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1 August 2018 / Mr. Hall / English 1301 / Angelina College / Provisional Syllabus

English 1301

Angelina College

Mr. Hall

1 August 2018– a few notes and a provisional rough draft of the syllabus for prospective English 1301 dual-credit students via Mrs. Herrington, Mrs. Barbay, and angryverbs.blogspot.com.

1.   Text: The Bedford Handbook, Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers.  Please find the cheapest copy you can, and don’t worry about which edition.  You may also rent a copy via the InterGossip because I do permit use of the little Orwellian telescreens during class (but you must be an adult in the matter). You and a study buddy may wish to share the expense of a book, but don’t let the class parasite who’s been bumming school supplies and lunch money from you since kindergarten bully you into letting him use for free the book for which you paid. 

This too-expensive book should – should – be for sale at the Jasper Teaching Center the first few days of term, but you might want to shop the GossipNet.  The one site I checked was amazon.com, and through them an edition in paperback is (as of last year) some $92.  That is too much, which is why I recommend a used copy. You can rent the book through amazon.com for the term only as a paperback (which means you’d have to send it back after term) or via Kindle (it will simply disappear from your little Orwellian telescreen after term).  You can also buy the book via Kindle.  I have no investment in or connection with any supplier, and cannot guarantee any dealings with them.

You will not need the book the first week or so, but used books are usually cheaper before term begins.

2.   Tardiness is unprofessional, beginning on the first day.  This building has been here for decades and you registered for the class; you cannot possibly be surprised by these facts.  “I got behind a log truck” is one of many excuses that won’t do.

3.   Gentlemen, I will not say anything to you if you choose to wear a cap or hat in class; however, I will not write you a reference for college admission, scholarship, or employment if you do. This is Texas, not Arkansas.

4.   Black or blue pen only. A paper written in pencil is an irredeemable zero.  Please don’t make excuses (“But no one would lend me a pen” or “But my pencil is really dark.”).  No.  Everything in life has rules, and professionals go to the job site prepared. Time to wear the big-boy / big-girl pants.

5.   In class you may with discretion access the little plastic machine that lights up and make noises for class purposes only when I tell you.  When I don’t want you to access the little plastic machine that lights up and makes noises I will advise you to turn it off and place it face down.  You may still touch its case for comfort.  Last year’s class was professional about this; you can be too.

6.   Please know that I am available for you before class, during class, and after class, but seldom at other times.  Several years ago I made myself more accessible on-line, and that good deed was punished. I have learned my lesson.  After all, our class time is our contact time. Please don’t stress about this – if you have an emergency simply have a few trustworthy classmates tell me when they arrive in class.  There are no unexcused or excused absences in college, but sometimes it is useful to know why someone is not present.  I will not break a rule; I have been known to flex one until it cries “Calf rope!”

7.   Wow – all that sounds cranky!  I highly approve of classroom merriment because happiness helps the learning experience; I highly disapprove of errant nonsense (you are probably aware that there is a cruder, earthier expression for that concept) of eye-rolling, hissy-fits, and petulance.

8.   I am boring, old, and more ADHD than you, but I’m good at prepping young professionals – that’s you - to write effectively.  That is why we are here.

M. Hall

Angelina College

This is a provisional syllabus for English 1301; any changes between now and the first class will be slight. If there is no subsequent version, this one is it.  Dates may vary with the needs of the class.

Jasper High School students only: Angelina College and Jasper High School have developed an agreement which can modify some of the attendance requirements on certain (and rare) occasions, such as U.I.L. competitions and Jasper High School holidays.  This agreement does not apply to activity practices or rehearsals, meetings, absences due to JHS discipline matters, and other occasions.   Angelina’s attendance policies are otherwise very clear; read them carefully.  If external situations not covered in the Angelina / JHS agreement suggest to you that you might not be able make class as required, you might want to consider a distance or computer course instead of this one.  Do not put yourself in a bind.

I do not accept late papers.  Papers are due at the beginning of class. “I was in the library printing it” is a zero.

Tardiness is unprofessional.  If you cannot be in class on time then consider a computer course.

Your text is The Bedford Handbook, Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers.   Don’t worry about bringing a copy to the first class, but you’ll need one the second week.  You are welcome to share a copy with a study buddy.  Do not buy any ancillary material such as CDs or online access codes.  You need only your book, paper, and pens filled with copious amounts of black or blue ink (No pencils.  Ever.).

English 1301 is by its nature dull and mechanical; it helps you learn how to write professionally in the detached third-person, addressing a topic or problem through proof and illustration, not by self-reference, the incessant I, I, I, me, me, me self-absorption of our age of anti-social media.  Even a brief reflection will reveal the need for rational thought: you wouldn’t want your physician to focus on his or her moods instead of tending to your broken arm, and an attorney who holds up his palm, whines “I’m not having a good day,” and retreats to his or her happy place within his MeMeMeSpace on the Orwellian telescreen does you no good in court.  So, yes, while English 1301 is a bit of a yawner its purpose is to help you prepare for your profession and, as an extra, your ability to think critically about the “cataract of nonsense” (C. S. Lewis) that flows from popular culture. 

Read the final syllabus carefully; by enrolling in class you agree to follow it.  If you have a question about this provisional draft, please do not be shy in asking me about it the first week of class. 

Angelina College

Liberal Arts

English 1301, Composition I

Syllabus

I.             BASIC COURSE INFORMATION:

A.   Course Description:

          Three hours credit.  Intensive study of and practice in writing processes, from invention and researching to drafting, revising, and editing, both individually and collaboratively.  Emphasis on effective rhetorical choices, including audience, purpose, arrangement, and style.  Focus on writing the academic essay as a vehicle for learning, communicating and critical analysis.

          B.  Intended Audience: Students who have satisfied TSI writing requirements.

C.   Instructor:

           Instructor Name: Lawrence Hall. Office Location: G. Office Hours: Before and after class. Office telephone: 409 489 9000.  Facsimile machine: 409 489 9416.   “Call me” is not a message.  This is not a distance-learning class.  Thus, our contacts will be in the classroom only. 

II.      INTENDED STUDENT OUTCOMES: 

         

          A.  Core Objectives Required for this Course

          1.  Critical Thinking:  to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information

          2.  Communication: to include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication

          3.  Teamwork: to include the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal

          4.  Personal Responsibility:  to include the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making

          B.  Course Learning Outcomes:                 

          •  Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative writing processes

          •  Develop ideas with appropriate support and attribution

          •  Write in a style appropriate to audience and purpose

          •  Read, reflect, and respond critically to a variety of texts

          •  Use Edited American English in academic essays

         

III.      ASSESSMENT MEASURES

          A.  Assessments for the Core Objectives (Tentative)

          1.  Critical Thinking: Students will read expository prose critically to distinguish between perception and inference, surface and implied meanings, fact and opinion.  Students will formulate and develop arguments and critical theories about issues, argumentative prose, and literary interpretations.  A rubric will be used to assess critical thinking skills as demonstrated through embedded questions on standardized exams.

          2.  Communication: Students will write modal essays and other written compositions.  Students will prepare visual aids to use in oral presentations to accompany the compositions being prepared. A rubric will be used to assess the effective development, interpretation and expression of written, oral, and visual communication as demonstrated through embedded questions on standardized exams.

          3.  Teamwork: Students will engage in teamwork exercises to assess each member’s ability to consider different viewpoints and work towards a common goal.  These exercises may include a mixture of peer editing in groups, group research projects, and group oral presentations of findings.  A rubric will be used to assess teamwork as demonstrated through embedded questions on standardized exams.

          4.  Personal Responsibility: Students will be required to demonstrate their ability to connect choices and actions, engage in ethical decision-making, and understand its consequences.  A rubric will be used to assess personal responsibility as demonstrated through embedded questions on standardized exams.

          B.  Assessments for Course Learning Outcomes

          1.  Students will demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative writing processes by composing a variety of essays.

          2.  Students will show the development of ideas with proper support and attribution by preparing essays using appropriate MLA documentation.

          3.  Students will demonstrate the ability to write in a style appropriate to audience and purpose by composing essays with a variety of purposes directed to different types of audiences.

          4.  Students will demonstrate the ability to read, reflect, and respond critically to a variety of texts by composing essays that directly address the ideas discussed and issues raised in texts read in class.

          5.  Students will show the ability to use Edited American English in academic essay by composing a variety of essays employing EAE.

IV.     INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES: 

          Methodologies that may be utilized in presenting course content include in class or online lecture notes, paper and pen or online grammar exercises or research exercises, in person or email workshops for student writings in progress, audio-visual presentations for view in class or outside of class, online discussions (synchronous or asynchronous), student presentations to groups or to instructor only, and guest participants.

V.      COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES:

          A.  Required Textbooks and Recommended Readings, Materials, and Equipment.

          Your text is The Bedford Handbook, Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers.  Don’t worry about bringing a copy to the first class, but you’ll need one either as bits of dead tree or as glowing electrons the second week.  You are welcome to share a copy with a study buddy.  Do not buy any ancillary material such as CDs or online access codes.  You need only your book, paper, and pens filled with copious amounts of black or blue ink (No pencils ever).

          Young ladies, you are to stop supplying the young men with pens, paper, and textbooks.  They need to grow up.

          Young gentlemen, you are to honor the young women as you honor your grandmothers, your mothers, your aunts, your girlfriends, your wives, and your daughters.   The root word in “gentleman” is “MAN.” 

          Young ladies, if any young gentleman fails to demonstrate manly demeanor to you, you MUST let me know.  Don’t assume.  Don’t be silent.  Predators are sneaky.

B.   Course Policies – This course conforms to the policies of Angelina College as stated in the Angelina College Handbook.

1. "Academic Assistance – If you have a disability (as cited in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990) that may affect your participation in this class, you should see Sellestine Hunt Associate Dean of Student Services, Student Center, Room 200. At a post-secondary institution, you must self-identify as a person with a disability; Ms. Hunt will assist you with the necessary information to do so. To report any complaints of discrimination related to disability, you should contact Mr. Steve Hudman, Dean of Student Affairs, in Student Center, Room 101, (936) 633-5292 or by email shudman@angelina.edu."

          2.  Attendance – Attendance is required as per Angelina College Policy and will be recorded every day.  Any student with three (3) consecutive absences or four (4) cumulative absences will be dropped from the class. Records will be turned in to the academic dean at the end of the semester. Do not assume that non-attendance in class will always result in an instructor drop.  You must officially drop a class or risk receiving an F.  This is official Angelina College Policy.

          3.  Additional Policies Established by the Instructor —

Quizzes may appear at any time -- be prepared for each class.  All work has a one-class-period expiration date, but this is only if you are absent.  A due-date is not a suggestion; out-of-class assignments are due at the beginning of the class. Please do not ask to leave class on a due-date to print out your paper.  No one wants to hear about your home printer or computer problems. Really. This isn't high school.

Attendance:  Per Angelina College and State of Texas requirements, three consecutive absences or four cumulative absences from a day course or two absences from a night course require me to drop you; I am not permitted flexibility in this.  In college there is no concept of excused or unexcused absences. Disappearing during a break or during class counts as an absence. Tardiness is an absence; your presence elsewhere in the building instead of in class and on time is an absence.  I cannot / will not re-teach a class session; if you miss, you must ask a classmate for notes. Form casual study / buddy groups and communicate with each other. 

Out-of-class work must be produced on a word processor.  I accept 12-point Bookman Old Style (preferred), Geneva, Arial, or Times New Roman. Follow the MLA format.  Papers are due at the beginning of class; if you are in the library typing or printing when class begins you have both a zero grade and an absence.  Please do not bring me a memory device and ask me to print out your paper -- that's a zero for the assignment.  In-class work must be in black or blue ink.  This is not high school.

Office Hours: Before and after class.  I am almost always in the office or the classroom at least a half-hour before class and for another half-hour or so after class. I will no longer be using the internet service for purposes that are built into the classroom experience.

Show initiative; passivity is your enemy.

Class participation: let's have lots of fun here, but remember that even the most heated arguments should be in a spirit of good fellowship, with no ad hominem attacks. You are a scholar -- argue like one, with courtesy and generosity. The outside readings are not overwhelming, so take some notes and prepare to make a significant contribution: one good, original thought -- YOUR THOUGHTS, not Mr. Cliff's or Mr. Sparks' -- per poem / essay / narrative.  No potty-mouth, and don’t cite the First Amendment as a pretext for junior-high bathroom language; the First Amendment is about the freedom to petition your government and the freedom to assemble peaceably. 

Drinks and snacks -- You probably had a long and tiring day before you arrived in class, so I do not mind a cup of coffee or a small soda, but remember that this is not McDonald's: no food, please. Please use a bit of paper towel so no rings are left on the furniture, and at the end of class put all debris away in the trash cans. Push the chairs back into position.  The nice folks who clean up around here are overworked and underpaid, and deserve everyone's respect for their contributions to your success.

How much help? When writing you may solicit a great deal of assistance from others with matters of form and proofreading; indeed, I encourage such collaboration. The thesis and content, however, must be your work alone, and all quotations and sources must be properly documented. I cannot emphasize too much what a serious issue this is. An instructor need not resort to plagiarism programs; a simple string search on any search engine will ferret out a downloaded paper. Anyone who plagiarizes will suddenly be free of class, and with a zero forever in his or her college transcript. I search out all papers through plagiarism sites, which may result in a slower paper return. I apologize for any delay that occurs.

Referring to this class as a basic to be gotten out of the way is impolitic. Education is a joy in itself, a rare privilege enjoyed by very few people in history, and even the most tiresome prerequisite is never something in the way. You are now a college student, not a conscript high school sophomore. Celebrate your intellect. Oh – and please don’t tell me that you made straight A’s in high school.

Cell 'phones, recorders, things that stick out of the ear, and other gadgets -- I don't mind if you keep your 'phone on buzz if you are concerned about a sick child or a situation at least as important. Please take the call discreetly out of the classroom. DO NOT TALK ON A TELEPHONE, TEXT, TWEET, TWIT, TYPE, OR MANIPULATE ANY KIND OF CAMERA, RECORDER, OR OTHER COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE IN THE CLASSROOM AT ANY TIME without a specific and immediate learning need, not even before or after class. Don’t allow the Orwellian telescreen to absorb your very being and become your happy place or Lotus Land.  You are a child of God, not “a nameless number on a list that was afterwards mislaid” (Doctor Zhivago). Disconnect from the electronic masters and interact with humans for the duration of the class. Do not make any visual or sound recordings at any time without the permission of the entire class.  For those with hearing difficulties, you are welcome to make an SOUND RECORDING of me FOR YOUR OWN STUDY / REVIEW ONLY, WITHOUT EDITING AND WITHOUT PUBLICATION.  DO LET EVERYONE IN THE CLASS KNOW WHEN YOU ARE RECORDING. Be sure you don’t record someone else without that person’s permission.

A rule I never thought I'd have to make -- no spit cups.  

Happenin’ hats – I ask you not to wear them in a classroom or an office.  This is Texas, not Arkansas. Show a little dignity.  If you choose to wear a hat in the classroom I will say nothing about it, but I won’t write you a reference for scholarships, jobs, or college admissions.

If you flunked English 1301 at a four-year school and are here to make it up, you are very welcome; however, if you are under the illusion that this is an easy class requiring nothing more than a cell 'phone, a bottle of water, and practice in anger management, go away.

By law I may not talk with a third party – parents, friends, relatives, others.  Regardless of your age, this is not high school, and if your parents wish to keep up-to-date with your progress, you must take care of that.  And, really, even if it were not the law, why should it be otherwise?  The one exception, per contract and state law, is that I will advise the high school counselor of dual-credit students of any deficiencies, including tardiness.  I will not talk with you on the office telephone about some issues – after all, I can’t possibly know if the person on the other end of the aether is you.

Being prepared for class and being informed about class assignments is your responsibility.  IF YOU MISS A CLASS, BE PREPARED WHEN YOU RETURN TO CLASS.  Your tentative calendar is the sequence I use to organize the class, so look at it and communicate with your study-buddies.  Be prepared for class when you come back.  Do not attempt to use an absence as an excuse for not being prepared. This is college, not high school.

          If you have more absences than allowed by the student handbook, you will be dropped and you will not be readmitted.  There are no excused absences; there are only absences.  For dual-credit students only there is some flexibility for U.I.L. and some few other events.

          If you have any work to make up because of an absence, that work must be completed upon your return to class.  Please be sure to initiate contact with me to make your arrangements.  You cannot make up work after the next class, and there will be no make-up work allowed during the last two weeks of classes.  

I do not accept late papers.  If you are absent the day an assignment is due, I will accept it at the beginning the next class, but not later.  If you miss a test or an in-class essay you must write those on the Angelina campus before or after class within a week.

IF AT ATTENDANCE CHECK YOU ARE IN THE LIBRARY TYPING OR PRINTED A PAPER DUE THAT DAY THE PAPER IS A ZERO AND YOU ARE MARKED ABSENT.  TIME TO WEAR THE BIG-BOY PANTS.

          ANY INSTANCE OF PLAGIARISM, WHICH IS THE UNACKNOWLEDGED USE OF ANYONE ELSE'S WORK—PUBLISHED OR UNPUBLISHED—OR CHEATING OF ANY KIND, WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE AND IRREVOCABLE FAILURE FOR THE ENTIRE COURSE.

          It is the policy of Angelina College that you not bring children to class. 

          I encourage you to talk with me.  Please stop me during a lecture if you do not understand the material.  If you are having difficulties, please bring them to my attention right away.  I cannot help with understanding if you wait until the day an assignment is due to ask for clarification. 

I do not give makeup or bonus work.

          These policies are applicable to everyone throughout the entire semester.  Please do not embarrass both of us by asking for exceptions to be made for you.

Jasper High School students only: Angelina College and Jasper High School have developed an agreement which can modify some of the following on certain occasions, such as a U.I.L. competition and Jasper High School holidays.  This agreement does not apply to called practices, meetings, absence due to JHS discipline requirements, and other occasions. Angelina’s attendance policies are very clear; read them carefully.  If external situations not covered in the Angelina / JHS agreement suggest to you that you might not be able attend class as required, you might want to consider a distance or computer course.  Do not put yourself in a bind.

Some of the more important readings in Norton: This is not a week-and-chapter course; the book is a reference, not a sequence of lessons:

The Writing Process, pp. 3 - 92

Academic Reading and Writing, pp. 93 – 190.

Research Writing, pp. 569 – 568

          Writing MLA Papers, 569 – 673

VI.     COURSE OUTLINE: 

Class Sequence -- VERY flexible. Indeed, this is so flexible it's a candidate for Cirque d'Soleil. This is a pattern of a typical (and thus almost mythical) semester.  Use it as a maybe / sort of / this-could-happen suggestion / guide, remembering always that preparations and instructions for one class are given during the previous class, and your absence is no excuse:

Week 1: Discussion of expectations. Hand out and discuss syllabus. Hand out and discuss "Rules for Essay Writing."  Hand out and discuss “Words that Don’t Matter.” Think about a topic for your research paper. Hand out and discuss, oh, more stuff.  Begin Descriptive Writing.

Week 2 (or so): 10 minutes' journal time.  Grammar review item. You will be given a descriptive essay for study.  Read in class in small groups or solo. We will suffer – um, enjoy - a guided discussion re the essay or excerpts and author's techniques. Connect to students' own experiences. Assign rough draft of a narrative essay, with time in class to begin. Think some more about your research paper.

Week 3 (or so): 10 minutes' journal time. Peer review: Circulate rough drafts of narrative essay in small groups. You will be graded on your possession of a substantial -- a few scrawls in your notebook won’t do -- rough draft, most of it computer-generated. Begin writing your research paper.

Week 4 (or so): Narrative essays due at beginning of class. 10 minutes' journal time. Grammar review item. Introduce and discuss persuasive essay, concepts and techniques. Assign topics for persuasive essay. Feel guilty because you haven’t begun your research paper.

Week 5 (or so): 10 minutes' journal time. Grammar review item. Circulate rough drafts of persuasive essays in small groups for peer review. Panic about your research paper.

Week 6 (or so): 10 minutes' journal time. Grammar review item. Plunge into existential denial regarding that research paper.

Week 7 (or so): Persuasive essays due at beginning of class. 10 minutes' journal time. Grammar review item. Review for mid-term exam. Despair that after tonight you must now really, really, really begin to write the research paper you haven’ t even researched.

Week 8 (or so): First Great Celebration of Learning: Mid-term Exam.

Week 9 (or so): 10 minutes' journal time. Grammar review item. Discuss research papers in MLA format. Topics. Ad lib computer writing lab. Um…research paper?

Week 10 (or so): 10 minutes' journal time. Grammar review item. Ad lib writing research paper writing with one-on-one instructor consultation. No, I will not give you a topic for your research paper.

Week 11 (or so): Research papers due at beginning of class. 10 minutes' journal time. Grammar review item. Introduce and discuss expository essays. Examples. Computer lab time. Curiously enough, attendance at tonight’s class will be thin -- must be that virus that’s going around.

Week 12 (or so): 10 minutes' journal time. Grammar review item. Ad lib writing of expository essays with one-on-one instructor consultation.

Week 13 (or so): Expository essays due at beginning of class. 10 minutes' journal time. Grammar review item.

Week 14 (or so): 10 minutes' journal time. Grammar review item. Review for final exam.

Week 15 (or so): Last Great Celebration of Learning: Final Exam.  The dates for this may depend on JHS’s schedule. 

Your research paper, which is 15% of your complete grade, is due:

12-15 November, NLT (not later than) beginning of class, for ten bonus points.

26-29 November, nominal due-date, NLT beginning of class.

3-6 December, NLT beginning of class, for a loss of ten points.

“NLT beginning of class” means that if at attendance check you are in the library typing or printing a paper due that day the paper is a zero and you are marked absent.  Time to wear the big-boy pants.

I will not accept a research paper after attendance check at the beginning of class on Thursday, 6 December.  Three months is more than enough time, and “But my printer broke last night; you can ask my parents!” is unworthy of even a child.

VII.    EVALUATION AND GRADING:

     

A.   Grading Criteria 

          1 Argument / persuasion paper                  15%

          1 Literary essay with documentation          15%

          Best 1 of at least two in-class essays          15%

          Average of tests / quizzes                           15%

          Research paper                                 15%

          Mid-term exam                                  15%

          Final exam                                                  10%

         

Please know that I use the terms “quiz” and “test” synonymously.  “Tests and essays” as a category are the cumulative of your essays, projects, and tests.  The mid-term exam is a stand-alone at 15% and the final exam is a stand-alone at 10%.  I am considering grading the research paper as two or perhaps three separate components for the cumulative 15%; this would help your grade somewhat.

          All papers assigned for this class must be computerized in correct MLA format.          Determination of Grade (assignment of letter grades)

              A (90-100)         Excellent

               B (80-89)           Good

               C (70-79)           Average

               D (60-69)           Minimum passing

               F (50 or below) Failure

          Standard Grading Policy for the English Department for all Essays Assigned:

          A–above average. Good organization, exceptional content, No more than one major Error.

                         A+ = 98, A = 95, A-  = 92, A- -  = 90

          B–above average.  Good organization, exceptional content, and only one or two major errors.

                             B+ = 88, B = 85, B - = 82, B - - = 80

          C–average.   Organization, clear content, no more than 3 major errors.

                             C+ = 78, C = 75, C - = 72, C - -  = 70

          D–below average.  Either lacks content and/or organization or has many major errors.  More than 4 major errors drops the grade to an F.

                              D+ = 68, D = 65, D - = 62, D - - = 60

          F–failing.  Shows little or no effort.  Contains 4 OR MORE major errors.  F = 50.  

          0–no grade.  Did not turn in work, plagiarized an essay, or did not write on the assigned topic.     Please Note: In the case of a plagiarized essay or research paper, a student will be dismissed from this course with an F.

Examples of major errors:

CS - comma splice                                      The boy ran, he fell down.

Frag - fragment                                Crying as he fell on the sidewalk.

Frag error - fragment error                          Although he was hurt; no one stopped to help him.

RO - run on or fused                                  He hurt his knee it was bleeding.

S/V - subject/verb agreement                     Everyone laugh at him.

The instructor may modify the provisions of the syllabus to by informing the class in advance.  No document can cover all possibilities, emergencies, or contingencies; if we are faced with an unanticipated situation, the instructor will decide.

Provisional Calendar

The following calendar is a soup featuring ingredients from the Angelina College Calendar and the Jasper CISD calendar.  This is subject to more than change; it is subject to chaos. When in doubt about, consult the college calendar and high school calendars.  I have transcribed these dates for your convenience, and could have erred, and the schools’ authorities may need to change dates because of hurricanes and emergencies.

27 August – 1^st day of class

28 August – last day to change schedule

3 September – holiday

12 September – Twelfth Class Day – official census. Last day to drop with a 100% refund.

17 September – last day to drop /withdraw with a 70% refund

24 September – last day to drop / withdraw with a 25% refund

24 September.  The JISD calendar lists this as Parent Conference Day for Jasper High School teachers with Jasper High School students; by state law I am forbidden to discuss your work with any third party except your high school counselor.  As a parent, I do understand the feelings of a parent in the matter; as an Angelina College employee subject to the state government for which your parents voted I am not going to lose my job over it.  If – note the “if” – this is not a class day for you as a JHS student then it is not an AC class for you.  However, I will be on campus for office hours if you wish for some extra help or if you wish to make up an absence.  Please be aware that other AC instructors may hold class as usual, so no complaining if they do.  Always be alert to changes; “But nobody told me” is no excuse.

22 October – mid-term. We will take a mid-term exam this week

5 November – last day to withdraw with a grade of W

12-15 November, NLT (not later than) beginning of class, turn in research paper early for ten bonus points.  Initiative is admirable.

12 November – Jasper High School’s schedule shows this as a staff development day and thus a student holiday.  I will keep office hours if you need assistance.  Other instructors may keep class. As always, be alert for changes. 

19-23 November, Monday – Friday.  Thanksgiving holidays for JISD and thus for those in this class only; other instructors may make different decisions.  However, I will be here on campus Monday and Tuesday.

26-29 November, official due-date for research paper NLT beginning of class. No bonus points, no penalties.

3 November – 6 December, late research papers due NLT beginning of class for a loss of ten points.  Do not ask to submit a research paper after 11:15 A.M. 6 December; three months is sufficient time for a short paper. 

3 – 4 December – the Jasper High School calendars lists these as state assessment days.  I don’t know what that means. If you are a dual-credit student and have an achievement test or exit-level exam for any of those days then please tell me in advance so that I do not mark you absent.

Final exam – 10-13 December.  You may take your final exam on any of those days, but finish the exam on the day you begin it.

Well, gosh, this document sure sounds cranky at times.  I don’t mean for it to be so.  In this class I want you to (1) develop your writing and thinking skills in preparation for college, career, and worthy participation in making the Republic function well, (2) earn – earn - an A, and (3) enjoy the experience.