ENGL 3911 Syllabus ~ Fall 2017
Contact information: Wesley Venus, wvenus@gordonstate.edu, 678-359-5092
Office hours and location: 8:30-11:00 MW, 12:30-2:00 TR, and otherwise by appointment, Academic Building 103H
Textbook:
•	Crowley, Sharon and Debra Hawhee. Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. Fifth ed. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Print. [ISBN-13: 978-0-205-17548-2]
Course description: An advanced composition course designed to enhance proficiency in critical thinking, reading, and expository writing.
Placement policy: Grade of C or better in ENGL 1102 and completion of a 2000-level English course.
Course objectives: Students who complete ENGL 3911 will demonstrate the ability to
•	Apply advanced critical reading strategies to varied social and academic contexts; recognize how knowledge is constructed in an academic discipline; attend to issues such as kinds of claims or questions posed by advanced or professional writers; and analyze the rhetorical situations – audience, purpose, and context – of textual production.
•	Use writing as a tool for exploration and reflection in addressing advanced problems; successfully employ strategies for writing as a recursive process of inventing, investigating, shaping, drafting, revising, and editing to meet a range of advanced academic and professional expectations; and identify, evaluate, and utilize advanced research sources.
Academic dishonesty: Gordon State College’s current Academic Catalog includes detailed descriptions of what actions are academically dishonest and a statement on the purpose of having an academic dishonesty policy in the first place. For the purposes of this class particularly, an act of “Academic Dishonesty” involves passing off someone else’s work or ideas as your own. This rule applies to anything turned in for a grade, regardless of how minor or major that assignment is and regardless of the reason for the infraction. Ignorance of the rules for attributing ideas to others correctly is not a valid excuse; students are held accountable for documenting others’ ideas correctly, so they should make certain to be present on the days the class discusses documentation or to get the notes from a classmate who was there on that date.
Collusion is one form of academic dishonesty that is worth mentioning specifically and is defined as receiving excessive help from another to the point that a work can no longer be the product of a single author. In this class, if a submitted assignment is suspected to be the result of collusion, the teacher reserves the right to refuse credit for that work if the claimed author is unable to demonstrate sole authorship.
We will discuss documentation during Weeks 7 and 8. The particulars and principles of Gordon State College’s Academic Dishonesty policy are available online in the Gordon State College 2016-2017 Academic Catalog on pp. 87-88. 369 and 865.
The Academic Catalog also outlines, among other things, the possible penalties for academic dishonesty and the process by which these penalties can be repealed. This information can also be found online in the Catalog on pp. 369 and 865.
In most cases of academic dishonesty for this course, a student can expect to receive no better than an F on the assignment in question. In more severe cases the student may receive a 0 for the assignment grade or expulsion from the class.
In circumstances where there is a question of academic dishonesty, the teacher will email the student and ask him or her to meet with him about the issue. The severity of the infraction will be discussed at that meeting, as will the penalty, if any. The student is responsible for replying and setting up an appointment in a timely fashion, and the meeting will not be held any later than one week after the email is sent. In cases where academic dishonesty is a question and the student fails to schedule an appointment and appear for it in a week’s time will be given a 0 for the assignment grade, regardless of the severity of the infraction, and notification via email.
Course assignments: The following is a list of the specific assignments for this course section. Each assignment name is accompanied by a short description of its requirements. Where noted, see the corresponding supplementary materials for more detailed information.
Class participation: Most class meetings will include some writing activity that factors into the semester’s final grade. Some writing activities may require students to make special preparations outside of class, so students should come prepared and be mindful of homework assignments on the Daily Calendar (below). If a student does not fully follow the instructions for a Class Participation assignment, then half credit for that assignment will be given. Taken together these Class Participation assignments account for fifteen percent of the semester’s final grade.
Critical Essays: There are three ten-page essays that will account for fifteen percent (apiece) of the semester’s final grade. Their requirements will be explained in handouts given in class and discussed in advance. (See the calendar below for these dates.)
Final Exam: On Monday, May 8, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., there will be a final exam that will require students to write an essay in class. Find this semester’s final examination schedule online at http://www.gordonstate.edu/pdf/Final_Exam_Schedule_for_Spring_2017_10-4-16.pdf. The final exam accounts for ten percent of the semester’s final grade. The exam will involve reflection over the semester’s work, so it may benefit students to save their graded work to bring for the examination. Further details about this exam will be explained in a handout given on Wednesday, April 26.
Group Conferences: There will be Group Conferences during class for the Critical Essays leading up to those essays’ due dates. During these times, students will be split into small groups and discuss their essay drafts in detail. Further details and requirements for these assignments will be explained closer to the dates on which they are conducted. Taken together, these conferences account for five percent of the semester’s final grade.
Midterm Exam: On Monday, March 6, there will be a Midterm Exam that focuses mainly on the concepts covered in the textbook.
Teacher-student conferences: As five percent of the final grade, each student is expected to meet with the teacher at least once over the course of the semester to discuss a writing project he or she is working on at the time. In cases where a student receives a D or an F on his or her essay, a teacher-student conference is strongly recommended. There is no maximum number of conferences allowable, however, and students are encouraged to schedule as many conferences with the teacher as schedules will permit. To schedule a conference, a student should first consult his or her schedule and the teacher’s hours of availability and then email him with a request for a specific conference time. The conference will last about fifteen minutes, unless further time is wanted and available, and to get full credit for it, the student should appear with specific questions for the teacher to answer.
Grade distribution: Each assignment will factor into the course grade by the following percentages:
	Critical Essays (x3)			15%
Class Participation activities		15%
	Final Exam				15%
	Midterm Exam				10%
	Group Conferences			10%
	Teacher-Student Conference		5%
	
Make-up policy: The Critical Essays will be accepted late, but with a five-point penalty for each day they are past due. (This includes holidays and weekends.) To be considered on time, these documents need to be printed out and submitted any time before the conclusion of the class meeting during which they are due. Submission after the conclusion of that class meeting makes that assignment one day late, two days late twenty-four hours later, and so on.
For differing reasons, there are certain elements of the course grade that cannot be made up. Class Participation activities are always group-based, so there is no way for these activities to be made up. Group Conferences cannot be made up for the same reason, in addition to the fact that they need to be conducted on certain dates in order for them to be useful.
The Midterm and Final Exams can be made up, but only after students establish valid excuses for having missed the assignments and then make arrangements for making them up. 
Note: If a student has three or more finals scheduled on the same day, he or she can go to the office of Academic Affairs and fill out a petition to take the one or more exams on alternative days.	
No assignment should be submitted via email or by any other method of electronic submission. If a student must miss class on the day an assignment is due, and if email is the only means by which the assignment can be submitted on time, then an exception can be made if the student requests and receives permission to do so beforehand. If the student emails the assignment on time, but without receiving permission beforehand, the assignment will be accepted, but with a five-point deduction from the assignment grade.
Attendance: Material covered in class may or may not be covered in the textbook, so a good attendance record is important to have. We also have a lot of material to cover over the course of the semester, so we will not be able to go over material again once it has already been covered. If you miss a class meeting, you are encouraged to go over any handouts you might have been given the day you missed and to ask one or more of your classmates for their notes, but your teacher will politely decline to answer any questions about work that has already been covered during class meetings that you missed.
Out of a general sense of mutual respect, a record of attendance will be kept in the form of a sign-in sheet available at the front of the class each day. Students present at the beginning of class should make sure to sign this sheet before class begins. After class begins, the teacher will take up the sign-in sheet, and students who arrive late should remember to ask the teacher at the end of class to let them sign themselves in tardy. (See above the description of “Class Participation” in the Course Assignments section for further details on how attendance affects the final grade of the semester.)
There is also no further penalty for tardiness, except that if a student misses a Class Participation assignment because he or she was tardy, then it cannot be made up. Likewise, if a student is habitually tardy or especially if a student’s late entry into the classroom is regularly disruptive, then tardiness can negatively affect the Class Participation component of that student’s final grade. Students who find that tardiness will be a problem for them are encouraged to take a seat along the wall nearest the door so that their late entry will not be a distraction to the rest of the class.
Further information on Gordon’s class attendance policies can be found online in the Gordon State College 2016-2017 Academic Catalog on pp. 76-77.
Electronic devices and other distractions: Students are expected to put away all electronic devices unless given permission to do so. Students are likewise expected during class to behave in a way that is not distracting to others. Each time a student is found using an electronic device without permission or behaving in a manner that is distracting to others, he or she will lose credit equivalent to one Class Participation activities grade.
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.
Dates to remember:
	Drop/Add ends				Friday, January 13
	MLK Holiday				Monday, January 16
	Semester Midterm			Monday, March 6
	Spring Break				Monday, March 13 – Friday, March 17
	Fall and Summer Early Registration	Monday, April 3 (begins)
	Study Day				Thursday, May 4
	Final Exams				Thursday, May 4 – Wednesday, May 10

Daily Calendar
Week 1 (January 11 – January 13): Introductions	
Thurs.	Introduction to course ~ Discuss “idiocy” and “cretinism” excerpt		Homework: For January 17, read pp. 1-25.	
Notes: Drop/Add ends Friday, January 13.	

Week 2 (January 16 – January 20): Ancient rhetorics	
Tues.	Discuss Ancient Rhetorics	Class participation activity	Homework: For January 19, read “Consider the Lobster.” 	
Thurs.	Discuss “Consider the Lobster”	Class participation activity	Homework: For January 24, read pp. 37-51.	
Notes: 	

Week 3 (January 23 – January 27): Kairos and stasis	
Tues.	Discuss Kairos and Critical Essay 1	Class participation activity	Homework: For January 26, read pp. 56-79.	
Thurs.	Discuss Achieving Stasis	Class participation activity	Homework: For January 31, read pp. 88-112.	
Notes: Critical Essay 1 is due Thursday, February 23.	

Week 4 (January 30 – February 3): Common topics and commonplaces	
Tues.	Discuss Common Topics and the Commonplaces	Class participation activity	Homework: For February 2, TBD.	
Thurs.		Class participation activity	Homework: For February 7, read pp. 118-42.	
Notes: 	

Week 5 (February 6 – February 10): Logical proof	
Tues.	Discuss Logical Proof	Class participation activity	Homework: For February 9, TBD.	
Thurs.		Class participation activity	Homework: For February 14, read pp. 146-64.	
Notes:	

Week 6 (February 13 – February 17): Ethical and pathetic proof	
Tues.	Discuss Ethical Proof	Class participation activity	Homework: For February 16, read pp. 170-99. 	
Thurs.	Discuss Pathetic Proof	Class participation activity	Homework: For February 21, bring your latest draft of Critical Essay 1. 	
Notes: […]	

Week 7 (February 20 – February 24): Critical Essay 1	
Tues.	Group Conference	Homework: For February 23, finish work on Critical Essay 1. 	
Thurs.	Critical Essay 1 due ~ Discuss Critical Essay 2	Class participation activity	Homework: For February 28, 	
Notes: […]	

Week 8 (February 27 – March 3): […]	
Tues.		Class participation activity	Homework: For March 2, 	
Thurs.	Review for Midterm Exam	Class participation activity	Homework: For March 7, bring materials necessary to take the Midterm Exam.	
Notes: The last day to drop a course without an automatic WF is Monday, March 6.	

Week 9 (March 6 – March 10): […]	
Tues.	Midterm Exam	Homework: For March 9, read pp. 200-216.	
Thurs.	Discuss Extrinsic Proofs	Class participation activity	Homework: For March 21, 	
Notes: […]	

SPRING BREAK, March 13 – March 17 ~ CLASS DOES NOT MEET

Week 10 (March 20 – March 24): […]	
Tues.	Discuss Extrinsic Proofs (redux)	Class participation activity	Homework: For March 23, 	
Thurs.		Class participation activity	Homework: For March 28, 	
Notes: […]	

Week 11 (March 27 – March 31): […]	
Tues.		Class participation activity	Homework: For March 30, 	
Thurs.	Critical Essay 2 due	Class participation activity	Homework: For April 4, 	
Notes: Early registration for summer and fall classes begins Monday, April 3.	

Week 12 (April 3 – April 7): […]	
Tues.		Class participation activity	Homework: For April 6, 	
Thurs.		Class participation activity	Homework: For April 11, 	
Notes: […]	

Week 13 (April 10 – April 14): […]	
Tues.		Class participation activity	Homework: For April 13, 	
Thurs.		Class participation activity	Homework: For April 18, 	
Notes: […]	

Week 14 (April 17 – April 21): […]	
Tues.		Class participation activity	Homework: For April 20, 	
Thurs.		Class participation activity	Homework: For April 25, 	
Notes: […]	

Week 15 (April 24 – April 28): […]	
Tues.	Critical Essay 3 due	Class participation activity	Homework: For April 27, 	
Thurs.		Class participation activity	Homework: For May 2, 	
Notes: […]	

Week 16 (May 1 – May 3): Review for Final Exam	
Tues.	Review for Final Exam	Class participation activity	Homework: For May 8, bring materials necessary to take the Final Exam.	
Notes: The Final Exam is scheduled for Monday, May 8, at 1:30 p.m.	

Final Exam: Monday, May 8, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.