English 1A: Critical Reading and Composition
“Social Change and the Global Community”
Section: CIN
Instructor: Carmen Johnston
Email:cjohnston@chabotcollege.edu
Voicemail: (510) 723-6809
Office Hours: Mon 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m., Tues/TH 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Wed
12:00-2:00 p.m.
Course Overview: English 1A is a college level English course. The main
purpose of this class is to further your growth as a competent, and critical
reader and writer. You will strengthen your analytical and composition skills
through class discussion and the writing of several papers, including a
research paper.
In this class we will continue examining issues of social justice and
how they play out in the world. Our journey will begin in Nicaragua and end
across the globe in the Sudan. As you all finish your projects hopefully you
will be able to see the connection between the challenges we face in the U.S.
with those plaguing the international community.
The structure of this class is very experiential. Meaning, we will have
a lot of games, group work, excursions, presentations and discussions. Your
complete participation in all class activities will further your understanding
of the concepts we explore and will enable you to pass the class.
Furthermore, we will also be discussing sensitive issues such as race, class,
gender and sexuality. We will spend a lot of time creating a safe environment
where everyone’s voice can be heard and respected.
Course Work:
 Readings (two books, and several essays)
 Class Discussion
 Group Work
 Weekly Quizzes
 3 essays, including a research paper
 Class presentations
 Group projects
Required Texts and Materials:
The Country Under My Skin, Giocanda Belli
Escape from Slavery, Francis Bok
Troubleshooting Guide for Writers, Barbara Clouse
Since we will be going the WRAC center once a week, you must have a USB
drive, Dropbox account or another mechanism for transporting your work. It
is crucial that you have this since we will be working on essays throughout
the semester in the WRAC.
Grading Policy:
60% Written Assignments (Essays, Research Paper)
30% Class Participation (Attendance, Quizzes, Class Participation)
10% Group Project
Grades will be given in the “A”, “B”, “C” format. Remember your final grade is
based on your collective points. If you want to get a good grade in the class,
make sure you complete all of your assignments!
Class Policies
o Your consistent attendance is crucial. If you miss 6 classes or 4
consecutively without checking in with me, you will be dropped from
the class.
o We will be using Blackboard in this class, so you can keep up with
missed assignments by utilizing the Blackboard site. It is your
responsibility to keep up with your assignments.
o There are no make-up quizzes, or exams.
o Late papers will be accepted up to one week after the paper’s due
date.
o All Late papers will be taken down one full grade.
o Late papers and late assignments will not be prioritized in grading.
o If you receive a “D” grade or lower on your 1st two papers you may
write them over if you meet with me immediately. You have one week
to turn in the rewrite.
Blackboard
“Blackboard is a password-protected, web-based course management
system.” We will be using Blackboard to assist our learning environment. Our
site will contain the syllabus, assignments used in class, a discussion board,
as well as external links. You must be enrolled in the class to access
Blackboard. Only enrolled students will have the password needed to enter
our Blackboard site within the semester. We will be using Blackboard
extensively in this course. If you are not familiar with Blackboard visit this
link for more assistance: http://www.chabotcollege.edu/Blackboard/.
Plagiarism:
Within the world of academia, plagiarism is a serious offense. It will not be
tolerated in this class. If you plagiarize any assignment, you may receive and
“F” on the assignment or fail the class. Depending on the depth of the
offense, you may also experience further disciplinary actions from the
college.
Plagiarism can include:
 Passing off something written by another person as your own writing
 Not giving credit to your sources for their ideas, information and
words you have borrowed from them
 Not quoting when you use an author’s exact words
 Not changing the wording when paraphrasing
Tentative Course Schedule (subject to change)
Week
Assignment
Jan 17
“The Banking Concept of Education”
Jan 23
The Country Under My Skin
Jan 30
The Country Under My Skin
Feb 6
The Country Under My Skin
Feb 13
The Country Under My Skin
Feb 20
Essay #1 prep
Feb 27
Essay #1
Mar 5
Escape From Slavery
Mar 12
Escape From Slavery
Mar 19
Escape From Slavery
Mar 26
Escape From Slavery
April 2
Essay #2 prep
Other Info
Research 1/23-ongoing
Feb 17-20 holiday
Action Planning 2/20-3/19
Annotated Works Cited
Action 3/26-4/30
Apr 9
Apr 16
Apr 23
Apr 30
May 7
May 14
May 21-27
Essay #2
Research Proposal Due
Research Paper Draft
Research Paper Due
Prep for Group Presentations
Group Presentations
Group Presentations
Spring Break