COMP 1

80354 ENGL 1101.23 MW 12:30-1:45p H/SS-124

Fall 2008
Dr. Gerald Lucas
comp@grlucas.net
http://litmuse.net/
Office: H/SS-117

The war in Iraq

and global warming
will be addressed this
semester.

ENGLISH COMPOSITION 1
This section of ENGL 1101 will examine the politics of war and the environment through our reading, discussion,
and writing. Our goals will be to learn the basics of writing and thinking at a college level.

The objectives of English Composition 1 Textbooks

(ENGL 1101) are to teach students how to read
Three textbooks are required for this course, two
and write at a beginning college level. During the
of which are available in the bookstore; the Ly-
course, students will learn to write essays that
nas will need to be purchased on your own.
are efficacious, succinct, and interesting; to cite
• Hacker, Diana. A Handbook for Writers.
proper support for suppositions; to examine and
• Lynas, Mark. Six Degrees: Our Future on a
think critically; and to increase their confidence
Hotter Planet. 2008.
in all forms of written discourse.
• Mailer, Norman. Why Are We at War? 2003.
Through various class readings, blog en-
tries, discussions, and individual guidance, stu- LitMUSE
dents will practice and develop integral skills for
You are required to have an account on Lit-
the communication and inference of ideas both
MUSE, the server that will support all of your
written and verbal.
work in this class. As a part of this requirement,
In an effort to satisfy these goals, we will
you should have access to a computer with 9/11 Image
examine several texts that address current po- The Twin Towers burn after being
Internet capability and a current web browser,
litical and environmental issues, namely the war struck by passenger liners on
like Safari or Firefox. September 11, 2001.
in Iraq and global warming.
Continued on Page 2

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 REQUIREMENTS
Pen and Paper

WAR IN IRAQ
You should also bring an ink interface of some
sort, as well as dead trees on which to take
Grades are based on a point system, and stu-
notes. Notes should not only reflect good listen-
dents' final grades will be based on their per-
ing skills, but individual interest in every topic
centage of total points accrued. For example, if
discussed in class. You should not sit in class
the total number of possible points is 1000, and
like you’re watching TV: learning requires active
a student has 900 (90%), she will earn an A.
participation.
Remember: two aspects of composition in 1101

Electronics & Things are critical in the grading process: mechanics

and content. Always proofread and revise any
Materials, like cell phones, food, magazines,
writing before submission. All requirements must
iPods, etc., are not needed for our class and
be fully completed for a student to pass the
should, therefore, not accompany you. Addi-
course.
tionally, I do not allow class discussions to be
taped, so do not bring any voice recording de- Formal Essays
vices to class. You may use laptops unless I ask
Students will complete four, formal, essays on
you not to bring them.
assigned topics, including one as a final exam.

Criterion Since this is a writing class, essays will be

weighed most heavily in evaluation.
You will also need to purchase a Criterion login
and password from the book store. Blog/Forum
Rated PG-13 Students are required to keep a weekly written
response on assigned topics. Each blog and
Finally, since class lecture and discussion will
initial forum entry must have a minimum of 350
often touch on the controversial, this college
words. Along with every forum entry, each stu-
classroom is not an appropriate place for chil-
dent is required to comment critically on at least
dren. Please leave them at home.

Mailer on War
“Behind the whole push to
go to war with Iraq is the
desire to have a huge
military presence in the
Middle East as a stepping-
stone to taking over the
rest of the world” (Mailer
51).
George W. Bush

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two other students' entries. We will do your Attendance
initial blog set-up during the first week of class.

WARMING
Attendance will be taken at every class meeting.
Daily Work/Online Activities If you come in late, it is your responsibility to
inform me of your presence that day. If you fail
Regular class attendance and active participa-
to do so, you are absent. Two tardies count as
tion in classroom discussion and online activities
one absence. There are no “excused absences”
are required. Additional assistance can be ob-
in my class, but you are allowed to miss one
tained from me during office hours, by appoint-
class before your grade suffers. Each additional
ment, or by email. I encourage students to
class missed beyond the allotted one will result
communicate with me if they have any difficul-
in your final semester’s grade being dropped
ties with the course or the materials. It is ulti-
one letter.
mately your responsibility to succeed, so gaining
additional assistance — especially if you are Deadlines
struggling — is paramount. Any work that does
Late work is not acceptable and will receive a
not explicitly fall into an above category will
zero. Technical, computer malfunctions are not
factor into your daily work average.
acceptable excuses for late work. Quizzes and
in-class activities cannot be made up for any

POLICIES reason.

Assignments
Your work represents you. Therefore, I expect
everything you turn into me to exemplify the
very best of your professional self. Please proof-
read all writing before submission.
Email
The best and quickest way of contacting me is
via email. Only use the email address that I pro-
vided on this document for class business:
<comp@grlucas.net>.
continued on page 4

Hurricane
Katrina

Six Degrees
In 2001, the Intergovern-
mental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) released a
landmark report projecting
average global surface
temperatures to rise be-
tween 1.4 degrees and 5.8
degrees Celsius (roughly 2
to 10 degrees Fahrenheit)
by the end of this cen-
tury.

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POLICIES & SCHEDULE
general uses of a computer, par-
Grades
ticularly using a web browser. Stu-
Letter grades are based upon a traditional ten-
dents should be willing to put forth
point scale. If you would like to know your offi-
the effort to learn what they need to
cial grade, you should see me during my office
in order to succeed in the course.
hours or make an appointment.
Please see me for additional assis-

Materials tance when necessary.

Course readings are an integral part of the class

and should be brought daily. When readings are Schedule
assigned to be discussed in class, please bring This is an outline schedule only.
a copy of the reading with your reading notes Please consult the web site for American
ready to participate in the discussion. Do not the most current reading and Muslim Women
come to class without your books and some- assignment schedule.
thing to write with and on. Everyday. Seriously.
Week 1 (8/18) Week 10 (10/20)
Plagiarism Course Intro; Diagnostic Essay
Essay #2; Conferences
Any time you use ideas that are not your own —
Week 2 (8/25)
be they paraphrased or copied verbatim — in Weeks 11-15 (10/27-11/24)
anything that you write, you must supply a cita- Intro to Writing: Subject, Purpose, Audience;
Lynas; Forum(s); Essay #3 Draft & Workshops
tion in MLA format. Willful plagiarism will result First Forum: Perception
in automatic failure of this class and will be Week 16 (12/1)
submitted to the Dean for further potential con- Week 3 (9/1)
Research Essay #3 Due
sequences. See <http://litmuse.net/plagiarism/> No class Monday; Writing: the First Steps
for more information on avoiding plagiarism. Exam Week (12/8)
Week 4 (9/8)
Monday, 12/8, 1-3pm
Special Needs Body & Conclusion; Forum: Right or Wrong
Any student who has special needs should con-
tact Ann E. Loyd at the Counseling and Career
Week 5 (9/15)
Center (478-471-2714) and fill out the appropri- Editing & Revision; Forum: Hijack!
ate paperwork. You should then see me with the
documentation so that the necessary accom-
Week 6 (9/22) THIS SCHEDULE IS CUR-
modations can be made. Essay #1; Conferences
RENT AS OF AUGUST 18,
Technology Competency Weeks 7-9 (9/29-10/13)
Computer competency is an integral skill in any Intro to Research; Mailer; Forum(s) 2008 9:39 AM.
discipline. Students should be familiar with the

course. The papers may be retained by the

DR. GERALD LUCAS TURN IT IN service for the sole purpose of checking for
plagiarized content in future student sub-
Assistant Professor of English The professor reserves the right to use Turn
missions.
comp@grlucas.net It In, a plagiarism prevention service, to
http://grlucas.net/
Office: H/SS-117
evaluate any written work submitted for this
course. As directed by the professor, stu- LITMUSE
dents are expected to submit or have their
http://litmuse.net/
assignments submitted through the service
Be sure you make an account on LitMUSE
in order to meet requirements for this
as soon as possible.

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