Instructor: Donna Miguel
Email: d.miguel@bellevuecollege.edu (please edit your emails before sending)
Office: R230-T Phone: (425)
564-2553
Office
Hours:
Materials
online: MyBC – http://mybcc.net/
§ The Sundance
Choice Course Reader, by Mark Connelly (subtitle: English
101…)
§ MLA Essential Reference Card copy - found on MyBC
§ Bellevue College MLA Bibliography sheet
– found on MyBC
§ “Propaganda Techniques in
Today’s Advertising” by A. McClintock and “Men vs. Women over Walking at Night”
by B. Levey – found in library Course Reserves
§ The Pocket Wadsworth
Handbook, 4th ed, 2009 MLA Update - recommended (in library course reserves)
§ Grammar Skills Pack – handed out in class but found on MyBC
§ Access to MyBC & printer
§ Dictionary –
optional, but strongly recommended
§ USB flash drive or Dropbox (anything to save your work)
§ Folder to save your work and handouts
§ Mini-stapler – very strongly recommended
§ Access to your BC email account
In English
101, we will focus on strengthening your knowledge and experience with the
writing process, and appropriating it into your own personal writing style
(along with clear, effective writing skills). Through the various writing
assignments, we will heighten audience awareness, connect critical reading and
analytical writing, and finally, develop a healthy skepticism concerning
provocative social issues. In our projects, we will concentrate on writing
effective arguments while moving away from the traditional 5-paragraph essay.
Also, we will rely heavily upon the Rhetorical (appeal) strategies: ethos, pathos
and logos, for strategy and unity in all of our writings.
Students
contribute to making a class effective as the instructor. Do your work, read,
and participate in class discussions. Seek out campus resources for additional
help. Remember, I am not your babysitter, so please act maturely and
respectfully. You will work and earn your grade.
Attendance – you are clearly
expected to attend class regularly (live and online) and be on time. Be warned:
in accordance with the BC Arts and Humanities attendance policy, if you miss
20% of the course, you will receive an “F”(failing grade, no credit) if you miss more than 10 classes. If
you know you will miss class, please let me know in advance via email or phone
(these must be illness or emergency related).
Arriving late twice will equal one absence, and so on. If I am unable to
come to class, I will post directions under “Announcements” on MyBC.
Assignments – All readings and
assignments are due the day they are on the schedule; consult for deadlines and
MyBC for assignment and tip sheets. I do not accept late work. Also, take
pride in your work; take yourself and your work seriously. Don’t present/turn
in work that is sloppy: crumpled, mangled, with coffee or food stains, or
folded. See homework rubric; be
thoughtful with the presentation and content of your work.
Participation – you
will receive credit at the end of the quarter for your participation, which
means being actively engaged in small and big group discussions and activities.
I can ask you to leave the class if you are goofing off, chatting with friends,
sleeping, refusing to be on task, playing with any electronic gadgets, or even
being unprepared for class. Remember, this is a college class, and I expect as
such. See participation rubric.
Laptop
use – you may not use a laptop unless cleared with me (or DRC) first. Let
me know so I won’t growl at you in class.
Plagiarism
– just don’t do it. All work for this class must be original work. If
you have any questions about correct citation methods, formatting, anything
general, it is imperative you ask me for help. Don’t cheat, plagiarize, or
perform any other misconduct or serious consequences may follow, such as
receiving an “F/0” for the assignment or an “F” final grade. Also, there may be
a report of the incident filed in the Dean of Student’s office. All
assignments are subject for scanning at Turnitin.com, so please save all
your e-documents.
Respect –I am not a fan of disrespect, esp.
to me or any of your classmates. This being said, any comments, jokes, or
remarks that belittle the worth of an individual’s (or group’s) physical
attributes, race, creed, sexual preference, religion, gender, and/or ethnicity
are inappropriate and will not be tolerated. If our behavior inhibits the
class’s learning and education, you will be asked to leave, and may be
directed/reported to the Associate Dean of students and/or Campus Security. Finally,
please silence your cell phones or beepers as they are distracting, disruptive,
and annoying. Be warned: I will ask you
to leave the class or report you to the proper authorities should disruptive
situations arise. Please refer to the Arts and Humanities Web page for
Student Expectations, which apply to all of my classes: http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/artshum/poilcy.html
Office Hours – If you have questions or concerns
about your assignments, readings, or grade in the class, please see me during
office hours (as noted on this syllabus), or make an appointment with me so I
can set specific time aside for you. If you need to chat about your topic,
please come and see me.
Need more assistance? For Special Accommodations – If you
need course accommodations because of a disability, please refer to the
Disability Resource Center (DRC) at B132, or by calling (425) 564-2498, or TTY
(425) 564-4110; Library Media Center – D building; Reading/Writing Lab –
D204-D. Additional Student Support Services and Support – Academic Success
Center, TRiO, Multicultural Services, Student
Programs, Veterans Admin Programs, Women’s Center, etc. See separate handout for list of all Student Support Services and
appropriate contact information.
§ You will need an appropriate heading for your assignments. Position the heading at
the top right or left corner on the 1st page: name, date, class and
assignment. Every assignment must be typed, double-spaced, and have 1-inch
margins.
*** Note: if you are unable to get to a computer or
are just “inexperienced”, or just want to practice your essay composition
skills, you have the choice of writing an essay instead of the advertisement
for project 1.
Readings –The readings will introduce or
familiarize you with ongoing issues. In order to become an active reader, you
must engage in active vs. passive reading; think critically and analyze ideas,
arguments, techniques, author’s reasoning and main points. Use a dictionary if
needed; take notes in the margins/your notebook. This is a good chance for you to practice making
a strong point and support it with textual evidence and interpretation rather
than just personal beliefs. Remember to have an open mind when listening to
your classmates; there are a lot of different perspectives. Contribute to the
discussion – this will help your responses, projects, and participation points!
-Projects –
265 pts total (including Prewriting assignments & Peer Critiques)*
-In Class
Responses – 60 pts total (@20 pts each) **
-Response
Reflections – 15 pts total (@5 pts each)
-Random
assignment – 10 pts
-Self
Evaluation – 50 pts
-Participation
– 100 pts
A: 100 – 95%
A-: 94-90%
B+: 89-87%
B: 86-85%
B-: 84-80%
C+: 79-77%
C: 76-75%***
C-: 74-70%
D: 69-60% (broken down, of course)
F: 59% or fewer
*Although I do not accept late work,
if, for some circumstance you turn in your essay after the due date, you will
deducted one full letter grade for each day late. I do not accept any late
projects one week after the original due date. As for peer critiques, you
cannot make them up since they are purely in class activities.
** In-class writing
can only be made up if you have given me ample notice – and it has to be an
excused absence, not because you slept in or didn’t do the reading.
|
***NOTE: You must pass the class
with a C- to move on to English 201,
235 & 271 |
Course
Outcomes:
After completing this
course, students will be able to...
Think Critically and Read Analytically: carefully
analyze, interpret and evaluate claims, beliefs, texts and/or issues.
· frame questions, define
problems, and position arguments.
· consider multiple points
of view and differentiate between assumptions, beliefs, facts, opinions, and
biases.
· read and respond to
various texts critically for purposes of interpretation, analysis, synthesis,
evaluation, and/or judgment.
· demonstrate an
understanding of a text’s main point/thesis and its relevant supporting
details.
Compose
and Revise in Context: shape
written responses for different audiences and purposes.
· shape written
responses to suit different rhetorical situations and audiences.
· develop flexible
strategies for prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing.
· develop and support thesis
statements that are appropriately complex and significant.
· construct unified paragraphs
with topic sentences and supporting details that advance the thesis.
· use various methods of
development such as illustration, comparison and contrast, and/or analysis.
· balance
their individual voices with those from other texts.
· employ
style, tone, and mechanical conventions appropriate to the demands of a
particular audience or purpose.
Reflect & Evaluate: recognize and incorporate
newly acquired skills.
· develop
the ability to critique their own and others’ work.
· gain a
clearer perspective of habits that may detract from the effectiveness of their
own writing.
· respond
to comments from their instructor and peers.
Participation
Rubric
All classes
(D. Miguel)
|
|
OUTSTANDING “A” level |
STRONG “B” level |
ADEQUATE “C” level |
POOR “D” & “F” level |
|
PREPARATION FOR
CLASS |
You
bring all your materials. You’re ready to work once the class starts |
You
usually bring all materials. You are ready to work once class starts. |
You
frequently “forget” to bring required materials to class; haven’t bought the
book; often not ready to begin when class starts. |
You
frequently ask to borrow materials from classmates. You are rarely ready to
start when class starts. |
|
FREQUENCY OF
PARTICIPATION |
Your
hand is almost always raised during class discussions. |
Your
hand is often raises during class discussions. |
Your
hand is seldom raised. |
You
do not volunteer to contribute to class discussions. |
|
QUALITY OF
PARTICIPATION |
Students
who fall into this category offer thoughtful and critical commentary and
analysis. You
raise questions, explore difficult concepts, theories, and refer back to the
text. You also do not pose
as a disruption/distraction to the class (unnecessary, inappropriate
comments) |
Students
who fall into this category participate but as a whole, responses tend to be
general, may go off topic, and may not engage/connect/refer back to or with
the text. Your comments may be
unnecessary, inappropriate. (#8 on the syllabus
policies) |
Students
who fall into this category tend to come to class and pay attention, but they
rarely participate. When
you do, it is more likely than not to simply echo someone else’s opinion
and/or “easy” questions. Your comments are
unnecessary, inappropriate. #8 on the syllabus) |
Students
who fall into this category either don’t come to class, don’t contribute at
all to the discussion, fall asleep, are caught texting, tweeting, and/or
completing assignments for other classes. You
also appear unengaged in class discussion. Your comments are
inappropriate and may be asked to leave the class. (#8 on the syllabus) |
|
GROUP WORK |
You
are always on task and a leading and/or equal partner during pair and group
activities. Your peers would likely describe you as enthusiastic, helpful,
critical, and an actively engaged team member. |
You
complete group activities and pair activities. You are an equal partner for
the most part but are less helpful and/or actively engaged than someone in
the “Outstanding” category. |
You
sometimes need to be reminded to stay on task during group or pair activities
OR you carelessly rush through activities. |
You
give very little effort during pair and group activities and are often off
task. You appear disinterested, disengaged and you bring down the morale of
your group. (Sitting like a lump) |
|
LISTENING |
You
actively listen when the instructor and your fellow students speak during
class. |
You
listen when your instructor and your fellow students speak in class but you
may appear distracted at times. |
You
sometimes listen when the instructor and your fellow students speak in class.
At times, you may be seen texting, tweeting, completing assignments for other
courses, talking to your friends during class discussions. |
You
“tune” out and sit like a lump when the instructor and fellow students begin
speaking in class. Rather than listen, you are openly disengaged and can
almost always be found texting, sleeping, completing homework for other
classes, etc. |
Donna
Miguel, Instructor
All
of my English classes
HOMEWORK
/ IN-CLASS WRITING /ASSIGNMENTS RUBRIC[1]
If the assignment is worth 5 points
(default grade for most graded homework and in-class responses):
|
POINTS |
CRITERIA |
|
5 |
Well
done! You obviously took the time to complete this assignment. You’ve done an
exceptional job with the thinking, writing, and completion. Thorough and
obvious effort and reflection. Oh, you also followed the directions and
requirements. |
|
4 |
Good,
but not quite exceptional. May not have followed a slight part of the
directions, or lacked the insight, depth, or thoroughness of a “well done.” |
|
3 |
Didn’t
follow most of the directions and or/answers were incorrect, vague,
incomplete, vague, or lacked critical thinking and/or depth of thought. Yeah,
you did put some effort, but it seemed to be last minute effort just to get
it done. Did you complete it right before class or during class? |
|
2 |
Clearly
didn’t read the assignment directions and/or it’s obvious that the homework
was done quickly and without thought. The assignment is incomplete,
incorrect, late, or of unacceptable quality. |
|
1 |
Okay,
this point is completely out of pity. Very little to no effort. Didn’t follow the assignment whatsoever and
didn’t answer the directions on the assignment sheet or given in class. |
|
0 |
You
didn’t do the assignment at all. Ouch. Did you even come and talk to me about
what happened for you not to turn it in? |
|
If the assignment is
worth 10 points, double the scale above. You get the idea. |
|
Don’t forget
to appropriately label your assignments with a heading, as stated on the
syllabus. You may lose a point or two if you forget to put your own name on the
assignment.
[1] This excludes for in
class essays, rough and final drafts, quizzes, exams. See me if you have any
questions.