font and double spaced
with one-inch margins. Headings and documentation must conform to MLA style. All individual
assignments will be outlined during class, and the information will be posted to our course shell. Late
papers will not be accepted.

KEEP EVERYTHING THAT YOU WRITE FOR THIS COURSE; DO NOT THROW ANYTHING AWAY.
At the end of the term you will submit a final portfolio of all of your writing, along with a short reflective
essay on the contents and the process in general.

D2L – Course Shell

You will routinely be required to respond to assigned readings or to perform other activities in the
course shell. These activities will be incredibly important to us as a class, as the ideas will often provide
the material for our discussions. As members of the same class community, we are responsible to one
another for the quality of our contributions. You are encouraged to use these responses to investigate
and ask questions of our texts both as a writer and a reader. The individual topics and requirements will
be provided during class meetings and/or via the course shell. These responses need not be included
with the final portfolio.

Presentation

You will be required to give a short 10-15 minute presentation about the topic of your final paper
(Assignment 4). These presentations will begin during week 13.

Workshop

On peer review workshop days you are expected to bring copies of the draft you are working on for each
of your group members. Electronic collaboration is encouraged.
 ENGLISH 101.D04 4

ADA Statement

If you have a documented disability and/or anticipate needing accommodations (e.g., non-standard note
taking, extended time on exams or a quiet space for taking exams) in this course, please contact the
instructor. Also, please contact Dakota State University’s ADA coordinator, Keith Bundy (located in the
Student Development Office in the Trojan Center Underground or via email at Keith.Bundy@dsu.edu or
via phone (605-256-5121) as soon as possible. The DSU website containing additional information,
along with the form to request accommodations, is available at http://www.dsu.edu/student-
life/disability-services/index.aspx. You will need to provide documentation of your disability. The ADA
coordinator must confirm the need for accommodations before officially authorizing them.

Academic Honesty Statement

Cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty run contrary to the purpose of higher education and
will not be tolerated in this course. All forms of academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade in the
course and may lead to expulsion from the University. Please be advised that when the instructor
suspects plagiarism, the Internet and other standard means of plagiarism detection will be used to
resolve the instructor’s concerns. DSU’s policy on academic integrity (DSU Policy 03-22-00) is available
online (http://www.dsu.edu/hr/policies/03-22-00.aspx).

Freedom in Learning Statement

Students are responsible for learning the content of any course of study in which they are enrolled.
Under Board of Regents and University policy, student academic performance shall be evaluated solely
on an academic basis and students should be free to take reasoned exception to the data or views
offered in any course of study. It has always been the policy of Dakota State University to allow students
to appeal the decisions of faculty, administrative, and staff members and the decisions of institutional
committees. Students who believe that an academic evaluation is unrelated to academic standards but
is related instead to judgment of their personal opinion or conduct should contact the dean of the
college which offers the class to initiate a review of the evaluation.

Use of Tablet PC in the Classroom

The Tablet PC platform has been adopted across the DSU campus for all students and faculty, and tablet
usage has been integrated into all DSU classes to enhance the learning environment. Tablet usage for
course-related activities, note taking, and research is allowed and encouraged by DSU instructors.
However, inappropriate and distracting use will not be tolerated in the classroom. Instructors set policy
for individual classes and are responsible for informing students of class-specific expectations relative to
Tablet PC usage. Failure to follow the instructor’s guidelines will hinder academic performance and may
lead to disciplinary actions. Continued abuse may lead to increased tablet restrictions for the entire
class.

Because tablet technology is an integral part of this course, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure
that his/her Tablet PC is operational prior to the beginning of each class period.