Syllabus for English 1A: Composition and Reading
Spring 2013
Instructor: Scott Goldstone
Class Location:
T/TH: 4:00-6:15 PM
RM 6302
Office:
6039
Office Hour:
T 3:00-4:00
Or by appointment
Email:
goldstonescott@fhda.edu
Course Objective:
Welcome to English 1A! The purpose of this class is to introduce you to academic writing and
develop your critical reading, thinking and writing skills. The researching, reading, writing and
editing skills you will learn in this course are designed to help you not just in this class, but in all
academic coursework regardless of your major. We will be reading and reflecting upon a broad
spectrum of primarily non-fiction prose designed to help you develop and express your own
ideas with clarity, precision and effectiveness. Class discussions, peer workshops and selfassessment through a Metacognitive Journal and Term Portfolio are all elements of the course
that will allow you to take an active role in your growth and assessment throughout the term.
Student Objectives:

Apply critical reading/thinking/writing skills analyzing and writing, both in and out-ofclass essays, about various freshman composition level readings including essays, fiction
and non-fiction.

Demonstrate the ability to follow academic conventions by formatting expository essays,
including page-layout, parenthetical citations and Works Cited entries, in the current
standard MLA format

Write freshman-level essays that follow the various stages of essay writing, including
pre-writing, thesis development, illustration and support of the thesis using concrete,
specific evidence/examples, editing, proofreading and which are free of most errors in
syntax, grammar, punctuation, diction, and spelling

Demonstrate understanding of effective college-level argumentation by producing
logically-supported arguments and by recognizing and avoiding common logical fallacies

Produce a research paper which utilizes the various elements of research production, such
as designing a research plan, compiling research notes, producing an outline, developing
a draft, producing a finished paper that utilizes at least five academic sources and has a
complete MLA-format Works Cited page
Class Website:
http://foothillenglish1a.pbworks.com/
Course Requirements:
A passing grade in English 1A requires completion of all course assignments. These include:
Three essays (Critical Reflection Paper, Advertisement Analysis Paper, and PersuasiveArgumentative Research Paper), in-class essays, the final exam, and the ongoing revision of the
Term Portfolio.
Plagiarism Policy:
Plagiarism is copying someone else’s work and representing it as your own. Any student who
plagiarizes any written work in English 1A or cheats on an assignment will automatically receive
an F on that assignment and the Language Arts Dean will be notified. DON’T DO IT!
Attendance and Rules:
Due to the nature of this class, in-class journal prompts, quizzes, presentations and peer reviews
require active participation in this course and attendance is mandatory. Please come prepared to
take part in class discussions and peer workshops. Missing more than three classes will result in
the lowering of your final grade by one third of a letter grade (an A- would be dropped to a B+).
If you foresee circumstances that will result in your being unable to attend class, please contact
me through my office phone or via e-mail. It is a good idea to become acquainted with one or
more class members who can fill you in on material covered during an absence in order for you
to come to the following class prepared. You are expected to arrive at class on time, to treat your
fellow students with respect and to complete your assignments on time. Failing to follow the
rules may result in being dropped from the class. Please refrain from using cell phones or any
other electronic devices in class.
Required Materials:
Krakauer, John, Into Thin Air
Steinbeck, John. Travels With Charley: In Search of America
A binder with dividers (Portfolio)
A college level dictionary (recommended)
Course Content:
Metacognitive Journal: Keeping a journal as you read is one of the best ways of exploring a
piece of writing. In the Metacognitive Journal you will be keeping for this class as you read, you
will record your first impressions, explore relationships, ask questions, write down quotations,
copy whole passages that are difficult or aesthetically pleasing. This is your opportunity to
interact with and share your thoughts on a text with your classmates and a way of generating
ideas for essays.
Essays: You will be writing three out-of-class essays (roughly 1000 words except for the
research paper) in addition to two in-class essays. The out-of-class essays will have two dates
(one for each draft – rough/peer review and final).
Peer Reviews: On Peer Review days, you will bring three double-spaced copies of your essay in
rough draft form that you will trade with the members in your peer group. Trading and
annotating papers will allow you to generate ideas about how to improve the clarity, organization
and content of your paper. You will make your writing suggestions on a peer worksheet that will
be given to the essay’s author and later evaluated for a grade that will be based on the quality of
your responses.
I accept no work after the time of the final exam.
Extra Credit: Extra credit (10 points) can be earned for going to and writing about ONE of the
following:
1) Attending the Steinbeck Museum in Salinas, CA.
2) Attending the San Jose State Library's Steinbeck Center.
For your visit, ask the docent or librarian what materials the facility has that relate to Travels
With Charley. Once you have completed your visit, you will write a 1-2 page typed and double
spaced paper about what you saw and how it connected to or furthered your understanding of
John Steinbeck's life or Travels With Charley. I do not give credit for both trips – only one or the
other.
Tentative Course Schedule
(Come to class having completed assignments in bold)
APR
9:
Intro to class, class goals
Buy textbooks and bring a notebook (journal) to the next class
Blue Highways
Discuss Metacognitive Journal
Diagnostic essay
11:
Due: "Nameless, Tennessee" (please print story and bring to class)
Active v. Passive Reading
Purpose/audience/tone
Fragments, comma splices, and run-ons
Introduction to Travels With Charley
16:
Due: Travels With Charley (TWC) 1-9, 19-42, Journal Entry
Discuss TWC and Journal Entries
Discuss Criteria for Essay #1
18:
Due: TWC 43-48, 59-88, Journal Entry
Quiz
Thesis statements
Quotations
23:
Due: TWC 89-119, Journal Entry
Sentence Structural Problems
Paragraphs
25:
Due: TWC 166-187, 194-208, Journal Entry
Quiz
Outlining
Subject-verb agreement
30:
MAY 2:
7:
Due: Rough draft for Essay #1 (bring 3 copies to class)
Peer Review
Logic and flaws in logic
Due: TWC 249-277, Journal Entry
Quiz
“Barack Hussein Obama: Once a Muslim, Always a Muslim”
Intro to Into Thin Air (ITA)
Due: Essay #1, Introduction – Ch.3 ITA: Journal entry
Most Common Usage Errors
Apostrophes
Schedule individual meetings
9:
Due: ITA ch 4-6: Journal entry
Assign and discuss Essay #2
Quiz
14:
16:
INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS
INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS
21:
Due: ITA ch. 7-8: Journal entry
Rhetorical Devices
Ad Analysis Groupwork
Quiz
23:
Due: ITA ch 9-11: Journal entry
In-Class Essay (midterm)
28:
Due: ITA ch. 12-14: Journal entry, Rough Draft for Essay #2
Peer review (bring 3 copies of Essay #2)
30:
ITA ch 15-17: Journal entry
Watch Storm of the Century
JUN 4:
6:
Due: Essay #2, Finish ITA, Journal
Quiz
Discuss Essay #3
Introduction to Annotated bibliography
Library Orientation (TBA)
11:
Due: Annotated Bibliography
Parenthetical Citations
Discuss Portfolios
13:
Due: Essay #3 Rough Draft, (Bring 3 copies for Peer evaluation)
Peer Review
18:
Presentation of Portfolios
20:
Due: Research Papers
Presentation of Portfolios (cont’d)
Final Exam review
Final exam (in class)
Tuesday, June 25: 3:00-5:00 PM
Portfolios Due