English 1101 Policies

Attendance Policy

According to the ASU 2007-2008 Catalog, "if the student has been absent for more than the equivalent of 10 percent of class time, regardless of cause, then the professor may withdraw the student from the class for excessive absences" (20).

Academic Honesty

The ASU 2007-2008 Catalog states that "academic honesty requires the presentation for evaluation and credit of one’s own work, not the work of others" (39). Furthermore, the Catalog explains that "it is the duty of the student to practice and preserve academic honesty," and "if the student has any doubt about a situation, he or she should consult with his or her instructor" (35).

Grading

To pass College Composition I, a student must receive a grade of C or better. An incomplete grade may be given in accordance with the policy as follows: "[The] student [is] doing satisfactory work, but [is] unable to meet the full requirements of the course because of non-academic reasons" (ASU 2007-2008 Catalog 21).

Time Line for Freshman English

Students must enroll in College Composition I no later than the first semester they register following completion of 20 hours of ASU residence/transfer credit, and they must continue to register for College Composition I until successfully completing the course (with a grade of C or better). Students who complete College Composition I must enroll in College Composition II no later than the first semester they register following completion of 30 hours of credit, and they must continue to register for College Composition II until successfully completing that course (with a grade of C or better).

Course Requirements

In-Class Essays

*Students will write a minimum of six in-class essays during the semester, at least five in response to assigned readings and at least one in response to Regents’ Test questions.

*A final in-class essay exam based on a reading passage and given the last week of classes will be read by three College Composition I instructors (including the student’s instructor) and must receive a passing rating from at least two of the three readers as a requirement for passing College Composition I.

Multiple-Draft Essays

*Students will receive instruction, guidance, and support in invention, revision, editing, and proofreading to take their writing from idea to finished product, giving attention to development, form, structure, style, and correct academic English usage.

*Each student will write at least two multiple-draft essays during the semester. One must be expository or argumentative.

*At least one multiple-draft essay must use facts/ideas gained from research activity, with an emphasis on online research. Students will have special instruction and support in doing online research, and in some classes students may learn to publish their own documents on the World Wide Web or participate in web “chats” with their classmates about the essays they are reading. As well, many of the supplementary resources for this course are located online, and instructors will show students how to access this information. Students should become aware of the need for and value of documentation, especially regarding intellectual property issues (i.e., understanding and avoiding plagiarism). Students will use MLA documentation style for the research essay.

*Final drafts of multiple-draft essays should total 3200 words (roughly 9–10 pages, double spaced in a 12-point Times Roman font, with one-inch margins).

Example 1: A student writes two multiple-draft essays, each final draft approximately five pages in length.

Example 2: A student writes three multiple-draft essays, each final draft three to four pages in length.

Reading

*Students will read a minimum of 100 pages of challenging college-level non-fiction for analysis and synthesis in their writing.

*Students will read student models from Choice Voice or Free Falling.

Vocabulary Test

As part of the final exam, students will take a vocabulary test (100 words) counting 7.5 percent of the course grade.

Grammar Handbook Test

As part of the final exam, students will take a grammar handbook test counting 7.5 percent of the course grade. (A diagnostic grammar test will be given close to midterm.)