ENGLISH 097, DEVELOPMENTAL READING - SPRING
2009
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Instructor: Amy
Reynolds |
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Most course materials are available on
WebCT
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E-mail: amy.reynolds@csun.edu |
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Office phone: 818-677-5280 |
Office
hours: ST 507. MF 11:00-11:50; Fri: 2-3; by appointment and by email.
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TEWS: This class is linked with
The Early Warning System (TEWS), a student centered support system.
This tool was created with the sole purpose of helping student
retention by facilitating early interaction of faculty, students,
advisors and other student service areas.
Note: Submission of essays to Turnitin.com is a requirement of this class.
1.
The Art of
Critical Reading, 2nd Edition. Mather & McCarthy
2.
The
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
3. Keys for Writers, Anne Raimes
5.
New Voices, Ed. Sandra Jackson
2.
Two
examination blue books for in-class essays, available from the
bookstore.
3.
A
mini-stapler
English 097 is a
course designed primarily to strengthen your ability to analyze and
interpret reading material of college-level difficulty, and to immerse
you in reading that will challenge and interest you. In addition, the
course is intended to
improve your fluency in writing short expository prose that
demonstrates
appropriate grammar, sentence structure, and usage. You will practice
writing
skills as you respond to the reading you do in class; the primary goal
of
that writing is to help you understand and explore the essays, poems,
newspaper
articles, web sites, short stories and novels you will read.
1.
Three
short
reading response essays, one of which will be revised for your
portfolio.
2.
One
essay about the whole book assigned in class, revised for your
portfolio.
3.
Two
in-class timed essays on an essay or essays to be announced.
4.
A
short book report & class presentation on a book of your choice.
5.
Reading/Writing
Journal
6.
Homework
assignments and group collaborations, quizzes.
Additional assignments: I reserve
the right to make other assignments as necessary, including web-based and current events
assignments or to change or cancel assignments as needed. You will
receive advance notice of any additions or changes.
Portfolio:
Your successful completion of
English
097 will depend upon your end-of-semester portfolio, which will reflect
the
hard work you've done throughout the semester and demonstrate your
grasp
of the reading/writing connection. The portfolio will consist of the
following
revised, highly polished work: one reading response essay on a short
text,
one novel essay, an in-class writing on a short essay or essays, and a
cover
letter. You must include all
prior
drafts of the out-of-class essays in your portfolio--no portfolios will
be
accepted without them. Portfolios
are
due on Monday, May 4. Portfolios
will not be accepted late.
Portfolio Grading: Portfolios will be evaluated by Developmental
Composition faculty readers as “High Pass,” “Pass,” “Low Pass,” or
“Fail.” A student may receive a
grade of "credit" in English 097 if he or she receives at least a “Low
Pass” score from two different
faculty readers; however, the grade of "credit" is at the instructor's
discretion even with a "Pass" on the portfolio. In my class, students
who do the required 70% of the work, and may therefore turn in a
portfolio, usually pass. Portfolios, however, must be of passing
quality in order for the student to pass the
class. Students receiving a "Fail" on the portfolio generally do not
receive
a "credit" in English 098. An instructor
may appeal
the grade by letter to the Program Coordinator. Students may not appeal
without
an instructor's letter.
Assignment:
|
Points
|
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4 Revised
Essays @ 50 points ea. (Initialed 1st Drafts attached) |
200 |
|
Portfolio
Choice Drafts - 2 @ 50 points ea. |
100 |
|
Reading
History, Book Report, 2 In-Class Essays @ 50 pts. ea. |
200 |
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Quizzes,
homework, Writing Lab visits, conferences, & additional drafts |
200 |
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Journal -
approximately 20 entries, plus in-class writing assignments |
200 |
| Participation |
100 |
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Total: |
1,000 |
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Absence on a
workshop day or No instructor-initialed first draft turned in with
revised draft |
-50 points |
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For every
class meeting a revised essay draft is late (up to 3 class meetings);
no copies for workshop, draft un-typed, or no draft to present |
-20 Points |
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For each
absence over 3; missing a prearranged conference |
-10 Points |
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For each late
arrival to class; presentation errors, sloppy work, no folder, no MLA
format. |
-5 points |
Important: Turnitin.com: The novel essay must be uploaded to
Turnitin.com by the day it is due. I have
found this a useful step to avoid plagiarism. We will go over
procedures for this in class; if you have problems, please email me asap! Papers that have not been uploaded to
Turnitin.com will be returned ungraded, and will not be eligible for
portfolio submission.
Workshops and Drafts: Drafts and Peer Response Workshops are not
optional--they are required, and are vitally important to your success
in this course. Therefore, you are strongly encouraged to attend
workshops fully prepared: drafts ready with enough copies for your
group mates, ready to respond as a reader to the essays of other group
members. Please note the severe penalty incurred for a missing
initialed draft or an absence on a workshop day.
Workshop Drafts must be turned in with the Revised Draft, or you
will
lose 50 points. You must include prior drafts of the out-of-class
essays
in your portfolio--no portfolios will be accepted without them.
Additional
drafts will be worth 10 points. Keep your drafts in a special
folder so
you can find them at portfolio time. Throw nothing away until the
semester
is over! Bottom line: don't miss
workshops
and come prepared for them! A missed draft or workshop is a missed
opportunity
for success, and can severely impact your ability to turn in a
portfolio.
Writing Lab Visits, Instructor Conferences:
You are required to visit the
Writing Center
at least 2 times throughout the semester, at least once before Week 6,
and
the second time before Week 12. Include the Writing Lab pink sheet in
your
essay folder for credit. You are also required to visit me, your
instructor,
at least twice during the semester. Each Writing Center visit or
instructor
conference earns 10 points.
Journal: Journal
entries are due on the day assigned on the Course Calendar. Journal
entries
must be typed. As journal assignments are designed to foster class
discussion,
they may not be emailed or turned in late. In-class entries should NOT
be
typed (since you wrote them in class!) and will usually be turned in at
the
end of class the day they are written.
Presentation of Work: All assignments, including homework and
journal entries, must be typed. Multiple-page assignments must be
turned in stapled, so invest in a mini-stapler to keep with you. I do
not carry a stapler for student use. Work that is turned in
hand-written or unstapled will not be accepted. The only
exception is for in-class journal entries, which are
not to be retyped.
Late Work: An important goal of Eng. 097 is the
development of responsible study habits and the ability to meet
deadlines. Therefore,
Late homework, journal assignments, and workshop critiques will not be
accepted. Late essays will
automatically cost 20 points
for every class meeting the essay is late, regardless of the reason
for
the late submission. After three class meetings the essay will be
considered "missing" and no points will be given if it is finally
turned in. Please come and talk to me if you find you are falling
behind! Please take time now to solve technical and logistical
problems that may cause you trouble later.
Come to class and be on time. Please don’t
assume you can miss class as long as you get a copy of someone’s notes.
This is not
an instructor-centered lecture course, but is instead
designed to be student-centered, focused on
discussion, student writing, and student interaction. That means your
presence, active involvement, good humor, and preparation will be
crucial to creating an interesting and lively class; and you might
actually enjoy the semester more if you come to class every time, on
time, prepared for the day’s activities.
Our class is small and you will be missed!
Common courtesy is expected at all times. Please be respectful of everyone in the
class: students,
teacher, and visitors. This means listening when others are speaking,
giving
your attention to class business, not wasting my time or the time of
other
students. You should come to class prepared and ready to participate in
discussions
or class work so that our time together will be fruitful. I also ask
that
all students be respectful of the views of others in the class in order
to
participate in rigorous college-level academic discussion. And finally,
please
be respectful of the racial, ethnic, and gender diversity of the class.
You
may be asked to leave the class if you cannot follow these
requirements.
Absences and lateness: If you skip class or often show up late, you
miss important information as well as work that cannot be made up.
While I will assume that you have a good reason for missing any amount
of class time,
excessive absences and late arrivals will affect your ability to
achieve
a passing portfolio. Therefore, after three “free” absences, you will
be
charged 10 points for every absence thereafter. As it is disrespectful to your fellow students
and to me to interrupt the flow of the class by coming in late, you
will be
charged 5 points for each time you arrive more than 5 minutes late to
class.
Cell Phones, iPods,
etc.
must be turned off and put away, out of sight. No texting in class! Don’t be rude, please.
Email Policy: Email is a great resource for students and
teachers that is often abused. Please note
that emails sent after 10 pm will not be replied to until the next day.
Conversely, I will make every effort to reply to emails sent before 10
pm. Please use your CSUN email for communications with me. When you
email any instructor, always include your full name and the class you
are in. Don’t make
me guess. Please read over your emails before you send them to me, and
remember
that I am not a Facebook pal. Finally, do
not
commit the academic faux pas of emailing me to ask, "Did I miss
anything?" Obtain the email addresses of several other students to ask
about assignments & class activities first. Homework
assignments & journal entries are not to be emailed. We may be
uploading some assignments to
WebCT.
Finally, be responsible: Every day, people struggle to maintain employment and make their lives work. Everyday, CSUN students jump seemingly impossible hurdles to succeed in their classes. I have seen students face devastating crisis and daunting personal challenges and still be in class with their assignments prepared. You know the course policies and you know what is expected of you. Please do not come to me with excuses why you were absent and didn't get your work in on time. If a personal crisis arises, talk with me and let me know what is going on before you jeopardize your success in the course. You are responsible for all assignments (on the schedule or assigned in class). It is up to you to get the notes and copies of handouts from peers (most will be available on WebCT). I suggest that you make friends with someone before you leave class today and trade phone numbers and email addresses so you can keep up if you must be absent. Being absent is not an acceptable excuse for incomplete work. Late assignments will not be accepted, other than essays as outlined above. Remember: College is your full-time job!
Talk To Me: Got
questions? Concerns? Let's talk. Don't suffer in silence. If you
need special course adaptations or accommodations because of a
disability, or you have special medical information to share, please
speak to me early in the semester. I am happy to help all students
participate and benefit from the class equally.