De Anza College
Laura Raffaelli-Mcleish
Winter 2013
Jan. 7-Mar. 29
English Writing 1A: New Worlds and Experiences
Composition and Reading
Course Information
Grade Units:
5 units
Course Section/ Day/Time/Place: 04 meets Tues./Thurs. 8:30-10:45 in KC112
11 meets Tues./Thurs. 11:00-1:15 in L63
Contact Information
Office Hour: By appointment only in F31C
Email:
raffaellimcleishlaura@fhda.edu
Website:
http://faculty.deanza.edu/raffaellilaura/
Prerequisites
Placement based on English Placement Test scores or successful completion of
assigned courses in basic reading and writing skills. This is a course in which you
receive a letter grade as explained below.
Required Materials
 Computer access (Computers available in the portable classrooms by the tennis
courts- see doors for schedules)
 An active email address through the De Anza Portal
 Pens: black or blue (no pencils please)
 A grammar handbook - Free online handbook available at:
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htm
(See also: Online Resources on my faculty website)
 A college-level dictionary - Free online dictionary available at: http://www.m-w.com/.
A print dictionary is recommended for in-class essays.
Recommended Materials
 A DASB card with money for printing in the Language Arts Computer Lab (See:
http://www.deanza.edu/dasbcard/)
 A binder with paper & dividers
Required Texts
Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1999.
Sapphire. Push. New York: Vintage Books, 1996.
Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. New York: Penguin Books, 1999.
Trimble, John. Writing with Style. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice H, 2000.
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General Objectives
You are here to learn the reading and writing skills necessary for academic writing. To
succeed in this class you will have to work hard and try new strategies. Analyzing
Literature and writing about it formally do not come naturally for everyone, so we will be
continuously working on reading comprehension and building effective essays. This
course helps you to compose essays that are clear, well-organized, well-developed, and
interesting for your audiences. All of the reading assignments and writing tasks are
designed to help you succeed in thinking critically and expressing your ideas effectively.
Course Objectives
A. Examine the various forms and occasions of written language, as well as other
kinds of discourse, and consider them potential subjects and in some instances
models for academic writing
B. Read rhetorically and culturally diverse narrative and expository texts and
analyze them from a variety of perspectives
C. Generate ideas and topics for essays
D. Formulate and support theses
E. Integrate and organize ideas
F. Develop personal style/voice appropriate to purpose and audience
G. Identify and practice common rhetorical strategies used in academic writing
H. Practice writing as a multistep process, with particular attention to planning and
revision
I. Compose essays with varying purposes, audiences, and rhetorical strategies,
from personal to academic
Grading
You will receive clearly defined instructions for each major assignment. The following is
a breakdown of the class assignments and parts are subject to change if necessary
during the course:
Assignments
Misc. Participation & Homework
Reading Quizzes
1 In-class Essay:
PUSH
3 Out-of-Class Essays:
Revised Diagnostic Essay
Interpreter of Maladies
The Tempest
Collaborative Projects:
PUSH Theme Website
Grammar Lesson / Presentation
The Tempest Character Blog
Final Exam
Points
100
100
100
100
100
100
Total
75
75
50
200
1000
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Grading (Cont’d)
Letter grades are calculated as follows:
97-100%
94-96%
90-93%
87-89%
84-86%
80-83%
= A+
=A
= A= B+
=B
= B-
77-79%
72-76%
67-71%
64-66%
60-63%
0-59%
=
=
=
=
=
=
C+
C
D+
D
DF
Attendance
Regular class attendance is mandatory. You are allowed three (3) absences, which
consist of both emergencies and non-emergencies. After your third absence, you may
be dropped. If you have a pattern of tardiness (entering after the lesson has already
started), you may also be dropped: 3 tardies = 1 absence. I do not grade on your
attendance, but I do grade on your participation and completion of the workload, which
will suffer if you are not present.
Completing Assignments
To pass this course, you must complete ALL major assignments, including essays,
exams, and projects. The assigned readings and homework should be read and
completed before each session.
Submitting Work When Absent: If you know you are going to be absent when homework
or a major assignment is due, or when groups meet for Project Collaboration Days (See
below*), let me know in person or by email at least one class session in advance to
make necessary arrangements. If you miss class, you are still required to turn in any
work due that day in one of these ways:
1) Place the assignment with my name on it in the Student Drop Box on the side of
the Administration Building facing the fountain and cafeteria), or
2) Email it to me as a Word (doc) or Rich Text Format (rtf) attachment and bring the
assignment to the next class meeting you attend.
Late Essays: For each class session an essay is late, you will lose a full grade (1
session late: A  B; 2 sessions late: A  C), and late essays will not be accepted after
one week past the due date. It is your responsibility to make sure I receive your work,
so submit the work to me as soon as you have it to avoid grade reductions.
*Project Collaboration Days: If you are absent on a Project Collaboration Day, your
absence will be recorded in group meeting logs and your grade will be reduced for the
final grade of the project. The more meetings you miss, the more the grade will be
reduced.
No Make-ups: There are no make-ups for missed quizzes, homework, and participation
assignments. You are responsible for submitting any work due on the days you are
absent (via email or student drop-off box).
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Common Sense: Turn your work in on time and you will do just fine. 
Extra Credit
I offer two opportunities for extra credit. Points are awarded based on the quality of
written materials submitted. The materials must be submitted no later than Thursday,
March 21.
Tutoring and Workshops (up to 15 homework/participation points possible): See the
Writing and Reading Center website (http://www.deanza.edu/studentsuccess/writingreading-center/) for information on drop-in tutoring, and see the Skills Workshop
Schedule on the Student Success Center website for information on how to sign up for
a workshop. Attend any combination of up to 3 tutoring sessions and/or workshops total
(5 quiz points possible for each). Before attending drop-in tutoring, please read "How to
Have a Successful Tutoring Session". Writing due: For each tutoring session or
workshop, type a one page journal, summarizing what you did, what you learned of
value, and how you can apply what was learned to your writing. Use MLA Format for
each journal.
Cross Cultural Partners Participant (up to 15 Essay points possible): Sign up for De
Anza's CCP program to meet with a native or non-native speaker for 3 hours of meeting
time (5 points possible for each hour and meeting log). See the CCP website
(http://www.deanza.edu/ccpartners/) for information, events, and the online application
(due in Week 3; partners matched in Week 5). Writing due: For each meeting with your
partner, type a one page journal in which you summarize what you and your partner
learned from each other, and what you gained from the experience. For best results,
take notes during or shortly after each time you meet with your partner, and type up
your meeting logs in summary form for submission to me. The meeting logs you turn in
to me may include content you post online for the CCP website, but be sure to include
the information requested above. Use MLA Format for each journal.
Participation and Conduct
The Golden Rule: You don’t have to agree with your classmates, but you are expected
to respect their rights to express opinions, as you would like yours to be respected in
return. Plan to be present, prepared for, and involved in class. To help us all stay
focused on the class lecture/discussion each hour, please follow these rules:



Please practice active listening and avoid interrupting others. Only one person
should be speaking at a time during discussions and lectures.
Technological devices should be turned off or silent at all times. Cell phone
ringtones and text messages are distracting.
Please stay in the classroom except during breaks and in cases of true emergency.
If you absolutely must exit the room, please do so quietly, and re-enter quietly.
On your first offense of misconduct, you will be officially warned. On your second
offense, you will be asked to leave the classroom for the day, will not be allowed to
make up in-class work, and will miss the remaining activities and instructions. Persistent
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incivility may result in your being withdrawn from the course. De Anza College will
enforce all policies in the Standards of Student Conduct (see Course Schedule).
Academic Honesty
I am interested in your ideas as well as how clearly you can discuss the ideas of others.
If you use the ideas of anyone else, you are required to acknowledge the original source
and/or author. If you use the exact words from a source, use quotation marks and
acknowledge the source. Cheating includes (but is not limited to) having somebody else
write your essays for you, or using an essay, in part or in whole, from any informational
source (such as the Internet, a book, a magazine, a newspaper, and so forth).
Plagiarism will result in an F for the assignment and possible failure for the course. If
you are uncertain about how to cite a source, visit Plagiarism.org, talk to a tutor, or
contact me before you turn in the assignment.

EWRT1A Schedule of Readings & Major Assignments
(Subject to change with prior notice)
Important College Dates*
Last day to add classes – Sat., Jan. 19
Last day to drop for a refund for out-of-state or foreign students – Sat, Jan. 12
Last day to drop for a refund for resident students – Sat., Jan. 19
Last day to drop a class with no record of grade – Mon., Jan. 21
Last day to request P/NP grade – Fri., Feb. 1
Last day to drop with a "W" – Fri., Mar. 1
Final Exams – Mar. 26-29 (See last page of this schedule for our class final date/time)
* These dates are enforced by the college with no exception. It is the student’s
responsibility to add or drop the course by the scheduled dates above.
Title Abbreviations
PCD
IoM
WwS
Tmp.
= Project Collaboration Day (Project groups meet on these days)
= Interpreter of Maladies (the book), by Jhumpa Lahiri
= Writing with Style, by John Trimble
= The Tempest, by William Shakespeare
Week 1
T
1/8
Course overview and Diagnostic Essay (Participation grade)
HW: Print and read “Introduction for Students: Active Reading, Critical
Thinking, and the Writing Process” for next class
5
Th
1/10
“The World’s Shortest Writing Course” & “My Two Lives”
HW: Read and annotate WwS Chapter 1(3-12); Read "When Mr. Pirzada
Came to Dine" (IoM 23-42); Reading Quiz 1 next class
Week 2
T
1/15
Reading Quiz 1; Assign Diagnostic Revision Essay (due 1/24)
HW: Read and annotate WwS Chapter 2 (13-24); Read "Interpreter of
Maladies" (43-69); Reading Quiz 2 next class
Th
1/17
Reading Quiz 2; Plot Summary Notes; Discuss "Interpreter of Maladies"
(43-69); Read and annotate WwS Chapter 3 (25-31)
HW: Read “This Blessed House” (136-57) & “The Third and Final
Continent” (173-198); Reading Quiz 3 next class; work on Revised
Diagnostic Essay due 1/24
Week 3
T
1/22
Reading Quiz 3; Discuss “This Blessed House” & “The Third and Final
Continent”
Th
1/24
Revised Diagnostic Essay due; Assign IoM Story Summary and
Analysis Essay (due 2/5)
HW: Type a one-page summary of your IoM story of choice for peer
review next class
Week 4
T
1/29
Peer review of IoM story summary; PCD-Grammar Presentation
Groups Assigned (presentations on 2/7) & Meeting 1
HW: Read your group’s grammar materials for Meeting 2; Work on IoM
Essay due 2/5
Th
1/31
PCD-Grammar Presentation Group Meeting 2
HW: IoM Essay due next class
Week 5
T
2/5
IoM Essay due; PCD-Grammar Presentation Group Meeting 3
HW: Begin reading Push Parts I & II (3-66) for Reading Quiz 4 on 2/12
6
Th
2/7
PCD- Grammar Group Presentations
HW: Finish reading Push (3-66) for Reading Quiz 4 next class
Week 6
T
2/12
Reading Quiz 4; Discuss Push Parts I & II
HW: -Read Push Parts III & IV (67-139) for Reading Quiz 5 on
Wednesday
Th
2/14
Reading Quiz 5; Assign Push Theme Website Project and Groups
(due by end of class time on 2/26); Push Group Meeting 1
HW: Read “Life Stories” (the last section of Push); Draft one section for
your group’s Push theme
Week 7
T
2/19
PCD-Push Group Meeting 2; Watch first half of Precious (Film adaptation
of PUSH)
HW: Find images for your group’s PUSH theme website
Th
2/21
PCD-Push Group Meeting 3; Watch second half of Precious
HW: Push Theme Website Project due Tuesday (2/26) at end of
class; Push In-class Essay next Thursday (2/28)
Week 8
T
2/26
PCD-Push Group Meeting 4: Finalize and submit Push Theme Website
by end of class
HW: Review Push Theme Websites for Push In-class Essay next class
`
Th
2/28
PUSH In-class Essay
HW: Read Tmp., Act 1 (1-26) for Reading Quiz 6 next class
Week 9
T
3/5
Reading Quiz 6; Watch & discuss Tmp., Act 1; Assign Tmp. Essay (due
3/21)
HW: Read Tmp., Acts 2 & 3 for Reading Quiz 7 next class
Th
3/7
Reading Quiz 7; Watch & discuss Tmp., Acts 2 & 3; Assign Tmp. Blog
Project (due 3/21 at end of class)
HW: Read Tmp., Acts 4 & 5 for Reading Quiz 8 next class
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Week 10
T
3/12
Reading Quiz 8; Watch & discuss Tmp., Acts 4 & 5; PCD-Tmp. Blog
Project Group Meeting 1
HW: Type Introduction and Outline of Tmp. Essay for Peer Review
next class; Draft your character blog entry (1 paragraph) for your
group’s Blog Project (due at the end of class on 3/19)
Th
3/14
Peer Review of Tmp. Essay Introduction and Outline; PCD-Tmp. Blog
Project Group Meeting 2
HW: Revise your character blog entry for your group’s Blog Project
(completed project due at end of next class); Work on Tmp. Essay (due
3/21)
Week 11
T
3/19
PCD-Tmp. Blog Project Group Meeting 3: Finalize Blog Project due at
end of class
HW: Tmp. Essay Final Draft due next class); All Extra Credit due
next class
Th
3/21
Tmp. Essay Final Draft due; Final Exam review
HW: Read Tmp. Blog Projects on my faculty webpage; review for final
exam next week
Week 12
Th
3/28
Final Exam (Section 04): 7:00-9:00 a.m. in KC112
Section 11 TBA
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