Cerritos College
(2nd 9 Weeks)
Assistant Professor: Nishi Shah-Williams Office: SB-22
Class Time: MW 9:00-12:45 Office Hours: M, W, Th 1-2
Location: LC-213 and by appt.
Phone: (562) 860-2451 X2831
E-mail: nwilliams@cerritos.edu
Website: http://www.cerritos.edu/nwilliams
Prerequisite:
Satisfactory completion of the English Placement Exam or English 20 with a grade of CREDIT, “C,” or higher.
Required Texts and Materials:
Buscemi, Santi and Charlotte Smith. 75 Readings: An Anthology. 10th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2007.
Hacker, Diane. Rules for Writers. 5th ed., Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2007.
Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie.
Two 8 ½ X 11 Blue Books (Freewrites, Final Exam)
Plenty of lined paper
Stapler
E-mail account
Course Description:
English 52 is a course designed to prepare your reading and writing skills for English 100. In this course, you will be required to read professional essays and respond to them in journals, think critically, synthesize material, write coherent expository essays with strong thesis statements, give and receive feedback, edit and revise writing, and expand on ideas. You will also engage in all stages of the writing process including prewriting, drafting, and revising.
Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, you will be able to:
· Generate ideas for writing
· Formulate a thesis statement
· Write coherent essays that support a thesis
· Develop paragraphs into essay structure
· Write grammatically correct sentences
· Revise drafts and proofread for errors
· Express critical thinking skills both verbally and in writing
· Learn how to conduct library research and present it in MLA format
Course Requirements:
Attendance. Attendance is mandatory in order to pass this class. Only two absences will be allowed during the course of the semester. You will be dropped on the third absence. No exceptions. Therefore, use absences for emergencies and severe illness only. Furthermore, you must arrive to class on time. If you are more than 15 minutes late or if you leave before class ends, you will automatically receive either a half or a full absence. And finally, three tardies is equivalent to one absence. Any student who is not present
when I take roll will be marked tardy. Also, keep in mind that if I ask you to leave class because you are either unprepared or disruptive, you will be marked absent.
Late Work. No late work will be accepted under any circumstances. If you are absent on the day an assignment is due, either have a friend drop it off to me in class or make sure it is in my box (Santa Barbara 22) by 1:00. Any work turned in after 1:00 will not be accepted.
Class Participation. Class Participation includes grammar workshops, group work, and verbal participation during reading discussions. Since true education occurs through the exchange of ideas and collaboration with others, you must be actively engaged during all class sessions by taking interest in the course material. This means coming to class prepared with the course books, having a positive attitude, active participation in group activities, and responding to reading assignments during class discussion. The following will result in the lowering of your class participation grade and/or dismissal from class with an absence:
Freewriting Logs. You will begin many class sessions freewriting for approximately ten to fifteen minutes on any topic of your choice. Freewriting allows you to engage freely in the writing process by expressing your thoughts without grammatical concern. Each freewrite should be approximately one full page in length and must be done in an 8 ½ X 11 blue book, which will be collected on the day of the last freewrite.
Reading Response Journals. You will be assigned readings from the course reader in which you will need to write a response to. Journal writing is informal writing that allows you to actively engage with the text and record your observations and reflections to what you have just read. For each reading, you must write out a one page response on the reading (longer than one page if you write big). In each journal entry, be very careful not to summarize the reading. If you have difficulty writing a response, then consider the following questions:
1) What did you think of the reading?
2) How were you able to relate or identify with the writer?
3) Do you have any personal experiences with the subject matter?
Each journal entry is worth 5 points. To receive full credit, you must write a one page minimum analytical response with depth, include the title of the essay as well as the author, and staple all responses together. Journals are always due at the beginning of class. No exceptions. Students who arrive to class late will not be able to turn in journals.
Essays. You will be required to complete seven essays including the final exam. The final exam will be written in class, while the other six essays will be written out of class. (See P.448 of Rules for Writers for MLA format). All out of class essays will vary in length but must be typed in accurate MLA format using 12pt. Times Roman Font, double-spaced with one inch margins all around, and stapled together before coming to class. With the final draft, you must attach all prewriting, peer response, and a letter of reflection. You will lose points off your essay grade if the prewriting and peer response sheets are not attached. Furthermore, you can also lose points for poor document appearance and incorrect MLA format. No late essays will be accepted under any circumstances.
Letter of Reflection. Each time an out of class essay is due, you must attach a typed 100-200 word double-spaced letter of reflection. The purpose of the letter of reflection is to analyze your writing process. In the letter, do not tell me what grade you think you deserve on the assignment. Rather, answer the following questions:
1) What was your experience in writing this assignment?
2) What are the strengths and weaknesses of your writing?
3) What was the easiest and most difficult part of this assignment?
4) If more time were given, what would you have done differently?
The letter should begin with a salutation addressed to me and end with a complimentary closing with your name at the bottom. It should also be written as a professional document—that means free of grammar errors and typos!!
The Letter of Reflection is worth 5 points.
Essays must be stapled in the following order from top to bottom:
1) Letter of reflection
2) Final Draft
3) Prewriting (brainstorm, cluster, outline, freewrite)
4) Peer Response sheet
(Note: Failure to turn in essays in this order will result in a loss of points.)
Peer Response Groups. Prior to the due date of the final draft, you will come to class with a typed rough draft and evaluate one another’s writing. Peer Response groups are important because they allow and teach you to respond to writing so that you are able to find strengths and weaknesses on your own and use this to revise your own writing. After the peer response sessions, you should review the comments made by your peers and revise based on these comments. To participate in peer response, you must have three typed and completed copies of your essay. The following will result in not being able to participate in peer response and will result in a loss of 10 percent off the final essay grade:
1) Not having a complete essay
2) Not having a typed essay
3) Not having 3 copies of your essay
4) Showing up late to class (after peer response has already started)
(Note: Failure to participate in peer response for any of the above reasons will result in an absence.)
Peer Response groups cannot be made up because they are done in class. In order to receive credit for participating in peer response, you must attach the peer response sheet to the final essay draft.
Turnitin.com. All final drafts of papers must be submitted to Turnitin.com prior to turning in the final draft on the due date. Turnitin.com is a website that checks for plagiarism by including your paper in the database and matching it with all outside sources. When you submit your paper to Turnitin.com, you should check your plagiarism report and revise any highlighted areas that do not have in-text citations next to them by citing these sources. Any student who does not submit the final draft of the paper to Turnitin.com will not receive credit for the essay. Technological problems are not an excuse for not submitting papers to Turnitin.com. To be safe, save your document to a disk and/or email it to yourself and use one of the computers on campus to submit your paper if for some reason you are unable to submit from home. Note that the deadline to submit your paper to Turnitin.com will be 1:30 p.m. on the day the paper is due. After this time, you will not be able to submit your paper and will therefore receive no credit for it.
Extra Credit—Optional Revision. You have the option to revise one of the first four out of class essays for a higher grade. The purpose of the revision is to enhance the quality of your paper. When revising, make changes based on the feedback I have given to you on your essay as well as any other feedback you receive from a writing center tutor or anyone else. The new grade will depend on the quality of the revision, but keep in mind, a weak revision may result in no grade change. The revision must have the original draft with my comments in order to receive credit.
Evaluation:
Class Participation 40 points
Freewriting Logs 50 points (5 points each)
Reading Response Journals 80 points (5 points each)
Essay #1 (Narration) 50 points
Essay #2 (Interview) 100 points
Essay #3 (Film Analysis) 100 points
Essay #4 (Novel) 100 points
Essay #5 (Argument) 150 points
Essay #6 (Court Trial) 50 points
Letter of Reflection for WA # 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 25 points (5 points each)
Syllabus Quiz 15 points
Novel Presentation 40 points
Final Exam 100 points
Total Points 900
810-900 A 540-629 D
720-809 B 539 and below F
630-719 C
Final Thoughts:
Academic Freedom. I am a strong believer in academic freedom and freedom of speech. I encourage you to speak freely in class during all discussions. However, make sure to exercise maturity and responsibility in your presentation of ideas. It is always appropriate to disagree, but always refrain from making any racist, sexist, or derogatory comments that may offend another individual in class.
Academic Dishonesty. Academic dishonesty consists of plagiarism and cheating. Plagiarism is either using outside sources for essays without giving credit to them or turning in an essay that was not written by you. Plagiarism will be reported and dealt with according to campus policy listed in the campus catalog.
Discipline. Simply stated: Do not do anything that will either prevent me from teaching or prevent another student from learning. Any student engaging in disruptive behavior will be warned privately and then removed from the class if the behavior continues.
Also, make sure not to do any of the following things:
1) Have any cell phones on or text message in class
2) Bring any guests to class without prior approval from me.
(Note: Any guest that I pre-approve must be at least eighteen years in age.)
3) Send any assignments to me through e-mail. E-mail is for questions or comments only!
If you take this class seriously, I will take you seriously. I encourage you to come and talk to me about your writing, any comments or questions you may have, or anything else. In addition to my office hours, I am always available for a few minutes before and after class and can be reached by email.
Also, make copies of all of the work you turn in and keep everything that I return until you receive your final grade in the course.
And finally, please note that this syllabus is a contract between you and me. As a student in this class, you are agreeing to all its terms.
Tentative Course Outline
(All assignments must be turned in at the beginning of class on the day they are due)
Mar. 12 Introduction to course and syllabus/ discussion on prewriting/ summary and response
activity/ Assign Essay #1/ Discussion on how to write Essay #1/ Prewriting for Essay #1
Homework: Buy books
Create turnitin.com profile
Work on Essay #1
Hughes – “Salvation” (8) write one page journal response Angelou – “Grandmother’s Victory” (11) write one page journal resp.
14 Journals Due (Hughes, Angelou)/ Syllabus Quiz/ Freewrite #1/ discuss readings/ workshop on introductions and thesis statements/ workshop on details, examples, and transitions/ description activity/ Grammar Workshop
Homework: Malcolm X – “Coming to an Awareness…” (16) write one page journal response
Gansberg – “Who Saw Murder…” (24) write one page journal response
Finish Rough Draft of Essay #1
Read Tuesdays with Morrie P.1-47
Week 2
19 Rough Draft of Essay #1 Due (must be typed and completed)
Journals Due (Malcolm X, Gansberg) Workshop on conclusions/ Workshop on Revising
and Editing/ discuss readings/ Peer response group
Homework: Parker – “What is Poverty?” (94) write one page journal response
Goodman – “The Company Man” (98)write one page journal response
Revise Essay #1 and submit to Turnitin.com
21 Final Draft of Essay #1 Due (must be typed and stapled, attach letter of reflection,
prewriting, and peer response sheets)
Journals Due (Parker, Goodman)
Freewrite #2/discuss readings/ Assign Essay #2/ Discussion on how to write Essay #2/ Prewriting for Essay #2/ Grammar Workshop
Homework: Haines – “Facing Famine” (104) write one page journal response
Epstein – “The Green-Eyed Monster…” (110) write one page journal response
Read Tuesdays with Morrie P.48-99
Week 3
26 Journals Due (Haines, Epstein)
Freewrite #3/ discuss readings/ in class activity/ Grammar workshop
Homework: Finish Rough Draft of Essay #2
Sontag – “Women’s Beauty…” (91) write one page journal response
Naylor – “Meanings of a Word” (100) write one page journal response
28 Rough Draft of Essay #2 Due (must be typed and completed)
Journals Due (Sontag, Naylor)
Freewrite #4/ discuss readings/ Grammar workshop/ Peer Response Group
Homework: Revise Essay #2 and submit to Turnitin.com
Read Tuesdays with Morrie P.100-49
Week 4
SPRING BREAK
Week 5
Apr. 9 Final Draft of Essay #2 Due (must be typed and stapled, attach letter of reflection,
peer response sheet, and prewriting)
Freewrite #5/ Assign Essay #3/ in class activity/ Prewriting for Essay #3/ Grammar
Workshop
Homework: Marius – “Writing Drafts” (71) Write one page journal response
Hall – “Four Kinds of Reading” (123) write one page journal response
11 Journals Due (Marius, Hall)
Freewrite #6/ discuss readings/ Discussion on how to Write Essay #3/ Discussion on movie/ Grammar Workshop
Homework: Sedaris – “Me Talk Pretty One Day” (19) write one page journal response
Malcolm X – “Coming to an Awareness…” (16) write one page journal response
Finish Essay #3
Finish reading Tuesdays with Morrie
Week 6
16 Journals Due (Sedaris, Malcolm X)
Rough Draft of Essay #3 Due (must be typed and completed)
Freewrite #7/ discuss readings/ grammar workshop/ Peer Response Group
Homework: Revise Essay #3 and submit to Turnitin.com
Tuesdays with Morrie must be completed by Wed., 4/18
18 Final Draft of Essay #3 Due (must be typed and stapled, attach letter of reflection, peer response sheet, and prewriting activities)
Freewrite #8/ discuss novel/ Assign Essay #4/ Discussion on how to write Essay #4/ Prewriting for Essay #4/ meet in groups for presentation
Week 7
23 Meet in groups for presentation/ Group Presentations
Homework: Finish Rough Draft of Essay #4
Hentoff – “Should This Student Have Been Expelled?” (318) write one page journal response
Nye – “To Any Would-Be Terrorists” (369) write one page journal response
25 Rough Draft of Essay #4 Due (must be typed and completed)
Journals Due (Hentoff, Nye)
Freewrite #9/ discuss readings/ Grammar Workshop/ Peer Response Group
Homework: Revise Essay #4 and submit to Turnitin.com
Week 8
30 Final Draft of Essay #4 Due (must be typed and stapled, attach letter of reflection,
peer response sheet, prewriting activities) Freewrite #10/ Freewrites 1-10 due in 8 ½ X 11 blue book
Assign Essay #5/ Discussion on Argument/ Prewriting for Essay #5/ Mock Court Trial
May 2 Mock Court Trial cont./ Assign Essay #6/ Work on Essay #6 in class
Homework: Finish Rough Draft of Essay #5
Finish Essay #6
Week 9
7 Essay #6 Due (Must be typed and stapled—do not need letter of reflection or prewriting)
Rough Draft of Essay #5 Due (must be typed and complete)
Grammar Workshop/ Peer Response Group
Homework: Revise Essay #5 and submit to Turnitin.com
9 Final Draft of Essay #5 Due (Must be typed and stapled—attach letter of reflection,
peer response, and prewriting)
Revision Due (must have original essay with my comments attached)
Review for Final Exam
Final Exam: _______________________________
(Bring 8 ½ X 11 blue book and blue or black pen)