Course Syllabus

 

College Writing 1: Using and Analyzing Written Texts

Ticket #66420    Units: 4

Spring 2018

 

Instructor: Dr. Lisa Montagne

Email address: xxx

Phone/Voicemail: xxx

*You may send me text messages at this number, but ALWAYS include your name and class in your messages. I do not keep your messages or your phone numbers, so I will need to know who you are each time.

Class Meetings for term: Online

Weekly deadline: Every Saturday at midnight (11:59 pm)

Office Hours: TBA—these will be held online or by phone, Skype, or Facetime

Required Materials         

Textbook(s): These are in the bookstore. You do not need any access codes for these books for this class.

1. Aaron, Jane E. The Little, Brown Handbook, Brief Version,6th edition. New

                  York: Pearson, 2017.

Note: There are several with similar names—be sure to get this exact name. 

2. Diyanni, Robert. Fifty Great Essays.New York: Pearson, 2013.
3. Williams, Roger. (1994). The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect.lulu.com.

Other required materials:

4. A college-level dictionary. Appropriate smart phone applications may be used.
5. A notebook, and a USB drive.
6. Access to the Internet and a functional computer.

Online access: You will use Canvas to take this course. Use your regular user name and password to access this site. This course should also show up in your MyGateway account. You will use your official college email address for correspondence.

Course Prerequisites: WR 201, ESL 201, or WR 399 with a grade of 'C' or better. Or, placement into WR1. This is a CSU and UC transfer-level course. 

Catalog Description

Writing 1 is an introductory course in college composition, concentrating on analysis and interpretation. The course focuses on how the student writer might present and develop a particular point of view in a clear, logical, and convincing manner. Students read from a variety of texts offering different ideas, traditions, contexts, and cultural perspectives. Students then write essays in response to issues and concerns derived from a critical reading of those texts, taking into account the writer's audience, point of view, purpose and tone. The course features extensive individual and small-group instruction in composition, and extensive practice in writing (totaling at least 8,000 words). Credit may be earned in either WR 1 or 1H, but not both.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Articulate and support a specific thesis that establishes an essay's conceptual and rhetorical center.
2. Recognize, assess and match audience, purpose, tone, and essay form to intended audience and purpose.
3. Develop a thesis by analyzing and incorporating textual evidence.
4. Read critically to analyze and evaluate the writer's purpose, point of view, organizational structures, and methods of presentation.
5. Recognize and implement specific strategies for local and global revision.
6. Demonstrate proficiency in editing skills, and the conventions of Standard Written English

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will complete a course-appropriate writing assignment that demonstrates mastery of the six elements of effective writing:

1) unity/focus through a controlling thesis or topic sentence claim

2) development/support/elaboration

3) coherence / organization

4) style

5) conventions of Standard Written English

6) conventions of Manuscript Format

Course Theme

The theme of this course is “Technology and Current Issues,” with a focus on the question of the singularity. We will be exploring several sub-genres of science fiction and non-fiction with this focus. This semester, just like artists, writers, scientists, and scholars, you will be engaging in a journey of academic inquiry and discovery while exploring themes in technology in order to sharpen your critical thinking and analysis skills.

Student Conduct and Attendance

• Attendance:In accordance with district policies, students may be dropped from a course if they miss six or more instructional hours during the term. In an online class this means that you could be dropped if you lapse in course participation for more than one week. You may also be dropped as a “No Show” if you do not attend the first day of class, and your spot may be given to someone else. In an online class, you must complete the first week of work by the first deadline, or you will be withdrawn as a “No Show.”
• Discussion:Creating a proper learning environment is the cornerstone of getting a good education.  Everyone at the College is responsible for helping to create this environment, including students.  Simple rules of courtesy apply. You are expected to participate in all online course requirements, including discussions and class activities; these are a part of your grade. Please feel free to voice your opinions; however, comments that are insulting or demeaning to the instructor or to other students in the class will not be tolerated.
• Punctuality: You must meet the weekly deadline, which is Saturday at midnight (11:59 pm). Your assignments will lose points if they are turned in past the deadline, or they may not be accepted. The best thing to do is be on-time; however, it also helps to communicate with the instructor on a regular basis about your progress.
• Classroom Conduct: Irvine Valley College students are responsible for regulating their own conduct and for respecting the rights and privileges of others in accordance with the Code of Conduct set by the district Board of Trustees.
• Extra credit: I may offer this at some point, but I do not offer it as a means to catch up when you have obviously not been keeping up with the course.

Academic Expectations

The “Carnegie Units” or workload for this course is approximately 12 hours per week. There will be work due in this course every week. Online classes are not necessarily easier, or take less time than on-campus courses. You should be prepared to work on this course for a full 12 hours per week, as required by the workload for a 4-unit course.

Course Requirements and Grading Criteria

Assignment                                                                           Percentage of Your Grade

 

Essays & essay preparation                                   50%

Weekly Assignments                                              20%

**You will not be able to pass this course without doing the preparation items and drafts of essays, or without doing the weekly assignments that will help you to write the essays.

Participation                                                        10%

Quizzes, Mid-term & Final Exam                        20%

____________________________________________

                                                                           100%

              

Course grades will be assigned according to the following policy:

Grade scale— A = 90-100% B = 80-89%   C = 70-79%   D = 60-69%     F = Below 60%

70% and above is a passing grade at Irvine Valley College.

While some students in each of my classes do earn an A in the course, they work very hard and do outstanding work from the very beginning of the course. A’s are not awarded for simply completing all of the work; A-quality work must be complete, thorough, on-time, AND far above average in quality on a consistent basis.

Assignments and Late Policy

I reserve the right to give a grade of 0 or F or to require a proctored rewrite if I feel that a paper displays the following: appears to be the product of too much outside help; does not reflect your abilities; or conveys a voice and style that do not match the voice and style used in discussions, drafts, emails and other writing done in class. Furthermore, major assignments may be required to be submitted to Turnitin.com in order to detect possible plagiarism.

Academic Integrity Statement from the Student Handbook

Plagiarism involves the misrepresentation of someone else’s words, ideas or data as one’s original work, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Intentionally representing as one’s own work the work, words, ideas or arrangement of ideas, research, formulae, diagrams, statistics, or evidence of another.
• Taking sole credit for ideas and/or written work that resulted from a collaboration with others.
• Paraphrasing or quoting material without citing the source.
• Submitting as one’s own a copy of or the actual work of another person, either in part or in entirety, without appropriate citation (e.g., from Paper Mills or other internet-derived products).
• Sharing computer files and programs or written papers and then submitting individual copies of the results as one’s own individual work.
• Submitting substantially the same material in more than one course without prior authorization from each instructor involved.
• Modifying another’s work and representing it as one’s own work.

Your own commitment to learning requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to Student Services, wherein a range of disciplinary measures may take place, including receiving an F for a plagiarized assignment, and possibly an F in the course and expulsion from the college. The complete policy on academic integrity can be found in the Schedule of Classes.

Tutoring and Supplemental Courses

• Students who would like ongoing, individualized help with grammar, sentence structure, punctuation and the writing process should attend the Writing Center conference. See the Writing Center website below.
• Non-native English speakers who need support with grammar or mechanics are encouraged to enroll in ESL courses, and to receive appropriate help.

Writing Center

Students enrolled in W1 may also enroll in W181 if they are interested in using the Writing Center.  In order to earn credit, you must spend a minimum of 24 hours in the writing center during the semester in which you are enrolled.

Location: LA103

Website:

http://academics.ivc.edu/writingcenter/pages/guidelines181.aspx

Student Success Center

You may also receive tutoring at the Student Success Center, though you will need a recommendation from me to do so.  If you are interested, let me know, and I will be happy to recommend you!

Location: BST110

Website:

IVCSuccessCenter@ivc.edu

http://academics.ivc.edu/successcenter/Pages/default.aspx

Other Irvine Valley College Services:

• Disabled Students Programs and Services
  • If you have a documented disability (or you think you may have an undocumented disability) and require academic accommodations, please contact the DSPS office at
    • 949-451-5630
    • Room SC-171
    • ivcdsps@ivc.edu
    • Please discuss your accommodations with me after class or during office hours, so I may be of assistance to you
  • Campus Police
    • Campus Escort service available 24/7- call 949-451-5234
    • http://www.ivc.edu/resources/police/Pages/default.aspx
  • IVC Library
    • Circulation phone: 949-451-5761
    • Librarian Phone 949-451-5266
    • library@ivc.edu
    • http://www.ivc.edu/library/Pages/default.aspx

Major Assignments for this Course

Course Theme: Technology and Current Issues 

The entire course assignment schedule and all due dates are on the Canvas course site.

ALL WORK IS DONE IN THE CANVAS MODULES.

The following is a general road map for the course.

Assignment Note: All typed essays will use Times New Roman 12-point font and MLA formatting.	Description—total course minimum word count approx. 8,000
Essay #1: Opinion Minimum Length: 2 pages	Personal essay Word Count: 300 - 400
Essay #2: Genre Analysis Minimum Length: 3 pages	Analytical essay assessing the expectations of genre, incorporating the text Word Count: 1,000
Essay #3: Textual Analysis Minimum Length: 4 pages	Analytical essay interpreting the significance of a text, incorporating outside sources Word Count: 1,200
Essay #4: Research Paper Minimum Length: 8 pages	Analytical and or Argumentative incorporating outside sources Word Count: 3,000
Essay #5: Textual Analysis	Analytical essay presentation, interpreting a passage of text with visual sources Word Count: 400-500
Midterm Exam  Final Exam	Textual analysis of readings Word Count: 400 to 500
Journal Writing: Reading responses and modal exercises	Textual analysis of readings, and practice using various rhetorical modes and appeals, such as satire and narrative.