policies




The subheadings below provide information on the policies that will govern this course. By staying enrolled, I accept that you have understood these policies in their entirety.

Course Goals
The faculty of English has approved the following six minimal standards for passing English 1101.  Students must demonstrate their ability to 
  • Compose first-year level essays or presentations that are logical, engaging, and informative;
  • Develop essays or presentations that include a controlling idea or thesis, provide adequate supportive evidence, and make use of effective organization;
  • Demonstrate and apply an understanding of basic rhetorical concepts including ethos, pathos, and logos, and the relationship among audience, purpose, and context;
  • Compose both single-draft and multi-draft essays, using prewriting, drafting, and revision, as well as editing;
  • Cite and document material taken from sources;
  • Construct clear, precise, grammatically correct sentences, using Standard Edited American English, and avoiding awkward phrasing and errors, including but not limited to: fragments, comma splices, run-on sentences, subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent disagreement, faulty pronoun reference, misuse of possessives, and misspellings.
In the specific context of these themed sections of English 1101, the following standards also apply. Students will
  • become more aware of their own writing, including strengths and weaknesses
  • improve their ability to think critically by reading and responding to a variety of challenging texts
  • respond actively to the environment around them
  • use technologies to supplement face-to-face classroom interaction
Required Texts and Materials
Keys to Success
The elements below are particularly important given the hybrid nature of this class.
  • Communicate with me and with each other
  • Participate meaningfully in class discussions
  • Keep up with the work
Course Policies

 Technology: 
This is as close to a paperless class as possible. With that in mind, please be conscientious about checking UNG email, reviewing the daily schedule online, and meeting posted electronic deadlines. 
We use multiple technologies in this course depending on the task and the special qualities of the tool. The following table should help clarify the role of these multiple applications:
technologyurluse
course websiteenglish1101dillard.blogspot.comrepository for course information including the schedule, syllabus information, policies, assignment details, etc.
Google Drivedrive.google.comstorage, peer review
Turnitin.comturnitin.comsubmitting long assignments/essays, receiving feedback and grades on those assignments
UNG eLearningung.view.usg.edugradebook 
On a regular basis, we will use the computers in our classroom for writing, research, collaboration, and other process-related activities. This does not, however, grant you license to use these computers to print assignments for this or other classes, respond to emails, or check in on Facebook, etc. Please do not abuse the privilege of this technology. 
Assignments and Grading: 
This course is designed on a 1000-point scale. Formal essays will include component activities -- including peer review and revision workshops -- that will contribute to the point total. General details appear below:
  • Essay 1 (literacy narrative): 100 pts.
  • Essay 2 (rhetorical analysis): 150 pts.
  • Essay 3 (argument): 200 pts.
  • Revision portfolio: 200 pts.  
  • Weekly writings: 150 points. 
  • Service-learning project: 100 pts. 
  • Participation: 100 pts.
Final letter grades will be awarded on a 10-point scale as follows: A: 90-100, B: 80-89, C: 70-79, D: 60-69, F: 59 or below. Grades will be posted on Turnitin.com throughout the semester and on Banner at the conclusion of the term. A letter grade of C or better is required to pass English 1101 and advance to English 1102.
Attendance and Participation: 
Since this is a hybrid course, we only meet once a week. Participation counts as 10% of your overall grade, equivalent to 100 points. Simply attending class does not equate to participation. Instead, you should be prepared to make at least one meaningful contribution to class discussion every day, whether to the whole class or in groups. Disconnected or disruptive behavior -- such as tardiness, sleeping, texting, web surfing, etc. -- are counterproductive and will detract from your participation grade.
Since participation plays such a pivotal role in our daily class routine, attendance and timeliness are equally important. If you must miss class, please email me beforehand. UNG's official attendance policy, as stated by Academic Affairs, states the following:
Students who stop attending class may be administratively withdrawn (with or without academic penalty); a grade of W may be assigned when students fail to attend 10% of any class meetings prior to the midpoint of the term; a grade of WF will be assigned when students stop attending after the midpoint. Individual instructors or departments may have attendance policies stricter than that of the university, as long as the policies are stated in the class syllabus. 
In addition to the Academic Affairs policy listed above, participation grade penalties will be assessed in this course using the following scale:
  • 4 absences: no greater than 80/100 
  • 5 absences: no greater than 75/100 (and five points for each subsequent absence) 
Also note that missing more than 10 minutes of class, resulting either from tardiness or leaving early, will count as an absence.
YOU are responsible for making sure you're counted present for the day, so please be sure to initial the roll sheet or see me after class if you are late.
As an additional requirement, in order to receive consideration for an A (i.e. 90/100 points) in participation, students must make at least one appointment with the professor before midterm to discuss progress on an essay.
Extra Credit:
Extra credit will be offered throughout the semester. Students will be required to complete a short writing assignment (rhetorical analysis) after attending a cultural event on campus or in the community. A student may earn no more than 2 percentage points toward his or her final average in the course. Additional details will be discussed in class.
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism: 
UNG's honor code states, "On my honor, I will not lie, cheat, steal, plagiarize, evade the truth, conspire to deceive, or tolerate those who do." 
As students of this university, you have agreed to abide by this code. 
In turn, I will not tolerate any instances of plagiarism or excessive collaboration in this course, regardless of intent. It is crucial that all students receive proper credit for their own work and that all outside sources are accurately cited. Students in violation of this policy will receive zero credit for the assignment and may fail the course. In addition, I will report the infraction to the Dean of Students. 
If you are unsure what qualifies as plagiarism, take this short quiz from Cornell University. If you are still unclear, ask.
Deadlines: 
All readings are due at the beginning of class on the date announced unless otherwise noted; the daily schedule is designed to indicate the date readings will be discussed. Nearly all of our assignments will be posted electronically on Turnitin or the Google Drive in accordance with posted deadlines. NO late assignments will be accepted for credit, and in-class assignments cannot be made up. Students are held responsible for meeting deadlines regardless of their class attendance on the day the assignment is made. If a previously scheduled event coincides with an assignment due date, a written request for an extension or make-up date will be considered. All such requests must be submitted prior to the date in question and will be granted at the instructor's discretion.
Communication Policy: 
The official communication method at the University of North Georgia is ung.edu email. This policy protects instructors and students alike in the exchange of information. If you need to ask a question, please use your @ung.edu email address and check your account regularly for my response. In general, I will respond to emails as quickly as possible, but I do not regularly respond outside of normal business hours or on the weekends. Similarly, I will do my best not to email you outside of these operating hours.
All communication conveys a message; make it a good one, whether communicating to me, your peers, or others outside the classroom environment. Please take a moment to read the advice on how to email your professor for notes on general communication etiquette.
Discrimination and Harassment: 
This classroom is a space of inclusion and respect. 
In keeping with the professional nature of this course, only professional behavior is acceptable between the instructor and the students and between students. No harassment or discrimination of any kind is allowed in this class including but not limited to that based on gender, age, ability, religion, sexual orientation, and ethnicity.
Daily Schedule:
The daily schedule for the course appears here as an integrated Google calendar. Any significant changes will be announced in class. The latest edition will be posted online. It is imperative that you keep up to succeed in this course. By consenting to the policies outlined in the course syllabus, you assume responsibilities for all assignments posted on the online schedule.
Please review UNG's Supplemental Syllabus for additional policies on the following:

  1. Academic Exchange
  2. Academic Integrity Policy
  3. Academic Success Plan Program
  4. Class Evaluations
  5. Course Grades and Withdrawal Process
  6. Disruptive Behavior Policy
  7. Inclement Weather
  8. Smoking Policy
  9. Students with Disabilities
Access this link to view Gateway2Completion (G2C) Survey details associated with this course.

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