Professional Documents
Culture Documents
DWTG-0V91- 001
Spring 2009
Class Times and Location: Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00-5:15pm in CBW 1.103
Office Hours: Thursdays from 2:45-3:45
Required Textbook:
The Little, Brown Handbook by H. Ramsey Fowler and Jane E. Aaron, 10th edition. Longman,
2007.
The Official THEA Test Study Guide developed by National Evaluation Systems. Amherst,
2004.
Course Description: (2 semester hours) A writing course that offers students the opportunity to
develop proficiency in the inventing, drafting, revising, and editing skills necessary for writing
multi-paragraph papers. Topics will include sentence structure, grammar, paragraph
development, usage, and mechanics. The course is writing-intensive, and students will have the
opportunity to do class assignments on a word processor. This developmental course cannot be
used for degree credit.
Prompt and regular attendance is expected of every student. If your enrollment at the
University of Texas at Dallas depends upon your attendance in this class, your attendance is
mandatory, as stated in the contract you have signed. There are no excused absences. In case
of an emergency absence, you must make up any missed work within one week. This
arrangement is subject to your providing official documentation that explains the nature of the
emergency, such as a letter from a doctor in the case of a medical issue or a funeral
program/announcement in the case of a family death. Without the proper documentation, your
absence will jeopardize your enrollment at the university.
If you are consistently late to class, this will negatively affect your attendance record and
also jeopardize your enrollment at the university.
If you pass the THEA and no longer choose to attend the class, you must consult with me
immediately to find out what your options are. For example, you may be obliged to continue
attending the class in order to maintain your enrollment status at the university.
For those students who are NOT subject to the university’s THEA policy: You are
responsible for all work missed due to an absence from class. Your final grade, however, may be
lowered after three unexcused absences. If you choose not to attend class once you are enrolled,
you must withdraw from the course to avoid receiving a final grade of “F.” The deadlines for
withdrawal are published in each semester's course catalog.
NOTE: Depending on your skill level, you may need more than one semester of developmental
coursework to pass the relevant portion of the THEA.
Your final grade for the course will be based on the following:
A+ 97-100 C 73-76
A 93-96 C- 70-72
A- 90-92 D+ 67-69
B+ 87-89 D 63-66
B 83-8 D- 60-62
B- 80-82 F 0-59
C+ 77-79
Assignments
To prepare for class, complete the readings and the relevant exercises before the date on which
the material has been assigned for class discussion.
Essays and outlines that are written out of class should be typed, double spaced, have one inch
margins, and use 12 point Times New Roman font (For more information, refer to the MLA
format explained in Chapter 47 in The Little, Brown Handbook.). Late assignments will be
docked one letter grade, but, if the work is turned in more than one week after the due date, it
will not be accepted. In addition, assignments submitted via email will not be accepted unless by
prior arrangement with the instructor.
For Essay 1, you are asked to write a 450-600 word argument on an assigned topic. In writing
this essay, you should not rely on outside research. For Essay 2, you are asked to write a 750-
1000 word argument on an assigned topic. Your argument should incorporate at least 4
different research sources that are drawn from the UTD databases only.
In addition to turning in a hard copy of each draft, you shoul submit the paper electronically to
www.turnitin.com. An essay will be considered late unless I have received both a hard copy
and an electronic copy by the beginning of class on the due date.
Exams
The Grammar/Mechanical Conventions Exam will be based on the assigned material covered in
Parts 3, 4 and 5 of The Little, Brown Handbook.
You cannot make up a missed exam except in the case of an emergency absence that is
officially documented. See the attendance policy on the previous page.
Some Helpful Online Resources: For information about writing assignments, grammar, and
mechanics, go to
owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/index2.html; www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts;
www.drgrammar.org
Student Conduct and Discipline: The University of Texas System and The University of
Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business.
It is the responsibility of each student and each student organization to be knowledgeable about
the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and activities. General information on
student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is
provided to all registered students each academic year. The University of Texas at Dallas
administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and established due process.
Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The
University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student
Services and Activities of the university's Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these
rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff
members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602,
972/883-6391).
Email Use: The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of
communication between faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time,
email raises some issues concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email
exchange. The university encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a
student's U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider email from students
official only if it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the university to maintain a
high degree of confidence in the identity of each individual corresponding and the security of the
transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used
in all communication with
university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a
method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.
Academic Integrity: The university expects all students to maintain a high level of
responsibility with respect to academic honesty. Because the value of an academic degree
depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is
imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic
work.
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to
applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one's own work or
material that is not one's own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the
following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students
suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings. Plagiarism, especially
from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is
unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university's policy on plagiarism (see general
catalog for details). This course has access to the resources of turnitin.com, which searches
the web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.
Religious Holy Days: The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or
other required activities for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion
whose places of worship are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas
Code Annotated. The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as
possible regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so
excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time
after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A
student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be
penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or assignment within the
prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.
Class Schedule
Week 8 – 3/03-3/05 Library Session on Tuesday, 3/03 – The class will meet in
the Library.
Discussion of Chapter 45 in Little, Brown