Bellevue College

English 092. 093 / Jeanne Morel  

Office location:  R230

Office hours:  By appointment

 

Required Books

 

Real Writing 5th Edition, by Susan Anker

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon

 

 

Course Outcomes

 

By the end of the course you will be able to:

 

·         Use all stages of the writing process effectively

·         Consider audience

·         Work with a substantive topic

·         Develop a workable, compelling thesis

·         Write clear concise paragraphs

·         Sustain an idea through an essay

·         Write prose that is mechanically sound

·         Thoughtfully critique the writing of your peers

·         Analyze and substantially revise your own writing

·         Use a variety of purposes for essay construction, such as narration, description, process analysis, exposition, and / or persuasion

 

 

How Outcomes Will Be Met

 

Writers learn to write by writing! In this class you will write every day.  You will receive feedback from me and from your peers, and you will comment on the writing of your peers in a thoughtful and constructive manner.  This is not a correspondence course that you complete on your own time.  It is a community of learners studying together with daily assignments.  Since many of you may have busy schedules, I will open the weekly assignments on the Friday before the week starts, so that you can work ahead on the weekends.  However, you are expected to have an active daily presence in the class.  Conversations, analysis, and critiques on the Discussion Board are a critical component of your learning.  You should log on to the Discussion Board at least twice a day so that you can keep up with and participate in ongoing discussions.  You will respond in writing and in conversation to course material including essays, poems, and a novel.  In the process of writing and studying, you will gain an understanding of the conventions of academic English and learn to correct the most common errors in college writing.  A major part of the class involves working and learning collaboratively with your peers as you engage with texts and critique one another’s writing. You should expect to devote 15 hours per week to this class—perhaps more.

 

 

Grading

 

Course work and participation will be graded as follows.

 

Discussion Board Participation:  The Discussion Board is a vital part of both individual learning and the formation of a collaborative learning community online.  The Discussion Board Participation grade will be based both on the number of posts posted and on the quality of the posts.  Quality is judged by the thoughtfulness of your responses to other students and the degree to which you spark and further a substantive conversation.  For most posts, you should reply to at least two of your peers as well as posting your own comments. Every week I will let you know if your participation is excellent, good, fair, or unsatisfactory.  You will also have the opportunity to evaluate your own performance on the Discussion Board.                   

Discussion Board Participation                                       (150 points possible)

 

Writing Assignments:

 

“My Name” Essay (narration / descriptions)

Rough Draft                                                                                          (10 points)

Revision                                                                                               (15 points)

 

Two Summaries                                                                                    (10 points each)

Plagiarism Activity                                                                                 (10 points)

 

Literacy Narrative                                                                                 

Rough Draft                                                                                          (25 points)

Revision                                                                                               (50 points)

 

Expository Essay

Rough Draft                                                                                          (25 points)

Revision                                                                                               (50 points)

                                                                                   

Two Reader Responses to the novel                                           (25 points each)

 

Argument Essay                                               

Rough Draft                                                                                          (25 points)

Revision                                                                                               (50 points)

 

Exams:

Quizzes                                                                                                (up to 100 points)

Final Exam                                                                                            (50 points)

Classroom Learning Atmosphere

 

The online classroom is a community of writers learning together, exploring ideas, and trying out different writing techniques.  In order to feel safe and comfortable exposing ourselves in our writing to one another, it is important that we get to know one another, and that we approach all discussions with a spirit of respect and collaboration. Our online will be an integral part of your learning this quarter. Since we cannot see one another in the online classroom, we cannot read gestures and body language. Please be mindful of your tone when you post on the Discussion Board since misunderstandings can occur.

 

As we go along, I often communicate by way of the announcement tab. Please check for announcements every time you sign on.

 

 

Values Conflicts:

 

Essential to a liberal arts education is an open-minded tolerance for ideas and modes of expression that might conflict with one’s personal values.  By being exposed to such ideas or expressions, students are not expected to endorse or adopt them but rather to understand that they are part of the free flow of information upon which higher education depends.

 

To this end, you may find that class requirements may include engaging certain materials, such as books, films, and art work, which may, in whole or in part, offend you.  These materials are equivalent to required texts and are essential to the course content.  If you decline to engage the required material by not reading, viewing, or performing material you consider offensive, you will still be required to meet class requirements in order to earn credit.  This may require responding to the content of the material, and you may not be able to fully participate in required class discussions, exams, or assignments.

 

 

Affirmation of Inclusion

 

Bellevue College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination.  We value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect.  http://bellevuecollege.edu/about/goals/inclusion.asp

 

 

 

 

Student Code

 

Plagiarizing is taking other people’s words and presenting them as your own. Please see the section in your text about plagiarism and talk with me right away if it is not clear to you.  Plagiarism is considered a very serious offense and is not acceptable in American colleges and universities.  Student who turn in work that contains any amount of plagiarism will not receive credit for that paper and will not be able to make it up.  Since plagiarized work cannot be made up it is unlikely the student will pass the course.  Furthermore, students who plagiarize ay be reported to the Dean.  Below is a section from the Bellevue College policy.

 

“Cheating, stealing and plagiarizing (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source) and inappropriate / disruptive classroom 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 cell phone / pagers to ring, 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://bellevuecollege.edu/policies/2/2050_Student_Code.asp

 

 

Disability Resource Center  (DRC)

 

The Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array of learning challenges and disabilities.  If you are a student who has a disability or learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen someone for treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to be successful in college, please contact us as soon as possible.

 

The DRC office is located in B 132, or you can call our reception desk at 425.564.2498.  Deaf students can reach us by video phone at 425.440.2025 or by TTY at 425.564.4110.  Please visit our website for application information into our program and other helpful links at www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc

 

 

 

 

This syllabus is a draft and is subject to change at instructor discretion.