Instructor: Dr. Jan Strever
English 101 College Composition
Spring 2005
Office: 239A, Old Main
Office Hour: 10:30- 11:30 or 12:30 - 2:30 or by appt.
Office Phone: (509) 533-8035
jstrever@scc.spokane.edu
Class homepage to retrieve assignments and handouts:
http://ol.scc.spokane.edu/jstrever/comp/spring101
Course Goals and Guidelines
RATIONALE:
The purposes of this course are to help you improve your writing skills and to prepare you for the large amount of writing required in your other courses and in your career. We will spend some time with specific problems of grammar and usage, but the majority of this course will be devoted to exercises and assignments designed to teach you how to become a more confident and effective writer.
OBJECTIVES:
Through assigned reading, you will learn
- to appreciate and analyze selected readings
- to discover the connections between reader/audience
- to experience the methods of development in different forms of writing
- to critically review the content and style of a written work.
Through assigned writing, you will learn
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to explore your understanding of rhetorical strategies
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to develop "authentic voice
- to discover the relationship between you and your audience
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to intelligibly critique what you read
- to edit and revise in order to communicate your thoughts and ideas.
OVERVIEW OF COURSE: (Subject to variation) In this course you will learn to READ, REACT to what you read and then write about your reactions. The course material will be learned through the following components:
Text Lectures: Will be offered on rhetorical terms, strategies, styles, writing formats and the documentation process.
Electronic discussions: Participation through discussion is a vital and mandatory part of class; thus, all students will be expected to engage in discussion. Each week a question will be posted on the class Discussion Board. Your response to the question is worth 5 points; however, you will receive points only if you respond within the allotted time frame. You will have exactly one week to respond, from Sunday to the following Sunday.
Journal Sequence: Writing in your reading journal three days a week will encourage active participation in the reading/writing experience. Keep your journal in a 3 clasp binder, as I will collect it at the end of the quarter. Please read the journal handout to understand the requirements of it.
Weekly writing assignments from journal: At the end of each
week, you will be expected to read through your journal, find one entry that interests you
and re-write that entry. This re-write will be typed, then turned in by
midnight on Friday. Typed journal entries (TJEs) are given points rather
than grades. A check (
)
is worth 10 points, a plus (+)=12 points, a plus-plus (++)=14 points, and a minus (-) will
earn zero points.
Peer Feedback: Giving and receiving feedback is a vital part of the class and of learning. Students will earn five points for their weekly peer feedback.
Work Load: To pass the class, you will write at least four revisable essays over the course of the quarter and three proctored, non-revised essays which are an entrance, mid-term and final exam. All essay grades carry equal weight. Particular expectations will be given with each assignment. Keep all essays written during the quarter. To meet eligibility requirements for entrance into English 201 (a grade of 2.5 or higher), your writing must pass a departmental evaluation at the end of the quarter.
English 101 Exit Portfolio: All students must pass the Exit Portfolio in order to pass out of English 101.
Assessment Activities: In addition to writing assignments and class discussion, there will be quizzes, both announced and unannounced, class activities, and self-evaluation opportunities. Each assignment will be worth a certain number of points, and the total points for the quarter will be the basis for your final grade. These points will be converted to percentages and ultimately decimal grades based on the Community Colleges of Spokane's grading scale (see catalog). Students should keep a record of grades and all of your work in a portfolio. This portfolio will be the basis for at least one self-assessment assignment.
ATTENDANCE AND OTHER HOUSEKEEPING POLICIES
- Keep in regular contact with your instructor and other class members. The three on-campus meetings are mandatory -- there are no exceptions. If you miss one of the meetings, you have not met the requirements of the class and cannot pass the class with a 2.0 or better.
- This writing course will largely be a workshop. You are expected to play an active role as a member of a community of writers. Throughout the course, you will be writing to a variety of audiences.
- Please familiarize yourself with what constitutes plagiarism and the consequences of it.
- All papers and assignments are due on the date assigned. You will have plenty of time to complete your work, and if you fall behind, it will be virtually impossible to catch up.
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All papers and assignments are due at the time listed on the class web page.
- The key requirement is to be prepared and to participate and to do all of the assigned work -- readings and writings -- on time. You are responsible for all information presented in the class, whether or not you log on to receive it.
- If you have anything that might hinder your progress in this class, you need to let me know, so that I can help you. If you have special accommodations that need to be made to ensure your success in class, I should be notified during the first part of the class.
- Participation and good attendance are essential to any class. Meeting deadlines and attendance at the class meetings are mandatory, online or in real time.
- Late Work and Withdrawals -- To receive credit for an assignment, please turn it in at the time and date specified.
- Papers will not be accepted late; however, to allow for the unexpected, you may turn in one paper late without an excuse or penalty if you submit it within one week of its due date. To do this, you must attach your late paper certificate to the front cover. If you submit all papers on time (in other words, if you do not use your late-paper option), ten points will be added to your overall grade points at the end of the quarter.
There is NO late paper option for the research essays. You will know their due dates well in advance and, therefore, should be able to plan for the unexpected.. If you stop attending the class, or you decide to stop attending school altogether, please withdraw officially. If you are ill and cannot come to campus, S.C.C. can assist you in such a situation.
Grading
To encourage you to take ownership of your progress in class, we will use web grading. You can access your grades at https://secure.scc.spokane.edu/UserSpace/default.asp
Your user name is your student id, and your password is your birthday, expressed 10291960 or in other words, 10/29/1960.
Grades are updated each week. It is your responsibility to check your own progress. If you have questions or concerns about a particular grade, please use the comment feature in the gradebook to notify me of the concern. Also, notify me within one week of the publication of the grade, so that we can stay current. We will not go back further than that, so please stay on task.
~*~*~*
Also, my philosophy about grades is that you earn them...I do not give them to
you. ~*~*~*
*(Subject to variation)
Responsibility Outcomes
A critical step in becoming a truly educated individual is that of taking responsibility for one's own learning. The following outcomes address this step:
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Participating in class discussions in an informed and professional manner.
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Asking questions when a concept is not clear.
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Setting and balancing priorities.
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Understanding and accepting consequences.
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Demonstrating respect for others.
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Arriving on time to class, prepared to work.
CLASS MATERIALS
Textbooks:
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Ackley, Katherine. Perspectives on Contemporary Issues: Reading Across the Disciplines.
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Perrin, Robert. The Beacon Handbook.
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Williams, T. T. The Refuge.
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1 Three Clasp Folder
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3 manila folders
Click here to find out point percentages.
I reserve the right to change the syllabus at any time (when I do, it is usually in your favor). Keep this syllabus handy for when you need it!
Have a look at the course outline .