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COURSE OUTLINE
Instructor: Jeannine Stanko
Lab hours:
Other hours:
Co-requisite(s): NONE
Course Description:
This is a course that introduces or continues to familiarize students with critical thinking, the principles of academic
writing, and rudimentary research skills. Through the writing process, students refine topics; develop and support
ideas; investigate, evaluate and integrate appropriate sources; edit for effective style and usage; and determine
appropriate approaches for a variety of contexts, audiences, and purposes.
Students must earn a C grade or better to register for the next course in this discipline or to use this course as a
prerequisite for a course in another discipline.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the course, the student will:
Write academic essays that
o Develop a thesis
o Create an organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience and context
o Make valid inferences
o Support ideas with relevant explanation and substantial evidence details
o Integrate and cite information from relevant print and/or electronic sources
o Provide a coherent introduction and conclusion
Revise drafts to develop or support ideas more clearly, address potential objections, ensure effective transitions
between paragraphs, and correct errors in logic
Edit and proofread, using standards for formal written English
LISTED TOPICS
Review as Needed:
1. Using standard written English
2. Writing process from prewriting to rewriting
3. Developing ideas and supporting them with details
4. Creating introductions and conclusions
5. Using primary and secondary sources
6. Quoting, summarizing, paraphrasing sources
Further Develop:
1. Evaluating basic library and Internet sources
2. Using examples to clarify ideas vs. proving an idea
3. Avoiding 'cut and paste,' plagiarism and fabrication
4. Revising to accommodate differences in audience, tone, persona
5. Comparing and contrasting
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Introduce:
1. Distinguishing observations, inferences & value judgments
2. Summarizing or reporting a position vs. arguing for or against a position
3. Problem-solving techniques
4. Critiquing the informational or argumentative weaknesses of a document
The student will produce five to seven reading based multi-paragraphed expository and argumentative essays of
increasing difficulty, totaling 15-20 pages for the semester.
Instructor:
Telephone:
E-Mail Address:
Jeannine Stanko
724-396-4158
jstanko@ccac.edu
Section
BC05
Dates
8/18 12/3
Days
T/TH
Office Hours:
Office Location:
Time
9:30-10:45AM
Room
N307
T/TH: By Appointment
Writing Lab
79-70% - C;
69-60% - D;
59-0% - F
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Newsletters
30% of final grade
Essays
45% of final grade
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Mulligans:
For each essay and quiz, one mulligan or do-over will be offered. Mulligans cannot be performed on
newsletters. All mulligans are due before the next assignment in the course outline sequence. The mulligan
is forfeited if absent on the day of the original assignments due date as listed in the course outline.
When submitting an essay mulligan, the essay showing corrections, the original essay, and its
rubric must be submitted.
Plagiarism:
A plagiarized essay will result in an automatic failure for the assignment. Plagiarism is representing
someone elses research, writing, or ideas as your own. Depending on the severity of the offense, a
plagiarized essay or assignment may result in course failure and/or academic dismissal from the college.
Miscellaneous:
All electronics (cell phones, iPods, etc.) must be turned off and put away during class. Texting or engaging
in any electronic social networking will result in a class absence. If class is held in a computer lab, students
who choose to engage in internet or computer activities without instructor consent will receive an absence
for that class period.
Students should not be receiving personal calls nor taking restroom breaks during class time. If there is an
emergency or medical problem, please let me know ahead. Otherwise, plan to stay in the room for the
entire time.
Please be aware that it is very disruptive when students talk in class while the instructor is teaching or other
students are asking questions. Every student should have a copy of the Student Handbook which outlines
acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Any student who demonstrates an inability to conform to acceptable
social conduct will be subject to the disciplinary policies and procedures of the college.
Please remember that it is school policy that children are not permitted in classes.
Students with Disabilities:
The Community College of Allegheny County makes every effort to provide reasonable accommodations for
students with disabilities. Questions about services and procedures for students with disabilities should be
directed to the Office of Supportive Services at your campus.
Course Outline Corrections:
During the semester/session, reasonable changes to the course outline may be academically appropriate.
Students will be notified of these adjustments by the instructor in a timely manner.
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The following is the tentative class schedule for the Spring 2015 semester. In the event of cancelled or shortened days due to severe weather or
emergencies, the schedule may be modified.
Course Plan:
Class
Week/Date
Week 1
August
18, 20
Week 2
August
25, 27
Week 3
September
1, 3
Week 4
September
8, 10
Week 5
September
15, 17
Week 6
September
22, 24
Lesson or Topic
Learning Activities
Assignments
Evaluation
introductions
Grammar diagnostic
Poetry discussion,
scholarly article
discussion, writers
workshop
Active verbs,
prepositions, Narration:
Relating Events, pronoun
and antecedent
agreement
Reading discussion, runons, fragments, writers
conferences
Lecture, discussion
MLA assignments
Lecture, discussion
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Week 7
September
29
October
1
Week 8
October
6, 8
Week 9
October
13, 15
Week 10
October
20, 22
Week 11
October
27, 29
Week 12
November
3, 5
Writers workshop,
sentence variety,
Comparison: Showing
Relationships
Reading discussion,
capitalization, writers
conferences
Newsletter #1 due
Essay #2 rough draft
Writers workshop,
who/whom, apostrophes,
Cause and Effect:
Explaining Why,
quotation punctuation
Reading discussion,
commas, writers
conferences
Writers workshop,
semicolons, colons,
Argument: Convincing
Others
Reading discussion,
other punctuation,
writers conferences
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Week 13
November
10, 12
Week 14
November
17, 19
Week 15
December
1, 3
Final Exam
Writers workshop,
parallelism, misplaced
and dangling modifiers
Homophones, commonly
confused words,
numbers, appropriate
language, exact words,
streamlining, visual
analysis
Cumulative grammar
review, grammar
assessment
Newsletter #2 due
Review activities
Grammar assessment
wjp10/24/06
Approved by Academic Deans 10/24/2006