REQUIRED MATERIALS

• ENG 120 course booklet
• Notebook for your personal journal entries
• Lunsford, Andrea and Robert Connors. The New St Martin’s Handbook. 3rd ed. New York: St. Martin’s P., 1995
• A college dictionary (e.g. Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary or Oxford Concise Dictionary)
• Folder or ring binder for ongoing coursework
• A folder for submitting the portfolio
• 2 3.5“ diskettes for drafting documents
• 8 x 11 folder paper; 8 x 11 typing paper for submissions

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

• Writing portfolio
• Personal journals
• Reading response journals
• Small group discussion
• Peer editing
• Conferencing
• Short class presentations
• Punctuality for classes and assignments
• Class and homework assignments
• Readings from the booklet, the Handbook, and handouts

EVALUATION

1. Writing Portfolio with four essays (60%). This will include a reflective essay and THREE drafts of each the following: a documented argumentative essay, a critical analysis essay, and one other essay of your choice (synthesis or informal argumentative). With the exception of the reflective essay, these essays MUST BE TYPED.
   • Important notes about drafts:
     • If you wish, I will give you a rough indication of the letter grade on the drafts you hand in. However, drafts must be handed in on time. Drafts submitted to me must be accompanied by at least one earlier draft that has been peer-edited, and by a peer editing form. Late drafts may not be marked.
   • Important notes about Portfolio:
     • The final draft of each essay (except the Reflective Essay) must be accompanied by at least TWO other drafts that I have seen. Deficient portfolios will be penalized.
     • The Reflective Essay must be written in the class assigned to it. Think of it as an examination; only very special circumstances will permit other arrangements to be made.
2. Coursework (30%).
   1. Exercises (10%) Miscellaneous exercises that relate to specific course areas. These may include class debates, documentation exercises, oral presentations, and the like. There will be five of these throughout the semester.
   2. Journals (20%)
      1. Reading journals (10%). You will have five of these to complete during the semester. They MUST BE TYPED. The prompts for these, and their due dates, are included in the semester plan. Always begin each journal entry on a fresh piece of paper. At the top of the page, write your name, the title of the reading (if appropriate), the author (if known) and the date of the entry. Be prepared to submit journal entries when they are due. Late journals will not be accepted.
      2. Personal journal (10%). This is a journal that you will keep regularly throughout the course, but which will not be read by me. One of the results of keeping this journal, I hope, will be that you will learn the habit of expressing yourself in writing; another will be that you will come to know yourself better over the course of the semester. You will find this journal invaluable when you come to prepare your reflective essay. Write in it at least once a week; to inspire you, I have provided prompts in a separate handout. Date each entry for your own purposes, so that you can trace your progress by the end of the course. At the end of the semester I will record the number of entries you have made in the journal – I will not read any of the entries!! – and assign a mark out of 10 for this exercise.
3. Attendance, participation, and conferencing (10%).
   1. Attendance is essential. If you miss class, your contributions will be fewer and this will affect your grade.
   2. Participation in class is expected. Each week, I will ask you to find and read an article of interest to you. I will call upon random individuals from time to time to share their reading with the class. You will also be required to peer-edit one another’s essays. In addition, there will be work in pairs and larger groups as well as class discussions and debates. Your involvement in these and other class activities will be graded.
   3. I expect to conference with you at least TWICE during the semester, once before mid-term and once after. When you come to see me, have something specific to discuss.

ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES

• Place your name, course and section number, and date at the top of the first page.
• Include a title that clearly indicates the assignment.
• Though you may hand-write drafts, it is best to type all writing assignments on a word processor. This makes the process of revising much simpler. Save and date all drafts in separate files on BOTH floppy disks (one will be your working diskette, the other your back-up).
• Never destroy a draft.
• Your essays must be double-spaced with 1-inch margins on single sides of 8 1/2 x 11” paper in an easily read 12pt font. Use only one side of the page.

PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is defined by the College of the Bahamas as “the unacknowledged use of another person’s work” (“COB Policy on Plagiarism” 1). You MUST acknowledge via proper MLA or APA citation any use of anyone else’s work whether it be a quotation (i.e., using their exact words), a paraphrase (i.e., summarizing or putting it in your own words), or even just the use of some information, ideas or concepts from another source. If you plagiarize, you will receive an “F” for the assignment and be referred to appropriate Deans and Departments for disciplinary action. Expulsion from COB is the prescribed penalty for continued plagiarism.

GENERAL ADVICE

• Keep up with the reading. Prepare all of the readings and assignments BEFORE class each week.
• Work consistently on your drafts.
• Explore topics for your documented essay early.
• Schedule conferences with me early in the term. The sooner you clarify what is expected of you in this course, the smoother your progress will be.
• Discuss your topics and ideas with others outside of the classroom to help refine them.
• Use the Writing Centre in F8 ($10/sem; call & check for opening times).