English 101 Section 18: Composition

Fall 2021
Class Type: HYBRID
In-person Tuesday Room N312 at 9:05-10:25 & Online

Instructor Name: Professor Lindsay Ferrara

Contact Info: [email protected]

ENG 101: Composition Course Description

This course develops students’ abilities to produce effective written texts and to reason critically.
A review of grammar and syntax, as needed, is included. The goals of unity, coherence, and
logical development are pursued through practice in prewriting, writing, and revising techniques.
Students learn various organizational patterns. Students will write and revise several projects and
essays.

Prerequisite
Placement by college entrance exam, referral from ENG 088 with a B or better, or by ESL
faculty referral.

Required Texts and Materials:

An Insider’s Guide to Academic Writing; A Rhetoric and Reader. Miller-Cochran,

Stamper, Cochran. Second Edition.

ENG 101: Composition Learning Outcomes

I. Critical Literacy
Upon successful completion of ENG101, students should be able to
1. support a thesis using credible and adequate source material;
2. support and develop a thesis-driven paper more than three pages in length;
3. engage in a dialogue with a text, integrating their own ideas with those of others;
4. construct a logical, well-supported argument;
5. know how to identify and evaluate sources;
6. consider multiple viewpoints in their writing, acknowledging different ways of
looking at things.

II. Process
Upon successful completion of ENG101, students should be able to
1. understand that writing is a process;
2. practice reflection upon their writing.

III.Knowledge of Conventions
Upon successful completion of ENG101, students should be able to

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 1. understand academic writing conventions and make appropriate decisions about
grammar, usage, punctuation, word choice, and style;
2. demonstrate an understanding of audience and purpose, including but not limited to
the development of academic tone;
3. quote, paraphrase, and summarize a text;
4. use signal phrases to introduce a summary, paraphrase, or quotation;
5. use parenthetical references to cite sources according to an established documentation
system;
6. understand and avoid plagiarism.

Assignment Descriptions
Welcome to ENG 101. On one level, this class will serve as your introduction to the
world of college level reading and writing, preparing you for all the work you will be doing over
the next few years. Regardless of your major field of study, reading and writing are sure to be a
necessary skill in your field, though the types of reading and forms of writing will vary widely.
These different skill sets, languages, and modes of thinking which are unique and specialized in
each field are the communities in which you will one day be a fluent participant. This course will
lay the foundation for you to move comfortably in these discourse communities, and enable you
to successfully negotiate your journey through college, whichever direction that may be.
This course will prepare you for further college reading and writing, therefore, be
prepared to do plenty of both! Hopefully, in becoming a stronger, more eloquent reader, writer,
and speaker, you will also become a more perceptive and beneficial citizen of the world at large.
Below you will find brief assignment descriptions for all the major assignments you will
complete in ENG101 this semester.

Project One: Literacy Narrative

In this first culminating essay you will be exploring critical moments and broad
influences (“ways with words”) in your own literacy history to date to understand who you are as
a literate person and what you are bringing into this new academic space. The essay will also be
an occasion for developing our concepts of literacy, discursive power, our own discursive
identities, the complex nature of schooling and rhetorical education, and community, practicing a
variety of creative writing, revision, and responding strategies, and exploring the conventions of
narrative genres.

Unit Two: Rhetoric & Argument

In this section we will take up the nature and power of public domains of language use,
rhetoric, and public discourse communities in order to understand how we use language as civic
action. Through a variety of readings, encounters with public media, and activities, you will
practice analyzing and participating in public discourses that shape our lives and futures as
citizens.

Project Two: Rhetorical Analysis

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 This project asks you to critically read, analyze, and evaluate a written or spoken
argument. You will have to identify and explain how concepts such as rhetorical situation,
logical appeals, and other strategies were employed successfully or unsuccessfully by the author.
By closely examining the rhetorical skills of others, you can enhance your own awareness of
these concepts, and learn to use them more fluently in your own writing.

Unit Three: Research, Data Evaluation, & Source Analyses

One of the cornerstone practices of a strong researcher is the ability to analyze

information from a variety of source types: some accessible and popular, some scholarly and
highly specialized. We will consider these types of sources, and you will learn how to identify
strong (and weak) source material. You will also learn how to incorporate these expert opinions
smoothly into your own writing.

Project Three: Multimodal Research Report

You will explore a topic of current serious public interest and present your work in an
appropriate form and forum. This project will require research, analysis, and argumentation. You
will be finding and evaluating scholarly sources, conducting your own small-scale original
research, and using both expert sources and your own findings to inform a thoughtful, clearly
presented argumentative piece of writing.

Final Website:
The final project for the course asks you to look back over your entire semester’s worth
of work in order to organize and integrate your efforts into a single website. This website will
contain all of your major formal writing assignments, as well as many other artifacts
accumulated over our months together, some new and some newly revised and perfected. When
completed, this website should be a great source of pride, as it represents your effort and
commitment to this course. In lieu of sitting for a formal final exam, during our assigned final
exam period, students will come together to present these websites in a celebration of your
accomplishments.

COURSE EVALUATION:

Literacy Narrative: 20%

Rhetorical Analysis: 20%
Multimodal Research and Argument Essay: 20%
Final Website: 15%
Final Essay: 10%
Homework Assignments: 10%
Participation/Preparation: 5%

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Final Essay: During the last full week of class, you will write and revise an essay on an article
provided by the instructor. You will be given the article one week ahead of time, and this article
will be discussed in class. For more information, see below:

Additional Info about the ENG101 Portfolio

In order to complete ENG101 successfully, a student must submit an e-Portfolio of all major
writing assignments at the end of the semester. The writings must have been drafted, completed,
and revised during the semester and have been seen at least once by the instructor. Additionally,
the portfolio must include at least 10 full pages of completed, revised text and demonstrate
achievement of the course learning outcomes. Each essay must have its own Works Cited page;
Works Cited pages are not included in the 10 page count.
Note: Do not, under any circumstances, allow your page count to fall short of the required ten
full pages. Portfolios that fall short of the required ten full pages or that do not demonstrate
passing quality of the learning outcomes will not pass.

Note: I post all grades in Blackboard throughout the semester. However, if at any time during the
semester you want to check your progress, please see me. At midterm, your work will be
assigned either a P (pass), a D (low pass), or an F (failing), depending on the quality of your
writing, attendance, and participation up to that point.

Course Policies
Course Communication
Please email me through the “Send Message” tool in Blackboard or through your NCC student
email accounts. I will send regular course announcements through Blackboard, so please check
Blackboard regularly throughout the week. Note: It is college policy that I communicate with
students only through their GCC email accounts. I will NOT return emails sent from a personal
account.

GCC Attendance Policy

At GCC, regular attendance is required and essential for success in a writing course such as this.
This is a hands-on, workshop-oriented class, and much of the learning of the course takes place
in class or on the basis of class lectures, discussions, and exercises. Therefore, attendance in this
class is mandatory. If a student is unable to attend class, it is strongly recommended that the
student withdraw to avoid a failing grade. Please review the following attendance policy:

 Your instructor will take attendance for each class period, beginning with the first class
meeting.
 If you are absent—or anticipate being absent—from class at any time, notify your
instructor as soon as possible to discuss what you will need to do. If you cannot contact
your instructor immediately on your own, find someone who can do so for you.

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  If you must miss a day of class, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed
during class. You can do so by contacting a peer or your instructor. All course updates or
changes will be posted in the Blackboard announcements page. Please note that missed
in-class writing assignments cannot be made-up, such as quizzes or writing responses.

Note: If extenuating circumstances arise at any point during the semester, please contact me as
soon as possible. We will discuss what action to take concerning your work. Due to Covid-19,
additional flexibility with attendance is granted. I would rather have students stay home when
sick, even if you are not seriously ill and think you could “tough it out” and come to class.

Late Work
Assignments are due on the due dates posted in the course schedule (found in Blackboard). Being
absent from class is NOT an excuse for late work. I understand that sometimes things happen
and that a student may have to miss class one day due to illness, family responsibilities, or
emergency situations. If you must miss a day of class, you need to contact me ahead of time to
make necessary arrangements to submit the work on time. I reserve the option to refuse late
work. However, if you are having difficulty with an assignment, you need to let me know well
ahead of time so that I can provide help. I am always happy to help students who ask for help.

Resources
You have a lot of resources to help you with your college classes. These include the following:
 Writing Center: You can work with a tutor on any writing assignment. Appointments
are free and very helpful.
 E-tutoring: You can log onto www.etutoring.org at any time during the semester and
submit a paper for review and critique by an outside reader, usually one who is a
professor in the CT State and Community College system.
 Tutoring Center
 ESL Tutoring (if you are a former ESL student).

Student AccessAbility Services

If you have a “Letter of Academic Adjustment” (a.k.a., accommodation) from Student
AccessAbility Services (SAS), I am available to meet with you to plan for the academic
adjustments.  If you are a new student with a documented disability and you expect the need for
an academic adjustment and service, contact the Coordinator of Student AccessAbility Services
by completing an Accessibility Intake Form. On the GCC website menu select ‘Student
Services’ and then 'Disability Services'.  On the SAS webpage select ‘Apply for Services.’  An
explanation of the process and a link to the Accessibility Intake Form is on the right of the
webpage.

Student Mental Health and Well-Being: Gateway Community College is committed to your well-being.
The Counseling and Wellness Center offers holistic wrap-around services in an inclusive and judgment
free environment. Services include crisis counseling, 1:1 solution focused brief counseling, counseling
groups, workshops and community referral services. If you or someone you know needs support, please
call 203-285-2480, email [email protected]. Our office hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00am
- 4:30pm. If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis after hours, please call 911 if it's an

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emergency, 211 Crisis hotline, or 741741 to connect with a clinician via the crisis text line. For a list of
other mental health services on and off campus, please click here.   

Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty is not tolerated in any course at GCC. Academic dishonesty includes but is
not limited to:
1. Cheating on examinations and/or quizzes.
2. Collaborating with others in work to be presented if contrary to the stated rules of the
course.
3. Plagiarizing, including the submission of others’ ideas or papers (whether purchased,
borrowed or otherwise obtained) as one’s own work.
4. Stealing or unauthorized access to examinations or course materials.
5. Falsifying records, laboratory or other data.
6. Submitting, if contrary to the rules of a course, work previously presented in another
course.
7. Knowingly and intentionally assisting another student in any of the above, including
assistance in an arrangement whereby any work, classroom performance, examination, or
other activity is submitted or performed by a person other than the student under whose name
the work is submitted or performed.

It is your responsibility to understand the college’s policy on academic dishonesty

in its entirety, as outlined on pages 26-28 of the Student Handbook. The Student
Handbook is available on the GCC website.

Covid-19 Information and Guidelines

The following “COVID 19 course syllabi guidelines” reflect current CCSU/Board of Regents rules
governing on-ground classes. On-ground classroom spaces are arranged with 3 feet of physical
distancing. Other office areas, particularly those serving students, are arranged with 3-6 feet of physical
distancing.

 Students attending on-ground classes on campus are required to have been vaccinated . The CDC
has determined that COVID vaccines are safe and effective at preventing illness and effective in
eliminating severe illness and death.

 Medical and non-medical waivers may be requested through the Office of Student Affairs.

 Students attending on-ground classes on campus are required to wear masks and respect protocols
of social distancing.

 Masks are available at the Security Desks. Multi-layered cotton masks are recommended, worn
over the nose and mouth.

 Students who feel sick or exhibit flu-like symptoms should remain at home and not attend their
classes.

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All students are urged to get vaccinated. Vaccines are nearly 100 percent effective and keep students,
their families, and the community safe.

Masks are mandatory at all times in the classroom, and must be worn correctly, completely covering
nose and mouth. Prof. Ferrara is parent to a high-risk young child, and will be taking Covid-19
precautions extremely seriously.

Course Schedule
I will post the course schedule in Blackboard and provide printed copies in class. Typically, I
hand out schedules for 3-4 weeks at a time. You will know well in advance when all major
assignments are due.

ENG101 Professor Ferrara Fall 2021