ENGLISH 50 INTRODUCTORY COMPOSITION FALL 2013

Transcription

1 INSTRUCTOR: Elaine Minamide CLASS HOURS: ENGLISH 50 INTRODUCTORY COMPOSITION FALL 2013 SECTION: CLASS LOCATION: OFFICE LOCATION: NS-153 OFFICE HOURS: By appointment PHONE: ext CONTACT The best way for you to reach me and vice versa is by . Be sure to activate your Palomar College at if you have not already done so. Announcements and course documents will be posted on Blackboard. My campus mailbox is located in P-2 (English department offices). You can also reach me at my website REQUIRED TEXT: Evergreen: A Guide to Writing with Readings, 10 th edition, by Susan Fawcett. Note: Textbook is mandatory. The version in the bookstore is loose leaf, so you will need to purchase a 3-ring binder to contain it; the bookstore s version also contains a registration card for the online supplemental learning tool we ll be using for this course. Registration for Aplia is included in the purchase of this version of the text; if you purchase the text elsewhere, you will have to register (and pay) for Aplia separately. REQUIRED MATERIALS: Access to a computer and printer. A system for managing papers (such as a 3-ring binder). Loose-leaf paper for in class writing. 3-ring binder for text, as well as handouts and writing paper. COURSE INFORMATION COURSE INFO: A writing course for the student who wants to develop fundamental essay writing skills, acquire an AA degree, or enter a transfer program, but who needs further preparation in composition skills. OBJECTIVES: Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to utilize the writing process effectively in order to draft and revise unified short essays that explain, analyze, and develop a position using as support examples, facts, statistics, and/or references to authority drawn from personal experience and/or assigned reading material. Additional skills include effective use of appropriate transitions, sentence variety, paraphrasing and summarizing, reading comprehension, and the ability to selfevaluate and edit in order to produce writing that is free of substantial errors in grammar, punctuation, and usage. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOME FOR ENGLISH 50: Faculty members are currently assessing and discussing the following specific Student Learning Outcome (SLO) for English 50: Organize and develop five or more paragraphs into an essay that sufficiently supports a thesis. PREREQUISITES A minimum grade of "C" in English 10 or eligibility determined through the English placement process. 1

2 CLASSROOM POLICIES Typed essays must follow formatting rules for document preparation as discussed in class. All handwritten papers must be legible; otherwise, they will not be graded. Miscellaneous homework assignments may be turned in the next class session if absent on due date with no penalty. However, typed essays are due at the beginning of class on the assigned due date and will be marked down (10% per day late, including weekend days) even if turned in at the end of class on the assigned due date. Attendance is mandatory and will be factored in to your overall grade under participation. Two courtesy absences are permitted; grade begins to go down after two absences. Choose your absences carefully. 80% of success is just showing up. ~Woody Allen If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed and to be prepared for the next class session regardless of your absence. Please note that the instructor reserves the right to drop students from the roster who miss two class sessions in a row without contacting her ahead of time.. GRADES Your overall course grade will be determined by grades received on 3 formal (typed) essays, online exercises, responses to 15 readings, 2 in-class practice final exam essays, a department-wide final essay, and attendance. Refer to page 4 of this syllabus for a breakdown of these assignments. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Because of the easy access to information on the Internet, I often require a paper trail of all writing assignments. This includes pre-writing notes and at least one rough draft that indicates changes and revisions made in final draft. Students whose papers have been plagiarized in part or in whole will receive a 0 on the assignment. While collaboration on writing assignments is fine, copying, adapting, or recycling other papers (including those you ve written for other classes) is not. CONDUCT You are expected to treat the instructor and your classmates respectfully. Cell phones, laptops, I-pods, and the like are a distraction and must be put away while class is in session. This means you will not be texting, listening to music, or using your laptop during class sessions. Students who arrive late or leave early will be marked absent for that portion of the class. 2

3 Talking while others are talking is inappropriate. Do not eat, sleep, or do work for other classes while you are in this class. Do not engage in side conversations as they are distracting to those around you. I reserve the right to ask anyone to change seats at any time. This is a college classroom. Please do not embarrass yourself. SOME ADVICE Many students find this class challenging and often get discouraged when grades are not higher, especially on formal essays. Do not get discouraged. Keep in mind that we are teaching a very special, rigorous type of academic writing at Palomar which may not be the type of writing you are used to. It takes many students two semesters to adjust to the reading and writing skills demanded of them in this class. Here are some suggestions for success in this class: Come to class every day. Read the book. Don t expect to be spoon-fed. Even if we are not covering all the material in the text, it s a good idea to familiarize yourself with its contents. Practice. This includes reading and writing. Writing, especially, requires practice. Do not expect to pass this class if you don t practice the skills being presented in this class. Ask questions when you are confused. Chances are, if you re confused, so are other people, so your question will benefit everyone. Do the homework assignments every day. Be prepared to work very hard. If you are looking for an easy course with an easy grade and minimal effort, you should look elsewhere. Find study partners. You might want to collect a few phone numbers or addresses. This can be especially helpful if you miss a class (but don t miss too many classes). Save everything. Especially don t throw away graded papers. I often ask students to re-work old papers for editing and revising practice later in the semester. Ask for assistance outside the classroom. I am here to facilitate your learning, but you are responsible for your own success. In particular, I encourage students to get in the habit of going to the Writing Center, not just for one or two assignments, but on a regular basis. You ll be surprised by how much it helps to have 30 minutes of time devoted to helping you with your writing assignments. ADMINISTRATIVE It is your responsibility to drop this class in a timely manner should you decide to do so (see Important Dates, below). If you have a need for any in-class accommodations, you must provide me with the necessary paperwork early in the session. RESOURCES Writing Center: Located in BE-1. To schedule an appointment, call (760) ext or go to for more information. 3

4 Students who consistently struggle with class assignments may be required to work with a Writing Center tutor. Academic Technology: For assistance with Blackboard or other computing problems, go to to submit a Help ticket or call (760) ext English Department Homepage: IMPORTANT DATES The final exam for this class is scheduled the week before school-wide final exams. Students will choose to take their exam on one of the following dates: Wednesday, December 4 or Thursday, December 5. Both exams meet between 2-4 p.m. Once students have selected the day of their exam, they will not be able to change dates (for test security purposes). The last day to drop this class with no notation on record is September 3. The last day to drop with a W on record is October 12 (see note, below) Note: There are new limits on the number of times a student can repeat and withdraw from a credit course. Now, students who receive either a substandard grade or a W are allowed only three attempts and one additional attempt due to significant lapse of time or extenuating circumstances. Until recently, a W did not count as an attempt, so many students may still think that is the case. 4

5 Course Grade Grading Categories Formal Essays (30%) (three typed assignments) 300 Participation (25%) (includes attendance, homework, online exercises, practice final exams, extra credit points) 250 Written Responses to Readings (15%) 150 Department-Wide Final Exam (30%) 300 TOTAL