English 101 – Composition I Instructor: Christy Scheuer Course Time and Location: 11:00 - 11:50 am, M-F, CC3360 Instructor Phone: 206-934-4538 Course Website E-mail: christina.scheuer@seattlecolleges.edu Office: IB 2306 D Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 12 – 2:30 p.m. Canvas.northseattle.edu When we read, we start at the beginning and continue until we reach the end. When we write, we start in the middle and fight our way out. —Vickie Karp COURSE OVERVIEW In this class, you will develop your ability to communicate your ideas in clear, accessible, and engaging ways and to modify the style of your writing depending on your audience and purpose. Throughout the quarter, we will also read, reread, and discuss other people's writing as a way to develop our own writing strategies and to think about how the work that you do here can be applied in other contexts and classes. Although all of the assigned reading will be significant, your writing is the most important text that we will consider in this class. Ultimately, the best way to learn how to write is to start writing—to suspend judgment of your abilities and dive into the process. You will need to be prepared to write often, both in formal essays and in class discussions. My goal is to make you feel as comfortable as possible with the writing process, which includes freewriting and brainstorming, drafting, sharing your writing within a writing community, and presenting final drafts of which you can feel proud. Core Goals: 1. Be specific. 2. Be passionate. 3. Become a close, critical reader of other writing. Required Texts: Cohen, Stanley, ed. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. 4th edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin‘s, 2011. ISBN 031266821X. Trimble, John. Writing with Style. 3rd Edition. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2011. ISBN: 0205028829. ENGLISH 101 COURSE OUTCOMES: 1. You will become a more relaxed, confident, and skilled writer. 2. You will learn to see writing as a process, one that requires time and thoughtful attention. You will practice all phases of the writing, editing, and revising process. 3. You will become comfortable and skilled in expressing yourself in different forms of the essay. 4. You will be able to recognize, define, and create a thesis statement and to be able to develop and shape supporting material for that thesis. 5. You will develop the ability to revise your own writing using a variety of forms of feedback and to offer useful feedback to others on their writing. 6. You will use critical thinking skills to challenge “commonplace” ideas about the world and to engage in informed discussions with your colleagues. 7. You will become a more effective and confident reader and develop your critical reading and thinking skills so that you can analyze, synthesize, and evaluate ideas found in each other’s essays and in academic texts. 8. You will gain the ability to write what you mean in clear, correct sentences and practice developing a repertoire of sentence structures. 9. You will become more proficient at in-class writing tasks. 10. You will establish your own writing goals and develop strategies to transfer these skills to your work in other classes. DEVELOPING A COMMUNITY OF WRITERS Students come to this class with a broad range of educational, writing, and personal experiences. This diversity enhances our class by expanding the range of viewpoints expressed and providing us with new ideas to discuss in class. It is very important that you are respectful of every student’s work and opinions so that the classroom is an environment in which everyone feels welcome. Writing can be difficult and frustrating at times, but the writing process is much more enjoyable and rewarding if we work through it together. Please communicate with me at any time regarding any concerns or questions you have about the course. You can come to my office hours or make an appointment if you would like to talk about your progress in the class, specific assignments, or any other concerns or questions that arise during the quarter. I’m here to help you, and I enjoy talking to students throughout the writing process. MAJOR ESSAYS This course is divided into three units, and each unit will give you a chance to practice a different approach to the essay. In each unit, you will turn in a paper proposal and an initial rough draft, and we will then discuss the papers in peer work-shopping sessions. Writing a thoughtful, complete draft will significantly improve your final paper. Papers must be typed and uploaded to the Canvas Assignment Dropbox. All assignments (including drafts) should be typed, double-spaced, using 12 point Times New Roman font. COURSE POLICIES: Attend daily. The importance of regular attendance cannot be overestimated. Please arrive on time and expect to remain until class is over. Your attendance and participation will figure into your final grade in the form of your participation grade and points assigned for in-class exercises and quizzes. These exercises cannot be made up. If you arrive late or leave early and miss an in-class exercise, you will not be permitted to complete the exercise you missed. Papers must be typed. All assignments (including drafts) should be typed, doublespaced, using 12 point Times New Roman font. I will not accept handwritten drafts. Save your work. It is your responsibility to keep a copy of all assignments that you turn in. Submit your work on time. An assignment is counted late if you do not submit it during class on the date it is due. In-class exercises and drafts (the small stuff) will not be accepted late. The major essays may be submitted late, but for each class period an assignment is late, your grade on that assignment will be reduced by one letter grade. For example, an A paper that is received one class late will be reduced to a B; two class periods late, a C; three classes late, a D; and four classes late, an F. If an assignment is turned in even 1 minute after class time on the day it is due, it will be counted as one day late. Homework that is due should be brought to class in paper form. Though you will submit your final essays on Canvas, your rough drafts and homework assignments will be due in paper form in class. It is a good survival policy for you to locate several possible printer locations on campus where you could print out your work if your home printer is not working. A non-functioning printer is not a valid excuse for missing the due date of a piece of written work and does not allow you to turn that work in late. Drafts and revisions are required for the major papers. The major papers will go through a typed draft version and a final, corrected version before a grade is assigned. In terms of the grading system, drafts and final versions constitute separate assignments, with drafts receiving point for completion. If a draft is handwritten, haphazard, or incomplete, you will not receive full points. Failure to bring a draft to class on the assigned date will result in a zero. You must have a hard copy of the rough draft in class on the day that it is due to get points for the Rough Draft and Peer Review. ATTENDANCE AND CLASS PARTICIPATION Since this is a small, discussion-based course, your regular attendance is imperative. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to seek a trustworthy classmate to provide you with notes on class discussion and lecture material, information about assignments, handouts, and announcements. Please let me know as soon as possible if chronic health problems, a personal emergency, or extraordinary circumstances threaten to interfere with your attendance so that we can discuss the best course of action. I will take attendance every day. If you are more than 5 minutes late to class, you will be counted as “late,” and 3 instances of being late will equal 1 absence. Please come to every class prepared to discuss the assigned reading for that day. This means that you will have read the assignment carefully and identified any passages that you would like to discuss—this can include passages that you loved and those that confused and annoyed you. You will often be asked to do in-class writing about these passages. GRADES Your grade will be based on a variety of projects and assignments, including drafts, formal papers, homework, and numerous small in-class writing exercises. I emphasize both the writing process and improvement in this class, and the grading system reflects this emphasis. Although each of the longer papers is a significant part of your grade, there are many other chances to earn additional points through class participation and more informal writing assignments. I encourage all of you to come to my office hours—or e-mail me to set up an alternative office hour—to discuss the drafts of your papers. You may also schedule an appointment with me at any time if you have a question about how you are doing in the class or a grade that you received. All Final Essays should be uploaded to the appropriate Assignment Dropbox in Canvas by 11:59 p.m. PST on the day that they are due. They will be graded electronically and returned to you via Canvas. The Major Papers: Personal Revolution Essay Rough Draft and Peer Review Narrative Analysis Essay Rough Draft and Peer Review Problem/Solution Essay Rough Draft and Peer Review Problem/Solution — Radical Revision 250 points 30 points 250 points 30 points 250 points 30 points 150 points Everything Else: Homework Seminar Papers and Summary/Responses (6 x 20) In-Class Writing (10 x 5 points) Attendance and Participation 140 points 120 points 50 points 50 points Total: 1350 points You will accrue points for each of the above assignments over the semester. These points will be added together to arrive at a final grade that is calculated as a percent average. The grade given at the end of the quarter will be based on a 4.0 scale. No grades of I (incomplete) or NC (no credit) will be granted except in the most extreme circumstances. If you do not feel you will be able to complete the course to your satisfaction, it is your responsibility to drop/withdraw from the course. I am happy to consult with you and advise you in these matters, so that we can determine a course of action that is most appropriate for you. For more information regarding withdrawing and other registration related questions, go to https://northseattle.edu/policies/adding-dropping-andwithdrawing-course The specific point value assigned to any assignment or exercise will correspond to how well you meet the terms of the assignment. You can find the grading criteria for each major assignment by looking at the Grading Rubric of that assignment. As a general guideline: A (4.0): An “A” paper is outstanding, typically exceeding normal expectations for the assignment. It explores the subject in great depth and reveals attention to nuances and complexities of the topic at hand. It is original, focused, carefully supported, nicely organized, and a pleasure to read. It more than meets the requirements of the assignment and exhibits the writer‘s mastery of mechanical skills and style. B (3.0): A “B‘ paper is better than average. It examines the subject in some depth. The thesis is supported and the organization is generally clear. Paragraphs and sentences are generally well constructed. Mechanics are clean for the most part. The papers meets the requirements for the assignment but lacks some of the tight structure, higher level analysis, and cohesion of an A paper. May have some minor gaps in logic, unsupported assumptions, or lack of full synthesis that leads to a really strong thesis. C (2.0): A “C” paper offers an acceptable examination of the subject, but it lacks the depth that comes with superior analysis. The thesis is present but not well supported with examples and illustrations. In fact, often these papers require more definiteness, focus/specificity, and original thought in thesis statements. Skeletal overall organization is present, but more unity and coherence in body paragraphs is needed. Paragraphs may not be fully developed. Papers may depend on generalizations and lack detail overall. Sentences are clear but may be awkward at times. Often more extended summary than analysis here that omits the thinking beneath the surface of matters. D (1.0): A “D” paper demonstrates below average effort. It does not examine the subject in depth and lacks organization. Much of the D essay typically does not support the thesis in a focused way. Quotations do not support points as they should. Reading may be a bit simplistic. Furthermore, paragraphs are not developed well. Awkward sentence structure may create problems for the reader. The paper may exhibit significant mechanical difficulties and likely will not complete all the requirements of the assignment. F (0.0): An “F” paper is unacceptable. It lacks thesis and organization. Paragraphs are not developed. It lacks details and examples. It may be difficult to follow, incomprehensible, or incoherent. It does not follow the assignment or lacks basic requirements of the assignment, such as proper length, documentation requirements, recognizable thesis and support, and overall coherence and unity. Grade Availability: After your assignment submissions have been graded, your scores will automatically appear in the Grades Tab on the ENGL 101 Canvas home page. Grading criteria are as follows: 94-100: A (3.9 -4.0) 74-76: C (1.9-2.1) 90-93: A- (3.5-3.8) 70-73: C- (1.5-1.8) 87-89: B+ (3.2-3.4) 67-69: D+ (1.2-1.4) 84-86: B (0.9-1.1) (2.9-3.1) 64-66: D 80-83: B- (2.5-2.8) 62-63: D- (0.7-0.8) 77-79: C+ (2.2-2.4) 61 or below: F (0.0) PREREQUISITES: This course is a college level English composition course, which requires that you provide me with a piece of paper, from the NSCC Testing Center (http://www.northseattle.edu/ enroll/testing/) or from your previous NSCC English Instructor (http://www.northseattle. edu/humanities/english/), documenting that you have the skills necessary to succeed in this class. You must present a copy of the placement test evaluation form from the Testing Center, a recommendation form from your previous NSCC English instructor, or a signed form from the Testing Center indicating your placement into English 101 by Friday, April 10. I‘m sorry, but I cannot make any exceptions to this rule. I CANNOT let you stay in the course without proper placement verification. Any student who has failed to verify placement by the end of the first week of class will be automatically dropped. RESOURCES Accessibility and Disability Services: My goal is to make the classroom as accessible as possible to all students. If you require any disability-related accommodations, please contact me by e-mail, phone, or in person. I would also recommend contacting disability services. Their website can be found here: https://northseattle.edu/disability-services. To make an appointment, contact the Disability Services office by phone at (206) 9343697, TTY at (206) 934-0079 modem, or e-mail at ds@seattlecolleges.edu. The Page One Writing and Language Center: The Page One Writing Center (previously the Loft) is the campus language lab/writing center, located on the top floor of the library on the North Seattle Campus. The Page One Writing Center offers free tutoring! The tutoring sessions last 30 minutes, are held on a first-come first served basis, and can help you with reading, writing, grammar, listening and speaking. The Writing Center also offers e-tutoring for online students. Although you will not be required to use the services of the Writing Center, many students have found their services helpful. For more information, call (206) 934-0164 or visit https://northseattle.edu/tutoring/page-one-writing-center Library: The library is a phenomenal resource to use if you have questions about research or sources—or really questions about anything. We will head to the library a few times as a class so that you can become more familiar with all that it has to offer. You can find useful information at https://library.northseattle.edu/ USING CANVAS/TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: We will be using Canvas as our online courseware. To access our online course, go to http://canvas.northseattle.edu/. Your username is your complete 9-digit NSCC student ID number and your password is the first six letters of your last name. For example, if your student ID number is 955-55-4411 and your last name is Petunia, then your username would be 955554411 and your password would be petuni. If you have trouble logging on, please check the Distance Learning office's troubleshooting information at http://www.virtualcollege.org/resource/technicalhelp_index.htm. If you can't solve the problem that way, contact the Distance Learning office help desk: 206 934.3738 or email them at North.eLearning@seattlecolleges.edu. E -MAIL E-mail is usually the most effective way to get a hold of me. Please e-mail me at any time with any questions that you may have about the course. I will have office hours each week, but feel free to e-mail me if these hours do not work for you, and we can set up a different time to meet. In this class, we will focus on developing effective rhetorical skills; therefore, I expect your e-mails to be written in clear and communicative prose and proofread for mistakes. Office Hours: You are encouraged to visit me during office hours or at another mutually convenient time to discuss any aspect of the course. For students who are unable to come to campus, I will be available by phone at 206-934-4538. I am always happy to receive feedback about the course or to get to know you a bit better, help you wrestle with difficult texts or concepts, or address any concerns you may have. PLAGIARISM AND ACADEMIC HONESTY Plagiarism is the intentional use of someone else’s words or ideas without giving that person credit. This includes submitting someone else’s essay in its entirety or in parts as your own, using any words, phrasing, and/or ideas from a source (this includes the Internet) without proper citation, having someone else write your paper or assisting so much that the phrasing and ideas are no longer your own, and re-submitting an essay previously written for another class. Plagiarism is absolutely prohibited and may result in receiving a “0” on the paper and/or discipline on the part of the college administration.