Dr Dean Taciuch — Fall 2005 — George Mason University

English 101:MT9 — Mason Topics Link to Biology 103:MT9

Course Information

English 101:MT9 is linked with section MT9 of Biology 103 as part of a mason Topics package. The English course will provide writing, research and analytical skills necessary for the Biology course. In addition, there will be several assignments in common, receiving grades in both the Biology and English classes. The grades for the two course are separate, however; in this class you will be graded on your writing, not your knowledge of Biology.

Texts

Lewis Thomas, Lives of a Cell.
Diana Hacker, A Writer's Reference. 5th ed.

Online Resources
A Writer's Reference <http://dianahacker.com/writersref>
GMU Writing Center, Resources For Writers <http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/resources>

Assignments

Library Assignment: 5%	Description Essay: 15%
Annotated Bibliography: 10%	Comparison Essay: 15%
Peer Review 1: 5%	Peer Review 2: 5%
Research Assignment : 15% (joint assignment with Biology 103)	Persuasive Essay: 15%
	Field Trip Report: 5%
Exercises: 10%

All assignments, except for the peer reviews, 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.

Grading

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.

Grades on the annotated bibliography will be based primarily on your evaluations of the sources and secondarily on the citations themselves.

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. Individual assignments may receive C-, D, or F grades, but a final grade below C will result in a grade of NC.

Course Policies

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 1.

Plagiarism: The GMU Honor code is available online. I will report suspected cases of plagiarism to the Honor Committee.