Welcome to the English 1C home page. Here is the catalog description for English 1C. Below, you will also find information on everything you need to know before you come to class, such as textbooks, requirements, grading, late paper policy. For complete course description and information on specific assignments such as journals and the portfolio, you must attend class. You are welcome to browse through and email me with any questions. This course is highly student interactive. Expect to give at least two oral presentations. I look forward to seeing you in class.
Course focuses on critical thinking skills, close textual analysis, and expository and argumentative writing. Students apply critical thinking skills in reading non-fiction and fiction, and in writing essays of definition, cause/effect analysis, argumentation, refutation, and advocacy. Students will learn to use research strategies in analyzing others' ideas and supporting their own. English 1C on the internet: students taking this course must have access to the internet.
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Best American Essays 2006 by Robert Atwan, editor; |
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Becoming A Critical Thinker, 4th edition, by Sherry Diestler. |
Also, I recommend that you also keep a good, college dictionary by your computer when typing essays. The computer does not know whether or not the meaning of the word you cannot spell is correct, and the spell checker therefore cannot be of help unless you have a clear idea of the meanings of the actual words themselves.
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Three essays, 5-7 pages long, 100 points each. |
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A collaborative research paper, 10 pages, and the steps, 100 points. |
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Rough drafts are required, worth 10 points each; students must be present during the class workshop of the rough drafts in order to receive credit. |
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Portfolio. |
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Numerous in-class writings, reading quizzes, editors' letters and class participation/oral presentations, 100 points. |
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Examinations, midterm and final, 100 points each. |
Grading and evaluation will be based on all the work you complete during the course of the semester. Essays will receive a letter grade and numerous comments to help you understand the paper's strengths and weaknesses. Essays will be graded holistically on effectiveness of purpose, technique, and the achievement of a message for a desired audience. Students will learn these concepts in the workshop sessions and the classroom in general, and thus participation in class is necessary for a student to pass the course.
Through workshop, you will learn to share and evaluate your own work along with the work of others. These workshops should provide you with the feedback you need to improve your writing, as you take the responsibility for your own improvement throughout the course. Students should take the workshop seriously, as rough drafts are worth 10 points on each final grade.
| To receive an A, you must receive, on average, scores of 90-100 on your essays and exams; attend class, missing only one week; complete all assignments, including readings, on time; complete all required revisions. |
| To receive a B, you must receive, on average, scores of 80-90 on your essays and exams; attend class, missing only one week plus an additional day; complete all assignments, including readings, on time. |
| To receive a C, you must receive, on average, scores of 70-80 on your essays and exams; attend class, missing only two weeks of class; complete all assignments, including readings, on time. |
Late papers and other policies:
| Do turn in assignments on time. Late assignments will be marked down one full letter grade for each class day the assignment is late. No excuse or disaster will alter this policy. No late assignments will be accepted two weeks after the due date. Do let me know one class period ahead of a due date if you know of circumstances which could prevent you from turning an assignment in on time. I may grant you an extension, but no due date will be extended for longer than two weeks from the due date. I will not grant extensions on the due date -- do plan ahead and be organized if you intend to pass this course. You must hand in all essays in order to pass the course. |
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All papers must be typed and in MLA format. Make those documents beautiful, as if you were handing them in to your boss at work: for example, be sure to paginate correctly and to run the spell checker. Do this before you arrive in class on the day a paper is due. Hand in all papers at the beginning of class the day they are due. |
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Do see me if you have any special needs that I can address, such as disabilities or handicaps, and we will work together to meet those needs. |
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Don't plagiarize (borrow) the written work of any other writer. You will receive an automatic F (a zero--no points) for borrowed work, and you may not pass the course as a result. DON'T DO IT. See policy on plagiarism in the Student Code of Conduct. |
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DO KEEP A PORTFOLIO OF ALL YOUR ESSAYS AND ESSAY DRAFTS! |
