COURSE TITLE: EN103 (0448): Composition and Critical Thinking
INSTRUCTOR NAME: Prof. J.A. Giarelli
DEPARTMENT: English/ESL; Jefferson Hall, Rm. 300
CLASS TIME & ROOM: T, TH; 1:45 – 3:10; JH 313
OFFICE HOURS: Thur., 12:30-1:30 pm.
OFFICE LOCATION: JH 305
COURSE WEBSITE: LAexplore.com
EMAIL: jliterati@gmail.com
FACEBOOK: Angelino Club
COURSE DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES : In this course, students develop logical, analytical, and
argumentative thinking through the examination of written and other types of cultural texts. In addition,
the student will learn to define, identify, and distinguish between inductive and deductive reasoning,
and also how to apply the following Critical Thinking practices to a specific subject: define, analyze, infer,
evaluate and synthesize. This particular course, “LAexplore: A Multi-Cultural Study of Los Angeles,” is a
critical thinking – based examination and analysis of LA through the works of its writers, historians,
musicians, filmmakers, architects, artists, journalists, photographers, philosophers, folklorists and
everyday Angelinos, including the students in this class. By utilizing the city as classroom through several
on-site observations, we attempt, ultimately, to understand its complex and unique identity as one of
the wonder cities of the world, and our own purpose and place in it.
COURSE PREREQUISITE : Incoming EN103 students MUST provide evidence that he/she has successfully
completed EN101 with a Final Grade of C or better.
COURSE ENTRY SKILLS : EN103 students must have achieved proficiency in all English language basic
skills in order to take this course. This includes the ability to read and interpret college level texts,
distinguishing main ideas and supporting points; write a well focused, logically organized, developed and
coherent college-level essay of 1,000 word length that analyzes, interprets and compares concepts and
that argues for or against a position; demonstrate knowledge of the writing process in order to draft,
proofread, edit and revise one’s own writing; distinguish various college essay writing styles and their
appropriateness for a given audience, such as expository, argumentative, and comparison-contrast;
employ various types of sentence structure, such as simple, compound and complex; use punctuation
correctly and effectively, including colons, semi-colons, commas, dashes and quotation marks. This is
NOT an English language fundamentals course. You must already be skilled in the basic rules of the
English language to take this higher level Critical Thinking, University Transfer course.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOME : The EN 103 student shall write an in-class essay, for 2 hours,
responding to readings and a prompt question, agreed upon by the faculty.
COURSE READING/WRITING ASSIGNMENTS : All required reading and writing assignments for this
course are located and accessed on my EN 103 course website at LAexplore.com. Any of the readings
listed in the course syllabus which have yet to be uploaded onto the course website will be handed out
in class as photocopies. All required readings for this course are highlighted as links in the section “LA
Literature,” located in the toolbar on the website homepage. Most readings are in excerpt form. All
writing assignments will be posted in chronological order on the website blog, also located on the
homepage. All readings are free and easily accessible, though a few take longer to download due to a
greater length of reading material. All writing assignments shall be based upon the readings in 6 bundled
segments, and shall be of 1,000 word length. They must be written into a Microsoft Word document and
emailed to me at jliterati@gmail.com. (Please refer to reading/writing assignment schedule below for
due dates.) In addition, each student shall complete a 10 page research paper by the end of the
semester, consisting of the research and analysis of one particular area of course study based upon the
theme of uncovering the unique identity of Los Angeles. The research paper shall be properly formatted
with standard MLA (Modern Language Association) documentation. All essay assignments and/or
research paper MUST be turned in within 48 hours of the original due date for a grade. All late
assignments shall incur one full grade reduction. Also, “spot” quizzes might be given on the class
readings and CANNOT be taken at a later date as the answers will already have been made public.
ANGELINO CLUB: As a supplement to the LAexplore course, the Angelino Club is an ASG (Associated
Student Government) chartered club, whose sole purpose is to examine, explore, and enjoy all aspects
of Los Angeles above and beyond what the LAexplore class will do, from ethnic cultural events, to
museum art exhibits, to unique restaurants and fun group gatherings off campus. Students who join the
Angelino Club will receive extra credit, which shall be averaged into their Final Grade for the course. So
sign up, have fun learning more about LA, and also don’t forget to subscribe to the “Angelino Club”
Facebook page to see what your fellow Angelinos are thinking and doing.
COURSE GRADING POLICY: All grades assigned to coursework will be A-F. An individual essay may also
receive a grade of A+. The final grade for the course shall be determined by averaging grades from the
following: essay writing assignments, spot reading quizzes, class participation/interest, attendance, and
the research paper. Any missing assignments shall receive a grade of F. The student will be confidentially
informed at Mid-Term whether he/she is passing or should significantly improve to avoid failing the
course.
ATTENDANCE POLICY: Attendance is recorded at the official start of each class. Students are allowed
four (4) penalty-free absences, after which he/she will incur a full grade reduction of the Final Grade for
the course. I DO NOT discuss student absences, as there are 100 reasons for not attending class, from
emergency hospitalization to automobile accidents to sheer laziness. I also do not accept written
excuses. Absolutely no absence is exempt from my attendance policy. Absentees and late arrivals are
also responsible for any homework due on the day of absence, plus any lecture information missed and
homework assignments given in class. One last word of advice on this matter: Please do not involve your
professor in your personal life. That is exactly why I am generous with my “penalty-free absentee”
policy. Just please remember to use you “penalty-free days” wisely or they will catch up to you when
you need them the most.
CLASS RULES : All cell phones and/or electronic devices must be turned off during class time. Absolutely
no cell phone and/or electronic device use is allowed in the classroom unless instructed by the
professor, no use of laptop computers, I-pads, Netbooks, Nooks, Kindles, I-pods, no unrelated
homework, no abuse of restroom privileges, no headphones, no ear pieces, no eating, no rudeness, no
hate speech, no inappropriate behavior, no disrespect towards the professor or classmates. Any visible
and/or hidden cell phone or electronic device will be confiscated until the end of class. If the student
refuses to surrender the device, he/she MUST leave the classroom for the remainder of that class, and
will not be given any missed tests, assignments, or lecture/discussion information by the professor after
class. In the case of real, adult emergencies, you may use your phone outside of the classroom, however
anyone who leaves class for more than 10 minutes will be marked absent, which will be applied to your
penalty-free absence record. Please do not interrupt class to ask permission to do any of the above. You
are now adults, so follow the rules. Please try to act in a mature manner during class, as we are all here
for the common purpose of education, not behavioral modification.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to, the following
actions: cheating on an exam, plagiarism, working together on a specific assignment when the professor
has not instructed you to do so, submitting the same paper to more than one instructor, or allowing
another individual to assume one’s identity for the purpose of enhancing one’s grade.
OFFICE OF SPECIAL SERVICES (OSS) : Any student who feels he/she may need any academic and/or
authorized accommodation based upon the serious impact of a disability should contact the Office of
Special Services (DSPS) at 323-953-4000 (ext.2270) or visit the OSS Office in Room SSV 100.
DROP DATE INFORMATION: The deadline to drop a class without receiving a “W” on your transcript is
the last day of WEEK 2 of the semester. If you must drop a course, drop before the specified deadline
without a grade of “W.” Effective July 1, 2012, students shall have only 3 attempts to pass a class. If a
student receives a “W” or a grade of “F,” “D,” “I,” or “NP,” that will count as an attempt. A student’s
past record of “course attempts” at any other LACCD campuses will also be considered. Therefore,
before the end of Week 2, you should seriously consider whether or not you can realistically manage the
requirements of this course with all the other factors in your life, such as work, family, and overall
course load. It’s always better to have a higher GPA than an earlier graduation. You can visit a
counselor in the Counseling Center in Room AD 108, and please do not hesitate to share your concerns
with me before the end of Week 2.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
PART 1: (Week 1) Introduction, Syllabus Review, Course Website Review, Critical Thinking Overview
READING: “About LA Explore” (LAexplore.com course website)
READING: “Interpretation of Critical Thinking,” by Wikipedia
READING: “Critical Thinkers,” by Michelle Artiaga
READING: “Rules of Critical Thinking,” (Photocopy Handout)
PART 2: (Week 2) Yangna to El Barrio: The Roots of LA’s Multi-cultural Identity
HISTORY: “Los Angeles In the Beginning:” Pre-Colonial to 1850; Tongva & Chumash Indigenous Culture;
Spaniards, Franciscans, Pobladores and the Missions; Mexican Rancho Royalty: Pico, Avila, Sepulveda,
Dominguez, Del Valle, Rocha, et al.
LITERATURE: ‘El Pueblo,” from “History of”…Series; “Ramona,” by Helen Hunt Jackson; “Legacy of A Land
Grab,” by Lalo Lopez; “Whitewashed Adobe,” by William Deverell; “The Labyrinth of Solitude,” by
Octavio Paz; “Where Latino March Toward Justice Began,” by Cecilia Rasmussen; “Revolt of the
Cockroach People,” by Oscar Zeta Acosta; “Dia de Los Muertos,” by Raoul De La Sota; “I Don’t Buy My
Tacos Too Close To Sex Change Clinics,” by Harry Gamboa;
MUSIC: Ranchero, Salsa, Banda, Rock-n-Espanol
ART: David Alfaro Siqueiros; Dia de los Muertos & La Virgen de Guadalupe Wall Murals; Urban Street
Graffiti.
FILM: “Bajo La Misma Luna;” “Mi Familia;” “American Me;” “Blood In Blood Out;” “La Bamba;” “Stand
and Deliver;” “Zoot Suit;” “Born In East LA;” “Mi Vida Loca;” “Quincianera”
LECTURE/DISCUSSION: From the original 44 Pobladores (colonists) to 19th century wealthy land-grant
Rancheros, from 1940s Zoot-Suited Pachucos to 1970s Chicano Militants and Brown Berets, from today’s
high profile Latino Politicos to immigrants still coming, documented or not, to El Gran Pueblo de Los
Angeles in the 21st century.
FIELD TRIP: (Extra Credit, Optional): “El Pueblo State Historic Park:” Union Station, Placita Olvera, Latino
Cultural Museum. Latino Art Museum (Long Beach); El Alisal, (Charles Lummis Homestead)
WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Critical Thinking Essay #1: (Topic TBA, based on above studies)
PART 3: (Week 5) New Eden to Paradise Lost: The Promise & Betrayal of the Anglo-American Dream
HISTORY: Stealing Water, Dividing the Ranchos, and Building the Artificial City. The White Power Elite:
Doheny, Mulholland, Wilcox, Van Nuys, Otis, Chandler, Huntington, et al.
LITERATURE: Excerpts from: “William Mulholland and the Rise of Los Angeles,” by Catherine Mulholland;
“The Los Angeles Archipelago,” by Carey McWilliams; “Ask the Dust,” by John Fante; “Writers In
Hollywood,” by Raymond Chandler; “Day of the Locust,” by Nathanael West; “Recount,” by Carey
McWilliams; “Los Angeles: A Rhapsody,” by Aldous Huxley; “Hollywood,” by Truman Capote; “The Slide
Area,” by Gavin Lambert; “LAPD Block Dust Bowl Migrants at State Border,” by Cecilia Rasmussen; “Blue
Smoke and Steel,” by Laurel Ann Boyen
FILM: “Intolerance;” “Birth of A Nation;” “Sunset Boulevard;” “The Day of the Locust;” “Falling Down;”
“The Postman Always Rings Twice;” “Mildred Pierce;” “LA Confidential;”
FIELD TRIP: Downtown LA’s “Historic Core:” Bunker Hill, Pershing Square, Angel’s Flight, Grand Central
Market, Bradbury Bldg., Broadway Theater District, Old Bank District, Grand Avenue “Cultural Corridor”
LECTURE/DISCUSSION: Los Angeles was transformed from a place of great promise and idyllic charm
that lured dreamers here since the first Spaniards arrived in the 1700s, to the subject of cynical scorn by
writers from the 1930s onward. The LA “Boosters” sold a slick package deal that didn’t deliver the goods
before long. By the 1960s, the urban exodus euphemistically known as “White Flight” decentralized the
city, not to be revived until more than 50 years later as a hip commercial and cultural destination.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Critical Thinking Essay #2 (Topic TBA, based on above studies)
PART 4: (Week 8) The African-American Experience in Los Angeles: From Central Avenue to South
Central
HISTORY: “Not Quite Paradise,” by Rick Moss;
LITERATURE: Excerpts from “God Sends Sunday,” by Arna Bontemps; “If He Hollers Let Him Go,” by
Chester Himes; “Devil In A Blue Dress,” by Walter Mosley; “Guns and Trouble on the Blue Line Train,” by
Eric Priestley; “Down Central Avenue,” by Mark Colasurdo; “The Cool Jerk,” by Keith Antar Mason; “LA
Love Cry,” by Wanda Coleman
MUSIC1940s to Present: Jazz, Blues, Rock, Rap, Hip Hop. “Central Avenue Sounds: Jazz in Los Angeles,”
by Clora Bryant
ART: African-American Museum (Exposition Park);
FILM: “Devil In A Blue Dress;” “Boyz In the Hood;” “South Central;” “Always Outnumbered, Always
Outgunned;”
FIELD TRIP: African American Museum; Civil Rights Museum (Watts); Watts Towers; Leimert Park Village;
Biddy Mason Memorial
LECTURE/DISCUSSION: Blacks streaming out of the oppressive South and Mid-West towards the
“Promised Land” of southern California found life in 1940s & 50s LA to be liberating on lively Central
Avenue, yet racially restrictive throughout the rest of Los Angeles. They still had a hard road to tow
before seeing change after the bloody urban revolt of the Watts Riot of 1965. Trailblazers like former
slave Biddy Mason, jazz musician Buddy Colette, architect Paul Revere Williams, and the election of Tom
Bradley as the first African-American mayor of Los Angeles, led the way towards equality for black
Angelinos. Then came a King, Rodney not Martin Luther.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Critical Thinking Essay #3 (Topic TBA, based on above studies)
PART 5: (Week 11) Redefining America: The Multi-Cultural Mecca of the 21st Century
HISTORY: “The Golden Years of Los Angeles’ Chinatown,” by Cheng and Kwok; “Italians in Los Angeles,”
by Lothrop, Gloria Ricci; “Korean Immigrants in Los Angeles,” by Min, Pyong G.; “Salvedoran Americans,”
by Mumford, Jeremy; “A Jewish Presence in Los Angeles,” by Newmark, Harris;
LITERATURE: “The Tattooed Soldier,” by Hector Tobar; “Where Worlds Collide,” by Pico Iyer; “Coming
Home to Van Nuys,” by Sandra Tsing Loh; “The Sexual Outlaw,” by John Rechy
FILM: “La Bestia” (Documentary); “Gran Torino;”
COMMUNITIES: Little Armenia, Chinatown, Fairfax District, Historic Filipino Town, Thai Town, Salvadran
Corridor, Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Little Italy, Little Saigon, Tehrangeles (Persian West LA), Weho (Gay
West Hollywood)
LECTURE/DISCUSSION: How is LA doing as the American “Multi-cultural Mecca” of the 21st century?
Culturally identified communities are thriving. Artists, hipsters and gays are gentrifying downtown LA
and its surrounding working class Latino neighborhoods like Echo Park, Silverlake, Highland Park and
Lincoln Heights.
FIELD TRIP: Riding the Rails: Studying Multi-cultural Los Angeles along the extensive light-rail train lines,
from the Blue & Gold to the Green & Expo Light-Rail Lines. Museum of Tolerance; Holocaust Memorial;
Café Cultural (“Salvadoran Corridor,” Vermont Ave. & Washington Blvd.) “Art Walk” (Old Bank District,
DTLA); Japanese-American Museum; Tsi-Lai Buddhist Temple (Hacienda Heights)
WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Critical Thinking Essay # 4 (Topic TBA, based on above studies)
PART 6: (Week 13) Living on the Edge…of the Continent: LA’s Eco/Geo/Psycho/Socio Demographics
LITERATURE: “LA Inferno,” by Mike Davis; “Los Angeles Notebook,” by Joan Didion; “The Los Angeles
Archipelago,” by Carey McWilliams; “City of Quartz,” by Mike Davis; “Going Up In L.A.,” by Ruben
Martinez; “Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies,” by Reyner Banham; “The City of Robots,”
by Umberto Eco; “The Death of the Father,” by Charles Bukowski
LECTURE/DISCUSSION: What exactly does writer Joan Didion mean in the documentary film, “Shotgun
Freeway,” when she says that the psychological instability of Los Angeles is a reflection of its physical
instability?
FILM: “Crash,” “Falling Down,” “Shotgun Freeway”
WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Critical Thinking Essay #5 (Topic TBA, based on above studies)
PART 7: (Week 15) Crime, Chaos, and Corruption in the City of Angels
LITERATURE: “Oil,” by Upton Sinclair; “Paradise,” by James M. Cain; “Red Wind,” by Raymond Chandler;
“The Barbarous Coast,” by Ross Macdonald; “Chinatown,” by Robert Towne; “Devil In A Blue Dress,” by
Walter Mosley; “The Tooth of Crime,” and “The Black Dahlia,” by James Ellroy; “Helter Skelter,” by
Vincent Bugliosi
FILM: “Mildred Pierce,” “Double Indemnity,” “LA Confidential,” “The Big Sleep,” “Gangster Squad,”
“Chinatown,” “Devil In A Blue Dress,” “Dragnet,” “Shotgun Freeway,” “The Postman Always Rings
Twice,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “Blade Runner,” “Repo Man,” “To Live and Die In LA,” “Escape from LA,”
“American History X,” “Training Day,” “Jackie Brown,” “Pulp Fiction”
LECTURE/DISCUSSION: Is it the superficial culture of celebrity-worship or its history as a rebellious
outpost in the desert where the art of identity re-invention was born, that attracts a morally and
psychologically challenged population to Los Angeles?
WRITING ASSIGNMENT : Critical Thinking Essay #6 (Topic TBA, based on above studies)
PART 8: (Week 16) Writing the Research Paper: Examining, Analyzing, and Understanding the City of
Angels
READING: MLA Style Guide: Citation & Bibliographies
READING: LAexplore.com Course Website: Public Work of LA Media: “Los Angeles Research Sources”
READING: Research Paper Rules (Print Handout)
RESEARCH PAPER WRITING PROGRESSION: A) Subject Choice; B) Research Paper Outline; C) Research
Paper Rough Draft; D) Research Paper Final Draft
NOTE: Each segment of the Research Paper writing process listed above will be explained, discussed and
produced at various dates throughout the semester in order to make the entire project more
educational and less overwhelming, and the final product an excellent one. Due date: Final Exam date.