English 101-47989 Syllabus

Click here to download a PDF of the Course Syllabus

Meet Your Instructor:  Gary Bennett 

Gary Bennett has taught full time at Santa Ana College since 1998. He has been teaching college English courses since 1990. He received a Bachelors of Arts in English composition and literature from Cal State Fullerton in 1989 and a Masters of Arts in English with an emphasis in creative writing from Cal State Fullerton in 1992. He completed his higher education in 2000 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he received a Ph.D. in English with an emphasis in American literature and a minor in U.S. history. He also earned unofficial certificates for card counting in Black Jack and binge eating in buffets. In his spare time, he enjoys honey do's and traveling with his family. 

Books and Materials:

(1) Hidden Figures. Margot Lee Shetterly. ISBN# 978-0-06-236360-2 (HF). [digital version is unacceptable]

*(2) Handbook with Connect access [Choose Option A  OR  Option B]

Option A: Connect access code with electronic handbook included (purchased through Canvas)

**Option B: Printed handbook with Connect access code included (purchased at SAC Bookstore)

The printed handbook is called The Brief McGraw-Hill Handbook

**Option B is more expensive. Choose this option only If you prefer to work with a hard copy instead of using just the electronic handbook. Please note that if you purchase a hard copy without the access code, you will end up paying too much since the book and access code are cheaper when bundled than when purchased separately.

*Please wait until after the first class meeting to purchase the handbook/Connect access. 

Course Description: 

English 101 is an intensive writing course designed to improve thinking, reading, and writing skills. You will be shown how to turn your experiences into evidence, how to enrich essays with knowledge gained from reading and research, and how to develop argumentative strategies. You will also learn to write and format a standard college research paper. By the end of the course, you should be able to observe, analyze, and evaluate complex ideas and to communicate your ideas effectively and accurately. Specifically, you will master the four Ps of composition: the purposes for and processes of writing and the properties and patterns of effective essays. Your handbook will cover major points of composition, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and mechanics. The book Hidden Figures will provide material for class discussions as well as models of effective composition. In order to become skilled critics and readers of both your own and your peers’ writing, you will share your ideas for revision with your classmates and instructor. Creative and critical thinking, along with clear and correct communication, are essential keys to success in college, at work, and in life.