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English 1T: Integrated Composition and Reading: California Dreams and Realities
Winter 2016
Instructor: Dr. Jordana Finnegan
Units: 5
Class meetings/place: Tues, Thurs, Fri: 12:00-1:25
Room: 6301
(Co-requisite: 242B meets on Thursdays from 1:303:20)
Office hours: Tues: 10:15-11:15,
Fri: 10:30-11:30 and by
appointment
Office location: 6026
Email:
finneganjordana@foothill.edu
Phone: (650) 949-7646
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Welcome to English 1T. This integrated reading and writing pathway provides
instruction in freshman composition outcomes over two quarters, ENGL 1S and
ENGL 1T respectively. In this course, you will:
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Gain skills, strategies, and confidence for reading and writing about college-level
texts
Develop your reading comprehension and critical thinking skills as you articulate an
author’s main ideas and evaluate arguments
Annotate and read critically in order to understand and make arguments about
college-level texts
Learn how to synthesize key points and contribute to academic conversations
Approach reading and writing as integrated processes in order to construct meaning
and communicate effectively to various audiences
Evaluate your own reading and writing processes to identify strengths and areas for
improvement, and to understand your role within the academic community
COURSE THEMES
Since the “discovery” of California by Spanish explorers up to the present day, many
people have migrated to California because of the California Dream (or Dreams). The
California Dream portrays California as a state that is on the cutting edge of political and
social trends; what happens in the United States often occurs first in California. Lying on
the westernmost edge of the United States, California has represented a kind of “final
frontier” for Americans seeking new opportunities, freedom, adventure, and material
wealth. In this class we will explore many California dreams and realities, discussing and
forming arguments about life in the Golden State. By studying a range of diverse texts –
including essays, memoirs, a novel, poems, and visual images -- you'll unravel the
"California Dream" and, thus, critically analyze the California culture in which we're now
immersed.
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REQUIRED TEXTS
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Boyle, T.C. The Tortilla Curtain. New York: Penguin Books, 1995.
Miranda, Deborah A. Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir. Berkeley: Heyday Books, 2013.
Rodriguez, Luis J. Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. Touchstone,
1993.
Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in
Academic Writing.
English 1T Course Reader.
RECOMMENDED MATERIALS
 3-ring binder, dividers, and lined paper
 A USB drive to save in-class computer work
 A college-level English dictionary
 Access to a computer and printer
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADES
Out-of-class essays: 3 formal essays, in response to specific prompts. One draft of each
essay will be required for a Peer Review Workshop. Essay 1: 10%, Essay 2: 15%, Essay
3: 15%.
Final Exam: One in-class essay exam in which you reflect on your progress in the course.
10%
Reading-Writing Projects: 3 Reading-Writing Projects designed to help you engage with
topics and texts, e.g., personal stories, interviews, book reviews, and short research
reports. Total: 5%
Journal and Homework Assignments: A daily reading journal in which you record key
quotes from the reading and respond to it. Total: 15%
Personal Dictionary: A dictionary of selected key concepts and vocabulary. 10%
Class Participation and Attendance: Regular participation in class discussions, group
work, presentations, and individual work. 5 points will be awarded for each day of
attendance and participation. Total: 20%
 Because critical reading is required for successful class participation, 5 points will
be deducted from your class participation grade each day you do not have your
books/materials with you in class.
 If you arrive late to class, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are marked as
present on the roll (do this at the break, not upon arrival). Because late arrivals are
disruptive to the classroom environment, 2 points will be deducted from your
class participation grade for each day you arrive late.
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POLICIES
All required essays and the Final Exam must be completed in order to pass this course.
You must receive at least a C average (>72%) on both the out-of-class essays and in-class
essay exam to pass this course. Students earning a C- (70-72%) must meet with the
instructor and the course grade will be determined by a review of course work.
Late Work: Late essays may be accepted by arrangement with the instructor, but not on a
regular basis. To turn in an essay late, you must make an appointment to meet with me
before the due date and the extension will be no more than one class meeting (i.e., essays
due Tuesday are accepted no later than the following Thursday). Homework and in-class
work missed due to absence may not be made up, except in cases of emergency. The
Final Exam may not be made up.
Attendance: After 3 absences (excused or unexcused) I reserve the right to drop you from
the class. Absences will negatively impact your class participation grade; make-up work
will be accepted for work missed due to absence only at the instructor’s discretion. It is
your responsibility to obtain notes and homework assignments from classmates and
handouts from the instructor if you are absent. Absence is not a valid excuse for coming
to the next class unprepared.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is an act of academic dishonesty in which an individual falsely
represents the ideas and/or words of another as his/her own. Any act of plagiarism will be
grounds for failure of the assignment, failure of the course, and referral to the Dean of
Student Affairs. All sources must be cited according to MLA Style, which we will study
in class.
Etiquette: This class incorporates peer review and group work. Therefore, you’ll be
expected to treat your classmates, their work, and their opinions/thoughts with respect
and thoughtful consideration. Texting, listening to music, and using a laptop during
class are not permitted. You may not act in a disrespectful manner toward fellow
students or me.
If you are using a phone, a laptop, or any other distracting device during class, I will ask
you to put the device away once without penalty. If you use a distracting device again,
you may be asked to excuse yourself from class for the day and this will count as an
absence. Repeated use of a distracting device will lower your final grade.
ADA: If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please inform
me at the beginning of the quarter or as soon as possible after documentation has been
received. Students with documented learning and/or physical disabilities may receive
reasonable classroom and/or testing accommodations.
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ENGLISH 1T: COURSE SCHEDULE (Subject to change)
Course Theme: California Dreams and Realities
Week
1
Unit One:
The California
Dream: An
Introduction
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Unit Two:
California Indians,
the Mission Period,
and the California
Dream
Topics/Objectives
 Intro to the course: reading,
writing, literacy, and
argument
 Preparing to read critically:
preview, predict, prior
knowledge
 Understanding the California
Dream and the Anti-Dream
in essays and songs
 Annotating for topics and
concepts
 Native Americans, the
Missions, and the Gold Rush
 Understanding the genres of
memoir and history
Important Dates
Note: Reading and writing
assignments should be
completed before class meets
on the date under which they
are listed.
T 1/5: First day of class;
review syllabus. Buy Bad
Indians, The Tortilla Curtain,
and Always Running.
Th 1/7: Read Rawls,
“California: A Place, A
People, A Dream” (reading
packet). Answer two
questions from
“Understanding the Text” at
the end of the essay. Read
Lam, “My Teacher, My
Friend” (reading packet) and
fill out a Reading Journal.
F 1/8: Read Sanchez, “One
Day I’ll Leave This Place”
(reading packet). Fill out a
Reading Journal on Sanchez’s
story. Song analysis in class.
T 1/12: Read Miranda,
“Introduction: California Is a
Story” (Bad Indians pages xixx). Fill out a Reading
Journal.
Th 1/14: Read Miranda, “The
Genealogy of Violence, Part
1” (pages 2-35) and fill out a
Reading Journal. Meet in
Appreciation Hall at 1:00 for
discussion of Vargas’s White
People.
F 1/15: Read Miranda,
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“Testimony” (pages 152-175)
and fill out a Reading Journal.
Answer Study Questions for
chapters read this week.
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3
 Thesis Statements and Topic
Sentences
 Quote selection and
integration
 Noun Phrase Appositives
 Debate over Father Serra’s
sainthood
 Edit and Revise your Rough
Draft
T 1/19: Read Miranda,
“Bridges: Post-Secularization
1836-1900” (pages 38-53 and
pages 55-62) and fill out a
Reading Journal for each
section.
Th 1/21: Bring 2 copies of
Rough Draft for Peer Review
Workshop on Essay #1. Read
Miranda (pages 63-74 and
pages 186-192).
F 1/22: Read articles on the
protests over Father Serra’s
sainthood (Course Reader)
and bring 2 questions about
this debate to class. Prereading: The Tortilla Curtain.
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Unit Three:
Immigration,
Stereotypes, and
the California
Dream
 Paragraph structure
 Transitions
 Immigration and Inequality
T 1/26: Essay #1 due with
Personal Dictionary.
Read Boyle, Tortilla Curtain
(TC) pages 1-15
Th /28: Read Boyle (pages 1662) and fill out a Reading
Journal.
F 1/29: Read Boyle (pages 63120) and fill out a Reading
Journal.
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 Understanding Ethos, Pathos,
Logos
 Counter-arguments and
Contrast and Concession
 Environmental Racism
T 2/2: Read Boyle (pages 121165) and fill out a Reading
Journal. Bring your interview
on the California Dream.
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5
 Interviews on immigration
and the California Dream
Th 2/4: Read Boyle (pages
166-210) and fill out a
Reading Journal.
F 2/5: Read Street, “Battling
Toxic Racism” (handout).
Read Boyle (pages 211-257)
and fill out a Reading Journal.
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 Question Stems for Critical
Thinking
 Research an exploited
community
 Extra Credit reports on songs or
films.
 Inequality in the Silicon Valley
 Create and edit Rough Drafts
 Pre-reading and begin: Always
Running
 Understanding multiculturalism
in theory and in practice
T 2/9: Read Boyle (pages
261-308) and fill out a
Reading Journal. ReadingWriting Project #1 due.
Th 2/11: Finish Boyle (pages
309-355) and bring a review
of the novel. Extra credit
reports on songs or films
related to the California
Dream.
F 2/12: No Class; Presidents’
Day
T 2/16: Read two articles on
inequality in the Silicon
Valley: “Silicon Valley’s
Biggest Worry” and “Silicon
Chasm.” Bring questions
from Question Stems.
Th 2/18: Bring a detailed
outline of Essay #2. Read
Yamamoto, “Seventeen
Syllables” (Course Reader).
Complete a Reading Journal.
Read the poems on Place and
Identity in the Course
Reader.
F 2/19: Peer Review
Workshop. Bring 2 copies of
typed Rough Draft (at least 3
pages). Read Rodriguez,
“Introduction” (xi-xix).
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Unit Four:
Multiculturalism,
Gang Life, and
the Anti-Dream
 Select research topics and
conduct research on your topic
 Understand the Chicano/a
experience of the California
Dream
 Discuss Multiculturalism
T 2/23: Essay #2 due with
Personal Dictionary. Read
Rodriguez Chapter One (1334). Fill out a Dialectical
Journal. Read Jay, “What is
Multiculturalism?”
(handout).
Th 2/25: Read Rodriguez
Chapter Two (35-54). Fill
out a Dialectical Journal.
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F 2/2: Read Rodriguez
Chapter Three (55-79). Fill
out a Dialectical Journal.
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 Group presentations
 Deviance as a sociological
concept in general and in Always
Running
T 3/1: Read Rodriguez
Chapter Four (80-107). Fill
out a Dialectical Journal.
Th 3/3: Read Rodriguez
Chapter Five (108-131). Fill
out a Dialectical Journal.
F 3/4: Read Rodriguez
Chapter Six (132-159). Fill
out a Dialectical Journal.
Read Conley (Course
Reader).
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 Synthesize group presentation
work, research, and the text
 Finish Group Presentations
 Verbal Phrases
 Analyzing causation: who or
what is to blame?: In-class
debate over causation
T 3/8: Read Rodriguez
Chapter Seven (160-188).
Fill out Reading Journal.
Read poems by Baca and
Cervantes.
T 3/10: Read Rodriguez
Chapter Eight (189-209). Fill
out a Dialectical Journal.
Read Rodriguez Chapter
Nine (210-234). Fill out a
Dialectical Journal for each
chapter. Reading-Writing
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Project #2 due: Personal
story of deviance. Debate on
Always Running: internal
versus external factors.
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 Selecting items for Portfolio
 Developing your own voice:
personal and academic
 Final Exam: what to expect and
how to prepare
F 3/11: Read Rodriguez
Chapter Ten (235-246) and
Epilogue (247-251). Outline
of Essay #3 due.
T 3/15: Rough Draft essay
due (with research) for Peer
Review Workshop (2 copies
of at least 4 pages). Begin
film The King of California.
Th 3/17: Reading-Writing
Project #3 due. Finish film
The King of California.
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Finals week
F 3/18: Essay #3 due with
Personal Dictionary. Share
portfolios.
T 3/22: 12:30-2:30 pm: Final
Exam
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