English 90
Fall 2015
Napa Valley College
Instructor:
Michelle L. Bagwell
Email: mbagwell@napavalley.edu
Office hours: Mon/Wed./F 8:30-9:30 or by appointment
Grading: Essays/Papers/Annotated Bib: 60% of grade
In Class Writing/Homework: 20% of grade
Presentation: 10% of grade
Quizzes:
10% of grade
I. Rationale:
English 90 is a writing course which emphasizes critical reading, expository and
argumentative writing. It includes instruction and practice in critical thinking, in
analytical reading and evaluation of written work, and in the methods of clearly
communicating and supporting ideas in organized, coherent essays.
II. Student Learning Outcomes
1. Write essays which demonstrate:
a. The ability to present a thesis and to develop it through coherent paragraphs with
controlling ideas.
b. The ability to critically read and analyze college level essays while identifying the
controlling idea and main points
c. The ability to synthesize ideas from reading with personal experience
d. An awareness of the need to credit sources
e. The ability to use a variety of sentence patterns and the standard conventions of
written English.
2. Write short essays as specified above in a two hour timed exam setting to a level
consistent with readiness for college transferrable English.
III. Format and Procedures including policy for late work
Students will be responsible for turning in assigned work at the beginning of the class.
Late assignments will be accepted with points taken off for lateness up until one week
after the due date. After one week, late work will not be accepted except in cases of
emergency in which case you will need to provide a doctor's note or other substantiated
proof of emergency. For late work that is accepted during grace period, five points will
be taken off for each class meeting that the assignment is late. For example if the
assignment is due on Monday, August 24, and you turn it in on Wednesday, Aug. 26,
you will have 5 points taken off before I grade for content. Please note that if you choose
to go on vacation during the semester, a vacation is not considered to be an emergency so
you are still responsible for turning your work in on time. There is no make-up work
for in-class assignments and there are no make-up quizzes, regardless of emergency
documentation.
V. Course Requirements:
1. Class attendance and participation policy: Attendance is essential. If you miss more
than three classes, you are likely to be dropped from the class. If you miss class, it is your
responsibility to check with one of your study buddies regarding assignments.
Please be aware that if you stop attending class during the semester, or if you do not
complete all required work for the course, you may fail the class. Please also note failing
grades in any grade category will affect your grade significantly and may contribute to
failing the class.
2. Course readings:
We will be reading various selected writings throughout the class.
You will also have to read Monster by Walter Dean Myers and The Giver in class.
3. Assignments:
I. Essays/Papers: Students will be responsible for 4 major essays:
A. Narrative Essay: 3-5 pages, typed and double-spaced: “Do Your Own
Thing." Describe a time when you "did your own thing" instead of listening
to the advice of parents, peers, or someone else whose opinion you value.
What if any were the repercussions of your decision? What did you learn
from the experience? Did you gain any understanding for the other person's
viewpoint? Did they gain any understanding for your views? Did your
actions/decisions affect anyone else? How so? Due Sep. 9
B. Expository Essay: 3-5 pages, typed and double-spaced. Assignment includes
presentation. Explain in detail, step by step how to do something. Some
examples might be how to make chocolate chip cookies or how to train a dog
or how to apply make-up. The challenge here is to be as specific as possible
as though you are writing this for someone who has no instructions other
than your essay! As with all of the other essays this one should also be in
paragraph form- no lists please. This essay includes a presentation. Due Oct.
7
C. Timed Writing Exam- In class essay in which you respond to an opinion
essay with your own well-developed essay. In this timed writing exam, you will be asked
to read a published argument essay and then write your own well-developed essay in
response to the prompt. You will need to clearly identify the author’s main point and
write an essay which has a clear introduction, clear thesis statement and well-developed
body paragraphs with clear topic sentences and good use of specific details from the
author’s article as well as from your own experience and observations. In your essay, you
should also refer to the prompt to show sufficient engagement with the article. If you earn
a score of “4” or better, that score indicates that you are ready for English 120 and you
will then earn an A for your class essay grade. Similarly, a “3” equals a B and a “2”
equals a C. If you choose not to take the timed writing exam, you will receive a 0 for that
essay grade. The exam is Nov. 4
G. Presentation: Present your expository essay to the class. You will need a
visual aid which aids you in explaining or detailing the directions explained in your
essay. There will also be other group presentations in class that we will be learning more
about throughout the course of the class.
H. Quizzes: You will be quizzed on the readings from our readings and novels on
alternate Fridays. There will be no makeup quizzes.
II. In Class Writing Assignments: Students will be responsible for turning in
writing assignments/study questions given in class. Students will be graded on a pass/fail
basis for these assignments and will have an opportunity to rewrite an assignment which
did not receive a passing grade if you turned the original essay in by the due date. If you
would like this option, it is your responsibility to talk with me about a possible revision
and we will agree upon a revised due date. There is no make-up work for missing inclass assignments.
III. Homework: Students will be responsible for assigned homework which may
include assignments from textbook and written responses to reading assignments.
IV. Extra-Credit- I offer a variety of extra-credit assignments throughout the
semester that relate directly to our class assignments or reading. Make sure you are in
class consistently to take advantage of these opportunities to raise your skills and your
grade! Please note that extra-credit is designed provide additional practice to master the
Student Learning Objectives and to assist you in boosting your grade but cannot make up
for failing grades in any grade category. Additionally, extra-credit assignments are given
to all students and all have the same due dates. There is no opportunity for individually
crafted extra-credit assignments.
V. Academic Integrity Any work submitted by a student in this course for academic
credit will be the student's own work. English scholar Ann Raimes defines plagiarism as
the "deliberate or accidental presentation of someone else's actual words (or even ideas)
as if they were your own." General guidelines about plagiarism in this class are as
follows:
1. If you borrow ideas that are not common knowledge, give the source.
2. If you borrow more than three words verbatim from another text, use quotes and cite
the source.
3. If someone is tutoring you, do not let him/her (re-) write sentences, paragraphs, or
pages of your assignment.
Plagiarism will result in an automatic F for the assignment and may also result in
an automatic F for the course and/or suspension from Napa Valley College.
Collaboration:
You are encouraged to study together and to discuss information and concepts covered in
lecture and the sections with other students. You can give "consulting" help to or receive
"consulting" help from such students.
However, this permissible cooperation should never involve one student having
possession of a copy of all or part of work done by someone else, in the form of an email, an email attachment file, or a hard copy.
Should copying occur, both the student who copied work from another student and the
student who gave material to be copied will both automatically receive an "F" for the
assignment. Penalty for violation of this Code can also be extended to include failure of
the course and University disciplinary action.
VI. Accommodations for students with disabilities
Please contact Disability Student Programs, at the beginning of the semester if you need
any accommodations for physical, sensory, cognitive, systemic, learning, or psychiatric
disabilities. Then, be sure to provide me with the appropriate information from DSP
regarding your specific disability accommodations.