English 52 Syllabus

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Objectives:  

English 52 is a course in composition designed to develop your reading, critical thinking, and writing skills and to invest you with confidence in your abilities to read, think, and write.  By course end you should be able to select the appropriate rhetorical mode and produce a coherent and unified piece of writing that develops a central idea by using fitting examples and specific details while keeping errors in language to a minimum.

 

Texts:   

1.      Penfield, Elizabeth.  Short Takes. 9th Ed.  New York:  Pearson, 2007.

2.      A hardbound college dictionary

3.      [Not required] Lunsford, Andrea.  EasyWriter.  3rd Ed.  Boston:  Bedford/St. Martin, 2006.

Requirements: 

For this class, you will write at least six revised and edited compositions, each approximately 750 words and accompanied by all preliminary writing.  In addition, you are expected to participate in the peer editing of drafts, to complete reading assignments, and to contribute to class discussions.  All assignments must be finished by the due-date and handed in at the beginning of class.  Failure to submit any two of the six essays or missing any more than seven and a half hours of class is sufficient grounds for failing the course.

Grades:  

 English 33:  

Just as professional writers consult their editors and agents about their work, you would be wise to consult the instructors in the Writing Center about yours.  To do so, all you need do is sign up for English 33, a half-unit course that will avail you a maximum of 18 hours of writing assistance.  It is open entry/open exit, which means you can sign up any time (although the earlier the better), and you only attend when you need the 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.