Gordon State College
ENGL 1102 Section FV1, CRN 666

Spring 2019 Official Elite Team Syllabus

Instructor: Professor Steve Raynie, Ph.D.
Office address: 202 Peabody Hall (FVSU) and 202 Student Center (Gordon State College)
Class time and location: Monday & Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. to 10:20 a.m., CTM 301

Office hours: Monday & Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (FVSU) and Tuesday & Thursday, 8:00 p.m. to11:00 a.m. (Gordon State College) Other times are available by appointment or by good fortune: feel free to stop by.
Email: sraynie@gordonstate.edu

The official mode of contact for this course is Gordon State College email. Please check your Gordon State College email frequently.

This class uses turnitin.com. Go to turnitin.com to set up your account. The course ID # is 19987897. The enrollment key is "Gerontion."

Texts and materials

Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun. I will be using this Modern Library edition, but others are available.

Course Description

ENGL 1102 is a composition course emphasizing interpretation and evaluation that incorporates a variety of advanced research methods.

Course Prerequisite

In order to be eligible to enroll in English 1102, students must have been exempted from or earned at least a C in English 1101.

Course Objectives

1.      Students will demonstrate the ability to interpret, evaluate, and synthesize texts and appropriately engage in academic conversations. 

2.      Students will demonstrate the ability to undertake independent academic research.

3.      Students will demonstrate the ability to compose a research essay utilizing a formal academic citation style.

Trigger Rider

Some of the reading materials and discussions in this course are of an adult nature and may expose you to ideas that are controversial or challenging to your beliefs. 

A personal message from Steve Raynie

The poet Jimmy Santiago Baca captures a central theme of education that echoes Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and many others: "If you don't use just basic grammar, if you don't get the language down, you're not going to have access to a tool that people use as a weapon against you. The only reason I was never taught to read and write was because it was easier for them to lead me. But the second I learned to read and write, I began to lead myself." Education is a social justice imperative and necessary for the good health of our culture.

The purpose of education is to empower you, to teach you the habits of critical thought essential to following whatever path you lay out for yourself. I care very much about your success, and if you are committed to doing well, I will do everything in my power to help you complete this course. Please feel free to stop by my office, e-mail me, or call me if you have any questions. Unless you hear otherwise from me, you can expect that I will respond to emails within 24 hours.

Since I am concerned very much with being the best teacher I can be, I want you to feel free to give me anonymous feedback. Please just slip a note under my door in Student Center 202. It is by the mail boxes.

  Letter grade equivalents for numerical scores

• 900 points or higher: A
• 800 points to 899 points: B
• 700 points to 799 points: C
• 660 points to 699 points: D
• Below 660 points: F

I am especially pleased to award high grades to those papers that demonstrate creativity, strong organization, and a command of stylistic conventions that indicate a sophisticated awareness of audience.

To determine the grade at any point in the semester, one should divide the number of points awarded by the number of points possible so far. Thus, if 380 points have been assessed, a subtotal of 340/380=.8947 or 89.47 percent. Please keep in mind, however, that early in the semester, that a grade can appear poor simply because a large number of points have not yet been assessed. I will also post grades on turnitin.com, so students can check there for grade updates.

Please feel free to come to me for help at any point in the semester. I want to help, so please never hesitate to contact me with questions.

Class Participation and Student Deportment

Your class participation grade is based upon several factors: attendance and in-class behavior; keeping up with reading assignments; participation in class discussion; and punctuality in turning in of assignments. All students begin class with an average class participation grade of 70 out of 100 possible points. Students who do not have absences and who participate in class discussions, hand in assignments on time, and demonstrate that they are keeping up with the class readings will receive class participation grades higher than a 70; students who hand in assignments late, exhibit disruptive behavior in class, are late to class, have excessive absences, play with their cell phones, and/or do not demonstrate that they are keeping up with class readings will receive class participation grades of 60 or lower.

Good attendance, punctuality turning in assignments, participation in class discussion, a good attitude, and evidence that you are keeping up with reading assignments will all raise your class participation grade. However, your class participation grade will be lowered for the following kinds of behavior:

1) Coming into class late;

2) Sleeping during class;

3) Doing work for other courses during our class period;

4) Interrupting people;

5) Whispering or talking to someone else while the professor or another student is speaking;

7) Using your cell phone except when expressly allowed by the instructor.  

Any variation in these policies is at the instructor’s discretion.

Late Papers and Exams

Exams cannot be made up. If a student misses an exam, that student will receive a “0.” Your professor reserves the right to deduct a full letter grade for each class day that an assignment is late. Your professor reserves the right to give a final grade of F to any student who fails to complete one or more major assignment such as an exam or paper. It is your responsibility to keep track of your reading assignment and exam dates and to hand material in on time. All due dates are stated on the class schedule of assignments. Your professor will not remind you to turn in a paper or take an exam if you have missed a due date.

Assignment Guidelines

• Please note that paper assignments are due at or before 11:59 p.m. EST on the posted date to turnitin.com. Students should bring a printed copy to the next class period. Students who do not submit hard copies will not have their papers graded.

• Technological breakdowns or problems do not excuse late work. In the case of a server outage at turnitin.com, assignments must be emailed as MS Word attachments to sraynie@gordonstate.edu prior to the deadline.

• Late assignments will be penalized 10% per day late.

• All papers should be double spaced in 12 point Times New Roman font.

• All papers should be submitted in MS Word format. Please feel free to call or write for instructions on how to save papers in MS Word format using word processing software other than MS Word. OpenOffice, for example, is free, and one can save files as MS Word documents using that software.

• Unannounced quizzes may not be made up.

• Assignments submitted electronically must have a file name that easily identifies the student and the assignment. For example, the file name should be something like "Smith_Reflection.doc." In addition, the submission must be a single file.

Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated.

No assignments in this class are collaborative; all work submitted must be originally composed, edited, and produced solely by the enrolled student specifically for the assignment in this course. If one is repeating the course, one may not submit assignments composed during previous attempts. If one is taking another course with a similar assignment, one may not submit the same essay for both assignments. A detailed explanation of the plagiarism policy, its rationale, and the consequences for its violation can be found here: Plagiarism Policy.

Attendance

• Attendance is required on all scheduled class days.
• Absences may be excused by the Office of Academic Affairs so that students can participate in school-sponsored events.
• The sign-in sheet circulated in class is the official record of attendance. Students are solely responsible for signing the attendance record.

Elite Team Expectations

• Elite Team members submit all assignments because they want to receive a passing grade for the course.
• Elite Team members always back up electronic files in multiple locations and keep track of all of their work throughout the semester.
• Elite Team members do not use cell phones and other personal electronic devices if they are in class because they know they distract fellow students.
• The essays submitted by Elite Team members fully address the assignment guidelines.
• Elite Team members know that papers are considered late if not posted to turnitin.com by 11:59 p.m. EST on the due date.
• Elite Team members know that late papers will not be accepted for credit.

Cell Phones

Students who use cell phones in class for social reasons or for entertainment divide their attention and usually earn substantially lower grades because they do not focus well on what is happening in the classroom. Since I want to maximize student learning in my courses, I allow cell phone use during class only if it is part of an instructor-guided activity.

Title IX

Gordon State College is committed to providing an environment free of all forms of discrimination and sexual harassment, including sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. If you (or someone you know) has experienced or experiences any of these incidents, know that you are not alone. All faculty members at Gordon State College are mandated reporters. Any student reporting any type of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence or stalking must be made aware that any report made to a faculty member under the provisions of Title IX will be reported to the Title IX Coordinator or a Title IX Deputy Coordinator. If you wish to speak with someone confidentially, you must contact the Counseling and Accessibility Services office, Room 212, Student Life Center. The licensed counselors in the Counseling Office are able to provide confidential support. Gordon State College does not discriminate against any student on the basis of pregnancy, parenting or related conditions. Students seeking accommodations on the basis of pregnancy, parenting or related conditions should contact Counseling and Accessibility Services regarding the process of documenting pregnancy related issues and being approved for accommodations, including pregnancy related absences as defined under Title IX.

ADA and 504

If you have a documented disability as described by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, you may be eligible to receive accommodations to assist in programmatic and/or physical accessibility. The Counseling and Accessibility Services office located in the Student Center, Room 212 can assist you in formulating a reasonable accommodation plan and in providing support in developing appropriate accommodations to ensure equal access to all GSC programs and facilities. Course requirements will not be waived, but accommodations may assist you in meeting the requirements. For documentation requirements and for additional information, contact Counseling and Accessibility Services at 678-359-5585.

House Bill 280

For information regarding House Bill 280, see the University System of Georgia at the following link: http://www.usg.edu/hb280.

Religious Holidays

Gordon State College acknowledges that the academic calendar can sometimes conflict with major holidays from among our diverse religious traditions. If a student must miss class due to the observance of a religious holiday, that absence may be excused. To be excused, the student must inform his/her instructors before the absence and make alternate arrangements for any work due at the time of the absence. An excused absence for the observance of a religious holiday does not excuse student from responsibility for required course work.

Hightower Collaborative Learning Center & Library

The Hightower Collaborative Learning Center & Library offers Gordon State students specialized library research assistance. Students can meet with their personal librarians for one-on-one help in each discipline, major, or course to search and evaluate information sources effectively. Go to to schedule an appointment by clicking the Personal Librarian tab or click on the Presentation Practice Room tab to make a reservation. For immediate help, call 678-359-5076 or stop by the Circulation/Check-Out Desk. You can also or drop by the Circulation/Check-Out Desk. Check the library’s website (https://www.gordonstate.edu/library/home.html) for hours, electronic resources, and subject- or class-specific research guides.

The last day to drop this class without academic penalty is March 8, 2018. Gordon Access Program students, however, cannot drop individual classes; if they drop one class, they must also withdraw from the entire program.