Cerro Coso Community College
Fall 2011
Professor Vasquez
Course: 70208 (T/R 2:00-4:05pm)
Student Contact Hours: M/W 1:00-2:00 & M 4-6pm;
and T/R 4:10 – 5:10 pm and by appointment
Contact: lavasque@cerrocoso.edu
Office: LAC 720
Phone: 760/384-6162
“Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.” E.L. Doctorow
“ Read, read, read. Read everything – trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read!
You’ll absorb it. Then write.” William Faulkner
Prerequisite: Completion of English 30 or placement in English 40 through Assessment Exam.
Course Description:
This course, which is preparation for college composition, is designed to teach students to write short compositions (500-750 words each) with clear organization, development, keywords, thesis, topic sentences, and sufficient supporting details. Students will become familiar with a variety of rhetorical modes, be introduced to expositor and text-based writing, and complete in-class compositions. Major principles of grammar will be reviewed.
Required Tests and Materials (“Required” means “Not optional”)
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Toni Morrison’s Paradise
John Langan and Janet M. Goldstein’s English Brushup, 5 th ed.
This is a writing class, so please come prepared with plenty of white-lined paper with clean edges, pens, and highlighters.
What will I know how to do when I successfully complete this course? (SLOs):
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to: o Write short compositions (500-750+ words) with clear organization, thesis, topic sentences, keywords, and sufficient, logical supporting details. o Apply the process required for effective writing, including drafting and editing techniques, that are appropriate for specific stages in that process. o Demonstrate at least two rhetorical modes, such as description, narration, exposition, or argument. o Identify and correct major errors in grammar. o Recognize topics and main ideas of essays, both explicit and implied, and the basic organization of essays, such as cause/effect, definition, examples, and comparison/contrast. o Distinguish the major and minor supporting information of essays. o Evaluate the author’s purpose and tone.

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Attendance and Class Participation Policy:
Simply put – when class is scheduled, you are here. Since students who miss class regularly also miss crucial instruction necessary to pass this class, attendance is required, not optional. Furthermore, since we only meet for three hours per week, please schedule all doctor, dentist, counseling, and other appointments outside of class time. Please be on time for class and stay for the duration of the class.
Withdrawal/Drop Policy: o It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from courses prior to the 10% date of their enrolled classes to qualify for a refund.
o It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from courses prior to the 30% date of the enrolled course to avoid a “W” recorded on their transcripts. o It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from courses prior to the 60% date to receive a “W” on their transcripts.
Note: Instructors have the discretion to drop students without consultation when unexcused absences exceed 10% of the total hours of class sessions up to the 60% date. If you must drop the class for whatever reason, be sure to withdraw through the admissions office otherwise I will be forced to issue a substandard grade.
Policy Regarding Tardiness:
If you arrive after class begins you will be marked absent. No need to inform me that you have arrived – it does not change your “absent” status. Take a seat and wait until we move onto the next activity.
Do not stop at the front of the class and ask what we are doing; do not stop to turn in homework; do not stop – period. Take a seat and wait until you are invited into the discussion/activities.
If you must leave before class is over, you will be marked absent for the day as well; go if you must, but do not ask for homework before you leave, do not ask what you will miss, and definitely do not ask if it’s okay. It isn’t.
What’s the English 40 workload like?
It’s very intense.
You’ll stay busy because o You’ll be working in a number of sites: the classroom, the LRC, the textbooks, and at home. o You will always have homework. Homework will be a combination of reading and writing.
You will be writing one paragraph and five formal essays (including the mid-term) plus the final exam.
One of the formal essays will be an in-class writing assignment. These writing assignments will go through a number of stages and revisions. To receive full credit, each step must be completed and must be completed on time. Additionally, shorter in-class writings will also be required. Sometimes these are done individually, sometimes in groups.
Quizzes:
Yes, you will have them. There are 10 scheduled quizzes. There may also be unannounced “pop” quizzes
– so always do the reading and come to class prepared. Quizzes are primarily used to determine whether or not you have a clear understanding of what has been discussed in class and/or in the readings. Quizzes

cover questions from the readings, previous class discussions and grammar and mechanics. Quizzes are given at the beginning of class. If you arrive late, you do not get to take the quiz and you may not make it up after class or at another time.
Due Dates – and what’s the policy for late work?
All assigned work: textbook assignments, reading responses, and any other assigned work is due by five minutes after the start of class – no later. There are many reasons – some legitimate – for work arriving late, but there are also consequences. Late work, as defined by this class, is any work turned in after
2:05pm. Work turned in after 2:05 will be considered one day late. Late papers lose 5% off the grade for every 24 hours it is late (not class days – 24 hour days. 2:06 on the day an assignment is due begins the first 24 hours). There are no exceptions. Late papers are only accepted up to one week after the due date. Additionally, late papers receive a grade only, no comments.
Office Visits, E-mails, and Phone Messages: – Please feel free to drop by my office at any time and/or to email me with any questions you have regarding the class. In person, where we can communicate freely is the best way to work, but I know that is not always possible, so you can also email or call me. I check and respond to e-mails everyday Monday through Friday, occasionally on Saturday, never on Sunday . I will also be happy to help you work through a reading, and any ideas you have for writing, help you revise your work, and or give you ideas for improvement. Please turn in hard copies of assignments when asked for. Do not email your homework to me and ask me to print it because you do not have access to a printer.
The learning Center and/or library have printers available for your use.
Be aware that I check phone messages only when I am on campus (M-R), so the best way to reach me is through email. If you call, make sure you leave a number – one that can be clearly heard and understood.
When you send an email, the subject line should be as follows: English 40, Your Name, Topic o This makes it easy for my email program to sort messages into the correct folder. o Your Name would be . . . yes, YOUR NAME!! Not the words, but the actual name you go by.
Don’t laugh. I have had students who actually put “Your Name” in their email subject lines! o Topic: is the subject you are writing about. That lets me see at a glance what you need (question on paper, help with format, etc.). If it is important, also include something like “HELP” or
“PANIC” or “ARGHHHHH.”
So, your subject line might look something like this:
English 40 Janet Parker, Question about first quiz
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please use and check your college email frequently. I sometimes send email messages to the entire class and this is the email I will send it to. You are responsible for getting and following all email communication.
Academic Integrity:
The most blatant form of plagiarism is taking another author’s words or ideas and claiming them as your own, and/or failure to document (intentionally or unintentionally) the source of information used in a paper. However, plagiarism can also be more subtle. Getting “help” from a friend or classmate as you write and revise your paper can also constitute plagiarism if the work you turn in is no longer entirely your own. In addition, taking ideas from peer responses to use in your own response before you post is cheating and a form of plagiarism. If you have any questions about what is and is not plagiarism, be sure to discuss these with the instructor. Being informed and conscientious can help you avoid any misunderstandings and the serious consequences associated with plagiarism. Plagiarism is unacceptable and has serious consequences.
Anyone caught cheating/plagiarizing in any form will receive an “F” on the assignment which may lead to receiving a substandard grade for the class. Additionally, if you

plagiarize, I will send your name and a copy of your paper to the vice-president of Student Affairs which will result in further consequences. It’s just not worth the risk! Do your own work!!!
Grades*:
By using jupitergrades.com you will always know where you stand in the class. You can check your grade on individual assignments and find your overall grade at any time.
Grades will be based on the following point totals:
1 paragraphs
4 essays
Midterm Essay
50 points
100 points each
150 points
5 Writer’s workshops
(includes plan, unite,
revise and edit)
10 Quizzes
100 points each
10 points each
50 points
400 points
150 points
500 points
100 points
In-class/homework (varies)
FINAL EXAM 200 points
TOTAL POINTS
points
200 points student earns his/her own grade. There is no extra credit.
1,500 POINTS
The points are averaged on a standard 100 percentile scoring. I do not grade on a curve. Each individual
Accommodations
Students who have verified learning disabilities and need assistive services or who, due to a sensory or processing disability, require alternative media formats of class materials should contact the Special
Services Office at (760) 384-6250
Please Be Considerate. This is an excuse-free workplace:
Take responsibility for your decisions. This includes coming to class on time, staying for the duration of the class, and turning in each and every assignment when it is due. If you choose not to, for whatever reason, you will have to live the consequences of your choice.
Please keep two concepts in mind: respect and consideration . You are not required to be here. You are here because you choose to be. Your peers in class have also made that choice, and like you, are spending their hard-earned money. No person in this classroom has the right to interfere with another’s right to an education. Excessive disruptions or disturbances will be cause for a student’s removal from the class.
PLEASE:
Turn off cell phones and leave them off for the duration of the class.
Students who use their phones in class (call or texts) will be removed from the class and marked absent for the day. A second offense may mean removal from the course.
Questions, Questions, Questions???:
If you attend class and still do not understand a concept we discussed, please ask.
I will do my best to make everything covered in lecture and in the readings as clear and understandable as possible and I actually mean for everyone to understand everything. This means that you have the right, indeed the obligation to question, ask, and argue for clarification at any point. If there is something you do not understand, please raise the question in class. Chances are if you do not understand something there are probably other students in class who are struggling with the same concept. If you still don’t understand,

ask me before or after class, e-mail me, call me or do all four!! Don’t just let things that aren’t clear to you slide by. Additionally, I will be happy to assist you with your papers. Whether you want to ask my opinion on a topic you’re considering, run a thesis statement by me, or receive some feedback on evidence for support, I’ll be happy to meet with you before/after class, talk through e-mail, or meet with you at another convenient time. We will not have time to cover every aspect of composition in class. As part of the learning process you will be required to read, process, and dissect information from our texts and study the content within individually so as to be prepared for grammar quizzes, correct MLA format, and on resources not previously covered in class, etc. Feel free to contact me for clarification or instruction throughout any of these independent learning situations in which you find yourself lost or struggling.
WEEK DATE
1 23 August
3
4
I reserve the right to revise and modify this syllabus and the attached schedule as necessary.
Tentative Schedule – English 40: Fall 2011
*All readings and written assignments should be completed on the dates indicated.
While I expect the actual weekly assignments for the course to approximate closely the following list, additional readings, handouts, exercises, lab and homework assignments may be added. If you have to miss a class, do not assume that we’ll be doing exactly what this list promises the following class meeting: e-mail me or get in touch with a colleague in class to be sure you know what you are responsible for. (Better yet, avoid missing any classes!!!)
2
25 August
ASSIGNMENTS/IN-CLASS WORK
Introductions / get to know you
Managing home, work, school / Goal Setting
Diagnostic Writing
Syllabus Review
Quiz 1 - Syllabus
Royko review
The Importance of Reading
Sentence Types / Variety
“A View from The Bridge”
Writing Exemplification Paragraphs
Plan (TAPFoR/Generate/Organize)
Revise – evaluate and revise
As a group / individually
HOMEWORK
English Brushup: chapter 4
(pp50-55)
Read: Cherokee Paul McDonald
(handout)
Unite: Use plan and elaborate
(write paragraph)
Read: Alice Walker
30 August
1 September
6 September
8 September
13 September
14 September
Quiz 2
“In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens”
Writing Exemplification Essays
Essay 1
Working on the Essay process
Writer’s Workshop – Draft and all prewriting/planning due
Essay 1 Due
Work with Essay 1
Essay 1 process
Revise/Edit Essay 1
Read: Wiesenfeld and Wenke

5
6
7
8
20 September
22 September
27 September
29 September
4 October
6 October
11 October
13 October
9 18 October
20 October
Quiz 3
“Making the Grade”
“Too Much Pressure”
Quiz 4
“The ‘Values’ Wasteland”
Writing Definition Essays
Essay 2 – Planning
Essay 2 draft and all planning due
Writer’s Workshop
Self-evaluation / revise/edit
Essay 2 due
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Intro and chapters 1-3
Argument
Quiz 5
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Intro and chapters 4-16
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Intro and chapters 17-19
Argument
Quiz 6
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Intro and chapters 20-end
MIDTERM – Essay 3
Writing Argumentative papers / planning
10 25 October
27 October
11 1 November
3 November
MIDTERM DUE – Draft and Final Essay
“Cultural Baggage”
Quiz 7
“Lullaby”
Essay 4 – planning / Generating ideas
Cause/Effect Essays
Essay 4 Draft Due – working through the process
Writer’s Workshop – Cause/Effect
Essay 4 Due
Read: Charles Sykes
Continue to work on Essay 2
Revise /edit essay 2
Complete essay 2
Complete packet due Tues.
Read: Mary Shelley’s
Frankenstein (chapters 1-3)
Read: Mary Shelley’s
Frankenstein (chapters 4-16)
Read: Mary Shelley’s
Frankenstein (chapters 17-19)
Read: Mary Shelley’s
Frankenstein (chapters 20-end)
Prepare for midterm essay
Write and Revise/Edit midterm
Read: Barbara Ehrenreich
Read: Leslie Marmon Silko
Work on Essay 4
Revise / Edit Essay 4 (Due
Thurs)
Read: Toni Morrison’s Paradise
(pp 1-77)

12 8 November
10 November
13 15 November
17 November
Quiz 8
Toni Morrison’s Paradise
Ruby, Mavis, and Grade
Toni Morrison’s Paradise
Seneca
Compare/Contrast
Quiz 9
Toni Morrison’s Paradise
Seneca (continued)
Devine and Patricia
Toni Morrison’s Paradise
Consolata
14 22 November
24 November
15 29 November
1 December
Quiz 10
Toni Morrison’s Paradise
Consolata (continued)
Lone and Save-Marie
Comparison
THANKSGIVING DAY HOLIDAY – NO CLASS
In-class Essay (5) – Comparison
2 Blue Books Required
Review of in-class essay
Prepare for Final Exam
2:00 – 4:00 pm
FINAL EXAM
16
Thursday
8 December
Read: Toni Morrison’s Paradise
(pp 81 – break at top of 110)
Read: Toni Morrison’s Paradise
(pp 110-217)
Read: Toni Morrison’s Paradise
(pp 221 – break at top of 247)
Read: Toni Morrison’s Paradise
(pp 247-318)
Review Comparison / Be ready for in-class essay – Bring novel and 2 blue books
Work on Final Exam