NORTH SEATTLE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
English 102.06: Food: Connecting Culture and Agriculture, Health and Community
Fall 2013
10-10:50 daily
Classroom: LB1131
English 102.03: Food: Connecting Culture and Agriculture, Health and Community
Fall 2013
11:00-11:50 daily
Classroom: CC3360
Web: angel.northseattle.edu
Instructor:
Office:
Office hours:
Phone:
e-mail:
Books:
Molly Tenenbaum
IB2423C, Suite 9
MW 12-1pm, or by appointment
(206) 934-4553
molly.tenenbaum@seattlecolleges.edu
REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS
The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan
The Language of Baklava, by Diana Abu-Jaber
Candyfreak, by Steve Almond
Any recent English Handbook, such as Quick Access, or Easy Writer
(recommended)
Internet & computer: You’ll need easy and constant internet and computer access. Much of
your research will be from internet sources, and so will your documentation resources. All
assignments are required to be typed and turned in on paper, so you’ll need easy access to a
working printer.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Topic: Because any writing class needs something to write about, our subject this quarter will
be food. With so many supermarkets and fast food places around us, it’s easy not to think about
where our food comes from and what our food choices mean. This class will explore both the
personal and the public aspects of food choices: We’ll be looking at some memoirs that explore
personal connections to food, and at reportage that explores the industrial food system and its
consequences for personal health and the health of the earth.
Course outcomes/Learning Objectives:
 To read critically in order to analyze, discuss, evaluate and respond to texts.
 To write in order to discover the meanings in the texts of others.
 To write in order to discover your own ideas in relation to the texts of others.
 To develop the skills of writing to communicate ideas to a particular audience.
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To develop your ability to paraphrase, quote, and cite sources according to conventional
MLA form, and to integrate source materials smoothly into your own words in order to
add support and emphasis to your own writing.
To take responsibility for producing writing that has been revised, edited, and proofread
and to submit the work on time.
To continue developing our voices as writers.
This course addresses the following NSCC Essential Learning Outcomes (ELO’s):
 Knowledge: Facts, theories, perspectives and methodologies within and across
disciplines.
 Critical thinking and problem solving.
 Communication and self expression.
Course readiness: This class assumes college-level reading skill (50-150 pages a week) and
basic writing skills with grammar, sentence structure, and paragraphing. If you need extra work
in these areas, you may find it challenging to pass this class. If I notice that you need work in
these areas, I will let you know and will advise you to visit the Loft, NSCC’s writing center, for
more help. For more information about the Loft Writing Center, stop by there, on the top floor
of the Library, or visit the Loft website: http://www.northseattle.edu/services/loft/
Disability Services: In my commitment to student learning I want to support all students. If you
have a disability that will affect your performance in this class please let me know. Students with
disabilities are encouraged to use Disability Services for support in implementing reasonable
accommodations. You may make an appointment with Disability Services by calling 934-3697 or
stopping by the DS office on the 2nd floor of the College Center. See their website at
https://northseattle.edu/disability-services.
MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS
Reading Responses (1-2 pages each): Reading Responses will be due frequently throughout the
quarter as we discuss the readings. In these responses, you’ll answer specific questions and will
also practice using the MLA system for quoting, summarizing, paraphrasing, and documenting
your sources. Specific assignments will be given for each reading.
Summary: (3 - 4 pages). You’ll summarize the “Industrial Corn” section of The Omnivore’s
Dilemma. This will introduce some of the concepts we’ll be working with all quarter, and will
give you a chance to practice quoting, paraphrasing, and using the MLA system of
documentation..
Analysis Essay: (about 4 pages) You’ll write one essay in which you propose and support a
thesis about The Language of Baklava. This essay will be based on analysis of the text and will
involve a limited number of outside resources.
Annotated Bibliography and Presentation: You’ll research a food-related issue and compile a
bibliography summarizing the pertinent resources you found. You’ll give a short presentation to
the class about your research findings.
OTHER ACTIVITIES AND ASSIGNMENTS
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Short homework assignments: This may include written responses to study questions,
revisions of sentences and paragraphs, outlines and thesis sentences, and other brief responses to
the readings or to class discussions.
Informal, in-class writing: This will include spur-of-the-moment in-class writings, and
prewriting activities, such as listing and brainstorming.
Group work: This includes full-class discussion and small-group discussion, and collaborative
exploration of ideas and discussions of essay drafts, including written comments.
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REVISION POLICY
If it has received a grade of 85 points or lower, you may revise either the Summary or the
Analysis and re-submit it for, we hope, a higher grade. A revision is a complete overhaul
of the essay, not merely a correcting of errors. This revision is optional.
Essays receiving more than 85 points may not be revised.
Essays to be revised must be discussed with me. I will not accept revisions of essays
we have not gone over together.
Discuss your revision with me as soon as possible, so that you have a long time to work
on your revision. Because my office hours get very booked up the week before revisions
are due, if you wait until then you might miss out on your chance to consult me, and thus
miss out on your chance to revise.
Revisions may be turned in any time up until the end of class on Monday, November 25.
Revisions must be enclosed in a folder which includes original essay with my
comments, and the original grade sheet. Without these, the revision will not be
accepted.
Late revisions are not accepted.
GRADING, ATTENDANCE, AND OTHER COURSE POLICIES
Assignments and course activities will be assigned point values, as follows:
Assignment
Summary
Analysis essay
Annotated Bibliography
Presentation
Reader Responses
Peer review discussions
Participation: Includes full-class and
small-group discussion, and various
in-class writing and thinking
assignments. These points
accumulate almost daily, and require
your presence and attention.
Other homework assignments such
as thesis sentences, outlines, drafts,
Points each
100
100
100
25
10
10
3-5
5-15
Points per quarter
100
100
100
25
80-100
30
90-120
25-45
3
etc.
Total
525-575
Whatever your percentage of the total, that’s your course grade. Below is a conversion
chart, used by all the Seattle Community Colleges, to show how percentages convert to
grades on the 4-point system.
Student
Percentage of
Letter Grade
Numerical Grade
Performance
Points Earned
Equivalent
Above 94 %
A
3.9-4.0
Excellent
90%-93%
A3.5-3.8
87%-89%
B+
3.2-3.4
High
84%-86%
B
2.9-3.1
80%-83%
B2.5-2.8
77%-79%
C+
2.2-2.4
Average
74%-76%
C
2.1-1.9
70%-73%
C1.5-1.8
67%-69%
D+
1.2-1.4
Minimum
65%-66%
D
1.0-1.1
64% and below
F
0.0
Attendance: Since class activities count toward your participation points, your grade can start to
fall dramatically when you miss class. If you need to leave class early for any reason, please clear
it with me first. If you must miss class for a valid reason, please discuss your circumstances with
me as soon as possible. Also, if you miss class, it is your responsibility to meet with me or
contact your classmates to get caught up. If you are absent when papers are returned, please make
sure you pick them up from me, or you’ll miss out on what I hope is valuable feedback.
For Running Start Students: You are responsible for resolving any schedule conflicts
between your work here and your work at your high school. No matter how important
your high school activity, I do not excuse you from any of your work here. Please make
sure your instructors know this.
LATE WORK
Late work receives half credit. Assignments must be ready to turn in at the beginning of class
time on the due date. Any assignment turned in after I collect assignments during class is
considered late. For example, if I collect assignments at the beginning of class and yours is
turned in ten minutes into the class, your assignment is late. For another example, if I collect
the assignments at the end of class and you turn in your assignment five minutes after class, your
assignment is late.
Work over a week late is not accepted.
Points for missed class activities and missed discussions cannot be made up.
Emergencies: If a documented emergency keeps you from turning in an assignment on time, get
in touch with me immediately so we can discuss your circumstances. I will determine what
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constitutes an emergency, but emergencies, by my definition, do not mean computer problems,
printer lines, jobs, writer’s block, etc. If you have been attending regularly and keeping up with
assignments, I will be more likely to be sympathetic and will work with you to resolve the
situation. Please plan ahead to allow for printing, traffic, etc.
Extended emergencies: Occasionally very dramatic events happen during the course of a
quarter: Car accidents, family illnesses, etc. Even if these are legitimate emergencies, they may
cause you to miss so much coursework that it cannot be made up. In that case, I will advise you
that it may be better to drop the class and take it again at a better time.
Do not e-mail me assignments.
NSCC ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
POLICY ON PLAGIARISM
To take the words or ideas of someone else and present them as your own is plagiarism and is
unacceptable in academic life. The nature and causes of plagiarism may cover a range from the
accidental to the dishonest. Examples of plagiarism encountered in academic writing may
include the following:
 incorporating into your own writing, without proper acknowledgment, words and
sentences from a print, electronic, or oral source
 paraphrasing so closely or so extensively from a source that sentences and ideas
really belong to the original writer
 submitting as your own whole essays or seminar papers written by another person
or taken partially or in whole from a printed source, including from the internet
 receiving so much help from another person that the work cannot honestly be
called your own
By your attendance here, you’ve agreed to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct which states,
in part, that “academic dishonesty, to include cheating, plagiarism, and providing false
information to the college” may bring disciplinary action. The policy of the NSCC English
faculty is to exercise its professional judgment as to the nature and cause of each case of
suspected or proven plagiarism and to respond in a manner suited to the case. Our responses may
include the following:
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requiring that a piece of writing be revised to eliminate the plagiarism.
denying credit for a piece of writing in which plagiarism has been found.
recording a “0” grade in the student’s class record for this project or paper,
thereby lowering the student’s final grade.
forwarding the student’s name to the Vice President for Student Services for
possible further action.
PARTICIPATION AND CLASSROOM COMMUNITY
1. Turn off all cell phones. (Occasionally we will allow the phones to come out—for example,
if we are in a group discussion the class would benefit by looking something up; however,
unless notified that you may have them out, keep them out of sight and off.)
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2. Be here on time, and be prepared for class, ready to share your insights.
3. Stay in the room for the entire class period. Do not go in and out. Leaving the room can
affect your participation grade.
4. Ask questions when there is something you would like explained further. Chances are that
the resulting discussion will help everyone. Share your confusions generously.
5. Avoid distracting behavior. Do not have private conversations in class, do not make clicking
or zipping noises, and do not pack up your materials before class is officially over.
6. Food and drink in the classroom are OK if the wrappers don’t crinkle, the food doesn’t
crunch, the tops don’t pop, and your manners are considerate of others. You are always
welcome to bring enough for everyone.
ADVICE
English 102 is a challenging class. Here’s how you can help yourself meet the challenges:
1. The assignments are time-consuming: Assume that an assignment will take much
longer than you might at first think. Assume that your writing needs a lot of work even if
you’ve always received good grades in English. Assume that every detail needs a lot of
attention. Therefore, allow as much time as you possibly can.
2. There is a lot of reading: The reading may be more difficult than reading that you have
done before, depending on your reading experience and comfort with English. You
might want to form study groups outside of class, or visit the Loft for extra help with the
reading. Allow plenty of time for the reading
3. Keep a record of all sources you consult: You will need this information for working
with the MLA system of documentation. We will do library work with Noodletools, and
I recommend using it.
4. Save all your classwork: Assignments, notes, and handouts. You may want to refer to
earlier assignments when completing later ones, and if you choose the revision option,
you’ll need the original paper copy of your essay. Also, you’ll need original assignments
in case of grade disputes.
5. Have several “class buddies” whom you can call in case you unavoidably must miss a
class. Be a class buddy for others.
6. Don’t let a poor grade on an essay get you down: I know that it’s hard to receive a
low grade, especially when you feel that you made a strong effort. Nevertheless, English
102 is a very difficult class. If you get a low grade, the best thing to do is think hard
about it, study my comments, ask me questions, and learn from these errors so that you
can do better on the next essay. I have seen students get very low grades on the first
essay, but then continue, working very hard, with curiosity and open-mindedness; such
students often succeed with higher grades by the end of the quarter.
7. Always ask for help at the first moment you become confused. If you wait, you’ll end
up with less time to work successfully and with understanding.
WELCOME
Aside from all that, WELCOME! I hope that by reading and writing you can learn about the
world and about yourself. You can become more thoughtful about the effects of your language
on a reader or a listener. I hope that the work you do in this course will make you more
confident and independent writers, and will enable you to carry out whatever tasks your
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education asks of you. It is unlikely you will have completed your learning by the end of the
quarter; however, you will have amassed the basic tools you need for writing in the academic
community and other settings. I hope your learning continues beyond your time at NSCC, and I
wish you all the pleasure and satisfaction that the work of thinking and writing and discovering
can bring.
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