EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS for ENGLISH 100, Introduction to College Writing Section D -- Spring Credits

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1 EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS for ENGLISH 100, Introduction to College Writing Section D -- Spring Credits COURSE INFORMATION Course Description: Introduction to college-level writing, including multiple rhetorical contexts for essay development. Emphasis on thesis development, essay organization, argumentation, critical reading and clarity of expression and introduction to incorporating source material. Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Integrate critical thinking, reading, and writing to engage college-level texts and to develop college-level expository essays 2. Adapt writing to audience, context, and purpose by using rhetorical principles at an introductory level 3. Apply the basics of composition principles at an introductory level in order to connect ideas coherently, explain them thoroughly, and arrange them logically 4. Demonstrate writing processes by exploring and applying various strategies for idea generating, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading 5. Use academic sentence-level conventions and style; apply MLA style documentation at an introductory level for college writing. Prerequisites: ACCUPLACER placement, essay placement, or permit from Bridge or EAP. Location: Snoqualmie 202 INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION Instructor: Daniel Griesbach Office Location: MDL 234 Office Hours: by appointment. Please me to set up a time to meet on campus. Days/Times: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 8:30-9:20 a.m., plus conferences and 3-5 events scheduled outside of class time. Telephone: ext daniel.griesbach@ .edcc.edu MATERIALS Required Text: Available at the Edmonds Community College Store < --Richard Johnson-Sheehan and Charles Paine, Writing Today, bundled with Pearson s MyCompLab registration. (MyCompLab is required: if you buy your textbook somewhere besides the bookstore, you will need to purchase registration MyCompLab separately at Other Materials, Resources, and Organizational Skills You Will Need: --An active edmail account that is registered on Blackboard for the course and which you check daily M-F. --Access to a computer with internet to work online weekly (the course is 20% online) --Ability to print multiple drafts your essays and some assignments -- Ability to print online readings --A calendar (any kind) with your schedule for the quarter to bring with you to class. --Some reasonable flexibility for work outside of class time. These include some fun and rewarding events (field trip, community event, possible poster conference), as well as three short 1

2 (15 min) instructor conferences. This also requires the ability to plan and follow through with appointments, and communicate difficulties or conflicts well in advance. CLASS ASSIGNMENTS Three Essays: This class teaches the paper writing process. Each paper must go through the draft-revision sequence to be accepted for credit, and this will include students commenting on each others papers (peer review). You must submit your paper draft in the draft stages designated in the sequence. Please note that the final due date is not the only due date for the paper, and that the peer review and instructor drafts are equally important and necessary for credit on the paper. Conferences: For each of the essays, I will schedule a conference to meet individually with students to discuss the draft. Please note your time carefully and arrive on time, as I will not be able to reschedule for missed conferences. Field Trip and Service Learning: fun, rewarding requirements for two of your essays. One of your essays will be about a sustainability themed field trip you will take with students in our class and Anthropology 100. The coordinator, Erin Ryan (erin.ryan@ .edcc.edu) will visit our class to describe them. There will be several trips (likely 6-7) scheduled over two weeks you need to attend one. A sign-up sheet will be passed around early in the quarter to select your field trip. Most are around 4 hours long and the times and days vary to accommodate people s schedules. You will need a certain amount of reasonable flexibility in your schedule to participate in this component of the course. Please see me immediately if you have difficulty scheduling this one-time class learning experience. In addition, paper 2 will write about a service experience through the Center for Service Learning. Again, there will be a variety of times to choose from to complete the one-time service experience. Transportation, if needed, is provided through the Center for Service Learning. Writing in Context 1--Poster Project: In small groups combined with students from Anthropology 100, students will make a poster based on their field trip. This is preparation for Essay 3. Some students will have the chance to present at Making Learning Visible event for an alternative to the Substantive Revision or for extra credit. Writing in Context 2--Celebration of Food reflection: Students attend the Celebration of Food event and write reflectively on how their own writing on food relates to what they ve learned at this event. Substantive Revision of Essay 1 or 2: This is an additional revision required after the paper has already received an initial grade. Peer Review and Discussion Board: Peer reviews are conducted online and in class. These assignments consist of reading each other s essays and following specific directions for providing peer feedback. The discussion boards are for idea generating and usually ask you to respond to the assigned readings for the course. 2

3 GRADING Essay 1 Rhetorical Analysis: 130 points Essay 2 Service Memoir: 130 points Essay 3 Field Trip Proposal: 130 points Writing in Context 1: Poster presentation : 50 points Writing in Context 2: Celebration of Food reflection: 50 points Substantive Revision of Essay 1 or Essay 2 with list of revisions: 50 points or participation in Making Learning Visible.* Making learning visible will be an option to one or two selected groups. If students selected for Making Learning Visible want to participate and also complete the substantive revision, they can earn up to 50 points of extra-credit. Peer Reviews and online discussion board postings: 60 points combined Total: 600 points Additional Requirements to pass with a 2.0: Complete all three essays with an average of 2.0 on the essays To ensure students meeting the English 101 prerequisite are prepared to write English 101 essays, a grade of 2.0 will be given only if you complete all three essays and your three essay grades gain an average grade of 2.0 or better (or, in other words, the three essays gain at least 195 points combined). Attendance deduction for missed classes After 6 absences, there will be a deduction from the final grade of.125 for each absence up to 12 absences. A passing grade is not possible after more than 12 absences (13 absences means a 0.0 for the course). Point Totals Final Grade Conversion A: =4.0; 570- A-: =3.8; =3.7; =3.9 =3.6; =3.5 B: =3.1; =3.0; =2.9 C: =2.1; =2.0; =1.9 D: =1.1; =1.0; =0.9 B-: =2.8; =2.7; =2.6; =2.5 C-: =1.8; =1.7; =1.6; =1.5 D-: =0.8; =0.7 F: 0 90=0.0 EdCC numerical grading: Click academic information. B+: =3.4; =3.3; =3.2 C+: =2.4, =2.3; =2.2 D+: =1.4; =1.3; =1.2 V Grades are not an option for this class. I do not assign them for students who stop attending class. Withdrawal from a class is the sole responsibility of the student. I Grades are only possible if a student has completed all the assignments but for some extraordinary circumstance (at the instructor s discretion) cannot complete the final version of essay 3 or the final (revision of essay 1 or 2) and can realistically complete the work within a mutually acceptable and agreed upon 3

4 timeframe. Before the end of the quarter, the student receiving an I grade will have signed a contract with the instructor for completion of the work. The essay will receive a grade but not comments. COURSE POLICIES Academic Integrity/Plagiarism Plagiarism as misrepresenting someone else s work as one s own is cheating and thoroughly unacceptable. This kind of plagiarism can take the form of directly copying and pasting another s writing word-for-word without quotation and citing the source. Plagiarism can also take the form of paraphrasing someone s idea (rewriting it in your own words) without citing the source. If I find an assignment that is plagiarized to a significant extent and this can mean plagiarizing a single sentence the assignment will receive a zero grade and I may, depending on degree/severity of the apparent cheating, report the details to the VP of Student Services, who will consider disciplinary action. In our class, we will be introducing strategies for writing about sources and practicing proper documentation in the use of quotation and paraphrase. At the beginning of the course, you may have questions about what counts as proper documentation. That s fine: proper documentation is part of what you will learn in the composition sequence at EdCC. As a rule, though, you should keep in mind: when in doubt, always document where the information came from. You can always ask me any questions you have about documentation. If you are having so much difficulty writing that you are tempted to use someone else s work, please set up a time to talk to me we can work together to overcome any writing difficulty you are experiencing. We will discuss proper ways of using sources (quoting, paraphrasing, citing) in class. Classroom Conduct Civility: Edmonds Community College provides a civil, productive atmosphere that fosters learning and growth. Please join me in creating this kind of environment by treating each other with courtesy, listening respectfully to each other, reflecting thoughtfully on each other s ideas (not just reacting to those ideas), expressing your views in a straightforward but diplomatic way (focusing on the ideas, not the personalities, of your interlocutors), and offering each other constructive feedback. This applies to verbal and written discussion in class, and, perhaps more importantly, to online contexts. From the Student Civility Code being adopted by EdCC campus The following civility ideals serve as a guide for appropriate behavior in the classroom and all other campus locations: Respect the work and property of others Promote the free expression of views without degrading or harming others Respect differing points of view Engage in courteous discourse - verbal and non-verbal, electronic and written Exhibit the values of academic and professional integrity: honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility Encourage others to abide by the tenets of civility Examples of behaviors that violate the Student Civility Code in the classroom or on campus include: Screaming or yelling Sarcasm with an apparent intent to humiliate Words or actions that intimidate, degrade, demean or threaten others Retaliatory actions Use of social networking, cell phones, course management systems (for example - Black Board), , etc. to make comments that publicly offend, intimidate, degrade, or humiliate members of the college community Failure to comply with directives from instructors or campus officials 4

5 Classroom discussion: In classroom discussion, students need to take turns. Chatting, whispering, making noises, not attending to others when it s their turn to talk, using disengaged body language or non-verbal cues, and the like, can be out of place and disruptive to the learning process of everyone in the room. I will take steps to stop this behavior if needed. Phones and electronic devices: be respectful of your peers by refraining from using cell phones, especially texting. If you need to answer your phone, please step outside the classroom. Do not text on your phone or use other electronic devices that are not for classroom purposes. It s distracting to you and others. Arrive on time: see the info on late arrivals under attendance policy. Attendance Policy Our class meets in person four times per week. You may miss six class sessions without penalty. After missing 6 class sessions, your final, total course grade will be deducted by.125 for each absence thereafter, up to 12 absences. If a student misses more than 12 days of class for any reason, he or she will not be able to earn a credit bearing grade (0.7 and above) for English 100. In other words, a passing grade is not possible after more than 12 absences (13 absences means a 0.0 for the course). To record attendance, I pass around a sign-in sheet. It is each student s responsibility to sign the sign-in sheet, or, if he or she misses it, to talk to me after class. Arriving late is disruptive to the class, the teacher, and the individual student. For this reason, a student with consistent late arrivals will be informed that their late arrivals will start to be counted as absences. A partial class (arriving more than 10 minutes late or leaving more than 10 minutes early without prior instructor approval) is a missed class. Policy for Late Work In this class, you will be expected to develop and exercise time management skills in writing and submitting essays and process assignments. Unless otherwise noted, assignments are due at the beginning of class time on their due date, in class, online/blackboard, or both as designated by the assignment. Late essays can be submitted for credit with a late deduction up to 72 hours after the due date/time. Late conference drafts or final versions will have 30 grade points deducted from the essay s final version grade. So, for instance, if a student s draft for essay 1 is turned in after the due date and time, and the final version is late, too, than the essay will have 60 points deducted from the final grade. A late reflection or substantive revision assignment will have a deduction that is proportionate to the essays and also has a 72 hour maximum late submission period. If an essay assignment is due in class in hard copy form, having only submitted it to me by blackboard or is not considered turned in on time and that assignment will be considered late. However, if the essay is late you must then a copy to me and turn in a hard copy to my campus mailbox in the Print and Mail Center in Montlake Terrace hall. The Print and Mail center will put the essay in my mailbox and give you a time-noted receipt for submitting it. No late online assignments accepted: online assignments are for one s own progress and contribution as a group participant. They are structured for working responsibly and collectively. They therefore cannot be submitted late for credit. Technology failure is not an excuse for late work: back up your work frequently, print early, and always double-check your online submissions (make sure you can access and open them after they are submitted this usually means others can too)! Online Submission Format: Use.doc,.docx, or.rtf. Unless otherwise stated in the assignment, essays submitted in electronic form on blackboard need to be in.doc,.docx or.rtf file formats only. Otherwise, group members cannot open them and so the submission will 5

6 not be considered turned in. Instructions for converting to these formats if you are using another word processing program (like Apple s Pages or Microsoft s Works ) are provided on the course blackboard. BLACKBOARD AND HYBRID FORMAT This course is a 20% hybrid course, meaning that 20%, or one hour per week, of instruction takes place online. In addition to meeting twice per week, we will use Blackboard for a part of the weekly coursework, including: accessing course materials; accessing, completing, and submitting assignments; and communicating outside of class. Therefore, successful completion of student responsibilities in this class requires access to Blackboard via an Internet browser: You are expected to login to Blackboard to review announcements prior to each class meeting and there will be weekly process assignments conducted on Blackboard. There are over 400 computers on the Edmonds CC campus. See for computer locations. You will need to familiarize yourself with Blackboard and use the tools assigned in class. Information on Blackboard is located online at the following address: Video Tutorials for using Blackboard are at the following web address: Toll-free technical support (24/7 Help desk) is available at In case of technical difficulty preventing you from completing work in this class, you are responsible to actively seek for solutions to technical problems. Keep me informed and keep documentation of any problems that might affect turning in work on time (i.e. s from Blackboard documenting service), as I will likely need these to accept the assignment. The toll-free technical support (24/7 Help desk) is available at See also On campus Technology Help Desk for Students--help with accessing or forwarding Edmail, using Blackboard, navigating technology or using Google Apps is available at the Student Technology Advice and Resource Center (START) on the 3rd floor of the Library. Online tools used for this course include the discussion boards, my grades, and submitting essays via assignment/safe assign on blackboard. You are also responsible for the technical skills and access to technology involved with the following kinds of tasks: establishing your edmail account, checking your edmail account and ensuring it is registered with blackboard, word processing (including opening, saving, uploading word documents, and possibly using the Save As function to save a document as.doc,.docx, or.rtf), using the Add Comment feature on MS Word (a demonstration of this will be provided), cutting and pasting text, typing and submitting text via a text box, using a web browser such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari to access and print web pages, working on two browser windows or applications simultaneously, and watching videos/listening to audio files. COMMUNICATION, TURN-AROUND, AND PACE My is listed at the beginning of this syllabus. is a great way to contact me (better than voic , which I do not check as regularly). You can expect replies within 24 hours M-F. You must use professional writing to receive a response from me. This means a descriptive title in the subject line, a salutation or greeting ( Hello, Dear Professor Griesbach, or Dear Daniel are fine), an introduction that indicates which class you are in (ex: I m in your MW English 100 class ), a valediction or closing ( Sincerely is very formal, so I prefer Thank you or something like that once I know you by name), and, crucially, your name at the close. Using good etiquette and form is a practice that will serve you well in your student and professional lives. So, to encourage everyone to practice and develop 6

7 their best writing in this genre and context, if I get an that doesn t follow good form, I ll return it with the message please read page six of the course syllabus. Communicating Outside of Class and Severe Weather Blackboard has an announcement feature that will allow you to access current information for the course. To stay informed, make a practice of checking the course announcements within 24 hours before each class meeting. In the case of severe weather or emergencies, check the class blackboard and/or my voic before coming. If class will be cancelled, I will post this online. Information for make-up work will also be posted online if class needs to be cancelled. Assignments Returned It takes longer than one day to provide feedback and evaluation on essays. Final versions of essays generally take one week plus to grade. When I have multiple assignments to return, I will prioritize them based on which feedback will help the class most with current assignments. If an essay is turned in late, it may not be returned with the group of on-time essays. I will do my best to get it back to you as soon as possible, but the exact time depends on my scheduling. Pace The readings for this course are not particularly long, but they are sometimes and will require more than one reading for a sufficient understanding. Similarly, expect to devote sufficient time to writing outside of class, both for the process assignments and your essay writing and revising. OTHER COLLEGE/STUDENT INFORMATION Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Center in MLT 159: The Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Center facilitates in obtaining reasonable accommodations necessary to ensure academic success. Please contact the center for assistance at , ssdmail@edcc.edu. Emergency Closure Statement: In case of an emergency closure, please access the following web site for information: and/or call this phone number: You should also refer to Blackboard for specific course announcements in the case of campus closing due to inclement weather (see above). address: You are responsible for verifying your address on Blackboard (go to Personal Settings ). I use the Blackboard s function to send necessary information to the class and to individuals. If your address is incorrect or not one you use, you can miss the information other instructors and I might be trying to send you. As of Fall 2011, the designated should be your Edmail account, which can then be forwarded to another if you prefer (see below). Student Edmail: Students must activate their new (automatically generated) EdMail accounts by going to and entering their Student ID and PIN. The Documents component of your EdMail Gmail account is necessary for the annotation assignment. EdMail will now be the preferred address associated with a student s SID in all administrative systems and Blackboard. Students will not receive course s until they log in to their EdMail account. Students can forward EdMail messages to a different address that they frequently use by logging in once to their EdMail account and setting up forwarding to assure that they will receive messages sent by the college. COURSE OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES FOR ENGLISH 100 According to the Department of English at Edmonds Community College, students who successfully complete English 100 (earning a grade of 2.0 or above) will be able to demonstrate competencies in the following areas: 1.) Integrate critical thinking, reading, and writing to engage college-level texts and to develop college-level expository essays. [REASON] 7

8 Reading closely and accurately summarizing college-level texts. Analyzing college-level texts to identify authors main ideas/claims, supporting evidence, and reasoning and by recognizing distinctions among claims, evidence, and reasoning. Identifying and assessing authors uses of persuasive strategies. Responding thoughtfully and analytically to diverse perspectives in college-level texts. Using evidence logically and ethically from an outside source to support or illustrate claims. Avoiding plagiarism by summarizing and paraphrasing correctly and by using source materials appropriately. 2.) Adapt writing to audience, context, and purpose by using rhetorical principles at an introductory level. [REASON] Responding to audience, purpose, and context by applying appropriate genre, strategies, organization, style, tone, and diction. Producing college-level work suitable for varied academic assignments and contexts. 3.) Apply the basics of composition principles at an introductory level in order to connect ideas coherently, explain them thoroughly, and arrange them logically. [COMMUNICATE] Integrating individual elements into a unified text that addresses the assignment s and the writer s intended purpose(s). Constructing clear, effective thesis statements and claims that demonstrate ability to move from abstract concepts to specific details. Crafting paragraphs with suitable topic/claim sentences, sufficient development and detail, and supportable reasoning. Achieving coherence in their essays by using such devices as transitions within and between paragraphs, repetition of key words, and parallel structure. Organizing and structuring texts logically and clearly by arranging ideas and paragraphs in a purposeful progression or sequence of concepts and connections. 4.) Demonstrate writing processes by exploring and applying various strategies for idea generating, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading. [COMMUNICATE] Generating topics appropriate to assignment and course level. Developing discovery drafts or using other suitable invention strategies. Composing substantial college-level writings in multiple-draft stages. Refining the focus and the thesis for clarity and concision. Collaborating constructively with other student writers via peer reading, review and response. Editing and proofreading according to the conventions of Standard Written English. 5.) Use academic sentence-level conventions and style; apply MLA style documentation at an introductory level for college writing. [COMMUNICATE] Using college-level diction, style, and conventions of Standard Written English. Recognizing and correcting common mechanical/grammatical errors and other technical flaws that interfere with clarity. Avoiding plagiarism by acknowledging outside sources with MLA style in-text citation (author tags, attribution phrases, and parenthetical page citations) and a Works Cited 8