Santa Ana College: Humanities & Social Sciences

English 61 Introduction to Composition - Fall 2017

 

 

Instructor: Cristina Acevedo                                              

Email: acevedo_cristina@sac.edu

Ticket: 39624

Tuesday 06:00PM - 10:15PM, D - Dunlap Hall, Room D-205

Office Hours: By appointment

Required Texts and Materials: (You must bring all required materials to every class.)

• Kennedy and Kennedy: The Bedford Reader 12th ed. ISBN: 9781457636950
• Langan and Goldstein: English Brushup 6th ed. ISBN: 9780073513607
• Joshua Davis: Spare Parts (ebook OK)
• 1 blue or black pen, 1 green pen, ruler, scissors, a college dictionary, and plenty of college ruled paper

 

Course Description:

Unit(s): 4.0 Class Hours: 64 Lecture total. Prerequisite: English N60 with a minimum grade of C or qualifying profile from English placement process or qualifying profile from English placement process. Expository paragraph writing emphasizing various methods including argumentation. Practice in refining sentence skills and grammar.

 

Student Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to read critically for literal meaning and identify the main idea of a reading and the author’s writing strategies as well as summarize and paraphrase effectively.

 

Students will use the writing process to write, in proper MLA format, essays, including a documented paper, using appropriately chosen details, organizational strategies, sentence variety, and sufficiently correct grammar and punctuation.

 

Students will ethically integrate and document source material.

 

Requirements:

• Attendance and Participation: Because we will be doing numerous writing exercises, group work, and reading discussions in class, your attendance is required.  More than two absences, habitual tardiness, or lack of preparation will result in a lower final grade.  You may not make up in-class work missed due to unexcused absences, so make sure you are in class.  I strongly suggest you exchange phone numbers and email address with other classmates to ensure that you will always be able to get the assignments.  If you miss a class, please do not ask me if you missed anything; assume that you did.  Also, do not ask me what you missed because I will not lecture twice. 

 

• Journals: Throughout the semester, you will turn in 4 typed, one page (this is 23 lines in MLA Format) journals. The journal topics and guidelines are stated on the course schedule. 

 

• Quizzes: Throughout the semester, you will take 5 quizzes, which reflect the reading assignments and lecture materials. Quizzes are administered through Blackboard with specific dates shown in the schedule below. If you do not complete it by the time designated you will not be able to make it up and will receive a zero.

 

• Writing Assignments: Aside from journals and in-class freewrites, you will write four out-of-class essays and two in-class essays (as a part of the midterm and final).  I will provide you with clear instructions for each of these assignments before they are due.                               

**YOU MUST TURN IN ALL ESSAYS TO PASS THIS CLASS**

• Peer Review: Prior to turning in your final drafts for out-of-class essays, you will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and receive feedback during peer review.  On the day of peer review, you will bring four copies of your rough draft to class to share with your assigned group.  Peer review is a mandatory in-class assignment.  If you are not here for peer review or you do not have four copies of your rough draft, regardless of the reason, your final essay grade will be lowered one full letter grade.  Peer review may not be made up and you must bring AT LEAST a page and a half of written material. If you fail to reach this minimum you will not receive full credit for the peer review assignment.

• Learning Center: You are required to complete 6 visits to the learning center throughout the semester. I will give you specific instructions for this assignment during the first week of class. Each Learning Center visit is worth 5 points.
• Midterm/Final: Midterm and Final will be done on the dates indicated on the schedule. For the Midterm and Final, students are required to bring a large blue book, two pens, and white out. Students will need these items in order to take the Midterm and Final.

 

Late Policy:

All assignments are due within the first fifteen minutes of class.  Any assignment submitted after fifteen minutes will be considered late.  I do not accept assignments via email, so please do not send them to me.  Talk to me if you are having trouble turning in an assignment. You will be allowed to turn in ONE assignment late. The assignment must be submitted the next class session following the original due date.

 

Revision Policy:

After I return your graded essays, you will have the opportunity to revise and resubmit them to regain up to 10% of the possible points. Revised essays must be stapled in this order: Original with my comments on the bottom; Revised version in the middle with all changes highlighted, and on top a typed up paragraph explaining what you changed and why, as well as, what did you learn while making the revisions.

(Note: this assignment is optional and not available for essay 4)

 

Extra Credit Opportunity:

There will be opportunities to gain extra credit throughout the semester. You will be able to collect these points if you have turned in all essays and journals.

 

 

 

Academic Honesty/Plagiarism

Students are expected to abide by ethical standards in preparing and presenting material which demonstrates their level of knowledge and which is used to determine grades. Such standards are founded on basic concepts of integrity and honesty. These include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

1. Students shall not plagiarize, which is defined as:
   1. stealing or passing off as one's own the ideas or words of another,
   2. using a creative production without crediting the source.

 

The following cases constitute plagiarism:

• paraphrasing published material without acknowledging the source,
• making significant use of an idea or a particular arrangement of ideas, e.g., outlines,
• writing a paper after consultation with persons who provide suitable ideas and incorporating these ideas into the paper without acknowledgment,
• submitting under one's own name term papers or other reports which have been prepared by others.

2. Students shall not cheat, which is defined as:

• using notes, aids, or the help of other students on tests or exams in ways other than those expressly permitted by the teacher,
• misreporting or altering the data in laboratory or research projects involving the collection of data.

3. Students shall not furnish materials or information in order to enable another student to plagiarize or cheat.

 

Instructors may deal with academic dishonesty in one or more of the following ways:

• Assign an appropriate academic penalty such as an oral reprimand or point reduction. 
• Assign an “F” on all or part of a particular paper, project, or exam. 
• Report to the appropriate administrators, with notification of same to the student(s), for disciplinary action by the College.  Such a report will be accompanied by supporting evidence and documentation.

 

Classroom Etiquette

1. Classroom Environment: Because so much of the work that you do this semester in class will be cooperative, working with your classmates in group or paired activities, or with me in whole class discussions, it is crucial that the classroom be a place of mutual respect. Please be courteous and respectful in all interactions.  Students who are unable/unwilling to be respectful of others will be counseled.  In severe situations, these students will be reported to the dean and dropped from the course. 
2. It is a campus-wide policy that no food or drink should be consumed in any of the classrooms. We will observe that policy in our class.  Water bottles that can be re-sealed are permitted in the room.
3. Turn off all cell phones. Cell phones should be out of sight, preferably in your backpack or purse.
4. Texting in class will not be tolerated. If I see you texting your attendance for that day will not be counted and you will be asked to leave the class.

If you are asked to leave the class for any behavioral offense, you will be reported to the Dean of Instruction for further counseling and/or disciplinary action.

5. Please remove all headphones and any other electronic paraphernalia that will interfere with your ability to concentrate on the course material or class activities.

 

 

Disabled Student Program and Services:

Students with verifiable disabilities who want to request academic accommodations are responsible for identifying themselves to the instructors and Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS).  To arrange for accommodations, contact DSPS in the Village-203, or by phone (714) 564-6264, TTY (714) 564-6284. It is the disabled student’s responsibility to contact the course instructor at the beginning of the semester to discuss potential plans when classroom evacuations are necessary.

 

 

Important Dates:

Term	2017FA Fall 2017
Start Date	28 August 2017
End Date	17 December 2017
Last Day to Add (add code required)	10 September 2017
Last Drop Date with 'W'	19 November 2017
Last Drop Date without 'W'	10 September 2017
Last Date to get Refund	10 September 2017

 

 

 

Friends / class Contacts

Name                                           Telephone                                           E-mail

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grading Scale

Participation & Attendance 30 points	3 %	30
Journals 4 x 10 points each	4 %	40
Blogs 4 x 10 points each	4 %	40
Learning Center DLAs 6 x 5 points each	3 %	30
Quizzes 5 x 10 points each	5 %	50
Peer Review 4 x 15 points each	6 %	60
Homework 5 x 10 points each	5 %	50
In Class Activities 5 x 10 points each	5 %	50
Novel Project	5%	50
Essays 1-4, 4 x 100 points each	40 %	400
Midterm 100 points	10 %	100
Final Exam 100 points	10 %	100
TOTAL	100%	1000

In order to pass this class, you MUST take the Final Exam

Grading scale will be as follows:         A: 100-90 B: 89-80 C: 79-70 D: 69-60 F: 59 and below

 

It is your responsibility to keep track of your grade throughout the semester.  Use the chart below to record and calculate your grades.

 

Attendance/Participation _______ = _______ (30)

 

Journals ____+ ____ + ____ + ____ = _____ (40)

 

Blogs ____+ ____ + ____ + ____ = _____ (40)

 

DLAs _______ + _______ + _______ + _______ +_______ + _______   = _______ (30)

 

Quizzes ____+ ____ + ____ + ____ + ____  = _____ (50)

 

Peer Review _______ + _______ + _______ + _______  = _______ (60)

 

Homework ____+ ____ + ____ + ____ + ____ = _____ (50)

 

In Class Activities _______ + _______ + _______ + _______  + _______  = _______ (50)

 

Novel Project  _______ = _______ (50)

 

Essays _______ + _______ + _______+ _______  = _______ (400)

 

Midterm _____ = _____ (100)

 

Final Exam _____ = _____ (100)

 

Tentative Course Schedule: Fall 2017

Note: all readings should be completed prior to the day it is listed in the schedule, with the exception of the first day.

 

Week 1

 

Tuesday 8/29/17: Welcome, Meet and Greet, Go over Syllabus, Field Trip, Group Activities.

Chapter 1: "Critical Reading" Pages 9-26, Fish Cheeks by Amy Tan page 110-111

 

Week 2

 

Tuesday 9/5/17: Chapter 2: "The Writing Process" pages 27-55, Chapter 4 "Telling a Story" pages 93-103: Champion of the World by Maya Angelou pages 104-107, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson pages 134-141

Homework: Journal 1 Due: Read The Lottery by Shirley Jackson pages 134-141, For this journal, discuss a traditional ritual, such as Thanksgiving or Christmas that you practice. Just as the lottery has a negative outcome, does your ritual have any negative aspects or outcomes? Post an avatar of yourself on Blackboard, Blog 1: post a little about yourself on the blog, and respond to at least two other classmates.

 

Week 3

 

Tuesday 9/12/17: Peer Review: Please bring 4 copies of your page and one half rough draft to class. The copies must NOT be printed double sided. Along with your rough drafts, bring a highlighter, a ruler, a color pen (not red, blue, or black), and a pair of scissors. EB: Chapter 1 "Subject and Verbs", Chapter 2 "More about Verbs" Pages 27-38. (*Note: We will be working on the book activities in class. This means you will be writing in the book. If you are renting this textbook, please come to class with photocopies of these chapters so you can work on the activities)

 Homework: Quiz 1: Quiz one will open on Blackboard Tuesday 9/5/17 and close Tuesday 9/12/17 at 11:59.

 

Week 4

 

Tuesday 9/19/17: Chapter 5 "Description Writing with Your Senses" Pages 147-155 "Arm Wrestling with My Father" by Brad Manning pages 156-160, "The Best Pizza in the World" by Elizabeth Gilbert Pages 174-177 " Edward Hooper's Nighthawks, 1942" by Joyce Carol Oats Pages 186-189. (In class activity 1) For this class, you need to bring a brown paper lunch bag with a least five little items in it.

Homework: Blog 2: Post a song with a few song lyrics that are grammatically incorrect. Answer the question should song writers write grammatically correct songs or continue to utilize slang? Why or why not? Respond to at least two other classmates. Essay 1 Due, DLA signed sheet is due in class for DLA 1 and 2

 

 

 

 

Week 5

 

Tuesday 9/26/17: Chapter 12 "Definition Tracing Boundaries" Pages 467-475. "The Meaning of a Word" by Gloria Naylor Pages 476-479. "Bring a Chink" by Christine Leong Pages 482-485, "How to identify Love by Knowing What it's Not" by Augusten Burroughs. Pages 500-504. (In class activity 2) For this class bring in an ad from a magazine. EB: Chapter 3 "Subject-Verb Agreement" pages 39-48, Chapter 4 "Sentence Types" Pages 49-58.  (*Note: We will be working on the book activities in class. This means you will be writing in the book. If you are renting this textbook, please come to class with photocopies of these chapters so you can work on the activities in class.)

Homework: Journal 2: What exactly does Burroughs define in his essay? Is the subject love, as the title suggest, or something else entirely? Support your answer by quoting from the text.

Quiz 2: Quiz 2 Will open on Blackboard Tuesday 9/19/17 and close Tuesday 9/26/17 at 11:59pm. Grammar 1 EB: Page 128 Other Punctuation Marks Test 2 questions 1-10 (homework must be typed and answers must be clear.)

 

Week 6

 

Tuesday 10/3/17: Chapter 6 "Example Pointing to Instances" Pages 195-201, "Homeless" by Anna Quindlen Pages 214-216, "That's So Mysto: What Makes Slang Stick?" By Juliet Lapidos Pages 219-221, "Black Men and Public Space" by Brent Staples Pages 224-226: Chapter 11 "Cause and Effect: Asking Why" Page 419-427, "Live Free and Starve" by Chitra Divakaruni Pages 428-430, "Why We Lie" by Dan Ariely Pages 440-446, "The Rise and Fall of the Hit" by Chris Anderson Pages 455-460. EB: Chapter 13 Homonyms pages 143-152 (*Note: We will be working on the book activities in class. This means you will be writing in the book. If you are renting this textbook, please come to class with photocopies of these chapters so you can work on the activities in class.)

Homework: Revised Essay 1 (Assignment is optional)

 

Week 7

 

Tuesday 10/10/17 Chapter 8 "Process Analysis: Explaining Step by Step" Pages 283-29, "How to Make a Sno-Cone" by Jane Melby Pages 298-300, "Taking a Fall" by Dan Koeppel Pages 302-307, "How to Poison the Earth" Page 309-310, "Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain" by Jessica Mitford Pages 313-320. (In class activity 3) For this class please bring in a recipe of your favorite food. Peer Review: Please bring 4 copies of your Two Full Pages draft to class. The copies must NOT be printed double sided. Along with your rough drafts, bring a highlighter, a ruler, a color pen (not red, blue, or black), and a pair of scissors. Review

Homework: Grammar 2 EB page 138 Capital Letters Test 2 1-10 (homework must be typed and answers must be clear)  

 

 

 

 

 

Week 8

 

Tuesday 10/17/17: Midterm

Homework: Essay 2 Due, DLA signed sheet is due in class for DLA 3: Quiz 3: Quiz 3 will open Tuesday10/10/17 and close Tuesday 10/17/17 at 11:59 pm.

 

Week 9

 

Tuesday 10/24/17: Chapter 7 "Compare and Contrast Setting Things Side by Side" Pages 233-241. "Neat People vs. Sloppy People" by Suzanne Britt pages 242-244, "We're Not..." By Andrea Roman pages 254-257, and Size 6: The Western Women's Harem by 274-279, (In class activity 4) Cookie Activity. Spare Parts by Joshua Davis pages 3-117 Group Class Activity Homework: Blog 3: Similar to the characters in our novel, post about a moment in your life where you were an underdog or post about a moment where you really wanted to do something but were not allowed to. Respond to at least two classmates. Journal 3: What is the general tone of the essay "Neat People vs. Sloppy People". What words and phrases help determine that tone? How does it affect the essay? Quote from the text to support your answer.

 

Week 10

 

Tuesday 10/31/17: Spare Parts by Joshua Davis pages 118-222, Group Class Activity, Film Day

Homework: Grammar 3 EB Homonyms Test 1 page 147 1-10 (Homework must be typed and answers clear) Revised Essay 2 (Assignment is optional) Quiz 4: Quiz 4 will open Tuesday 10/24/17 and close Tuesday 10/31/17 at 11:59.

 

 

Week 11

 

Tuesday 11/7/17: Chapter 9 "Division or Analysis Slicing into Parts" Pages 327-334, "Vampires Never Die" by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan Pages 335-338, “Our Zombies, Ourselves” by James Parker Pages 342-345, "What Words Can Tell" by Francine Prose Pages 335-358. Chapter 10 "Classification Sorting into Kinds" Pages 371-377, "But What Do You Mean?" By Deborah Tannen Pages 379-385, "College Classes for Conversation to Avoid" by Ashley Herzog Pages 405-406, "Deadly Mind Traps" by Jeff Wise Pages 409-414

(In class activity 5) For this class session please bring in a bag of YOUR favorite Halloween candy. The bags of candy will be used for a division activity. Peer Review: Please bring 4 copies of your Two and a half Page draft to class. The copies must NOT be printed double sided. Along with your rough drafts, bring a highlighter, a ruler, a color pen (not red, blue, or black), and a pair of scissors.

Homework: Journal 4: For whom is Herzog writing? What assumptions does she make about her readers? Support your response with the text.

 

 

 

 

 

Week 12

 

Tuesday 11/14/17: EB: Chapter 5 "Fragments" Pages 59-70, Chapter 6 "Run-Ons and Comma Splices" Pages 71-80. Chapter 9 "Apostrophe" Pages 101-112. Chapter 10 Quotation Marks Pages 113-122 (*Note: We will be working on the book activities in class. This means you will be writing in the book. If you are renting this textbook, please come to class with photocopies of these chapters so you can work on the activities in class.)

Homework: Essay 3 Due, DLA signed sheet is due in class for DLA 4

 

 

Week 13

 

Tuesday 11/21/17: Chapter 13 "Argument and Persuasion Stating Opinions and Proposals" Pages 509-523, "Web Users Get as Much as They Give" by Jim Harper pages 545-548, "Facebook is Using You" by Lory Andrews Pages 551-554, "Forget Shorter Showers" by Derrick Jensen Pages 564-567.  Mixing the Methods pages 580-58, "Superman and Me" by Sherman Alexie Pages 582-585, "I Have A Dream" by Martin Luther King Jr. Pages 599-603, "No Name Women" by Maxine Hong Kingston Pages 605-615. (*Note for this class session bring different color highlighters or pens. We will be making annotations in the book.)

Homework: Blog 4: Post at least two text messages or memes that are grammatically incorrect. Should these forms of communication be written grammatically correct? Why or why not?  How does it reflect the individuals attached to them? Respond to at least two other classmates. Quiz 5: Quiz 5 will open Tuesday 11/14/17 and close Tuesday 11/21/17 at 11:59.

 

 

 

Week 14

 

Tuesday 11/28/17 EB: Chapter 7 "Pronouns" Pages 81-90, Chapter 8 "Comma" Pages 91-100, Chapter 14 Word Choice pages 153, 162

*Note: We will be working on the book activities in class. This means you will be writing in the book. If you are renting this textbook, please come to class with photocopies of these chapters so you can work on the activities in class.) Peer Review: Please bring 4 copies of your Three Full Page rough draft to class. The copies must NOT be printed double sided. Along with your rough drafts, bring a highlighter, a ruler, a color pen (not red, blue, or black), and a pair of scissors

Homework: Grammar 4 EB Word Choice Test 2 Page 158 1-10 (Homework must be typed and answers must be clear) Revised Essay 3 (Assignment is optional)

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Week 15

 

Tuesday 12/5/17: Chapter 3 Academic Writing pages 53-70, Chapter 16 Parallelism pages 173-182. EB: Chapter 11"Other Punctuation Marks Pages 123-132, Chapter 12 "Capital Letters" pages 133-142. , (*Note: We will be working on the book activities in class. This means you will be writing in the book. If you are renting this textbook, please come to class with photocopies of these chapters so you can work on the activities in class.) Review for the final

Homework: Grammar 5 Parallelism Test 2 Page 178 1-10 (homework must be typed and answers must be clear.)  Essay 4 due, DLA signed sheet is due in class for DLA 5 and 6

 

 

Week 16

 

Tuesday 12/12/17: Final Exam

 

Essay Scoring Guide

90-100   Superior

A “Superior” essay indicates superior writing, although it may have a few minor flaws.

An essay in this category:

• addresses the topic clearly and responds effectively to all aspects of the task
• demonstrates a thorough critical understanding of the assigned reading in developing an insightful response
• explores the topic thoughtfully and in depth
• is coherently organized, with ideas supported by apt quotations and well-chosen examples
• has an effective, fluent style marked by syntactic variety and a clear command of language
• is generally free from errors in mechanics, usage, and sentence structure
• provides sufficient secondary support for the thesis

 

 

80-89   Strong

An essay in the 80-89 range demonstrates clear competence in writing. It may have some errors, but they are not serious enough to distract or confuse the reader.

An essay in this category:

• addresses the topic clearly, but may respond to some aspects of the task more effectively than others
• demonstrates a sound critical understanding of the assigned reading in developing a well-reasoned response
• shows some depth and developed with appropriate details and examples
• displays some syntactic variety and facility in the use of language
• may have a few errors in mechanics, usage, and sentence structure

 

 

70-79   Adequate

An essay in the 70-79 range demonstrates adequate writing. It may have some errors that distract the reader, buy they do not significantly obscure meaning.

An essay in this category:

• addresses the topic, but may slight some aspects of the task
• demonstrates a generally accurate understanding of the assigned reading in developing a sensible response
• may treat the topic repetitively
• is adequately organized and developed, generally supporting ideas with textual detail and examples
• demonstrates adequate facility with syntax and language
• may have some errors, but generally demonstrates control of mechanics, usage, and sentence

 

 

60-69   Marginal

An essay in the 60-69 range demonstrates developing competence, but is flawed in some significant ways(s).

An essay in this category reveals one or more of the following weaknesses:

• distorts or neglects aspects of the task
• demonstrates some understanding of the assigned reading, but may misconstrue parts of it or make limited use of it in developing a weak response
• lacks focus, or demonstrates confused or simplistic thinking
• is poorly organized or developed
• does not provide adequate or appropriate details to support generalizations, or provides details without generalizations
• shows a misunderstanding of the text by misrepresenting details and examples
• has an accumulation of errors in mechanics, usage, and sentence structure

 

 

50-59   Very Weak

An essay in the 50-59 range demonstrates serious weakness.

As essay in this category reveals one or more of the following weaknesses:

• indicates confusion about the topic or neglects important aspects of the task
• demonstrates limited ability to understand the assigned reading or to use it in developing a response
• lacks focus and coherence, or often fails to communicate its ideas
• has very weak organization, or little development
• provides simplistic generalizations without support
• has inadequate sentence control and a limited vocabulary
• is marred by numerous errors in mechanics, usage, and sentence structure.

 

 

< 50   Not Competent

An essay that scores below 50 points demonstrates fundamental deficiencies in writing.

An essay in this category reveals one or more of the following weaknesses:

• suggests an inability to comprehend the question or to respond meaningfully to the topic
• demonstrates little or no ability to understand the assigned reading or to use it in developing a response
• is unfocused, illogical, or incoherent
• is disorganized and undeveloped, providing little or no relevant support
• lacks basic control of syntax and vocabulary
• has serious and persistent errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that severely interfere with meaning

 

 

0 – Non-response

An essay in this category rejects the assignment or fails to address the question.

 

 

 

Group Project

50 Points

 

Each group will select a character in the story that they will analyze and present.

Oscar, Christian, Luis, Lorenzo, or Fredi and Allan.

 

Quotation: 20 points Due 10/24/17

 

As a group, you will work together to quote passages from the novel that the group deems important or vital to your characters’ overall development within the story. These quotes will be shared during both class sessions the book is assigned. Groups must have passages for both sections of the novel. Each member must present quotes and the pages that these quotes can be found within the novel. In addition to sharing the quote with the class you must also discuss how or why it is important to the overall story. Lastly, your group must turn in a typed up version of the quotes and page number collected. Only one typed up page with everyone's name is required to be turned in.

 

Poster 10 Points Due 10/24/17: The group will work on visual representation of the character selected. You may include a family tree, maps, important symbols, moments, or verbal quotes that represent the character. This should represent the groups understanding of the character and creativity.

 

Journal 10 Points Due 10/24/17: Each group will type up a journal discussing how each member participated in the group. No one except myself will view this journal. I would like for you to be honest.

 

Participation 10 points: You are responsible to read the novel and work in a group. You must assist the group in making this assignment a success. This may include meeting outside of class to make sure everyone is prepared to share quotes and present their poster.

 

Presentation 10 points (These points are included in your in class activity) Due 10/24/17 : Your group will have 10 minutes total to present their group poster. Every member must have a speaking part. 

 

Note: There will be no make-up days for this two-day activity. If you are absent, your group will go on without you, and you will lose the points even if you helped work on the project. In other words, please show up to class.