ENGLISH 092- Developmental English | FALL 2013

Instructor: Mike Beasley Class Times M/W 5:30-7:40

Phone: 425-564-2526

Email:michael.beasley@bellevuecollege.edu

Office & office hours: R230, by appt M or W.

TEXTS

The following texts are required for this course:

1. Clouse: Patterns for a Purpose (PP)

2. A standard college dictionary

MATERIALS: Pencils/pens, standard notebook paper, stapler

COURSE OVERVIEW

In this class you will critically analyze and evaluate what you read, you will be challenged to express your perspective on a range of given topics, and you will write academic essays that convincingly develop your perspective. In general, to succeed in this class, you must:

*Question what you read; cultivate an inquiring mind; analyze.

*Write articulate essays that thoroughly and coherently develop a personal yet credible point of view on an assigned topic.

*Use Standard English diction, grammar, and mechanics to make your writing forceful and clear.

Specific Objectives—see also “English 092 Outcomes” in the Arts and Humanities/English courses website.

By the end of this quarter, you should be able to:

*read and appreciate well-craft prose

*generate and discover relevant ideas with which to develop a

given topic

*use various patterns of exposition to develop your essays

*formulate a thoughtful, engaging thesis

*develop a coherent essay that communicates what your thesis

promises to deliver

*write unified and coherent paragraphs that collectively support

a thesis

*exercise good judgment in diction: word choice, precise language

*write Standard English sentences, varied in structure and length

*detect and correct your own grammar, spelling, and usage errors

GRADING—Here is what percentage each set of assignments is worth:

Four essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400

Homework & class work. . . . . . .100

Total Class points . . . . . . . . . . . 500

The grading calculation is based on a simple percentage of the total points:

90-100% = A

86-89% = B+

80-85% = B

76-79% = C+

73-76% = C

70-72% = C-

60-69 % = D

LATE WORK POLICY

*YOU MAY SUBMIT ANY ONE OF YOUR ASSIGNMENTS ONE CLASS PERIOD LATE WITH NO PENALTY EXCEPT FOR THE FINAL ESSAY—ESSAY 4. “Late” means turned in after the due date for any reason, including getting your essay handed back for incorrect formatting, unsecured pages, etc. Only one assignment can be submitted late.

*YOUR FINAL ASSIGNMENT—ESSAY 4--WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED LATE FOR ANY REASON, NO EXCEPTIONS.

*EMAIL is for correspondence only; it is not for submitting coursework. Therefore, emailed course work will not be accepted. I will only take hard copies submitted in class. This institution offers on-line college courses. If you are interested, see the course catalog.

SPECIAL CRITERIA FOR ESSAY #1 and 2:

All of the following items must be submitted in order to get the full potential points for each essay:

1. You must submit a preliminary outline (See PP 47-51) along with a typed, double-spaced first draft for essay 1, and a full typed, double-spaced first draft for essay 2. Proper essay format for drafts is required--See PP 712-16.

2. Attend an individual feedback conference with me (Essay 1) and a peer feedback activity (Essay 2)

Completing #1 & 2 above = +20 out of the total +100 points possible for each of these essay assignments.

FORMAT FOR ESSAYS--MLA: typed, double-spaced, 12-14 point font, one inch margins all around, indented paragraphs, centered title, name and heading information in the left corner. Pages must be stapled in the left corner. Do not include a cover page. Again, See PP 712-16 for a visible model of correctly formatted pages. IMPROPERLY FORMATTED PAPERS WILL RECEIVE A GRADE DEDUCTION.

SAR—Essays you write must demonstrate your understanding of what it means to summarize, analyze, and respond to/evaluate what you read: Thus, SAR stands for Summary/Analysis/Response. In assignments that call for it, a perceptive and accurate reading of assigned essays must be evident in your writing. Your writing will be evaluated on how well you meet the following qualities:

1. ACCURACY (AC)--Does your writing reflect accurate comprehension close reading? In other words, do you effectively comment on and summarize the reading?

2. RELEVANCE (REL)--Does your analysis and response sufficiently and directly address the terms of the writing prompt?

3. EDITING (ED)—Did you edit your writing before submitting it?

Fundamental spelling competency, grammatical sentences, diction precision, and legibility are required. Use a dictionary, spell check, etc.

CLASS PARTICIPATION

1. Attend class: Your success in this class will largely depend on your attentive presence. I will take roll promptly at the beginning of class. If you do not answer when I call your name, I will mark you absent. If you do not remind me immediately after class that you were late, your tardy will count as an absence. If you are here for only half of the class, you get half attendance credit. If you have more than 10 absences for the Quarter—which in our case means five class periods--you cannot pass this class.

2. Participate actively in class discussions and activities.

3. Please follow classroom etiquette. The college classroom is a public space, a group learning environment. Thus, whatever impedes your and your fellow students' learning cannot be tolerated.

The following are not permitted in this class by anyone, no exceptions.

*Sudden departures from the classroom—very disruptive.

*Frequent tardiness—very rude; arrive promptly.

*Cell phone use: sending or receiving calls or texts. If you decide that you must leave the room to answer a call for any reason, please wait for the next break or the next class, whatever the case may be, to avoid disrupting the flow of the class.

*Talking out of turn: one person talks at a time.

If you find it impossible to curtail any of these behaviors after I’ve confronted you, this may not be the class for you.

*The upshot? Respect others, as you want others to respect you. Consult this link: http://bellevuecollege.edu/Arts/Hum/policy

NOTE: Avoid Plagiarism: copying or otherwise falsely representing another writer’s words or ideas as your own without referring to the author. It is strictly forbidden, subject to penalty.

DISABILITIES: If you have a documented disability which affects your academic performance, contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) on campus in the Library Media Center (LMC). They are equipped to service your needs.

WEEKLY AGENDA AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE

*The following schedule is subject to change. It is your job to keep apprised of any schedule changes by attending class regularly.

*All readings must be completed by the dates on the syllabus. Furthermore, other readings not appearing below will be distributed and/or assigned throughout the course. Again, attendance is crucial to ensure that you get these materials.

WEEK 1—Sept. 23, 25: INTRO. TO COURSE: Reading critically; the college essay; the writing process.

Read Chapter 2; read Chapter 3.

Summarizing: read PP 13-15, 95-97

WEEK 2—Sept. 30, Oct. 2: NARRATION, DESCRIPTION, PROCESS,

Read “Narration” PP 181-97 and “Description” PP 119-37

Read “Process Analysis,” PP 291-305

Read “The Homestead on Rainy Mountain Creek” PP 140-42

Read “The Deer of Providencia” PP 150-53

Read “A Hanging” PP 665-69

WEEK 3—Oct. 7, 9: EXEMPLIFICATION PP 233-48

Week 2 topics, cont.

+WEDNESDAY: PRELIMINARY OUTLINE AND DRAFT OF ESSAY 1 DUE

WEEK 4—Oct. 14, 16: EXEMPLIFICATION, cont; COMPARISON/CONTRAST

+MONDAY: CONFERENCES REGARDING ESSAY 1 OUTLINE & DRAFT

+WEDNESDAY: ESSAY 1 DUE.

Read Writing and Revising: Read Chapter 3, PP 59-86 to prepare for in-class group assignment.

Read “Untouchables” PP 275-81

WEEK 5—Oct. 21, 23: COMPARISON/CONTRAST PP 349-65

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 23: NO CLASS

Read “Grant and Lee” PP 367-70

“Untouchables” cont.; additional handout also.

WEEK 6—Oct. 28, 30: COMPARISON/CONTRAST PP 349-65

+MONDAY: ESSAY 2 PEER REVIEW ACTIVITY: FULL TYPED, DOUBLE-SPACED DRAFT REQUIRED.

+WEDNESDAY: ESSAY 2 DUE

Untouchables” cont.

WEEK 7—Nov. 4, 6: CAUSE AND EFFECT pp 413-25

Discuss student essay “Why Athletes Use Steroids” PP 424-26

Readings TBA

WEEK 8-Nov. 11, 13: CAUSE AND EFFECT, cont.

MONDAY NOVEMBER 11: NO CLASS

+WEDNESDAY: ESSAY 3 DUE

FILM: ANALYSIS OF CHARACTER ACTION AND MOTIVATION

WEEK 9—Nov. 18, 20: FILM, cont.

Read: “Argumentation and Persuasion,” PP 571-91

WEEK 10: Nov. 25, 27: CHARACTER ANALYSIS IN FILM, cont.

WEEK 11—Dec. 2, 4: FLIM DISCUSSION, CONT.

WEEK 12—FINALS WEEK

+FINAL ESSAY 4 DUE ON_________________________________

NO LATE SUBMISSIONS, NO EXCEPTIONS.