College Reading & Composition II (3 Units)

English 102Syllabus: Summer 2016

Los Angeles Valley College

Instructor: A. Star Glover

Section: 9500

Email:

Office hours: by appointment

Course website powered by Haiku! Haikulearning.com

Birmingham Community Charter High School Room 404

Monday through Friday 8-11:10

June 13 – June 30 (three weeks!)

Requirements:

Folder or binder for course materials, handouts, etc. (keep everything!)
Dedicated notebook, preferably a composition book
Basic office supplies and note-taking materials (bring daily)
Email account (check daily)
Printer access (print all necessary materials before class starts)
Digital file storage, either on a flash drive or cloud system (multiple backups suggested)
Frequent access to a computer (either personal or on campus) with
Internet access
Adobe Acrobat or similar PDF reader
Microsoft Word (program is available free to students)

Course Description:

Prerequisite: English 101 with a passing grade.

This course develops reading, writing, and critical thinking skills beyond the level achieved in English 101 and requires the writing of a minimum of 10,000 words in essays and a research paper throughout the semester. It emphasizes logical reasoning, analysis, and strategies of argumentation using literature and literary criticism. Evaluations of texts reveal the multicultural/global aspects of our society, which include traditional and contemporary forms in fiction, poetry, essays, and drama.

Course Philosophy:

This class operates on a growth mindset. This means that there is no such thing as a naturally good writer—someone who was born with writing talent and doesn’t have to work at it. We may all have subjects we prefer, but quality writing (or any other product) is the result of hours of practice and hard work. You can all be good writers, but you must be willing to put in the hours. With practice, anyone can be successful.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze, interpret and evaluate various forms of literature. They will demonstrate this by analyzing a given work from several critical perspectives. Students will demonstrate the writing of analytical essays, both out-of-class and in-class, which present rhetorical structure of thesis and support.

Classroom Conduct:

Students are required to conduct themselves in a respectful manner. If you are disruptive or inconsiderate in any way (talking, texting, doing work for another class, etc.) you will be asked to leave. Dismissal from the class will count as one absence.

Turn off ALL electronic devices (cell phones, iPods, etc.) at the start of class. Laptops or electronic notebooks/tablets may only be used in the classroom for note-taking or research, if appropriate—not for email, Facebook, etc. I reserve the right to revoke this allowance at my discretion.

Failure to comply with these rules of conduct will result in disciplinary measures of my choice, up to and including asking you to leave and marking you absent for the day.

The classroom is a safe space in which all students have the right to learn in a comfortable atmosphere. Please alert me to any concerns you may have. Violating the safe space guidelines established at the beginning of the course or otherwise creating or contributing an aggressive and/or disrespectful environment will result in disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion. Use common sense, respect your classmates, and treat others as you would like to be treated.

Disclaimer: We will be reading texts that include controversial language and ideas. These ideas may include religion, race, gender, sex, etc. By remaining in the class, you agree to the following:

You will read and attempt to understand all of the assigned texts; you are not required to agree with the ideas presented in the literature.
Failure to read assigned texts for any reason will negatively impact your grade.
You will discuss the texts in a respectful manner and treat your classmates and instructor with respect, even if you disagree with them.

Special BCCHS addendum: This is a college class. No matter how old you are, you will be treated like a college student—i.e., an adult. You are solely responsible for attending and keeping up with assignments. You are also responsible for reaching out and asking for help if and when you need it. No matter how much I like you, I will not bend the rues for you. Please note that I will not speak to your parents or accept notes of excuse from them. I do, however, communicate with Mrs. Palacios, and what she does with that information is up to her.

Note: As a faculty member, I am a “mandatory reporter” under law.

Email Policy:

This class will rely heavily on email communication. Please check your email frequently for updates and reminders about the class. When sending or replying through email, please use an appropriate subject heading, address me accordingly, and use complete sentences so that I am clear on what you are saying. I will not respond to inappropriate emails. Also, I will not accept unsolicited homework, assignments and/or essays through email. I will do my best to respond to every email within 24 hours. Please do not wait until the last minute to ask a question, as it may not be answered in time.

Course Format and Procedures

Course Website: Readings will be posted online and you may be expected to print them out and bring them to class. Our website may also be used for informal discussion posts, posting assignment drafts and exercises, and replying to your peers’ discussion posts.

Peer Review: Students will be required to participate in peer-review workshops and give thoughtful feedback. Coming to class unprepared will result in deduction of participation points.

Quizzes and In-Class Assignments: Missed quizzes and in-class assignments may not be made up.

Grading Policy:This course is broken into percentages:

Participation: 10%

Practice Essay: 5%

Quizzes: 20%

Journaling: 20%

Essays: 30% (3 x 10% each)

Presentations: 10%

Final Revised Essay: 5%

Absolutely no late non-essay work will be accepted. Late assignments will be given a zero.

Late essays lose 10% for each day past due. Yes, a minute past midnight on the due date counts as a day late.

It is not difficult to earn a passing grade: simply attend class, participate, and turn in all assignments on time. Unfortunately, it is also deceptively easy to fail. Even small assignments add up. This is an extremely short class! It is all too easy to fall behind.

Attendance Policy: Regular attendance is a requirement for this course. Arriving late (any time after roll) or leaving early will be counted as a half-absence. Due to the condensed nature of this class, students are allowed only one “free” absence. Subsequent absences will count against their participation grade. These absences should allow for any illness or emergency; please use them wisely. Notifying me about an absence is an appreciated courtesy, but there will be no excused absences.

Do not ask me what you missed. You are responsible for all material presented in class, even if you are absent! If you must be absent, get notes from a classmate.

Plagiarism Policy: Plagiarism is the use of others’ words and/or ideas without clearly acknowledging their source. When you incorporate those words and ideas into your own work, you must give credit where credit is due. Plagiarism, intentional or unintentional, is considered academic dishonesty and is not tolerated.

Anyone found to be plagiarizing or cheating on assignments (e.g., copying or giving answers, using ‘crib’ sheets, etc.) will (1) receive a zero (fail) on the assignment, and (2) be referred to the Associate Dean of Student Services for further disciplinary action, following due process. For further information on plagiarism, go to the Writing Center website ( and refer to the STANDARDS OF STUDENT CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINARY ACTION in the current Schedule of Classes and Catalog.

A Note about Help: If you require any course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have any emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case of a building evacuation, please let me know as soon as possible. Please also contact me right away if you have any questions or problems with respect to any assignment, class discussion, or any other aspect of this class. You are here to learn and I am here to facilitate that process to the best of my ability.

PROFESSOR’S ADVICE:

Always take notes. You never know when something said in class will be important. Taking notes will also help you process and store information.
Keep everything! You may be asked to refer to previous assignments, and you must provide documentation in the event of a grading dispute.
Always check the course website. The class schedule and important updates will be found there.
Get a few of your classmates’ contact information. Your classmates are a valuable resource; forming supportive relationships with your cohorts will be immensely valuable during your educational career.
Come to class with an open mind. Try not to offend others, and try not to be offended. Interacting with and learning to empathize with those who are different from you is a vital aspect of the university experience.
Make use of campus resources. All faculty and staff want to see you flourish; we’re here to help.
Read instructions carefully and always ask for clarification if you are unsure about anything.
Don’t procrastinate! We have a great deal of material to cover, and it is very easy to fall behind. Set aside an appropriate amount of time every week so that you can keep up. A good rule of thumb is that for every hour spent in class, you should expect at least 2-3 hours of homework.
Keep your goals in mind. You have a limited amount of time and resources; don’t waste them.
Caffeine is not a substitute for sleep!

Standards for English Compositions (From the English Department)

The main purpose of English composition is to help you learn to write expository prose in such a way that a thoughtful, mature, educated reader will pay respectful attention to your ideas. The following criteria may guide your development as a writer. Please note that these criteria are concerned only with measurable achievement, not the amount of effort that goes into writing the essay.

A “C” essay is a competent work, a success. It states a clear thesis and supports that thesis with factual evidence. The thesis is appropriate for an essay of the length assigned – that is, neither too broad nor too narrow in scope – and is adequately developed. Most of the secondary opinions relate clearly to the thesis and are supported. Generally, each paragraph contains one subordinate idea clearly related to the thesis and details explaining and supporting that idea. The train of thought is generally clear. The ideas expressed may not be particularly original, but they are more than mere platitudes. The paper shows competence in grammar: The sentences are nearly all complete and not run together; there are few or no dangling or misplaced modifiers; pronouns consistently and clearly refer to antecedents and agree in number with those antecedents; subjects and verbs agree in umber; tense, diction, spelling, and punctuation generally follow the conventions. A “C” paper answers the assignment, is reasonably well organized, and has some details.

B A “B” essay demonstrates not only the competence of the “C” essay in form and content but, in addition, shows originality in both style and concepts. The diction is accurate and economical. The paper exhibits skill in using the concepts of emphasis and proportion. Details are more vivid and abundant than in a “C” essay.

A An “A” essay contains ideas unusually significant, original, or otherwise exceptionally rich. The supporting details are abundant, unusually vivid, and strikingly appropriate. The reasoning is such that a thoughtful, educated reader can find the ideas, if not necessarily convincing, at least well worth considering. The paper shows awareness of the exact meanings and flavor of the words used. The sentences possess special fluency, force, or elegance. They show skill in using coordination, subordination, parallelism, emphasis, and metaphor. The “A” essay contains very few errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, or in the construction of sentences or paragraphs.

D A “D” essay lacks one or more of the qualities named above for the “C” essay. Its thesis may be trite, insufficiently explored, or both. It may fall below the “C” level because its thesis or development is too narrow, to broad, or otherwise inappropriate for the paper assigned. A “D” essay frequently supplies insufficient evidence for its thesis and subordinate opinions. Its organization is unclear; its paragraphs are underdeveloped; fragmentary or comma-spliced sentences occur more than once or twice; pronouns are often misused. The paper usually contains several errors in spelling, punctuation, or grammar. Note: a paper that does not demonstrate an acceptable mastery of “Standard English” usage, regardless of the quality of the content, will earn a “D” or “F” grade. If the teacher/reader cannot identify the thesis statement in an essay, the grade will automatically earn a maximum grade of a “D.”

F An “F” essay either does not clearly respond to the assignment (and is thus given an “F” despite its merits) or lacks several qualities named for the “C” paper. It may contain a trivial or poorly explored thesis. The paper may be only a collection of loosely related opinions. It probably will show a poor grasp of paragraph organization. It may contain enough fragmentary or comma-spliced sentences to suggest a failure to understand what a sentence is. The paper may contain many disagreements between noun and pronoun or between subject and verb. It often contains many errors in spelling, punctuation, or grammar. Note: a paper that does not demonstrate an acceptable mastery of “Standard English” usage, regardless of the quality of the content, will earn a “D” or “F” grade.