English 96 with Anna Mills
CRN# 79251 , Section 037, Tu/Thurs 2-3:30, Batmale 611
Contact Information | Texts | Requirements | Teaching Philosophy | Writing Success Project
Course Overview | Grading | Extra Credit | Grammar | Blogs | Late Assignments | Attendance | Plagiarism
Class Website: http://fog.ccsf.edu/amills/96.htm
Anna Mills' Email: amills@ccsf.edu (I may not always check email on weekends.)
Office: 560 Batmale Hall
Office Phone: (415) 452-4886 (Email is preferred. I will check voicemail Tuesday and Thursday only.)
Office Hours: Thursday 3:45-5 in Batmale 560 and by appointment Tuesday and Thursday.
Anna Mills' Writing Lab Hours: Tuesday 9-11 and Thursday 11-12. In the Writing Lab, we go by the order on the sign-up sheet. I'd advise arriving early, signing up, and working until I get there. Write "Waiting for instructor" in the margin. If you want to be absolutely sure that you will meet with me, make an appointment at another time in my office.
Writing Success Project Tutor: Tehmina Khan. She can be reached at tkhan@ccsf.edu or 452-5615.
Writing Success Project Groups for our section of English 96: Tuesday 3:30-4:30 and Thursday 1-2 in the Learning Assistance Center on the second floor of the Rosenberg Library, room numbers TBA.
We are fortunate to be one of only a few Writing Success Project linked sections, which means that tutor Tehmina Khan and I will work together closely, she will attend class with you, and she will offer two weekly study groups where you can help each other and ask her questions about class work. These are open to everyone and will earn you extra credit. Officially joining the WSP has many other benefits as well.
This course focuses on environmental issues; however, its primary goal is to help improve your writing, reading, and analytical skills. At the end of the semester, a successful student will be able to do the following:
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 exciting place to be. What I want to do most as a teacher is to share the excitement of the learning process with students.
In my spare time, I write personal essays and argumentative essays on everything from the mountains of Yosemite to my family's sense of humor to my Jewish identity, 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, so I want to know what you really think even if I don’t agree with you. Also, I often make changes to my courses based on student feedback. If you have comments or suggestions, don’t hesitate to let me know.
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.
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Students who fail to complete any essay will not pass the class.
Please note: My students tell me I am a difficult grader. I am not out to get anyone and am glad to give high grades, but I look for adherence to all the essay requirements and I hold you to a high standard. My goal is to encourage you to improve so you can do well in reading and writing in the workplace and at any competitive four-year college. If you are not sure why you got a particular grade, please come and meet with me to discuss it.
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. The maximum boost to your homework average is one letter grade, or 10%. Keep track of your extra credit by obtaining a stamp or signature from the tutor on this sheet.
1) Writing Success Project: Attend one of our class's Writing Success Project study groups with Tehmina Khan.
2) Writing Lab: Meet with a tutor at any stage of the writing process. You can request to work with the faculty tutor (See the faculty tutor schedule).
3) Reading Tutoring: Discuss our assigned reading with a faculty tutor (see the Reading Lab faculty tutor schedule) and increase your comprehension and knowledge of reading strategies. Extra credit is only for meeting with a tutor, not for working individually in the lab or for reading groups.
3) Read a poem or short passage of dazzling prose to the class. Once during the semester, if you would like to share a favorite piece of writing no longer than five minutes and explain why you chose it, I will give extra credit. Let me know ahead of time when you would like to read.
I encourage you to use the Cyberia English computer lab as well; however, you will not receive extra credit for Cyberia time.
Error Logs, Grammar and Proofreading
My belief is that students learn grammar best when they fix errors in their own writing. To encourage you to proofread on your own, I make grammar worth up to half of your grade on each essay. Grammar version: For every out-of-class essay, you will have an opportunity 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. In-class essays will be graded partly based on grammar as well, though the minimum standard will be slightly lower.
I will offer individualized feedback and references to the handbook Rules for Writers for the errors you can't fix on your own. 12.5% of your semester grade will be the average of the grades you get on the three error logs. In the error logs, you will use Rules for Writers to correct errors I have identified on your essays and explain your corrections.
In most sections of English 96, each student will write 6 essays. In this section, however, you will write 4 essays and do the rest of your writing in the online format of a weekly blog which only class members can access. I will give suggested topics for each blog entry, all of which will involve responding to assigned readings. You will also be asked to comment on other students' blogs as a homework assignment. Your blog grade will count as much as two essay grades. Your blogs before midterms will count for 10% of your overall grade, and your blogs after midterms will count for another 10%. Blog entries are time sensitive and feed in to class discussion, so blogs cannot be turned in late.
Blogs will be graded on their thoughtfulness, adherence to the assignment, skillful citing of the readings, demonstrated understanding of the readings, cohesiveness, grammar, and style. I encourage you to use them as an opportunity to develop a critical voice that is both academic and authentic to you.
You are allowed to miss two blog entries all semester without any affect on your blog grade. If you miss more blog entries than that, see me.
Quizzes
I will sometimes give pop quizzes and sometimes advise you of quizzes beforehand. Quizzes may focus on anything assigned for homework.. Each quiz will be graded and will count for two or more homework credits.
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.
Late blog entries are not accepted for credit. You are allowed to miss two blog entries in the course of the semester without any affect on your blog grade. If you miss more blog entries than that, see me.
Late homework is not accepted for credit. However, there is no need to email homework or essays to me if you miss class. Any papers you would have handed in are due the day you return. They are not considered late. You are responsible for keeping track of what you miss.
I will allow 4 absences only during this semester, which you should save for doctor’s appointments, illnesses, and emergencies. After 4 your grade will go down a letter grade with each absence.
If you miss a class for whatever reason you are still responsible for everything that went on in class or was handed out. Email or call a fellow student and check the class website. Any homework you missed is due on the day you return.
Lateness: 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 and will receive a half-absence. If you leave early you will also receive a half-absence.
Handing in Papers
All essays and drafts of essays must be typed and formatted according to MLA conventions.
Each final draft must be submitted in a folder along with any the required work for the paper, which may include drafts or other specified pre-writing assignments. 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 and get your paper stamped there before you turn in your final. This will be considered a make-up visit and will not count for extra credit.
Every semester students fail essays in my class because they plagiarize. Don’t put yourself in that situation! Plagiarism means presenting someone else’s words or ideas as your own. It is a serious academic offense which carries severe consequences. It can happen accidentally as well as intentionally. 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.
Please note: even if you mention the author and page number, a string of words is still plagiarism if you do not put it in quotation marks.
Any work handed in that contains plagiarism, whether it is accidental or intentional, will automatically receive a ZERO. That is worse than an F (an F is 50% credit) and, when calculated into your average, usually makes it impossible to pass the class.
Please read this handout on plagiarism from the CCSF library and then see me if you have any questions about what plagiarism is or how to avoid it.
Disabilities and Learning Differences
Several of my best students have told me about their learning disabilities. They have advocated for themselves, taken advantage of the support services on campus, and earned excellent grades. If you have a disability, 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 notetaker. 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
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, 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. I am not usually on campus other days of the week. If you cannot come to my office, feel free to email me.
When you email, use a professional style of communication. Use your best spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Address me in the first line, and sign the email. Sample:
Subject: Thesis
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 Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Welcome to Class!