English 190:
Reading and Writing II
Thinking about enrolling in English 190? What do I need to qualify?
This course is designed to improve critical reading skills and writing abilities so that students are prepared for the type of work they will be expected to do in subsequent college courses such as English 1A. To enroll in this course, students must either qualify for English 190 on the English Placement Test offered through the Shasta College Assessment Center or complete English 280 with a grade of "C" or better. It's important to follow the recommendations of the English Placement Test because your scores are a way to measure the level of your current reading and writing skills; by ignoring them and attempting to enroll in English 1A instead, you would most likely put yourself in a situation where you are not adequately prepared for type of work done in English 1A. In fact, this could ultimately hurt your academic plans because you could possibly end up having to wait until the following semester to take English 190, delaying English 1A even further. Try to look at English 190 as an opportunity to develop important critical reading and academic writing skills, to build upon what you already know how to do.
What kind of work and how much of it can I expect?
The emphasis of this course will be on quality of work rather than quantity. There are only four short essays (approximately 3-4 pages, typed, double-spaced) and a short research project that will introduce students to the fundamentals of academic research (a major part of English 1A). Four essays doesn't sound too bad, does it? However, you need to keep in mind that all four essays will be written following an extensive process of drafting, revising, and editing; in other words, instead of simply starting and finishing an essay the night before it's due, you will be required to start weeks in advance with a rough draft, which will then be revised multiple times and edited for clarity and correctness before it is turned in for a grade.
In addition to the essays and research project, there will be assigned readings from our textbooks, as well as written exercises and quizzes designed to develop your analytical reading skills. The overall purpose of these readings, exercises and quizzes is to develop a clear understanding of what the expectations are for college-level thinking and communication.
What else will count towards the course grade?
In addition to the essays, reading assignments, written exercises and quizzes, you are also expected to regularly participate in class discussions and workshops. Workshops involve the entire class reading drafts of individual student essays. Although this may sound pretty agonizing, it's actually been proven to be a truly effective way to develop both reading and writing skills; readers get a stronger sense of what makes an essay work or not work, and this knowledge can in turn be applied to their own writing. Everyone in the class has the same goal in mind, to become better writers, and workshops are an important step in reaching that goal.
How important will attendance be?
Attendance will play a significant role in your course grade. Just showing up will not translate into a good grade; the participation component of the grading requires you to make a contribution to discussions and class activities. If you miss classes, you will miss important components of the writing process, and this nearly always results in lower grades for assignments and essays.
If at any time you plan on missing a class for a legitimate reason (a family crisis, a college-sanctioned event, etc.), it is your responsibility to inform me of your upcoming absence and to complete the work assigned.