Welcome to English 28!
Instructor: Rebecca Lawson
Taking Attendance and Marking No-Shows
• Please note: if you are NOT currently enrolled in this class, you may
not be able to stay.
• Please write down the following information on the sheet of paper
at the front:
– Full Name
– Email you have registered with the school
– Date of Birth: (Example: 10/15/1980)
– Student ID: (Your ID number beginning with 88-)
• If there are more people than chairs, I will ask everyone not
currently enrolled to leave to make room for people who are
currently enrolled.
• If you are selected from the list, I will send you an email and you
will then be able to gain access to the class.
Syllabus = Contract Between Student and Teacher
Your syllabus is a contract between you, the
student, and me, the instructor.
Therefore, your syllabus tells you what I expect of
you as a student, and what you can expect from
this class over the course of the semester.
So… it is a good idea to know exactly what the
syllabus says.
Let’s review it together.
Review Syllabus and Class Requirements
• The best way to reach me is by email.
– lawsonrw@lamission.edu
– professorrlawson@gmail.com
• You can also leave a message in my faculty mailbox,
but keep in mind I only check it on Tues/Thurs.
• Assignments are due on the date they are listed
under on the schedule.
• You are responsible for knowing and understanding
the content of the syllabus.
Course Resources: Textbook
Everyone’s an Author by Andrea Lunsford, et al.
ISBN-10: 0393932117
• Review the textbook, and highlight the 3 out-ofclass essays we will be writing and the sections
that relate to them:
• Essay 1 – The Narrative: Chapter 8
• Essay 2 – The Review: Chapter 11
• Essay 3 – The Position Research Argument: Chapter 7
• Always bring your textbook to class! We will often
use the textbook in class.
Course Resources: MyWritingLab
• MyWritingLab is required by LAMC for all English 28
classes.
• MyWritingLab will give you hands-on practice,
instructions, and exercises in important writing
basics.
• You MUST buy the access code to MyWritingLab at
the LAMC Bookstore.
• It is packed with a small book called “Research
Simplified”.
• Please note: You are not paying for the book “Research
Simplified”. It is a “freebie”. You are really paying for the
REQUIRED access code.
Grades and Assignments
Grading: You will receive a letter grade for this class. In order to pass and
receive credit, you must earn above a "C," meaning 70%, in the class.
Your grade will consist of the following:
• Homework, Readings, and In-class Assignments: 5-20 points
each, depending on length and difficulty.
• 2 Essays: 100 points each
• 1 Research Paper: 200 points
• Final In-Class Essay: 100 points
• Extra Credit: I will give one extra credit assignment at the end of the
semester. Details to come.
Drafts and Participation
• Writing is a process, and it is important that you
participate in the process by bringing drafts of your
essays to class on the designated dates.
• In order for your classmates and me to help you as
much as possible, we need to see the direction that
you are going with your paper. In order to do this we
need to see a full draft. A full draft is NOT just an
outline.
• A full draft might not be as long as the final draft
BUT it is at least half the final length, typed, and it
has an introduction, body, and a conclusion.
Paper/Essay Format
• All final drafts must be in 12-point, Times New Roman font.
Margins must be one inch on all sides. All papers must include
the following in the left-hand corner: your name, the date,
your class and section number, the assignment name, and
your word count.
• I will pass out an example of correct formatting in class.
• Please refer to it every time you turn in a written assignment.
If you have any questions about how to format your paper
correctly, please ask me or a writing center worker.
• All assignments should be carefully proofread for grammar
and spelling errors.
Late Assignments/Papers
• All papers and homework assignments are due at the beginning of the
period on the day they are due.
• I will not accept homework turned in at the end of the period.
• Expect to have computer difficulties at least once during the semester and
plan for them.
• Remember, you can print in the LRC.
• You will be allowed one late assignment and ONLY one. It must be turn in
within 2 weeks of the original due date with a late contract stapled to the
front.
• Late contracts will be handed out NEXT WEEK.
• I will not accept emailed assignments.
Record Keeping
• It is your responsibility to keep track of which assignments
you have turned in and which you have not, and it is your
responsibility to keep track of your grade.
– While I always keep records of your points on every assignment, you
should keep records of your progress also.
• Please keep all of your work after I pass it back.
– This means your in-class work, your essays, your homework, and any
other assignments we do.
• Also, you should never give me your only copy of an essay.
– Always save your work on a computer or a flash drive or print out an
extra copy for you to keep in case something goes wrong with your
computer or I misplace your work.
– Save each new draft as a new file. This means hitting “save as”
instead of save.
Plagiarism
• Plagiarism is presenting another person’s work as your own.
– This can include copying word-for-word from the internet or another
source without properly citing and crediting it, presenting an idea as
your own without acknowledging the source, or turning in a piece of
writing that you did not personally create.
• I also encourage you to meet with me if you are uncertain
about whether your writing could be misconstrued as
plagiarism.
– Minor accidental plagiarism will result in an "incomplete" on the
assignment with the option of revising for a passing grade.
• Wholesale or intentional plagiarism will have serious
consequences.
– Repeat offenders risk suspension from LA Mission College.
– Once again, ask for help if you need it—especially if you are unsure
how to correctly cite and credit your sources.
Attendance
• As a member of this class, you are part of a community of
writers.
– It is important that you be here to participate in class activities and offer
your contribution to your classmates’ learning process.
– Please note that we will also often do activities and assignments during
class that cannot be made up if you are not present.
– Please refer to the syllabus and the class website for upcoming
assignments and instructions.
– You may also wish to exchange phone numbers with someone else in the
class so that you can catch up on what you missed.
• You are allowed 4 absences total in case of illness/emergency.
– Don’t waste them. If you are absent 6 times or more, you will be dropped
from the course –or- given an automatic F if it is after the drop period.
– Save your absences for days when you truly need them. In the case of an
emergency, please contact me as soon as possible via email to let me
know your situation.
Tardiness
• It is essential that you be on time. I will be taking roll
at the beginning of class each day. If you arrive after
I have taken roll, you will be marked tardy.
• Three tardies will count as one absence.
– If you are tardy, please come into class quietly without
disturbing others.
– After class, you must come see me to make sure that I
change your absence to a tardy.
– Do not leave class early.
• I will often make announcements at the end of class that you will
need to hear, and if you do choose to leave before class is finished,
you will be marked partially absent.
Student Conduct
• This class will be a place of learning and respect for all people
and points of view.
• Students are expected to be respectful to each other and to me
while in this class. Disruptive or disrespectful behavior will not
be tolerated and may affect your grade.
• Students who disrupt the class may be asked to leave and will be
marked partially absent.
• The includes not disrupting class with cell phones ringing or
other devices making noise.
– This ALSO applies to doing non-class related things on cell phones and
computers, etc.
– No texting, no listening to ipods, no playing games, going on facebook, etc
during class. It is disrespectful and rude.
– Simply put: use class time for class related things ONLY. After all, you
signed up for this class—commit to it fully!
Special Concerns and/or Disability Services
• If you have any learning accommodation needs, please see me
privately. If you have any other situation that may affect your
ability to learn in this class, please let me know.
• Sharing your situation with me will help me to be a more
effective instructor.
• If you are a student with a disability and require classroom
accommodations, please see me to discuss arrangements. The
sooner I am aware that you are eligible for accommodations, the
quicker I will be able to provide them.
– If you have not done so already, you may also wish to contact the DSP&S
Office in Instruction Building 1018 (phone #818.364. 7732/TTD
818.364.7861) and bring a letter stating the accommodations that are
needed.
Syllabus Group “Quiz”
1. What happens if I need to turn in a late paper?
2. How many absences or tardies can I have before being dropped?
3. I don’t like doing drafts. Can I just skip peer review days?
4. How can I tell if I have an assignment due on a particular day?
5. Can I throw away my papers, homework, and class work after they
are passed back?
6. I'm going to miss class. Can I email you my paper and have it be on
time?
7. How many essays and drafts to do actually need to write in order to
to pass the class with a C?
Taking a Look at the Schedule
• What’s ahead for our class?
Emailing Your Professor
A Guide
lawsonrw@lamission.edu
Put the Reason for Your Email in the Subject Line
• A subject line helps your professor to know
what to expect in your email.
• A subject line will help your professor to find
your email in their already full inboxes.
• Make your subject line as specific as possible.
– A poor subject line: “Class”
– A useful subject line: “Question about LAMC 28
Reading due Friday”
Identify Yourself
• Sign your email with the name your professor
knows you by, even if your name is in your
email address.
• This is especially important if your email is not
the same as your name. I once got an email
asking, “What did we do in class?” from a
student who could only be identified as
rockstar85.
Identify the Class You Attend
• Remember, your professor teaches more than
one class.
• Especially early in the semester, it is important to
tell your professor which class you attend.
• Mention the course name and dates/times that
the class meets. (Many professors teach more
than one section of the same course.)
• Do not send an email that simply asks “What did
we do in class?” without identifying which class
you are talking about.
Ask Smart Questions
• Come to think of it, do not ever, under any
circumstances, send your teacher an email asking
“What did we do in class?” Your professor does
not have time to re-teach an entire lesson in
response to your email.
• If you miss a day of class, contact a classmate and
ask what you missed before contacting your
professor for clarification.
• Look on your syllabus and at any handouts your
professor gave you for clarification before
emailing your professor.
Ask Smart Questions: Part 2
• Example of a smart question:
Dear Professor Smith,
I am a student in your English 101 class that meets from
9:00 to 12:10 on Mondays and Wednesdays. I was
absent on Monday, and I saw that a handout with
instructions for the reading journal assignment was
posted on the website. I read the handout, but I was
wondering if we needed to do a new reading journal
for each poem assigned on the syllabus.
Mary Jones
Be Respectful of Your Professor’s Time
• Politeness will score you points with your
professor. Rudeness will get you nowhere. Or
laughter and accidental deletion of your email.
• Do not make demands of your professor. Grading
papers and responding to emails takes time.
• Make sure to give your professor enough lead
time to respond to your question before the
deadline for an assignment. (Emailing your
professor at 1 AM the night before an assignment
is due at 9 AM is ridiculous.)
Homework For Thursday:
• If you have not already done so, get the
textbook: Everyone’s an Author
– Bring it to class!
• Read “Thinking Rhetorically” p. 5-17