PELLISSIPPI STATE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE
MASTER SYLLABUS
BASIC WRITING
DSPW 0700
Class Hours: 3.0   Credit Hours: 3.0  
Laboratory Hours: 0.0   Revised: Fall 03  

Catalog Course Description:    
  Writing skills basic to all tasks are taught: discovering and developing a topic, organizing ideas, revising written work, and proofreading. Standard English, spelling, and usage patterns are discussed and reinforced in the individual student's work.
Entry Level Standards:    
  ACT score of 14 or less
Prerequisites:    
  None
Textbook(s) and Other Course Materials:  
  Ford, Harriet-Lynn, ed. Preparing for College Writing: A Practical Guide to Grammar and Composition. 3rd ed.  Boston: Pearson Custom P, 2002. 
I. Week/Unit/Topic Basis:    
 
  Week Topic
  1 Writing Process/Paragraph Overview/Revising/Proofreading
  2 Correction Instruction/Finding Topics/Brainstorming/Wicked Words
  3 Topic Sentences/Verbs/Development
  4 Nouns/Coherence/Sentences
  5 Subject-Verb Agreement/Paragraph/Review of Writing Concepts
  6 Pronoun Usage and Agreement/Paragraph
  7 Using Adjectives and Adverbs/Paragraph
  8 Compound Sentences/Paragraph
  9-10 Subordinate Clauses/Paragraph
  11 Paragraph/Peer Evaluation/Revision
  12 Fragments and other Sentence Errors/The Essay
  13 Commas/The Essay
  14-15 The Essay
  16 Evaluation/Final Examination  
II. Course Objectives*:    
  A. Use standard English spellings in written composition at the paragraph level. I
  B. Use standard mechanical conventions in written composition at the paragraph level. I
  C. Use standard grammatical conventions in written composition at the paragraph level. I
  D. Proofread carefully and accurately. I
  E. Employ formats used in written correspondence. I, VI
  F. Write paragraphs correctly and effectively. I
  G. Demonstrate effective oral communication skills in both formal and informal situations. I, VI
*Roman numerals after course objectives reference goals of the English department.
III. Instructional Processes*:     
Students will:      
  1. Read assigned paragraphs and participate in class discussion. Communication Outcome, Personal Development Outcome, Problem Solving and Decision Making Outcome, Cultural Diversity and Social Adaptation Outcome, Active Learning Strategy
  2. Write organized analytical and expository paragraphs. Communication Outcome, Personal Development Outcome, Problem Solving and Decision Making Outcome, Cultural Diversity and Social Adaptation Outcome, Active Learning Strategy
  3. Collaborate in teams for peer review of drafts to analyze audience and message, to develop and organize ideas, and to evaluate drafts as to effectiveness and clarity. Communication Outcome, Personal Development Outcome, Problem Solving and Decision Making Outcome, Transitional Strategy, Active Learning Strategy
  4. Develop skills in recognizing the rules of English grammar and punctuation and applying them in both oral and written work. Communication Outcome, Personal Development Outcome, Problem Solving and Decision Making Outcome, Transitional Strategy, Active Learning Strategy
  5. Use mathematical skills to track progress in the course. Communication Outcome, Personal Development Outcome, Problem Solving and Decision Making Outcome, Numerical Literacy Outcome
  6. Internalize the work ethic by regularly attending class, being punctual, being dependable, cooperating with the teacher and other classmates, contributing to class discussion and projects, and acting in a professional manner while in class. Communication Outcome, Personal Development Outcome, Transitional Strategy
*Strategies and outcomes listed after instructional processes reference Pellissippi State's goals for strengthening general education knowledge and skills, connecting course work to experiences beyond the classroom, and encouraging students to take active and responsible roles in the educational process. 
IV. Expectations for Student Performance*: 

Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Spell without phonetic substitution. The student will spell correctly words that are  commonly misspelled because of phonetic substitution. A

2. Spell without missing or extra letters. The student will spell correctly words that are commonly misspelled by either the addition or omission of a letter. A

3. Capitalize properly. The student will capitalize appropriate words in a sentence and in parts of friendly and business letters. B

4. Use commas in dates, addresses, and series. The student will demonstrate an ability to use comas correctly in addresses, in dates, and in words and phrases in a series. B

5. Use ending punctuation of sentences. The student will demonstrate an ability to use appropriate punctuation to end sentences. B

6. Use contractions. The student will demonstrate an ability to form contractions correctly. B

7. Form plurals of nouns. The student will choose the correct plural forms of regular and irregular nouns. B

8. Use possessive forms of nouns and pronouns. The student will demonstrate an ability to use correct possessive forms of nouns and pronouns. B

9. Recognize case usage of pronouns. The student will correctly choose the nominative and objective cases of personal pronouns in simple and compound structures. C

10. Recognize principal parts of verbs. The student will correctly choose the principal parts of verbs. C

11. Recognize complete sentences and sentence fragments. The student will demonstrate an ability to distinguish between a complete sentence and a sentence fragment. D

12. Recognize parts of speech. The student will identify the part of speech of a designated word in a sentence. C

13. Identify simple subjects and predicates. The student will identify the simple subject and predicate of a given sentence. C

14. Demonstrate subject-predicate agreement. The student will identify the verb form that agrees with the subject of a given sentence. C

15. Develop the ability to improve one's own writing by restructuring, correcting errors, and rewriting. A, B, C, D, F

16. Demonstrate the ability to conceive ideas about a topic for the purpose of writing. F

17. Demonstrate the ability to organize, select, and relate ideas and to outline and develop them in coherent paragraphs. F
*Letters after performance expectations reference the course objectives listed above.
V. Evaluation:


A. Testing Procedures:

75%=Composition Assignments
25%=Grammar Assignments

(Grades on all assignments are cumulative.)

B. Laboratory Expectations:

N/A

C. Field Work:

N/A

D. Other Evaluation Methods:

N/A

E. Grading Scale:

A = 940-1000
B = 870-939
C = 800-869
F = below 800
VI. Policies:


A. Attendance Policy:

Students whose cumulative absences, regardless of the reason, total more than ten percent of the
regular class meetings will be penalized for each absence above ten percent as follows:

3 day/week classes     10 points per absence deducted from the final grade
2 day/week classes    15 points per absence deducted from the final grade
1 day/week classes     30 points per absence deducted from the final grade

Additionally, the PSTCC Catalog indicates that students must be present for at least seventy-five percent of their scheduled class and laboratory meetings in order to receive credit for the course. Absences are counted from the first day of class, not the day a student enters class.

Students in all classes will be permitted three unpenalized tardies. However, beginning with the fourth tardy, five points will be deducted from the final grade for each time the student is late to class. Students who leave class early will also be counted tardy.

B. Academic Dishonesty:

Academic dishonesty in any form (eg. Plagiarism, collusion, cheating, etc.) will not be tolerated. Any student who engages in an act of academic dishonesty will be promptly dismissed from the course with a final grade of F.

C. Accommodations for disabilities:

If you need accommodation because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please inform the instructor immediately.  Privately after class or in the instructor's office.
To request accommodations students must register with Services for Students with Disabilities: Goins 127 or 131, Phone: (865) 539-7153 or (865) 694-6751 Voice/TDD.