English 93

CRN#37496 Section 031

ARTX 184

Tues/Thurs 2:10-3:30

Anna Mills, Instructor

Class Website: http://fog.ccsf.edu/amills/English93.htm

Email: amills@ccsf.edu (I may not check email on weekends)

Office: 560 Batmale Hall                   

Office Phone: (415) 452-4886 (I check messages Tues/Thurs mornings)                                         

Office Hours: Tuesday 1-2 and by appointment Tues/Thurs            

Writing Lab Tutoring Hours: Thursday 10-12 (Sign up early and write “Instructor” next to your name)

Required Texts:

• Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic by John De Graaf, David Wann, and Thomas H. Naylor
• Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing by Diana George and John Trimbur
• They Say I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein
• Rules for Writers by Diana Hacker + electronic access code for CompClass
• A college dictionary

Requirements

• You will need daily internet access for this course.  You will be expected to check email and the class website regularly and will complete some assignments online. If I need to get in touch with you, I will email.  Let me know right away if it is difficult for you to access email and the internet.
• Printing and photocopying fees constitute another cost for this class.  At times, I may ask you to print articles from the class website.

Teaching Philosophy

You might want to know a little bit about where your teacher is coming from. I am the daughter of a math professor and of an elementary school teacher who writes poems and teaches creative writing. My parents taught me to love reading, writing, and thinking and to see the classroom as a dramatic and potentially exciting place to be. What I want to do most as a teacher is to share my excitement. 

In my spare time, I write personal essays and argumentative essays on everything from nature to family to technology, and I send them out for publication. I get a lot of rejection slips and some acceptances. I read books that interest me and make notes on them and often talk about other writers’ ideas in my own writing. The writing process helps me figure out what I think and feel and gain insight into problems or issues that matter to me.  It also allows me to share my ideas with others and get their responses.  I find writing to be difficult, fun, frustrating, humbling, exhilarating, and always intellectually stimulating.  It takes me a long time, I do a lot of revisions (sometimes ten or twenty), and I always get feedback from friends and family. 

All this affects how I teach. Ideally, I would like to make my class an environment where reading and writing are as challenging, exciting, and meaningful for you as they are for me. I also feel it is important to be strict, rigorous, and demanding because I know that improving writing is difficult and I know that whatever profession you choose, you will be judged on your ability to write clear, articulate Standard English.

I expect students to put a lot of time into the writing process because in my experience that is what it takes to produce polished writing and to improve. I like to learn from my students and understand perspectives different from my own. That means I want to know what you really think even if I don’t agree with you.  I also like to know your reactions to what we do in class. I often make changes to my courses based on student feedback.  If you have comments or suggestions, don’t hesitate to let me know.

Course Objectives

The purpose of English 93 is to help develop your reading, writing, and thinking skills.  At the end of the semester, a successful student will be able to do the following:

1. Read and analyze essays for content, structure, purpose, and audience.
2. Use pre-writing techniques and outlining to plan and organize information for your essays.
3. Write essays which develop complex ideas while retaining a single overall focus.
4. Take a stance on a complicated or controversial issue and make a convincing argument.
5. Use the P.I.E. technique to smoothly fit supporting evidence into a paragraph.
6. Write engaging and relevant introductions and conclusions.
7. Write extended, accurate summaries of other texts.
8. Paraphrase, use quotations, and begin to learn MLA requirements.
9. Use subordination, coordination and other sentence-combining techniques to write complex sentences that convey complex ideas clearly.
10. Write coherent in-class essays.
11. Improve academic vocabulary.
12. Recognize and correct serious grammar and proofreading errors.

Time

Success in this course requires a significant investment of time--perhaps an average of 6-12 hours per week outside of class.  I try to make my expectations as clear as possible so you can do well if you can put in the time.

Grading

Students who do not do maintain at least a 50% homework average will not pass the class, regardless of their overall average.

Students who fail to complete any essay will not pass the class.

Students who fail to complete the error logs will not pass the class.

Extra Credit

You can get help from a tutor in the Writing Lab on the second floor of the library at any stage of the writing process.  You can also meet with a Reading Tutor to discuss the assigned reading and increase your comprehension.  Each time you meet with a tutor in one of these labs to work on your English homework, you will receive a 1% boost to your overall homework average.  You will also receive a boost for attending a Writing Lab Workshop.  The maximum boost to your homework average is one letter grade, or 10%.

Homework

The first place to look for information on homework is always the class website. You wil generally have one or more homework assignments due at every class meeting. Homework is due at the beginning of the class.  I do not accept homework after the beginning of class. 

Each assignment is graded on a check plus/check/check minus/half credit basis.  Check plus = 95%. Check = 85%. Check minus = 70%. Half Credit = 50%.

Quizzes

I will sometimes give pop quizzes and sometimes let you know beforehand. Sometimes you will take quizzes online on CompClass. Quizzes may focus on anything assigned for homework.. Each quiz will be graded and will count for two or more homework credits.

Attendance

I will allow 4 absences during this semester, which you should save for doctor’s appointments, illnesses, and emergencies.  You do not need to notify me of the reasons for your absence. After 4 your grade will go down a letter grade with each absence.

Lateness:  Each lateness counts as a half-absence.  If you leave class early, that also counts as a half-absence. Class begins after the ten minute passing period.  Please be prompt.  If you arrive after I take roll at the beginning of class, you will be counted late.

If you miss a class for whatever reason, it is your responsibility to get ahold of any handouts and to find out what you missed. First, check the class website.  Second, email or call a fellow student to ask what went on.  As a last resort, email me.

The day you get back, you must turn in the homework that was due while you were gone as well as the new homework I assigned while you were gone. It is your responsibility to remember to do this.

Handing in Papers

Late papers are accepted up to one week late, but they are graded down. 

Once during the semester, you may turn in a paper up to one week late without penalty.

All essays and drafts of essays must be typed and formatted according to the instructions I will hand out to you.  Homework assignments may be typed or completed by hand.

Each final draft must be submitted in a folder along with all the required work for the paper, which may include drafts, outlines, and a specified pre-writing assignment.  You cannot turn your paper in until you have all the required components.  If you forget one, your paper will be considered late. 

We will have a peer-review day for each out-of-class essay except the first one.  If you miss the peer review day or you do not have a complete rough draft to share, you are required to visit the Writing Lab before you turn in your final.  This visit will be considered make-up and will not count for extra credit.

Grammar Version: For every out-of-class essay, you have the option to do a final proofread of grammar and sentence-level errors such as punctuation and turn this version in the class period after the official due date. I will base the overall essay grade on the content of the earlier version and the grammar of the “grammar version.”

Error Logs

Studies have shown that students improve their grammar most when they work on the mistakes in their own writing.  In this class, you will keep error logs on the errors in your papers to help you recognize the most common serious mistakes in your own writing and learn to correct them. You will receive a grade based on the quality of work you do on your error logs. Satisfactory completion of the error logs, including any assigned grammar exercises, is required to pass the class.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism means presenting someone else’s words or ideas as your own.  It is a serious academic offense which carries severe consequences.  In this class, you are responsible for understanding what plagiarism is and for avoiding it in your papers.

The Four-Word Rule:  Plagiarism means using four or more words in a row from another person’s writing without putting those words in quotation marks. 

Any work handed in that contains plagiarism, whether it is accidental or intentional, will automatically receive an F.  Every semester I find both intentional and unintentional plagiarism in student essays.  Don’t let yours be one of these papers.

Disabilities and Learning Differences

Several of my best students have told me about their physical or learning disabilities.  They have advocated for themselves, taken advantage of the support services on campus, and earned excellent grades. If you have a disability such as dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, hearing loss, or anxiety disorder, you may not realize how much is available and how many rights you have.  Make sure to register with the DSPS Department so you can get documentation of your disability and request appropriate accommodations such as extended time on tests or a note taker. Contact me about accommodations during the first week of the semester so that we can make arrangements. 

If you wonder whether or not you have a learning disability, you can meet with a counselor at the Disabled Students Programs and Services Department (DSPS) in Rosenberg 323 to discuss your questions and possibly receive free testing.  

Whether or not you have a disability, you can get individualized help with class work, time management, and learning strategies through the DSPS Strategy Lab or the Academic Assistance Program.  See me for more information or stop by Batmale 231 and speak with Vivien Mun.

Rules

• Turn off all cell phones and other electreonic devices before coming to class.  As you know, these can be disruptive.  If your electronic device goes off during class or if I find that you are texting during class, you will be marked absent.
• Do not eat during class.  (It distracts others.)
• Most importantly, remember to bring all necessary books and handouts to class. 

Getting My Help

I am happy to talk or email about any question or concern you have about the class.  If you can attend my office hours, please do so!  A face-to-face conversation is always helpful.  You are also welcome to make an appointment for another time on a Tuesday or Thursday.  If you cannot come to my office, feel free to email me to ask questions or request assistance on homework or papers.  If you send email earlier in the day, it is more likely that I will get back to you the same day.

Teachers are not perfect. I am fairly well-organized, but I am occasionally forgetful.  Help me out by reminding me what we discussed before if you are following up on something. If you tell me something during class, an email after class will ensure that I follow up.

When you email, use a professional style of communication.  Choose a subject heading that tells me something about what is in the email.  You don’t need to put your name or the course name in the subject heading. Use your best spelling, punctuation, and grammar.  Address me in the first line, and sign the email.  Sample:

                    Subject: Thesis difficulties   

Hello Ms. Mills,

 

I am having trouble coming up with a thesis for the paper on An Inconvenient Truth.  I was wondering if I could make an appointment to meet with you tomorrow after class.

 

Thanks,

Janette Smith

 

If you do not have access to email, you can leave me a voicemail message.  I check voicemail on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. 

Welcome to Class!