English 0950 Section 102

Essay Writing
Spring 2009
School of Adult & General Education
Central New Mexico Community College
Information
Class Schedule: Tuesday & Thursday, 730-920 am Classroom: MS 308
Instructor: Roy Turner Email: rdturner@cnm.edu
Class Website: http://royturner.wordpress.com Office: MS 519
Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 700-730 am Phone: 224-3983

Texts & Materials

• Models for Writers, 9th Edition. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007
• Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference, 3rd Edition, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006
• Removable storage device

Course Description
English 0950 focuses on writing effective essays through brainstorming, drafting,
revising/editing and peer feedback, and includes practice in developing and organizing
ideas into essays. The course presents grammar, usage and punctuation in the context of
the students' own writing.

Course Objectives
By the end of the semester, you will be able to do the following:
1. Demonstrate the effective use of a writing process in out-of-class essays and in
timed, in-class situations
2. Demonstrate an ability to understand readings and to integrate ideas or
information from these readings or other sources within your own writing
3. Write an essay that has a clear main idea that focuses the essay and is meaningful
to the readers; develops the main idea with adequate, specific, and logical support
that makes an impact on the reader; reflects choices based on the audience’s
knowledge level, experience, opinion, and interests; takes the reader from one idea
to another and organizes the ideas both within and between paragraphs;
communicates--with reasonable correctness--in standard written English
Assignments
You will write five essays, including two that begin as in-class essay exams. Each of the
five essays will be graded on a scale of 1-5, indicating how close that work is to being
ready for inclusion in the Portfolio.

Grading
English 0950 is graded on a CR/NC basis. To earn the passing grade of CR, you must do
the following:
• Earn a minimum total score of 21 on the essays
• Attend a minimum of 45 hours of class over the course of the term
• Submit a passing Portfolio

Failure to accomplish any of the above will result in a grade of NC (no credit).

Attendance & Participation

This is a small class that relies heavily on your participation, so attendance is important.
You must earn a minimum of 45 hours of attendance over the course of the semester. I do
not excuse absences, so you need to be responsible with your attendance to make sure
you can achieve the minimum number of hours. Failure to actively participate or to
arrive on time may result in being counted absent for part or all of the class session.

Academic Honesty
Plagiarism—a form of cheating—is a serious violation of CNM’s standards of conduct
for students, and will result in disciplinary action by me and/or the college.

Special Needs Accommodation

If you have any special needs because of learning disabilities or other disabilities, please
discuss your needs with me or contact Special Services (224-3259).

Classroom Behavior
Your participation in class is vital to the learning environment, and you are expected to
contribute to a classroom environment that is respectful and conducive to learning.
Inappropriate behavior in the classroom may result in a request to leave class.