Clovis Community College
Fall 2019
English 1A
Reading and Composition-4 units
Instructor: (Cynthia) Amber Tidwell
Course Length: 8/12/19-12/13/19
Office hours: By appointment only
Email: amber.tidwell@scccd.edu

IMPORTANT DATES:

Please check the Clovis Community College website for information about drop dates. 

PRE-REQUISITE:

A “credit” grade in English 125 or ESL 67, and English 126 or ESL 68 or appropriate score on the reading and writing sections of the Placement Test.                      

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Reading, analyzing, and writing college-level prose with emphasis on the expository; studying writing as a process; exploring different writing strategies; summarizing; editing, and critiquing; conducting research (gathering, organizing, evaluating, integrating and documenting information). 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• Apply critical reading strategies to a variety of primarily nonfiction
  expository and argumentative texts.
• Apply analytical writing strategies to produce expository and
  research-based argumentative essays.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• Read, analyze, and evaluate a variety of primarily non-fiction
  texts (will include a full reading) for content, context, and
  rhetorical merit with consideration of tone, audience, and
  purpose.
• Apply a variety of rhetorical strategies in writing unified, wellorganized
  essays with arguable theses and persuasive support
• Develop varied and flexible strategies for generating, drafting,
  and revising essays
•  Analyze stylistic choices in their own writing and the writing of
  others
• Write timed/in-class essays exhibiting acceptable college-level
  control of mechanics, organization, development, and coherence
• Integrate the ideas of others through paraphrasing,
  summarizing, and quoting without plagiarism
• Find, evaluate, analyze, and interpret primary and secondary
  sources, incorporating them into written essays using
  appropriate documentation forma
•  Proofread and edit essays for presentation so they exhibit no
  disruptive errors in English grammar, usage, or punctuation

ONLINE SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

This course is a fully online which means it takes place primarily through Canvas. This means you must have access to the internet and understand how to use Canvas and other resources such as Zoom and YouTube that will enhance the course. Free internet access is available on campus to all CCC students. All assignments must be turned in online.

REGULAR AND EFFECTIVE CONTACT STATEMENT:

I will be in contact with you each week as a participant on your Canvas discussions. I will also be in communication through grading assignments and answering emails or messages sent through Canvas through the “Inbox” function. I will check my email at least once a day and will respond as necessary. I will not respond to questions that can be answered by the syllabus or on the Canvas shell. Important information can be found in Announcements, Assignments, and Modules. Be thorough in your search for answers before emailing me. I will grade essays within 10 days of the deadlines, and discussions within 3 days of the deadline. This is subject to change based based on what works for our particular course. I will notify you of any changes I intend to make within the first two weeks of the semester.

ASSIGNMENT/METHODS OF ASSESSMENT:

Research Based Assignments

Quizzes

Essays

Discussions

Bookwork

Quizzes

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

1. Writing Spaces is your FREE ONLINE TEXTBOOK.

2. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (Please purchase this ASAP and begin reading).

3. Internet Access-Preferably Google Chrome. Canvas works best with Chrome.

4. Computer Access-Canvas is not always compatible with tablets. IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE YOUR PHONE TO COMPLETE ASSIGNMENTS, YOU ARE RUNNING THE RISK OF FORMATTING AND ACCESSIBILITY PROBLEMS. 

CANVAS INFORMATION:

Your assignments will be submitted and graded on Canvas. This is where you can communicate with me and your classmates with ease. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with Canvas. Try to think of it as the “social media” for our class, and get used to checking it daily for information, announcements, and other class-centered concerns. If you do not understand how to utilize this learning system, please go to the computer lab or library and get some help to become familiar with it. Your success in this class will depend on this. There are many resources online through Youtube and Google that will help you navigate Canvas. However, not understanding how to use Canvas is no excuse for late assignments or missed work. This is on you, so figure it out quickly!

LATE WORK:

You will know your deadlines on the first day of the course. Since your work is due online by midnight, you should plan accordingly to get it in on time. If you miss the assignment, I will accept late essays in the Late Drop Box on Canvas. However, when you submit to this drop box, you are acknowledging that you can only make up to half credit on the assignment. You may use this box more than once, as it is open all semester and allows for resubmissions.

If you fail to submit the first two assignments, I will drop you from the course. This means you will need to work on your prioritization and planning in order to make sure you are getting your work done. The work for this class is not specifically difficult, does require a constant level of attention and awareness of deadlines. I have tried to schedule it all very consistently from week to week, so hopefully you will find your rhythm quickly.

EXTRA CREDIT:

On the rare occasion when I give extra credit, it will be added to the top of your 1000 available points.

PLAGIARISM:

Plagiarists will receive a zero on copied or hired work with no opportunity to regain points. I will also submit a formal complaint to the Dean about anyone who plagiarizes. Further attempts of plagiarism will result in punitive measures. I reserve the right to ask for notes, drafts, research, and to contact former teachers to investigate plagiarized work. I will also submit your work to an online plagiarism detection service (turnitin.com) Your work should be supported by evidence and example, and at least 2/3 of your own analysis, not simply the rephrased words of another source. This means your "similarity" scores should stay around 30%.  It is very thorough, so make sure you understand what qualifies as plagiarism. DO NOT USE RECYCLED ASSIGNMENTS. Create NEW WORK for each assignment unless you receive PRIOR permission.

DSPS STATEMENT:

Disabled Students Programs & Services (DSP&S) is designed to provide specialized services and accommodations that assist students with documented physical, psychological and learning disabilities reach their maximum potential while achieving their educational goals. Students with disabilities must "self-identify" and request services from DSP&S for services to be initiated. If you have a document from the DSPS office, you could be entitled to certain accommodations within our classroom. Please present a copy of the document to me during the first week of class, so that I can make whatever accommodations are necessary. Contact 559-325-5230 for more information on this.

ONLINE BEHAVIOR:

While I hope you will check the Canvas shell as often as you do with your Social Media accounts, I expect you all to remain respectful of your peers as you comment on discussion boards and interact with each other. Derogatory or discriminatory language will not be permitted. Should you write something along these lines toward myself or a classmate, I will report you to the Dean of Students. California Code of Regulations for Community Colleges ensure under Title IX that no one will be discriminated against “in whole or in part, on the basis of ethnic group identification, national origin, religion, age, sex or gender, race, color, ancestry, sexual orientation, or physical or mental disability, or any of these perceived characteristics.” 

Grading Scale:

900-1000=A

800-899=B

700-799=C

600-699=D

0-599=F

You must have 700 points to pass this course.

COURSE CALENDAR:

Please see the Course Summary below for dates of assignments.