De Anza College
Spring 2015
English Writing 2:
Critical Reading, Writing, and Thinking
Course Information
Course Section/Day/Time/Place: Sec. 10 meets T&TR in 10:00-12:15 in AT103
Pre-requisites:
Successful completion of English Writing 1A
Grade Units:
5 units
Contact Information
Instructor:
Laura Raffaelli-Mcleish
Office/Hour: F-31C on Tuesdays 1:30-2:30 P.M. & by appointment
Email:
raffaellimcleishlaura@fhda.edu
Website:
http://faculty.deanza.edu/raffaellilaura/
*If you are a student with a disability and would like to discuss special accommodations,
please contact me as soon as possible to make arrangements.
Required Texts
Ehrenreich, Barbara. Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking is Undermining America. New
York: Picador, 2009. Print.
Lunsford, Andrea A. Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2010. Print.
Weston, Anthony. A Rulebook for Arguments. 4th or 5th ed. Indianapolis: Hackett. Print.
Course Description/Objectives
A basic goal of EWRT 2 is to help you write well argumentatively. What this requires is
thinking critically. Therefore, another goal of this course is to improve your thinking skills
by encouraging you to challenge your own ideas, beliefs, and assumptions, and to
compare them carefully with those of various writers. In order to do that, you’ll also need
to read critically, not only for basic content, but also carefully so you can understand
others’ arguments, however complex they may be.
Another basic objective of this course is to teach you effective researching skills. To do
this, you will not only be searching for information, but also be evaluating arguments
and data, and presenting your findings from various sources in a formal way. This
course aims to make you more aware of the ways you can support your arguments with
your own ideas and the ideas of others, which will also make you more confident of
yourself as a reader, writer, and thinker. Our goal is to give you the tools to continue to
improve your reading, researching, thinking, and writing skills for both academic and
personal purposes long after this course is over.
The De Anza English Department projects that by the end of the course you will:
A. Develop critical and analytical skills in the reading and analysis of a variety of texts,
including visual images and other nonverbal texts.
B. Develop a sequence of argumentative essays with integrated reading that
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demonstrates the interdependence of reading, writing, language, and thinking.
C. Apply critical thinking skills to writing and complex readings.
D. Demonstrate academic (analytical, argumentative) writing based on reading of
complex texts.
E. Demonstrate analysis, comparison, synthesis, and documentation of independent
research.
Grading
You will receive clearly defined instruction sheets for each major assignment. The
following is a breakdown of the class assignments:
Assignments
Misc. Participation and Homework
Quizzes
Bright-sided Critical Response Journals (5 total; 1 typed page)
1 Collaborative Project:
Rhetorical Fallacy Essay/Presentation (600-800 words)
1 In-class Essay:
Definition Essay (~800-900 words)
2 Out-of-Class Essays:
Diagnostic Revision Essay (800-1,000 words)
Synthesis Essay (1,000 words)
Research Paper Assignments:
Research Paper Rough Draft (800-1,000 words)
Annotated Bibliography for Research Paper (~500 words)
Final Research Paper on Bright-Sided Topic (1,500 words)
Final Exam
Total
Letter grades are calculated as follows:
97-100%
94-96%
90-93%
87-89%
84-86%
80-83%
= A+
=A
= A= B+
=B
= B-
Points
100
50
50
75
100
100
100
75
50
200
100
1,000
77-79% = C+
72-76% = C
67-71.5% = D+
64-66% = D
60-63% = D0-59% = F
Completing Major Assignments
To pass this course, you must complete ALL major essay assignments, exams, and
presentations. If you know you must be absent when a major assignment is scheduled,
let me know in person or by email at least one class session in advance to make
necessary arrangements. For each date an essay is late, you will lose points as
follows:
Due Tuesday, but submitted the following Thursday’s class  -5 points
Due Tuesday, but submitted by email by Saturday night  -10 points
Due Thursday, but submitted by email by Saturday night  -5 points
Due Thursday, but submitted the following Tuesday’s class  -10 points
One full week late  -15 points
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Even if the essay is emailed in between dates, the point deductions above will still apply
(Example: Due Tuesday, but emailed after Tuesday’s class or on Wednesday). Late
essays will not be accepted after one week past the due date, and will result in failure of
the course. Turn your work in on time and you will do just fine. To ensure you do not
lose more points, follow step c) of “Completing Other Assignments” if you submit a late
essay.
Completing Other Assignments
The assigned reading selections should be read before each session. If you miss class,
you are still required to turn in any work due that day by:
a) placing a printed copy under my office door (F31-C);
b) placing a printed copy in the student drop-off box, located at the Administration
Building); OR
c) emailing it as a Word or Rtf attachment and bringing a hard copy to the next
class meeting you attend.
There are no make-ups for missed quizzes, homework, or participation assignments.
Extra Credit
I offer two opportunities for extra credit. Points are awarded based on the quality of
written materials submitted. The materials must be submitted no later than Tuesday,
June 16.
Tutoring and Workshops (up to 15 participation/homework/quiz points possible): See
the Writing and Reading Center website (http://www.deanza.edu/studentsuccess/wrc/)
for information on drop-in tutoring, and see the Skills Workshop Schedule on the
Student Success Center website for information on how to sign up for a workshop.
Attend any combination of up to 3 tutoring sessions and/or workshops total (5 quiz
points possible for each). Before attending drop-in tutoring, please read "How to Have a
Successful Tutoring Session". For each tutoring session or workshop, type a one page
journal, summarizing: what you did, what you learned of value, and how you can apply
what was learned to your writing. Use MLA Format for each journal.
Cross Cultural Partners Participant (up to 15 Essay points possible): Sign up for De
Anza's CCP program and agree to meet with a native or non-native speaker for 5 total
hours. See the CCP website (http://www.deanza.edu/ccpartners/) for information,
events, and the online application (due in Week 3; partners matched in Week 5). For
extra credit, you may write up to 3 one-page journals, 5 points possible per journal. For
best results, take notes during or shortly after each time you meet with your partner.
CCP requires you to write meeting logs for online submission. The journals you turn in
for extra credit may include content you post online for the CCP website, but I would
specifically like to know what you shared with and learned from your partner in detail.
Use MLA Format for each journal.
Attendance
Regular class attendance is mandatory. You are allowed three (3) absences, which
consist both of emergencies and non-emergencies. On your fourth absence, you will be
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dropped. If you have a persistent pattern of tardiness (entering after the lesson has
already started), you may also be dropped: 3 tardies = 1 absence. I do not grade on
your attendance, but I do grade on your participation and completion of the workload,
which will suffer if you are not present.
First two weeks attendance note: If two absences occur in the first two weeks, you
may be dropped.
Withdrawal note: Withdrawal from class before the college deadlines is the
responsibility of the student. Do not depend on the instructor to drop you (except in the
case of missing four classes). Failure to withdraw by the dates noted in the schedule of
classes will result in a failing grade.
Participation and Conduct
The Golden Rule: You don’t have to agree with your classmates, but you are expected
to respect the right to express opinions, as you would like yours to be respected in
return. Collaborative learning requires your participation in group and class discussions;
therefore, your class “presence” in EWRT 2 will be public and is graded regularly. Plan
to be present, prepared for, and involved in class. If you attend class but participate
minimally, your participation grade will be lowered on applicable assignments. To help
us all stay focused on the class lecture/discussion each hour, please follow these rules:
 Please practice active listening and avoid interrupting others. Only one person
should be speaking at a time during lectures and discussions.
 Cell phone ringtones and text messages are rude and distracting to others.
Technological devices should be turned off/silent at all times. If you text or your cell
phone goes off in class, you owe the class a wrapped snack or candy the following
class.
 Please stay in the classroom except during breaks and in cases of true emergency.
If you absolutely must exit the room, please do so quietly.
On your first offense of misconduct, you will be officially warned. On your second
offense, you will be asked to leave the classroom for the day, will not be allowed to
make up in-class work, and will miss the remaining activities and instructions. Persistent
incivility may result in your being withdrawn from the course. Your instructor and De
Anza College will enforce all policies in the Standards of Student Conduct (see Course
Schedule).
Honesty
I am interested in your ideas as well as how thoughtfully you can discuss the ideas of
others. If you use the ideas of anyone else, you are required to acknowledge the original
source and/or author. If you use the exact words from a source, use quotation marks and
acknowledge the source. Cheating includes (but is not limited to) having somebody else
write your essays for you, or using an essay from any informational source (such as the
Internet, a book, a magazine, a newspaper, and so forth). Cheating or intentional
plagiarism will result in an F for the assignment and possible failure for the course. If you
are uncertain about how to cite a source, visit Plagiarism.org, talk to a tutor, or contact
me before you turn in the assignment.
Censorship Policy
This is an adult level course, and materials/discussion addressing mature themes will
not be censored.
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English Writing 2
Mrs. Raffaelli-Mcleish
De Anza College
Spring 2015
Schedule of Readings & Major Assignments
(Subject to change with prior notice)
Important College Dates
Last day to add classes (Add date is enforced) – Sat., Apr. 18
Last day to drop for a refund– Sun., Apr. 19
Last day to drop a class with no record of grade – Sun., Apr. 19
Last day to drop with a "W" – Fri., May 29
Final Exams – June 23-26 (Our class final date/time: Thurs., June 25 @ 9:15-11:15)
Textbook Key
ARfA = A Rulebook for Arguments, 5th ed.
B-s = Bright-sided: How Positive Thinking Is Undermining America
EW = Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference
Online = Print the document from an online source referenced on my faculty
webpage:
Week 1
T
4/7
Greensheet overview
Diagnostic Essay (Participation grade)
HW: Read ARfA Introduction and Chapter 1 (xi-7); Read excerpt from
“Letter from Birmingham Jail” (Handout)
Th
4/9
Discuss ARfA Introduction and Chapter 1 (sample Quiz); Discuss
Diagnostic Essay topic and assign Revision Essay 1 (due 4/21)
HW: Read and annotate ARfA Chapter 2 (8-17) for Quiz 1 next class;
Type 1 paragraph explaining the Diagnostic Essay quotation
Week 2
T
4/14
Quiz 1; Diagnostic explanation paragraphs; Sample Revised Diagnostic
Essay
HW: Read and annotate ARfA Chapters 3 & 4 (19-30); Brainstorm
support & points for Essay 1
Th
4/16 Quiz 2; Discuss Analogies in “A Letter from Birmingham Jail”; Discuss
“Sources”, In-text Citations & Works Cited in EW
HW: Essay 1 due next class; Bring in a written work or image that
represents happiness
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Week 3
T
4/21
Collect Essay 1; Share writings/images of happiness; Watch and discuss
Happy (film)
HW: Read The 14th Dalai Lama’s excerpts from An Open Heart
chapters: “The Desire for Happiness” & “On Compassion” (Online)
Th
4/23
Discuss Happiness & Positive Thinking; Assign Essay 2: Definition of
Positive Thinking (due 5/7)
HW: Read B-s Introduction (1-13) & “The Upside of Negative Emotions”
from Positive Psychology (Online)
Week 4
T
4/28
Discuss B-s Introduction & “The Upside of Negative Emotions”; Assign
Journal 1 for B-s Chapter 6 (due 5/5)
HW: Read “Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness” (B-s 14776); Read ARfA Chapter 5 (31-36); Work on Essay 2
Th
4/30
Discuss “Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness” & ARfA Chapter
5
HW: Work on Essay 2; Journal 1 due next class
Week 5
T
5/5
Collect Journal 1; Review In-text Citations & Works Cited information
HW: Essay 2 due next class
Th
5/7
Collect Essay 2; Watch first half of The Secret (film); Fallacy Group
Project Assigned (due 5/21) & Meeting 1
HW: Read “The Years of Magical Thinking” (B-s 45-73); prepare for
Fallacy Group Project Meeting 2
Week 6
T
5/12
Class meets in AT 307 from 10-11. Watch second half of The Secret;
Discuss “The Years of Magical Thinking” & The Secret; Assign Journal 2
(due 5/21); Fallacy Group Project Meeting 2
HW: Read ARfA Chapter 6 (49-57) for Quiz 3 next class; prepare for
Fallacy Group Project Meeting 3
6
Th
5/14
Class meets in AT305 10-12:15. Quiz 3; Fallacy Group Project
Meeting 3 (Project due at end of class); Discuss In-class Essay 3 next
class
HW: Prepare for In-class Essay 3 next class
Week 7
T
5/19
In-class Essay 3
HW: Read “Conducting Research” (EW); “Evaluating Sources and Taking
Notes” (EW)
Th
5/21
Assign Research Paper (Proposal, due 6/4; Rough draft, due 6/9;
Annotated Bibliography, due 6/11; Final draft, due 6/18); Assign
Journal 3 (due 5/28)
HW: Read and annotate “Smile or Die: The Bright Side of Cancer” (B-s
147-76); Work on Journal 3
Week 8
T
5/26
Class meets in AT307 10-11. Library Orientation with Lena Chang;
Discuss “Smile or Die: The Bright Side of Cancer”; Assign Journals 4 & 5
(both due 6/4)
HW: Read and annotate “Motivating Business and the Business of
Motivation” (B-s 97-122); Journal 3 due next class
Th
5/28
Collect Journal 3; Discuss “Motivating Business and the Business of
Motivation”
HW: Read and annotate “How Positive Thinking Destroyed the Economy”
(B-s 177-94); Read ARfA Chapter 8 (59-65) for Quiz 4 next class
Week 9
T
6/2
Class meets in AT305 10-12:15. Quiz 4; Discuss “How Positive Thinking
Destroyed the Economy”; Work on Research Proposal (Due at end of
class)
HW: Read “Postscript on Post-Positive Thinking” (B-s 177-194); Work on
Research Paper Draft (due 6/9); Journals 4 & 5 due next class
Th
6/4
Class meets in AT305 10-12:15. Collect Journals 4 & 5; Discuss
“Postscript on Post-Positive Thinking”; Discuss Annotated Bibliographies
HW: Work on Research Paper Draft (due next class); Work on
Annotated Bibliography (due 6/11)
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Week 10
T
6/9
Collect Research Paper Draft; Sample Annotated Bibliographies
HW: Work on Research Paper; Annotated Bibliography due next
class
Th
6/11
Class meets in AT307 10-11. Collect Annotated Bibliographies;
Sample Research Papers
HW: All Extra Credit (optional) due next class; Work on Research
Paper
Week 11
T
6/16
Class meets in AT305 10-12:15. Collect Extra Credit; Discuss
Transitions; Work on Research Paper
HW: Research Paper due next class
Th
6/18
Collect Research Papers; Final Exam Review
Final Exam Dates/Times/Locations:
Th
6/25
9:15-11:15 a.m. in AT103
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