ENG-50: Basic English Composition
Course Theme: The American Dystopia
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Prerequisite(s): ENG 60B: English Fundamentals: Paragraph to Essay or ESL 55: Advanced Writing and Grammar or qualifying placement level. Advisory: REA 82 or qualifying placement level. Emphasizes and develops skills in critical reading and academic writing as preparation for college-level composition. Students will write a minimum of 5,000 words. Classroom instruction integrates Writing and Reading Center activities. 72 hours lecture and 18 hours laboratory. (Letter Grade only.)
ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATIONIn this course we will strive to improve critical thinking and reasoning skills through reading and writing for various purposes and audiences. Readings have been selected for social relevance in order to encourage students to address challenging questions and formulate convincing and persuasive arguments while learning to use textual evidence to support their claims. This is a web-enhanced class, so regular and easy access to the internet will be required.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:
—>Employ MLA conventions for documenting sources and citing parenthetically.
—>Demonstrate writing as a process which includes pre-writing, drafting, and revising essays. Distinguish among rhetorical strategies, main idea, and evidence in non-fiction texts.
—>Critical Thinking - Students will be able to demonstrate higher-order thinking skills about issues, problems, and explanations for which multiple solutions are possible. Students will be able to explore problems and, where possible, solve them. Students will be able to develop, test, and evaluate rival hypotheses. Students will be able to construct sound arguments and evaluate the arguments of others.
—>Construct unified, organized, primarily text-based essays, largely free of disruptive errors, which employ various rhetorical strategies, perspectives, and concrete evidence in support of arguable thesis statements.
—>Communication Skills - Students will be able to communicate effectively in diverse situations. They will be able to create, express, and interpret meaning in oral, visual, and written forms. They will also be able to demonstrate quantitative literacy and the ability to use graphical, symbolic, and numerical methods to analyze, organize, and interpret data.
POLICIES
Attendance: Class attendance is mandatory and there are no excused absences.* If you miss more than four (4) classes you will be asked to drop the class or will not pass. It is the student’s responsibility to keep track of absences. Students who miss multiple days in a row, or multiple labs in a row, could be automatically dropped from the class. These patterns show a lack of commitment to the class. Please always communicate with me about any repeated absences.
Tardiness: Entering class late is disruptive to the learning process for your fellow students, so please be respectful when arriving late. If arriving late becomes a problem, I reserve the right to count tardies as absences. Any student arriving more than 15 minutes late or leaving more than 15 minutes early may be counted absent. Habitual tardiness or early departures may result in a student being asked to drop or a failing grade. If you arrive late, do not interrupt the class to ask for missed work or what we are doing or announce that you have arrived; please see me during a break or after class. Even if you are going to be very late to class, please still come! Don’t get a whole day behind because you’re worried about walking into class late!
Lab Attendance Policy: This English 50 class has a scheduled lab period every Thursday. Attendance at labs is mandatory. A student who must miss lab for medical or other emergency reasons may arrange to make up the lab at a different time with prior instructor approval.
Expectations: Students are expected to come to class prepared with all necessary materials and a willingness to participate. Consistently arriving to class unprepared can result in a lower grade, being asked to leave and counted absent for the day, and/or being asked to drop the class. This class will challenge you to read, think and write critically and often. As such, students should expect to spend about two hours working outside of class for every hour they spend in class (about 6 - 8 hours per week).
Late Work: No late work will be accepted. You will have plenty of warning before assignments are due, so please plan accordingly. If you are going to miss class on the day an assignment is due, you may email me the assignment BEFORE THE CLASS IS OVER to have it counted as on time. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to ask a fellow student (or email me, as a last resort please) about what you missed to ensure that you do not miss turning in any homework assignments on the day of your return. If a quiz or test is missed, it is the student’s responsibility to request an appointment for a makeup. *Note: Emailed work is easily erased or forgotten, so emailed homework will be counted as on time, but will not be graded until I receive a physical (hard) copy from you.
Class rules:
According to Riverside Community College District Policy 6080, Section II.C. 1&2: For instances of academic dishonesty a faculty member may take any one of the following actions:
The faculty member may reduce the score on tests or assignment(s), reduce the grade for the course, fail the student in the course, or recommend to the appropriate administrative officer that the student be suspended from the course.
Note*: Class discussion and group work are considered the free exchange of ideas: build upon ideas you get in class and make them your own as you write your papers. You do not need to cite classmates or professors for ideas generated in class discussions.
DISABILITIESWhat do I do if I have a disability that may affect my performance in this course?
If you have a documented disability requiring accommodation in this class, please contact me or the Office of Disability Support Services. Our goal as a college and as educators is to make sure that you succeed, and as such we will be happy to work with you in determining appropriate accommodations to meet the educational limitations resulting from your disability. The Moreno Valley DSS office is located in the Library building, room number 230. The phone number for the office is 951-571-6138 or you can visit their website at http://www.mvc.edu/services/dsps/
Prerequisite(s): ENG 60B: English Fundamentals: Paragraph to Essay or ESL 55: Advanced Writing and Grammar or qualifying placement level. Advisory: REA 82 or qualifying placement level. Emphasizes and develops skills in critical reading and academic writing as preparation for college-level composition. Students will write a minimum of 5,000 words. Classroom instruction integrates Writing and Reading Center activities. 72 hours lecture and 18 hours laboratory. (Letter Grade only.)
ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATIONIn this course we will strive to improve critical thinking and reasoning skills through reading and writing for various purposes and audiences. Readings have been selected for social relevance in order to encourage students to address challenging questions and formulate convincing and persuasive arguments while learning to use textual evidence to support their claims. This is a web-enhanced class, so regular and easy access to the internet will be required.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:
—>Employ MLA conventions for documenting sources and citing parenthetically.
—>Demonstrate writing as a process which includes pre-writing, drafting, and revising essays. Distinguish among rhetorical strategies, main idea, and evidence in non-fiction texts.
—>Critical Thinking - Students will be able to demonstrate higher-order thinking skills about issues, problems, and explanations for which multiple solutions are possible. Students will be able to explore problems and, where possible, solve them. Students will be able to develop, test, and evaluate rival hypotheses. Students will be able to construct sound arguments and evaluate the arguments of others.
—>Construct unified, organized, primarily text-based essays, largely free of disruptive errors, which employ various rhetorical strategies, perspectives, and concrete evidence in support of arguable thesis statements.
—>Communication Skills - Students will be able to communicate effectively in diverse situations. They will be able to create, express, and interpret meaning in oral, visual, and written forms. They will also be able to demonstrate quantitative literacy and the ability to use graphical, symbolic, and numerical methods to analyze, organize, and interpret data.
POLICIES
Attendance: Class attendance is mandatory and there are no excused absences.* If you miss more than four (4) classes you will be asked to drop the class or will not pass. It is the student’s responsibility to keep track of absences. Students who miss multiple days in a row, or multiple labs in a row, could be automatically dropped from the class. These patterns show a lack of commitment to the class. Please always communicate with me about any repeated absences.
- Any student who wishes to drop the course is responsible for dropping through WebAdvisor. Failure to properly drop the course may result in an F on your transcript.
Tardiness: Entering class late is disruptive to the learning process for your fellow students, so please be respectful when arriving late. If arriving late becomes a problem, I reserve the right to count tardies as absences. Any student arriving more than 15 minutes late or leaving more than 15 minutes early may be counted absent. Habitual tardiness or early departures may result in a student being asked to drop or a failing grade. If you arrive late, do not interrupt the class to ask for missed work or what we are doing or announce that you have arrived; please see me during a break or after class. Even if you are going to be very late to class, please still come! Don’t get a whole day behind because you’re worried about walking into class late!
Lab Attendance Policy: This English 50 class has a scheduled lab period every Thursday. Attendance at labs is mandatory. A student who must miss lab for medical or other emergency reasons may arrange to make up the lab at a different time with prior instructor approval.
Expectations: Students are expected to come to class prepared with all necessary materials and a willingness to participate. Consistently arriving to class unprepared can result in a lower grade, being asked to leave and counted absent for the day, and/or being asked to drop the class. This class will challenge you to read, think and write critically and often. As such, students should expect to spend about two hours working outside of class for every hour they spend in class (about 6 - 8 hours per week).
Late Work: No late work will be accepted. You will have plenty of warning before assignments are due, so please plan accordingly. If you are going to miss class on the day an assignment is due, you may email me the assignment BEFORE THE CLASS IS OVER to have it counted as on time. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to ask a fellow student (or email me, as a last resort please) about what you missed to ensure that you do not miss turning in any homework assignments on the day of your return. If a quiz or test is missed, it is the student’s responsibility to request an appointment for a makeup. *Note: Emailed work is easily erased or forgotten, so emailed homework will be counted as on time, but will not be graded until I receive a physical (hard) copy from you.
Class rules:
- NO cell phones, other electronic devices (except when used for class purposes) or non-class related materials. If you are caught using any electronic device during class or viewing non-class related materials or working on outside homework, you will be given one warning. Upon the second request, you will be asked to leave the classroom and will be counted absent for the day.
- NO late papers or homework are accepted.
- RESPECT the property and people around you. Disrespecting anyone or anything in the class room may result in you being asked to leave and counted absent for the day.
- NO food or open beverage containers in class. This is a school-wide policy in order to help reduce maintenance and custodial costs. Eating in class is also a distraction to you and often to those around you. Please eat before you enter class or during breaks.
According to Riverside Community College District Policy 6080, Section II.C. 1&2: For instances of academic dishonesty a faculty member may take any one of the following actions:
The faculty member may reduce the score on tests or assignment(s), reduce the grade for the course, fail the student in the course, or recommend to the appropriate administrative officer that the student be suspended from the course.
Note*: Class discussion and group work are considered the free exchange of ideas: build upon ideas you get in class and make them your own as you write your papers. You do not need to cite classmates or professors for ideas generated in class discussions.
DISABILITIESWhat do I do if I have a disability that may affect my performance in this course?
If you have a documented disability requiring accommodation in this class, please contact me or the Office of Disability Support Services. Our goal as a college and as educators is to make sure that you succeed, and as such we will be happy to work with you in determining appropriate accommodations to meet the educational limitations resulting from your disability. The Moreno Valley DSS office is located in the Library building, room number 230. The phone number for the office is 951-571-6138 or you can visit their website at http://www.mvc.edu/services/dsps/