Students and employees at Oakton Community College are required to demonstrate academic integrity and follow Oakton’s Code of Academic Conduct. This code prohibits:

• cheating,
• plagiarism (turning in work not written by you, or lacking proper citation),
• falsification and fabrication (lying or distorting the truth),
• helping others to cheat,
• unauthorized changes on official documents,
• pretending to be someone else or having someone else pretend to be you,
• making or accepting bribes, special favors, or threats, and
• any other behavior that violates academic integrity.

Details of the Code of Academic Conduct can be found in the Student Handbook.

Approved texts:

See the English Department Home Page for a list of approved texts.

“A” essays satisfy the following criteria:

A.  Focus: These essays have a clearly identifiable main idea, thesis, or claim.  The writer’s purposes are appropriate for the writing situation.  Promises made to the reader early in the essay are kept.  Expectations for the reader are set and then met.  Ideas, examples, and reasons developed in the body of the paper are clearly related to the main focus.   

B.   Development: These essays have ample supporting evidence:  sensory details, specific examples, statistics, quotations, or other data.  The writer’s assertions are immediately followed by supporting evidence.  The writer shows rather than just tells.  Appropriate research (personal experience, interviews, surveys, library sources) supports the writer’s man idea, thesis, or claim.  The writer shows how or why evidence is relevant to main idea or claim.

C.  Organization: The ideas and paragraphs proceed in some logical and apparent sequence or pattern.  The writer uses sufficient audience cues to let the reader know what has been discussed, what is being discussed, or what will be discussed.  Structural devices: attention-getting titles and leads, essay maps, summary and forecasting statements, topic sentences, transition words and phrases, and effective conclusions guide the reader from beginning to end.

D.  Style: these papers have appropriate voice and tone as well as effective sentences and word choice.  The style is appropriate for the purpose and audience.  In addition, these papers avoid problems in usage, grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and spelling that interfere with the writer’s ideas or distract from the audience’s pleasure in reading.

A.  Focus: These essays have a clearly identifiable main idea, thesis, or  claim.  Promises made to the reader are fulfilled.  Deficiencies in focus may exist, but the overall purpose is still clear.

B.   Development: These essays have good supporting evidence.  Typically, support may be thin or deficient in spots, but relevant evidence supports assertions or general statements.

C.  Organization: The ideas and paragraphs proceed in some logical and apparent sequence or pattern.  Occasional deficiencies in audience cues may exist, but the overall shape is clear to the reader.

D.  Style: Typically, these papers communicate clearly, but the voice may not be as clear, or a few deficiencies in sentence structure, word choice, grammar, or punctuation exist.

Focus: These essays have a clearly identifiable main idea, thesis, or claim.  Often, though, these essays shift the focus at some point in the essay.

B.   Development: typically, these essays do have some supporting evidence, but some evidence is not relevant or some assertions or general statements are left unsupported.

C.  Organization: Often, an overall pattern or sequence may exist, but the writer has made little effort to guide the reader through the major ideas.

D.  Style: Sometimes these papers have a lackluster “English” style, appearing to be written mechanically to fulfill an assignment rather than directed to a specific audience.  Distracting sentence errors may interfere with communication.

“D” essays have weaknesses in three of the four criteria or have one major flaw that seriously disrupts communications:

“F” essays have few redeeming qualities.  Typically, they are little more than rough drafts that do not meet the requirements of the writing situation, or they have major flaws that prevent communication.

1. Attendance policy
2. Other information/procedures for which the instructor holds the students accountable.
3. If you have a documented learning, psychological, or physical disability you may be entitled to reasonable academic accommodations or services.  To request accommodations or services, contact the ASSIST office in the Learning Center.  All students are expected to fulfill essential course requirements.  The College will not waive any essential skill or requirement of a course or degree program