Instructor Contact

Anna Mills

• Email: amills@ccsf.edu (or Canvas messages)
• Office Hours: 11-11:30 Thursdays and by appointment.  We can talk by Zoom, Pronto, or phone, or we can message back and forth.
• I will respond to all course email within 24 hours Monday-Friday, exclusive of school holidays. Once the course begins, I prefer to get messages through the Canvas "Inbox" or Pronto. 

How to use Pronto:

Open Pronto by clicking on the Pronto button in your Global Navigation.  It’s located just under the Help button.

The first time you open Pronto, you will need to complete a few steps. Click a Continue button to agree to terms of service, read about installing the mobile app if you want to use Pronto on your iPhone or Android device. You don’t need to install it right away, but you will receive an email with details for downloading the mobile app. If you open that email on your mobile device, you will have easy links to downloads as well as the username you need to use when logging in on your mobile device. You won’t be using your student ID number and instead, you will use your default email in Canvas. You will be using your RAM ID password.

Visit Pronto’s support site for more guides on using Pronto in Canvas.

Announcements 

I will post announcements on the “Instructor Announcements” page in Canvas throughout the semester. You will get notifications of any new announcements according to your preferred Notification Preferences (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. 

Q&A Discussion

• The “Q&A Discussion” is located in the Week 1 module. This discussion is for you to ask for assistance from your classmates or instructor.

What Is This Course About?

English 1A is meant to empower you to improve your reading, writing, and thinking so that you can succeed in other college classes and in your career.  We will learn how to analyze other people’s arguments and respond with our own persuasive arguments. Students will work on grammar and sentence style as needed on an individualized basis. 

The course outline of record describes English 1A as "University-parallel reading, writing, and critical thinking with a major research component. Reading, writing, and research assignments are based predominately on non-fiction texts.”

Student Learning Outcomes

1. After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

   A. Analyze university-level texts.
   B. Compose research-based, organized essays that are driven by an arguable thesis and that employ critical thinking.
   C. Apply the major conventions of standard written English.
   D. Choose and integrate credible sources for support, using appropriate citation format.

Class Meetings

I recognize that some people really engage well with Zoom discussions and group exercises and some prefer to work independently online.  Some might like to attend but cannot always make the timing work given the pressures of the pandemic. 

I will offer optional live Zoom sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:10-11.  Sometimes you can earn needed homework points for participating in these sessions, but I will always offer another option for practicing the same skills and earning the same points if you are not able to attend the Zoom.

In addition, I will offer a Zoom office hour on Thursdays from 11-11:30.

Course Web Site

We will use the Canvas Learning Management system.  I can help with the course material and with some Canvas issues. But, if you need help uploading an assignment or with the mechanics of Canvas, Canvas help is the number to call.

For 24/7 help with Canvas call: 1-844-592-2198.

Course Theme: Gender

Like many English instructors, I find that focusing on a theme helps students build reading, writing, and critical thinking skills they can carry with them. Reading varying points of view on one topic allows us to come up with richer arguments. The theme gives the class cohesion and makes our discussions more substantive and meaningful.

Why gender as a theme? It's everywhere, it's so complex, so much is at stake, and there are so many interesting subtopics to explore. From the clothes we put on to the way we move to the way we introduce ourselves, we are all constantly confirming or resisting gender norms. Does the truth of gender lie in a person’s self-identification or in their biology? What rights do transgender people have, and how should those rights be protected? What do we want the words feminine and masculine to mean?  How does our perceived gender affect our careers and our economic status?  How do we want to teach children about gender?  We'll read essays on a range of gender-related topics.

I welcome trans and gender-nonconforming students, students with traditional views on gender, and those who don't start out with a particular interest in discussing gender.  

Books

We will use free open educational resources, such as the textbook How Arguments Work: A Guide to Writing and Analyzing Texts in College throughout the semester.  However, each 1A class reads a full-length book of nonfiction. You will need to get the book below in either hard copy or ebook version by September 17. 

Born on the Edge of Race and Gender: A voice for cultural competency by Willie Wilkinson

Places to get it:

CCSF Bookstore
SF Public Library
Alibris used paperback
Amazon paperback--used or new
Amazon Kindle version
Kobo ebook
eBay 

About Your Teacher

You might want to know a little bit about where your teacher is coming from. I have been teaching at City College since 2005, and I tutored here for four years before that. I love this job and am proud of this institution. Teaching is in my blood: I am the daughter of an elementary school teacher and a math professor. My parents taught me to love reading, writing, and thinking and to see the classroom as a dramatic and exciting place to be.

Before I had kids, I spent much of my time outside CCSF writing personal essays and book reviews and sending them out for publication. I got a lot of rejection slips and some acceptances. Writing helps me figure out what I think and feel and gain insight into problems or issues that matter to me. It allows me to share my ideas with others and get responses. I find it difficult, fun, frustrating, humbling, exhilarating, and always stimulating. It takes me a long time, I do a lot of revisions (sometimes ten or twenty), and I always need feedback.

As a fellow struggling writer, I’d like to be here to help guide you so you can make it to the most rewarding moments in the writing process. My hope is that you will make this class your own, that you will use it to find your own voice as a writer and thinker in college.

Diversity and Inclusion

My goal is to live up to this statement from the CCSF Office of Student Equity: “We believe that all students, of varying backgrounds, races, nationalities, genders, sexual orientations, beliefs, religions, socio-economic statuses, have the right to access higher education and receive the resources and support they need to achieve their educational and professional goals. We welcome, encourage, and engage in diverse perspectives in respectful dialogue, and our commitment is to be critically race-conscious, anti-racist, and culturally responsive in all that we do. Education is for all who enter the doors of this college. We welcome you.”

I recognize that my background as a white, middle-class woman sometimes limits my awareness and my ability to create a truly equitable classroom environment, despite my best efforts. When students give me feedback, I really do appreciate it.

Often arguments about gender challenge deeply held personal beliefs, both for traditionalists and radicals. Whatever your own beliefs, I hope this course can encourage surprise and reflection for you and still feel respectful and welcoming. Please let me know if you have suggestions for me on how to do better.

Canvas

Students will use the Canvas Learning Management system.  I can help with the course material and with some Canvas issues. But, if you need help uploading an assignment or with the mechanics of Canvas, Canvas help is the number to call.

For 24/7 help with Canvas call: 1-844-592-2198.

Zoom Video Conferencing

Zoom is built into our Canvas system and will be an optional but highly encouraged way for us to connect this semester.  You are not required to show yourself on video in order to listen and view our class Zoom.

Recommended

• Update your browser for best results in Canvas (Links to an external site.)fLinks to an external site.f

Important Dates

• Day Class Begins: Tuesday, 8/18
• Day Class Ends: Thursday, 12/10
• Last Day to Add without instructor's approval: Friday 9/4
• Last Day to Drop with 50% refund: Friday, 9/10
• Last Day to Drop without a 'W' symbol: Friday, 9/4
• Last Day to Drop with a W or apply for leave of absence: Thursday, 11/5
• Final Exam Date: Thursday, December 17 from 10:30-12:30

Participation

Course work will be due at 11:59 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Sometimes for the sake of momentum there will be smaller assignments due Sundays at 11:59 pm. Regular and timely participation is essential to doing well in this class.  If you miss a lot of assignments, there is no guarantee that you will be able to catch up.

Please let me know if you are struggling.  I want to work with you to help you be successful!

If you need to miss more than one class/homework deadline in a row, please let me know with a message. 

Late Policy

All assignments are due at 11:59 p.m. PST on the due date. A late submission will receive a 20% penalty. Submissions more than one week late are not accepted without prior arrangement.  

Assignments

Your homework grade will be based on assignments such as the following:

• Five essays, including a 8-10 page research paper. 
• Essay brainstorms, essay worksheets, rough drafts, and comments on classmates' papers.
• Discussion posts about once per week on Canvas, usually responding to an assigned reading. These posts are a chance to develop your own ideas and interests, speak directly to your classmates, and experiment with ways to make your writing engaging.
• Comments on other students’ posts
• Live discussion and group exercises on Zoom for which you receive credit, always with a written alternative on Canvas for those who can't make Zoom.
• Notes on assigned readings
• Quizzes
• Individualized work on grammar and mechanics.

Grading Policy

Visit the “Grades” in Canvas to keep track of your grades. I post grades and comments on the online Canvas gradebook.

 How do I view my grades, teacher comments, and an assignment rubric as a student?

This class gives you many chances to practice and improve your writing, and you get credit for each as part of your grade. Here is the breakdown of how much each part is worth:

Essays: 70% of your overall grade

• First essay (3-4 pages): 100 points
• Second out-of-class essay (4-5 pages): 150 points
• Third out-of-class essay (4-5 pages): 150 points
• Research paper (8-10 pages): 200 points
• Final in-class essay (3 pages): 100 points

Homework: 30% of your overall grade. Each assignment will be worth 10-20 points.

My job is to explain what I am looking for in each assignment ahead of time and how I will grade it. Feel free to ask me anytime how I decided on a grade. I have changed grades in the past as a result of discussions with students. I also welcome requests for more comments on student work.

Extra Credit

Each time you meet with a tutor or in some cases have a substantive email exchange with a tutor through the English lab, the Diversity Collaborative tutors or NetTutor, you will receive a 10 point boost to your homework average. You can meet with a tutor to discuss a reading or improve a forum post, brainstorm ideas for a paper, organize a draft, or polish grammar. 

Many of my best students have told me about their learning disabilities. They have advocated for themselves, taken advantage of the support services at CCSF, and earned excellent grades. Right now, City College is providing services by Zoom and email. If you wonder whether or not you have a learning disability, you can meet with a counselor at the Disabled Students Programs and Services Department (DSPS) to discuss your questions and possibly receive free testing. 

If you already have a diagnosis, you may not realize how much support there is at CCSF, even during the pandemic. Make sure to register with DSPS so you can get documentation of your disability and request appropriate accommodations.

If you need accommodations because of a disability, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible early in the semester. My office hours are every Thursday 11-11:30 on Zoom and Pronto and at other times by appointment. I used to work in the DSPS department, so I am familiar with what's available.

Here’s to a plagiarism-free semester! As you probably know, plagiarism means presenting another person’s words or ideas as one’s own. It can happen accidentally or intentionally, but either way, it is a serious violation of trust and of academic norms. Any work handed in that contains plagiarism, whether it is accidental or intentional, will automatically receive a ZERO. That is worse than an F (an F is 50% credit).

Here is a rule of thumb to help you avoid it: Plagiarism means using four or more words in a row from another person’s writing without putting those words in quotation marks. See these links and ask me any questions:

Encourage Academic Integrity and Prevent Plagiarism (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Citing Information Sources. 

Please also note that students who register in CCSF classes are required to abide by the CCSF Student Code of Conduct (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. 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 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..  (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Student Expectations 

You will succeed in this course if you meet the following expectations:

• Complete the essays and other assigned activities. Please let me know as soon as you can concerning difficulties that you may have in getting assignments in on time. 
• Complete the discussion posts and replies within the given window of time. Our discussions are much more vibrant when we all participate!
• Do your own and your best work. 

Instructor Expectations

Here is what you can expect of me:

• I will respond to your email or message within 24 hours during the week unless I inform you otherwise.
• I will treat you and your ideas with respect.
• I will grade your essays most often within 1 week and at most within two weeks. I will grade discussion posts and replies most often within 48 hours. (If you have posted late work, it may take longer.) 
• You will see your grades in the Canvas Gradebook.
• I will work hard to make this a great class.