E1AH: Honors Composition and Reading
CRN#31944
ENGL-01AH-01H
Winter 2016
Tu/Th 10:00-11:50 Fri 11:00-11:50
Room 4310
Instructor:
Dr. Scott Lankford
Office Location: Room 6015
Email Address: lankfordscott@foothill.edu
Office Hours Tue/Thurs 1:30-2:30
Faculty Website: http://www.foothill.edu/la/directory.php?s=1&rec_id=460
or Friday 10-10:50 or by appointment
Climate-Change-Across-the-Curriculum blog: http://mindsurfing.typepad.com/climate/
Official Foothill Course Catalog Description: Techniques and practice of expository and
argumentative writing based on critical reading and thinking about texts. Reading focused primarily on works of nonfiction prose, chosen to represent a broad spectrum of opinions and ideas, writing styles, and cultural experiences.
Fulfills the Foothill College reading and composition requirement for the AA/AS degree and the university-transfer
general education requirement in English reading and written composition. The honors section offers rigorous
preparation in analytic reading and writing skills for students intending to transfer to a four-year college or university.
Course provides opportunity to engage contemporary social and ethical issues through small group discussion, a
structured sequence of papers requiring higher-level thinking tasks, and collaborative projects. Emphasis is placed on
multiple drafts and substantive revision to produce articulate writing appropriate to academic disciplines. Research
paper is required.
Student Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course, students can 1) integrate information from texts to
develop a main idea using quoting and paraphrasing; 2) articulate a main idea at essay level using a thesis; 3) make
inferences from college-level texts; 4) articulate a main idea at paragraph level using a topic sentence; 5) develop a
main idea at paragraph level; 6) organize and develop a main idea at the essay level.
Stanford EPIC Project:
As part of a Stanford-sponsored EPIC initiative (Education Partnership to Internationalize the Curriculum), we’ll focus
on Critical Thinking about Climate Change—with the results to be presented at a Stanford conference in June 2016.
Three 1500-Word Essays based on Required Reading (any print or digital edition is OK)
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Essay 1: Academic Writing: Personal Tipping Point
Required Reading: Graff and Birkenstein, They Say / I Say 3rd Edition (2014)
Required Reading: Gladwell, The Tipping Point (2002)
Essay 2: Critical Thinking: Climate Change Tipping Point
Required Reading: Klein, This Changes Everything (2014)
Essay 3: Creative Thinking: Climate Justice Tipping Point
Required Reading: Bales, Blood and Earth (2016) – Available after January 16, 2016
Grading Scale: 930-1000=A; 900-929=A-; 870-899=B+; 830-869=B; 800-829=B-; 770-799=C+; 700-769 = C
Graded Assignments (detailed instructions for each assignment will be provided):
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10% for On-time Attendance, Preparation, and Participation (5 points per Tues/Thurs class)
15% for 3 Friday Tests –worth up to 50 points each
Optional Makeup /Replacement Tests have already been pre-scheduled (see calendar for details)
10% for a Civic Engagement Exercise – custom-designed student-led peer-to-peer activity
6% for 3 Essay Rough Drafts – worth up to 20 points each
60% for three 1500 word (5-page) Formal Academic Essays – each worth up to 200 points
Total = 101% (so there’s already an extra 1% built in! Even more extra-credit opportunities listed below)
Extra Credit = up to an additional 7.5%
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Up to 60 Extra Credit Points for 3 Essay Rewrites, for up to 20 points each (see handout)
Up to 15 Points Extra Credit for On-Time Attendance in Weeks 11-12 (replaces any 3 absences)
Daily Assignments
To-Do Before Class
Week 1
Week 2:
Week 3:
Week 4:
Week 5:
Week 6:
Week 7:
Week 8:
Week 9:
In class on Tuesday read They Say “Introduction”
Before class Thursday read They Say Chap 1-3
Before class Friday re-read They Say 252-259
Before class Tuesday read They Say Chaps 4-5
Before class Thurs read They Say Chap 6-7
Before class Friday re-read Tipping Introduction
Before class Tues read Tipping Chap 1
Before class Thurs read Tipping Chap 2
Before class Fri read Tipping Chapters 1-2
Before class Tuesday read Tipping Chap 3
Before class Thurs read Tipping Conclusion
Before class Friday write your Rough Draft
Before class Tues read Changes Chapter 5
Before class Thurs read Changes Chapter 7
Before class Fri review Changes Chapters 5, 7
Before class Tues read Changes Chapter 8
Before class Thurs read Changes Chapter 9
No Class meeting Friday President’s Day Holiday
Before class Tues read Changes Chapter 10
Before class Thurs read Changes Chapter 11
Before class Fri reread Changes Chapter 10-11
Before class Tues Changes
Before class Thurs complete a draft thesis statement
Before class Fri complete a rough draft of Essay 2
Before class Tuesday read Blood Earth Chapter 1
Before class Thursday read Blood Earth Chapter 2
Before class Friday reread Blood Earth Intro, Chap 1-2
Week 10: Before class Tuesday read Blood Earth Chapter 3
Before class Thursday read Blood Earth Chapter 4
Before class Friday reread Blood Earth Chapter 3-4
Week 11: Before class Tuesday work on your research
Before class Thursday work on your research
Before class Friday choose just one option:
Due In Class
Test 1 on They Say “Intro,” Chp 1-3 plus 244-251
Optional Replacement Test Chp 4-7 plus Tipping
Optional Replacement Test Tipping Chapters 1-2
Required Rough Draft Workshop #1
Tues Essay 1 due
Test 2 on Changes Chapters 5, 7
Optional replacement test on Changes Chaps 8-9
Optional replacement test Changes Chap 10-11
Required Rough Draft Workshop #2
Tues Essay 2 due
Test 3 on Blood Earth Intro, Chapter 1
Optional replacement test Blood Earth Chaps 2-3
Option 1: Turn in Essay 3 early (to earn rewrite)
Option 2: Turn in Rough Draft only
Week 12: Finals Week class meets once only! There are no Tuesday or Friday class meetings during Finals.
Final class meeting is scheduled on Thursday, March 24 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
No tests that day. Earn 5 free “extra credit” points just for showing up on time!
We will use this final class for group presentations. Also to pick up graded essays for rewrites.
Essay 3 Due Friday noon March 25. Submit on paper under my office door Rm 6015. No email!
Rewrites Due Friday noon March 25. Submit on paper under my office door Rm 6015. No email!
Late Papers Due Friday noon March 25. Submit on paper under my office door Rm 6015. No email!
Detailed Rules for Rewrites are in the Top Ten Tips on my faculty website. Follow instructions. Or 0 pts
After Friday Noon March 25 no student work will be accepted for credit.
Attendance Policy: Students who are absent more than 3 times prior to the “W” deadline will be penalized.
Honor Code: Plagiarism will be penalized in accordance with the Foothill College Honor Code.