English 93
CRN# 78525
Sec 651
Saturday 9:30-12:30
Room 214, Mission Campus
Anna Mills, Instructor
Class Website: http://fog.ccsf.edu/amills/93.htm
Email: amills@ccsf.edu (I may not check email on weekends)
Office: 560 Batmale Hall
Office Phone: (415) 452-4886 (I may check messages Monday only)
Office Hours: Monday 12-1 on the Ocean campus and by appointment after class Saturday. I make phone appointments on other days.
Cyberia Hours: Monday 3-6 in the Ocean campus English computer lab. (Feel free to drop in to check in with me briefly during this time. Subject to interruption because I will be running the lab.)
Required Texts:
Requirements
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:
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
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Students who fail to complete any essay will not pass the class.
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. The maximum boost to your homework average is one letter grade, or 10%.
Students have told me that the grammar work they did in class really helped them improve their 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.
Instead of assigning discussion questions for each reading to encourage students to prepare, I will often assign you to post your thoughts about the readings to a blog that the class can read. Each student will create a blog on CompClass. You will also be asked to comment on other students' blogs. Blog entries and comments will count for homework credit, but you will also receive an overall grade on the quality of your blog at midterms and at finals.
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.
Homework is due at the beginning of the class period or at another specified time during the week. For example, you may have a blog entry due on Thursday at noon. I will check electronically that you have posted it by that time. I do not accept homework after the beginning of class or after the deadline to post it online. 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.
I will allow 3 absences only during this semester, which you should save for doctor’s appointments, illnesses, and emergencies. After 3 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 partial absence depending on how much time you miss. If you leave early you will also receive a partial absence depending on how much of the class you miss.
Handing in Papers
Late papers are accepted up to one week late, but they are graded down. I will not give feedback on late papers.
Once during the semester, you may turn in a paper up to one week late without penalty and still receive feedback.
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 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 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.
Plagiarism
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. 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 a ZERO. That is worse than an F (an F is 50% credit) and makes it very difficult to pass the class.
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 Vivian Mun.
I am happy to talk or email about any question or concern you have about the class. If you can meet with me after class on Saturday or attend my office hours on Monday at the Ocean campus, do so! A face-to-face conversation is always helpful. However, I am not usually on campus most days of the week, so feel free to make a phone appointment or 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.
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 may check voicemail on Mondays only.
Welcome to Class!