English 201
Spokane Community College
Course Syllabus

Instructor:  Dr. Jan Strever 
 jstrever@scc.spokane.edu

Office: 239 A Old Main
Office Hour: 11:50 -12:50
M - R and by appointment.
Phone: (509) 533-8035

Please read this syllabus very carefully and ask questions about any item that is unclear to you. This syllabus is an agreement that defines our mutual expectations and responsibilities as instructors and students in this course.

Course Texts

Overview of Course*

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:

Course Outcomes

The student will be able to write a clear, organized, detailed, college level essay incorporating personal experiences as well as other sources in standard English both in class and out of class.
The student will be able to critically read and analyze professional and peer writing and discuss this analysis using correct terminology.
The student will be able to revise a draft and improve the quality of writing, organization and content in subsequent drafts.
The student will develop and/or refine his/her process for future writing in college classes, in the work place, and in personal correspondence.
The student will be able to research and find information on a variety of topics in a variety of ways.
Students will become proficient at incorporating and analyzing research in their writing while maintaining a personal voice.
Students will better understand computer applications and be better able to experiment with them.
Students will understand the "flexible responsibility" necessary to succeed in an online course.

Responsibility Outcomes

A critical step in becoming a truly educated individual is that of taking responsibility for one's own The following outcomes address this step:

Participating in class discussions in an informed and professional manner.
Asking questions when a concept is not clear.
Setting and balancing priorities.
Understanding and accepting consequences.
Demonstrating respect for others.

Class Procedures and Requirements

1. Readings: Reading assignments are related to seminar questions for both in-class writing and out of class seminar papers.
2. Feedback: Once a week, all students are required to participate in a team feedback. What this means is that you will need to be available for feedback sessions once each week. Read papers carefully, marking important or difficult passages, and take notes in the margin; write down questions you have, so that when you are reading a class member's paper, you will be able to make informed criticism. A copy of the feedback will be given to the author, and then turned into the teacher along with the final draft. Active participation is required and evaluated.
3. Seminar Papers: You will be writing an assignment each week. Being on time and on task is imperative. You will be alternating between exercises and essays.
Both will be given feedback.
4. Research Essays: Academic writing most often requires research. Therefore, many papers will require using either the text and/or outside sources; all students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of basic research and documentation skills. Two longer papers will require this type of research. All papers should use MLA
documentation form.
5. Weekly Discussion Journal: Each week students are expected to respond to the question posed for discussion. The question will be posted on Thursday. You will have an entire week to think, discuss, research (if needed) and re-think the question. On computer day, you will post a well-wrought response to the question. I suggest that you keep a small notebook where you collect your ideas and notions. Then before computer day, type your response in a word processor, as the discussion journal has an audience.  So your response should contain enough information and be written in such a manner that you engage and provoke your audience's interest. Thus, a mind-spill type of entry is not appropriate, of course, feel free to do that in your journal book, but when it's time to post, a well-conceived and clearly written entry is expected. These journals will receive a =10, + =12, ++ =14 or a =7 points .
6. Assessment Activities: In addition to writing assignments and class discussion, there might be reading 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).

ATTENDANCE AND OTHER HOUSEKEEPING POLICIES

1. Keep in regular contact with your instructor and other class members.
2. 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.
3. Please familiarize yourself with what constitutes plagiarism and the consequences of it.
4. All papers and assignments are due on the date assigned. You will have plenty of time to complete your work, but if you fall behind, it will be virtually impossible to catch up.
5. 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 are in class to receive it.
6. If you have anything that might hinder your progress in this class, you need to let your instructor know, so that she can help you. If you have special accommodations that need to be made to ensure your success in class, the teacher should be notified during the first part of the class.
7. Participation and good attendance are essential to any class. Meeting deadlines and attendance at the class meetings are mandatory, online or in real time.
8. Late Work and Withdrawals -- To receive credit for an assignment, please turn it in at the time and date specified.
9. 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 your teacher of the concern. Also, please notify her 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)

Contents within this site are copyrighted by both the author of essays and/or Jan Strever.
The contents within these pages are solely those of the author and S.C.C.
should not be held responsible.  ©1999-2009
Last revised: November 19, 2009 by Jan Strever -- jstrever@scc.spokane.edu
Personal site:  http://www.js.spokane.wa.us/