Syllabus

English 450- Fundamentals of Composition (Section 73479)

Instructor: Claire Edwards                                          claire.edwards@chaffey.edu

M, T, W, & TH, 11:40am-1:20pm                                   Room: FNAC-206

VM: 909.652.7374    SummerEng450.blogspot.com

Turnitin.com info: Class ID 5168552    Enrollment password: bedford

Required Text & Materials
 The Brief Bedford Reader (Eleventh Edition) by X.J. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Jane E. Aaron
-This book should accompany you to every class meeting
One or two small three-ring binders
Spiral notebook or loose leaf paper in a file folder
Access to internet  

Course Description
Welcome to English 450, Fundamentals of Composition.  Composition is the study of writing, and, as such, in this course, you will learn to pay greater attention to the details of successful writing and to write more effectively yourself.  This course includes "careful study and practice of expository writing techniques and the frequent writing of integrated paragraphs and essays, with the ultimate goal of writing an essay using sources.” This class also “prepares the student for English 1A. Three arranged hours of supplemental learning in a Success Center that supports this course is required"- Chaffey College official course outline.

In this class we will
Read many short articles/essays by various authors
Discuss the details of these articles that make them successful pieces of composition
explore the topics of these essays in some detail to aide understanding of complex issues
Write weekly in-class essays centered around the assigned articles
Have weekly intensive in-class revision activities
Conduct rhetorical analyses to learn about writing techniques
Integrate and respond to quality sources in our writing
Write multiple drafts of assigned out-of-class essays
Identify and rectify problem areas in our writing

Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students should be able to
Formulate clear and specific controlling ideas and develop these into unified and complete texts.
Analyze the structure of various kinds of composition development, including exposition and argumentation, and construct compositions in such patterns.
Examine various logical relationships of ideas within a text and apply these in their own writings.
Study their own grammatical and punctuation errors to make their writing more effective.
Study and practice the rhetorical devices that make a text rational, clear, and aesthetically sound.
*adapted from the Chaffey College course outline.

Course Content Disclaimers
In this class, we will discuss some controversial and sensitive topics. For example, our course content and discussions may sometimes be regarding such matters as sex and violence and will occasionally include profanity.
We will frequently participate in “fishbowl” activities using submitted student work as in-class examples of what do to and what not to do.  One of your essays may be put up for class discussion and review.  Your identity may or may not remain anonymous per your discretion.  

Your Responsibilities  
Complete all your assignment (reading and otherwise) by the start of the class period which they are due.
Come to class ready to listen and participate in discussion in small groups and with the rest of the class.  
If you miss class, check with your "email buddy" for what we proceeded to do in your absence.
No un-related-to-class-content chit-chatting while others have the floor. This includes “chit-texting.”  Any noises originating from your cellular device are also unacceptable. If you are texting or otherwise disengaged in class, you will, of course, not receive participation points for the day.    
Be courteous to your fellow classmates and their opinions.
Be open to questioning your beliefs and opinions (because that’s what the best writers do).  

Your Instructor’s Responsibilities
Be as explicit as possible about my expectations for your writing and performance in this class.
Explain every concept in this course to the best of my ability.
Be available to answer your questions regarding course content during and following class meetings.
Be equally courteous to you and as concerned with your success in this course as you are.

Course Prerequisites
In order for you to be appropriately allowed into this class, you must have either achieved a qualifying score on the English Placement Test (or equivalent) or have successfully completed English 550 or its equivalent.
 
Attendance Policy
Your attendance is accounted for with in-class writing, activities, and discussions.  
If you miss an in-class essay or activity, if feasible for you to do so, you will write the essay or complete the activity on the day you return to class.  This “catching up” means that you will not be able to participate in whatever activity the rest of the class is engaged in that day.  Those activities constitute points that you will not be able to make up.
This class is focused on the concepts and the work; if you consistently miss class, you will miss the work we are doing and will not pass the class.
If you know in advance that you will be absent from a class meeting, please let me know so we can make arrangements to keep you on track as much as possible.
Regular attendance is considered valuable and crucial to your success at Chaffey College.

Assignments & Grading:
Two out-of-class essays..……..................30%
In-class essay portfolios…………………40%
Journal entries…………………………..10%
Writing Center Activities (3)  ….............10%
Participation………….…………………10%
Total………………………………........100%

90-100...........A
80-89.............B
70-79.............C
60-69.............D
59 & below…F

***You are responsible for keeping all returned/graded assignments until the final day of the course.  By referring to your graded assignments, you should be able to roughly calculate your own overall grade at any point in the semester.  I will not calculate your overall course grade until the end of the semester.  

Plagiarism is a violation of the Student Academic Integrity Code and is not accepted at Chaffey College. Plagiarism is defined as the misrepresentation of the ideas or words of another as one’s own. At the discretion of the professor, plagiarism or other violations may result in zero points for the assignment and/or failing the course.  If you plagiarize in this class (either a sentence or an entire assignment), you will receive zero points on the assignment and a warning; if you plagiarize a second time, you will receive an “F” in the class.  

Out-of-class essays (2)
I will pass out a detailed assignment sheet prior to the beginning of our work on each essay and will allow class time for clarification of my expectations.

Both or the out-of-class essays will include the following components:
Rough draft
Revision notes
Final draft
Digital copy of final draft to turnitin.com (essay will not be graded without this component).

In-class essay portfolios (2)
Most weeks, we will spend the majority of our class time writing a rough draft of a several-paragraph long, multi-page, essay; participating in revision activities; and writing a revised version of the essay.  You will turn in two portfolios of this work, and each will include the following:
Prompt, checklist, and rubric
Three in-class essay rough drafts
Three revision activity forms
Three revised essays  

Journal Entries will be responses to the “Journal Writing” section of each assigned readings and in-class short writing prompts. Every journal must be clearly labeled.  Every time you see a “Read” assigned for a class meeting on the schedule below, you must not only read the article but write a response to the “Journal Writing” as well.  


Success Center/Writing Center activities
You are required to complete three Success Center/Writing Center activities (approximately one hour each). You will be provided a stamp sheet detailing which activities qualify for points in this class.

Participation
Active engagement in class discussion and activities.  The best way to show me that you’re engaged? Talk. And when we do in-class writing, write. It is important to think deeply and analytically in order to become a strong writer, but those thoughts are best honed on the page, not in your head.

Other Chaffey Information

Other details about the Writing Center/Success Center
The writing tutors at the Success Center are also available to help you when you would like additional, even extensive, support with writing and revising your essays.  Please do not hesitate to take advantage of their support and knowledge.  When visiting the center for help on an assignment, always arrive prepared with specific questions and concerns and a copy of the assignment sheet. The tutors are not there to proofread your essay but to help you improve your writing.  Please remember that the tutors do not work for you but with you, and they can help you at any stage of your writing process, even the stage where you haven’t actually started writing yet.    
Fontana Success Center: (909) 652-7408
Website: http://www.chaffey.edu/writingctr/  

Disability Resource Center
If you have a disability that you feel may affect your performance in any realm of this course, please inform me and/or contact the Disability Resource Center at 909/652-6379, and we will attempt to accommodate you accordingly.

Veterans and Eligible Family Members
Chaffey College’s Veterans Resource Center (VRC) is dedicated to assisting veterans and eligible family members in achieving their educational goals efficiently and without impediments. If you are a veteran or eligible family member, please contact the Veterans Resource Center at 909.652.6235 or vrc.staff@chaffey.edu for information regarding educational benefits and opportunities. The Veterans Resource Center (VRC) is located in building AD-125 on Chaffey College’s Rancho Cucamonga campus.



Schedule
The following schedule is tentative and therefore may change at anytime; please always double check with your email buddy and the class blog if you miss class. All homework is due the day on which it is posted.


Week 1: Culture/Childhood
Monday, June 4: Syllabus review. Intros.
Tuesday, June 5: In-class essay.
Wednesday, June 6: Read- Amy Tan's "Fish Cheeks" (116). Revision activity focusing on Content & Thesis statement.
Thursday, June 7: Syllabus Quiz. Re-write

Week 2: Stealing other people's lives
Monday, June 11: Read- Sandra Cisneros’ “Only Daughter” (516).
Tuesday, June 12: In-class essay.
Wednesday, June 13: Structure and Organization revision activity.
Thursday, June 14: Re-write.

Week 3: Gender roles and expectations
Monday, June 18: Read- David Sedaris’ “Remembering my Childhood on the Continent of Africa” (244).
Tuesday, June 19: In-class essay.
Wednesday, June 20: Intro & Conclusion revision activity.
Thursday, June 21: Re-write.

Week 4: Writing about yourself (or is it someone else…?)
Monday, June 25: Review revision concepts. Turn in in-class essays portfolio #1.
Tuesday, June 26: Conferences.
Wednesday, June 27: Conferences.
Thursday, June 28: Rough draft workshop.

Week 5: Gender roles and reversals
Monday, July 2: Due- Out-of-class essay 1 (narrative). Discussion of Judy Brady's "I Want a Wife" (310) (will read in class).
Tuesday, July 3: In-class essay.
Wednesday, July 4: NO CLASS.
Thursday, July 5: Re-write with self-guided revision checklist.    

Week 6: The problem with labeling and the three s's
Monday, July 9: Read- Anna Quindlen's "Homeless" (192) & David Foster Wallace's "This is Water" (204).
Tuesday, July 10: In-class essay.
Wednesday, July 11: TRIAC revision activity.  
Thursday, July 12: Re-write.

Week 7: Food!
Monday, July 16: Read- Michael Pollan’s “Corn Conquest” (287).
Tuesday, July 17: In-class essay.
Wednesday, July 18: Incorporating sources revision activity.
Thursday, July 19: Re-write.

Week 8: Picking a "big deal" issue and saying something about it (sounds simple, right?)
Monday, July 23: Review concepts. Turn in in-class essays portfolio #2.
Tuesday, July 24: Conferences.
Wednesday, July 25: Conferences.
Thursday, July 26: Out-of-class essay 2 (staking a stand) due.