English Composition 1 Class Rules and Explanations Office

English Composition 1 Class Rules and Explanations

Office Hours �I am going to be very busy this semester, so if you want to see me you will have to go to my office at these times: � Monday/Wednesday/Friday: � 07: 00 ~ 08: 50 � 10: 00 ~ 11: 50 � 1: 00 ~ 1: 50 � Tuesday � 08: 00 ~ 9: 50 � Thursday � 08: 00 ~ 12: 00

Please …. � Please, � “I do not start conversations with: went to your office but you weren’t there …” � This might be common in Korea, but it’s a bit rude in English, especially because I’ve just told you when I’m usually in my office. � Remember, ‘usually’ does not mean ‘always’.

Textbook � “English Composition One” �A volunteer student will make sure everyone gets their books. � If you would like to volunteer, please tell me at the end of class!

Grades Graded Homework/Quiz(zes) 20% Midterm Exam 40% Final Exam 40% These percentages are subject to change. . . � What do these numbers mean?

Attendance � This is very straightforward: If you miss a class, your final grade is reduced by 1%. � Of course, this means unexcused absences. � All notes/forms for explaining absences must be submitted to me within 48 hours of the end of the missed class. � So, if you miss a class on Monday, you must give me the form before the end of class on Wednesday. � Pharmacy receipts are not acceptable forms.

Attendance: Don’t be late! � “Being late is a way of saying that your own time is more valuable than the time of the person who waited for you. ” � –Karen Joy Fowler � Being late is disrespectful to me and to your classmates. � 2 lates = 1 absence � More than 15 minutes late = 1 absence

Attendance � At the beginning of class, I will lock the door and take attendance. � When I am done taking attendance, I will unlock the door and late students may come in. � At the end of class that class (not the next day, next week, next month), late students must remind me to check their attendance

Attendance � Being on time does not mean that you walk in the door exactly at the beginning of class � It means that when I begin to take attendance: You are in your seat � You are ready to begin class (your books and pens are out of your bag, your phone is off and you are comfortable in your chair). � I use my watch, not your cell phone, to tell time, so don’t argue with me about whether you are late or not! � � Class begins when I start taking attendance, so please be quiet. My ears are very bad, so I need you to be quiet so I can hear students respond when I say their names. � Do not unpack your bag, take off your coat, chat with your friends, etc. , while I am taking attendance. �

Attendance Example: If your raw final grade is 92% (A 0) and: � You were absent two times (-2%) � You were late four times (-2%) � Then your actual final grade is 88% (B+)

Homework � The same rules apply for homework. Example: If your raw final grade is 92% (A 0) and: � You did not submit 2 homework assignments (-2%) � You submitted 4 assignments late (-2%) � Then your actual final grade is 88% (B+) Therefore: Raw final grade = 92% (A 0) Minus attendance = 4% Minus homework = 4% Final grade = 84% (B 0)

Homework � Do not email homework: � Hanmail � Printing (etc. ) does not often ‘agree’ with Gmail your assignment is your job, not mine.

Homework � Do not put homework under my door: � Papers on my floor are considered garbage and I will throw them out without looking at them.

Homework � You can submit it to the department office (58 -318); I have a mailbox there and I will find it the next morning: � As long as it is in my mailbox by 6: 00 p. m. , I will get it as soon as the office opens the next morning. � However, most homework must be completed by the beginning of class on the day it is due.

Homework �A final warning. . � Do not let me see you finishing your homework during class time! �I hate that!

Graded Homework � From time to time, I will grade your homework assignments. �I will not tell you which assignments I am going to grade. � Do � If your best work every time! you see a number at the top of your assignment when I return it to you, that means I graded it (out of 10)

More Rules: Cell Phones � Cell phones are not allowed in my class. � Turn the power off before you enter. � Students whose cell phones ring/buzz/sending text messages, etc. , during class will not earn their attendance mark for that class. � Repeated violations will result in the student’s grade being reduced.

More Rules: Cell Phones � Cell phones are a huge problem these days and I strongly believe that students should not have cell phones in class. People lived for thousands of years without them, and you will survive, too! You’ll be fine without it for 50 minutes!

Cheating �I have been at this university for 11 years. . �I have NEVER had a semester free of cheating! � I have caught at least one cheater every single semester! � That’s just depressing. It makes me angry and sad.

Cheating � You � It must sign the ‘Non-plagiarism Declaration’ is your responsibility to understand this declaration. � It is your responsibility to understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. � If you have questions, ask me. I will be happy to explain it.

Cheating � You will not receive any warnings, and I will not accept any excuses! If you cheat, you will get a final grade of ‘F’!

Cheating � You know that you shouldn’t cheat. � This is not a new or strange idea. � One more time… I will not allow it to happen, I will catch you, and you will receive an ‘F’

Cheating Is that clear? !

Advanced English Composition � Trust � If me. . . you �. . . Do what I ask �. . . Work hard �. . . Concentrate on improving your communication skills (rather than just memorizing ‘forms’ and ‘filling in the blanks’) � Then, your compositions will improve.

Please. . . � Do your homework in good faith. � That means… � Take your time � Think about what you are writing � Think about why you are writing it � Do your best to communicate with the reader every time

Please … � Don’t �… Wait until the last minute to do assignments � … just try to get a good grade (this usually doesn’t work) � … think, “Tim is a foreigner, so this class isn’t important. ” (You might be surprised, but many students think this!) � … be afraid to ask questions

Practice! � Every semester I tell my students: “practicing is up to you!” I give you homework assignments, but you can do more practice on your own, if you want to! You don’t have to wait for me.

Practice! However, at the end of every semester students leave comments like these: “…giving students more chance to practice. ” “Please. More practice. ” “I would give students more chance to improve their skills. ” “If I were the professor, I would make students write many compositions to improve their English” … and so on …

Practice! � These comments make me so angry! � If you need me to tell you to practice, you will probably not do very well in this class. � If you practice on your own, without waiting for me, you will probably do much better!

Samples � The same is true of examples of the types of writing we study. � Every semester some lazy students complain that I didn’t give them enough examples, but …. �I do give many! � If those are not enough, ask me for help, or … � DO IT YOURSELF! � Sadly, some students just love to complain.

Are there any questions?