Instructor: Francie Quaas-Berryman (Ms. QB)

Office: LA-C

Office Hours: Mon, Tue, & Wed 11:00-12:00 and by appointment

Email: fquaas@cerritos.edu

Text Books:

• The Everything Grammar and Style Book by Susan Thurman (ISBN: 1-58062-573-8)

• Notebook Supplies

• College Level Dictionary

English 15: Student Learning Outcomes

At the end of English 15, the Cerritos College English Department has determined students will be able to:

A.    Employ the writing process in order to understand and complete the writing task

B.    Write sentences, paragraphs, and short essays that have a specific purpose, in response to specific writing prompts and course assignments

C.   Write paragraphs using specific details, examples, and illustrations to fulfill a purpose

D.   Demonstrate appropriate critical thinking strategies in writing

E.    Write in prose style characterized by clarity

F.    Demonstrate conventions of standard written English

Course Philosophy: Learning to write is like learning to do a sport—the more you practice, the better you get. In this class, you will practice all aspects of writing in order to develop your skills as a reader, a thinker, and a writer. In order to accomplish the course goals, you need to be prepared to practice your writing skills each class meeting, and you need to come prepared to practice.

Attendance: Just as athletes must attend every practice session in order to develop their athletic ability, you need to attend every class meeting and be on time in order to develop your reading, thinking, and writing skills. If you miss more than four class meetings, you may be dropped from the class. We will begin each class session with 10 minutes of freewriting on a quote. I will take attendance based on that freewriting assignment. If you are not in class for the freewriting, you will be marked absent for the day, so don’t be late!

Class Participation: Athletes cannot sit in the stands during a practice and expect to be competitive. Similarly, it will not be enough for you to simply show up for class each session. You must actively participate in class activities to earn credit.

Homework and Activities: Athletes who are prepared not only perform better, they also have more confidence in their ability. The better prepared you are for class, the more confident you will feel about your ability to successfully complete any of the class assignments. Be sure you do all of the reading and homework prior to coming to class.

Paragraphs and Essays: Just as athletes learn the strengths and weaknesses of their performance as they participate in competitive events, you will work on your “competitive” skills as you develop and revise paragraphs over the course of the semester. All paragraph and essay assignments must be typed in the format outlined in class. I will not accept paragraphs or essays that are not typed. Paragraphs and essays must meet the minimum standards of the assignment to be eligible for a passing grade.  If you fail to complete any of the paragraph assignments or timed writings, you may be dropped from class.  

Turnitin.com: All paragraphs will be submitted to http://www.turnitin.com prior to submitting them in class. Turnitin.com checks the paragraph for originality. If you use this tool to your advantage, it can help you determine when you need to use quotation marks and when you need to cite your sources. I will not accept paragraphs that have not been submitted to Turnitin.com prior to submission in class, so plan your time accordingly.

Final Portfolio Project: At the end of the semester you will be revising all of your out-of-class paragraphs and essays and creating a final portfolio of your work—so save everything! You will need it later in the semester.

Course Grade: This is a Credit/No Credit course. In order to receive credit, you must earn at least 70% of the total points. Your grades will be comprised of the following:

            20% - In-class Activities

            20% - Final Portfolio

            60% - Formal Paragraphs and Timed Writings

If at any point during the course your grade falls below 50% of the available percentage points, you may be dropped from the class for failure to progress.

Due dates are noted on the syllabus. There are no make-up exams, and NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED. If you are more than 10 minutes late to class, any work due that day will not be accepted. This includes paragraphs, essays, and the final portfolio assignment.

Please be sure that you turn off all cell phones. If your cell phone goes off during class, you may be asked to leave for the day.

While you are in class, you need to be sure that your I-pod or other personal entertainment device is stored away—no head phones dangling from your neck.

It is my goal to create a learning environment in which each of you feels comfortable participating in class discussions, group work, and writing activities. I am happy to make accommodations to students with disabilities to guarantee access to class activities and course materials. Let me know as soon as possible if you have a disability for which accommodations will be requested.