English 101J |
R101 Monday & Wednesday |
Summer
Quarter 2004 |
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Instructor: Phone: E-mail: Office: Office Hrs.: |
425-564-3404 mmonk@bcc.ctc.edu R230 By appointment |
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Textbooks: |
Colombo/Cullen/Lisle,Rereading
America (6th Edition); Wollin & Kischner, Writers’ Choices, Marius, A Writer’s
Companion |
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This course aims to help you write better,
clearer English. To achieve this, we
will be writing four major papers, in-class writings, and individual reading
journals. The major papers will use
different forms (analysis, synthesis, narrative), which will be useful to you
in future college classes as well as outside of school. The paper topics will incorporate ideas from Rereading
America as well as from your own experience. We will also study various
methods of editing and revising your writing through weekly “how-to”
workshops. We will work frequently on
different stages of your papers in the supportive environment of the classroom
so that you will gain confidence and finesse as writers.
We will be doing a great deal of in-class writing and group discussion, so attendance is important. If you miss a day, you are responsible for obtaining and completing the material that you missed. You are also responsible to your writing group, with whom you will collaborate closely during the quarter. Attendance is taken every day, including on workshop days.
· If you're absent for any of the Wednesday workshop days for Papers 1, 2, or 3 (described below under “Wednesday Workshop Sessions”), 2 points will be deducted from the gradebook.
· If you’re absent more than two times, you will fail the class.
· Frequent tardiness will mean a talk with me and point deductions from the gradebook.
·
Also, please note that all assignments are due
at
All of the papers you turn in during the quarter
must be typed and double-spaced. Do put
your writing on a computer or word processor; doing this will save you much
time and effort in revision. Back up your drafts on disks or e-mail the draft
to yourself to be safe. Your computer use fee pays for free access to our
computer labs if you need them. Paper
topics and journals will always be related to our text, Rereading America,
so be sure to keep up with the reading. You will revise your best paper and
turn it in as Paper 4.
These sessions will be the Wednesday before
Papers 1-3 final draft due dates. They are marked with an asterix
* on the weekly schedule. You will work as a group to revise the content (not
grammar!) of your papers on these days. There are many other workshop days, but
this one has special significance: since your collaboration in this particular
workshop directly leads to a better grade on your paper draft, I do take
attendance during workshops by collecting a copy of your rough draft. You must bring a completed rough draft to
this session, meaning the full 750 words, in order to receive credit for
attendance. If you do not bring a completed rough draft on this day, you are
welcome to attend the workshop, but you will be counted as absent.
These sessions will help build your editing
skills and will help you gain a sense of an audience. After recovering from early workshop
"willies", you should find them rewarding and fun. Bring enough copies of your draft for your
group (2-3) as well as one for me and be ready to help each other.
Class Activities
The boxes below
contain descriptions of regular class activities. Please be sure to check your
course calendar regularly and bring the required materials to class. Repeated
failure to bring the appropriate materials to class will result in a talk with
me and point deduction from the gradebook.
Marius Seminars: Self-revision and group revision workshops
focused on that week’s lesson on good writing according to Marius. Sessions
begin with a group discussion of a paper and are followed by a 50-minute
in-class writing in which you assess the paper according to Marius’ criteria. Always
bring Marius and, if noted in the syllabus, copies of your papers on these days!
You will be graded in part on your specific references to Marius and the paper.)
RRA (Rereading
America) Seminars: Small- and large-group discussions about the essays we
read on particular themes and how they apply to our papers. Always do the
reading in advance and take notes so that you will not let down your group and
you can take advantage of the learning process in class. Always bring your copy of RRA.
Workshops.
Group meetings in which you read your paper aloud and have it
critiqued by group members. You
must bring enough copies of your
completed rough draft for your group members and me! If you do not bring a
completed paper that meets the word count requirements, you will be counted as
absent for those two hours. You are welcome to attend the workshop, but you
will be penalized.
Writing Lab.
Meet in D222 for essay “how-to” sessions, hands-on practice, conferencing with
me, and a weekly grammar revision assignment based on Writer’s Choices. Always bring a disk with a copy of one
of your papers and Writer’s Options to the Writing Lab.
Papers later than the due date and time will not be
accepted. However, once during the
quarter you may request a three-day extension for Papers 1, 2, or 3 (not for
any other assignments). Your request
needs to be by e-mail to mmonk@bcc.ctc.edu or through a telephone message to
the number at the top of the syllabus (425-564-3404). Your request needs to be given to me by
E-mail: The subject line must
read “request for 3-day extension.” In your message body, write these words only:
“I am requesting
the one-time, three-day extension for (state name of assignment, draft, and
any other identifying information to help me recognize the assignment).”
Sign with your name as you are called in class.
Telephone message:
Identify yourself by your full name as you are called in class, and the class
name. Then say, “I am requesting the one-time, three-day extension for (state
name of assignment, draft, and any other identifying information to help me
recognize the assignment).” Do not say anything else.
Follow these instructions exactly. Without
either of the requests in the formats described above, a late paper will
receive no credit.
This is the use of someone else's words or ideas as your own. You are plagiarizing when you copy someone else, in part or whole, or when you receive "help" to the extent that the paper is no longer in your words or is no longer your own idea. Swapping papers, buying papers, using ideas from other sources without documentation, writing papers for others, or having them written for you are all examples of plagiarism. Obviously, copying an article or book, or even using a sentence from one of these sources without putting quotation marks around it and citing the author is plagiarism. If you do use other sources, whether they are books, magazines, or literary journals, etc., you must document them. Since many of the papers in this course focus the writings of others, we'll learn early on how to document sources, using the MLA method. Plagiarism can be grounds for failing the course. If I suspect you of plagiarism, I reserve the right to place more weight on your in-class writing to calculate your final grade.
If you cheat or
plagiarize, the following actions will be taken: You will receive a grade of
"0" on the work (period). A report of the incident will be filed in
the Dean of Students' Office. This report may become part of your permanent
record or the Dean may choose to pursue further disciplinary action.
Grades will be determined on a point system as
follows. All assignments must be turned in to receive credit for the course.
Papers 1-3 60%
5 In-Class Writings 20%
5 In-Class Grammar
Revision Assignments 20%
Total Points: 100
BONUS POINTS (earned in addition to the 100
points above):
Outstanding Participation and 100% Attendance: 3 points
GRADING SCALE FOR FINAL COURSE GRADE:
A
= 95-100 B = 83-86 C = 69-75 D = 50-59
A- = 90-94 B-
= 80-82 C- = 65-68 F =
0-49
B+ = 87-89 C+
= 76-79 D+ = 60-64
Please be aware that I only award HW grades in cases of medical emergency or military service, and you must discuss the HW grade at the time the situation arises. A HW grade will not be issued to replace a low grade.
If you feel lost, discouraged, worried, or
confused about class, please set up an appointment to get some extra help in
office hours! I am happy to help you and want you to enjoy class and learn a
lot.
Participation
I ask for teamwork and active participation in class in order that we have the best learning environment possible. If your behavior disrupts this environment, I will be compelled to handle it according to college policy. Good participation includes, but is not limited to the following:
· speaking in class at least once without being called on (e.g. asking a question about the topic)
· working efficiently toward completing the task in small groups (i.e. cooperating and staying “on task”, not chatting about other topics until you have finished your task, etc.)
· bringing your text and other materials required for class that day
· listening to classmates and the teacher when they are talking, responding to them if possible, trying to help others, making comments that help the class—in other words, being respectful
· doing your own work
· not eating or drinking in class
Policy on attendance, late assignments,
classroom behavior and other important issues are division-wide policy. To view this policy, please refer to the
following website address: http://www.bcc.ctc.edu/artshum/policy.html/
By mentioning this policy in this syllabus, you are
expected to adhere to its requirements.
If
you require accommodation based on a documented disability, emergency medical
information to share, or need special arrangements in case of emergency
evacuation, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. If you
would like to inquire about becoming a DSS student you may call 564-2498 or go
in person to the DSS (Disability Support Services) reception area in the