ENGLISH 99

FALL 2002

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. David Ludley

Office: A&S – 105E

E-Mail: davidludley@mail.clayton.edu

Phone: 770/960-4374

REQUIRED TEXT: College Writing Skills with Readings (fifth edition)
by Langan

Rationale:

If you don’t have the basic writing skills, many of your classes at Clayton will probably suffer for it; that is, your grades will suffer, because if you can’t communicate your knowledge well to your teachers, they will probably assume you don’t have that knowledge. English 099 is designed to head off that problem at the start so that you will not only be able to enter English 1101 but will do well in that class as well. In addition, English 099 will prepare you for the COMPASS exit exam and the Exit Writing Assessment, both of which you must pass in order to complete the English requirement of the Department of Learning Support.

Content:

As you know, the Learning Support English program is intended to lay the groundwork, give you basics, in the development of your writing skills. English 099 concentrates on such concerns as organization, punctuation, grammar, spelling, and the like. To be successful, you will need to write a lot, read a little, brainstorm in groups, confer individually, and systematically do whatever else seems right and worth our time. We will treat grammar and mechanics problems like kudzu and cut them down so that the COMPASS, English 1101, and the Regents’ Exam don’t overwhelm you.

How do I study for the Course?

Besides reading the textbook, you will work with practice sheets that will focus on special problems.  Always remember: come to me if you have any questions! Most important, you can find special help in the form of tapes, slides, books, and tutors in the Center for Learning Enhancement, located in the lower level of the Library. As well, students who experience problems with Learning Support courses are encouraged to discuss these with the department counselor, Mr. Rick Reynolds, who is also the department head. You may drop by his office is L-121, or you may arrange an appointment with him by calling 770-961-3470.

Hard Core Information:

A. There will be a separate attendance/ participation grade that will be averaged into the final grade; however, for day students, up to three absences may be made up in the Learning Center. Night students may make up only two absences.

B. If you are going to your dog’s funeral or some such thing, let me know in advance so that you will not lose credit on any late assignments. If you have the Bulgarian Marching Flu, give me a call at Clayton so I can tell you what you missed. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR FINDING OUT WHAT YOU MISS AND FOR MAKING UP ANY ASSIGNMENTS.

C. If you are absent without JUST CAUSE, any late papers will count for one-half credit, and you must do another paper to make up for it. If you don't do all the late papers AND the penalty essays, you must repeat the course. If you do have JUST CAUSE (in my opinion) for not being around when papers are collected, then you must simply turn the assignment in when you return to class. However, saying that the printer did not work that morning is not an acceptable excuse for a late paper.

D. ALL OUT OF CLASS ESSAYS MUST BE TYPED, with a font size 12. When you do an essay assignment, use only one side of each piece of paper; also, you must skip every other line (double space), leaving plenty of space between lines for me to make corrections. You will need to write at least five sentences per paragraph, within each 300-350 word essay. Please remember: all out of class papers must be typed. Otherwise, they will not be accepted.

E. Any assignment not turned in before the last week of class will automatically go down as zilches in the grade book. The final DEADLINE for late assignments and retests is Tuesday, November 26. *****All 5 tests must be passed by this date for one to pass the course.

F. The CCSU Writing Criteria will be used to score all written exercises.

G. Before you take the COMPASS, and before you can pass the course, you must succeed in writing the Exit Essay of 350 words with a minimum of errors. This will be made clearer in discussion and in handouts. *BEFORE YOU MAY TAKE THE COMPASS, YOU MUST ALSO HAVE COMPLETED AND TURNED IN –- at the minimum –- ALL OF THE MAJOR ESSAY ASSIGNMENTS.

H. Before you can take the Writing Assessment or the COMPASS, you must show me that you can handle the five major English areas you’ll have to deal with on the COMPASS. You must do this by working yourself up to a 75% competency or better on the major COMPASS learning packages I’ll be giving you.

I. IMPORTANT. Within each unit, you will be given up to two retests if you don’t pass the first time, so that you will have extra time to overcome any special problems you may have. (If you are absent for the first testing opportunity, however, you lose it and must pass on the two remaining tries.) No more than one retest will be allowed during the last week before the deadline -- November 20 - 26. Don’t fall into that horrible pit of shogbot for people who delay taking the retests.  People who fail the course usually procrastinated on taking the retests. REMEMBER: YOU MUST PASS ALL FIVE UNIT TESTS, TO BE ELIGIBLE TO PASS THE CLASS.

J. You must pass the COMPASS test to leave English 099. The COMPASS exit test and retest will be scheduled for around December 9 - 11.

K. If you pass the five unit tests, COMPASS exit test and the Exit Essay, and do all the other required work, you will receive a "C" or better for the course. However, if you don't do all the work, including all the essays and the assigned book homework, you will not pass and will have to repeat the course.

 

Soft-Core Information:

PLEASE come to visit me in my office –- A&S-105E – if you have any questions, are unsure of anything, or just want to talk to me about class. YOU ARE WELCOME! My office hours are on another page. I may also be in my office at other hours as well, but please make an appointment to see me at any other times. My e-mail address is listed on the front, as well.

No classes at CCSU are scheduled for the Labor Day Break/Faculty Planning: Sept. 2-3, or for the Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 27 - Dec. 1.

NOTE: Individuals with disabilities who need to request accommodations should contact the Disability Services Coordinator, Student Center 14, 770-961-3719, disabilityservices@mail.clayton.edu