English 101: MT7 meets in Robinson A246 from 10:30 - 11:45 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
English 101: MT8 meets in Robinson A246 from 3:00 - 4:15 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Music 107: MT7 and MT8 meet in Performing Arts Building A323 from 1:30 - 2:45 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
My office is Robinson A 401C. My office hours are Tuesday and Thursday 12:00 - 1:30, and by appointment. I can be contacted by phone / voicemail (993-2784) or by email (dtaciuch); email is best, as I check my email several times a day. Please do not leave papers for me by slipping them under my office door--use my mailbox in the English Department (Robinson A 455)
Course Description
English 101 MT7 and MT8 are part of the American Experince package of Mason Topics. These two sections of English 101 are linked to Music 107 (Jazz). The Jazz class will provide topics for the four essays you will write in the English class (descriptive, classification, comparison, and argument essays). In the English course, we will read and discuss sample essays, learn various writing techniques and styles, and get acquainted with the GMU library resources.
Texts
Thomas Cooley, The Norton Sampler, 6th editon
Diana Hacker, Rules for Writers, 5th edition
Online Resources:
Rules for Writers website
GMU Writing Center Resources for Writers
Assignments
Reading Responses [9]: 10%
Peer review 1: 5%
Essay 1 (descriptive): 15%
Essay 2 (classification): 20%
Essay 3 (comparision): 20%
Peer Review 2: 5%
Essay 4 (Music 107 Term Paper): 20%
Library research assignment: 5%
All assignments, including the reading responses, must be typed and doublespaced. Use standard fonts, font sizes, and margins: 10-12 point serif or sans-serif fonts with one inch margins work fine; don't turn in a handwritten essay or an essay printed in Comic or Fantasy font and expect to be taken seriously.
The reading responses will be due on Thursdays at the start of class, unless there is an essay or draft due that week (for example, there is no reading response for week 4 since the first essay is due that week). The responses are short (1 -2 page) responses to questions I will ask in class, often based on the questions for discussion in the textbook.
Grades
Grades on the essays will be based primarily on the quality of the writing. I value clear, focused writing with plenty of examples. The audience for the essays will be the class itself, and I expect the papers to be written with this audience in mind.
I will give all assignments letter grades. I calculate final grades by converting the letter grades to a 100 point scale using the following values:
| A+ 100 | |
| A 95 | C+ 78 |
| A- 90 | C 75 |
| B+ 88 | C- 70 |
| B 85 | D 65 |
| B- 80 | F below 60 |
The University translates letter grades into 4-point GPA values:
| A+ 4.00 | B- 2.67 | C- 1.67 |
| A 4.00 | B 3.00 | D 1.00 |
| A- 3.67 | C+ 2.33 | F 0.00 |
| B+ 3.33 | C 2.00 |
Please note that A+ and A have equivalent point values.
Note on English 101 Grades: The possible grades for English 101 are A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, and NC (No Credit). The NC grade does not affect your GPA, but it does not count as English 101 credit.
Late Assignments: Late papers will lose one-half letter grade per day unless you make prior arrangements with me.
Revision Policy: The essays may be revised for a higher grade, but they must be substantially revised. You cannot lose a grade by revising, but a higher grade is not guaranteed. I have found that "B" papers (or higher) are often more difficult to revise, since serious revision requires thoroughly changing the essay's structure, and "B" papers usually have a fairly good structure. "C" papers (or lower) often respond more dramatically to revision, since the major changes they require are often more straightforward. I recommend revising "C" papers or lower only. If you plan to revise a "B" paper, please see me beforehand so we can discuss a revision strategy.
All revisions must be turned in by Dec 2.
Plagiarism: The GMU Honor code is available online. I will report suspected cases of plagiarism to the Honor Committee.
Schedule
