PROFESSOR DOW, ENGLISH 120

OFFICE: 1030 N

PHONE: (707) 253-3187

email:

Office Hours: MTWTH 9:00—9:30 AM and 11:30AM—12:00 Noon. I reply to phone and email messages only during scheduled office hours.

TEXTS:THE WRITER’S PRESENCE by McQuade and Atwan

THE BEDFORD RESEARCHER(with the ACCESS CODE) Fourth Edition by Mike Palmquist

OBJECTIVES AND REQUIREMENTS:

  1. English 120 meets the standards set by California Universities and Colleges for transferable Freshman Composition. In this class students continue to develop expository, narrative, and argumentative writing skills. The course emphasizes critical thinking and reasoned support of ideas and reinforces the connections between analytical reading and writing. Students will utilize advanced research and documentation skillsin preparing a research essay. Students are expected to write several drafts of each essay and at least one draft (not the final graded essay) of each essay will be kept in their Portfolio of homework assignments. Students also write summaries and evaluations of reading assignments. Essays and portfolio assignments will meet the English 120 requirement of six toeight thousand words (32 pages) of writing.
  1. One section of the course will be a research unit with an online component that will result in writing a formal research essay. Students should expect to spend at least 12 hours each week on this course, 3 hours in class and 9 hours out of class. At least 3 hours out of class each week will be spent on research and on the research essay. The key resource for the research unit is The Bedford Researcher. You will study 13 research lessons from Bedford’s “My Comp Class” online that require 2-4 hours of work each.Each lesson is followed by a graded quiz. If you do not complete these Research lessons and quizzes from Bedford, you will probably fail the course. You must complete all parts of the research section to pass this class. You will be given reasonable deadlines for each of the Bedford Research components to be completed. If they are not completed by the assigned dates, they will not receive a grade.
  1. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Think, read, and write critically about a variety of ethical, civic, and cultural 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 a discipline appropriate style, such as the MLA.

  1. ASSESSMENT: Essays will be graded according to the English 120 Rubric and/or rubrics designed for individual essays (refer to handouts). Your final grade will include:

Research Process 10%

Bedford Research Quizzes10%

Mid-Term Exam10%

Essays 60%

Portfolio (refer to the Portfolio handout)10%

  1. Essay assignments must be typed in MLA manuscript format (refer to the Manuscript Guide handout). Essays that do not follow manuscript guide instructions will be returned to you for correction and will receive a reduced grade. You will receive a separate set of instructions for your research paper.
  1. MISSED ESSAYS AND TESTS: I do not accept late papers (including research steps); missed tests cannot be made up. Only students with disabilities documented by NVC are allowed to take tests in the Testing Center.
  1. You are required to keep two inexpensive pocket folders, one for your Portfolio, the other for graded essays and tests. See the Portfolio handout for explanations and instructions.
  1. I take roll at the beginning of every class. If you are late it is your responsibility to tell me (after class) so I will adjust my record and not show you as absent. Please be in class on time. It is the policy of this college that you can be dropped from a class if you miss more than three hours of a three-unit course, no matter what the reason.
  1. If you miss class it is your responsibility to get the homework assignment from a fellow student. When you work in groups those who are willing can exchange contact information and build a support system.
  1. Please put your cell phone on silent mode during class. If you expect an urgent message, please let me know before class. I will monitor campus emergency information with my phone.

PLEASE RESPECT YOUR OWN EDUCATION AND THE EDUCATION OF YOUR CLASSMATES:

The classroom is a formal setting that requires that we follow fundamental rules if civility. Because I respect your desire for an education I request that you do not participate in any conduct that disrupts the educational process for yourself or others, such as unnecessarytalking or texting, or leaving the room to use your phone. Every time you give in to distractions, rather than focusing on your learning, you undermine your ability to focus and concentrate. This can affect your ability to be successful in your education and lead to poor grades.

  1. Academic honesty is essential for education. Plagiarism and other forms of cheating are a serious breach of academic honesty. If an essay contains plagiarized material, for example, it will receive a failing grade. If a student cheats on a test they will fail the test. Successive acts of cheating will result in failing the class.

12.If you have a disability that requires accommodations you should contact the Office of Special Services (DSPS) in the Library, room 1766, phone (707) 254- 3080, and make an appointment in the Counseling Center (Bldg. 1300) to meet with a DSPS Counselor (707) 256-7220.