Course Syllabus

English 073 Section A                                                

Mondays-Friday 8:30-10:20

Room R-106A

Wednesdays in D-222

Winter Quarter 2015

 

Instructor Sean Allen

sallen@bellevuecollege.edu

Phone: 425-564-2413

Office: R230H

Office Hours 12:30-1:30 daily

 

Required Textbooks & Materials

  1. Structured Reading
  2. The Sentence-Combining Workbook
  3. The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
  4. A paperback dictionary
  5. USB drive
  6. One notebook for in-class notes, assignments, grammar exercises and free writes
  7. One folder to collect revised class work for end-of-quarter portfolio

 

Course Description: This course presents reading and writing strategies.  During each two-hour period you will learn how to improve your grammar, summary writing and essay writing skills, and learn how to proofread and edit your work. You will focus on vocabulary, comprehension, and identifying main ideas and supporting details. In addition, you will focus on sentence and paragraph structure, prewriting and drafting, which you will develop through individual work in the Writing and Reading Labs, class discussion and group work. Each week you will work at home and in class to complete the assigned chapters in the Structured Reading, The Sentence-Combining Workbook, and The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian.  Our goal is to complete a chapter a week in Reflections and approximately 25 pages a week in The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian.

 

Course Outcomes:

 

Read and Comprehend at the 11th grade level;

Understand and use vocabulary at level 9.5 or above;

Demonstrate Reading Comprehension in their writing;

Summarize short (500-1000 word) passages;

Write essays of about 500 words that have a main point supported by appropriate evidence;

Demonstrate coherence in writing (repeated key words, and signals of an overall plan);

Identify the basic structural elements of simple and compound sentences (subject, verb, object, etc);

Be able to edit their own writing to avoid errors in such things as verb tense, plurals, possessives, word order, word forms, etc.

 

Course Requirements & Portfolio: Out-of-class essays, summaries, responses and lab assignments must be word processed and double-spaced.  Other assignments, such as reading and workbook exercises can be handwritten or typed. The criteria for receiving 10 credits in the 070 series this quarter include the following:

 

          9 readings, mostly from Structured Reading

          9 in-class essays, plus revisions of rough drafts

          9 summaries and responses

          9+ grammar, punctuation, or vocabulary quizzes

          9 grammar workbook chapters in Reflections

1 end-of-quarter portfolio containing all revised essays

Library Research Project which includes two trips to the LMC for the purpose of writing a paper about a possible career or topic of interest.

 

All written assignments will be graded with either a “-ü” (needs work), “ü” (satisfactory) or a  “+ü” (excellent) 

 

You must save ALL your revised essays in a Portfolio (excluding grammar chapters, quizzes, summaries, etc) to hand in at the end of the quarter for a final evaluation.  The criteria for placement into 092/093 will be discussed during the first few weeks of the course and reviewed again at midterm.   

 

Writing Lab (D-222): The class will be composing, editing, and revising essay rough drafts on a weekly basis in the Writing Lab. The Lab will be reserved during regular class time on Thursdays. You should plan to word process your essays and to conference with me to discuss your work.  Attendance is required. These assignments are graded and go into the Portfolio for end-of-quarter evaluation.

 

Reading Lab (D202): The Reading Lab is a separate course in which you need to spend several hours per week to help improve your reading. You will need to complete 22 or 44 hours for the quarter, which equals 1 or 2 credits of English 080.  We will have an orientation for new students the first week of class to explain lab programs and procedures.

 

Grades: The English 070 series is offered every quarter so that students may repeat until they test into 092 for native speakers, or 093 for non-native speakers.  It is designed so that you don't need to worry about grades, but rather to concentrate on practicing your English skills.  If your work is satisfactory, you'll receive 10 credits (Cr) whether you test into 092/093 or not.  If it is unsatisfactory, you'll receive no credit (NC), which may prevent you from receiving financial aid next quarter.  Please be advised, if you're an international student, an NCcan cause problems with your immigration status.  Individual assignments will be graded “-ü” (needs work), “ü” (satisfactory) or a  “+ü” (excellent) 

 

Late Assignments: every student in this class is entitled to one late essay and one late summary. I may not accept additional late assignments.

 

Attendance:  This is important.  Please be on time to class every day and do not leave until class is over. If you are habitually late or absent for more than ten class periods, you may fail this course. February 15th is the last day to withdraw in person to receive a W on your transcript.  Frequent absences and late arrivals are disruptive to me and impede the progress of serious students.I take attendance at the beginning of every class. Late students may be counted as absent for that day.

 

 

 

Placements: In March, a committee of English instructors will evaluate your final exit exam and essay portfolio to determine if you have reached the necessary skill level for advancement to 092/093.

 

Plagiarism:

 

Plagiarism, or academic dishonesty, is the act of using another writer’s words or ideas as your own. According to the BCC Arts & Humanities website, plagiarism “may take many forms, including, but not limited to, using a paper written by someone else, using printed sources word-for-word without proper documentation, and paraphrasing or summarizing the ideas of others without acknowledging the source.  Plagiarism can also occur when non-written ideas are taken without documentation--using someone else's design or performance idea, for example.  In short, plagiarism is passing off someone else's ideas, words, or images as your own; it amounts to intellectual theft--whether or not it was your intention to steal.” Plagiarism in this course may result in a paper’s failing grade, or further disciplinary action from the Dean of Student Success. Consecutive acts of plagiarism may result in a failing grade for the class.

 

Values Conflicts:

 

Essential to a liberal arts education is an open-minded tolerance for ideas and modes of expression that might conflict with one’s personal values.  By being exposed to such ideas or expressions, students are not expected to endorse or adopt them but rather to understand that they are part of the free flow of information upon which higher education depends.

 

To this end, you may find that class requirements may include engaging certain materials, such as books, films, and art work, which may, in whole or in part, offend you.  These materials are equivalent to required texts and are essential to the course content.  If you decline to engage the required material by not reading, viewing, or performing material you consider offensive, you will still be required to meet class requirements in order to earn credit.  This may require responding to the content of the material, and you may not be able to fully participate in required class discussions, exams, or assignments.

 

Cell phones:

 

During class time, please turn off your cell phones.

 

Bellevue College’s Affirmation of Inclusion

 

Bellevue College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination.

 

We value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect.

 

This affirmation of inclusion shall be printed in the college catalog and quarterly schedule and shall be posted prominently throughout the campus.

 

Classroom Behavior

 

What follows is the Arts & Humanities Division’s policy on classroom behavior:

 

The college's ‘Affirmation of Inclusion’ is posted in each classroom and sets forth the expectation that we will all treat one another with respect and dignity regardless of whether or not we agree philosophically.  This expectation is in line with the principle of free speech in a free society:  we have the right to express unpopular ideas as long as we don't show disrespect for reasonable people who might believe otherwise.  In an on-line course, you will be expressing ideas through the medium of the course site rather than face to face in the classroom.  In that case, these expectations refer to the courtesy with which you communicate with one another through e-mails and e-discussions.

 

Part of this respect involves professional behavior toward the instructor, colleagues, and the class itself.  Disruptive behavior is disrespectful behavior.  The Arts and Humanities Division honors the right of its faculty to define "disruptive behavior," which often involves such things as arriving late, leaving early, leaving class and then returning, talking while others are trying to hear the instructor or their group members, doing other homework in class, wearing earphones in class, bringing activated beepers, alarm watches, or cellular phones into class, inappropriate comments or gestures, etc.  In on-line courses, “flaming’ anyone in the class is also considered disruptive behavior.  Such behavior interrupts the educational process.  When you are in doubt about any behavior, consult your instructor during office hours:  we recognize the judgment of the instructor as the final authority in these matters.

 

When disruptive behavior occurs, instructors will speak to or e-mail the students concerned.  Those students are then responsible for ending the disruptions at once.  Failure to do so may result in removal of the students from class.”

Important Links

Bellevue College E-mail, MyBC and Canvas

 

All students registered for classes at Bellevue College are entitled to a network and e-mail account.  Your student network account can be used to access your student e-mail, log in to computers in labs and classrooms, Canvas and MyBC.

 

BC offers a wide variety of computer and learning labs to enhance learning and student success. Find current campus locations for all student labs by visiting the Computing Services website.

 

Disability Resource Center (DRC)

 

The Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array of learning challenges and disabilities. If you are a student who has a disability or learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen someone for treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to be successful in college, please contact us as soon as possible.

 

If you are a person who requires assistance in case of an emergency situation, such as a fire, earthquake, etc, please meet with your individual instructors to develop a safety plan within the first week of the quarter.

 

The DRC office is located in B 132 or you can call our reception desk at 425.564.2498.  Deaf students can reach us by video phone at 425-440-2025 or by TTY at 425-564-4110.   .    .  Please visit our website for application information into our program and other helpful links at www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc

 

Public Safety

 

The Bellevue College (BC) Public Safety Department’s well trained and courteous non-commissioned staff provides personal safety, security, crime prevention, preliminary investigations, and other services to the campus community, 24 hours per day,7 days per week.  Their phone number is 425.564.2400.  The Public Safety website is your one-stop resource for campus emergency preparedness information, campus closure announcements and critical information in the event of an emergency. Public Safety is located in K100 and on the web at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/publicsafety/

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due