English 101

Instructor:  Nancy Eichner

Item 1055   Section LSB       Room L122             Starts 4/25/05    Meets T/Th/F,   12:30-2:40 pm

Office Hours:  By appointment (best T Th 2:40)

Phone:  (425) 564-4185         Email:  neichner@bcc.ctc.edu

 

Course Goals

To understand college-level reading materials.

To write effective essays.

To write using correct grammar and punctuation.

 

Required Books and Materials

·         When the Emperor Was Divine, by Julie Otsuka

·         Prisoners Without Trial, by Roger Daniels

·         The Bedford Handbook, 6th edition, by Diana Hacker

·         A collegiate dictionary (must have the word “college” or “collegiate” in the title)

·         A soft folder with three fasteners (not rings) for your Portfolio

 

NOTE ABOUT When the Emperor Was Divine:  I have chosen this book to allow you to take part in a campus-wide reading program called BCC-Reads!  For the past three years, a committee has selected an interesting book around which to create a year-long curriculum.  In addition, BCC-Reads! sponsors a full-tuition scholarship based on the book (awarded in Winter Quarter).  As a class, we will have the opportunity of hearing the author, Julie Otsuka, speak at BCC on May 4.  Also, other guest speakers relevant to the topic of the book will be appearing on campus during Spring Quarter; activities such as exhibitions and movies will be offered, as well.

 

Course Description

            This course is designed as a workshop class to help you improve your reading and writing skills.  You will have the opportunity to write, revise, and edit all of your essays before they are graded.  You will have the opportunity to receive feedback from your peers in writing workshops, as well as from me in conferences.

            We will read and discuss published essays to use as models of effective writing.

 

Grading

·         Three 500-650 word essays (2 to 3 pages), submitted for a grade in your Portfolio during the last week of the quarter.  (Preliminary grades for Essay 1 and 2; resubmission of one possible in the Portfolio; no preliminary grade for Essay 3, i.e. "test" essay, submitted in the Portfolio at the end of the quarter.) 

·         Successful completion of all assigned work (grammar, writing, reading, vocabulary, attendance at guest lectures).

·         Attend class regularly and participate in workshops and class discussions.

 

Due Dates

            You will be expected to hand in your assignments on time, that is, in class on the dates they are due.

            When I give you a reading assignment, you must finish the reading and any accompanying work before class on the day it is due.  When I give you a writing assignment, you must complete the writing before class on the day it is due (unless I tell you otherwise).

            Keeping track of the due dates is your responsibility. 

            If you miss class, remember to phone a classmate to ask if any assignments were given or changes made while you were gone.  It is best to get the phone number of two reliable classmates.  Remember:  It is your responsibility to find out what you miss when you are absent.

 

Attendance

            If you miss more than 10 classes (that is 20% of the course), I will ask you to repeat the course another quarter.  Please feel free to speak with me if you are having problems with attendance.

            I will start class on time.  If you are late, you will be counted absent.  Please speak to me about any kind of special problems regarding lateness.  (You hate getting up so early does not constitute a “special problem”.)

 

Ethics

            Your papers must present your own ideas in your own words.  If you copy someone’s

exact words, you must put them in quotation marks and reference the source.  If you summarize or quote someone else’s ideas, fact, or words, you must say where the information came from.  If you do not do this, you will be considered unethical—a plagiarizer (an idea thief).

            Saying where ideas and words come from is called “citing your sources.”  I will teach you the basic conventions for citing your sources now, and you will learn more about these conventions as you take higher-level courses.

            I will not accept an essay you have copied from someone else or an essay in which you present someone else’s ideas or words as your own.


ABOUT THE

ESSAYS

 

            At the end of the quarter, you will submit three essays in your Portfolio to be given a final grade.  I will give you a preliminary grade on your first two essays during the quarter after you have discussed them with me in conference. 

            You should be working all quarter on improving your essays.  You will have the opportunity to receive feedback and help from your writing workshop group during class.  Also during class, I will work with you in individual conferences.

            You may resubmit in your Portfolio one of the first two essays.  Essay 3 will be a "test" essay; that is, you will submit it in your Portfolio and will not have a chance to resubmit it.  You will have workshops regarding Essay 3, but not a conference with me.  

            Please use the tutors at the Writing Lab for additional assistance: 

Room A262--good idea to make an appointment; 25-minute sessions (approximately).

 

The Writing Process

The FIRST DRAFT of an essay is to be written as well as you can, but without worrying about grammar corrections.  You will read your first draft out loud two times to your writing workshop group.  Your classmates will give you feedback on the content (NOT the grammar) of your writing.  What was interesting, touching, pleasing, important?  What was NOT clear?  Where would you need some more examples or information?  What was confusing?  What was effective, and why?  What was not effective, and why?

The REVISED DRAFT of an essay is an improved version of its contents.  Consider the feedback your workshop group and I have given you; use your own imagination and rethinking of your ideas to help you improve the writing.  This is also the stage of the writing process in which you work on correct word usage and enrichment of your written expression. 

The EDITED DRAFT is written when you are satisfied with the content of the essay and want to correct the mechanical language problems, such as sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling.  Try to find your mistakes yourself on your final revised draft.  Then, bring it to your workshop group and ask for editing feedback.  Work together to find and correct mistakes. Ask me for help in class when necessary.  The edited draft should, then, be the draft you present for grading in your Portfolio.  It is the final draft of an essay.

 

Note:  Bring 3 copies of a draft on WRITING WORKSHOP days.  The members of your writing group need to be able to read along as you read your essay out loud. 

           If members of your group are not working seriously enough to satisfy your needs, change groups!  It is your responsibility to get as much as possible from the feedback opportunities offered you in this class.  If you need help in joining a new group, come see me.

 

            Essay Format

            Each draft of your essay MUST have a label in the upper left hand corner:

                        First and last name

                        English 101

                        Date

                        Eichner

                        Essay #____:    FIRST DRAFT

                                                (or—Revised Draft

                                                 or—Edited Draft)

            Each essay draft must be typed, preferably on a computer (word processor), and double-spaced.  The margins should be about 1 ˝  inches all around.  (Usually the default margins on a computer are about this size.)  Use size 12 print.  Please use a clear print style, such as Arial or New Times Roman.

            Also, an essay or a story always has a title, which is centered above the first line.  There is no space between the title and the first line.  Only the first letter of the first word and all the first letters of all important words of a title are capitalized.  A title is NOT written in all capital letters.  There is no underline or other punctuation marking a title. 


ABOUT THE

PORTFOLIO

 

 

            You will give me a portfolio of your writing to be graded at the end of the quarter.  A portfolio is a collection of your best work presented in a formal way.

            Here are the requirements for your portfolio presentation:

1.       Use a soft folder with three fasteners.

Please, do not put your writing in plastic.

Please, do not use a binder with metal rings, or a folder with a compression strip (they fall apart too easily).

2.       On the cover, print:

Writing Portfolio

Student:  First and Last Name

English 101

Date

Instructor:  Nancy Eichner

3.       Make the portfolio easy for me to read through.

·         Put a divider with a labeled tab in front of each essay.

·         Make the first page a Table of Contents, giving the titles of your essays in the order you present them.

4.       Order of the essays

·         Essay 1, Essay 2, Essay 3

·         Put the resubmitted essay (if you choose to resubmit one) on top in that section.  It will have your highlighting and annotation of your corrections (I'll explain this later).  Put the original, graded essay after the resubmitted one.