English 115: Reading and Composition Exposition and Argumentation

Spring 2014

Section 09; MW10:00-11:50am,Room 229B

Professor: Katherine (Katie) Ness SantanaEmail:
Office Hours:before and after class, Website:

and by appointment

Required Materials:

  • The Little Seagull Handbook, 11th edition, by Richard Bullock & Francine Weinberg
  • Please include print & copy costs in your semester calculations.In lieu of a textbook, you will be accessing and printing various articles/handouts from my website and the library’s online databases.
  • Reliable access to a personal computer
  • MS Word

Highly Recommended Text:

A college-level dictionary (Such as The American Heritage College Dictionary)

A good thesaurus (Such as Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus)

Prerequisite:ENGL 114 (or the equivalent skill level as determined by the Southwestern College English Assessment) and RDG 158 (or the equivalent skill level as determined by the Southwestern College Reading Assessment)

Course Description:

English 115 provides instruction and practice in reading and writing expository and argumentative essays. It emphasizes principles of organization, logical reasoning, essay development, and library and Internet research techniques. This course includes drafting, revising, and editing written work. We will also examine reading selections for discussion, topics for writing assignments, and examples of effective writing.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

After successfully completing this class, each student should be able to:

  1. compose essays using a variety of rhetorical modes that support and develop a thesis statement;
  2. evaluate argumentative essays and assess the effectiveness of the rhetorical strategies used by authors;
  3. analyze arguments concerning a controversial issue and evaluate their validity in written and oral discourse.

Course Objectives:

In this class, each student will:

identify and compose a minimum of 6,000 graded words, including at least three formal essays, two in-class essays, and a research essay;

identify and compose at least three formal essays of 750 words or more, synthesizing the principles of effective writing;

identify and compose at least two in-class essays of 500 words each to demonstrate writing proficiency;

identify and compose a 5-10 page research essay, using library and Internet sources, documented according to MLA style guidelines;

identify the steps of the writing process and apply them to formal writing assignments;

identify and perform a variety of informal writing tasks, such as reading responses, journal writing, and reflections on the writing process;

apply a variety of reading strategies to interpret and critically analyze both professional and student texts;

assess the reasoning in written arguments and identify rhetorical appeals and logical fallacies;

identify and apply the elements of essay structure and various organizational methods;

apply effective search strategies to locate and evaluate source material;

correctly summarize, paraphrase, quote, integrate, and cite source material to support arguments and avoid plagiarism;

describe and apply editing and proofreading techniques to ensure a level of grammar consistent with the minimum college-level writing standards set forth by the department.

Essay #1 – Argument Analysis Essay / 15%
Essay #2 – Compare/Contrast of Rhetorical Strategies Essay / 15%
Essay #3 – In-Class Essay (WPA) / 5%
Essay #4 – Revision of In-Class Essay #3 / 15%
Essay #5 – Research Essay / 25%
Essay #6 – In-Class Final Essay / 10%
Participation
Attendance, homework assignments, quizzes, reading responses/journals, etc. / 15%

Assignments and Grading:

*Assignments subject to change at the professor’s discretion*

A=90-100%B= 80-89%C=70-79%D=60-69%F= less than 60%

Class Policies:

● Papers/Homework Assignments: All out-of-class work must be typed (double-spaced) and in MLA format: size 12 point with 1" margins at the top, bottom, and sides of each page. Please staple all papers. Reading assignments must also be completed before the due dates, as many in-class writing assignments will be based upon the assigned readings, and productive class discussions will depend upon careful readings of each text. It will be necessary to read assigned texts multiple times. Homework assignments will receive either a “+” for excellent work (full credit – usually 2 points, but sometimes more for longer, more in-depth assignments), a “√” for Satisfactory Credit (half credit, usually 1 point), or a “0” for No Credit. ). If you are late to or miss class, you will NOT receive credit for your homework.

Please bring the assigned readings to class every day. Failing to do so will result in a loss of participation points for that day.

● Late Work Policy: All assignments must be submitted at the beginning of class on the day they are due.). If you are late to or miss class, you will NOT receive credit for your homework.No late work will be accepted, except by prior arrangement with me. It’s important to keep up with your homework as these points are part of the participation component of your final grade.

● Participation: Attending this class is very important and will greatly elevate your chances of performing well. Simply showing up for class, however, will not be enough. I expect the class to be the site of lively intellectual activity, as you challenge your own beliefs, encounter new ideas, question our texts, welcome new points of view, and—always—contribute respectfully and thoughtfully. Regular participation during class will positively affect our collective classroom experience (and probably raise your final grade). Failing to contribute your unique voice will strip the class of its diversity (and probably lower your final grade).

● Attendance: Attendance in this class is required and students are expected to attend every class meeting, to arrive on time and stay throughout the class period. Students may be dropped from class

  • for excessive tardiness,
  • for failing to attend class the first day or during the entire first week of the class,
  • or if a student misses more than four full or partial classes

I understand that “real life” sometimes prevents you from being in class. In those cases, please communicate with me as soon as possible and be able to provide some kind of “proof” of your situation. (Examples of legitimate reasons include medical and family emergencies with appropriate documentation. Excuses such as “I had to take my mom to the airport,” “I had a computer malfunction,” “I had a doctor/dentist appointment,” “My printer broke,” or “I had a soccer game,” will not be accepted.) It is your responsibility to schedule, within reason, all of your activities that are unrelated to this class outside of our regularly scheduled meeting time. If you do miss class, please refer to your course calendar and contact one of your classmates (not me) to find out what you have missed.

● Revision Policy: If you are not satisfied with your work on a paragraph/essay, you may revise it. Your revisions, however, must be thorough and complete; it is not acceptable to simply correct a few typos and turn it in for a new grade. In order to revise an essay, you must follow this procedure:

  1. Meet with me briefly to discuss what essay you want to revise/rewrite and what you will focus on during your revision process;
  2. Visit a tutor in the WritingCenter (ASC 420D) for assistance in the revision process;
  3. Write one FULL page (typed, double-spaced) analysis of what you focused on during the revision process, and what specific changes were made. You may respond to the following questions, but are not required that you do so:
  4. What have you learned through this revision process?
  5. What do you feel has improved the most?
  6. What are you most happy with?
  7. What did you struggle with?

Revision Packet:

When you turn in your revision, please include the following and in this order:

  1. One-page analysis
  2. Final, revised draft with ALL changes highlighted
  3. Slip from tutoring center with date and signature from tutor
  4. Marked up draft discussed with tutor
  5. Final essay previously graded by me (with grading rubric and my comments)
  6. All Peer Review worksheets and reviewed drafts.

Please note: In order to be revised, the essay must have been turned in on the due date. Only essays that are turned in on time may be revised. An essay revision must be completed and turned in no later than two weeks (4 class sessions) after receiving the graded draft back from me. You will not be able to revise any in-class essay or the Research Essay.

● Blackboard: Blackboard will be used to update your grade and progress in English 115. To check your grade, go to: click on “Blackboard/Online Learning” and type in your college username and password. You then select this course from your current list of classes. *Make sure your email address on Webadvisor is current.*

● Website: I have created a website for all of my classes. This website will be an important device for this class. Go to to access class handouts (syllabus, calendar, prompts, readings, etc.), and refer to upcoming and past assignments. I will also have a page with links that can help you with any grammar and punctuation difficulties.

● Etiquette: I expect each student to arrive to class on time, ready to discuss and write about the assigned readings. I also expect that all cell phones, iPods/MP3 players, laptop computers will be turned off and put away before class begins. Please take off your sunglasses and remove your headphones. Please keep in mind that disrespectful and disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Students who exhibit such behavior will be promptly asked to leave the classroom and marked absent for the day. Extremely disruptive behavior may also result in the suspension or expulsion of the student from the College.

● Plagiarism: Academic dishonesty of any type by a student provides grounds for disciplinary action by the instructor or college. In written work, no material may be copied from another source without proper quotation marks, footnotes, or appropriate documentation. If a student is caught cheating or plagiarizing, he/she will automatically receive a zero on that test or assignment and may fail the course. Please be aware that if I suspect an assignment or essay has been plagiarized, I may use anti-plagiarism software to detect where the information originated. Always do your own work. Feel free to ask me any questions you have on this issue.

● Accommodation of Disability: Southwestern College recommends that students with disabilities discuss academic accommodations with their professors during the first two weeks of class. This syllabus and course handouts are available in alternate media upon request.

● Academic Success Center Referral

To further your success, reinforce concepts, and achieve the stated learning objectives for this course, I refer you to the AcademicSuccessCenter learning assistance services. You will automatically enrolled in NC 3: Supervised Tutoring, a free noncredit course that does not appear on your transcripts. Services are located in the ASC (420), the Writing center (420D), the Reading Center (420), the Math Center (426), the Library/LRC Interdisciplinary Tutoring Lab, MESA, specialized on-campus school tutoring labs, the Higher Education Center, and the San Ysidro Education Center. Online learning materials and Online Writing Lab (OWL) are available at

● Extra Credit

Extra credit is available to those students who use SWC’s Writing Center or the Online Writing Lab. Please be prepared to scan and email me verification that you worked with a tutor on a writing assignment.

*** This syllabus is the contract between you, the student, and me, the instructor. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know as soon as possible.***