[English 1C, Writing About Non-fiction, formerly Advanced Composition]
[Section 74640, Spring 2019, Course Syllabus]

This syllabus is also available as a Word document, which is printable and accessible by a screen reader: 

Course Description

A course in composition and rhetoric that helps students hone a style appropriate for upper-division work that integrates the close reading of nonfiction and the writing of expository and argumentative essays. Focus on sharpening critical thinking skills, analyzing and evaluating texts, and writing text-based prose.

Prerequisites/co-requisites/advisories

Prerequisite: English 1A

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Construct argumentative essays with attention to audience, exigency, and constraint, synthesizing from multiple sources.
2. Summarize complex texts accurately and succinctly.
3. Analyze arguments for logic, rhetorical force, and style through close textual reading.
4. Compose sentences employing a variety of patterns, as well as precise diction, for rhetorical effectiveness.

Students will write a five expository essays, in and out of class, which focus on analysis, evaluation, and argumentation, occurring approximately once a month. These will total 10,000 words by the end of the semester.

Successful students will demonstrate mastery of the structure of the essay. This mastery includes an inviting title; a provocative introduction; a clear, defensible thesis; a cohesive, well-supported, and well-developed body of the paper; and an effective conclusion. Students will write essays from which the reader’s interest derives not only from the content, but also from the harmony of that content with style, tone, and the sequencing of ideas.

 

Students’ essays will be grammatically correct and contain only rare errors. Emphasis will also be placed on proficiently integrating primary and secondary sources into the texts of essays using updated MLA style. In other words, English 1C is a class that will help you to hone your own writing voice as you explore how other authors have developed their voices by taking into account forms of argument, tone, audience, and intended effect.

It is important to note that grammar and MLA format and style for citation is not part of the English 1C syllabus.  These areas of study are taught in English 1A, and the 1C syllabus does not allow time for instruction in these skills.  Thus, students are expected to have proficiency in both these areas, and papers that do not meet the standards of general grammatical accuracy and MLA format and style will not receive passing grades.  The student may be directed to Writer's Help 2.0 online exercises by the instructor during the semester to review these skills if his or her writing is not exhibiting the proper level of proficiency. 

 

Class Meetings

All class meetings will take place in the Multi-Use Building (MUB) on the Ocean Campus of City College of San Francisco

You must attend ONE of the following Orientation meetings

 

Tuesday, January 15th, 2:30-3:30pm or

Friday, January 18th, 1-2pm

 

Class Days 

(you may miss one without penalty.  If you miss two you are in danger of not passing the course)

 

Monday, February 4th, 9-10am

Tuesday, March 5th, 1-2pm

Friday, April 12th, 9:30-10:30am

 

Exams 

You must attend both exam days

Midterm Examination: Tuesday March 12th, 2:30-4pm

Final Examination: Monday, May 20th, 9-11am

 

 

Instructor Contact

Elizabeth Ann Smith

Email: easmith@ccsf.edu

CCSF Phone: (415) 452-7214

Office Hours: Mondays, 11:10-noon, Tuesdays 1-2pm, Wednesdays, 11:10-noon

 The instructor will respond to all course emails within 48 hours Monday-Friday, exclusive of school holidays. 

Course Web Site

Students will use the Canvas Learning Management system [for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmates' work, sharing resources, and viewing grades].  In addition, student will be required to purchase access to Writer's Help 2.0, an online exercise site for rhetoric and composition.

Textbooks

Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson, ISBN 978-0-307-71922-5 - required

A Rhetoric of Argument by Jeanne Fahnestock and Marie Secor, ISBN 978-1-121-35648-8 – required

You can locate and order textbooks online via the CCSF Bookstore. 

Required Software

You will need the following software for this course:

• Adobe Reader
• QuickTime Player
• Flash Player
• Open Office
• Update your browser

In addition, students will be required to purchase access to Writer's Help 2.0 for Hacker Handbooks, available through the CCSF Bookstore or the CCSF Bookstore website.

Important Dates

Day Class Begins:15 January, 2019

Day Class Ends: 22 May, 2019

Last Day to Add without instructor's approval: February 1

Last Day to Drop without a "W": February 1

Last Day to Add with instructor's approval: February 1

Last Day to Opt for Pass/No Pass: Does Not Apply

Midterm Examination: Tuesday March 12th, 2:30-4pm

Last Day to Drop with a 'W' symbol: April 11

Final Exam Date: Monday, May 20th, 9-11am

Dropping the Class

If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it to avoid getting no refund (after 10% of course length), a W symbol (after 20%), or a grade (after 60%). Also, for several consecutive, unexplained absences, the instructor may drop a student.

Instructor Announcements and Q&A Forum

The instructor will post announcements on the “Instructor Announcements” page in Canvas throughout the semester. Canvas notifies students according to their preferred Notification Preferences as soon as the instructor creates an Announcement. A “Q&A Forum” is also on Canvas to ask for assistance of your classmates or of instructor.

Attendance

Students who fail to attend one of the orientation sessions, the in-person midterm and final exams, and/or do not log-in to the online class after the second week will be dropped from the class. It is strongly advised that if you need to miss more than one class/homework deadline in a row that you contact me to avoid being dropped from the class.

Late Policy

All assignments are due at noon PST on the due date, with rare exceptions which will be noted clearly on the assignment. A late submission will receive a penalty. Submissions more than one week late are not accepted without prior arrangement. Late work may be graded, depending on the actual date of submission, but may not be marked.  For the five major papers, work which is turned in late,will be penalized 1/3 of a grade for each day after the due date.

Methods of Evaluation

Many assignments and discussions will have rubrics posted, showing expectations for grading.

Exams

There will be in-person midterm and final exams. The material comes from the textbooks, class lectures, online discussions and assignments, and supplemental materials provided by the instructor. If either exam is missed, a zero will be recorded as the score and the student will be dropped from the class.  Both the midterm and the final must be taken, as well as all major papers turned in, in order for a student to be eligible to pass English 1C.

Grading Policy

Visit the “Grades” in Canvas to keep track of your grades. I grade, generally, once per week and post grades and comments on the online Canvas gradebook.

Grades will be assigned as follows:

A	90%	xxx points or more
B	80%	xxx to xxx points
C	70%	xxx to xxx points
D	60%	xxx to xxx points
F or FW	<60%	SEE NOTES BELOW

 

An “F” grade indicates that a student attended, participated and completed the course but failed to master the course curriculum.

An “FW” grade indicates the student stopped attending a course after the “last day to withdraw” deadline and subsequently did not submit any work or participate in any exams. Please check with your counselor and financial aid advisor for possible implications of the FW grade on residency and financial aid status.

Standards of Conduct

Students who register in CCSF classes are required to abide by the CCSF Student Code of Conduct. Violation of the code is basis for referral to the Student Conduct Coordinator or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Office of Student Affairs and Wellness.

Collaborating on or copying of tests or homework in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that test or assignment. I encourage students to share information and ideas, but not their work. See these links on Plagiarism:

Encourage Academic Integrity and Prevent Plagiarism

Citing Information Sources

*In addition, I require that students maintain a respectful tone in all their interactions online with me and other students.  This extendes to profanities/obscenities.  Please do not swear online or at our in-person meetings.*

Special Needs

If you need classroom or testing accommodations because of a disability, or have emergency medical information to share with me, or need special arrangements in case the building needs to be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. My in-person office hours are listed here  (check after the semester has begun as office hours may be in flux until the official start of the semester). Students seeking disability related accommodations are encouraged to also register with Disabled Students Programs and Services located in Room 323 of the Rosenberg Library (415) 452-5481. Please see the DSPS website for more information and alternate locations.

List of assignments

Note to students: the assignments listed below do not include all course content. To view all course content, go to Modules.

ASSIGNMENT FORMAT & DUE DATES

 

All essays must be typed, double-spaced, titled, and following MLA format. If you need help with formatting your papers and with correct citations ask me for help, go to our English Lab, and/or use Writer's Help 2.0 to guide you.

 

In case of emergency, I will accept one late paper per student this semester (and only one). This cannot be the final paper of the semester, which is due on the last day of class.

If you receive lower than the grade of C on one of your papers, I do allow one revised paper per student for one full letter grade. The rewritten essay is due after you have spoken/emailed with me with me first about your graded paper.  Please note that this rewrite is a once-only opportunity. You may not rewrite your midterm or final exam, or your final paper. These guidelines are strictly enforced and are not negotiable.

 

HONORS CONTRACT OPTION:  If you qualify, and are interested in taking this class for Honors credit, you may submit an Honors proposal for this course (subject to approval by the instructor and the chair of the department).  If you are interested in earning Honors, please visit the CCSF Honors website http://www.ccsf.edu/en/educational-programs/honors.html and talk to the instructor as soon as possible.

EVALUATION

These percentages are advisory guidelines only; your final course grade is your instructor’s professional assessment of your writing competency.

Quizzes, short homework assignments, study questions, group presentations, midterm exam

(cumulative)                                                                            20%

Academic Summary Essay                                                      5%           

Academic Analysis Essay                                                       10%           

Academic Definition Essay                                                      10%

Academic Evaluation Essay                                                    15%

Academic Analysis/Argumentation Essay (final paper)            30%

Final exam                                                                                10%           

 

                                                                                                100%

 

Course Subject Matter

The two books for this course were carefully chosen with two goals in mind:  to give the student a thorough grounding in the concepts and practice of formal rhetoric, and to provide at least one example of a long formal argument. A Rhetoric of Argument provides instruction on the tenets of formal argumentation, along with some short examples of types of arguments. 

Why Nations Fail is an example of a political and economic argument conducted over 462 pages.  It uses scientific, economic, and political-science data as support for argument, but the nature of the argument is not, at its heart, technical.  It is an argument for the general reader, for any citizen of the world, and for that reason it is more important to more people than a specialized argument within an academic or professional field.  Since it is an argument that claims to have an answer for much of the poverty of the world, it is worth evaluating on its merits: it is the student's job to carefully assess this argument and decide, for him- or herself, if this argument is persuasive and valid or not.