MONTGOMERY COLLEGE,
Takoma Park / Silver Spring Campus,
Department of English, Reading, World Languages, and
The American English Language Program
EN 101A: Techniques of Reading and Writing, I
Fall 2007
Instructor Information
Course Information
Professor: Miriam Simon
CRN: 22003
Phone Number: 240 567 1663
Class time: 8:00-10:05
Office Location: NP 230
Class location: T MP 144/R ST 329
E-Mail Address: miriam.simon@montgomerycollege.edu Office hours: TR: 12:30-1:30, M 8:309:30 (or by appointment)
Course Information
EN 101A emphasizes the processes of critical thinking, reading, and writing. Students move from
writing about personal experiences to writing for an outside, academic audience. Students write
for different audiences and purposes using a variety of rhetorical strategies. Students will write in
response to outside readings and will be introduced to appropriate documentation procedures.
EN 101A teaches students the same skills as EN 101 but provides additional time for grammar
and skills review. To pass this course, students are required to submit a final portfolio that meets
departmental requirements. Instructors will provide further information. (The portfolio is separate
from and in addition to the English Composition Folder required for this course.)
In this class, we will also spend time reading and thinking about, discussing, and writing about the
readings. You will also do independent and group research on related topics, which you will share
with the class. Through our focus on these readings, you will gain skills in approaching any topic
critically.
Prerequisite: Placement through assessment testing, successful completion of Basic English (EN 001 or EN
002 with a grade of B or better), or completion of EL 104 with a grade of C or better. Assessment level: RD
110. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that she/he has satisfied the requirements for admission
in to EN101/101A. (5 semester hours)
Specific Outcomes
Students will learn to write unified, coherent, and well-developed essays, observing the
conventions of Standard American English. Students will read and critically analyze essays that
serve as models for written discourse. You will also learn to: organize ideas and information;
adapt content and style to audience and purpose; formulate thesis statements and topic
sentences; write unified and coherent essays; read analytically and think critically; employ a
writing process that includes prewriting, drafting, and revising; compose multi-paragraph essays
consisting of introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
Texts and Supplies
Jane E. Aaron, The Little, Brown Compact Handbook, 6th Edition
Kennedy, Kennedy and Aaron, The Bedford Reader, 9th Edition. (Indicated as BR)
A good English-English dictionary such as The American Heritage.
A thesaurus
Two white Montgomery College English Composition folders (one for portfolio, one for course
folder).
Notebook (to be used as a journal)
Floppy disk, flash drive, some means for saving and revising essays
Grading and Course Requirements
In order to successfully pass this class, students must meet a number of requirements, including
writing a number of essays, attending class regularly, being prepared to work for each class
meeting, submitting all required assignments, and passing and satisfying departmental exit
requirements such as a portfolio. The grade breakdown is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Three essays, 15% each, for total of 45%
A final exam essay that includes documentation, 15% (presented for discussion during exams
week)
A portfolio containing two polished essays of your choice, as well as a reflective essay written
in class, 25%
Class participation, attendance, informal assignments, group work (including presentations),
lab work and journals, 15%
Essays: You will write four formal essays during the course of the semester, focusing on
and using rhetorical strategies such as comparison/contrast, cause and effect, analysis,
argument, and an introduction to incorporating outside sources. However, you will do a great
deal more writing in total, since revision is a key component of the writing process. In
addition, you will do extra writing in class and in your journals.
Essays will originate in the classroom and will be developed over the course of many
days, using development and revision methods, as well as small–group workshops. Essays
will be graded on a number of criteria, including strong thesis, development of ideas,
appropriate structure and organization, and good grammar.
Assignments must be formatted according to the APA style (see The Little Brown
Handbook for examples and explanation) and organized according to the professor’s
instructions (reverse chronological order including the assignment sheet, all outlines and
drafts). Assignments that do not follow these instructions will not be collected.
Portfolio: EN 101 emphasizes the processes of critical thinking, reading, and writing.
Students move from writing about personal experiences to writing for an outside, academic
audience. Students write for different audiences and purposes using a variety of rhetorical
strategies. Students will write in response to outside readings and will be introduced to
appropriate documentation procedures. EN 101A teaches students the same skills as EN
101 but provides additional time for grammar and skills review.
All sections of EN101 and EN101A participate in the portfolio assessment. To pass the
course, students are required to submit a final portfolio that meets departmental requirements
(see portfolio brochure for details). The portfolio is separate from and in addition to the
English Composition Folder required for this course.
Journals: Students will keep a writing journal in which they will write at least three times
during the week, more than a page each time. The topics for these writings are fairly open,
but the focus is on the readings and related class discussions. You may write about
newspaper articles or TV shows you have seen that relate to our class and what we are
working on, or even about conversations you have had. Occasionally, there will be a specific
question or theme to write on; otherwise, you are on your own. But please do not write a diary
of what you did during the day; the entries should be clearly related to something we are
working on in class. Journals will be graded Pass or Fail, and will be collected at midsemester. Please be sure to bring your journals to class each day.
Grammar Presentations: In groups of three, students will present brief lessons on an
assigned grammar problem. You will become “experts” in the grammar area that causes
them the most problems. Presentations are developed in consultation with the instructor (see
separate handout for details).
Lab Work and Other Assignments and Exercises: Students are required to supplement
in-class instruction on grammar with independent work in the Learning Lab. You are also
advised to attend tutoring sessions in order to receive additional, outside help on
assignments. Please note that tutors are not editors, and that they will not rewrite, revise, or
correct papers for you. There will be homework assignments, grammar quizzes, and other
informal assignments (including outlines, drafts, revisions, exercises, etc.) during the
2
semester. Students need to come to class with these assignments completed. Please be
sure to complete the Lab Record so that you receive credit for the lab assignment.
English Composition Folder: Students will maintain a folder during the course of the
semester. This folder will include all graded work and the written assignments (all drafts and
outlines) for the semester, which must be clearly marked with date and description of the
assignment (comparison-contrast, etc). Students will turn this folder in at the end of the
semester; it is separate from the portfolio
Turnitin.com: Our class will be using Turnitin.com, a plagiarism detection service. In addition
to turning in printed copies of your papers in class, you will submit papers to the Turnitin.com
Website on specific dates. You will need an email account and access to a computer with the
Internet. You will be responsible for remembering your Turnitin.com password account.
Further instructions will be given in class. Please note if you do not submit your essay before
the deadline, you will not receive a grade for that essay.
Classroom Policies
a.
Attendance: You are expected to attend each class prepared to participate in discussions
and collaborative activities. Attendance is taken at the beginning of each class. If you are late
by more than 5 minutes, your absence will count against you. Three late arrivals will become
one absence. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to ask about any assignments and to
complete them on time. If you have more than 2 unexcused absences, I may “drop” you from
the class. Talk to me if you have problems or concerns. It is your responsibility, if you stop
coming to class, to officially drop yourself from the course through the Admissions Office. If
you do not do this, your grade for the course will result in an F and will remain on your college
record as such.
b.
Late Assignments: Late assignments and essays will not be accepted. Students are to
assume that unless you have made previous arrangements with the instructor, you will forfeit
the credit for an assignment that is submitted late. Extensions are available, by permission, if
requested well in advance.
c.
Classroom Conduct: The College seeks to provide an environment where discussion and
expression of all views relevant to the subject matter of the class are recognized as necessary
to the educational process. However, students do not have the right to interfere with the
freedom of the faculty to teach or the rights of other students to learn. All discussion must be
productive and respectful. (See Student Handbook, p. 79 for additional information.)
d.
Academic Honesty: The maintenance of high academic standards of intellectual honesty is
the concern of all members of Montgomery College. It is expected that students will practice
academic honesty. Breaches in academic honesty include plagiarism and cheating on
examinations. For this class, it means that all help will be acknowledged and that students will
be evaluated on work that is exclusively their own. Plagiarism of any kind will result in a 0 for
the assignment, failure of the course, or may lead to disciplinary action at the college level.
(See Student Handbook, pp. 80-84 for a full description.)
e.
Support Services: Any student who may need an accommodation due to a disability, please
make an appointment to see me during my office hour. A letter from Disability Support
Services (R-CB122; G-SA175; or TP-ST120) authorizing your accommodations will be
needed. Any student who may need assistance in the event of an emergency evacuation must
identify to the Disability Support Services Office; guidelines for emergency evacuations for
individuals
with
disabilities
are
found
at
www.montgomerycollege.edu/dss/evacprocedures.htm.
f.
Cancellation of Classes: If class is cancelled due to inclement weather, students are to
assume that class will resume with the work scheduled for the cancelled day. Students are
always encouraged to read ahead and to continue to work on your assignments and on your
grammar skills during that time. (For a recorded announcement on college closing information,
check local television stations or call 301-217-8800 or 301-279-5310 or check the College
3
Website www.montgomerycollege.edu). Please note that the College does not follow
same closing policies as Montgomery County Public Schools.
the
g.
Student Responsibility: This is a college-level class in which you earn college credit, so the
expectation is that students take their college responsibilities, and this course, seriously and
act as responsible students. That means that you come to class prepared with all the
homework done, ready to discuss and/or take part in all class activities. Being responsible also
means following directions exactly and carefully and asking questions when you are not sure
or do not understand the directions. Please remember that responsible college students meet
with their professors regularly, especially if they are confused or need help. It means that you
do much more than simply attend the class. In addition, you take responsibility for your
learning, successes and failures. If you are not prepared or ready to do this, than you might
want to meet with me and/or a counselor to review your options. As the professor, it is my
responsibility to set high standards and work with you to reach those standards. I will work with
you to develop the skills you need to succeed in EN 101A. That means more than simply
assigning essays, grading your work, and conducting classes. It means being available to work
with you when you request it.
h.
A note about email: Student e-mail (montgomerycollege.edu) is an official means of
communications in this RD 103 class. Every student enrolled in this class will need to check
the college e-mail regularly and frequently. You will be held responsible for information,
assignments, and announcements that will be sent by the instructor. I will check my e-mail box
every day between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. I will respond to you within 24 hours.
For this class, student e-mail will be used for: All time-sensitive communications;
Reading material or assignments for the next class period;
Out-of-class communication with the instructor;
Giving feedback from the instructor to the student;
I prefer that you turn in all assignments as hard copy. If for some reason you do email
assignments, retain proof of the time and date each assignment was sent via e-mail.
Cell phones and pagers: Please turn all cell phones and pagers off before class and leave them in your
bags during class. There are no exceptions to this rule. After you read this sentence, please write the
following word next to the CRN number on the first page of this syllabus: ROSEBUD.
Selected Readings, Bedford Reader (this is a tentative list of readings which may change)
Amy Tan, “Fish Cheeks” (94)
Jamaica Kincaid, “Girl” (368)
Sarah Vowell “Shooting Dad” (152)
Sherman Alexie, “Indian Education” (105)
Suzanne Britt, “Neat People vs. Sloppy People” (239)
Bruce Catton “Grant and Lee” (258)
Deborah Tannen, “But What Do You Mean?” (390)
Gore Vidal “Drugs” (454)
Chitra Divakruni “Live Free and Starve” (448)
Colleen Wenke “Too Much Pressure” (533)
Laura Fraiser “Why I Stopped Being a Vegetarian” (546)
Linnea Saukko, “How to Poison the Earth” (294)
Peter Singer “A Vegetarian Philosophy” (552)
Anna Quindlen, “Homeless” (200)
Brent Staples, “Black Men and Public Space” (205)
Selected Grammar Readings and Exercises, Little, Brown Handbook, 6th Edition
The Writing Process (1--)
Subject-Verb Agreement (237--)
Pronoun Reference (244 --)
Parallelism (152--)
Conciseness (177--)
Sentence Variety (155)
Comma Splices (283--)
Quotation Marks (330--)
Fragments (227--)
Working With Sources (397--)
Appropriate, Exact Language (160--)
Research Writing (371--)
Transitions
Avoiding plagiarism (418--)
Documentation (APA; 506---)
The Sentence (141--)
4
Subordination and Coordination (146--)
5