ENGLISH 120
Reading & Composition 1
Fall 2013
Instructor: Kristie A. Iwamoto
Contact Information:
Voicemail: (707) 253-3388
Email:
Office Hours:
MW 12:15pm-1:45pm;
TTH 12:30pm-1:30pm
Room 1031-D
Meeting Times:
Mondays and Wednesdays,
4:00pm-5:15pm
Required Texts:
Wyrick, Jean. Steps to Writing Well (12th Edition). Boston: Thomson-Wadsworth, 2010.
McQuade, Donald. The Writer’s Presence: A Pool of Readings (7th Edition). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011.
Palmquist, Mike. The Bedford Researcher (4th Edition). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012.
Course Description:
ENGL 120 develops expository, narrative, and argumentative writing based on reading and analysis of essays and other college-level texts. The course emphasizes critical thinking and reasoned support of ideas and reinforces the connections between reading and writing. Students will also apply advanced research and documentation skills. 6,000 to 8,000 words of writing are required.
Student Learning Outcomes: As a result of successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Think, read, and write critically about a variety of ethical, civic, and intercultural issues.
2. Write unified, coherent, well supported, and grammatically correct documents while also demonstrating adequate research skills, including locating, evaluating, integrating, and documenting sources using discipline appropriate styles, such as MLA.
Course Objectives: Students will learn to recognize and understand the relationship between critical reading, critical thinking, and the writing process. Students will discuss ideas and work collaboratively as they build written responses regarding issues of domestic and international culture.
In so doing, students will:
- Demonstrate an understanding of all parts of the writing process;
- Demonstrate an understanding of and proficiency in applying the principles of exposition and argument, including
a. the logical organization of ideas
b. the focus and limitation of subject, thesis building, and support of thesis by example or argumentation
c. the use of specifics to support generalizations
d. unity, awareness of audience, and appropriateness of tone and style;
- Demonstrate the ability to plan, organize and write in-class essays;
- Demonstrate an ability to read, comprehend, and critically analyze essays and other college-level texts as assigned, including the ability to identify main ideas and support points, extrapolate the writer's rhetorical and stylistic strategies, and generate and justify a position regarding the reading;
- Demonstrate research skills such as analyzing and evaluating sources, paraphrasing and summarizing, citing sources accurately, and synthesizing and integrating information from a variety of mediums;
- Demonstrate proficiency in the use of MLA manuscript and citation format.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 90, or appropriate skill level established through the English assessment process, which consists of multiple measures.
Credit: This is a four-unit course and may not be repeated.
Online Research Component:
English 120 is a 4-unit course, including a unit dedicated to research practices offered in an online format. Students can expect to spend an average of at least 12 hours each week (3 hours in class and 9 or more hours outside of class) on work for the lecture portion of the course, with at least 3 hours each week dedicated to the required online Research Lab.
The online unit is offered through Bedford’s YourCompClass in connection with the textbook The Bedford Researcher. Students will work on a variety of lessons, quizzes, discussion forums, journals, etc., in YourCompClass to master research skills. These skills will also be integrated into classroom instruction and applied to a research project, essay, or series of essays.
The lab has 13 research lessons which require 2 – 4 hours of work each. If you do not complete 9 (nine) of the Research Lab lessons by final withdrawal date, you may be dropped from English 120 with a W.
Again, the lab is required, and failure to complete the lab indicates failure to complete the course. You must complete the lab to get credit for the course.
Methods of Evaluation/Grading:
Credit will be given based on completion of weekly assignments – including essays, online and written homework assignments (approximately 35% of grade) and class participation – including quizzes and in-class written assignments (approx. 40%).
This class will include a comprehensive research project (approx. 25%) with a prospectus and a works cited page. This research project will encompass at least three essay assignments. Full credit for this assignment depends upon all parts being submitted on time. Students should be prepared to give short presentations based on their research.
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. Letter grades 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
Writing Center:
Students may sign up for half a unit (0.5) to one unit (1) in the Writing Center. Instructional assistants will be available to help you with your work in this course as well as provide exercises to address specific issues in your writing. The Writing Center is highly recommended for all students.
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 do 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 inRoom 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.