John Kenneth Galbraith

                                                             Nathaniel Hawthorne

Instructor
Phil Atteberry
Office: 305 McKinney Hall
Phone: 827-4458
E-mail: atteberr@pitt.edu

Office Hours:
MWF 7:30-8:00, 11:00-12:00 (Frequently 1:00-2:00)
TuTh 8:30-9:30, 11:00-12:00 (Frequently 1:00-2:00)
Also by chance or appointment

Texts
English Brushup (5th ed.)

Access to Course Materials

Most course materials are available in two places. First, they can be accessed through my web site at www.pitt.edu/~atteberr. They can also be accessed through CourseWeb. Sometimes, depending on the nature of the material and/or its copyright status, materials will be available only through CourseWeb. I will provide further explanations in class.

Objectives

1) To learn and practice correct use of basic sentence elements
2) To learn to construct effective topic sentences and paragraphs
3) To learn and practice effective paragraph development
4) To build vocabulary
5) To learn to recognize and appreciate good writing

Attendance Policy

Attendance is important. Almost always a direct relationship exists between grades and class attendance. Students with more than three unexcused absences may have their final grades lowered.  Students with more than six unexcused absences will have their final grade lowered.  Students with more than nine unexcused absences will not pass.  If you arrive after I have taken attendance, remind me to mark you present. I reserve the right, however, to mark absent anyone who is habitually late or extremely late.

Also, please understand that attendance is not just physical but intellectual. If you sleep in class, catch up on your math homework, read Sports Illustrated (or even your history lesson), you will be marked absent. I will also mark you absent if you text during class or otherwise use your blackberries or phones for non-classroom purposes. Turn off your phones and blackberries. The same applies to students who surf the web during class, instant message or email friends. Be serious about class. Be mature. Be professional.

Grades

Your final grade will consist of four elements: writing assignments 60%, tests 20%, journals 15%, quizzes and daily work 5%. Failure to turn in daily work or to complete Computer Center exercises will constitute a zero for that assignment. Finally, all papers must be done in Microsoft Word and submitted via e-mail. Papers not submitted properly will not be accepted.

Rewrite Policy

I do not typically allow rewrites. Rewriting should occur before the paper is turned in, not after. You may bring me drafts of your papers before they are due or send them to me via email, and I will help you with them. Please feel free to bring me drafts or come to me with questions. I am happy to help.

However, drafts submitted via email must be in my mailbox 48 hours before the paper is due. If a weekend is involved, the draft must be in my mailbox 72 hours before the paper is due. For example, if the paper is due at 10:00 on Thursday, the draft must be in my mailbox no later than 10:00 on Tuesday. If the paper is due at 10:00 on Monday, however, the draft must be in my mailbox by 10:00 on Friday because a weekend is involved. Depending upon workload, I may occasionally adjust these timetables. I will not be able to comment on or return drafts not turned in on time.

Remember also that the more you work on a draft before submitting it, the more helpful I can be in making comments.

Late Policy

Papers are due on time. Normally assignments will not be accepted late. If you absolutely cannot get a paper in on time, see me and explain the circumstances before the paper is due. I will then decide whether or not to accept the paper. Do not simply send me a late paper. Late papers without explanations will not be graded. Also, I reserve the right not to accept papers by students who have not attended class regularly. In other words, if you are not in class to receive the assignment or hear subsequent discussions and explanations of the assignment, I will likely not accept the paper.

Advice

Remember: Teaching is my job; learning is yours. You will get as much out of this course as you put into it. View this and other classes as opportunities. Work hard and make the most of them.

Office Hours

My office hours are listed at the top of the page and posted on my office door. Please feel free to come by and see me anytime I can help you.

Note: The daily syllabus which follows is tentative. Alterations may occur as the semester progresses. Those will be announced in class, and you are responsible for knowing about them, even if you are not in class when they are made.