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Introduction
 he Online
Program Handbook is an electronic guide designed
to help you to find information that will assist
you in arriving at a better understanding of
the mission of the Lakeland Community College
English Department and/or in planning your
educational career at Lakeland.
 This Handbook
is a collection of information about the English
Department's policies, requirements, and language
resources relevant to students regardless of
their school, division, department, or program
affiliation. Thus, the English Department Program
Handbook contains policy statements, expanded
course descriptions, sample syllabi, sample
assignments, grading criteria, and other information
useful to students, faculty, administrators,
and other interested parties.
The expanded course
descriptions, sample syllabi, and sample assignments
will help students determine what might be expected
in their prospective classes. And providing
this information in such an easily accessible
fashion allows current and incoming students
to plan better for those classes. The grading
criteria will help students better understand
work expectations, by giving detailed explanations
of what an A, B, C, D, or F paper consists. The
expanded course descriptions will also help students
create a more precise preliminary idea about
a particular course's purpose, goals, and scope.
The creators of this
Handbook (a team of both faculty and students)
sincerely hope this guide will inform future
and present Lakeland students about the possibilities
for intellectual growth and personal fulfillment
found in a life immersed in rich language experience.
Through reading texts of literary merit and through
writing texts to satisfy one's desire to explore
the world of ideas and to express one's innermost
thoughts, we enter a vast universe of discourse
and discover what is most profound and enduring
in the human spirit.
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Acknowledgements
The English Department
at Lakeland Community College would like to thank
former and present students for their questions
about, and suggestions for, course content in
the English curriculum. Without their inquiries
and thoughtful comments, this document would
not be as thorough and -- we trust -- as helpful.
Special thanks goes
to the students who assisted in preliminary data
gathering and in formulating the content and
design of the Handbook: Greg Booher, Nick Cook,
Rich Jeschelnig, Terra Kinkade, Nick Sanvido,
and Jessica Stacey in David Benjamin's English
2202:32373 and Shawn Brown, Becky Brozak, Ryan
Cook, and Joanna Loranc in Patrick McLaughlin's
English 2202:32376 (Technical Research and Report
Writing) in the spring of 2002.
The students participating
in the project, in turn, wish to thank the faculty
members who responded to the questionnaire, answered
other inquiries, and provided course materials
to be included in the Handbook.
Finally, the Department
wishes to thank Dr. James Brown, former Dean
of the Division of Arts and Humanities, for his
gracious support of this project, and to thank
Nora Snyder, Lakeland's Website Administrator,
and her student workers, for their nearly limitless
expertise and patience as they provided much-needed
technical support.
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English Department
Mission Statement
The English Department
of Lakeland Community College strengthens students'
critical analysis of both the diverse and universal
in human experience, as embodied in language,
literature, and visual media, and as shaped by
time and place, race and religion, gender and
sexuality, class and personal history.
The Department broadens
students' understanding of the grammatical and
rhetorical conventions of language and enhances
their ability to write effectively, creatively,
and ethically in the personal, academic, professional,
and public spheres.
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Composition at LCC
Composition
instruction at Lakeland Community College is
conducted under a process writing model which
emphasizes the elements of prewriting (shaping
and planning), drafting, revising, proofreading,
and editing. Excellence in written communication
is achieved through successive drafts which
more closely approximate and/or more fully
articulate the audience's need(s), the subject's
matter(s), and the writer's purpose(s).
A premium is placed
upon thinking critically and analytically (with
instructors fostering those skills), on learning
and effectively using standard, edited English,
and in learning and applying information literacy
skills (identifying, evaluating, responsibly
using, and marshaling researched sources of information).
The English
Department at Lakeland is committed to helping
students strengthen their written communication
skills to the best of their abilities. Good
writers are neither "born" nor "made." Yet,
with appropriate instruction, timely feedback,
and informed practice, most writers can improve
their skills over time. Thus, the department
takes a developmental view of a writer's progress.
Becoming the best writer one can be is a life-long
process, requiring much time and effort, attention
to detail, and devotion to diligence. But important
steps can be taken in the process of becoming
a better writer by enrolling in and completing
the requirements for composition courses offered
at Lakeland Community College.
Academic honesty
and integrity are the cornerstones of students'
college experience. As writers, students must
understand what constitutes plagiarism and work
assiduously to avoid it. Section A.2 in Lakeland's "Academic
Honesty Policy" defines the term: "Plagiarism:
Representing, in an academic assignment, another
person's words or ideas without citing appropriate
credit." Please see the section on "Documenting
Sources" which follows to gain insight into
the importance of documenting your sources to
avoid plagiarism. A brief online discussion of
Lakeland's "Academic Honesty Policy" is
accessed by this link off the LCC Homepage:
http://www.lakelandcc.edu/ACADEMIC/std&pol.htm
Also refer to Lakeland's "Academic
Honesty Policy , 3354:2-61-01," in the LCC
Student Handbook for more details.
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| Documenting
Sources
Foreword
Why should you
document your sources? That is, why should
you give credit to those ideas and works --
whether written or of a creative or artistic
nature -- upon which you may have drawn to
help you formulate your own ideas, creative
insights, and artistic expressions (words,
pictures, movies, music, and software)? The
first and most obvious reason is that it is
someone else's work, and you should give him
or her credit for it. It's the ethical thing
to do. You would expect and perhaps even demand
the same from others.
But beyond that
consideration, using someone else's ideas to
inform your own has certain personal, legal,
social, and cultural implications.
Personal implications
The need to express
oneself is deeply ingrained in the human psyche.
From the cave paintings of Altamira to the
fresh renderings of yesterday's tag artist,
the desire to create and to share that creation
with others is one of the most essentially
defining human characteristics. Some artists,
because of the vicissitudes of life or by personal
choice, have remained anonymous. But many others
have wanted to be associated with their products,
have in fact taken great pride in their works.
And along with that desire has been an equally
strong need to share those works with others.
Acknowledging the contributions of others enables
us to enter into dialogue with them either
to congratulate them on a job well done or
critically to assess their achievement.
Legal implications
When we deal with
the legal dimensions of using someone else's
ideas or creative or artistic output, we are
concerned with issues of ownership. The Copyright
Act of 1976 protects your proprietary rights
to your ideas or creative or artistic output
regardless of whether you formally register
them or not. These laws secure your interests
and enable you to receive monetary reward for
the sale or distribution of works of creative
or artistic merit. Without such laws, creative
people would find it very difficult, if not
impossible, to make a living and to receive
the social and professional recognition they
deserve so that they might be successful in
life.
Social implications
Socially, much
is at stake when we consider the need to document
sources. Whether we engage in public debate
and dialogue over controversial issues or argue
about the merits of some form of creative or
artistic expression, knowing who is responsible
for certain output enables us to assign praise
or blame, honor or dishonor, accountability
or the lack thereof. Of the three rhetorical
appeals - - logos, ethos, and pathos - - correctly
attributing an idea or creative or artistic
expression is most directly related to ethos,
the character and reputation of the source
and the character and reputation of the documenter
of the work. Also, carefully documenting your
sources affords you some protection, should
those works later turn out to be inaccurate
or fraudulent.
When dealing with
ideas, citing appropriate experts builds our
credibility. And carefully and accurately citing
your sources fulfills your ethical obligation.
When referring to works of creative or artistic
expression, we either identify with those works
and use them to amplify or interpret works
of our own -- or else we assess their merits,
based on what we know about the field of endeavor.
Assuming responsibility
for ideas or creative or artistic output relates
to the character of the originator. And correctly
attributing ideas or creative or artistic output
to a source enables us to see how those works
fit into the overall cultural history of the
work or works in question.
Cultural implications
Culturally, the
rich archive of the world of ideas and expression
are graced by acts of criticism, commentary,
research and/or scholarship, and teaching.
All of these endeavors are prized activities
in the academic and professional world. In
fact, much of your education will consist of
engaging in these pursuits, to varying degrees.
At Lakeland and in your workplace, you will
receive opportunities to increase our knowledge
about certain subjects. And a very important
part of that effort will be carefully documenting
your sources of influence and inspiration.
By operating in "good faith," you show you
respect the intellectual property of others
and realize how important that intellectual
property is in advancing the life of the mind
upon which all cultural formations are built.
Afterword
The
English Department at Lakeland Community
College relies upon the documentation style
established by the Modern Language Association
(MLA) for works in the humanities. Be aware,
however, that nearly every academic discipline
has established a style manual. For example,
the American Psychological Association (APA)
has established a documentation style to
be used in the social sciences. The Council
of Biology Editors (CBE) has developed a
documentation style for biology. The field
of history often uses The Chicago Manual
of Style, and so on. For more on documenting
your sources and on copyright law, see the
related links on the "Resources" page in
this Handbook.
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Paper
Grading Criteria
One measure of the
quality of a student's academic achievement at
Lakeland is the letter grade he or she earns
for course attempted. Each letter grade has a "grade
point" value which is considered in calculating
the "grade point average," commonly referred
to as the students GPA. Lakeland uses a "four-point" system
in calculating the student's GPA, and this calculation
occurs at the end of each semester through the
use of the following simple formula:
Total Number of Grade
Points Earned = Grade Point Average Total Number
of Credit Hours Attempted
Lakeland's letter
grade system includes 11 grades, only 5 of which
affect the GPA:
A 4 grade points
per credit hour
B 3 grade points
per credit hour
C 2 grade points
per credit hour
D 1 grade points
per credit hour
F 0 grade points
per credit hour
S/U Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
(not calculated in GPA)
V Audit (not
calculated in GPA)
I Incomplete
(not calculated in GPA)
W Withdrawal
(not calculated in GPA)
N No grade available
(not calculated in GPA)
The following example
will illustrate how to calculate a GPA. Assume
a student attempted five courses and earned the
grades indicated below:
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Course
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Course
Hour
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Credit
Value
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Grade Earned
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Points
Earned
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#1
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4
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X
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A(4 grade points)
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16
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#2
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3
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X
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B(3 grade points)
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9
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#3
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5
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X
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C(2 grade points)
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10
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#4
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2
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X
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F(0 grade points)
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0
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Total: 14 course
credit hour value and 35 points earned
35/14 = 2.5 GPA
A description of each letter grade used in the
Lakeland grading system is noted below:
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"A"
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Indicates excellent academic performance,
including consistent mastery of facts
and concepts and a thorough understanding
of course content.
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"B"
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Indicates good academic performance,
including high-level mastery of course
content.
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"C"
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Indicates average academic performance,
including average mastery of course
content.
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"D"
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Indicates marginal academic performance,
including poor mastery of course content.
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"F"
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Indicates very poor performance in
demonstrating even minimal mastery
of course content OR inadequate attendance.
No course credit is given for this
grade.
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These
grading standards establish four
major criteria for evaluation at
each grade level: purpose, reasoning
and content, organization, and expression.
Obviously, every essay will not fit
neatly into one grade category; some
essays may, for instance, have some
characteristics of B and some of
C. The final grade the essay receives
depends on the weight the instructor
gives each criterion and whether
the essay was received on time.
The
A Essay
1. The
A essay fulfills the assignment-and
does so in a fresh and mature manner,
using purposeful language that leads
to knowledge making. The essay effectively
meets the needs of the rhetorical
situation in terms of establishing
the writer's stance, attention to
audience, purpose for writing, and
sensitivity to context. When appropriate
to the assignment, the writer demonstrates
expertise in employing the rhetorical
appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos
appropriately.
2. The
topic itself is clearly defined,
focused, and supported. The essay
has a clear thesis that is supported
with specific (and appropriate) evidence,
examples, and details. Any outside
sources of information are used carefully
and cited appropriately. The valid
reasoning within the essay demonstrates
good judgment and an awareness of
the topic's complexities.
3. The
organization--chronological, spatial,
or emphatic--is appropriate for the
purpose and subject of the essay.
The introduction establishes a context,
purpose, and audience for writing
and contains a focused thesis statement.
The following paragraphs are controlled
by (explicit or implicit) topic sentences;
they are well developed; and they
progress logically from what precedes
them. (If appropriate, headings and
subheadings are used.) The conclusion
moves beyond a mere restatement of
the introduction, offering implications
for or the significance of the topic.
4. The
prose is clear, readable, and sometimes
memorable. It contains few surface
errors, none of which seriously undermines
the overall effectiveness of the
paper for educated readers. It demonstrates
fluency in stylistic flourishes (subordination,
variation of sentence and paragraph
lengths, interesting vocabulary).
The
B Essay
1. The
assignment has been followed and
fulfilled. The essay establishes
the writer's stance and demonstrates
a clear sense of audience, purpose,
and context.
2. The
topic is fairly well defined, focused,
and supported. The thesis statement
is adequate (but could be sharpened),
especially for the quality of supporting
evidence the writer has used. The
reasoning and support are thorough
and more than adequate. The writer
demonstrates a thoughtful awareness
of complexity and other points of
view.
3. The
B essay has an effective introduction
and conclusion. The order of information
is logical, and the reader can follow
it because of well-chosen transitions
and (explicit or implicit) topic
sentences. Paragraph divisions are
logical, and the paragraphs use enough
specific detail to satisfy the reader.
4. The
prose expression is clear and readable.
Sentence structure is appropriate
for educated readers, including the
appropriate use of subordination,
emphasis, varied sentences, and modifiers.
Few sentence-level errors (comma
splices, fragments, or fused sentences)
appear. Vocabulary is precise and
appropriate; punctuation, usage,
and spelling conform to the conventions
of Standardized American English
discussed in class.
The
C Essay
1. The
assignment has been followed, and
the essay demonstrates a measure
of response to the rhetorical situation,
in so far as the essay demonstrates
some sense of audience and purpose.
2. The
topic is defined only generally;
the thesis statement is also general.
The supporting evidence, gathered
honestly and used responsibly, is,
nevertheless, often obvious and easily
accessible. The writer demonstrates
little awareness of the topic's complexity
or other points of view; therefore,
the C essay usually exhibits minor
imperfections or inconsistencies
in development, organization, and
reasoning.
3. The
organization is fairly clear. The
reader could outline the presentation,
despite the occasional lack of topic
sentences. Paragraphs have adequate
development and are divided appropriately.
Transitions may be mechanical, but
they foster coherence.
4. The
expression is competent. Sentence
structure is relatively simple, relying
on simple and compound sentences.
The paper is generally free of sentence-level
errors; word choice is correct though
limited. The essay contains errors
in spelling, usage, and punctuation
that reveal an unfamiliarity with
the conventions of Standardized American
English discussed in class.
The
D Essay
1. The
D essay attempts to follow the assignment,
but demonstrates little awareness
of the rhetorical situation in terms
of the writer's stance, audience,
purpose, and context. For example,
the essay might over- or under-estimate
(or ignore) the audience's prior
knowledge, assumptions, or beliefs.
The writer may have little sense
of purpose.
2. The
essay may not have any thesis statement,
or, at best, has a flawed one. Obvious
evidence may be missing, and irrelevant
evident may be present. Whatever
the status of the evidence, it is
inadequately interpreted and rests
on an insufficient understanding
of the rhetorical situation. Or it
may rely too heavily on evidence
from published sources without adding
original analysis.
3. Organization
is simply deficient: introductions
or conclusions are not clearly marked
or functional; paragraphs are neither
coherently developed nor arranged;
topic sentences are consistently
missing, murky, or inappropriate;
transitions are missing or flawed.
4. The
D essay may have numerous and consistent
errors in spelling, usage, and punctuation
that reveal unfamiliarity with the
conventions of Standardized American
English discussed in class (or may
be due to a lack of careful proofreading).
The
F Essay
1. The
F essay is inappropriate in terms
of the purpose of the assignment
and the rhetorical situation. If
the essay relates vaguely to the
assignment, it has no clear purpose
or direction.
2. The
essay falls seriously short of the
minimum length requirements; therefore,
it is insufficiently developed and
does not go beyond the obvious.
3. The
F essay is plagued by more than one
of the organizational deficiencies
of a D essay.
4. Numerous
and consistent errors of spelling,
usage, and punctuation hinder communication.
5. It
may be plagiarized: either it is
someone else's essay, or this essay
has used sources improperly and/or
without documentation.
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| Policies |
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Credit
by Exam for Composition I
A student
can receive credit for English 1110,
but not for English 1120 (Comp II).
To receive credit for English 1110,
a student must:
1. Score
540 (54) or above on the CLEP exam
(either the English Composition Exam
or the Freshman English Composition
exam) or score a 4 or 5 on the AP
exam and write an essay for which
he or she receives an A as determined
by departmental readers.
2. Have
taken the CLEP or AP exam within
the last three years.
Note:
Generally, the Department will not
approve for credit a score made from
a repeated examination.
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