ENGL&101.D2 – English Composition I (Online)
The Harlem Renaissance
Winter 2013
Instructor: Greg November
Office: IB 2423 (cubicle 9) / Office phone: (206) 934 4553 ext. 4
Office hours: TTh 5:00 – 6:00 PM and by appointment.
School e-mail: gregory.november@seattlecolleges.edu
To access ANGEL: http://angel.northseattle.edu/default.asp
Angel email will be the most reliable way to contact me.
REQUIRED TEXTS
• The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader, David Levering Lewis, ed.
• Writing With Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing, 3rd ed., John R. Trimble, ed.
• Any college-level dictionary
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Effective writing does not come easy; it is a process that requires study and practice. To help you become a
more skillful and confident writer, this course will address the basic rhetorical strategies used in varying types of
communication. We will examine both written and visual texts, scrutinizing each for meaning, purpose, and
audience. The task: to find out what makes a text effective, in order to write effectively ourselves.
Students in 101 are expected to know the fundamentals of language mechanics, though we will spend some class
time helping you expand your mastery of sentence structures. Most important, you will do a lot of writing and
will read, critique, and revise what you have written. You will practice all phases of the writing process –
generating ideas, focusing, organizing, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, and evaluating your own work.
Our theme this quarter is THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE. We will read excerpts from some of the major
works from this time period, as well as explore the major themes on the minds of writers like Langston Hughes,
Jean Toomer, Nella Larsen, and others. Though our class is fully online, I expect the vibrancy of this literary
movement will fuel our discussions and work together.
REGARDING THE ONLINE NATURE OF THIS COURSE
Because our class is fully online, you will type ALL assignments and communication, and must have
regular and reliable internet/computer access. We have no scheduled “classroom” time, although
many assignments will have specific deadlines and you will need to access the class page regularly to stay on
top of everything. I will check my Angel email every day and you need to as well.
This class is reading and writing intensive. You will be reading, working on your own, and working online
rather than sitting in a classroom 5 hours a week, however you are expected to spend this same
amount of time, plus homework time, for our class.
If you have never taken an online course before, please check out the information at the bottom left of
Angel’s homepage. These brief orientations will help you to understand what’s expected from you in an
online class. This is very important information!
To be successful in this class you must:
-
Have basic proficiency with the internet and with e-mail and file attachments.
Be self-motivated and take responsibility for your own learning.
Manage your time effectively; prioritize assignments.
Providing timely and thoughtful feedback to assigned group members.
Treat this course as much like a traditional face-to-face course as possible.
COURSE POLICIES

Two Deadlines/week. Assignments will be due Wednesdays and Sundays at 4:00 PM.

Log in regularly. This is the most important aspect of succeeding in this course! If you wait until
just before the deadline to start working on material for this class, you will fall behind. Log in and
check your Angel email at least 4-5 times per week!

Post work on time. Many assignments will be time sensitive, meaning if you post them late you
will lose points or possibly not get credit at all. All deadlines are Pacific Standard Time, which is
not necessarily what the time stamp in Angel goes by. Pay attention to this; it is your responsibility
to get all work in on time.

Participate. Contribute to the general good will of our class by interacting with each other in a
respectful and lively fashion; provide timely feedback when required.

Type all assignments. Double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font.

Save your work. Keep a copy of all assignments that you turn in.
GRADES:
Following is an estimate of the likely points breakdown for our class. As with life, it is subject to change to meet the
evolving needs of our course.
2-3 page Personal Narrative
3-4 page Summary/Response
3-4 page Visual Text Analysis
3-4 page Substantial Revision
100 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
Weekly Discussion Forums
Writing Exercises
Reading Quizzes & Responses
Online Participation
210 points
100 points
65 points
25 points
Total:
800 points
The Grade Scale:
94-100: A (3.9 -4.0)
90-93: A- (3.5-3.8)
87-89: B+ (3.2-3.4)
84-86: B (2.9-3.1)
80-83: B- (2.5-2.8)
77-79: C+ (2.2-2.4)
74-76: C
70-73: C67-69: D+
65-66: D
0-64: F
(1.9-2.1)
(1.5-1.8)
(1.2-1.4)
(1.0-1.1)
(0.0)
*This is a change from previous quarters. Anything below 65 is now considered 0.0/F per
the state, which is recognizing 1.0 as the minimum passing grade.
STATEMENT ON DIVERSITY:
I recognize and respect diversity of ethnicity and race, gender, sexual identity, class, age, and disability.
Differences provide us with opportunities to learn new things, compare experiences, test our assertions,
understand ourselves better, and find common ground. Differences also sometimes engender conflict. In the
midst of that conflict, I ask everyone to maintain a language and an attitude of respect.
North Seattle Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion,
national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability. If you have any
special needs, especially if you need classroom assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let me
know as soon as possible. Accommodations are documented and provided through
the Educational Access Office (527-3679), which is on the second floor of the College Center building near
Registration.
PLAGIARISM POLICY:
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 will result in receiving a
“0” on the paper and/or discipline on the part of the college administration.
______________________________________________________________________________
The Loft Writing Center is upstairs in the library. There you can work one-on-one with a writing tutor,
and make use of a variety of other learning tools.
Website: https://northseattle.edu/tutoring/loft-writing-center
Director: Daniel Tarker, (206) 526-0164, Daniel.Tarker@seattlecolleges.edu
Hours: Mon-Thurs: 9:30 – 6:30; Fri: 9:30 – 1:30; Sun: 1:00 – 5:00
E-tutoring (sponsored by the Loft and Distance Education)
Website: https://northseattle.edu/tutoring/loft-writing-center/online-services
_____________________________________________________________________________
NSCC Library
Website: https://library.northseattle.edu/
Phone: Reference Desk (206-934-3609) or Circulation Desk (206-934-3607)
______________________________________________________________________________
The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University is a good resource for tips about writing and
revision, information about MLA format, etc.
Website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/679/01/