Please download the original syllabus document HERE.        

                     

English 103: COMPOSITION & CRITICAL THINKING

Section #16756

4/12/2021 – 6/7/2021

Instructor Information:

Professor:                        Labina Ula                                                  Email: ulals@laccd.edu

Office Hours: M, W 10:30-12:30am & T,TH 1pm-3pm            L0cation: Online via ZOOM & CANVAS

Supplemental Instructor: Michelle Fanara                                   Email: fanaramm@laccd.edu

 

Student Office Hours:

If you absolutely cannot meet with me during my scheduled office hours because of other commitments, please let me know and I will make my best effort to meet with you at an alternative time.

In my experience teaching online asynchronously for the past few years, it can be difficult to make a connection with your professor. I want you all to know that I’m here to guide you through the course material (and also that professors don’t bite!). Thus, I require each of you to see me during student office hours at least once during the semester for a 15-minute session. Please do not wait until the end of the semester to make your appointment with me; make use of my student office hours early and often! You may use this session to discuss anything regarding the class, such as your grade, essay drafts, or other issues. You can schedule an appointment with me any time during the above hours using the calendar feature on Canvas. You can find a tutorial on how to do so in the welcome module.

 

Class Participation:

PARTICIPATION is ESSENTIAL to your success in this class. In asynchronous online courses, you are required to participate just as much as if you were in a face-to-face course. This means that you should login at least 5 - 6 times per week and complete your reading, discussion assignments, essays, and quizzes in a timely fashion. Consistent failure to participate may result in being dropped from the course.

Virtual Equivalence / Class participation:

This late-start English 103 course is a condensed and highly accelerated version of the traditional course.  We will be completing 16 weeks’ worth of learning in a rapid 8 weeks.  As such, you will be required to dedicate far more hours to the class on a weekly basis in order to effectively complete the coursework.  Everyone must log on for AT LEAST 6 hours total by the end of each week to serve as the virtual equivalent of the time you would have spent in a classroom. You do not have to complete 6 hours in one sitting. You will spend your time studying the modules, reading the discussion posts of others, contributing your own posts, taking quizzes, and asking questions about the course material to stay in regular effective contact with me.  Keep in mind that outside of the 6.5-hour weekly virtual equivalence, you must budget your time for the additional work of reading texts, researching, writing essays, and preparing for quizzes and exams.  As with face-to-face classes, you can expect to spend twice as much time doing work outside of class as in class. This means you will be spending about 19.5 HOURS PER WEEK on this course.

Dropping the course: All distance education courses currently follow the Los Angeles Community College District Policy for Attendance, Class Drops, and Auditing courses (see ELAC’s General Catalogue). In order to avoid getting an F for the course, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to officially withdraw from the class prior to the deadline.

If you do not complete the first course check-in activity (the syllabus quiz) by the first Friday (11:59 PM PST – midnight 4/16/21) after this class begins, you may be dropped from class for non-attendance.  In addition, students who do not participate in class (who consistently do not complete assignments, quizzes, respond to forums or turn in other work) may be dropped from the class for non-participation. (Though I will contact you first to make sure you wish to drop.) Again, however, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to withdraw from the class prior to the appropriate deadlines.

 

Exclusion Policy:

Once you are active in the class, you will receive a grade for the course unless you drop or withdraw from the course. However, I do reserve the right to exclude students according to campus policy as stated in the college catalog:

"Students who have enrolled for a class and who do not attend or who are late or absent from the first meeting of the class may be excluded by the instructor.”

As explained above, if you do not complete the first course check-in activity (the syllabus quiz) by the first Friday (11:59 PM PST - midnight) of this class, you will be dropped for non-attendance.

Course Description:

Course Description: English 103 is a college-level freshman composition course that focuses on expository writing and argumentation and requires the writing of a minimum of 10,000 words in essays and a research paper. A passing grade in English 101 is a prerequisite for this course.  Students study a variety of texts written at the college level, including literature, that reflect current academic concerns relating to issues of language, ethnicity, class, gender, identity, psychology, and cultural studies. This semester we will be meeting Asynchronously (where you will work independently to read, respond to discussion posts, generate writing, and complete coursework.  Office hours will be held virtually via Zoom.

 

Student Learning Outcomes: English 103: Students will demonstrate actual mastery of the college essay by composing a final exam characterized by:

CLO 1 - Analytical Close Reading  

Students will be able to write an essay, based on one or two assigned texts that focus on social issues, that will focus on supporting a thesis and topic sentences with textual evidence and with integrated quotes that show rather than tell, and (along with citations) are integrated smoothly into the analysis. 

CLO 2 - Composition  

Students will be able to write an essay in which they will analyze passages/texts from a source(s) that focus on social issues, and provide insightful analysis that looks at word choice, implications, connotations, and/or gaps in the text. Length of Final Exam Essay will be 1,200 – 1,600 words.

 

Course Guidelines:

Acceptable File Formats: all written assignments should be written in Microsoft Word and must be submitted in electronic format via CANVAS (with .doc, .docx, or .pdf file extensions only).  I will NOT accept any assignments as attachments via email, dropbox, or google drive.  Only assignments submitted via CANVAS will be graded.  No exceptions to this policy will be made.

 

Announcements:

Announcements are the primary way in which I will communicate with you, and will be posted in Canvas at least twice weekly. They will be sent to you directly through your preferred method of notification and will also be available by clicking on the Announcements tab and at the top of the home page. Please be certain to check regularly, as I will post important information about upcoming projects or class concerns.

 

Email/Messaging:

In this course we will use the Inbox feature (located on the left side of the page on the green strip) to send private messages. You can either check your messages in the Canvas system or set your notifications to your preferred method of contact. Please check your messages regularly.

If you have questions about the course, first check the syllabus (the loooong document you’re reading right now). If you still have questions, please post in the Question forum, and I (or another student) will answer them promptly so that the entire class may see the answer. If you have a question that's specific to one of your assignments or if you need to share something personal with me, please message me privately. You can also directly email me at ulals@laccd.edu

 

Email etiquette:

When you correspond with me via email, please do so in a professional manner. This means at a minimum:

• put the class title and time in the subject line,
• write in complete sentences, and
• sign your name.

Note: If you message me from Canvas, the class title is automatically added to the subject line

 

Netiquette:

When posting on the discussion boards and chat rooms it is important to understand how to interact with one another online, netiquette. You can read more about the rules of netiquette at Netiquette Home Page -- A Service of Albion.com. Here are the basics (click on each link for more):

• Rule 1: Remember the Human
• Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life
• Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace
• Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth
• Rule 5: Make yourself look good online
• Rule 6: Share expert knowledge
• Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control
• Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy
• Rule 9: Don't abuse your power
• Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes

 

Messaging/feedback turnaround:

During the week (M-F) I will check my Canvas messages and email and monitor the discussion boards daily. If you send me a message, you can expect a response within 24 hours (but usually sooner).  On the weekends I will respond to emails within 48 hours.

 

Questions:

In online courses it is normal to have many questions about things that relate to the course, such as clarification about assignments, course materials, or assessments. Please post these in the Question forum, which you can access by clicking the Discussions button in the course navigation links or in the Welcome module. This is an open forum, and you are encouraged to give answers and help each other. For anything more personal, please send me a message on Canvas or email me at ulals@laccd.edu.

Required Texts and Materials:

• All course materials this semester will be available on our course CANVAS page.  All course documents, including access to readings, will be available on our course CANVAS page, except for the course novel, Little Fires Everywhere.  You can use any version of the novel you would like to. (Please also download the CANVAS app on your mobile device/tablet)

• Technology Requirements: Desktop/Laptop/Tablet/iPad that is enabled with a web camera and microphone so that you can attend office hours via Zoom. You will need to have an up-to-date browser and operating system on your computer to take this class in order to successfully complete the required coursework. Your computer should be equipped with a microphone and a web camera. Some of the documents in this course will be available to you in PDF form. You will need to download and install Adobe Acrobat Reader software on your computer.

    

Andrea Lunsford.  Let’s Talk! A Pocket Rhetoric. WW Norton, 2018. ISBN-13: 978-0-393-44112-3. (Will be made available on CANVAS)

 

   

Celeste Ng.  Little Fires Everywhere.  Penguin Books, 2019. ISBN-13: 978-0735224315.  $10.20 on Amazon (You can use any version of the book you would like)                     

Course Requisites:

All assignments including essay drafts, essays, discussion posts, quizzes, and exams, will be due by 11:59pm PST on Friday night each week (unless otherwise specified in the MODULES and syllabus schedule).  New assignments will be available beginning at 12am on Saturday mornings.

• CANVAS Coursework - Discussions & Quizzes (20%):Each week you will respond to a discussion question on CANVAS based upon the week’s readings.  These discussion threads on CANVAS will form the basis for the three short essays and longer research paper.  Our discussion thread will function as a space where you can develop and strengthen your individual literary voices.  I cannot stress the importance of this discussion space enough, especially in light of the asynchronous nature of this semester’s course.  Your discussion threads are where you will not only develop your own narrative voices, but are also the safe spaces in which you can engage in debate and rational discourse with your peers.  Quizzes will be given on the various texts from the course reader and one course novel throughout the semester. 

 

• Short Essays (20%): You will write 3 essays (5 pages) based upon essay prompts that highlight and exemplify the critical discussions and analyses presented in class each day.  Essays will be based upon our daily readings, and most importantly, the class discussions we conduct in the discussion threads on CANVAS; thus, it is CIRITICAL that you be present and prepared for each class and PARTICIPATE in class discussions. The essays in this class will be written from various rhetorical perspectives, including Aristotelian, Toulmen, and Rogerian argumentation models.  Essay assignments will be developed from In-Class writing assignments and must be submitted on CANVAS.  All essays should be TYPED, DOUBLE SPACED, 12-SIZE FONT, TIMES NEW ROMAN, with 1-INCH MARGINS.  No late work will be accepted.  NO EXCEPTIONS.  YOU MUST SUBMIT ALL 3 SHORT ESSAYS IN ORDER TO PASS THE CLASS.

 

• Research Paper (25%): You will write a Research paper (7-10 pages in length) this semester with an argumentative thesis statement, coherent paragraphs, textual analysis, and conduct research on your chosen topic.  Your essay will be based upon the course novel and 6 secondary sources on a chosen topic and will demonstrate skilled mastery of integrating quotations.   You will construct an Annotated Bibliography with a total of 10 entries based upon the secondary sources you will research. Your essay will focus on close textual analysis, mastery of rhetorical and syntactical strategies, and will demonstrate skilled mastery of integrating quotations.  The Research Paper will be based upon the course novel and must be submitted on CANVAS.  Your essay must be TYPED according to MLA standards: TYPED, DOUBLE SPACED, 12-SIZE FONT, TIMES NEW ROMAN, with 1-INCH MARGINS.  No late essays will be accepted.  YOU MUST SUBMIT A RESEARCH PAPER IN ORDER TO PASS THE CLASS. 

 

• Midterm (15%) & Final Exam (20%): There will be two (2) written exams on the assigned readings, lectures, and discussions. These exams are not timed assignments. Each Exam will be submitted to Canvas like an Essay assignment. Please see the Schedule in this Syllabus for the Midterm Exam and Final Exam due dates. We will review possible exam questions during the Zoom meeting preceding each exam. YOU MUST TAKE THE MIDTERM & FINAL EXAMS IN ORDER TO PASS THE CLASS.   

Academic Integrity: is expected, and academic dishonesty is a serious offense. Plagiarism is taking someone else’s words and/or ideas and pretending they are your own. Any assignment that is plagiarized receives an ‘F’. I may exclude/drop a student for plagiarizing. Forms of academic dishonesty include: Collusion-- lending your work to another person to submit as his or her own; Fabrication-- deliberately creating false information on a works cited page. If you have any questions or doubts about plagiarism, please ask me or check the ELAC course catalog. When there is evidence of academic dishonesty, the instructor may issue the student a zero or a substantial grade “F” on that particular assignment or test. The instructor may also initiate student discipline under LACCD Board Rule 91101, which may include the issuance of a verbal or written warning.

Student Feedback: Essays will be evaluated using the rubric based upon the course learning outcomes listed in the syllabus above.  Discussion posts will be evaluated using a separate rubric.  Feedback on student writing will be given on the Final Drafts of essays.  If you would like feedback on your drafts, please make an appointment to visit me during office hours.  Rubrics for Essays and Discussion posts can be found on the course CANVAS page.

STUDENT SERVICES:

CANVAS & Zoom Support can be found on the ELAC website.  If you are having trouble with the course CANVAS page, please visit the CANVAS Support page. If you are having trouble logging into Zoom, please visit the Zoom Resources page for technical assistance.

Modern Language and ESL Lab is dedicated to serving ELAC students in a creative environment focused on strengthening students’ language skills. Please visit their site to chat with a tutor at the Language Lab

Diverse-abilities Support Program and Services serves students with diverse needs may be provided with supportive accommodations in the educational setting based upon the documented disability. For more information, please contact DSP&S 

The Learning Assistance Center provides tutoring is provided online for many college-level courses. You can chat with a tutor from the learning center to set up an appointment.

The Reading and Writing Center assists students in all subjects to become more effective readers and writers. To book an appointment, please visit the Reading and Writing Center.

Veterans Resource Center is dedicated to providing veterans and active military personnel with assistance to obtain access to benefits and resources. Please visit the Veterans Resource Center for more information.

The Dream Resource Center As part of the Safe Zone Coalition, my office is a Safe-Zone for LGBTQ+ and Undocumented students. You may also chat with someone from Dream Resource Centers for more assistance.

* We will frequently refer back to this syllabus throughout the semester.  PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.   

 

Reading Schedule: *subject to change

***All assignments are due Friday at 11:59 PST unless otherwise specified***

 

Week 1:        4/12/2021  Free Speech vs. Censorship

Review Syllabus & Familiarize yourself with Course CANVAS Page

Review Essay #1 Prompt

Draft #1 of Essay #1 Due on CANVAS (4/16/2021)

Syllabus QUIZ Due on CANVAS (4/16/21)

Weekly Readings: all texts available on CANVAS

• "Outbreaks Are Not an Excuse to Trample on Our Rights" by Marni Soupcoff (CANVAS)
• "The Argument Against the Argument Against Face Masks" by Robert Roy Britt (CANVAS)
• "Fake News Is Killing Us. How Can We Stop It?" by Kate Yoder (CANVAS)
• "Speak Freely: Lose free speech, and lose our political freedom too" by Bruce S. Thornton (CANVAS)
• “The ‘Cancel Culture’ Debate Gets the Fight for Free Speech Entirely Wrong” (CANVAS)

Homework: 1. Familiarize yourself with the course CANVAS page and syllabus.  Please consult the ELAC Distance Education page for more information.  2. Answer discussion question on "Outbreaks Are Not an Excuse to Trample on Our Rights" and "The Argument Against the Argument Against Face Masks" by Robert Roy Britt on CANVAS 3. Take QUIZ on Introduction to Syllabus and Course.  4. Read through essay #1 prompt and choose the two texts you would like to write about.  5. Watch YouTube video entitled “How to Use Rhetoric to Get What You Want”.  6.  Review the Power Point Presentation on Rogerian Argumentation (CANVAS) 7.  Submit draft #1 of Essay #1 in which you construct a Rogerian Argument on TWO of the texts from the Weekly Readings (1-3 pages of solid writing).

 

 

Week 2:       4/19/2021   Social Justice – Gender Inequities

Draft #2 of Essay#1 DUE (4/20/2021)

Final Draft of Essay #1 DUE (4/23/2021)

Review Essay #2 Prompt

Weekly Readings: all texts available on CANVAS

• The Rage of the Incels
• What We Need to Learn About Boys from the Violent Rise of the Incels
• Ending Sexual Violence by Raising Better Boys
• Male Sexlessness is Rising, But Not for the Reasons Incels Claim

Homework: 1. Submit draft #2 of Essay #1 on CANVAS.  2. Read through the week’s readings and respond to the DISCUSSION post.  3.  Continue adding content to the existing draft of essay #1 and submit draft #2 on CANVAS (4-5 pages total).  4. Review PPT entitled “An Introduction to Persuasion and Argument” and “Aristotelian Rhetoric 2”.  5. Take QUIZ on “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All”.  6. Submit Final Draft of Essay #1 on CANVAS.  The final draft should consist of 5-7 pages of writing and should DIRECTLY answer the primary questions of the essay prompt.  Avoid summary and focus instead on analysis and quote explications.

 

 

Week 3:       4/26/2021   Social Justice – Gender Inequities Continued…

Draft #1 of Essay#2 DUE (4/27/2021)

Draft #2 of Essay#2 DUE (4/30/2021)

Weekly Readings: all texts available on CANVAS

• Why Women Still Can’t Have It All
• Teaching Boys and Girls Separately
• A Feminist Defense of Princess Culture
• Princess Culture Magnifies Stereotypes
• The Real Problem with the Disney Princesses Brand
• What’s Wrong with Cinderella

Homework: 1. Respond to Discussion question on Princess Culture.  2. Take quiz on “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All”.  3. Submit draft #1 of Essay #2 on CANVAS (1-3 solid pages of writing that DIRECTLY responds to the essay prompt) 4. Watch TedTalk by Jackson Katz “Violence Against Women”.   5.  Respond to Discussion question on “Violence Against Women” TedTalk.  6. Review the PPT entitled “Counterclaims” and “Deduction vs. Induction”.   7. Submit draft #2 of Essay #2 on CANVAS (4-5 pages of writing that continues to add content to the first draft). 

 

 

Week 4:       5/3/2021     Social Justice – Racial Inequities

FINAL Draft of Essay#2 DUE (5/4/2021)

Review Essay #3 Prompt

Draft #1 of Essay #3 Due (5/7/2021)

MIDTERM EXAM (5/7/2021)

Weekly Readings: all texts available on CANVAS

• In Portland, the spotlight on the wall of moms underscores the constant presence of the white ally - for better or worse
• Letter from Birmingham Jail
• The New Jim Crow
• Brutality and Racial Bias: What the Data Say
• VIDEO: Films on Demand – Black Lives Matter Segment

 

Homework: 1. Finish writing Essay #3 and submit the Final draft of essay #3 on CANVAS.  The final draft of essay #3 should consist of 5-7 pages of solid writing that avoids summary and directly responds to the essay prompt.  2. Respond to the discussion post on the week’s reading on CANVAS.  3. Watch the video posted in the week’s module and then respond to the discussion question regarding the video on CANVAS.  4. Submit draft#1 of Essay #3 via CANVAS (1-3 pages of writing that directly responds to the essay prompt).  5. Get a head start on reading Little Fires Everywhere over the weekend. 

 

 

Week 5         5/10/2021               Little Fires Everywhere

Draft #2 of Essay #3 DUE (5/11/2021)

Final Draft of Essay #3 DUE (5/14/2021)

Distribute Essay #4 RESEARCH PAPER Prompt

Weekly Readings: all texts available on CANVAS

• Little Fires Everywhere – Chapters 1-12 (pp.1-186)

Homework: 1. Read the first 10 chapters of Little Fires Everywhere and then respond to the discussion question on CANVAS.  2. Submit draft #2 of Essay #3 on CANVAS (add content to the existing version of draft #1 and make sure you are staying on task and responding directly to the essay prompt.  Draft #2 should be 4-5 pages in length).  3. Review PPT entitled “Analysis vs. Observation” in the Week 5 MODULE.  4. Utilize the library research guides available through the ELAC Library to find articles, interviews, and media on your chosen topic for the research paper.  Submit links to 3 articles via the Library Links assignment on CANVAS.  5. Submit Final Draft of essay #3 on CANVAS.  The final draft should be 5-7 pages in length. 

 

 

Week 6         5/17/2021                Little Fires Everywhere

Draft #1 of Essay #4 RESEARCH PAPER DUE (5/18/2021)

Draft #2 of Essay #4 RESEARCH PAPER DUE (5/21/2021)

Weekly Readings: all texts available on CANVAS

• Little Fires Everywhere – Chapters 13-20 (pp.187-336)

Homework: 1. Utilize the library research guides available through the ELAC Library to find articles, interviews, and media on your chosen topic for the research paper.  2. Submit links to 3 articles via the Library Links assignment on CANVAS. 3. Submit draft #1 of research paper on Canvas.  3. Review one of your peer’s essays.  4. Submit draft #2 of the research paper via Canvas.

 

 

Week 7         5/24/2021               Secondary Source Peer Review

Draft #3 of Essay #4 RESEARCH PAPER DUE (5/25/2021)

Draft #4 of Essay #4 RESEARCH PAPER DUE (5/28/2021)

Weekly Readings: all texts available on CANVAS

• Secondary Source Peer Review

Homework: 1. Submit links and files (.doc, .docx, or pdf) of TWO (2) secondary sources you are using in your Research Paper.  2. Download and review ONE (1) of the secondary sources that your peers have uploaded and provide the following as a response to the week’s Discussion Post: a) Title of text and author, b) summary of the article, c) analysis of how the author of the secondary sources employs elements of rhetoric to strengthen and support his/her argument.

 

 

Week 8         5/31/2021               Final Exam

FINAL DRAFT of Essay #4 RESEARCH PAPER DUE (6/4/2021)

FINAL EXAM due on CANVAS at 11.59pm (6/7/2021)

Weekly Readings: all texts available on CANVAS

• Nick Nolan – No Place Like Home,1-5

HOMEWORK: 1. Keep adding content to your research paper.  Submit draft #3 of the research paper via CANVAS and then 2. Respond to one of your peer’s essays.  3.  Submit the FINAL DRAFT of the RESEARCH PAPER.  The final draft should be a minimum of 10 pages in length and should include references to 6 secondary sources (the course novel, Little Fires Everywhere, does not count as a secondary source. 4. Answer the Discussion question on CANVAS on No Place Like Home in preparation for the final exam.  5. Take the Final Exam on CANVAS.  You must submit the final exam by 11:59pm on MONDAY 6/7/2021 in order to receive a passing grade in the class. 

 

**********************************************************************************************************************************

Guidelines for Writing a Persuasive / Argumentative Essay

1. The purpose of a persuasive essay is to convince the reader to do something (such as agree with your argument). I suggest you use the three persuasive appeals (ethos, pathos, and logos) we discussed in class to persuade the reader.
2. Your essay must have a title, a thesis statement, and at least five paragraphs. Use prewriting techniques to generate ideas if you need to.
3. Well-developed arguments for complex issues often require much more than the minimum word count to be persuasive.
4. Students must organize their argument using a recognizable organizational pattern for argumentation: the classical, Toulmin, or Rogerian patterns of argument. All three patterns acknowledge and describe an alternative or counterargument within the main body of the argument. The classical pattern is the most common and useful across college courses.
5. Refutation and/or Concession: students may either refute or concede to one or more alternative or counter-arguments, as long as such arguments are addressed in order to demonstrate ethical and fair reasoning.
6. Summary of the issue or problem: students must summarize the issue so that the reader may understand the problem and why it necessitates consideration. Summary is used throughout an argument but is especially useful in the introduction and early body paragraphs. When summarizing, the writer should always cite the source of information.
7. Thesis: students must assert their claim or position on the issue with an explicit thesis statement. A strong thesis in argumentation consists of a claim, a rationale (why and/or how statement), and a statement of why the argument is significant (and often, for whom).
8. Rhetorical purpose and context: students should demonstrate that they identify an audience and purpose for their argument; this may be demonstrated in the introductory or concluding paragraphs, and/or within the body paragraphs.
9. Rhetorical appeals: students should demonstrate their understanding of how rhetorical appeals shape their arguments, such as demonstrating credibility through ethical appeal; demonstrating appropriate use of emotional appeals; demonstrating understanding of the purpose and timeliness of an argument; and demonstrating logical appeals by using authorities, examples, facts and other forms of persuasive evidence.
10. Outside sources: students must base their argument primarily on outside sources, and not on personal experience. While some explanation of personal experience may be useful in creating ethical appeal, students must use textual evidence to support their argument through the use of paraphrase, summary, and quotation. Whichever sources you use, please list them on your essay’s works cited page.
11. Please use MLA formatting, including Works Cited list and in-text citations.
12. Please proofread, with minimal surface and grammatical errors.