Welcome to our Course Syllabus page!

This page will be an important one to return to, as you will find information about the course expectations, required materials, and key assignments all on your syllabus. You'll find a layout of the syllabus below, and I've included a pdf copy as well in case you'd like to print it out. 

 

 

 

Course Syllabus Freshman Composition

English 101 | Spring 2018

 

Contact Info:

Instructor: Emily Mulvihill

Email: Mulvihill_Emily@sac.edu

I normally respond to my email within 24 hrs during the weekdays and 48 on the weekend. You can also use the Canvas inbox feature to get in contact with me as well.

Welcome:

I look forward to a great semester working with all of you to improve your communication skills and develop strong patterns of writing and revision that will help you not only with other classes, but in other areas of your life as well. Being prepared and engaging in the class materials are the best ways to do well. Please email me or use the Canvas inbox feature meet for any questions you may have and/or to chat about your progress in the course. Please do not hesitate to contact me, as I want all of you to do well and I am always happy to help.

SAC Mission Statement:

Santa Ana College inspires, transforms, and empowers a diverse community of learners.

Course Description:

In English 101 students will continue to refine their sentence writing in terms of correctness, emphasis and variety. Students will also continue to work on essential elements of writing such as coherence, focus, and development. Ultimately students who pass this class will be able to write descriptive, illustrative, analytical, and argumentative essays and be able to compose a medium length MLA style research paper with correct documentation. During the research process, students will also learn to assess the validity and relevance of source material in both traditional and online formats. 

Required Texts/Materials:

Little Seagull Handbook, Norton

Supplemental materials on Canvas

Note: Readings, submissions, and other helpful materials will be found under Modules in the course Canvas page. Under each week, you will find different course readings at the top. I will sometimes also provide supplemental powerpoints that are optional, but may be helpful for review. At the end of each module are the assignments due for that week.

Attendance:

Since this is an online course, attendance will be based on weekly participation in discussions. You will be required to post a discussion post by Tuesday of each week so that you and your classmates have a chance to respond to each other’s post throughout the week. By Friday of each week, you should plan on responding to at least two other posts. Students who do not complete the “Introductions” discussion or access Canvas during our first week of instruction and may be dropped as a no show in accordance with the college drop policy. Additionally, students who fail to turn in weekly assignments or participate in discussion boards will be considered absent. Two weeks of non-particpation may result in an excessive absence drop. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me in advance.

Academic Dishonesty:

From SAC’s Academic Dishonesty Policy: Students at Santa Ana College are expected to be honest and forthright in their academic endeavors. To falsify the results of one's research, to steal the words or ideas of another, or to cheat on an examination, corrupts the essential process by which knowledge is advanced. Academic dishonesty is seen as an intentional act of fraud, in which a student seeks to claim credit for the work or efforts of another without authorization, or uses unauthorized materials or fabricated information in any academic exercise. As institutions, we also consider academic dishonesty to include forgery of academic documents, intentionally impeding or damaging the academic work of others, assisting other students in acts of dishonesty or coercing students into acts of dishonesty.

Cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism, will result in serious consequences. Plagiarism occurs when someone presents another’s work as their own. This not only includes copying from sources without citing, but also paraphrasing without giving credit or presenting another’s ideas as your original thought. Plagiarism will not be tolerated within this class. It will result in a zero on the assignment. We will discuss this more in our research unit. Please contact me if you have any questions on plagiarism or what might be considered plagiarism. For more information, you can take a look at SAC’s webpage on academic dishonesty policy and procedure.

Special Accommodations:

Your success in this course is important to me. Santa Ana College and I are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all individuals with disabilities. If you have a disability that may have some impact on your ability to do well in this course, I encourage you to speak with me as soon as possible. Also, please contact Disabled Student Programs & Services so that we can all collaborate on your classroom accommodations in a timely manner. DSP&S is located in the Village VL-203, and their phone number is 714-564-6264. The DSP&S office requires documentation of your disability in order to receive reasonable accommodations. If you do not have documentation, they will work with you to acquire it. I look forward to supporting you to meet your learning goals. 

Grading:

Essays                                     40%

Discussions                             20%

Homework                              10%

Quizzes                                   10%

Research Paper                       20%

Grading Policy:

For most of your quizzes in this course you will get immediate feedback after hitting the "submit" button. This means that you will know what score you got as well as why the answers you chose were the right/wrong choice. The journal entries that you submit each Friday will be graded by the following Tuesday and most other small written assignments will fall within an approximately 72 hr range for feedback. Since your essay assignments take me a bit longer to go through and provide comments on, you can expect feedback a week later. 

If you ever have a question or concern about your grade, the best way to reach me is through the Canvas inbox feature. Please review the email procedures I've provided at the top of the Course Policies page to make sure I best receive your email and remember that my response policy for email is 24 hrs M-F and 48 on weekends/holidays. 

 

Week	Assignments	Due Dates
Week 1 (Orientation)	Log into Canvas page View course introduction video Participate in introductory discussion Read syllabus Upload a profile picture	Complete by 11:59 pm Tuesday of week 1
Week 1 (Orientation)	Respond to two posts in first discussion. Complete syllabus quiz Submit a 300-500 word response of your goals for this course (Journal 1)	Complete by 11:59 pm Friday of week 1
Week 2 (Personal Essay)	View week 2 video Post initial discussion post Preview personal essay assignment Reading from The Little Seagull Handbook (Quotations and Personal Statements) Read Chapter on Character Essays Read Selections from About Writing: A Guide	Complete by 11:59 pm Tuesday of week 2
Week 2 (Personal Essay)	Watch “The Scale of Formality” from Khan Academy Respond to two peers in discussion Complete the Week 2 Journal (personal essay topic) Complete Module 2 Quiz Submit Introduction and Outline	Complete by 11:59 pm Friday of week 2