ENGLISH 85
Basic Reading & Writing
cd
Fall 2017
Instructor: Kristie A. Iwamoto
Contact Information:
Voicemail:
(707) 256-7751
Email:
Office Hours:
M 2:50pm-3:50pm
TTH 1:30pm-3:30pm
Office: 1031-D
(in 1000 building)
Meeting Times:
Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday,
11:00am-12:05pm
Required Texts:
Anker, Susan. Real Writing (7th Edition). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2016.
McBride, James. The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White
Mother. New York: Riverhead Trade, 2006.
Other Required Materials:
· a notebook with plenty of paper for class notes, in-class writing exercises and activities
· writing utensils (pencil, pens, highlighters)
· a folder or section of your binder for handouts and returned assignments
· access to a computer to type your essays & other writing assignments
· a library card for one of the Snap System libraries which includes Napa Valley College, Napa Public Library, Solano College Library, etc.
Bring all books, your notebook with plenty of paper, and writing utensils with you to every class.
Course Description:
English 85 introduces students to beginning academic reading and writing, stressing the relationship between reading, thinking, and writing. The course emphasizes the critical reading process, stressing reading comprehension, analysis, and evaluation. Writing is treated as a reflection of critical thinking; therefore, the course emphasizes the writing process, stressing paragraph and essay development, and using grammar as a tool to enhance coherence, clarity, and unity in the writing.
Note: This section of English 85 is linked with English 84 (the Writing Center - #68843). Students must be enrolled in both sections. Some of your assignments for this class may require help from the Writing Center.
Student Learning Outcomes: As a result of successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Think, read, and write critically
2. Write a unified, coherent, well supported, and grammatically correct ` document.
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will recognize the relationship between critical reading, critical thinking, and the writing process, and begin to understand the language, behaviors, and practices of academic culture.
To that end, students will read to:
1. determine stated and implied main idea
2. determine organization of paragraphs and essays
3. use increasingly more sophisticated vocabulary
4. use methods to improve reading comprehension
5. draw inferences
6. use critical reading techniques
7. understand figurative language
8. interpret and analyze graphic material to improve reading comprehension
9. summarize texts in writing
10. demonstrate understanding of and ability to think critically about texts of five to ten pages on both abstract and concrete subjects. Texts can be isolated essays or literature or passages from full-length works.
11. participate in classroom discussion and collaborative learning experiences
12. Students will write to:
13. develop coherent and unified paragraphs (50-200 words)and essays (300-700 words)
14. use transitional words to logically connect sentences and paragraphs
15. use correct sentence structure and end punctuation
16. write clear, distinct, and complete sentences, avoiding fragments, run-ons, and comma splices
17. use correct punctuation, capitalization, and conventions of spelling
18. demonstrate competency in all stages of the writing process--prewriting, organizing, drafting, revising, and editing
19. Research Skills: Students will learn to:
20. format a paper using MLA style
21. obtain a library card
22. navigate the library and its resources
23. demonstrate an understanding of plagiarism and how to avoid it
Credit: This is a five-unit course and may not be repeated for credit.
Methods of Evaluation/Grading:
Credit will be given based on completion of weekly assignments – including essays, homework assignments (approximately 60% of grade) and class participation – including quizzes and in-class written assignments (approx. 40%).
Late essay assignments will automatically lose half credit. In-class assignments are considered a portion of a student’s participation grade and cannot be made up. Assignments will be calculated as a percentage of the total number of points earned:
90% - 100%: A
80% - 89%: B
70% - 79%: C
60% - 69%: D
< 60%: F
This is a CR/NC class. Credit will be given for a percentage of 75% or higher. In order to pass the class, students must earn at least 75% (the equivalent of a C).
Policies:
Attendance:
Students are expected to be punctual and attend all courses in which they are enrolled. Regular attendance in all classes is important for satisfactory academic progress. The Napa Valley College attendance regulations make provisions for a limited number of unavoidable absences. However, a student who is absent for as many times as a class meets each week will have exhausted this provision. An instructor may request verification of those absences. Further absences may cause the instructor to drop the student from the class. Grades are not used as punishment for absences. However, academic grades may be lowered to the degree that the instructor can estimate the loss of cognitive, effective, or skills learning due to student absences.
Student Conduct:
The classroom should be a safe and comfortable learning environment. Students are expected to treat the instructor and each other with respect. Additionally, students are expected to arrive on time and prepared. Rude or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Disruptive students will be asked to leave class. Students who have been asked to leave must do so or be subject to further disciplinary action.
Academic Honesty:
Acts of academic dishonesty, include, but are not limited to, cheating, tampering,
fabricating, plagiarizing, or assisting others in an act of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism is defined as representing someone else's words, idea, artistry, or data as ones' own, including copying another person's work (including published and unpublished material, and material from the internet) without appropriate referencing, presenting someone else's opinions and theories as one's own, or working jointly on a project, then submitting it as one's own. Those who commit academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary action. Please consult the Napa Valley College student handbook for specific guidelines regarding academic honesty.
Email:
I am not responsible for email issues regarding essay submission. Files that will not open, attachments that have been left off of emails, and incorrectly typed email addresses will result in a late essay grade.
Accommodations:
If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please tell me at the beginning of the semester or as soon as possible after your documentation has been received. Students with documented learning and/or physical disabilities may receive reasonable accommodations if requested in a timely fashion. Late requests may not be determined as reasonable. To contact DSPS and get more information about the program, you may call (707) 256-7220. You can also stop by the DSPS office, located in Room 1766 ofLLRC Building, on the Napa Valley Main Campus.
PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL TOWARD YOUR INSTRUCTOR
AND FELLOW STUDENTS.
PLEASE TURN YOUR CELL PHONES OFF
(OR TO SILENT MODE) DURING CLASS.
STUDENTS WHO ARE SEEN TEXTING OR USING PHONES DURING CLASS
WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE.