Course Syllabus

Seattle Central College

Humanities and Social Science Division

English 101: Composition      Fall Quarter 2018

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Instructor:  Larry Silverman  Office: Room 4125         

Office Hours: 12:00-1:00 Mon-Fri; other times by appointment

Office Phone Number: 206-934-2915 

Special Situations Phone/Message Number: 206-697-3876

E-mail: larry.silverman@seattlecolleges.edu

Required Texts: The Bedford Reader (Thirteenth Edition) by Kennedy(s), Aaron and Repetto; Writer’s Reference with Exercises (Eighth Edition) by Hacker and Sommers

Recommended Text: a college-level dictionary

Materials: a three-hole loose-leaf notebook for

class notes and in-class writings; folder for submitting essays

Course Description

        English 101 is a college transfer composition course that focuses on writing essays that other adults will find interesting to read.  We will work as a whole class, in small groups, in pairs, and as individual writers to develop ideas, draft, revise, proofread and edit essays using a variety of strategies and models.  Our reading activities will involve essays with cross-cultural themes that explore issues surrounding diversity. We will look at various cultures by seeing it through the perspective of the writers in our text and also through the students in our class.  You will be free to choose any topic as the basis for your personal essays this quarter.

 

Overall Course Goals/Intentions

1. Become knowledgeable about the process

    of writing.

  1. Gain confidence as a writer.
  2. Improve overall writing skills.
  3. Improve critical reading skills.
  4. Improve ability to work in small groups.
  5. Understand cross-cultural issues.

Specific Course Outcomes

  1. Develop a coherent thesis.
  2. Use specific strategies, such as facts, details, and examples to support a thesis.
  3. Demonstrate critical thinking and reading.
  4. Choose an appropriate organizational pattern.
  5. Write clear, grammatically correct prose.
  6. Use an effective writing style and appropriate voice
  7. Integrate sources and avoids plagiarism.
  8. Become aware of purpose and audience
  9. Utilize peer reviews appropriately
  10. Use the writing process effectively

 

Course Requirements and Grading

        There will be a total of five major essays assigned during the quarter.  The first essay will be descriptive and in the range of 750-900 words; the second essay will be a narrative and should be 850-1000 words; the third will be an expository essay of 950-1100 words; the fourth will also be an expository with an outside source and should be 1000-1200 words; the fifth essay will be argumentative and/or persuasive based on research and should be 1200-1500 words. 

        Each essay must be word processed with pages numbered, titled, and turned in with accompanying drafts, peer comments from fellow students in our class, a word count, and a self-evaluation--all in a folder.  I will not accept e-mailed versions of your essays for credit.  I will comment on and assign a point value for each essay that you submit.  I will deduct 10 points per day for late essays—including weekends.  If you submit an essay more than a week after the due date, the essay can receive a maximum of only 50 points.

        At the end of the quarter you may submit two of your five essays in revised forms for possible new point totals.  Revision means to substantially alter the essay and not merely make proofreading and editing corrections.  We will discuss this notion of revision throughout the quarter and focus on this concept in more detail during our last week.

        If you decide to revise any two of the five essays you have written, you must turn in the original essay that I read along with the point/comment sheet, an explanation of the changes you made, and your revised version in order to receive full credit.  I strongly urge you to meet with me in my office before you submit a revised essay.

        The first four essays are worth 150 points each; the fifth essay is worth 200 points.  The total is 800 points for five essays or 58% of the total number of points. The first four essays are each worth about 11% of the total grade; the fifth essay is worth 14% of the total grade. 

        During the quarter we will have daily homework assignments.  The assignments may include readings from one or both of our textbooks and written exercises based on those readings.  Most assignments can be submitted electronically.  I will not accept homework that is more than a week late, and I will make a note that the homework has been turned in late.  We will also have in-class, individual writing exercises as well as small group and whole class activities.  All of these assignments merit your attention and are worth a maximum of 250 points, or about 18% of the total number of points.  Please complete each assignment and submit it by the due date so as not to lose any points due to lateness.

        Attendance and punctuality will count for 200 points, or 14% of the total number of points.  I expect you to be present—with your phone on silent or vibrate--and on time for all of our classes.  You should contact me in the unlikely event that you are absent.  This does not excuse the absence, however.  You are still responsible for all homework and related assignments.

        Your final essay will be a self-evaluation examining your development as a writer and is worth a maximum of 100 points, or 7% of the total number of points.  I will give you more specific information about this final toward the end of the quarter.

        You can earn a maximum of 50 points (25 points per visit), or 3% of the total number of points, for meeting with me in my office two times during this quarter to discuss either a specific essay you have written for our class or other issues related to your work in English 101.

       

Thus you can earn up to 1400 points as previously described.

                                 Grade Chart

98-100% 4.0                                                   97% 3.9

96% 3.8                                                           95% 3.7

94% 3.6                                                           93% 3.5

92% 3.4                                                           91% 3.3

90% 3.2                                                           89% 3.1

88% 3.0                                                           87% 2.9

86% 2.8                                                           85% 2.7

84% 2.6                                                           83% 2.5

82% 2.4                                                           81% 2.3

80% 2.2                                                           79% 2.1

78% 2.0                                                           77% 1.9

76% 1.8                                                           75% 1.7

74% 1.6                                                           73% 1.5

72% 1.4                                                           71% 1.3

70% 1.2                                                           69% 1.1

                                    68% 1.0

 

If your overall percentage ends with at least a .6 I will round off to the next highest grade.

 

Special Information on Essays

        I will present criteria for grading essays based on factors related to content, organization, form, writing style, and mechanics.  When you turn in each essay to me, you must submit all your brainstorms, free writes, notes, drafts and student comments in your folder.  I need to see evidence of all the work you have done to complete your essay.  That will be part of the total number of points you can receive for each essay.  Please be sure to save all the work you have done for our class until the quarter is over as proof of your work.

 

Plagiarism/Cheating Policy

Plagiarism is the intentional use of someone else’s words or ideas without giving that person credit. This includes:

  • submitting someone else’s essay in its entirety or in parts as your own;
  • using any words, phrasing and/or ideas from a source (this includes the Internet) without proper citation;
  • using the exact words from another source without putting them in quotation marks—even if you cite the material;
  • having someone else write your paper or assist so much that the phrasing and ideas are no longer your own;
  • helping someone else to do any of the above.

Plagiarism is prohibited in this class.

 

 Weekly Course Overview

Week 1, September 24-28: Introductory course material; hopes and fears; understanding the essay form and description in particular; Composing and Revising in Writer’s Reference; Reading and Writing Effectively in The Bedford Reader.

Week 2, October 1-5: Selected descriptive essays in The Bedford Reader; developing ideas for a draft; forming writing groups; FIRST ESSAY--DESCRIPTION--IS DUE ON OCTOBER 6th.

Week 3, October 8-12: Word Choice in Writer’s Reference; Selected narrative essays in The Bedford Reader.

Week 4, October 15-19: Continuation of selected narrative essays in The Bedford Reader. SECOND ESSAY--A NARRATIVE--IS DUE ON OCTOBER 19th.

Week 5, October 22-26: Writing Paragraphs in Writer’s Reference; Selected expository essays in The Bedford Reader.  Paragraph development assignment. 

Week 6, October 29-November 2: Sentence Style in A Writer’s Reference; Continuation of selected expository essays in The Bedford Reader; THIRD ESSAY--EXPOSITION--IS DUE ON NOVEMBER 2nd.

Week 7, November 5-9:  Selected expository essays in The Bedford Reader with small groups as discussion leaders.

Week 8, November 12-16:(Monday, November 12 is the Veteran’s Day Holiday) MLA documentation in Writer’s Help; FOURTH ESSAY--EXPOSITION--IS DUE ON NOVEMBER 16th.

Week 9, November 19-23 (Thursday and Friday, November 22 and 23 constitute the Thanksgiving Holiday): Activities related to argumentative and persuasive essays based on research. Punctuation and Mechanics in Writer’s Reference. Library visitation.

Week 10, November 26-November 30: Selected argumentative essays in the Bedford Reader.  Continuation of research work. 

Week 11, December 3-7: Revision process; FIFTH ESSAY--ARGUMENTATION/PERSUASION--IS DUE ON DECEMBER 7th.

Week 12, December 10-12: FINAL SELF-EVALUATION ESSAY IS DUE ON DECEMBER 11th; TWO REVISED ESSAYS (optional) ARE DUE BY DECEMBER 12th.

Disclaimer Notice

Please note that I do reserve the right to make alterations in our schedule and overall procedures as the need may arise.

                                                   

Special Assistance Notification

Students with documented disabilities requesting class accommodations, requiring special arrangements in case of building evacuation, or have emergency medical information the instructor should know about are asked to contact the Disability Support Services Office (DSS) in Room 1112. Once the disability is verified with DSS you will be given a letter of accommodation to be handed to your instructor.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due