COURSE SYLLABUS:  ENGLISH 101

 

Winter 2002                                                                 Instructor:  Clay Cooper

MW 2:30-4:40                                                             Office:  R230L

C140                                                                           Tel (425) 564-4185

                                                                                    Email:  ccooper@bcc.ctc.edu

                                                                                    Office Hours:  by appt. only

 

Required Textbooks:   The Mercury Reader

A Writer’s Reference, Diana Hacker, 4th edition

A good standard dictionary

 

Course Description

 

Welcome to English 101.  This college-level composition course is designed to help you become a more skilled and confident writer.  Working closely with the text, we will approach writing as a process, and attempt to make writing essays less intimidating by breaking down this process into elements. These individual elements will be topics for classroom discussions and in-class exercises.  The elements (or steps) are as follows:

 

--Critical reading

--Understanding the assignment

--Prewriting and the stimulation of ideas

--Organization of ideas into a thesis or main point

--Outlining

--Drafting (includes sentence and paragraph construction)

--Revising

--Proofreading

 

We will also use these elements of writing to build your writing assignments as we move through the course.  For instance, one week you may turn in a thesis for me to review, the next week you will receive feedback on your drafts, and the following week the final papers will be due.   

 

There will be a short mid-term exam and a final exam, although both will resemble quizzes more by their length.  One will a grammar quiz, and one will be a vocabulary test taken from our daily words.  You will write four short essays for the class.  By short I mean 3-5 pages.  We will talk about each essay in class and I will be issue a handout outlining the requirements of each assignment in detail.  I will also be available for consultation throughout the course, preferably by appointment during office hours. 

 

My expectations are that you will learn a lot from participating in this class.  You will learn to write with precision and power in a number of styles, each one fitted to the specific requirements of various college writing assignments that you may encounter in the future.  We will read fiction and non-fiction covering a vast array of interesting topics.   You will become sensitive to social, political, and cultural context; in other words, you will read between the lines to find subject material for your essays. 

 

No matter what your career goals may be, you can enhance them by becoming a more effective writer.  Writing is a tool that can create opportunities and enrich your life experience.  It can also be rewarding and fun.  I look forward to working with you all this quarter and sharing my passion for the written word. 

 

GRADING

 

Just in case anybody cares.

 

Attendance and Participation (in-class and assigned exercises, peer review, etc.)            25%

Quizzes                                                                                                                        15%

Essays                                                                                                                          60%

 

I will give you a more detailed breakdown of how I grade the essays when I pass out the assignment sheets. 

 

GROUND RULES

 

Out of respect for everyone in the classroom, I ask that you follow these ground rules.

1.                  Turn off pagers and cell-phones

2.                  Do not talk or whisper while I am talking, or when another student is talking

3.                  Be constructive in your comments and respect the opinions of your classmates.

 

Attendance Policy:  Because we meet only twice a week, attendance is essential.  I will take attendance at some point during every class.   If you come in late, after I have taken attendance, it is you responsibility to inform me of your presence after class.  Here are the grading guidelines.

 

0-1 A

2     B

3     C

4-5  D

6+   You fail the class

 

 

DISABILITIES:

 

If you have a disability that affects you as a student in this class, you are encouraged to let me know.  It’s also a good idea to contact the Educational Access Center (527-3697, CC2446C) so that appropriate accommodations can be made.    

 

 

Rewriting

 

You will have the option of re-writing any or all of your first three essays if you are not satisfied with your grade.  Because I do not read rough drafts, this will be your opportunity to improve your drafts.  You have five class days from the day papers were returned to the class to submit rewrites.

 

All papers and outlines for this class should be typed or word-processed.  Please make yourself familiar with the various computer labs on campus (D221, NWCET) if you are not already.  Limited instruction is available in the Writing Lab.

 

 

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 with school, as it has a habit of doing, let me know.  I am not judgmental, and 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’s nothing I can do.   You are the one who will determine your grade for this class, not me.