1

Syllabus English 1A

Fall 2013Berkeley City College

Tues/Thurs 3:30 – 5:20 Instructor: Georgie Ziff

Room 316 Email:

Code 42072

All emails must contain class and namein the subjectline to receive a response.

Course Description:English 1A explores reading and writing expository prose: critical thinking, identifying logical fallacies, and reasoning inductively and deductively.

Prerequisites:English 201B or ESL 21B with a grade of C- or higher or appropriate placement through multiple-measures assessment process.

Student Learning Outcomes:

  • Write well organized, well developed, effective, well-edited, logically sound, and clear essays.
  • Write effective, well edited, well organized research papers of 3,000-5,000 words which apply appropriate and clear organizational strategies (research paper).
  • Apply active reading strategies in order to identify main ideas and critically

analyze and explain ideas in texts (written summaries, exercises, and reading responses).

  • Practice the conventions of academic writing, including introduction to

Modern Language Association (MLA) documentation style of citation.

Required Texts/Materials:

Reading Critically, Writing Well, 9th edition by Alexrod, Cooper and Warriner

ISBN 978-0-312-67685-8 Here is a link toAmazon.comfor the textbook

  • “I’m a Stranger Here Myself” by Bill Bryson ISBN 9780767903820
  • An account with Turnitin.com – Course ID = 6775529 Passwork = English
  • Engrade.comis theonline grade book where grades and attendance will be posted.I will provide your personal access code to register at Engrade.com/student.It is your responsibility to hang onto that code to monitor your own progress in the course.
  • A blank lined composition book for your Writing Journal
  • Folder for your Final Course Portfolio
  • Small stapler or paper clips to attach papers together

Suggested Materials:

  • Dropbox.comis a free online storage site that also synchronizes your documents; usefulfor work in the computer lab
  • a flash drive on which to save your work as a backup

Email and Internet Requirements:

You will be using email, accessing websites for articles, interactive quizzes, writing exercises and other issues. You will be printing out documents,so youmust have reliable and consistent access to a computer and a printer in order to pass the course. We will also have sessions in the computer lab during which you will be able to work on your essays and assignments.You must have an e-mail account and check it regularly. I send important class announcements via e-mail. Like this lengthy syllabus, my lengthy e-mails are part of the required reading of this class. Make sure to update your Peralta Passport profile with your most current e-mail address to receive important info. For help on forwarding your Peralta e-mail to a personal e-mail address like Gmail or Yahoo!, visit:

Course Web page:

The class syllabus, schedules, essay information and assignments will be posted on your class page on my website:

You will be downloading and printing out course materials and handouts. You are responsible for keeping track of the schedule and assignment information.

Course Assignments:

Essays -

You will write three in-class essays; the first, a diagnostic essay written during the first week of class will be ungraded and is used to determine your unique writing level and skill challenges. The second in-class essay will be an ungraded practice essay from which you will receive feedback and comments. The third in-class essay will not receive feedback and will be included in your Final Course Portfolio.

There will be fourout-of-class essays assigned this quarter that count for 60% of your grade. You will write multiple drafts of each essay. The drafts will be peer-reviewed in class. I also encourage you to take your work to the Learning Center and work with a tutor. You will prepare the final draft based on the feedback you receive and this draft will be graded. All previous drafts, exploratory notes and other feedback must be attached to the final draft during submission. In addition, there must be noticeable difference between the three drafts as a result of constant revision and editing.Late essays are discouraged, and will receive a full letter grade reduction.

Essay MLA formattingFormat Guidelines:

  • typed
  • no title page, but an informative title
  • double spaced
  • one inch margins
  • size 12 standard fonts - Arial preferred
  • your name, etc. in the upper left corner of your first page
  • page numbers in the upper right corner of every page

Yourfouressays will be:

(Guidelines are on the class website and due datesare on the Schedule).

  1. Observation
  2. Evaluation
  3. Position Research Paper(Portfolio)
  4. Nonfiction Book Essay – Bill Bryson

Final Course Portfolio –

The English Department will assess student work through portfolios. Your portfolio, worth 25% of the grade, will be evaluated by a committee of English faculty at the conclusion of the course. The portfolio is scored using a specific rubric, which is available online, and the resulting grade will be balanced against your course grade for a final grade.

NOTE: It is possible to get Competency Based English 1A credit for this portfolio, if you score 4 or above in everycategory,which means your Portfolio has demonstrated that you have all the necessary skills to transfer, and thus may receive credit and grade for 1A without completing the rest of the course work. This is a risky move, however, as I have no input in your Portfolio evaluation, and if you receive a low score you will not pass the course or receive credit and would have to retake the course.

To be considered for Competency Based English 1A credit, research papers must include evidence (paraphrased or quoted) from at least 4 academically acceptable sources, including at least 2 from academic databases, properly cited using MLA format, and include a works cited page.Competency Based English 1A credit will not be awarded if the score in any of the categories is below 4 or if there is a large discrepancy (difference) between the quality of the in-class timed essay and the out-of-class research paper.

Portfolios are evaluated during the Portfolio Assessment week of December 2 – 7,

during which there will be NO CLASS meeting. The final class will be the following week.

Portfolio Requirements:

  • A cover pagefor each essay that will be removed before the evaluation
  • One in-class timed essay response (500 words)
  • 3 – 5 page (750-1250 words)Position Research paper integrating supporting evidence from 4 sources, including two academic databases.
  • Works Cited Page
  • Scoring Sheet – provided in class

Grading Scale for Portfolios:

50-64 points = D

65-79 points = C

80-94 points = B

95+ points = A (optional 100-120 = A+)

Homework -

The weekly homework assignments are linked articles on the Schedule online. Click control/enter to open the link and access the article.

Your task is to read each the assigned articles and writeone typed page consisting of atwo paragraph response and summaryfor each article:

Paragraph onesummarizes the article, identifying the main points and discussing what the article is about.

Paragraph twois your response, framed in terms of how the ideas relate to you and your writing experience.

Youmay submit your work inhard copyin class by Thursday, or you may email me your workinWord format by Friday 5 pm. (Make sure the document attachment can be opened. If you have a Mac, make sure the document is in Word). Homework MUST be typed, not handwritten.

  • Late work receives partial credit.
  • Full credit = 5 points if submitted by Friday of the week they are due.
  • The following week = 3 points
  • 1 point any following weeks
  • NOTE: the instructor reserves the right to drop a student who fails to submit any work.

Presentations:

  1. Individual Presentation

Each student will read one story aloud to the class from Bill Bryson'sI'm a Stranger Here Myselfand present a story analysis to the class following the analysis guidelines on the course webpage.

  1. Group Grammar/Writing Presentation

In small groups of 3 or 4 students, you will select and research a grammar/writing issue from a list of topics. You can use my website and the Learning Center for resources in preparing your presentation. Each group will then prepare and teach a 20 minute mini-lesson on the issue: the theory will be explained with the help of visuals (a poster or a powerpoint) and the class will be assigned to do an exercise/quiz or a game. Detailed instructions on group presentations are available through the link on your class webpage. Dates will be randomly selected.

Writing Journal:

Get a lined blank composition bookin which to keep your writing journal. You will be doing freewriting and responses to specific questions and in-class writing exercises.During the quarter, you will be responsible for keeping track of all your work, including homework, reading journals,and in-class work.

Grading in this course:

* ThreeEssays are worth 50% of the grade.

* Homework is worth 10%

* Class Presentation is worth5%

* Individual Presentation is worth 5%

*Journalis worth5%

*Portfolio (includes the Position Research paper) is worth25%

Grading Scale
90 – 100 = A 80 - 89 = B 70 – 79 = C 60 – 69 = D 0 - 59 = F

Policy on Deadlines:

The homework is due in hard copy at the beginning of the class period, or by email no later than Friday at 5 pm. Email must have the school, class, name and assignment in the subject line of the email to be opened and graded.

Late essays are discouraged and will receive a full grade deduction.

The deadline for submitting work is the last day of class – NO EXCEPTIONS.Work will not be accepted after the last class is over, and final grades are NOT negotiable.

Attendance and Participation Policy:

Attendance is your job as a student; it is not my business about whether you attend class or not, as such, do not feel it is necessary to inform me about absences or tardy issues. You accumulate points for attending – period. It is not my job to judge and decide the validity of your attendance issues. That said,consistent attendance is very important, as the work we do in class is directly related to your success in English 1A. As this class meets two days per week, a student whomisses fourclasses,regardless of the reason, will have their grade reduced by one full grade. Missing five classes will result in being dropped from the class. In addition, as participation is required, the instructor reserves the right to drop a student who fails to submit any assignmentsand essays in a timely manner, i.e. more than a week late.

Computer Lab attendance is required and you must have your draft available either through Dropbox.com, in your email, or on a flashdrive. We will be meeting at the regular class time in the Room 313 Computer Lab as indicated on the Schedule. You are responsible for keeping up with the due dates and schedule.

In-Class Etiquette

In this class, there will be a lot of discussion. We will all be attempting to answer questions, voice opinions, agree and/or disagree with each other, and present findings. None of this is possible unless we create a comfortable environment. To do this, a few rules apply:

  1. Avoid chatting and socializing in class; it is distracting to other students, and to me. If you persist, you will be asked to leave.
  2. Cell phones: Turn off or silence your phones while in class. Do not text message or make personal phone calls during class. In case of emergencies, please leave the classroom for cell phone use. If you persist in playing with your phone you will be asked to leave.
  3. Be on time! If you are late, come in quietly and take a seat. Do not disrupt us.
  4. Show respect for your classmates and their ideas. During discussions, many different opinions will be expressed. All are welcomed and none are to be ridiculed.
  5. Use appropriate language during discussion.
  6. Refrain from expressing disgruntlement during class either with the work or with your classmates. See me outside of class about any concerns.

Academic honesty and plagiarism policy

Any content in any sentence in essays that you did not discover through first hand experience, or that is common knowledge, you will need to provide:

  • correct in-text citations in parentheses
  • on the works cited page

You are responsible for learning what constitutes plagiarizing, both intentional and accidental. Cheating or plagiarism will not be tolerated and will result in severe disciplinary action. Students are required to attend the class on plagiarism.

Cheating is defined as possessing unauthorized sources of information during an exam; copying the work of another student during an exam; completing an assignment for another student; submitting out-of-class work for an in-class assignment; retaining exams or other materials after they were supposed to be returned to the instructor; submitting the same paper for two different classes without approval of both instructors; and inventing data or falsifying an account of data collection.

Plagiarism is taking the words of another and either copying or paraphrasing those words without giving credit to the source (through parenthetical citations, quotation marks, reference citations, all of which we will go over in class). This includes using material from the Internet without citing correctly. I am required to file a report of academic dishonesty with the Department of Academic Affairs should an act of plagiarism occur. The first incidence of plagiarism will result in an “F” on the assignment and you will be reported to the Dean of the College. If plagiarism occurs a second time, you will fail the course.

Grievance Policy

English Department Grievance Policy: All student grievances concerning grading or other areas are to be brought to the attention of the course instructor before any other action can be. If you cannot find a resolution to your grievance, then you and your instructor will meet with the chair of the English Dept. or the Dean of the College.

Disability Accommodations

If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations, or if you would need assistance in the event of an emergency, please contact me as soon as possible.

Final notes:

This syllabus and the Scheduleare subject to change as needed. I may also assign individualized homework to help you improve particular skills.

Key Dates:

Last Day to Drop (Refund)Sunday, Sept. 1

Last Day to Add a ClassSunday, Sept. 1

Census Day – Instructors Verify EnrollmentTuesday, Sept 3

Labor DayMonday, Sept. 2

Last Day to opt for Pass/No Pass gradingSunday, Sept. 8

Veteran’s Day HolidayMonday, Nov. 11

Last Day to Drop (receive W)Saturday, Nov. 16

Attendance Verification Day for Instructors Saturday, Nov. 16

In-Class Essay for PortfolioTuesday, Nov. 19

Portfolios DueTuesday, Nov. 26

Thanksgiving HolidayThurs – Sun, Nov. 28 - Dec 1

Portfolio Assessment Week – NO CLASSDec 2 – 7

Last ClassTuesday, Dec. 10