8
English 1A – College Composition and Reading
Instructor: Melissa Gunby
Phone: 530-508-6501 Mon/Weds: 6-7:50 PM
e-mail: Office Hours: MW 8-8:30 PM
website: mgunby.wikispaces.com
Course Description:
Development of analytical reading and the writing of college-level essays, including critical analysis, rhetorical forms, and collegiate research. Prerequisite: Satisfactory score on Placement Examination and appropriate skills and knowledge or a grade of "C" or better in ENGL 51.
Course Goals:
Over the course of this class you will
v Develop and apply critical reading and critical thinking skills to writing
v Demonstrate understanding that writing is a process
v Write essays with a clear and supported thesis
v Develop and apply self- and peer-editing skills, and revising methods
v Demonstrate knowledge of MLA style and documentation
v Participate in critical discussion
v Pass a holistically scored department final exam
Course Overview:
This is a skills building course, and reading and writing will be at the center of the course. We will write several large assignments for this class, and do frequent in-class writing, along with homework and other small assignments.
There will be assigned homework on an almost nightly basis. Homework will be a combination of assignments from the reader and handouts.
English Program SLOs
Communication–Students will be able to write clearly and concisely on assigned topics consistent with and appropriate for the intended audience and purpose.
Critical Thinking–Students will be able to interpret, analyze, or respond to the writing of others and incorporate the ideas of others in their own writing.
Course SLOs
Critical Thinking: Students will be able to write an essay that analyzes and evaluates the thesis, tone, and support points of a formal essay.
Assessment: Holistically scored departmental final exam.
Communication: Students will be able to write an essay that develops and supports a clear thesis statement.
Assessment: Holistically scored departmental final exam.
Required Texts and Materials:
Please note: You are required to bring all materials to class on the appropriate day.
Chabon, Michael. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. New York: Random House. 2000. Print.
ISBN: 978-0-8129-8358-6
Gray-Rosendale, Laura. Pop Perspectives. New York: McGraw/Hill, 2008. Print
ISBN: 978-0-07-293365-9
Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference: with exercises. 6th ed. Boston, New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. Print
ISBN: 978-0-312-66477-0
Notebook or loose-leaf binder paper for in class writing and note taking
Pens, pencils, highlighters
Internet access is required for this class. All essays and drafts will be submitted online, and many course materials will be made available from the class website.
Recommended texts/materials:
Collegiate dictionary and thesaurus
Floppy disk, flash drive, or some other external source to save your documents
Grading:
Participation: 10%
Homework (reading assignments, etc): 15%
Tests and Quizzes: 15%
Workshops (being present, with drafts, active participation in process): 15%
Essays: 35% (4 at 100 points each)
2 Midterm exams (5%): 4 = 100 points
3 = 75 points
2= 50 points
1 = 25 points
Final exam (5%): 4 = 100 points
3 = 75 points
2= 50 points
1 = 25 points
Essays will be graded based on the rubric attached to this syllabus.
The midterm exams will be based on the Woodland Community College English 1A Final Exam Rubric, which is attached to the back of this syllabus.
Please note: To pass this class, you must earn a "C" or better in your course work.
Classroom Policies:
Respect: The main policy is to respect each other. All the writing in this class will be shared with your peers. You are welcome to your opinion, as are your classmates, and while we may disagree, it is important to separate your argument over ideas from the individual you disagree with. Attack the argument, not the person.
Food: Please do not bring food into the classroom.
Cell Phones, etc.: Respect your peers and yourself by turning off all pagers, cell phones, wireless devices, iPods, etc. when entering the classroom.. Devices used in class will be confiscated until the end of the class period. You may use a laptop or tablet device for taking notes
Absent/Late Policy: Attendance is mandatory. I grade on participation – if you are not present, you cannot participate. You get three absences, no questions asked. After your third absence, you face the possibility of being dropped from the class, or receiving a failing grade.
I will take attendance at the beginning of each class session. If you arrive late, please see me after class so I can mark you as being in class. Please make your best effort to arrive on time. If you must enter late, please come in as quietly as possible. Three tardies are equivalent to one absence.
Participation: I understand that some people are reluctant to participate in class discussions. The participation element of this course includes class discussion, but also in class writing and turning in homework. Participation also means being awake and attentive during class.
The workshop accounts for a different portion of the grade for this class. Please be prepared with drafts on your workshop days. If you do not bring a draft on a workshop day, you will be asked to leave and marked absent. If you are absent on a workshop day, your final grade will be lowered accordingly.
Part of your class participation grade is being prepared to discuss the reading in class. This includes bringing all texts to class, every day. If you do not have your texts for more than two class sessions, your grade will be lowered.
Academic Honesty: Plagiarism is the use of distinctive ideas or works belonging to another person without providing adequate acknowledgement of that person's contribution. Plagiarism is a serious offense. Please see Section 7 of the Yuba Community College District Code of Conduct (http://www.yccd.edu/conduct.html#7). Essays containing plagiarism will result in lowered grades and will be reported to the appropriate authorities.
Other incidents of cheating or other issues regarding academic honesty will also be reported to the appropriate authorities.
Late Papers: All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the assigned date. Late papers will not be accepted. If you are going to miss class, I expect you to make arrangements to see that your paper is turned in by a classmate, or left in my box before class starts.
Please Note: I do not accept late homework or essays.
Technology failures are not an excuse for a late or missing paper. Back up your files to a floppy or flash drive, or keep alternate copies on your hard drive.
Homework and In-class writing:
Homework will be evaluated on the number of assignments completed and the quality of assignments, and will be due the class period they are assigned (see schedule). Where possible, homework should be typed, however, handwritten homework is acceptable.
Homework assignments may not be announced in class each day. It is your responsibility to refer to the class schedule and syllabus for the assignments and due dates.
In class writing will be collected, and will only be evaluated on whether or not it was turned in.
Final Exam Date: 6-8:50 PM, Wednesday, December 4
Additional Resources:
Tutoring Services
The Tutoring Center is available in room 809 on the Woodland Campus. If you are interested in signing up for tutoring, please contact them at 661-5733.
The Writing Center is available in room 850 and no appointment is necessary.
Services for Students With Disabilities (DSP&S)
If you are a student with special needs, please contact DSP&S in the 700 building, or call Todd Sasano at 530-661-7266.
Your Teacher & Your Classmates
My office hours are there for you to use. Please don't hesitate to see me. I'm also available by email. You may also want to get the contact information from a few of your peers. They are a great resource to get course information if you miss class, or to put together additional peer review groups.
Classmate 1:
Name:
Email:
Phone number:
Classmate 2:
Name:
Email:
Phone number:
Classmate 3:
Name:
Email:
Phone number:
Course Plan:
Students will complete the following assignments:
4 out of class essays:
Essay 1: Identity
Essay 2: Advertising and Consumption
Essay 3: Course Novel
Essay 4: Television, Music, and Film
1 research project (semester long, due at the end of term)
1 presentation on final research project
2 midterm exams
1 final exam
Weekly reading responses on selected novel
Weekly readings on course/essay themes
All essays must be submitted online through turnitin.com
Class code: 6705339
Password: Clay
Additional homework may be assigned in class.
I reserve the right to change dates that are not school holidays
Below you will find a rough calendar for the semester, including vacations, etc.
Notes/Major Assignments Due / Homework Due Next Classweek 1 / Monday (8/12) / turnitin assignment; "Search for What it Means to be White" pg 120.
Wednesday (8/14) / "The End of White America?" (HO); "Going Gangsta, Chosin' Cholita" pg 125; "On the Merits of Racial Identity" pg 132; research question handout from final project packet
week 2 / Monday (8/19) / "Hip Hop is No Longer Cooler Than Me" (HO); "Being An Other" pg 144; "Finding My Eye-dentity" pg 149.
Wednesday (8/21) / Presentation on Library Research; Peer Review Essay 1 / Kavalier & Clay (K&C): Part 1 (all). "Anxiously Entering into the 21st Century: Watching for Changing Masculinities in Film" pg 505
week 3 / Monday (8/26) / Topic Proposal Handout from final project packet; "The N-Word is Flourishing Among Generation Hip-Hop Latinos" (HO)
Wednesday (8/28) / K&C: Part 2, (all, Ch 1-12)
week 4 / Monday (9/2) / Labor Day: No Class / "The Cult You're In" pg 331; "Overselling Capitalism with Consumerism" (HO)
Wednesday (9/4) / Essay 1 Due / K&C: Part 3, Ch 1-6; "In Praise of Chain Stores" (HO); "Sex as Symbol in Fashion Advertising" pg 341.
week 5 / Monday (9/9) / Audience/Purpose/Tone handout from final project packet; "Advertising is Good Medicine" pg 336; "Advertising and People of Color" pg 385
Wednesday (9/11) / K&C: Part 3, Ch 7-15; "Selling in Minnesota" (HO); "Behind the Counter" (HO).
week 6 / Monday (9/16) / "With These Words I Can Sell you Anything" (HO); "Media at the Margins" pg 393; "Media Mirrors" pg 405
Wednesday (9/18) / K&C: Part 4, Ch 1-6; "Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity" pg 413; "No Logo" pg 364
week 7 / Monday (9/23) / Peer Review Essay 2 / "Pepsi's Nasty Habits" pg 376
Wednesday (9/25) / K&C: Part 4, Ch 7-15
week 8 / Monday (9/30)
Wednesday (10/2) / Midterm 1; Essay 2 Due / K&C: Part 5 (all)
week 9 / Monday (10/7) / Class Cancelled for Conferences / K&C: Part 6, 1-10
Wednesday (10/9) / Class Cancelled for Conferences / Annotated Bibliography for final project
week 10 / Monday (10/14) / "Television Addiction is No Metaphor" (HO)
Wednesday (10/16) / K&C: Part 6, 11-20
week 11 / Monday (10/21) / Peer Review Essay 3 / "The Oprah Effect" pg 430
Wednesday (10/23) / "Vote the Bitch Off!" pg 434; "Reality TV Meets Plastic Surgery" pg 451
week 12 / Monday (10/28) / "Is This Reality" pg 445; "Reality Television: Oxymoron" (HO); "The Reality of Reality Television" (HO)
Wednesday (10/30) / Essay 3 Due / "TV Can Be a Good Parent" pg 454; "Violent Media is Good for Kids" (HO)
week 13 / Monday (11/4) / Outline for final project; "The Simpsons: Atomistic Politics and the Nuclear Family" pg 463; "Mary Tyler Moore" (HO)
Wednesday (11/6) / Midterm 2 / "The Colonization and Commodification of Racial Identities" pg 513; "Mystical Black Characters Play Complex Cinematic Role" (HO); "Grading Hispanic Gains on TV?" pg 477
week 14 / Monday (11/11) / Veterans Day: No Class / "High School Confidential: Notes on Teen Movies" pg 538; "Why Are So Many Films for Latinos Bad?" (HO)
Wednesday (11/13) / Peer Review Essay 4 / "The Imagination of Disaster" (HO)
week 15 / Monday (11/18) / Draft of final project due online only; "Gazing through Malkovitch" pg 521
Wednesday (11/20) / "So You Wanna Be a Gansta?" pg 528
week 16 / Monday (11/25) / Essay 4 Due
Wednesday (11/27) / Thanksgiving Holiday: No Class
week 17 / Monday (12/2) / Research Papers and Presentations Due
Wednesday (12/4) / Final Exam
Final Exam: Wednesday, Dec 4 6-8:50 PM