English 100 Syllabus

Sequence of
Assignments

English 100
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Objectives:  

There two primary objectives for this course. The first is to develop your reading, critical thinking, and writing skills and to invest you with confidence in your abilities to read, think, and write.  The second is to develop your technological skills by teaching you how to use email for correspondence and the internet for research.

Texts:   

Axelrod, Rise B. and Charles R. Cooper. St. Martin's Guide to Writing. 7th ed. Boston: St. Martin's, 2004.

Orwell, George.  1984.

Requirements:

To successfully complete this course, you are required to:

• read the assigned sections of the St. Martin's Guide to Writing and submit short Weekly Writing assignments in response to material you've read;

• write a total of five essays, each from 750 to 1000 words long (the last four of which will be used for your research project);

• write a research project, which should be from 2250 to 3000 words long (which will incorporate the previous four essays); and

• read the novel and maintain a guided journal.

To assist you with the course and with your project, you may be collaborating with one or two other colleagues whose work will be thematically akin to yours.  That collegial work will consist of sharing drafts and sources via email.   All assignments must be completed by the due date and time.  Failure to submit any two of the essays is sufficient grounds for being dropped from the course.

Grades: 

 The Writing Center:  

Just as professional writers consult their editors and agents about their work, students at all levels of ability will find it useful to seek the advice of tutors in the Writing Center.  It's a 0.5-unit class; it costs $10 for the whole summer; and you have access to writing support.

Plagiarism:  

In every writing course, plagiarism is a serious concern for both teachers and students, and the practice is as welcome in a writing class as kidnapping is in a class on childbirth. See your Cerritos College Catalogue for a discussion of academic honesty.

Grading

Criteria

 

A:  An "A" paper commands attention because of its insightful development and mature style.  It presents a cogent discussion of its subject and employs well-chosen examples and persuasive reasoning.  It shows that the writer can choose words aptly, use sophisticated sentences effectively, and observe the conventions of written English. 

B:  A "B" paper is clearly competent. It presents a thoughtful discussion of its subject, and it uses appropriate examples and sensible reasoning.  A "B" paper typically has a less fluent and complex style than an "A" paper but does show that the writer can usually choose words accurately, vary sentences effectively, and observe the conventions of written English. 

C:  A "C" paper is satisfactory, sometimes marginally so.  It presents an adequate discussion of its subject and elaborates with sufficient examples and acceptable reasoning. Just as these examples and this reasoning will ordinarily be less developed than those in "B" papers, so will the "C" paper's style be less effective. Nevertheless, a "C" paper shows that its writer can usually choose words of sufficient precision, control sentences of reasonable variety, and observe the conventions of written English.

D:  A "D" paper is unsatisfactory in one or more of the following ways.  It may discuss its subject illogically; it may lack coherent structure or elaboration with examples; it may reflect an incomplete understanding of the subject. Its prose is usually characterized by at least one of the following: frequently imprecise word choice; little sentence variety; occasional major errors in grammar and usage, or frequent minor errors.

F:  The qualitative "F" paper shows serious weaknesses, ordinarily of several kinds. It frequently presents a simplistic, inappropriate, or incoherent discussion of the topic, one that may suggest some significant misunderstanding of its subject. Its prose is usually characterized by at least one of the following: simplistic or inaccurate word choice, monotonous or fragmented sentence structure; many repeated errors in grammar and usage.  The quantitative "F" fails to arrive.