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English 101~ Spring 2015 LS
Section # 3069
BJ 103
T/Th: 6:45-9:55pm
Instructor: T. Payte
Office hours: By appointment
E-Mail: [email protected]
Required Texts:
• Don’t Let Me Be Lonely* by Claudia Rankine
ISBN #: 978-1-55597-407-7
• The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Handbook 2nd Edition**
ISBN #: 978- 0393933819
*This text is available on amazon.com or through other booksellers.
**This text is available in PDF form on my weebly site for the class (listed below), but if you want your own printed copy,
it is available used for cheap from Amazon and others.
• Various supplemental readings (I will provide these via PDF but you will need to access them through the class
Weebly site:
http://payte101.weebly.com/
Required Materials:
o An active E-mail account
o Access to Internet
o Weebly.com page – you will create this using your first and last name (this is free), then you will PUBLISH the site
and email me the URL (it will look like mine above—you must VIEW your site to get the URL—do not send me
the link to your editing login page). This must be done by the start of the second day of class or you
will lose 50 points. You will continue to lose 50 points for every day this is late.
Course Description: 101 College Reading and Composition I (3) UC/CSU Transferrable.
Prerequisite: English 28 or English 363 with a grade of C or better or appropriate skill level demonstrated through the
English placement process. Cannot be taken for P/NP. Lecture, 3 hours. This course teaches students to write collegelevel essays in response to reading and analyzing college-level texts. The course focuses equally on writing and critical
reading, and students will write a substantial research paper in which they accurately, clearly, and coherently synthesize
ideas and information from a variety of sources and points of view to fulfill the 8,700 word writing requirement.
Course Objectives:
• Analyze college-level texts, including comparing, contrasting, and evaluating a variety of opinions on the same issue or
topic;
• Compose college-level essays in response to college-level texts
• Demonstrate logical thinking and reasoning;
• Locate and evaluate information in the library and on the Internet to support a research topic;
• Analyze and synthesize information and ideas into a substantial research paper;
• Demonstrate the ability to avoid plagiarism by citing sources according to MLA style documentation;
• Assess early drafts and revise them to improve organization, coherence, support, focus, and word choices
• Proofread to improve sentence structure, punctuation, grammar; capitalization, spelling, and usage;
• Demonstrate an understanding of multicultural values through reading culturally diverse texts.
Student Learning Objectives (SLOs):
Upon successful completion of this course, a student will be able to:
1. Write focused, coherently organized, well-developed texts, appropriate to the transfer level, that effectively
integrate, synthesize, and document sources.
2. Demonstrate critical reading, thinking, and research skills through analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of important
ideas encompassing multiple points of view.
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A Message:
Welcome to English 101. The purpose of the course is to help you obtain the reading, writing, and critical thinking skills
necessary for success in the intellectual environment of the university and beyond. We will read and think deeply about a
range of texts, and you will learn a variety of rhetorical writing strategies to use in response to the different occasions for
writing you will come up against as you move forward into your academic and professional careers.
I look forward to working with each and every one of you. Know that my door is open for questions, comments, or
concerns. Don’t ever suffer in silence; we are all in this together.
Because this is a late start course, we will be doing the work of a full length English class in ½ the time. This means
intensive and labourous work in class and at home. If you are not prepared to work steadily and seriously, this will be a
troubling experience for you.
Course Requirements:
The following is a list of the assignments required throughout the semester and the amount of points they count toward
passing this class. There are 1,000 total points. You will receive a zero for each missing assignment.
There is no credit or points, partial or otherwise, given for late assignments. I do not accept late work,
at all, for late start courses. You must stay on top of your work to be successful in this course.
o Attendance and Participation (50 points)
o Reading Journals/Weebly (150 points)
o Essay 1 (150 points)
o Essay 2 (150 points)
o Essay 3 (200 points)
o Essay 4 (100 points)
o In-class assignments (150 points)
o Final (50 points)
Essays:
Final drafts will be turned in as a “packet” that includes the following, in order:
o Final draft
o 2nd draft
o in class draft
o All lead-up exercises
o Peer review notes from your partner(s)
Conduct:
My guidelines can be boiled down to a simple philosophy. Be respectful and you will be respected.
Please keep in mind that while I want to encourage a free exchange of ideas and information, side-conversations or other
disruptive talk or activities when either myself or a fellow student is speaking is inappropriate and inconsiderate.
Furthermore, all commentary needs to be respectful of the beliefs, opinions, and ideas of others. Students that do not
comply with these guidelines will be asked to leave for the day, resulting in an unexcused absence. If the problem
continues, further disciplinary action will be taken up to and including a failing grade in the class. This is college, collegiate
behavior and decorum are expected.
Cellphones: You are all adults. As such, I expect you to act like adults. But if the alluring trap of your cellphone is too
much for you to handle, keep it in your bag. A discreet check during down time I can ignore. A sustained level of
distraction while myself or a classmate is speaking will garner you an absence.
Attendance: Attendance is not optional. We move quickly in this class and we have a lot of ground to cover; you do not
want to fall behind. Furthermore, there is a lot of work that will be done in class that cannot be made up. Therefore, it is
imperative that you come each day, on time and ready to work hard and contribute. You will be hard pressed to pass the
class with more than one absence.
I expect you to not only be on time, but also fully present. This means all readings and assignments you are responsible for
that day are done before you get to class. If you are not prepared for class, it will show. Respect your time, as well as mine
and that of your classmates. If you commit yourself to the process, we will all be able to learn and grow together. Be
present, be active, be involved. Make sure you bring your readings / book(s) with you to class every day.
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Participation: Class participation includes discussions, weebly posts, student-instructor conferences, and workshop
activities. Everyone has something to provide to our class and there is always opportunity to learn from one another; make
sure that you are listening and contributing. It is impossible to achieve the highest grade in this class if you are not
contributing to the community.
Academic Dishonesty:
Because personal integrity is essential to this class, there is a zero tolerance policy on plagiarism. Any work that is
found to have been plagiarized will receive a zero and the student may receive a failing grade in the course. I am sure
all of your ideas are wonderful. You do not need to use anyone else’s work. Plagiarism is the use of another person’s
words or ideas as if they were your own. By following MLA conventions, you limit your chance of plagiarism. If you
do not use MLA formatting including in-text citations and a work-cited page, you will receive a ZERO for your
paper. If you have doubts about how to follow MLA format to document sources, check with me before the paper is
due. Students are expected to follow the Standards of Student Conduct as outlined in the LAVC Catalog.
Late Policy:
All written work is due at the beginning of class on the assigned day. If you know ahead of time that you will not be able
to be in class on the day a paper is due, you must turn it in earlier. In case of medical or family emergencies, written
documentation will be required. Otherwise, LATE PAPERS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. I do not accept assignments
of any kind via Email.
Assignments:
All assignments must be typed. There is no exception to this rule aside from in-class writing assignments. Also, I expect
your assignments to be in MLA format: double-spaced, Times New Roman size 12, and properly headed. Do not turn an
assignment that is not stapled if it is more than one page. Be sure to follow the directions carefully for each assignment as I
will not grade them if they do not meet the specifications of the prompt. Drafting and revising are crucial elements of good
writing. Therefore, points will be taken off of essays that lack drafts.
Drop/Add Policy:
If you need to drop this class, do so before the last drop date. Check the LAVC schedule of classes for dates. If you do not
drop this class officially, you will receive an "F" for this class. It is your responsibility to keep track of those dates.
Email:
Please be sure to check your email regularly. The list I have to send you mail from is your LAVC email, so get into the
habit of checking that email address or forward that mail to one you do check regularly. As I will not have the ability to
make copies, you must print assignment prompts that I will send to you through your email. This will happen fairly often.
Secondly, I check my emails regularly, so feel free to email me with questions. That being said, I will not respond to any
emails sent less than 24 hours before a class meeting or before an assignment is due. Start your assignments early, so you
can have the time to email me with questions. Also do not forget to get contact info from a few of your classmates.
Special Accommodations:
If you require special accommodations for a disability, religious holiday, or any other reason please inform your
instructor(s) within the first week of the course and we will accommodate you if at all possible. If you are a student with a
disability and require classroom accommodations, please see me to discuss arrangements. The sooner I am aware that you
are eligible for accommodations, the quicker I will be able to provide them. If you have not done so already, you may also
wish to contact the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Office in the Student Services Annex (SSA) Room 175.
The Writing Center:
If you need help or feedback while you are working on your assignments, visit The Writing Center at 229 of the Library
Academic Resource Center (LARC), located on the main floor of the Library building. Tutors there will assist you in
many areas: writing, reading, research, and homework assignments. The writing and reading specialists are excited about
helping you to succeed. However, the tutors are not there to write your thesis statements for you nor will they provide you
with your main points. They are there to help you help yourself. (By appointment.)
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Getting Help From Me:
Feel free to ask for assistance at any time. It is your responsibility to make sure you are on top of things. There are plenty
of ways to get help when you need it. If you are absent and need to know what you missed, contact a classmate. If you
have other questions or concerns about the class, you may contact me.
Take a moment now to get the contact info from three of your classmates (name, phone, email):
1.
2.
3.
This syllabus is subject to change per the discretion of the professor, in order to meet the needs of the course.
For your schedule of assignments and due dates, please the course Weebly page: http://english101payte.weebly.com ). Thank you, and have a great semester!
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