English 098: English Fundamentals | Section 2898 | Fall 2014
INTRODUCTION
Class Days & Times: Tuesdays & Thursdays 2:00 PM – 3:55 PM; Room: 52-570
Instructor: Alan Traylor, Master of Arts English (San Diego State University, 2013)
Contact Information: alan.traylor@gcccd.edu; (619) 644-5707; on Twitter: @TraylorAlan
Office: 52-558B; Office Hours: Monday – Thursday 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Project Success/Freshman Academy
This course is part of a learning community. It is linked to instructor Jenny Nolen’s English 098R section 2933. Students
must be enrolled in both courses to remain in either, and the students for both classes will be the same.
Our mission is to facilitate the successful completion of your courses each semester as well as to propel you towards your
long term educational and career goals. We work hard to create an environment in which you can succeed. By
emphasizing contextualized learning, academic and social community building, service and leadership opportunities and
rich student support services, we strive to help you with your educational journey.
It is our expectation that you will also work hard and honor your goals as personal commitments. While all success comes
with some sacrifices, we urge you to remember that the rewards, now and in the future, are greater than those sacrifices.
Commit to achieving. Expect to achieve.
As faculty in this program, we have made the same commitment, and we have the same expectation.
Together, we will succeed!
Course Description: This course is designed to introduce students to the process involved in writing effectively. Students will study
grammar, punctuation, and standard usage and will practice various phases of the writing process and use sentence variety to
compose paragraphs and at least one multi-paragraph essay. (Nondegree credit course)
Prerequisite: “Pass” grade in English 090 and 090R or a “C” grade or higher or “Pass” in English 105 or equivalent or assessment
recommendation for English 098.
Important Dates:
August 18: Regular day & evening classes begin.
October 2: Midterm exam.
August 19: First day of English 098-2898.
November 4-5: Water Fair.
August 29: Add/drop deadline.
November 7: Last day to drop semester-length classes.
September 1: Labor Day. Campus closed.
November 11: Veteran’s Day. Campus closed.
September 16-17: Flow screening and discussion.
November 27-29: Thanksgiving. Campus closed.
September 19: Last day to apply for Pass/No Pass semester-
December 9-15: Final exams.
length classes.
Required Texts: They Say/I Say Third Edition by Gerald Graff & Cathy Birkenstein (ISBN: 9780393935844)
Required Internet Browser Bookmarks: english982898.wordpress.com, www.owl.english.purdue.edu, www.grossmont.edu/water
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English 098: English Fundamentals | Section 2898 | Fall 2014
Also required: Blue books (2), blue or black pens (2), a class journal, a method for storage of electronic course documents
Learning Outcomes: At the end of instruction in English 098, students will
1.
2.
3.
Demonstrate comprehension of various test questions and writing prompts by developing clear, coherent paragraphs
controlled by topic sentences, supported with adequate detail, and completed with appropriate conclusions; or multi-paragraph
compositions containing a thesis, body paragraphs with topic sentences, content developed with adequate supporting
material, transitions, and an appropriate conclusion.
Apply the basic principles of grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.
Use the four basic sentence patterns (simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex), subordinating minor ideas using
dependent clauses and emphasizing major ideas using independent clauses.
COURSEWORK
 Journal. The journal is the place you will write each week—I recommend buying a single notebook that will serve this purpose. In
it you will practice writing grammatically and developing and responding to ideas. What you write in your journal will sometimes fuel
class discussions. This journal is informal and I will not evaluate it based on what was written. Instead, your grade will derive from
the effectiveness and completeness of the journal and whether or not you kept it up over the course of the semester.
 Writing projects. Students will write three formal paragraphs during the semester, in which they will demonstrate an
understanding of grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, as well as topic and theme. Each paragraph will consist of a
rough draft and a revised draft—students must turn in both to receive credit. You may choose to write more than a single
paragraph for each project, up to and including a full essay, at your discretion.
 Flow project. This class will participate in the “One Campus/One Theme” project at Grossmont College this semester. We will
attend a showing of the film Flow along with an interdisciplinary discussion afterward, and participate in the Water Fair in
November. This is a campus activity, a class activity, and a writing project.
 Group work. For each of the essay assignments, students will participate in group workshop sessions outside of class for
homework credit. Each workshop group will be finalized by the second week of class and will consist of three or four students.
Group members will swap contact information, and groups will be assembled based on schedule availability.
 [NEW] Homework. For the remainder of the term, students will be required to complete homework activities for course credit.
Homework will be assigned prior to each class session, and must be completed prior to class to earn credit. Credit will consist of a
“√” mark—you will either have completed the homework activity and earn credit, or not. All homework assignments will be
presented in class the previous meeting, and will be posted on the blog the same day.
 [NEW] Quizzes. For the remainder of the term, I will periodically give quizzes on the material under study. The quizzes that you
have already taken count toward this total. Sometimes these quizzes will be announced; sometimes they will not. It is important
that you keep up with your coursework to remain prepared.
 Office hours visits. As a homework requirement, each student must attend office hours three times over the course of the
semester during the revision process for paragraph assignments. Office hours visits will be roughly 10-15 minutes each and will
consist of a discussion of your work in progress. I’ll evaluate your progress and give you advice for revision, but you will not be
graded on the “correctness” of your draft.
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English 098: English Fundamentals | Section 2898 | Fall 2014
 Exams. Exams will consist of multi-paragraph handwritten essay responses to prompts using good sentence structure, grammar,
and punctuation. Exams will be administered in class, and you are required to bring a blue book and a blue or black pen (not a
pencil, not a purple pen) on exam days. Students will not know the exam prompts prior to writing.
Assignment
Journal
Paragraphs (3)
Homework
Quizzes
Office hours visits (3)
Midterm exam
CAT exam
Optional assignment (1)
Total points possible:
Points
10
10 ea.
10
25
5 ea.
10
10
5
115

Grades: It is possible to earn up to 115 points in the
course.
A: 115-90 points
B: 89-80
C: 79-70
D: 69-60
F: 59 and under
Optional assignment: Write a 2-3 page review of a currently playing production (a play or a concert) that you have seen during
this semester. Your review must consist of (1) a brief summary of the event and (2) a discussion of an idea you encounter in the
production. Your ticket must be stapled to your review when you turn it in to receive credit, and my pre-approval of the
performance is required.
POLICIES
 Attendance: Attendance is
Drop Policy: Because courses in the Freshman Academy are often linked and student
mandatory, and you are
assignments in each class often depend upon work completed in another class, dropping from
expected to participate fully
one class and maintaining enrollment in another may not be possible.
in classroom activities and
However, if you find yourself in a situation which requires dropping from one or more (but not
discussions. If you
all) classes, it is your responsibility to notify ALL of your "linked" instructors, so that everyone
accumulate absences
involved can come to a decision about what is possible.
exceeding four hours, either
There is no guarantee that students in this situation will be able to maintain enrollment in other
instructor has the option to
courses, but when and where faculty deem it to be ethical and feasible to allow for a drop, they
drop you from the course.
will assist you in determining which courses you may still complete and what adjustments (if
Of course, you have the
any) may need to be made.
primary responsibility to
drop yourself. If you miss two class meetings, you have already depleted the number of allowable absences. In addition, any two
late arrivals to class will be counted as one absence. A tardy is arriving to class a maximum of ten minutes late. For more details
about the college’s policy pertaining to attendance, your instructors both advise you to read the Grossmont College Catalog for
specific details. In all cases, your absence does not relieve you of the responsibility of submitting the assignments due. Read
pertinent make-up and late assignment policies provided by your Project Success instructors for each one of the linked courses.
In the event that you must miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out what was covered during that class session. To that end,
not only can you refer to the class schedule (to be posted on the blog) for each class session, but you also should consider
exchanging phone numbers or e-mail addresses with at least two students in class, peers you can call to discover whether
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English 098: English Fundamentals | Section 2898 | Fall 2014
changes in assignments have occurred during your absence. Most importantly, you should notify each instructor of your absences
by leaving a message on voice mail or email or by calling either instructor during office hours.
 Disability Accommodations: Students with disabilities who may need accommodations in these two classes are encouraged to
notify the instructors and contact Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSP&S) early in the semester so that reasonable
accommodations may be implemented as soon as possible. Students may contact DSP&S in person in room 110 or by phone at
(619) 644-7112 (voice) or (619) 644-7119 (TTY for deaf).
 Deadlines: All coursework must be turned in on time to receive credit. No exceptions will be made for late work, except in
extraordinary circumstances, in which case I encourage you to discuss your situation with me before it becomes a problem, if you
are able. I will not respond to emails regarding missed due dates or late work, and the following excuses (and their like) do not
qualify as “extraordinary circumstances”:



I don’t have a printer at home/my printer isn’t working/my printer
ran out of ink.
I woke up late/my ride was late/the bus was late/traffic sucked.
I couldn’t find the tech mall/I don’t know where the tech mall
is/the tech mall was closed.
Please note that to print anything in the tech mall, a print card is required.
The “Do-Over”: Once per semester, each
student may request an official “do-over” on one
assignment—no questions asked, no excuses
necessary. In this case, I will accept work up to
one week late. Alternately, you can use your doover to revise an assignment. That said, all
assignments, including “do-overs”, must be
turned in no later than the end of the semester.
 Electronics: I require the use of electronic devices at appropriate times, including laptops, phones, and tablets—such devices can
be powerful tools for contextualizing and creating meaning. However, we must acknowledge that these devices are often
distracting when we should otherwise be engaged with what is right in front of us. Since your active participation is required in this
course, you must follow these general rules:



Devices must be silent at all times.
Texting, social media, and general web surfing are forbidden.
Step outside to answer your phone, but do not answer your phone except in cases of emergency.
Students who violate these rules will be told to leave the class and not return until they have first seen me in office hours. Each
removal will count as an absence, which could affect your ability to remain in the course (see Attendance policy).
Designated & appropriate times: I will always verbally indicate when it is appropriate to use electronic devices. If I have not
explicitly said so, keep them stowed out of sight in a bag or under your desk. If you are unsure whether you may use your device,
raise your hand and ask.
During exams: Students may not use electronic devices during exams.
 MLA Style: All take-home writing responses must be in Modern Language Association format. We will discuss MLA in class, but
generally speaking, MLA means your paper must be uniformly double-spaced, in a 10- to 12-point professional font, with one-inch
margins. For more information on MLA format, refer to the online writing lab at Purdue University, which can be found
at www.owl.english.purdue.edu.
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English 098: English Fundamentals | Section 2898 | Fall 2014
 Respect: We will often discuss sensitive issues in class—including religion, politics, sexuality, ethnicity, and other potentially hotbutton topics—as they intersect with the material under study. Many people have strong beliefs on such topics, and strong
opinions informed by such beliefs.
It is crucial that we create a safe space to discuss such issues, where you and your colleagues feel empowered to explore ideas,
challenge assumptions, and reflect on new information that may conflict with ideas you learned before.
To do so, we must show the utmost respect for our colleagues when they assert their opinions, especially when we disagree with
them. We must do our best in this class to encourage an enlightened exchange of new ideas, for this is how we grow as college
learners as well as members of a democratic society.
Students who act disrespectfully will be removed from class—I have zero tolerance for misogyny, sexism, homophobia,
transphobia, bullying, bigotry, racism, trolling, and anything else that would disrupt a civil exchange of ideas. If you feel that
someone is acting in this way and it is not being addressed, please see me in office hours so we can discuss it. Furthermore, if you
are ever made to feel worried, unsettled, afraid, or unsafe by the words or actions of another student, please tell me immediately.
THE ENGLISH WRITING CENTER
Visiting the EWC for assistance in reading or writing is a great way to learn the skills necessary for success. If you consider
yourself to be a strong student, an EWC tutoring session can help you polish up your work and really make it shine. If you know
you need real help with reading, writing, or language mechanics, a tutor can help you learn what you need to do to improve, and
then show you how.
On average, students who work consistently with English Writing Center tutors earn a letter grade higher in their
courses.
Visit the EWC’s web page at http://grossmont.edu/ewc for more information. The English Writing Center is located in the tech mall
in room 70-119.
Fall 2014 Hours:
Mondays - Thursdays: 9:00 am - 7:00 pm
Fridays: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
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