Name:	Todd Campbell	Semester:	Fall 2008
School:	Academic Affairs	Email Address:	tcampbell@ngcsu.edu
Department Name:	Learning Support	Office Location:	227 Barnes Hall
Course #:	LANG 0099	Office Phone #:	706-865-1435
Course Title:	Developmental Language Arts	Office Hours:	T Th 3:55-6:55, and by appt.
Semester Hours:	3 credit hours	Web Address:	radar.ngcsu.edu/~tcampbell/index.htm

Prerequisites: Admission to NGCSU

Corequisites: None

Course Description: “Required of students whose performance on placement tests indicates the need for at least one semester of remediation. This course offers instruction in reading, basic usage and grammar skills, and composition”(Bulletin 98).

Course Objectives: Students will receive instruction preparing them for success in ENGL 1101 and other writing-intensive courses. Students will learn to use various writing processes, proofreading techniques, research sources, appropriate rhetorical devices, and appropriate grammar and mechanical skills.

Methods of Instruction: Lecture, collaborative assignments, individual assignments.

Evaluation Methods: Within the first week or two, students will be given a diagnostic in-class essay to assess their skills; the same essay will be given at the end to measure their improvement over the course of the semester. Students will also write a number of papers requiring exposition, analysis, and argumentation, some of which may be in the in-class essay genre to prepare students for first draft writing as evaluated by the Regents’ Essay Test. In addition, students will take tests related to grammar and the assigned readings. Class participation may also be graded.

Grade range:

A=90-100 B=80-89 C=70-79 F=0-69 WF=Withdrew Failing IP=In Progress

A grade of IP(in progress) is assigned if required students have not achieved a minimum of a C average in the course or do not pass the exit examination; the grade of IP indicates students will be retained in the course without penalty of grade assignment. Required students who have not successfully completed the course in the allotted three semesters receive a grade of F and are academically suspended for three (3) years.

Assignment weights:

Writing	Other
In-Class Essays: 15% Papers: 20% Drafts: 10% Journal: 8%	Tests and Quizzes: 25% Class Participation: 10% Final Exam: 12%

In-Class Essays: Typically, the entire class time will be given to writing an in-class essay, partly to prepare you for the exit essay but mainly to prepare you for ENGL 1101 in-class essays and the Regents Essay test. In-Class essays will be written in blue or black ink on notebook paper.

Papers: All papers are expected to be in proper MLA format (which will be discussed in class). Out of class papers are expected to be free from grammatical and editing mistakes, so read over your work to make sure.

Drafts: Drafts are a vital element of successful writing. No piece of writing is ever perfect the first time, so you will write at least one draft of each paper and have it workshopped before the final paper is due.

Journals: Since one commandment of writing is “Thou shalt write before thou write,” students are expected to keep a journal in which they will record ideas, reflections on their writing, vocabulary lessons, and progress. Journals are a vital part of writing instruction in that they keep the writer in a writing frame of mind. If students blog, they may use their blogs as a journal, setting up a specific folder or page for this class. Journals will be turned in every two weeks.

Tests: Writing and grammar knowledge and practice will be tested periodically in the form of grammar quizzes and tests which will usually consist of some definitions, some sentences to correct, some sentences to write, and some longer written responses. Most tests and quizzes will be housed in WebCT VISTA.

Class Participation: We will do some writing or grammar exercises in class and sometimes as homework, all of which will count towards the class participation grade.

Final Exam: The final COMPASS test will be your final exam.

General Expectations: “Students in LANG 0099 must achieve a minimum of a C on an end-of-semester, independently graded in-class essay. Students will be limited to three (3) semesters to complete their learning support requirements”(Bulletin 93-94).

Attendance Policy: “Students required to enroll in learning support courses are not allowed more than four unexcused absences(LANG 0099, MATH 0099, & DSRD 0099) and will be dropped with a grade of WF when they exceed the allowed number of unexcused absences. Excused absences are those for which students have documentation for illnesses and other medical matters and for official leaves of absence for university-sponsored activities”(Bulletin 94).

Plagiarism: “No student shall plagiarize. Themes, essays, term papers, tests, and other similar requirements must be the work of the student submitting them. When direct quotations are used, they must be so indicated and when ideas of another are incorporated in the paper, they must be appropriately acknowledged”(Bulletin 79).

Learning Outcomes and Standards

In addition to the minimal requirements, this class has been designed to meet the following Learning Outcomes and Standards:

NGCSU General Education Outcomes 1-3: (1) The student will communicate effectively using multiple literacies and forms of expression; (2) The student will demonstrate analytic, contextual, and holistic thinking; and (3) The student will engage in integrative learning.

Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia’s Common Student Learning Outcomes for the Core Curriculum 1 and 3: (1) Communications: Oral and written communication will be characterized by clarity, critical analysis, logic, coherence, persuasion, precision, and rhetorical awareness; and (3) Cultural and Social Perspectives: Cultural and social perspective will be characterized by cultural awareness and an understanding of the complexity and dynamic nature of social/political/economic systems; human and institutional behavior, values, and belief systems; historical and spatial relationship; and, flexibility, open-mindedness, and tolerance.

Quality Enhancement Program (QEP) Information Literacy Outcomes 1-5: (1) Know, (2) Access, (3) Evaluate, (4) Use, (5) Ethics.

Class Evaluations: Class evaluations at NGCSU are now conducted on-line through BANNER. Evaluation of the class is considered a component of the course, and students will not be permitted to access their course grade until the evaluation has been completed. The evaluations will be accessible beginning one week prior to Final Exam week. Specific instructions will be made available when the surveys are activated.

Etiquette: Students are expected to treat each other with respect, regardless of opinions, skin color, cultural background, or ability level. This classroom is a place of comfort and safety, where we are all in the same boat rowing toward the same goal—writing proficiency. The First Amendment applies to this classroom, but expressers are not free from consequences of offensive speech. Please turn off your cell phones before class begins; any disruptions will be reprimanded.

Extracurricular Activities: You are in college, which means you are responsible for your own learning. If you have any questions, I expect you to ask them—stupid questions do not exist. This semester some published writers will visit our campus and talk about their work. You are expected to attend at least one of these readings, primarily to experience other writers, to join the community of literacy around you, and to discover that writing is not a mystical art but is a craft that anyone can learn and do well.

Resources: The NGCSU Writing Center is in Dunlap Hall, room 111, and can handle any of your writing needs, except they do not proofread or edit papers. Instead, they will point out major errors or mistakes which occur often so you will know what areas you need to focus on in your writing.

Knowledge Base:

Required texts: Troyka, Lynn Quitman and Jerrold Nudelman. Steps in Composition, 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2004.

A good dictionary.

Academic Integrity Policy:

- Honor Code: “On my honor, I will not lie, cheat, steal, plagiarize, evade the truth, or tolerate those who do.”

- Suspected violations of the Academic Integrity policy should be referred by students to the instructor. If the instructor concludes that a violation of the Academic Integrity policy has occurred, the instructor will either (1) penalize the student and file an incident report with the Academic Integrity Council or (2) refer the matter directly to the Academic Integrity Council. If an incident report is filed by the instructor, the instructor will review the completed report with the student and will request that the student sign the report as an indication that the student is aware of the contents of the report

Accommodation for Students with Disabilities: North Georgia College & State University (NGCSU) is committed to the full inclusion of individuals with disabilities and to the principle of individual rights and responsibilities. To that end, the policies and procedures of NGCSU reasonably ensure that a person with a disability is not, on the basis of that disability, denied full and equal access to and the enjoyment of academic programs and co-curricular activities or otherwise is subjected to discrimination in such programs and activities.

The policies for access by individuals with disabilities at NGCSU are designed to ensure full compliance with all pertinent federal and state legislation, specifically to include Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.

To receive disability accommodations, the student should contact the Coordinator of Disability Resources, Office of Academic Support Programs, Room 122 Barnes Hall. Approval of reasonable accommodations will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Course Content: *Steps = Steps in Composition text

Date	Topic of Discussion	Assignment Due
W 8/20	Class Intro	Writing Self-Assessment
F 8/22	In-Class Writing	ICD
M 8/25	Writing Discussion	Diagnostic Test (WebCT)
W 8/27	“Rambos of the Road” and Writing Process	Steps 4-39
F 8/29	Topic Sentences and Developing Paragraphs	Steps 40-55
W 9/3	“Fire, Hope, and Charity” and Sound-Alikes	Steps 60-70
F 9/5	Developing Paragraphs, pt. 2 and Revision	Steps 71-89
M 9/8	In-Class Writing	IC 1
W 9/10	“My Daughter Smokes” and y to i	Steps 94-103
F 9/12	Sentence Fragments, Comma Splices, and Run-Ons	Steps 104-122/Journal Due
M 9/15	“Pursuit of Happiness” and Proofreading	Steps 128-138
W 9/17	Coordination and Subordination	Steps 139-160
F 9/19	Bring Typed Drafts for Peer Revision	Draft 1 Due
M 9/22	“The ‘Black Table’” and Capitalization	Steps 166-174
W 9/24	Verb Usage	Steps 175-198
F 9/26	Verb Usage, pt. 2	Steps 199-218
M 9/29		Paper 1 Due
W 10/1	“The Ugly Truth About Beauty” and Confusing Words	Steps 224-237
F 10/3	Pronoun Usage	Steps 238-265/Journal Due
M 10/6	Midterm	Test 1 (WebCT)
W 10/8	“Teenagers in Dreamland” and Writing Essays	Steps 270-280
F 10/10	FALL BREAK!!
M 10/13	Writing Essays, pt. 2	Steps 281-324
W 10/15	In-Class Writing	IC 2
F 10/17	“Abortion is Too Complex” and Apostrophes	Steps 330-340
M 10/20	Punctuation Usage	Steps 341-362
W 10/22	“Rapping Nasty” and Plurals	Steps 368-382
F 10/24	Unity and Coherence	Steps 383-396
M 10/27	Bring Typed Drafts for Peer Revision	Draft 2 due
W 10/29	“The Sins of the Parents” and Diction	Steps 402-411/Journal Due
F 10/31	Diction, pt. 2	Steps 412-432
M 11/3	“Money and Freedom” and Final e	Steps 438-445
W 11/5	Parallelism and Modifiers	Steps 446-461
F 11/7		Paper 2 Due
M 11/10	“Shadow of a Stranger” and Types of Essays	Steps 466-530, 544-612
W 11/12		Test 2 (WebCT)
F 11/14	Work on All Revisions
M 11/17	Review of Essay Writing
W 11/19	Exit In-Class Essay	IC 3
F 11/21	Compass Practice	Journal Due
M 11/24	Compass Practice
M 12/1	COMPASS Test

Additional Content the instructor may wish to include: Urgent notice: Under the University System of Georgia semester policy, academic assistance students are recommended for suspension for a period of three years if they do not complete all their academic assistance requirements in three (3) semesters. The Division of Learning Support Services strictly adheres to this policy.