English 125 #739, Fall 2015
Online
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Professor Cathy Gillis
Phone: 707-256-7411 Text me: 707-418-0166
Faculty secretaries: 707-256-7726
Email address: cgillis@napavalley.edu
Website: http://www.napavalley.edu/people/cgillis/Pages/welcome.aspx
Office:1735F (library)
Hours: M:10-12PM
T/TH: 10-12, 3:30-4:30
F. by appt.
Link to our Blackboard Online Class: https://napavalley.blackboard.com
Join our Facebook group
Required Books:
1. SOL Signs of Life in the USA, 8th ed. (Maasik & Solomon)
2. FE Feed (Anderson)
3. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (Gibaldi) 2009 or later
*Yes, you DO need the books (also on reserve in the library)
This course develops logical reasoning skills through the analysis and generation of
written arguments. It focuses on the relationship of language to logic; the abilities to
analyze, criticize, advocate ideas; and to reason inductively and deductively. It includes
both analysis and writing of argumentative essays to develop critical and creative
thinking, reading, and writing skills.
Progress in specific writing skills will be developed through instruction in the writing
process— particularly revision—and instruction in building arguments, avoiding faulty
reasoning, and using evidence effectively. Approximately 8,000 words of writing are
required.
The theme for this class is based on one of the required books, Signs of Life, which
examines popular cultural issues using the Semiotic Method. While examining these
phenomena, students learn the difference between the simple expression of an opinion
and forming an argued interpretive analysis through a semiotic conceptual framework. To
this end, the selections from Signs of Life and the book Feed help students consider
important and timely issues by providing insights into interpreting signs and images.
Online Requirements:
At least three times a week, you’ll need to check for new emails, postings, assignments,
and announcements. I check it every day. The Blackboard system records when, where,
and how long you are in the class environment. You may be dropped if you miss a week
of checking in to your class or get too behind in your work. You will find the assignments
by week in the “current week” tab. As each week passes, old week can be found in
"previous weeks." You can also check your scores in “My Grades.” You’ll do your
discussions on Blackboard and you’ll use the mail program to contact your classmates
and me.
Course Requirements:
All students will be expected to write short papers and essays in which skills in
organization and development of ideas are demonstrated. The online version of this
course must exactly match the course requirements for a face-to-face class, so the online
class is actually more challenging. If you feel your life/schedule cannot meet the demand
of the online course, please drop and make room for a waitlisted student.
Final drafts of essay assignments must be word-processed double-spaced and MLA
formatted. Papers must include one-inch margins and must have page numbers (see The
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers). Each student must also submit rough
drafts periodically for peer review. Students must submit other assignments related to
final drafts of essays.
The number one reason students fail an online course is that they do not have or take the
time to complete the assignments on deadline due to poor time management. You will be
dropped from the class if you get too behind in the course and/or you do not turn in
assignments on deadline. At that point you must contact me as you will not have
access to the class.
Each student is responsible for the assigned readings and/or activities. Reading passages
assigned for a particular week should be read before the week is over.
Assignments are due up to the end time given on indicated days; this will usually be just
before midnight. Pay close attention to all due dates/times as they may change. Late
assignments are NOT accepted; under extraordinary circumstances (with back up
documentation) if I receive a late paper, a full letter grade will be deducted.
Plagiarism, whether intentional or accidental, is an offense punishable by failure of this
course. You will be required to also submit your essays to turnitin for plagiarism review.
Having someone extensively edit and revise your writing is also dishonest and a form of
plagiarism. All essays must contain the student’s original work, or else they must be
scrupulously documented/cited. Any student who turns in an essay that is plagiarized will
be subject to the Napa Valley College’s Academic Honesty Policy. You will be flunked
from the course.
Note: Failure to complete an assignment will significantly affect your grade as it results
in a loss of 100 to 200 points each. You will not pass the class if you miss any of the
major writing assignments. In an online course, other, smaller assignments add up and
count as your participation and replacement for the face to face in-class activity—do not
neglect these smaller assignments as they will possibly drop your grade and/or cause you
to fail.
• Harassment of any kind (implied, written, oral or physical) toward any member of the
class or the instructor will not be tolerated.
• You are urged to contact me via email at any time, particularly if you have a question or
would like feedback on an essay. ALL emails I receive will be answered within 48 hours.
DO NOT CONTACT ME 12 HOURS BEFORE AN ESSAY IS DUE, HOPING FOR
LAST MINUTE HELP BECAUSE THERE IS NO GUARANTEE I WILL GET YOUR
EMAIL AND BE ABLE TO RESPOND IN TIME--PLAN AHEAD.
How to Cope When Your Computer Breaks:
Have a back up in place! You can access the class and textbook sites on as many
computers as you like via a normal web browser and you should always have extra copies
of your work on a flash drive, the cloud or other storage (try Google documents). Be sure
to bookmark the URL for Blackboard in case the Napa Valley College website goes
down. A broken computer (or printer) is NOT a valid excuse for missing deadlines; you
need to get in to campus if you don’t have access to a working computer or printer
elsewhere and NOT wait until the last minute to find out you lost your files.
Response Papers (see example in course documents)
You will be asked to submit frequent (once a week), short (1 page typed) response
papers in the course of our reading Signs of Life and Feed. These papers should
NOT be a summary of what you read in our book even though they may bring up
aspects of the reading; rather, they should be your critical response to what you’re
reading (what surprises you and why, questions that came up, an exploration of
ideas that might interest you to write about, etc.) The best way to get into the flow
of writing these short responses is to annotate while your read (either in the margins
or on sticky notes) and simply put those thoughts and responses together into a
cohesive few paragraphs right after you are finished with the reading. These papers
must be typed and properly formatted according to MLA including standard 1’’
margins, double-spacing, name, date, class, and indentions (see the MLA
Handbook).
Blogs
You will use the Blackboard blog for blog posts as assigned during the semester. They
are short multi-media posts regarding the topic of popular culture.
Group Presentations
Each student will be required to participate in one group presentation during the
semester. Groups will decide which new information to present on any topic that
emerges from our reading about pop culture issues—as long is it is not repeating the
same information. Creativity is encouraged. You may use any desktop or web
program/site such as Powerpoint, YouTube, Flickr, Vine, etc. Presentations should
be about 5-10 minutes. Usually a PowerPoint presentation is used for the online
class. An example may be a group presentation that includes showing the class how
there is a trend to show fathers on television as not very intelligent or as the butt of
jokes.
Individual Presentations
At the end of the semester, each student will upload an individual presentation
describing what he/she is writing about for his/her final research paper. As with the
group presentations, a Powerpoint is usually the format used by students, but you
may want to try other software.
Grading
Response Papers
Short Assignments/presentations
Essay 1 (3-4 pages)
Midterm
Essay 2 (3-5 pages)
Essay 3 (5-7 pages) +
presentation
Final
15%
15%
15%
10%
15%
20%
10%
You are allowed an optional revision of each of the first two essays contingent upon
communicating with me via email. Your revision(s) must be turned in within two
weeks of the essay’s having been returned to you. Revision grades are averaged
with the originals.
Overall Schedule
This is an overview only; you must check specific assignments on
the “current week” tab each week within our online Blackboard class.
Week 1
AUG 17+
• To hold your place in this class, you must complete these tasks within the online
class itself by the end of week 1:
 View the orientation
 Join our Facebook group
 Review this syllabus
 Complete the Syllabus Worksheet (not graded)
 Sign and return the last page of this syllabus to me (you can upload a picture)
 Introduce yourself with a post on the discussion board (see week 1 in the class).
 Get required books immediately.
Week 2
AUG 24+
• SOL Intro 1-20, 21-40; paper format, blog instructions, other assignments.
Week 3
AUG 31+
• SOL 41-69, 71-79; FE 1-16; 1st Response Paper (SOL) Due (see example and
syllabus), other assignments.
Friday 9/4/15 Last day to drop without a W+ refund of fees
Monday Sept 7th Labor Day, no school
Week 4
SEPT 7+
• SOL 80-100, 102-109; FE 17-40; Response Paper (FE) Due
Week 5
SEPT 14+
• FE 41-54; SOL 110-127, 143-55; Response Paper (SOL) Due; blog post due
Week 6
SEPT 21+
• FE 55-72; ESSAY #1 DRAFT WORKSHOP, SOL 157-176; FE Response
Paper Due
Week 7
SEPT 28+
• FE 73-94, SOL 177-196, 197-217; MLA/grammar Review, SOL Response Paper
Due, 3rd blog post due; ESSAY #1 FINAL DRAFT DUE (3-4 pgs)
Week 8
OCT 5+
• FE 95-131; SOL 255-275, 300-318, SOL Response Paper Due, Group
Presentation #1, film for final
Week 9
OCT 12+
• FE 132-157; SOL 321-342, 356-360, 366-371; SOL Response Paper Due
Week 10 OCT 19+
• FE 158-172; Group Presentation #2; ONLINE MIDTERM
Week 11 OCT 26+
• SOL 383-402, 403-409, 415-419; FE 173- 196; SOL Response Paper Due,
Group Presentation #3
Week 12 NOV 2+
• FE 197-218; 5th blog post due (video), SOL 420-437; SOL Response Paper
Due
Week 13 NOV 9+
• ESSAY #2 DRAFT WORKSHOP, FE 219-233; SOL 441-458, Group
Presentation #4
Wed. Nov. 11 College closed, no classes
Friday 11/13/15 Last day to drop with a W
Week 14 NOV 16+
• SOL 465-473, 480-488; FE 234-251; FE Response Paper Due; Group
Presentation #5; ESSAY #2 FINAL DRAFT DUE (3-5 pgs)
Week 15 NOV 23+
• SOL 491-517, 524-537; FE 252-263; 6th blog post due; online presentations; SOL
Response Paper Due; ESSAY #5 OUTLINE DUE
Nov. 26-28 Thanksgiving Break, Happy Thanksgiving!
Week 16 NOV 30+
• SOL 554-559; FE 264-299 (end); Online presentations,
Week 17 DEC 7+
• Final blog post due (final reflections), Online presentations; ESSAY #3 DRAFT
WORKSHOP, ESSAY #3 FINAL DRAFT DUE (5-7 pgs)
Week 18
DEC 14+ FINAL EXAM WEEK
Students in need of accommodations in the college-learning environment:
Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a
learning disability should contact Learning Services in the Library and Learning
Resource Center (LLRC), room 1766, phone (707) 256-7442. A Learning Disability
Specialist will review your needs and determine appropriate accommodations.
If you need accommodations for physical or other types of disabilities, schedule an
appointment with DSPS Counselor, Sheryl Fernandez, in the Counseling Department
located in the 1300 building, phone (707) 256-7220 for appointment.
All information and documentation is confidential.
Please feel encouraged to make an appointment with me privately to discuss your specific
learning needs in my class.
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(Please return this bottom section to me. You may scan it, take a picture of it, etc.)
English 125 Fall 2015, section 739
I have read and understood the contents of this syllabus, and I understand the
consequences of not following the assignments and rules. It is my responsibility to
complete the assignments of this course, to study the course material and to attend each
class meeting on time. I also understand that it is my right to ask the instructor, at any
time, for clarification of any assignment, rule or my responsibilities for this course.
Signature_________________________
Print name___________________________________
Date_______________________
Phone/cell___________________________________
Email address (print very neatly)__________________________________________
Anything I should know?