ENGL&
101 – English Composition I
Spring
2013 Jeffery White
Room
C140 Office:
R230Q Tel: 564-3084
9:30-10:20 jwhite@bellevuecollege.edu
Office
Hour: 8:30 - 9:20 M-F
(also
by appointment)
Required
Materials: Deep
Economy, Bill McKibben
The
Little, Brown Handbook, Eleventh Edition
Three-ring,
loose-leaf binder (1”-2”) (pre-owned binders available in my office)
COURSE
DESCRIPTION
In
English 101, we familiarize ourselves with and build upon basic methods for
composing original, interesting and intelligent responses to a particular
topic. In an informal workshop
atmosphere, we will review certain grammatical conventions while developing a
keener understanding of what constitutes an effective sentence, paragraph and essay. We will do this, both in small groups and as
a whole class, through various peer response strategies and by becoming
careful, critical readers. By quarter's end, you will have a more detailed
understanding of how to compose an articulate, intelligent, well-developed
discussion of a given topic. However,
your skill in executing such a discussion will depend upon the degree to
which you apply what you learn in the coming weeks.
As many of you pursue an education
to better prepare yourself for a successful professional life, it may help you
to think of this class as rehearsal for meeting professional responsibilities.
To continue the analogy, you might think of me as your supervisor; I expect you
to be engaged and committed to your work, courteous and helpful to those you
work with, and regular and prompt in your attendance.
Please understand that this is
not a "Warm Body" class -- one of those classes which you attend
half conscious, take the occasional note and leave after fifty minutes. As with most courses, we'll be trying to do
too much in too little time, so we'll need to divide the workload equally,
every student responsible for more than simply his or her own success or
failure. You will spend a majority of your class time doing
"hands-on" activities and group work, both seeking and giving
assistance. If you, for whatever reason, aren't prepared or able to be an
active, responsible member of this learning community, then another class may
more suit your needs. What follows are our
course policies.
As in the professional world, you’ll
need to work within deadlines. All assignments are due in class on the
specified date. Should you fail to submit a draft of an essay on its due date
and still desire my feedback on that draft, you must write and present me with
a one-page explanation of why you missed the deadline, outline strategies for
preventing it happening again and request an alternate date to submit the work.
I will review your request and determine whether to grant an alternate due date
or not.
On days when drafts are discussed,
either in groups or as a class, those without drafts will be dismissed to
complete their work and suffer an absence for that class meeting. On days when
papers are due to me, I expect them in class but will accept them in person or
in my mailbox until 12:30 PM on the day they are due. I'll accept nothing after that time unless
specific arrangements are made with me before the class in which
it is due. I'll permit such an arrangement only once.
You are responsible for having a hard
copy of your seminar paper in hand at the beginning of the
classes on the day it is due. I will not accept emailed seminar papers,
nor will I excuse you to go print a copy of a seminar paper due that day. Your
seminar paper is due in class and will only be accepted if you are in class to
present it.
One
indicator of your commitment to your work in this class is your ability to be
in class when it is scheduled to begin.
Because, quite often, the first five to ten minutes of class are crucial
to work that follows, and because groups need your prompt attendance to
function properly, let's begin class on time with all members present. You're late if you walk into class more than
5 minutes after its scheduled starting time. Walk into class late 10 times,
and you'll receive no credit for the course. I'm certain, however, that out of
consideration for your peers, you will do whatever possible to see that we make
the most out of our brief, daily meetings.
1.
Miss the first week of class: no credit for the course
2. Students
who miss fewer than 5 classes receive a bonus on their final participation
grade. TEN ABSENCES, NO CREDIT.
3. Those
who feel they have exceptional circumstances that prevent prompt, regular
attendance should speak to me in person BEFORE those
circumstances interfere with your work in this class.
Your final grade will be based on
two primary components:
1. Preparedness
and class participation (40%):
Seminar
Papers: 20% of final grade
Preparedness
and Contributions: 10% of final
grade
Attendance:
10% of final grade
2. Portfolio
(60%) of five finished papers that includes all primary and revised drafts of
each paper.
Preparedness and Class Participation: Beyond
offering thoughtful and well rendered seminar papers, to receive full credit
for this component, you must attend class regularly and on time, have with you
at all times all writing for this class and text books on days that you may
need them, have all completed drafts in hand for peer critique sessions,
participate actively and constructively in all peer critique and small group
activities, participate regularly in class discussions by offering insightful
or thought provoking, relevant comments that advance and develop the discussion
(what matters here is the caliber and quality of your comments, not the number
of times that you share your views).
Portfolio (60% of final grade): In brief, your portfolio grade is based upon
the quality of the final drafts of three self-selected papers (including
evidence of the revision process and the degree to which they have been revised),
a self-evaluation, and an in-class final essay. The overall appearance and
presentation of the portfolio itself also will be considered the assessment. Details about portfolios and the criteria I
will use to grade them are in a separate handout.
Note:
You should know that the portfolio process allows you to revise your
writing as often as you see fit before that work receives a grade. You will receive a mock grade for your third
paper, which I will then review with you during a conference designed to give
you an idea of your class standing. Circumstances permitting, I am available to
review and comment on revised drafts (three drafts per essay), but will not
grade the work until it has been included in the portfolio and that portfolio
turned in for grading at the end of the quarter. I will review and comment
one revised draft at a time from each student. The last day to submit a revision
for my comments is May 31.
Cell
phones will be turned off during this class. Any interruption due to these devices will
disrupt our work and foul the instructor's usually sunny mood. Those who feel
they have reason to be exempt from this policy should speak to me in person
outside of class.
Plagiarism
Should
you use another's words or ideas and represent them as your own, you are
plagiarizing. Should you get help with your writing to such a degree that it,
in any part, is no longer your own; then, too, are you plagiarizing. Plagiarism
is grounds for failing the course, and possibly for dismissal from school. Also
be advised that Bellevue Community College contracts with a plagiarism
detection software company. Should I receive any work that I suspect to be
plagiarized, I will submit it for to for investigation. For suggestions on how
to avoid these rather dire consequences, see The Little, Brown Handbook.
Disability Resource Center (DRC)
The Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array
of learning challenges and disabilities. If you are a student who has a
disability or learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen
someone for treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to
be successful in college, please contact us as soon as possible. If you
are a student with a documented autism spectrum disorder, there is a program of
support available to you.
If you are a person who requires assistance in case of an
emergency situation, such as a fire, earthquake, etc, please meet with your
individual instructors to develop a safety plan within the first week of the
quarter.
The DRC office is located in B 132 or you can call our reception
desk at 425.564.2498. Deaf students can reach us by video phone at 425-440-2025
or by TTY at 425-564-4110. . . Please visit
our website for application information into our program and other helpful
links at www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc
A
FINAL NOTE: I am here to
serve as your guide and then ultimately to evaluate your work. I am interested in helping you do as well as
you want in this class. My schedule
permitting, I'll assist you in any way I can.
If you're having difficulty, speak to me about it, and I'll see what I
can do to help. If life interferes in some substantial way with school, let me
know. If you show me that you're
concerned with doing good work in this class, I'll do what I can to help you
around the obstacles. Communication
is the key here. Keep me informed of
your circumstances, and you should do fine.
Talk to me after things fall apart, and there will be little more
that I can offer than my sympathy. It will also benefit you the read the Arts
and Humanities “Student Procedures and Expectations” page located here: http://bellevuecollege.edu/artshum/policy.html