English 1B: Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking about Literature with Anna Mills
CRN# 30153, Section 002, MWF 10:10-11:00 AM
Batmale 411, Ocean Campus
Class Websites: 
http://insight.ccsf.edu for all assignments and resources.
http://fog.ccsf.edu/amills/1B.htm for general information about the class.
Anna Mills' Email: amills@ccsf.edu
Office Hours: Monday 11-11:30 after class.  We may meet in our regular classroom or move to my office, 560 Batmale Hall, Ocean campus.  I will often be available Wednesdays and Fridays after class as well, but it helps to email me in advance so I will be sure to arrange my schedule to meet with you.                  
Required Materials:
•	The Norton Introduction to Poetry by J. Paul Hunter, ninth edition.  A used version is fine, even if it does not include the audio CD.  You will need the ninth edition rather than an earlier edition.  ISBN 0-393-92857-8.

•	Othello by William Shakespeare, Norton Critical Edition 2004.   You must buy the Norton Critical Edition because it contains required additional readings about the play. ISBN 9780393976151.

•	Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Franz Kafka. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition.  Again, you need this particular addition both because of pagination and additional readings. ISBN 9780143105244.

•	Regular internet access.  You will be expected to check email and log in to the class Insight website before every class and will complete many assignments online.  
Why a class on literature?
I want this to be a class you enjoy. Reading and discussing literature should be a delight. I also want it to be a challenging class in which you become a more advanced thinker, reader, and writer in ways which help you succeed in college and career. 
In most careers you won’t be required to quote Shakespeare. Nevertheless, a case can be made that every college graduate needs to wrestle with literature and sharpen his or her critical thinking skills in the process of reading and writing about it. Reading literature and writing about it is advanced training for all forms of reading and writing. Literary texts are complex, multifaceted texts which demand all our intelligence and engagement.  Their meanings are often ambiguous or uncertain. Reading critically and writing intelligently in response to this uncertainty is prime training for adult life, both personal and professional.
In addition, some familiarity with fiction, drama, and poetry in English is expected of an educated person with a college degree. In a global, multicultural society, literature helps us develop the sensitivity and imagination to understand differences in culture and human experience.
Most majors and careers depend on some facility with language. In this class you will hone your essay and sentence-crafting skills.  You will read many elegantly crafted sentences in the literature which you can draw on later as models for your own writing.
Beyond all these practical reasons, that literature is perhaps the fullest way the human race has found to express itself in words. Here is a way to ask and attempt to grapple the big questions: What is life about?  What is important? What do we face as humans and how do we meet the challenges of our lives? I hope you’ll find that at least one of the texts we read together contains an insight that resonates deeply with you and which you might not have been able to formulate on your own.
Instructor
Why I am I teaching the class? I was always a kid with her nose in a book.  I picked up a love of words from my family and I get great pleasure from reading fiction and poetry as well as from many forms of writing. My training is as a creative writer: I have a Master of Fine Arts degree in Writing and Literature with an emphasis on nonfiction, and I have published many personal essays. I have also written literary criticism at http://onnaturewriting.blogspot.com.  I love the process of looking closely at words, phrases, and writers’ choices to discover insight, nuance, and complexity. I love hearing students’ reactions to texts and seeing how students can build on each other’s ideas to create a rich, complex, deep discussion that enhances everyone’s understanding.
Course Content
Departmental MAJOR LEARNING OUTCOMES for English 1B at City College
Upon completion of this course, a student will be able to:

A. Integrate reading, writing, and critical thinking about literature.
B. Analyze, synthesize, and evaluate literature by means of close textual reading, identifying central themes and key literary elements (plot, character, setting, etc.).
C. Distinguish and assess literal and figurative language to make inferences and draw conclusions about the literary work, and identify how these help generate and limit the logic and meaning of the text.
D. Apply logical reasoning to critical analysis of a variety of texts, developing individual interpretations supported by weighting evidence and drawing inferences to reach reasonable conclusions.
E. Differentiate between fact and opinion in critical and scholarly works, identifying faulty reasoning and logical fallacies.
F. Distinguish among the conventions of various genres and understand the impact of these conventions on both form and content.
G. Identify and apply logical concepts as appropriate to discussion of ideas and written discourse, identifying reasonable inference as revealed by inductive and deductive logic.
H. Produce coherent expository/argumentative essays about course texts, synthesizing the student's own reading of the primary text(s) and understanding how context informs the reading, offering critical perspectives on the human condition to enhance critical thinking skills.
I. Assess an assignment and determine appropriate form and response, with attention to making arguments about literature.
J. Manage the writing process to incorporate choice, change, and revision. 
K. Distinguish between proof reading, editing, and substantive revision.
L. Evaluate and incorporate primary and secondary sources, literary theories, and MLA style into an academic essay.

Grading
o	Forum posts (weekly paragraph-long responses to assigned poems): 35% 
o	Explication of a poem: 12.5%
o	Explication of a Shakespeare passage:  12.5% 
o	Research paper 20%
o	Midterm in-class essay 5%
o	Final in-class essay 5%
o	Homework: 10%	

Forums
Students will write one forum post per week on Insight responding to an assigned reading. 
Forum posts must be a full paragraph of 200 words or more for full credit.
Grading: Forum posts will should be thoughtful and show understanding of the text or stylistic concept in question.  They should include one or more specific references to the text such as a quotation of a phrase or line.  They should be cohesive, a connected series of thoughts, not a disjointed list of random observations. Finally, they should engage readers in a lively way, perhaps by offering a question or a comment that is surprising, challenging, emotional, personal, or otherwise fresh and compelling. I encourage you to use them as an opportunity to develop an authentic voice as a critical reader.
You are allowed to miss one forum post all semester without any affect on your forum grade. 
Grammar
In English 1B the expectation is that you can write Standard English without major errors. Your grammar will have a big impact on how you are viewed in future classes and professional environments, so even though we will not spend time in class on grammar instruction, I will offer individualized feedback and additional assignments if you do still have major errors. 
For every out-of-class essay, I will offer you a chance to turn in a “grammar version” one class after the final version is due.  This means you have an opportunity to focus solely on grammar and meet with a tutor to help you proofread. 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. 
Homework
Your homework grade will be based on assignments such as the following:
•	Comments on other students’ forum posts, 
•	Margin notes or annotation of assigned readings 
•	Announced or unannounced quizzes.
•	Imitations of particular literary forms and styles

Deadlines
Once in the semester, you may turn in a paper up to one week late without penalty. Other late papers will be graded down. 
Late forum posts are not accepted for credit. You are allowed to miss forum post in the course of the semester without any affect on your blog grade. If you miss more 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. 

Extra Credit Options
1) Each time you meet with a tutor in the English lab, you will receive a 2.5% boost to your homework average.  For example, if you meet with a tutor four times, you will raise your homework grade by one letter grade. If you do additional extra credit you can even earn a homework average of more than 100%, which will boost your overall grade. You can meet with a tutor to discuss a poem or improve a forum post, brainstorm ideas for a paper, organize a draft, or polish grammar. 
2) Read a poem or a short excerpt from a play or work of fiction 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.

Attendance
I will allow 6 absences only during this semester, which you should save for doctor’s appointments, illnesses, and emergencies.  After 6 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 or if you leave early, you will receive a partial absence according to the amount of time you miss. 

Plagiarism
As you probably know, 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 makes it very difficult 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.
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!  I am also happy to arrange a meeting at another time. A face-to-face conversation is always helpful, but email works well too.  I usually respond within a day, so feel free to write to me at amills@ccsf.edu.
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, please let me know.
Welcome to Class!