CAP C: ENG 101/108 English Composition I and Learning across the Disciplines

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1 CAP C: /108 English Composition I and Learning across the Disciplines 15 weeks / 3 credits Instructor: Crystal Bacon Catalog descriptions: English 108, Learning across the Disciplines, is a practicum that models the language, style and logic of college-level courses by incorporating materials from a wide range of disciplines such as math, science, humanities and social sciences. Grounded in learning theory, the instructor, performing in the role of master student, models the vocabulary, style and logic of college-level courses so that students can become competitive, independent learners. English 108 provides instruction in attitudes and discrete skills for adapting to the demands of the academic disciplines at Community College of Philadelphia and four-year institutions so that students can become competitive, independent learners. First of a two-part sequence in English composition. This course requires the writing of academic essays of about 500 words which develop significant ideas in a sequence of wellorganized paragraphs with a minimum of errors. Students are expected to use a variety of rhetorical patterns and respond in writing to assigned reading. Prerequisite: "Pass" grade in 098 or satisfactory score on the composition placement test. Welcome! This semester will be an historical one for all of us as it begins with the inauguration of our new president, Barack Obama. In some cases, he may be the first president for whom you cast a vote. We have the opportunity during the first hundred days of the presidency, basically the sixteen weeks of our semester, to get to know our president more deeply than has usually been the case. Consider this quotation from our reader this semester, Dreams from My Father:... I have seen the desperation and disorder of the powerless: how it twists the lives of children on the streets of Jakarta or Nairobi in much the same way as it does the lives of children on Chicago s South Side, how narrow the path is for them between humiliation and untrammeled fury, how easily they slip into violence and despair. I know that the response of the powerful to this disorder -- alternating as it does between a dull complacency and, when the disorder spills out of its proscribed confines, a steady, unthinking application of force, of longer prison sentences and more sophisticated military hardware -- is inadequate to the task. I know that the hardening of lines, the embrace of fundamentalism and tribe, dooms us all. 1

2 Our work this semester will take us into Obama s book and into his life to explore the years that led him to where he is today. We may find that he is more like us than we had imagined, that his path can also be our path. Memoir is often written to not only inform but to inspire. My hope is that you will find inspiration in his words, his life, to fire your own. Required Textbooks Obama, Barack. Dreams from My Father. Random House. Smith, Brenda D. and Laura Courtney Headley. The Lifelong Reader. Pearson/Longman. (with MyReadingLab) Aaron, Jane. LB Brief Handbook. Pearson/Longman (with MyCompLab) Floppy disk, CD or jump drive, notebook and binder for handouts and paper work A College Dictionary such as the American Heritage 2

3 Course Policies and Objectives Be Mindful Life is noisy and hectic, and there are many things in your life that compete for your attention: family, friends, jobs, other classes just to name a few. I will invite you this semester to create some quiet space for your mind to enhance your experience in this course. Use the five minutes before class to quiet down and calm your mind. Unplug. Turn off your cell phone and your i-pod. Lower your voice. Enter class quietly and sit quietly until class starts. Be Prepared Your success in these linked courses is directly related to your success in each individual course. Both courses are writing and reading intensive. You must do all reading and journal writing prior to class in order to participate fully and engage in the writing projects that will be the semester s work. All homework assignments are due on the class period following the class when they are assigned. According to the policies set by the College, if you miss six or more days of a MWF class for any reason, I may drop you from the class without warning. Conferences are one-on-one meetings that you will have with me, in my office, B2-28C. You have two required conferences in this course. Each conference is worth 3 days of class. Failure to attend your scheduled conference on time will be reflected in your attendance report and may result in being dropped from the class. You must have an active account and access to the Internet in order to participate fully in this course. The Student Academic Computing Center, or SACC, (B2-33) can help you to get online. If you have a home computer and would like a CCP account, you can get assistance at There are computer labs available for student use at many locations at CCP. I don t have a computer at home is not an acceptable excuse for not turning in your work on time. All assignments, unless otherwise specified, are to be submitted electronically, generally as Word (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rtf) documents attached to a CCP . Ask if you don t know how to do this. TURN OFF CELL PHONES UNLESS YOU HAVE INSTRUCTOR PERMISSION, THEN SET TO VIBRATE. NO CALLS ARE TO BE TAKEN IN CLASS. Emergency calls must be taken in the hallway. Late Work: If you fail to turn in any essay, you will receive a zero (0) for that grade. Plagiarism: Don't do it! The following statement on plagiarism is excerpted from the College s Student Handbook. 3

4 Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of integrity in all their academic work. It is further expected that any written assignment presented by students in fulfillment of course requirements will reflect their own work unless credit is properly given to others. Therefore, students must identify any part of an assignment that uses the words or materials of other people and give credit for the source. Failure to do so is a form of stealing known as plagiarism and is a very serious offense. Plagiarism is defined as the act of appropriating all or part of a literary composition of another person or the ideas or language of another person and passing them off as one s own. It may consist of quoting from a source without using quotation marks, transcribing published material, using someone else s ideas without appropriate references, or submitting work which has been reproduced or bought from another person. Anyone who assists another in such academic dishonesty is equally responsible. You will be given a zero (0) for the first assignment found to contain plagiarism. A second offense will result in an F for the course and being reported to the English Department, who may initiate disciplinary action. Objectives: Students will: Write correctly with a minimum of grammatical or mechanical errors. Use a variety of sentence patterns, indicating a generally mature style. Use vocabulary to convey meaning accurately and appropriately for written communication. Organize and develop a non-trivial idea in several well-structured paragraphs. Summarize the content of an essay or article in writing. Use appropriate rhetorical development (e.g. description, narration, analysis, comparison, classification, and persuasion) in order to structure ideas in writing. Read an essay, form a generalization from it, and develop an argument based on the generalization including support from both the source and the student s own experience and employing the MLA style of documentation. Demonstrate an awareness of the responsibilities of intelligent citizenship in a diverse and pluralistic society, and will demonstrate cultural, global, and environmental awareness. Grading: Journal (20%) o 20 required discovery entries (Instructions are on the course page in My CCP) Essays (60%) o 4 Essays of varying lengths on President Obama s inauguration speech and the sections of his book, Dreams from My Father Final Exam (20%) o 1 Final Exam essay on a selected theme in the book Objectives: Students will: 4

5 Take notes for lectures, written texts (using a reading strategy such as SQ3R), discussions, and documentaries, with the emphasis on developing critical thinking skills for challenging material Manage time to develop schedules for maximum understanding and retention of course content Form study partnerships with individuals and groups to cement learning Prepare for and take a variety of test types, with emphases on the memory process and essay exams Navigate the career/transfer process Grading: Journal (40%) o 20 required discovery entries (Instructions are attached) Application Exercises: (40%) o All assigned pre-tests and tests on My Reading Lab Final Exam: (20%) o Reading Skills Post-test on MRL In addition to the following grading scale, a student may earn a grade of MP, or Making Progress. This grade is assigned to students who have completed the course requirements as explained in the syllabus and whose progress demonstrates the ability to pass the course with additional time in the following semester. A handout explaining the MP grade follows. Grading Scale A B C D 50 0 F A Fact Sheet on the MP Grade Which students are eligible for the MP? MP is a grade available for students in all developmental courses, all English 101 courses, and all ESL courses on the main campus, at the Regional Centers, and in the Community Services Division. What does MP mean? MP stands for Making Progress. Students who receive this grade must have completed the course requirements regarding assignments, attendance, punctuality, and class participation as explained in the course syllabus. Students should be truly making progress by showing improvement and demonstrating the ability to pass the course if given more time to do so. The MP grade signifies that the student is correctly placed and should benefit from what is taught in the course. Why does this grade exist? 5

6 Some students need more time than others to practice reading and writing skills. We want students to be able to take up to three semesters at one level without being dropped for poor scholarship. Why is this grade better than an F or a W? Whether a student continues at the college depends on grade point average; to graduate, a student needs a 2.0 average. An F lowers the grade point average significantly. An MP grade is not calculated into the student s grade point average at all. An MP grade allows the student to remain in the class without risking an F. The MP allows the student to register for the course for up to two additional terms before a letter grade must be given. If students are in English 101, why can't they just get a D instead of an MP? A grade of D means the student is ready for English 102 and should be able to write a passing essay consistently even if minimally. A D counts for graduation, but it is not transferable. Academic and Student Support Services: Learning Labs The Central Learning Lab (B1-28) Humanities, The South Learning Lab (B2-36) - Math and Business, The West Learning Lab (W3-26) - Science and Allied Health Counseling Department The Counseling Center is located in W2-2 and can be reached by calling Health and Wellness Center The student health center, with a nurse practitioner, is located in Room M1-21 ( ). Center on Disability If you require special accommodations and have not registered with the Center on Disability, please do so in Room M1-22. Please notify me within the first week of classes if you require special accommodations. 6

7 and 108 Weekly Assignment Schedule Wed 1/21 Fri 1/23 Course overview: Introductions, My CCP, syllabus activity, learning styles inventory. Read and annotate Obama s inaugural speech HW: Finish reading and annotating speech Mon 1/26 Wed 1/28 Create an electronic journal, write a critical reading journal entry for Obama s speech Discuss entries ESSAY ONE Write a two page essay exploring some idea in the inaugural speech o Follow the essay guidelines on pages of the syllabus Bring a print out of your essay to your conference Fri 1/30 PEER REVIEW 2/2-6 Early Review conferences. Bring your journal and essay. BUY BOOKS THIS WEEK and complete the homework assignments for next week! HW for 2/9: Lifelong Reader o Log in to My Reading Lab using the insert in Lifelong Reader o Complete the Reading Skills Diagnostic Pre-Test and Lexile Reading Test o Read Chapter 1 o Answer all questions o Login to My Reading Lab and complete the Active reading practices, pre-test and test o Create a critical reading journal entry for World War I: The Lusitania OR The Myth of the Doomed Family Dreams from My Father o Read and annotate Chapters 1 and 2 o Create a Discovery journal entry for each chapter following the directions on page 14 of the syllabus 7

8 Mon 2/9 Syllabus contract due Review Ch. 1 Lifelong Reader Discuss Ch. 1 in Obama Wed 2/11 Fri 2/13 Discuss Lusitania, and Doomed Family Discuss Ch. 2 in Obama Continue Obama discussion, create MyCompLab accounts HW: Lifelong Reader o Read Chapter 2, and answer all questions Dreams o Read and annotate Chapters 3-6 o Create a Discovery journal entry for each chapter Mon 2/16 Login to MyReadingLab, and complete the Vocabulary activities Discuss Ch 3 in Obama Wed 2/18 Review Ch. 2 Lifelong Reader Discuss Ch. 4 in Obama HW: Lifelong Reader o Read Chapter 3 o Answer all questions o Create a critical reading journal entry for What s Your Best Time of Day OR Heredity or Environment o Log on to MRL and complete the Main Ideas practice exercises and pre-tests Fri 2/20 Review Ch. 3 Lifelong Reader Continue Obama discussion 8

9 HW: Aaron: Read Chapters 1-4 Mon 2/23 Login to MyReadingLab, and take the Main Idea Activity test Ch 1 2 in Aaron Wed 2/25 Fri 2/27 Discuss Best Time of Day and Heredity or Environment Ch 3 4 in Aaron Essay Two: Origins in MyCompLab HW: Lifelong Reader o Read Chapter 4 o Answer all questions o Create a critical reading journal entry for Mind Body OR Fads and Fashions o Log on to MRL and complete the Details practice exercises and pre-tests Dreams o Read and annotate Chapters 7-9 o Create a Discovery journal entry for each chapter Mon 3/2 Login to MyReadingLab, and take the Details test Discuss Ch 7 in Obama Wed 3/4 Review Ch. 4 Lifelong Reader Discuss Ch 8 in Obama Fri 3/6 Discuss Mind Body and Fads and Fashions MyCompLab Peer review of ESSAY TWO HW: 9

10 ESSAY TWO o Revise essay o Submit as an attachment by midnight Wednesday 3/18 Dreams o Read and annotate Chapters o Create a Discovery journal entry for each chapter Lifelong Reader o Read Chapter 5 o Answer all questions o Read The Lottery o Log on to MRL and complete the Patterns practice exercises and pre-tests 3/9 13 March Break Mon 3/16 Wed 3/18 Login to MyReadingLab, and take the Patterns test Discuss Ch 10 in Obama Essay Two due by midnight Review Ch. 5 Lifelong Reader Discuss Ch 11 in Obama Fri 3/20 Discuss The Lottery Complete Obama discussion HW: Lifelong Reader o Read Chapter 6 o Answer all questions o Create a critical reading journal entry for Disinformation s for You OR Beauty and the Beat Dreams o Read and annotate Chapters o Create a Discovery journal entry for each chapter Mon 3/23 Login to MyReadingLab, and complete the Point of View activity Grammar workshop: be prepared to discuss your marked essays, Bring Dornan 10

11 Wed 3/25 Review Ch. 6 Lifelong Reader Discuss Ch 13 in Obama Fri 3/27 Discuss For All You Do and Beauty and the Beef Discuss Ch 14 in Obama HW: Aaron: Read Ch 6 Lifelong Reader o Read Chapter 7 o Answer all questions o Create a critical reading journal entry for Waste OR Get A Life o Log on to MRL and complete the Critical Thinking practice exercises and pre-tests Mon 3/30 Login to MRL and complete the Critical Thinking test Discuss Aaron Wed 4/1 Discuss Ch. 7 Lifelong Reader Essay Three: Chicago brainstorming and drafting Fri 4/3 Discuss Waste and Life Draft Essay Three in MyCompLab HW: ESSAY THREE o Write a four page essay on the Chicago section o Provide quoted or paraphrased information from the text o Follow the essay guidelines on pages of the syllabus o Be prepared for peer review on Friday 4/10 Lifelong Reader 11

12 o Read Chapter 9 o Answer all questions o Create a critical reading journal entry for Online Shopping OR Linear Motion o Log on to MRL and complete the Reading Textbooks practice exercises and pre-tests Dreams o Read and annotate Chapters o Create a Discovery journal entry for each chapter Mon 4/6 Login to MRL and complete Reading Textbooks test Discuss Ch 15 in Obama Wed 4/8 Login to MRL, and take the Note Taking/Highlighting test Discuss Ch 16 Fri 4/10 Login to MRL and take the Outlining and Summarizing test Discuss Ch 17 HW: Dreams o Read and annotate Chapters o Create a Discovery journal entry for each chapter Mon 4/13 Wed 4/15 Fri 4/17 Discuss Ch 18 in Obama Continued ESSAY FOUR: Kenya o Draft a four page essay on the Kenya section in MCL o Provide quoted or paraphrased information from the text o Follow the essay guidelines on pages of the syllabus o Be prepared for peer review on Friday, April 24 HW: Read Obama s Epilogue and create a discovery journal entry Mon 4/20 Discuss Epilogue 12

13 Wed 4/22 Fri 4/24 Final Exam Preparation: Themes in Dreams MCL Peer Review HW: Submit your finished essay by before midnight on Sunday Mon 4/27 Wed 4/29 Journals due NOTE: This syllabus is tentative and subject to change. All changes will be reflected on My CCP; please check regularly for announcements, discussion and amendments. 13

14 Journal There will be two types of entries in this journal, Discovery entries, and Critical Reading entries. Instructions for each follow. Discovery Entry Criteria: Obama In a paper notebook, split your page into two columns. Label the left column Ideas from the Text, and write here any ideas that you highlighted or annotated in your text while reading, including new vocabulary words, which I will expect to be defined in the margins of the text for class discussion. Quote Obama directly, and cite the quotation with the page number. It s helpful to look for key ideas in the chapters. He breaks them down into sections, which will help you to identify the over arching thesis. Be sure to know every word you ve read as I will ask for definitions in class and give credit for correct answers. Label the second column My Thoughts, and write here your questions, thoughts, disagreements, definitions or any other reflection or response to what you ve quoted. This journal will help you to make meaning from and discover connections in Obama s work. It will also provide handy quotations for your essays. Critical Reading Journal Entry Criteria: Longer Readings in Smith and Headley Create a journal on your computer or on a disk as a single word document, and add pages throughout the semester for each assignment. If you need assistance, please make an appointment to meet with me. 1. Create a complete, correct MLA Bibliographic entry for the reading using the form for a work from an anthology. 2. Copy the author s thesis if it is explicitly stated in the article, or paraphrase it if it is implied. 3. List the article s main points be sure that you understand the difference between main points and supporting ideas. These should be paraphrased or summarized unless they require direct quotation. 4. Summarize the article be sure that you understand the difference between summary and paraphrase. Ask for guidance if you are unsure. 5. Reflect on the following ideas: a. What was new information? b. How did the information change your thinking on the subject? c. How will you apply that information to future learning or in your life? 6. List any new vocabulary words with definitions. 14

15 Essay Guidelines Follow these guidelines for each essay that you hand in for a grade. Title: o Give the essay a title that reflects your thesis. o A title is not a statement of a topic. o Unless you are quoting someone, do not use quotation marks. o Do not underline the title. o Use proper title capitalization (see Hacker s Rules for Writers). Introduction o Use a combination of introductory techniques as discussed in Hacker: Quotable quotation Rhetorical question Hypothetical situation Anecdote Startling fact or statistic o Develop your ideas to lead to your thesis Deduction: leading from a generalization to a specific observation Induction: leading from a specific observation to a generalization o State your thesis at the end of the introduction (which may be more than one paragraph). A single declarative statement. Not a question. Body paragraphs o Follow the order or logical sequence of the thesis. o Have clear topic sentences. o All ideas relate to the topic sentence (unity). o All ideas relate to each other (coherence). o Use a variety of developmental techniques as discussed in Hacker. Narration Description Example Illustration Definition Cause and Effect Comparison/Contrast Division and Classification o Use transitions to connect ideas within and between paragraphs. o Have clear concluding sentences that may act as transitions to following paragraphs. Conclusion o Mirrors introduction by revisiting the structure and ideas presented there. o Restate the thesis in expanded or different terms. o Leave the reader with something to think about or a suggestion to follow. Source citation (When assigned) o All sources are cited correctly in the body using MLA parenthetical citation format as discussed in Aaron. o All sources are cited correctly in a Works Cited (the last page of the essay) as discussed in Aaron. Grammar and spelling 15

16 o All sentences are complete and correct. o All words are spelled correctly. Document style o Essay is composed using a word processing program. o Essay has standard margins of 1 top and bottom, 1.25 left and right. o Essay is double spaced. o Font is Times New Roman

17 English Composition 101 and Learning across the Disciplines: CAP C /108 Section 182 Spring 2009 syllabus and contract I certify that I have read this syllabus and agree to meet the conditions that it sets. I understand that my success in this course is directly related to meeting the conditions set by the instructor including, but not limited to: regular attendance prepared participation willingness to learn regular practice through homework and class work I understand that all work submitted for a grade must be my own and must be submitted in the proper manner, including electronically, by the due date specified in the syllabus and that assignments can be made up only at the instructor s discretion. I understand that my behavior in class will affect other students learning experiences, so I agree not to chat, pass notes, eat, listen to music or in any other way disturb the learning environment. Print name: Sign Date 17