English 093—Composition
for Non-Native Speakers, Item # 1044
Syllabus for Winter
Quarter 2013
7:30 am – 8:20 am/MTWTh
meets in L-120 & F meets in A-133
Main Campus, Bellevue
College
Instructor: Catherine Berkenfield – please
call me Catherine
Office location: Building R-230K
Office hours: MTWTh, 8:30 – 9:15 am or by
appointment
Phone number: (757) 773-3886 1-5 pm; please be sure
to identify yourself when you leave a message
Email: c.berkenfield@bellevuecollege.edu;
Email is the best way to reach me. I will do my best to respond to emails
within 24 hours M-F
Course
objective and description:
This course improves ESL students’
composition skills through reading, talking, and writing about contemporary
issues. Students improve their editing ability by writing, revising, and
editing essays in one class period and by analyzing their work from other
classes.
Prerequisite: Placement by
assessment
Credits: 5 credit hours
Required
materials—unless otherwise noted, you are expected to bring the following
course materials with you every day:
After
completing this class, English 093 students should be able to:
Grading
categories - VERY IMPORTANT!! You must keep every single piece of writing that you do for this
class carefully organized in a folder or binder. At the end of the quarter, you
will be asked to turn in samples of your writing for the final grade, and so
you must be able to locate and turn in the specific assignments that the
instructor requests:
1 Individual work 30% of final grade
2 Small team work 15% of final grade
3 Reading seminar
participation 15% of
final grade
4 Three major essays 45% of final grade
5 Final self-assessment with
documentation 5% of final grade
Total
100% of final grade
Please
note: First, this course is a college-level course and
you have the rights and responsibilities of a college student. Students who do
not complete homework outside of class and turn it in on time cannot pass the
class. If you are too busy with other schoolwork, employment, family
obligations, health concerns, etc., to devote 1-3 hours per day to homework, I
suggest taking this course during another quarter when you have more time
resources. Second, this course is a “reading and writing” course and,
therefore, requires extensive reading and writing from students. Students who
do not wish to practice extensive reading and writing, should not take this
course.
Criterion
1: Individual
work – Throughout the quarter, I will ask you to submit homework and
in-class assignments, including but not limited to: an academic autobiography, study
habits assessment, time management/planning strategies, vocabulary development,
reading responses, film questions, short writing assignments, and individual
quizzes. If the material seems difficult, you should visit with me early in the
quarter for help.
Criterion 2: Small team work – Each student will
work with a team of other students this quarter. Throughout the term, I will
ask your team to submit in-class assignments, including but not limited to: team
reading responses, short writing assignments, and team quizzes. You will only
do team work during scheduled class times. This course has a heavy “team”
participation requirement. Students who do not wish to participate in team work
should find another section of the course. Missed in-class work cannot be made
up, regardless of the reason you missed class. The lowest team work grade will
be dropped at the end of the quarter.
Criterion 3: Reading seminar
participation – This quarter, you will read college-level readings by
expert writers. For some of these readings, students will take part in and be
graded on a student-led reading seminar. Missed reading seminars cannot be made
up, regardless of the reason you missed class. The lowest seminar grade will be
dropped at the end of the quarter.
Criterion 4: Three major essays – This quarter, you
will write three 3-4 page essays. For each essay, we will read, discuss, and
respond to essays and articles by experienced writers. As part of the writing
process, we will learn summary, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation practices.
Each essay is worth 15% of your grade; you may revise one of the first two
essays to receive a better grade on that essay. Essays are graded with a
percentage grade scale. Revisions of essays are due five class meetings after I
return the graded draft to you. If you do not turn in the final draft on time,
you cannot turn in the essay for a better grade.
Criterion 5: Final self-assessment
with documentation – During the final week of the quarter, in place of a
final exam, you will review the work you did during the quarter and write a
reflection piece on what you learned and the areas you need to improve. You
will turn in class-related materials to support your letter.
Bellevue
College grading scale:
A =
93-100%
A-
=
90-92%
B+ =
87-89%
B =
83-86%
B- =
80-82%
C+ =
77-79%
C =
73-76%
C- =
70-72%
D+ =
67-69%
D =
63-66%
D- =
60-62%
F =
59% or lower
What
the Grades Mean:
I
will provide more detailed descriptions of grading criteria with each
assignment, but as a general overview I have included a short description of
each grade:
“A” |
Excels at the assignment’s
expectations and shows mastery of course concepts. “A” work may contain a few trivial
problematic issues but ultimately demonstrates above-average work. |
“B” |
Goes beyond the expectations for the
assignment. “B” work develops
above-average work but falls short of an “A” in one or more crucial areas. |
“C” |
Competently meets the requirements
for the assignment. A “C” is reserved
for work that is perfectly adequate but does not go above and beyond the
requirements for the assignment. |
“D” |
Shows some attempt to meet
requirements but fails. “D” work may
head in the direction of competence, but needs significant work before the
student has shown his/her understanding of the core concepts. |
“F” |
Fails to meet any of the assignment’s
requirements. The expectations for the
assignment simply are not present or addressed. |
Course
and College Policies:
Examples of
unacceptable classroom behavior: On a college campus, everyone deserves the
opportunity to study and learn in a safe environment and to be treated with
courtesy and respect. Therefore, any conduct that prevents the instructor from
teaching, and/or prevents students from learning is prohibited. If you do not
behave in a way that is appropriate for maintaining a learning environment, I
will ask you to leave the class. Some examples of unacceptable behaviors
include: excessive absences, arriving late or leaving early without speaking to
the instructor, talking while others are trying to listen to the instructor or
their team members, talking during student presentations, sleeping in class, doing
homework for other classes in class, having electronic devices “go off,”
inappropriate comments or gestures, and harassment that affects other students’
ability to learn or the instructor’s ability to teach. The Arts &
Humanities Division recognizes the judgment of individual instructors in these
matters.
Cell
phone use, texting, and other electronic devices: Please turn off
your phone when you come into the classroom. There is no excuse for texting in
the classroom. I will warn you once and ask you to leave class for the day the
second time. This will be counted as an absence. Using electronic devices -
such as a laptop computer, language dictionary, translation application, or a
Kindle device - in class is permitted if they are used to facilitate learning
in English 089. Headphones are never allowed.
Plagiarism: I use the Turn-It
In program to assess “plagiarized” content in student essays. If you have “any”
questions about “responsible citation,” ask me early and ask me often. I am
always willing to discuss these questions if you ask them in a timely manner.
Plagiarism, or academic dishonesty, is the act of using another writer’s words
or ideas as your own. According to the BC Arts & Humanities website,
plagiarism:
…may take many forms, including, but not
limited to, using a paper written by someone else, using printed sources
word-for-word without proper documentation, and paraphrasing or summarizing the
ideas of others without acknowledging the source. Plagiarism can also
occur when non-written ideas are taken without documentation--using someone
else’s design or performance idea, for example. In short, plagiarism is
passing off someone else’s ideas, words, or images as your own; it amounts to
intellectual theft--whether or not it was your intention to steal.
Bellevue College instructors have access to commercial plagiarism detection
software, so please be advised that any work you submit may be tested for
plagiarism. (http://bellevuecollege.edu/artshum/policy.html)
If
you are proved guilty of academic dishonesty (plagiarism), you will fail the
assignment. If you are caught plagiarizing again in the same quarter, you will
fail the class.
Attendance
policy:
I will pass around an attendance sheet at the beginning of every class. If you
are not here when the sheet goes around, you may be counted as absent. The BC
Arts & Humanities Division’s policy regarding absence stipulates that any
student missing more than twenty percent of total class time for a course may
receive an “F” grade for the course. This class meets 5 days a week for a total
of 51 meetings, so any student missing
10 or more class meetings will automatically receive a failing grade.
I
understand that students frequently have good personal and professional reasons
for missing class. However, from the perspective of our English 093 learning
community, the English Department, Bellevue College, the Northwest Commission
on Colleges and Universities, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
and the U.S. Department of Education, your absence means you have not
participated in the required quantity of classroom instruction to demonstrate
the course outcomes. It is unethical, unprofessional, and unfair for an
instructor to pass a student who has not attended 80% of class meetings.
Workload
and regular deadlines:
This course is fast-paced and you can expect to spend 2-3 hours outside of
class for every hour spent in class. Student homework for the week is due at
the beginning of class every Friday morning at 7:30 am.
Late assignments: If you miss class
and cannot turn in your weekly work on time either on paper or electronically,
your materials will automatically be graded down by 10%. Therefore, if your
weekly work receives a grade of 82%, your grade in Canvas will be recorded as
72%.
Extra
credit policy:
Extra credit work will be assigned at the instructor’s discretion in order to
benefit the class as a whole. Individual extra credit work WILL NOT be
assigned.
Tutoring
and study skills development: Please do not hesitate to call on me during
office hours if there is anything about the course you wish to discuss or need
assistance with. It is my job to be here for you but it is also always a pleasure
to get to know you and work with you to form and meet your academic goals. I
hope you will seek me out prior to seeking other assistance.
However,
if you feel you would benefit from ongoing tutoring or other academic
assistance for this or any class at Bellevue College, please contact the Academic
Success Center located in Building D – 204. Phone: (425) 564-2200.
Bellevue College offers a variety of computer and
learning labs to enhance learning and student success. Find current campus
locations for all student labs by visiting:
http://depts.bellevuecollege.edu/ir/students/studentguide/
Disability
Resource Center:
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 me as soon as possible. If you are a person who
requires assistance in case of an emergency situation, such as a fire,
earthquake, etc., please meet with me to develop a safety plan within the first
week of the quarter.
The
DRC office is located in B - 132 or you can call the reception desk at 425-564-2498. Deaf students can reach me 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:
I look forward to a
great quarter and welcome your feedback at any time!!!
Tips for Student
Success:
Statement of Student Responsibility
I have read through
the syllabus for Catherine Berkenfield’s course English 093—Composition for
Non-native Speakers. I understand that the syllabus represents a contract
between me as a student, Catherine as an instructor, the English Department,
the Arts & Humanities Division, and Bellevue College as an institution. The
syllabus lays out the rights and responsibilities for me and my instructor, and
I know that I can rely on the document if some problem arises in class. I know
that I should speak with my instructor first and, if she cannot answer my
questions or address my concerns, she will provide contact information for
someone else in the English Department or the Arts & Humanities Division
who can assist me.
In
particular, I understand that if I miss more than ten class meetings during winter
quarter of 2013, I will automatically fail English 093. I also understand
that missing any number of class meetings will affect my final grade.
Name
(please print):
Signature:
Date: