Dr. Perkowski's English 1101 D2L Syllabus

GORDON STATE COLLEGE

A Unit of the University System of Georgia

English 1101 — Fall 2024

Composition I via Desire2Learn

INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. Caesar Perkowski

II.

INSTRUCTOR EMAIL:
cperkowski@gordonstate.edu

III.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
A composition course that emphasizes interpretation, evaluation and a variety of advanced research methods.

CONTENT DISCLAIMER:

This course will utilize and analyze materials intended for mature audiences. Please be advised.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. Students will demonstrate the ability to produce written communication that conforms to academic standard English and is organized into a series of coherent, unified paragraphs.
2. Students will demonstrate the ability to assimilate, analyze, and organize information by composing in various formal modes and writing with a clearly developed thesis and effective support.
3. Students will demonstrate the ability to adapt written communication stylistically to suit a variety of circumstances and audiences.

TIME COMMITMENT:
This course requires the online equivalent of approximately 600 minutes of instruction and an additional 2,100 minutes of supporting activities.

ATTENDANCE VERIFICATION:
Students are required to complete an introductory discussion forum and a syllabus quiz in D2L as part of attendance verification. Students must login to D2L during the first week of instruction.

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PREREQUISITES:
None.

CAMPUS MEETINGS:
There will be no mandatory meetings on campus.
One assessment will be proctored online (TBA).
Online orientation will be posted in D2L.

VI.

TEXTBOOK:

All the materials will be free and posted in D2L under Content.

VII.

EVALUATION:
The above objectives will be demonstrated by essays, tests, posts or typed responses. In addition to being evaluated by the instructor, students will have the opportunity at the end of the semester to evaluate the course and the instructor.

VIII.

GRADING:

The weight of the assignments is distributed as follows:

Syllabus quiz	1%
Major paper	40%
Outlines	10%
Weekly posts	39%
Final exam	10%

All the grades will be posted in Desire2Learn. Detailed comments about major Papers will be posted in turnitin.com via D2L.

The following grading scale is applied:

A	90-100
B	80-89
C	70-79
D	60-69
F	0-59

All major papers (Process Paper, Definition Paper) will be graded with detailed comments in D2L. Only the first submitted major paper will be graded.
Correctly completed assignments that barely meet the minimum word requirement can earn only a minimum passing grade. Going above and beyond the minimum raises the grade.

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ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION POLICY:
All major assignments must be turned in by 11:59pm EST on the day due through the D2L Brightspace assignments dropbox. Submissions without the mandatory word count will earn no credit. Recognized worldwide as the standard in Plagiarism Prevention, turnitin.com instantly identifies papers containing unoriginal material and acts as a powerful deterrent to stop student plagiarism before it starts.

OFFICE INFORMATION:

Location:	Virtual
Phone:	678.359.5047
	Monday	0900-1100 (online)
	Wednesday	0900-1100 (online)
	Thursday	0900-1100 (online)
	Friday	0900-1100 (online)
	and by appointment

XI.

COMMUNICATION:

Use ONLY your gordonstate.edu email when emailing me. Do not use the Desire2Learn email program to contact me. Please develop the habit of reading all the posts in the "Ask a Question" forum in Desire2Learn, since many very important issues will be discussed there. If you have a general question about the course, e.g., policies, assignments, dates, Teams sessions, post it in the forum so that all can benefit. In addition, check your gordonstate.edu email often and regularly. I will use the gordonstate.edu email and the "Ask a Question" forum in Desire2Learn frequently to advise you of important information like syllabus and assignment changes, graded assignments, helpful examples and resources you can use toward the completion of your assignments. I will respond to your emails within 24 hours Monday through Friday.

When emailing me, please address me in a professional manner and indicate which course you are from.

Please read my emails and D2L announcements carefully because many important updates will be communicated this way. Do not send any attachments or links—plain text only (just copy/paste your work).

Things happen, naturally, but please do not present me with a problem and expect me to solve it. Instead of sending me comments about issues ending with a period (.), send me possible solutions to your dilemma ending with a question mark (?). Please take the responsibility for being proactive.
All Teams lectures are optional to attend but mandatory to review, since vital class information will be discussed therein.

XII.

MAKE-UP WORK POLICY:
No late work will be accepted. All assignments are open on the first day of the semester. Students should give themselves plenty of leeway to submit their work on time in case of technical difficulties.

XIII.

PLAGIARISM / AI:
The penalty for plagiarism in any aspect of written work is a failing grade. An important note on plagiarism (click here).
Use of artificial intelligence (AI) or word mixing software to write your work or disguise plagiarized work is considered unauthorized assistance in this course. Submitting work generated by AI (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Grammarly) or submitted previously for any assignment anywhere constitutes plagiarism as well.

XIV.

GSC REQUIRED SYLLABUS STATEMENTS:
https://www.gordonstate.edu/documents/departments/academic-affairs/resources/syllabus-statements-required-and-optional---august-20211.pdf .pdf

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PRIVACY STATEMENT:
Faculty are not liable for the content of students’ web pages; however faculty are responsible for review of student content periodically. Upon faculty request, students must immediately remove content deemed “offensive” according to Computer and Network Usage Policy, Individual Responsibility Section 4.1.3. Students who refuse to comply after being notified of the policy violation will be reported to the Vice President of Student Affairs Office and could be subject to College Judiciary action. The complete Gordon College Computer and Network Usage policy can be accessed at http://www.gordonstate.edu/departments/computerservices/computerusage.asp.

XVI.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE:

English 1101 Desire2Learn
Date	Assignments
02/01	Reading to Write + Invention Microsoft Teams session at 1pm on Tuesday
02/04	Outline 1
02/08	Arrangement Microsoft Teams session at 1pm on Tuesday
02/11	Outline 2
02/15	Drafting and Revising Microsoft Teams session at 1pm on Tuesday
02/22	Editing and Proofreading Microsoft Teams session at 1pm on Tuesday
02/29	Process Microsoft Teams session at 1pm on Tuesday
03/07	Malcolm X + Fish Microsoft Teams session at 1pm on Tuesday
03/14	Mitford + Jackson Microsoft Teams session at 1pm on Tuesday
03/24	ROUGH PROCESS PAPER (link)
03/31	PROCESS PAPER (link)
04/04	Definition Microsoft Teams session at 1pm on Tuesday
04/11	Brady + Burciaga Microsoft Teams session at 1pm on Tuesday
04/18	Smith + Eighner Microsoft Teams session at 1pm on Tuesday
04/28	ROUGH DEFINITION PAPER (link)
05/05	DEFINITION PAPER (link)
05/09	FINAL EXAM

XVII.

MINIMUM TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:
a. Access to Desire2Learn via a computer or a tablet.
b. Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome (preferred browsers).
c. Frequent access to the GSC email account.
d. Word processing program (preferably Microsoft Word).
e. Adobe Acrobat Reader.
f. Various free programs (available through a tutorial in Desire2Learn and Computer Services page).
g. Access to a computer/tablet/phone with a camera and a microphone.

XVIII.

STUDENT SUPPORT:
Many student support services are available from the following pages:
a. Student Life / Services page
b. Hightower Library
c. Computer Services
d. GSC Accessibility website: http://www.gordonstate.edu/studentslife/accessibility-services
e . If the students are having D2L trouble (such as they can’t login, can’t access content, can’t see their classes, etc., then students can either email d2lhelp@gordonstate.edu and include their name, 929 number, course/section, and a description of the issue OR they can use the chat live feature inside of D2L on the“D2L Student Resources” widget that allows them to text chat with a USG representative.