English 101

3622--Fully Online

Winter 2015

Credits 5.00

Instructor

Kristina Young

Prefer to be addressed as

Professor Young (in written work), optional Kristina for informal communications

Please follow this order for communications:

• Q&A forum for course questions
• Inbox/Canvas email
• Phone call
• TCC email

Office

F1-20

Office Phone

253-566-5330

Office Hours

T/Th 10-11

Mailbox Location

F1

E-Mail Address

kyoung@tacomacc.edu

Website

Jan. 5, 2015

First Day of Class

March 16, 2015

Last Day of Class

Kristina Young

Final

None

Catalog Description

(Previously ENGL-101) Study and application of the principles of college writing. Students read, analyze, and write expository, descriptive, and argumentative essays, as well as learn to develop ideas fully, organize them effectively, and express them clearly. ENGL 101 readings focus on the essay. This course may not be taken "S/U."

PREREQUISITE(S):

• ENGL/ 095 with a minimum grade of C or better or equivalent

Course Goals

 The Goal of this course is to get you ready for what might come!  

Okay, more specifically, this course will help you feel more confident in your skills and resources for succeeding in college-level writing.  I also hope that your appreciation of the arts will grow and that you will learn to see, hear, and feel with greater acuity and express that with clearer prose.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, the student will be able to:

1. Craft, develop, and support a specific, debatable thesis (COK, COM, CRT).
2. Draft and refine a well-organized essay, speech, or other forms of communication appropriate to context and audience (COK, COM, CRT).
3. Read critically and research effectively to support thesis (COK, CRT, IIT).
4. Use appropriate writing and/or communication strategies, standard grammar, and academic documentation conventions (COK, COM).
5. Demonstrate ethical standards in all phases of the writing and/or communication process to include using collaboration within academically appropriate guidelines (LWC, RES).

Course Learning Outcomes

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

1. Craft, develop, and support a clear thesis; organize essays logically. PLO:  1
2. Use writing strategies appropriate to audience, purpose and occasion. PLO:  2, 4
3. Use expository essays to express original ideas. PLO:  1, 2
4. Read critically. PLO:  3
5. Conduct research as needed, use authoritative resources, and follow documentation rules. PLO:  4, 5
6. Use standard grammar and academic writing conventions. PLO:  4
7. Use a writing process of pre-writing, drafting and revision. PLO:  1, 2
8. Use academically accepted collaboration to improve writing and understanding. PLO:  4, 5
9. Take responsibility for own learning and ethical behavior in academic course-work. PLO:  5
   

Instructional Methods Used

• This is a composition course, so the work done here is the hands on work of constructing and researching essays.  This is going to include pre-writing activities, online searches, library searches, organizing, drafting, reviewing, and polishing your written work.  
• Additionally, we are going to be exploring the arts and talking about them, frequently in their digital or mixed media forms, in discussions.  
• I will record occasional videos for guidance, especially for preparing papers and introducing modules.
• You will be doing much of your course reading online, though it is possible, perhaps even suggested, to print out many of the readings so that you can mark them up.
• A great deal of the course will also be viewing videos, most of which have readily available transcripts.  Those videos without transcript can often be close captioned automatically in YouTube.
• You will also get a chance to reflect and self-evaluate on your work, which is important to your growth as writers.

Textbooks & Supplemental Materials

• This is an Open Course, which means that you do not have to purchase any materials beyond the technology fee.  This fee is less than the cost of most textbooks.
• You may want to invest in a hard copy planner so that you can back up your due dates and course information.  Technology always requires a Plan B, so have one!

Technology

• This course demands internet access at least five hours a week, at a minimum.  There is much you can do offline, and even with mobile devices, but you need to schedule yourself for 15 hours per week minimum on this course.  
• You should also have speakers, ear buds, or headphones.
• A microphone is not mandatory, but you may want to consider investing in a headset or checking one out from the Information Commons.
• You can do this course for FREEEEEEE (sorry I get excited), aside from that Tech fee; use Google Docs for your software needs.  TCC students also have access to free (love that word) Office 365 while attending.
• You need to know how to save, upload, and process documents, as well as how to link them by URL.

Assignments

There are three major papers in this class:

• Explaining a Concept
• Comparative Analysis
• Justification of an Evaluation

Papers will all use sources, and we will introduce MLA and APA style papers.  Papers are worth 60% of your total grade.

Discussion forums will vary throughout the course.  Some are reflection, while others are in direct response to videos or readings.  Discussions are worth 20% of your total grade.

Assignments will take a variety of forms, most serving as preparing for or check points within your papers.  Please note that each paper will require that you complete guided peer reviews. Assignments are worth 20% of your total grade.  

Evaluation Criteria & Grading Standards

English 101 is a fundamental course for all students, so a passing grade must be a solid C/75%.  Grading categories are weighted to reflect the importance competent writing.

·           Essays—60%

·           Discussions—20%

·           Assignments—20%

Students who fail to complete the course may receive a V score, which indicates a student who has stopped attending.  Please check with your advisor and financial aid contact for consequences of unofficial and official course withdrawals.

While faculty permission is not required, a completed add/drop form must be submitted to Registration and Records to complete drops from the 11th instructional day through the 55th calendar day of the quarter" "The instructor must sign the form or [send] an e-mail [to Registration] acknowledging the withdrawal. If the instructor is not available, a signature from a full-time advisor in the Advising Center is an acceptable substitute.

Withdrawal dates are available at http://www.tacomacc.edu/areasofstudy/academiccalendar/

Academic Dishonesty

TCC Students are expected to be honest and forthright in their academic endeavors. Academic dishonesty is inconsistent with the values and mission of Tacoma Community College. Cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty are violations of the Code of Student Conduct. Sanctions for acts of academic dishonesty committed in this course are as follows:

Students who misuse sources to the point of plagiarism will fail the assignment.  A second instance will result in a failure in the course.  Plagiarism on a paper is a serious issue, as this course has three essays and a zero on one would result in a C grade in a best case scenario.  The point of the this course is to teach students to write using resources, so you will be given instruction and guidance in how to do this.

Accommodations

Students with Disabilities: If you need auxiliary aids or services due to a disability, please contact the Access Services office in Building 7 (253-566-5328). Accommodations are not retroactive; please act promptly to make sure your letter of accommodation is in place.

Course Calendar

Please see Canvas Calendar/Course Syllabus for precise dates.

Classroom Policies

• Essays will automatically be deducted 10% off per day late for three days.
• The ratio of late work to deduction percentage is 10% late= 1% off the final score.  This is a liberal late policy; it is up to the student to account for late work so that a student with 76% does not fail because of a 2% late deduction.
• Basic Netiquette Primer

• Much has by now been said and written about how we should conduct ourselves in a civil and wired society.  Here are my distilled expectations:
• Do not shout at your classmates (by typing in all caps), nor whisper to them (forgetting to capitalize).  You may smile at them or play with punctuation discreetly.  Please do not overuse the exclamation point, however.
• Avoid loaded words and flaming language.  (Understand, too, that as beginning writers we may not realize the level of offense some words may hold.)
• Respond to requests for more information with consideration--as long as they are reasonable requests that do not cross personal boundary lines.
• Similarly, do not ask personal questions if they are irrelevant to the conversation.
• Finally, do not volunteer information that you would not say aloud in most public settings--relevance is important.  Think before you hit send.
• If you are unsure of a fellow student's (or professor's) intent or meaning in a post, please ask and repeat back the confusing parts.  Many times, we will "mistype" just as we can misspeak and give the wrong impression.  Few people are really intending to be offensive; we often need a chance to clarify.  Read and type in good faith.
• If some of our forum topics become political or touch on articles of faith, we need to be as explicit as we can in explaining our points of view and in exposing the ideas and logic behind our thinking.  Sensitivity to beliefs of others is important—this doesn’t mean that you should suppress a belief in the Cosmic Chicken or bow down to the Great and Powerful Oz, but it does mean not pressing your beliefs or condemning those of others.

Etiquette for Classroom Dispute Resolution/Student Conduct

Admission to Tacoma Community College carries with it the expectation that the student will conduct himself/herself as a responsible member of the academic community and observe the principles of mutual respect, personal and academic integrity and civility. The Code of Student Conduct establishes rules governing academic and social conduct of students, including due process rights. Violations of the Code may result in dismissal from class for the day and/or referral to the Student Conduct Administrator for sanctions.

If we are unable to come to a mutual agreement on course disputes, please contact

Name: Fox, Ken

Position: Instructor/Department Chair

Department: Humanities: LITERATURE-HUMANITIES

Office: Bldg. F1-51

Phone: 253.566.5277

Fax: 253.566.6070

Email: kfox@tacomacc.edu

Final Grade Grievance

Students who believe they have received a final course grade that has been awarded improperly or in an arbitrary or capricious manner may grieve or appeal the grade. Details of the process are located on the TCC Portal at : https://my.tacomacc.edu/uPortal/p/StudentForms.ctf9/max/render.uP?pCm=view&pP_NSHistoryParam=21426%2C21435%2C21435%2C26224&pP_struts.portlet.action=%2Fview%2Findex&pP_ticket=ST-215398-bcm1AKn0zYfxmqTwgrVm-portalsvr2.tccnet.edu

Caveats

This syllabus and schedule are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances. If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to check for announcements made while you were absent.