Course Description
Welcome to the English Composition portion of the linked courses between History 1377 and English Composition.  You must be registered for HIST 1377 with Dr. Mintz to be enrolled in this class.  In these collaborative, integrated classes, we will be working toward developing critical thinking skills and strengthening written communication while becoming active historians. We will also have the additional advantage of having experts from the College of Education to help us learn to integrate technology into our writing, plus consultants from the Writing Center to help us to formulate and execute our ideas.

Required Reading
All required reading will be available on the class website.

Determination of Grades

Essays –35% (Essay 1 –15%; Essay 2 –20%)
All essays should be turned in on time.  Late papers will be penalized 1/3 letter grade for each day they are late.  Any paper turned in after one week will receive an F.  All drafts and papers should be typed, double-spaced, in a standard 12-point font, and stapled in the left-hand corner.  You must complete all written assignments in order to pass the class. 

Multimedia Assignments – 45% (15% each)
You will be creating 3 multimedia assignments in which you will research and interpret a person, place, event, work of art, piece of music, etc. 

Professionalism – 20% (attendance - 10% & writing consultation - 10%)
You will be expected to participate in the class in a professional manner, that is, be on time, meet deadlines, collaborate, and pull your load.  Professionalism includes all of these as well as regular attendance (see “Attendance” below), willing participation in all facets of classroom life, and sincere effort to improve your own writing and that of your peers.

Attendance
You are expected to attend class regularly and be prepared.  Since we have such a shortened semester, each class is vital to your success.  We will have a sign-in sheet to record attendance.  The sign-in sheet will serve as the official record for attendance.  Anyone arriving unexcused after thirty minutes will be considered absent for that day.  Excused absences involve illness or emergency and require some form of official documentation (signed medical excuse, receipt from the doctor, an employer’s letter on letterhead, etc.)  Religious holidays may also be excused if you submit notice to the instructor in advance of your intention to miss class for this reason. The following penalties apply to the attendance portion of your professionalism grade:  1 absence = B; 2 absences = D. After 2 absences, you have missed the equivalent of two weeks of class time, and I reserve the right to drop you from the course.

Writing Consultations and Workshops
In addition, you are expected to visit with one of the class writing consultants or attend writing workshops during the semester.  Since we will be writing something each week, whether multimedia assignment or essay, you should always have something to discuss.  Consult Writing Consultations and Workshops: Policy and Schedules.

Academic Support Services
The Center for Students with DisABILITIES “provides academic support services for all UH students who have any type of health impairment, learning disability, or psychiatric disorder.”  Students who want to more about these services should consult the Student Handbook or should contact CSD in 307 Student Service Center 713-743-4400 (voice) or 713-743-1527(TDD)

Academic Honesty
In this class, we will function as a community of writers, sharing ideas and critiquing each other’s work.  According to university and department policy, plagiarism (broadly defined as passing off somebody else’s work as your own) constitutes grounds for failure of the assignment in question, possibly failure of the course, or even suspension from the university.  See “Academic Honesty,” pages 8-9 in the Student Handbook. 

Reproduction of Comanche Village:

Catlin, George. Comanche Village, Women Dressing Robes and Drying Meat. 1834-35. The Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift from Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr. Online image. Campfire Stories with George Catlin: An Encounter of Two Cultures. 2003. The Smithsonian Institution. 23 August 2004. <http://catlinclassroom.si.edu/catlin_browsepage.cfm?StartRow=111>