English 110 Basic Composition (#5361) 

spring 2009: 1/26/2009-6/2/2009

Instructor: Leon Lanzbom

E-mail: Lanzbom@yahoo.com

Class Website: lanzbom.org

Office Hours: TBA

Textbook: Langan, John. College Writing Skills with Readings 7th ed.

CD's or Key or Disks to take home

Yellow, Blue, and Pink  Highlighting Pens

CLASS POLICIES

Due Dates: To receive full credit for an assignment (homework, essay, or journal) you must turn it in when assignment is due.  Assignments not handed in at that time are late. (Five minutes late is late!) Absence is never an excuse for lateness. Late is late is late. Points will be subtracted from an assignment for every class that passes without the assignment being handed in. I do not accept late work. One more time: I do not accept late work. Missing an assignment will result in zero points for that assignment. No quizzes or other in-class journal assignments may be made up without prior arrangements made with me. I do not accept emailed assignments.

Highlighting: To help you structure your essays, I will require you to highlight all of your assigned writing in the following way:

Yellow: Thesis statement

Pink: Topic sentence of every paragraph.

Blue: Transitions

Attendance: It is important to attend all class sessions. It is difficult to learn new material when you are not present in class. Lab is a class session. Do not skip lab. Also, please remember the college attendance policy states that if you miss more than twice the number of times a class meets in week, you may be dropped. However, for this short-term class you will be dropped if you miss three classes. If you miss more than 30 minutes of a given class, or signing the roll sheet, you will be marked absent. Additionally, be aware that two tardies are the equivalent of one absence. Read the last two sentences again. I am very serious about this. Lateness is a huge sin in my class.

A grade of C or better is required on the research paper to pass the course

Startle-response quizzes and missing class: There will be 5 in-class Startle-Response quizzes, otherwise known as "check that you did the reading carefully and on time quizzes." You can expect these quizzes from time to time, and they will come unannounced throughout the semester. The quizzes will primarily focus on the reading assignments, providing me with a chance to see how well you are doing with the readings and documentation technique, though any area of the course may provide material for quizzes. The whole point of these quizzes is to help us work together, to convert what might be a boring classroom into a chaotic, unpredictable and exciting intellectual laboratory. You must submit all essays, exams, and the research paper in order to pass this course.

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Grading of Assignments

A 500-450

B 449-400

C 399-350d                                                                                                                                      

Credit: Grade of A, B, or C

Essay #1:"Still Life"Description Essay:  Due Wednesday 2/18  (Wait!  Extended!  To Wed 2/25!) For this, your first piece of word art, your first essay in English 110, you will describe your favorite meal.  You will then write a 250-500 word essay that describes the image of this food, offering three points of observation and a thesis.  But here, you are going to use your five senses to paint the most wonderful specific details in words, sight, smell, taste, and touch.  To make your words as vivid as possible, use strong verbs and colorful nouns.  The kinds of words that appeal to the reader's senses.  Keep away from the "to be" verbs (be, is, are, was, were, been, being).                                                    Here is an example of description with almost no appeal to the senses: My mother has brown hair. Here is an example rich in description: My mother's hair reminds me of the soft brown leaves of fall. Download your Description essay pack at our website. This packet must be filled out and handed in with your essay Click HERE for your description essay packet. Owl Perdu FORMATTING Click HERE to download your MLA template

Assign Essay #1: Due 3.25 Read the following: Narration p.203-212. pay close attention to “Adopting a Handicap’s” thesis statement on pages 209-10; Also, read “Three Passions” by Bertrand Russell, and “The Yellow Ribon,” Pete Hamill, 212-215.   Look at these essays through the lens of “Narrative.”  Notice how story can be weaved even out of simple passion for life as in Bertrand Russell’s essay.   You are going to then follow the instructions on the front of our essay packet and write an essay on something that happened to you and had an impact on your life. Click HERE for your essay packet. This packet must be filled out and handed in with your essay.

On your final essay We have two choices: 1) Define Success 2) Your Future Occupation Please choose one or the other.  A third choice: Roll your own.  Choose a subject that interests you and present your argument to the class why that subject will work for our final essay.  The class and I will then vote your appeal. Download your final essay outline by clicking HERE