COURSE SYLLABUS:  ENGLISH 101

Winter 2009 Instructor: Clay Cooper

MW 5:30-7:40 Office:  R230L

Email: ccooper@bcc.ctc.edu

Office Hours: MW 2:00-3:00 (by appointment)

Required Textbooks: Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing

50 Essays - Cohen

Required Materials: Composition style or spiral bound notebook, at least 100 pages, to be used exclusively for this class

CDRW or flash drive (for those who don’t have printers at home)

 Recommended: College pocket dictionary( e.g. Webster’s, American Heritage)

The Elements of Style - Strunk

Course Description

Welcome to English 101.  This college-level composition course is designed to help you become a more skilled and confident writer.  Working closely with the texts, we will approach writing as a process, and attempt to make writing essays less intimidating by breaking down this process into elements. These individual elements will be topics of reading assignments, classroom discussions and in-class exercises.  The elements (or steps) are as follows:

--Critical reading

--Understanding the assignment

--Prewriting and the stimulation of ideas

--Organization of ideas into a thesis or main point

--Outlining/Structure or Form

--Drafting (includes sentence and paragraph construction)

--Revising

--Proofreading

We will also use these elements of writing to build your writing assignments as we move through the course.  For instance, one day we may be working on freewriting or thesis development, the next week you might meet in groups to receive feedback on your drafts, and the following week the final papers will be due.   

Requirements:  Students will be required to complete four essays in order to pass the course.  At least two of the essays will be critiqued in small groups, and I will select one essay for each assignment to be critiqued by the entire class. The object will not be to find fault, but to learn by identifying and analyzing key components of exemplary or flawed drafts.

There may be some additional written assignments, which must be typed to receive full credit. It is expected that you will complete all assignments, whether they are earmarked for collection or not. . 

Pop quizzes will also be given on reading assignments from the two texts.

My expectations are that you will learn a lot from participating in this class.  You will learn to write with precision and power in a number of styles, each one fitted to the specific requirements of various college writing assignments that you may encounter in the future.  Not only will you learn about the mysterious process of writing, but you may develop an awareness of the world by exploring a variety of topics.  Your consciousness is bound to expand if you allow it to happen.  You will become sensitive to social, political, and cultural context; in other words, you will read between the lines to find subject material for your essays. 

No matter what your career goals may be, you can enhance them by becoming a more effective writer.  Writing is a tool that can create opportunities and enrich your life experience.  It can also be rewarding and fun.  I look forward to working with you all this quarter and sharing my passion for the written word. 

GRADING

Attendance (see below for grading guidelines)                                                   10%

Participation 5%

Quizzes                                                                                                                 15%

Written assignments                                                                                              10%

Essays                                                                                                                    60% 

• I will give you a more detailed breakdown of how I grade the essays when I post the essay assignments on the website.  Consult the “Grading Criteria” for essays on the class website.
• Participation grade evaluates contributions to class discussions, group exercises, peer review, and overall attitude towards me, other students, and the course in general.
• Attendance is crucial to successful completion of this class.  We have limited class periods in which to accomplish our learning goals, and after loss time for holidays, etc. our time becomes even more valuable.  Chronic tardiness will also count against your attendance grade.  If you come to class after I have taken attendance, it is your responsibility to make your presence known.  Leaving class early without checking with me beforehand will be considered an absence. Here are the guidelines, as outlined by the English department:  

0-1--A             2-3 B               4--C                5-6—D            7+F and you fail the class

• After three absences your participation grade is affected adversely.  At four  absences, your participation grade drops to zero. 

 You are required to read the “Student Expectations” page at the Arts and Humanities website.  The entire document is required reading for this class.  It can be found at bcc.ctc.edu/ArtsHum/studentinfo.asp.  Click on Course Expectations.

13.    Students With Special Needs:

Students with disabilities who have accommodation needs are required to meet with the Disability Support Services (DSS) office, room B233-G (telephone 425.564.2498 or TTY 425.564.4110), to establish their eligibility for accommodation.  The DSS office will provide each eligible student with an accommodation letter. Students who require accommodation in class must review the DSS accommodation letter with each instructor during the first week of the quarter.

Students with mobility challenges who may need assistance in case of an emergency situation or evacuation should register with Disability Support Services, or review those needs with the instructor as well.

As mentioned before, all course materials will be posted through the MYBCC portal. You can follow links from the main BCC page. This is where your essay assignments will be posted as well as other important documents.  It is your responsibility to print out the documents required for in-class use, such as peer review worksheets.  If you don’t have a printer at home, you may use the facilities at the large computer lab in the N building.  The Reading/Writing Lab on the second floor of D building also has printers available for student use as long as classes aren’t in session.  Some of you may also want to take advantage of the tutoring services offered free of charge to students in the Writing Lab.  They prefer you set up an appointment 24 hours in advance and bring your rough draft and a copy of the assignment with you.  They do walk-in service as well, but you may have to wait, especially near the end of the quarter.  There is a web page for the Writing Lab you can access through the main BCC webpage and the “Student Resources” link.    

GROUND RULES

Out of respect for everyone in the classroom, I ask that you follow these ground rules.

1. Turn off pagers and cell-phones

2. Do not talk or whisper while I am talking, or when another student is talking

3. Be constructive in your comments and respect the opinions of your classmates.

A Final Note:  I am here to serve as your guide and then ultimately to evaluate your work.  I am interested in helping you do as well as you want in this class.  My schedule permitting, I’ll assist you in any way I can.  If you’re having difficulty, speak to me about it, and I’ll see what I can do to help.  If life interferes with school, as it has a habit of doing, let me know.  I am not judgmental, and if you show me that you’re concerned with doing good work in this class, I’ll do what I can to help you around the obstacles.  Communication is the key here.  Keep me informed of your circumstances, and you should do fine.   Talk to me after things fall apart, and there’s nothing I can do.   You are the one who will determine your grade for this class, not me.