ENGLISH 90
Preparing for College Reading and Writing
Fall 2015
Instructor: Kristie A. Iwamoto
Contact Information:
Voicemail: (707) 256-7751
Email:
Office Hours:
MW 12:50pm-1:50pm
TTH 1:30pm-3:00pm
Room 1031-D
Meeting Times:
Mondays and Wednesdays,
2:00pm-3:50pm
Required Texts:
1. Brandon, Lee. Paragraphs and Essays: With Integrated Readings, 12th Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2014.
2. Iwamoto, Kristie. English 90 Reader. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2014.
Course Description:
ENGL 90 is a class designed to build the students’ skill level and confidence in academic reading and writing and prepare them for college-level work, including research. The course emphasizes the relationship of reading, thinking, and writing, providing instruction in college-level critical reading skills, including the application of advanced reading comprehension skills, critical analysis, evaluation of college-level texts, as well as instruction in college-level essay development, including the concepts of coherence, clarity, and unity, and the correct use of grammar.
Student Learning Outcomes: As a result of successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
a. Recognize and understand the relationship of critical reading, critical thinking, and the writing process.
b. Apply strategies and behaviors that demonstrate awareness of the nuances of academic culture.
Prerequisite(s): Prior to enrollment, students must have received a passing grade in ENGL 85 or received the appropriate assessment score.
Credit: This is a four unit course and may not be repeated for credit.
Methods of Evaluation/Grading:
Credit will be given based on completion of weekly assignments, both essay and homework assignments (approximately 35% of grade) and class participation – including quizzes, reading and in-class written assignments (approx. 50%). Lastly, 15% of the final grade is based upon the results of the department examination (to be given near the end of the semester). 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
Turnitin.com
All essays must be submitted to me both in hard copy form and to Turnitin.com. Turnitin.com is a free originality checking website. You will need to create a turn it in.com account, and you will be given a password in order to access the class page. Essays that are not submitted via both of these methods will lose points.
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 and/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.
Email:
I am not responsible for email issues regarding essay submission. Files that will not open, attachments that have been left off of emails, and incorrectly typed email addresses will result in a late essay grade. I do not check email on weekends.
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.
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.