BELLEVUE COLLEGE Winter, 2010

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT J. Cofer

Office: R 230 I Tel.: 425 564-4186

(Hours: 11:30 to 12:20 Monday and Wednesday;2:00 to 3:00 Tuesday and Thursday; other office hours by appointment)

American Studies web site:

www.bcc.ctc.edu/artshum/americanstudies

SYLLABUS—ENGL& 101 ENGLISH COMPOSITION:

“THE SIXTIES: THE HIPPIE COUNTERCULTURE IN AMERICA” (5 cr.)

1. Catalog Description:

English Composition I 5 CR

Previously ENGL 101 Written Expression

“Develops clear, effective writing skills and emphasizes writing as a process. Students practice writing in a variety of forms and modes. CMST 141 (prev COMM 141 or ENGL& 101 (prev ENGL 101 meet a written communication course requirement at BCC. Either ENGL 101 or COMM 141 meets a written communication course requirement at BCC. Prerequisite: Placement by assessment, or ENGL 092 or 093 with a C- or better.” Bellevue Community College Course Catalog, 2008-2009, p. 91.

2. Course Focus and Introduction:

English 101: English Composition is an expository writing class which focuses on reading, thinking, taking notes, and writing essays based on course content. Success in the course is essential to most academic classes in college because the course prepares students for analysis and writing in other disciplines. The writing process includes analysis of ideas, developing an argument, stating a thesis and supporting that thesis with evidence. Different forms of expository essays will be required to prepare students for further academic work. Writing standards and revision of essays are part of the writing process in the course.

The course content is entitled “The Sixties: The Hippie Counterculture in America.” We shall examine the cultural, political, historical and social changes of America in the 1960s as a basis for reading and writing. This significant period in American culture is influenced by the hippie counterculture, with all of the challenges to America it represents. The use of media in the course will support the essays from the required texts. Documentaries and films will be analyzed to broaden the student understanding of this period.

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Examples of topics covered in the course include the following:

--Hippie values and ideals --Drugs in the counterculture

--Role of rock music --Student protest movements

--Rise of women’s liberation --Race and civil rights

--Communes and the environment --Film and the counterculture

--Sexuality --Vietnam war

--Political assassinations of the 60s --Woodstock and the hippies

--Changes in family structures --Media & the counterculture

3. Course Outcomes:

Content Outcomes:

--To use the course content of the hippie counterculture and American society as a

basis for analysis, thinking and writing.

--To employ films and documentaries as a means to practice taking notes

and summary skills.

--To use course content as a source for making evaluations, developing a thesis

and supporting an argument with evidence.

--To examine the culture and myths of American society as expressed

in documentaries, essays and films.

---To develop cultural awareness and evaluate products of mass culture.

Writing Outcomes:

--To examine ideas and issues, evaluate them and make your own critical judgments (Critical Thinking)

--To analyze opposing viewpoints and perspectives

--To synthesize an argument and support your ideas

--To develop academic writing skills

--To edit, revise and proofread written work

--To recognize standards of good writing

--To understand and utilize different writing modes (e.g., response essays,

summaries, analyses) --To state a thesis clearly and develop an effective argument.

3. Course Materials: textbooks, essays, articles, Internet sources, literature, films and documentaries. Handouts will be distributed in class.

--Students are responsible for all class materials, including documentaries and films. If a student misses a class, it is the student’s responsibility to view the film. Some materials may be unavailable outside of class.

--You may find that certain books, films, or other materials assigned in the course may, in whole or in part, offend you. These materials are equivalent to

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required texts and are essential to the course content. If you decline to view or read material you consider offensive, you are still responsible for its content, and you may not be able to participate fully in required assignments, class discussions, or exams. Essential to a liberal arts education is an open-minded tolerance for ideas and modes of expression which might conflict with one’s personal values.

4. Texts: Students need the editions indicated:

*David Farber and Beth Bailey, The Columbia Guide to America in the 1960s (ISBN 9780231113731)

*Archie Loss, Pop Dreams: Music, Movies and Media in the 1960s (ISBN 139780155041462)

*Timothy Miller The Hippies and American Values, (ISBN 0870496948)

*Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference. Sixth Edition with 2009 MLA Update,

(ISBN 9780312593322)

These books are the required texts for the course, but you should also have access to a good hardbound college dictionary, e.g., The American Heritage Dictionary or Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary.

5. Grading and Instructional Methods:

The final grade will be based on:

--Expository Essays 50% (three or four graded essays)

--Mid-Term Essay Examination: 25%

--Reading Quizzes (10%), Homework Assignments (10%), Attendance (5%)

--A final grade of at least a C- is required in English 101 to proceed to English 201.

--I shall determine a final grade based on your progress in the course and the

improvement of your writing as the quarter proceeds.

*Expository Essay:

--Responds to readings, film or documentaries

--Analyzes aspects of American society and history as

presented in the course content material

--Analyzes an issue or idea presented in class

--Specific topics will be assigned for some essays

--Some essays will be graded, others treated as homework

--Standards for the essays will be discussed in class

*Mid-Term Examination:

--All essay questions

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--Exam will cover materials presented in class, e. g., readings, documentaries, films

--Materials from documentaries will be included on the exam

--Students may use notes from class but no books or handouts

--Exam will take place some time during the last several weeks of the quarter

*Reading Quizzes:

--Announced and unnaounced quizzes for selected reading assignments

--No quizzes may be made up unless agreed upon prior to

missing the class. If this is the case, a longer paper may be

substituted for the quiz.

--Quizzes are meant to determine if students have read

the material

--Absences during quizzes result in failure for that quiz

*Homework:

--All homework assignments must be completed to pass the course

--Late homework will be accepted, but late work may result in a lowered

grade

--Homework assignments are meant to prepare students for graded essays

--Course assignments are explained in detail at each class meeting. A Course Calendar is not provided in advance in order to allow for more flexibility in class. Students will be given ample time to complete all assignments, both reading and written. Essays will be graded and revised as part of the writing process.

5. Attendance, Assignments and Grading Policies:

--STUDENT CODE;

“Cheating, stealing and plagiarizing (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source) and inappropriate/disruptive behavior are violations of the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue College. Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to: talking out of turn, arriving late or leaving early without a valid reason, allowing cellphones/pagers to ring in class and inappropriate behavior toward the instructor or classmates. The instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of Conduct to the Vice President of Student Services for possible probation or suspension from Bellevue College. Specific student rights, responsibilities and appeal procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct, available in the office of the Vice President of Student Services.” The Student Code, Policy 2050, in its entirety is located at:

http://bellevue college.edu/policies/2/2050 Student Code.asp

--Computers are available and the college provides both Reading and Writing Labs for students.

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--All course work must be word-processed or typed.

--All assignments and essays must be turned in to pass the course.

--Students will not be penalized for one late homework assignment

per quarter. Late homework assignments will be marked as such; too many late assignments may result in a lowered grade for the course.

--Graded essays must be submitted in person to the instructor. No email assignments will be accepted.

--One half grade per day late will be detracted from the graded essay.

--If you miss a class, please try to get the assignment from me or from

another student. Students are responsible for all assignments and

materials distributed in class, as well as films and documentaries viewed in class.

--Attendance will be taken at all classes.

--A final grade may be lowered by at least 1/2 letter grade (3-5 absences)

or one whole grade (6-8 absences). Too many absences may result in a

final grade of “F”.

--Lateness will count as one absence. Students should be sure to be

marked late instead of absent if arriving late to class.

--For two-hour classes, one absence will be recorded if students do not

return to class after the break for any reason.

--Please do not allow electronic communication devices to disrupt the class; they should be put away when the class begins.

Please turn off phones before class begins; please do not manipulate cell phones or pagers during the class.

--Please do not eat in class.

6. Bellevue Community College Policy Statement:

“If you require accommodation based on a documented disability, have emergency medical information to share, or need special arrangements in case of emergency evacuation, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. 6

If you would like to inquire about becoming a DSS student, you may call 564-2498 or go in person to the DSS (Disability Support Services) program office in C 210, the student union building.”

--Program Coordinator, BC Disability Support Services