Kalamazoo Valley Community College
English 160: Writing & Research — Course Outline
Contact Info:
Dr. Gloria Larrieu
Office Hours:Tuesdays and Thursdays: 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Mondays & Weds.: 4:30-5:30 p.m. and by appointment.
Office Location: 7344
Phone: 488-4026
E-mail: glarrieu@kvcc.edu
"In a participatory universe, there are no neutral observers."
Thinking is neither coerced nor coercive. It is exploratory, suggestive; it does not
prove anything, or finally arrive anywhere. Thus, to say people are ‘thoughtful’ or
‘thought-provoking’ suggests that they are open-minded, reflective, challenging—
more likely to question than to assert, inclined to listen to many sides, capable of
making distinctions that hold differences in play rather than dividing in order to
exclude, and desirous of persuading others rather than reducing them to silence
by refuting them.
— Elizabeth Minnich,
Union Institute and University in Cincinnati
What are the important policies up front that I really need to know in order to pass this class?
1. No late papers are accepted.
2. You may have 4 absences for classes that meet 2 days per week and 2 absences for
classes that meet 1 day per week. If you go over that allowance, you’ll be dropped from my
roster. In other words, if you are absent more than two weeks’ worth of classes, you cannot
pass this course. See Addendum #1 attached.
3. If two weeks pass and I hear nothing from you via phone, e-mail, or office hours
appointment, you will be dropped from the roster.
4. Three late arrivals or early exits equal 1 absence.
5. Be aware of final dates to drop the class. If too much interferes with your commitment to this
class, it might be better to consider dropping it. I’ll be glad to talk with any student about this
should the situation arise.
6. Don’t plagiarize, which means to deliberately copy someone else’s work without giving that
writer proper credit. Anyone who does so and is discovered will be turned in to the Vice
President for Academic Affairs for the first offence and it will go on permanent student
records. The second offence will cause a student to fail the class while a third offence will
prohibit a student from attending KVCC.
7. Get at least two phone numbers or e-mail addresses of your peers. If you must miss class,
call them to catch up on missed class work.
8. If you need special assistance for any reason, please be sure to talk to me about the matter
right away so that I may accommodate you.
These rules have arisen as a result of a cliché: A few bad apples can spoil the whole bushel.
In fairness to all, I will enforce these policies.
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What is this class all about?
English 160 is a college writing course that will help students become more competent and confident
writers and thinkers—speakers and listeners. The course is designed to be especially helpful to
those students considering transferring to a four-year college or university; there will be a focus on
academic writing skills required for future college classes such as answering essay questions on inclass assignments. English 160 (4 credit hours) will enable students to practice and become more
skillful in the different stages of the writing process: generating ideas, planning and organizing,
rough-draft writing, revising, refining, and proofreading. Students will write at least four papers in a
variety of forms including essays (in and out of class) and research papers. Research skills such as
using the library and following appropriate documentation style in citing sources will be taught. This
four-credit course will especially stress research methodology, traditional and electronic, culminating
in a research paper of at least seven pages not including a cover sheet or the works cited page.
Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to work closely with their instructor in laboratory
settings. Students will improve their grammar, style, and thinking skills and learn how to produce
writing necessary for success in further academic and employment pursuits.
What are the prerequisites for this class?
Prerequisites for this course are a minimum ASSET Writing Skills score of 41 or COMPASS score of
70 or ENG 098 or ENG 099, and a minimum ASSET Reading score of 32 or COMPASS score of 44
or TRS 094 and TRS 105 or ENG 099.
Please see me after the first class if you have any doubts about your performance in this class. If
you are interested in improving your reading, writing, and thinking skills in general or for the purpose
of educating yourself to become curious about life in all its forms, it’s important to read and write as
a practice. These skills aren’t just for literature and English majors; they can help you to become
better thinkers and problem solvers in any field. This course also leads the way for you to become
life-long learners should you choose to do so. See me after the first class session if you don’t
meet these requirements.
What will I get out of this class by doing my best?
We will never pass this way again. The people in this room and the resulting energy and the
synergism among us can be very powerful in many ways. We’ll be reading about and discussing
many compelling ideas, and if they are not compelling to you, then fake it till you make it: pretend
and maybe it’ll become real. A college classroom has the possibility of becoming life changing.
By the end of the semester, students will be able to achieve skills in four
major areas that greatly affect the writing process: College Writing Skills,
Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage, Critical Thinking Skills, and Civil Behavior.
If you pass this class, you will learn how to think about ideas, discuss them,
determine what your opinion is, and write a well-developed, focused essay
about it. You will learn how to use outside research to create a research
paper and also learn MLA or APA Style. By practicing writing, revision, and
through class discussion, students who pass this class will have learned how
to clean up many grammar, mechanics, and usage problems. Finally, by
practicing civility in this classroom, we will all learn how to respect one
another and our differences and, in turn, respect ourselves.
What is required of me in order to pass this class?
1.
Reading aloud.
2.
Participation in class discussions.
3.
Four papers: 3 essays and 1 research paper.
4.
Free writing in class
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5.
All essays must be turned in with a Project Evaluation Key on top.
6.
Revision of essays that don’t receive 2.0 or higher.
7.
Grades on revisions will replace a previous grade, provided that the paper is significantly
improved. Remember that it is possible to get a worse grade on a revision because the
stakes get higher with each draft. All revisions must be turned in attached to the most
recent copy of the paper. Revisions without the latest recent draft will not be accepted.
7.
You must learn MLA or APA Style for all papers. I
recommend MLA for this class. Once you learn a style,
you can easily adapt to another.
8.
You must bring your paper to workshop with peers in
class. Since there are no late papers allowed, this
shouldn’t be a problem for anyone.
9.
Use the English tutorial center on the second floor.
10.
Final portfolio
11.
Behave with civility and respect in the classroom and toward one another. See Addendum
#2 attached to syllabus.
13.
Turn off all cell phones.
14.
Attendance: You’ll be given 100 points to start and will keep it with no more than one
absence. Points diminish thereafter in increments of 20 from 2 absences to 4, the 5th
absence at “no tolerance” level.
What materials do I need to bring to class?
1. Two 3½ inch computer diskettes (high-density, 1.44mb) or another type of device on which to
save all class work. Be sure to keep any saving device with you at all times since you never
know when we might go to the library computer lab to work on papers. If you have no saved
work with you, you will be asked to leave class and be marked absent for the period.
2. Your grammar handbook.
3. Folder for course work.
4. Some note-taking paper and pens.
5. Stapler and/or paper clips. I will not accept papers that are not stapled or clipped.
Please do not tear and fold corners. No exceptions.
What do you expect from us on free writing responses?
At the beginning of class, we’ll write for 10 minutes about anything you desire. Afterwards, we’ll
read them, you can just say what you wrote about, or you can pass. SAVE them in a folder.
You need to turn in at least 10 to receive 50 out of 200 participation points at semester’s end.
What are some ideas for papers?
1. Identify and comment on a short quotation, passage, incident, or a main idea, exploring its
relevance to the whole chapter, essay, and story.
2. Comment on an idea the author puts forth—from your perspective as well as the author’s.
3. Comment on an author’s position and his/her motives on a particular issue.
4. Explore what a reading says about a particular culture and how you relate to it.
5. If you don’t understand everything in a piece, find a passage you do understand and explain
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why it is true or false.
6. Find and explain a contradiction or paradox in the reading.
7. Explain how one reading is different from something else we’ve read, or how it is similar.
9. Paraphrase a statement in a reading and then respond to it.
What texts do I need for this class?
The Brief Penguin Handbook by Lester Faigley
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
A Private History of Awe by Scott Russell Sanders
The Wisdom of Love by Jacob Needleman
What criteria do you use to assign points to our papers?
90-100 = 4.0: Superior work beyond course objectives and expectations. Grammar and mechanics
are well executed and development is superlative. Organization of ideas shows good skills in
completing each task. Work shows high motivation and intent to persevere and improve skills and
complete course objectives. Work also shows thinking skills and intention, as well as courage in
attempting unfamiliar topics and ideas.
85-89 = 3.5: Excellent skills that show students’ ability in organization, development, grammar,
punctuation, mechanics, and knowledge of good essay writing. Work also shows thinking skills,
intentions, and high motivation.
80-84 = 3.0: Good to excellent skills in grammar, mechanics, organization and development of
ideas, and better-than-average skills in completing assigned task. Needs more polish and revision,
though. Work shows high motivation and intent to persevere and improve skills, as well as complete
course objectives.
75-79 = 2.5: Good skills in grammar, mechanics, organization and development of ideas and
certainly passing work; however, more polish and revision on grammar and mechanics skills
needed. Good motivation to persevere and improve and meet requirements for course objectives.
70-74 = 2.0: Passing work that lacks the above criteria.
Below 70 = 1.5 or less: Work shows poor skills in grammar, mechanics, organization and
development of ideas and/or poor motivation to persevere and improve skills and meet minimum
course objectives. Attendance and participation may be poor.
What are the grading criteria?
Grade Breakdown:
Essay #1
100 pts.
Essay #2
100 pts.
Essay #3
100 pts.
Research paper 100 pts.
Attendance 100 pts.
Participation
200 pts.
Portfolio
350 pts.
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945-1050 = 4.0
893-944 = 3.5
840-892 = 3.0
788-839 = 2.5
735-787= 2.0
683-734 = 1.5
630-682 = 1.0
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Total
1050 pts.
Below 630 = 0.0
What’s in the Portfolio?
Two essays, one research paper, and a self-evaluation. Self-evaluation: Strengths and
weaknesses; who helped you if anyone; and what is your overall assessment of your effort in this
class. What might you have done differently if anything? (50 points for the evaluation, 100 points
for each essay and research paper.)
Who are you as a teacher and a woman?
I love sports (playing more than watching), hiking, nature, reading,
learning, hanging with friends, camping, movies, travel, music (listening
and playing, drawing and all kinds of art. I have three children: Noel is 32
and is an actor in NYC; John Paul, 37, is a genetics counselor and
researcher in Santa FE, NM; and Clare is an esthetician and body worker.
She and her partner George have two boys, Andrew and Ryan and live in
Ashville, NC. We are all very close and see one another often.
I lived in Kalamazoo for a long time in the seventies and eighties, where I
raised my children, was a professional musician for 20 years, a music
therapist for five years, and a racquetball instructor at the YMCA. I
played and won many state and national tournaments in singles and
doubles. At the same time, I earned a B.A. in Creative and Professional
Writing with a minor in Women’s Studies at WMU, where I graduated with
honors.
In 1990, I went to Albuquerque, NM, where I earned a Master’s degree in literature followed later by
a Ph.D. in English from the University of New Mexico. All of my children came to NM with me. We
all love New Mexico dearly and plan to be together there again one day. My dissertation is titled
“The Organics of Working-Class Struggle: Literature, Theory, and Practice.” I taught English and
literature at UNM for seven years; taught English and lit at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic
Institute for four years; was a consultant for SIPI to evaluate and revise curricula in the General
Studies Department till the project was completed; taught speech and writing at Diné College on the
Navajo reservation for two years; and taught three years of Developmental English at Albuq.
Technical Vocational Institute.
In 2003, I was offered a position here at KVCC. As much as I loved New Mexico, I couldn’t turn
down this wonderful job. Another job I have is as a music therapist again here in Kalamazoo and
own an antiques business in South Haven. I look forward to getting to know you during the course
of this semester.
What is your philosophy of teaching and education?
My teaching and learning goals for students are that they realize their self worth and the worth of
others—just as they are; that they have the possibility of getting hooked on becoming life-long
learners through the appreciation of ideas and knowledge gained in the particular discipline—
literature and/or writing. It is my hope for all students that they acquire critical thinking skills to
broaden their intellectual worlds if they choose to do so and that they learn skills of critical analysis*
in their reading, writing, and discussion., With critical consciousness as a foundation, students in
turn will learn to write with skilled grammar, usage, and mechanics applications—all to prepare them
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to become, not only competitive professionally and intellectually as articulate writers, but also to help
them learn to become problem solvers, mediators, and civil, responsible, and compassionate
citizens of the world. It is my belief that grammar, form, and parts of speech cannot be force fed to
us; first we must want to express ourselves—be busting out with our thoughts and ideas. If there
ain’t no clay on the table, there will be no sculpture. It is also important that students become
familiar with various technological aids, such as computers, various programs on computers, and
diverse ways to find information through the Internet or through library resources. This is an area
that remains a constant learning ground for me as I try to introduce new ideas that help my students
achieve the goals of the courses I teach—a seemingly never-ending endeavor. If all this makes no
sense to you, then fake it till you make it.
Important
The means of education (or the process) is much more important than the end (or the product: an A
or 4.0, a job, a big paycheck and all it affords). Of course, as a writing class, you will learn about
grammar, punctuation, and form. But we learn about grammar, mechanics, and punctuation through
the means of practicing critical analysis and thinking, often called critical pedagogy (or crit ped) or
critical consciousness: this is the main root of any philosophy of teaching I might embrace. What
that means for students is that we often deal with conflict, controversy, and contemporary topics and
issues in the classroom. I most often use themes and books that support those topics. For
example, we are reading about Haiti and a doctor who has forsaken a lucrative practice in the U.S.
to help save lives in the most impoverished country in the world. Why? Why would he do that?
We’ll also explore food and nutrition. Everyone eats, so wouldn’t it be good to consider what we eat
and that we are what we eat? Now there may be some students who wonder what this has to do
with writing and research. My short answer is everything. You may find the longer answer
throughout the 16 weeks of this course. If you are a student who turns “wonder” into motivation and
curiosity, you will most likely do very well in this class. All I ask is that you do your best and accept
personal responsibility for whatever that “best” might be at the time. For those of you who prefer
“skill-and-drill-type” learning approaches with daily lectures on grammar, mechanics, and usage,
please consider finding another writing course at this level that serves your needs.
Bien venidos. . . .
Glo
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Addendum #1: Attendance & Entitlement
The language of commerce dominates modern life. Consequently, the metaphors
that inform professional culture today reflect a dialect of buying and selling and
trading in hog futures. It’s not uncommon for us teachers to hear about the
‘packaging’ of programs and ideas, how to position our ‘product’ in the educational
‘market.’. . .Students are the designated ‘consumers’ in this mall of ideas, and what
makes us teachers I can’t bear to imagine: the spector of Willie Loman haunts my
imagination. . . .We deal with what can’t be bought. . . .nothing is so scary and
puzzling as a person that can’t be bought or a pearl with no price tag.
___Mary Rose O’Reilly,
Radical Presence, p.1
People cannot possibly gain skills of critical thinking and communication, create a community of
writers and thinkers that can be life changing, and contribute their share of experiences to the
class at large unless they attend class regularly.
The quality of your education depends upon your being here for the most part with a minimum
of absences, being late, or leaving class early. The present-day severity of the problem of
students expecting to not only get credit but to actually achieve an excellent grade in spite of
their having multiple absences must be discussed. I believe habitual tardiness or absenteeism
is greatly due to a perception of entitlement that has grown over the past decade, exists in the
greater society, and is pervasive in the education arena.
What is entitlement? Entitlement is the perception that we are “entitled” to receive rewards,
including material objects, money, jobs, and passing-to-good grades in school by virtue of our
very existence; we don’t really have to make much effort or be at all motivated to excel in life
and in this case, in a college classroom—especially if the course is required. Perhaps this
condition results from lax parents who may not have instilled boundaries in their children’s lives;
from a consumerist culture that imagines it purchases everything from people to educations;
from an affluent society that offers too many unmitigated choices; from burned-out
professionals who for years have not demanded responsible and accountable behavior from
their generation of children; and from an overall privileged society that fosters a privileged
demeanor in its citizens. In short, we’re spoiled.
Because of these factors and more we could discuss, I will maintain what some might view a
strict attendance policy as follows:
1. You are paid right off the bat 100 points for missing no more than one class and points
will drop in twenty-point increments thereafter.
2. Four absences is a generous allowance. There are no “excused” absences. Your total
must not exceed 4 for any reason.
3. While I keep track of attendance, you are responsible for knowing how many absences
you have. Don’t ask me to tell you how many absences you have; keep careful account
yourself. You may check with me to see if we agree. If you do have to be late, it’s best
to check with me after class to make sure I mark you as tardy at least.
4. Anyone who is absent more than 4 times will be subject to my dropping them without
notice. Dropped students will receive a notice in the mail that they’ve been dropped and
may not return to class.
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5. Remember, to be late 3 times equals one absence; to leave early 3 times equals one
absence—or any combination thereof.
Addendum #2: Civility & Entitlement
Hospitality defines a space for the visitor—the student—to be herself, because she is
received graciously. Indeed, if real inner searching is going on, real multivocalism practiced,
the transcendent disciplines of courtesy become essential to civil exchange.
___Mary Rose O’Reilly
Radical Presence, p. 8
Civil exchange in the classroom is important to maximize everyone’s learning experience.
Recently, two students in one of my classes were constantly disruptive—we could count on
it. The days they weren’t in class, a different energy and atmosphere existed, and everyone
commented on how great the class seemed that day. At the end of the semester when selfevaluations were written, several people commented on the class being ruined because of
two people’s uncivil behavior. This cannot happen again; I owe it to all students in this
class.
As described in the addendum on attendance, some people believe that lack of civility,
kindness, politeness, consideration, compassion, and courteous behavior that is mindful of
others exists because of a perception of entitlement.
In order to create a space for civility in our classroom, a few ground rules are as follows:
1. We will have many opportunities for discussion every day. It’s one of the most
important elements of our class. When class is in session, try to listen to those who are
offering their ideas; you’ll receive the same courtesy when you are talking.
2. Avoid side talking, which is two or more people having a private conversation during
class discussion. Instead, share your ideas with the whole class.
3. Avoid speaking disrespectfully to other students or to me.
4. Turn off all cell phones.
5. No lap top computers allowed in class unless you speak to me about it first.
Students who consistently ignore these rules of courtesy and civility will be dropped from the
class and may not return.
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