Course Overview 801-151 Comm. Skills One

COMM SKILLS 801-151
Ben-Shalom , Miriam Contacts: ben-sham@matc.edu //Tele: 414-933-6233 Office Hours: TBA
web page: http://ben-shalom.blogspot.com

Objectives:
The goal of this course is to prepare you for 801-152, 801-201 and 801-202 Additionally, this course will help you to successfully complete writing assignments for your other courses.
By the end of this semester, you will be able to:
Compose a five paragraph essay with a clear thesis, a sound introductory paragraph, three supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Utilize the MATC Online Writing Lab and other work for skill enhancement.
Understand and apply the conventions of Standard American English.
Perform well on writing assignments for other classes.
Compose well-organized timed essays in response to a question or an article.
Be aware of library resources and basic documentation formats.
Produce a 5 to 7 page research paper in MLA Format with a works cited page and parenthetical citations.
Books:
The New McGraw-Hill Handbook
You should also have the following:
A college level dictionary
A notebook
A folder
A second folder for your final portfolio
A computer disk/CD-RW for keep your journals
Prerequisites:
Concurrent completion of GEN ENG with a grade of C or better or by testing; if you are ESL, have problems with writing, or have been out of school for a 'million years' it might be wise to take GEN ENG or GEN REA before this class. People who have obtained their GED more than 5 years ago are also encouraged to take these two classes to enhance their skill levels in reading/writing. Please note that 801-151 is NOT a Basic Skills class and it is assumed that you can read/write English at about the 6th or 7th grade level.
Course Requirements:
You will have to expect to spend about 3 hours a week doing the work for this course outside of the classroom. There is simply not enough time for getting all writing done while we are in class.
5 Paragraph Papers:
You will receive details about these assignments later in the course, including specific grading criteria and due dates. All essays will have a rough and a final draft. The final draft and the rough draft must be typed, double spaced, in a 12 point font: Times New Roman or Palatino. Late papers will loose 10% of the grade for each day late; as an example: you get a 90 [B] on a paper. It is 3 days late. 10% of 90 is nine, so you would loose 27 points for a final grade of 67 [F]. If you do not complete these assignments, you will fail the course. If a problem arises, see me BEFORE the assignment is due. I do not accept "same day" excuses, unless a problem in printing arises in the classroom.
Quizzes:
Quizzes will be given often to review material from the text-book or class discussion. Quizzes will often focus on grammar. Quizzes cannot be made up. Performance on quizzes will effect your participation grade.
Examinations: Must be made up during the next office hour after your absence.
In-class Writing:
We will be writing in class almost every day, and many of these in-class writings will be collected and graded. After I return an in-class essay with a grade, you will have the opportunity to revise the essay out of class, and resubmit it to me within one week (late revisions will not be accepted). When doing so, please submit the original along with the revision. Your grade for the essay will be the average of the two grades. Grading of in-class essays and revisions will depend heavily on the material currently covered in the course. In-class essays should be legible. Revisions should be typed. Missed in-class writings can only be made up in my office hour before the next class period. Your grade will be dropped 5 points for each class period that passes until you make up the essay.
The class period after any in-class writing (including the midterm), we may have individual meetings concerning the essay. This is the most important part of this course!!! If you miss a meeting about an essay, you must make it up in my office hour before the next class meeting. Again, your grade will be dropped 5 points for each class period until you have your meeting with me. If you do not meet with me about an in-class writing, the grade for the essay will be changed to 0.
You are strongly encouraged to bring writing assignments from other courses, such as Human Relations, Psychology, and so on, to class. Often, you will be able to work on a draft of a paper for another course and submit it to me as an in-class writing. This will allow you to enhance your performance in the other course, and work directly on your writing skills.
Midterm and Final Essay:
You will write an in-class midterm essay and an in-class final project; if you do not complete these essays and projects, you will fail the course.
Additional Assignments:
It may be necessary at times for me to assign additional work from the textbook. These will be counted toward your participation grade. There may be assignments where you simply get an A if you complete the assignment and an F if you don’t. I will make it clear how each assignment will be graded.
Participation:
-Your are expected to do the following during class: pay attention, participate in group work, contribute to class discussions, complete quizzes and in-class assignments, and actively participate in one-on-one meetings.
- Your participation grade will be the average of your quizzes and in-class assignments. You will get no participation points [100 per class] if you are absent (you can’t participate if you aren’t here!), and a reduction of 30 points if you arrive late or leave early [unless there is inclement weather].
- You can get bonus participation points for doing SkillsBank work above what may be required.. You will also lose participation points for any disruptive activity as described below in the classroom conduct section.
Attendance:
Attendance at all classes is expected. If you do miss a class, you are required to see me during office hours before the next class meeting. You are responsible for all material covered in class on the day you were absent. If you miss a class where there is an exam, you will still have to take the examination before the next class (this is why you should see me before the next class). [NOTE: examinations may be made up, quizzes cannot.] A word to the wise: This class meets one day a week. If you miss three classes, it is like you have missed 1/5 of the semester. I will speak with you on the event of a third absence. If you have a fourth absence, I will drop you, unless by prior agreement and due to an emergency of some sort. You are responsible for adjusting work schedules and child care. I will deal with this on a case by case basis, but you are responsible for contacting me and going to the web site/weekly road map to make up work. At 5 absences, I will drop you because you will have missed 1/3 of the semester if not more and you will NOT be able to make up work.
Please see my web site for further information:http:// ben-shalom.blogsopt.com
It contains further information about attendance.

Skills assistance:
-Feel free to meet with me on an individual basis during my office hour times (listed on the top of this syllabus and my supplemental schedule) to discuss any concerns, particularly if you are falling behind or having difficulty. Before and after each class, generally, I will be in our classroom or the Academic Support Center. I strongly suggest that you make appointments for skills assistance, as you will then be assured of having my time.
-In some cases, I may require you to see me about getting extra help. You will also be required to meet with me if you wish to revise your final paper. Bonus points may be added to your participation grade if you ask for skills assistance.
Grading:
I will grade papers using a numeric (0-100) scale. Numeric grades will convert to letters as follows, for the purpose of midterm and final grades:
A 100-93
B 92-86
C 85-79
D 78-70
F 69 and below
Your grade will be calculated as follows:
Class Participation 10%
In-class Writing: 20% [includesvocabulary/reading work, where warranted]
Midterm Exam: 10%
Final Exam/project*: 25%
Rough Draft of Essay: 10%
Final Draft of Essay*: 25%
*If you do not do the final essay or final exam, you cannot pass this course!
Plagiarism/Cheating:
Submitting work that is not your own will not be tolerated. Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to: handing in someone else’s work; copying someone else’s work; and copying sentences, phrases, or even ideas without giving proper citations. The academic honesty policy of the college is stated in the Student Handbook, which you should review. Be advised that in any case of academic dishonesty, I will recommend the most severe allowable punishment
You may NOT use any sort of research that involves Wikipedia, or sites such as Cliff’s Notes, etc. If you are not sure that a site is OK to use, ask me! Basically, you should only use the MATC search sites like INFOTRAC, PROQUEST, etc., all of which are available for you from home. Do not use search engines like Yahoo or Google.
Classroom Conduct:
In any English class, or, indeed, any college-level course, the classroom environment should be conducive to learning, the free-exchange of ideas, and questions. Please feel free to express your own ideas or ask questions in class, and please respect the rights of others to do the same. Disruptive or disrespectful behavior undermines the goals of this class, this college, and your fellow students; it therefore will not be tolerated.
Here are a few specific regulations. Violation of these regulations will result in a drop in your participation grade.
1. Keep personal drama at home.
It does not belong in the classroom.
2. Turn OFF telephones before you come to class. This includes vibrating phones (they are just as disruptive). If a phone call is so important that you can’t wait until after class, leave the room quietly to answer the phone and accept a drop in your participation grade. If there is an emergency, notify me before class.
3. Respect yourself: respect others: others will respect you. Abusive/sexist/vulgar language will not be tolerated.
4. If you have a problem: ask to speak with me. I will accommodate you. It does not matter what the problem is. I will listen and pay attention to you.
5. Do not interrupt other students or me while we are talking. Interruption includes starting a conversation not related to class-work
6. Do not communicate with students outside of the classroom through the windows
7. Do not leave class excessively. If you need to use the restroom or take care of anything else urgent, leave quietly and return as soon as possible.
8. Eating is not allowed in class by school policy. If you like to have something to drink while in-class, just make sure you take any garbage with you and clean up any spills.
9. Show up to class on time. If you are late, entry quietly and go to your seat without disturbing the class. If you walk into class after a quiz starts, you will not be able to take that quiz. If there is severe weather, lateness will not be counted adversely and you may take the quiz.
10. School policy does not allow children to be in class. If you have no option but to care for your child during class time, you must miss class and see me for make up as soon as possible.
11. Do not do anything that purposely or accidentally disrupts the flow of class or group work. [THINK BEFORE YOU ACT] [See also number one.]
Final Thoughts:
Based upon your individual needs, this course may take many different shapes. I strongly encourage you to tell me your individual needs so they can be address during class time or skills assistance.
You should begin now thinking about the fact that you have a paper due at the end of this class. All work in this course builds up to that paper. We will systematically go through stages of writing paper, covering grammar, paragraph organization, and essay organization. If you follow along with this course and my suggestions, you will not have great difficulty. If you do not keep up, however, you will face serious problems as the due date approaches. Working hard all through the semester, and seeing me for help along the way, will ensure your success in this course.
My goal is to pass everyone in this course, but I cannot do so unless you are able to produce a 5-paragraph essay and a longer paper indicating you are prepared for advanced college-level work. If you think I can do anything to help meet that goal, please let me know. Particularly, if my assignments or instructions are ever unclear, ask questions so that we can come to understanding. Your active participation in the learning process is not only appreciated, but necessary for your success.
*******Learning/Physical Disabilities
The ADA of 1993 stipulates that any student who has a physical or learning disability that requires special circumstances in order to successfully attend school has that right. If any student has a diagnosed physical or learning disability that requires accommodations to provide the most optimum learning experience, students should contact the Accomodations Office immediately to develop those accommodations.*****
If you have special needs, such as a learning disability, you must arrange for test taking, etc. through the Special Needs Office. I am NOT averse to this, so do not worry if you must have more time for an exam due to a Special Need. You can arrange for notetakers as well as a plethora of other services. Please be aware that if you use Special Needs for tutoring, I will need to know so that I can forward assignments, etc. to your tutor so that we are all "on the same page." It is your responsibility to set up what you require through Special Needs.