ENGLISH 101: COLLEGE READING & COMPOSITION I  

LOS ANGELES PIERCE COLLEGE, WOOLDAND HILLS, CA

Instructor: Lisa Hight 

                      

Course Number: 27491

Fall Semester 2021  

Welcome!  We will be meeting in Room 804, located in the Juniper Building, every Monday evening (except for holidays) from 6:50 pm to 10:00 pm.

My Contact Information

I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions. No, really!  I love students who reach out to me. My turn-around time for answering questions is 48 hours.   

The best way to contact me is through the Canvas email system.  Look for your Canvas inbox in the global navigation menu, which is the gray column on the far left-hand side. However, you can also contact me via my email account: hightlm@laccd.edu. 

About Canvas

Besides our class meetings, we will use Canvas.  Lectures, discussions, homework, essays assignments, research paper, and the final exam will be posted on the English 101 Canvas shell.  You will be required to upload your essays, research paper, and final exam onto Canvas.  I will build the class Canvas as weekly modules and will add each module one week at a time. 

Even though you will upload most of your work onto Canvas, attending classes is essential.  What you will be writing in your essays, research paper, and final exam should come from our discussions during class.

Office Hours

I only like office hours if students visit me.  Please, I get lonely when I have no one to talk to! I will conduct office hours every Friday from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm on zoom, so I will send out the zoom invites before my office hours start.

Important Dates to Remember

Wednesday, 9/8, is the last day to drop the course without getting a “W” on your record.

Sunday, 11/21, is the last day to drop the course.  Please note: if you drop anytime between 9/9 and 11/22, you will receive a “W” on your record.

Please be aware that you are in control of your academic career, so you have the power over whether or not you want to drop this course.  The only reason I will drop a student is for nonattendance (please see my policy on attendance that is outlined later on in this syllabus).

You should also be aware of the “three strikes” rules.  A student who either withdraws after census, or receives unsatisfactory grades, cannot attempt a course more than three times.

Required Reading

There will be no textbook assigned to this course.  Instead, I will offer free online readings and videos for each essay assignment. 

I strongly suggest that you bring either a print-out of the assigned reading to class or call up it up on a device such as your phone or laptop. 

Course Description

Here is the course description as stated in the college catalog:

• Students gain proficiency in reading and writing through application of the principles of rhetoric and the techniques of critical thinking. A formal research paper is required. An understanding of the elements of grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure is crucial to successful completion of English 101. English 101 is required for AA and GE/transfer completion. Placement Advisory: ENGLISH 28 or appropriate placement per AB 705.

However, I would like to explain that everything that we do in this course will be analytical in nature, so what is analysis?  Analysis is simply breaking down a whole idea, concept, object, process, etc. into several parts, and examining how those corresponding parts reinforce and make up that whole idea, concept, object, process, etc. in order to understand it better.  

You will be required to write four essays, one research paper, and one final exam.  Each essay is worth up to 12 points, and the research paper (minimum of 1500 words in MLA format) is worth up to 25 points.  In other words, 88% of your overall grade will be from the essay assignments, the research paper, and final exam.  You will be required to upload your essays, research paper, and final exam, which is worth up to 15 points, on Canvas.  In addition, you will be required to post and respond to other students’ posts on discussion assignments as well as complete homework assignments.  The discussion posts and homework will be worth up to 12 points overall.  There will be 2 assignments (one homework and/or discussion per week), and each assignment will be worth .5 points each. However, there will only be one assignment due during Week 11 and 12, and the Week 12 assignment will be worth 1 point.  The grade breakdown for the essays, research paper, final exam, and discussion assignments will be outlined after the Student Learning Outcomes. 

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of the semester, the student should be able to complete the following outcomes.

• Analyze rhetorical and thematic elements of college-level fiction and non-fiction by composing critical analyses, including a research paper, with clear thesis statements and specific, relevant support.
• Compose unified, coherent essays, including a research paper, with minimal errors in Standard English grammar, mechanics, and MLA format.

Grading Policy

Essay #1 (analysis of the style in a video)                  12 points 

Essay #2 (analysis of rhetoric in an online essay)      12 points 

Essay #3 (writing an argument for national parks)    12 points

Essay #4 (writing about your research topic)             12 points

Research Paper (argument about a controversy)       25 points 

Final Exam                                                                     15 points 

Discussion & Homework Assignments                       12 points 

Total	100 points
Grade Range for Each Essay
12 – 10.8 points          A	(11.4 is an average A.)
10.7 – 9.6 points         A- to B	(10.2 is an average B.)
9.5 – 8.4 points           B- to C	(9 is an average C.)
8.3 –  7.2 points          C- to D	(7.8 is an average D.)

10.1 – 0 points            D- to F  

Grade Range for Research Paper  

25 – 22.2 points          A 

22.1 – 21.5 points       B+ 

21.4 – 19.8 points       B 

19.7 – 18.9 points       C+ 

18.7 – 17.2 points       C 

17.1 – 15 points          D 

14.9 – 0 points            F   

Grade Range for the Final Exam  

15 – 13.3            A to A- (average A is 14.3)  

13.2 – 11.8         B to B – (average B is 12.8)  

11.7 – 10.4         C to C- (average C is 11.2)  

10.3 – 8.8          D to D – (average D is 9.8)  

8.7 – 0               F  

Grade Range for the Homework & Discussion Assignments   

Homework & discussion assignments will be posted weekly for the first five weeks of the summer session.  The points are broken down to 1 point per week, which means each assignment is worth .5 points each. However, there will only be one assignment due during Week 11 and 12, and the Week 12 assignment will be worth 1 point. 

12 – 10.7 points                  A  

10.6 – 9.5 points                 B 

9.4 – 8.3 points                   C 

8.2 – 7.1 points                   D 

7 – 0 points                         F  

Final Grade Breakdown  

The final grade scale will be calculated as follows:  

100 – 89 points   A 

88 – 79 points     B 

78 - 69 points      C 

68 – 59 points     D 

58 – 0 points       F  

Please note: your point total will be rounded up or down to create a whole final grade percentage.  For example, if your total is 88.5 points or higher, I  

will round it up to 89 points.  If your total is 77.4 points or lower, I will round

it down to 77 points. 

All essays must be uploaded to the Canvas page of this course. Once your essay is uploaded, I will assign points to your essay and give you feedback on your essay.  

Your research paper must be uploaded to the Canvas page of this course as well.  

My Grading Criteria and Schedule

To give you an idea of how I grade essays, I have laid out a rough rubric:  

1. Content: I consider content—what you say in your paper—to be the most significant part. If you can craft thoughtful analysis that does deep, takes apart an essay’s argument, and explains how the rhetoric works, for instance, then you are on your way to a strong grade.  
2. Structure: organization is important, but a well-organized paper should be in service to content. The best papers are the ones where I can simply focus on the content without trying to figure out the organization.  However, I realize that there are various—and valid—structures in academic papers.  With that in mind, I will lay out how I would like you to structure your essays for this course.  For instance, I will require you to place your thesis statement at the very end of your introduction.  
3. Grammar or Mechanics: I do not grade down papers that contain a small number of errors or typos. In fact, you will most likely be able to find my small errors in my writing.  I will only grade down essays that contain numerous errors to the point where I spend more time correcting the errors instead of reading the essay.  

To help you understand what is required in your essay assignments and research paper, I will provide sample papers for each assignment.  That is why I am assigning two videos or readings per week.  The sample papers will be based on one of the videos and readings. 

Regarding my grading schedule, I will try to grade all assignments as quickly as possible. However, I estimate that my turnaround time for essays is about 12 days.  You can email me if the twelve-day mark has come and gone and you still have not received a grade on your essay.  You should also be aware that I tend to write a lot of notes and comments on each essay.  Please do not be alarmed if you see a lot of notes on your essay.  Even if you write a beautiful essay that makes me gasp with awe and wonder, I will still put a lot of comments on it.  

I apologize for being redundant.  However, you should be aware that what you write in your essays should come from our class discussion and activities.

Re-write option for Essays

If you want to raise a grade on an individual essay, you can revise your draft that you originally submitted via Canvas and email me your revision.  If I find that you have made some improvement, I will re-grade your essay and enter it into the gradebook on Canvas.  Please note: I would like you to revise your essay based on the notes and comments I have written on it.  This offer only applies to Essays 1, 2, & 3.  Unfortunately, I cannot allow any re-writes on your draft of Essay 4 and your research paper.  

I will accept your re-writes until Sunday, 11/21. Unfortunately, I cannot accept any re-writes after that date because I will be slammed with a lot a grading towards the end of the semester.

Extra Credit

Extra credit will be offered if you choose to seek tutoring at the Center for Academic Success (CAS).  The CAS will provide online one-on-one tutoring sessions, and I will allow a maximum of four tutoring sessions.  I will offer 1 point for each tutoring session (you must provide proof that you had a visited a tutor at the center), so you can earn a possible total of 4 points of extra credit.

I will also offer extra credit points if you attend any online workshop that the Pierce Library offers.  I will offer 1 point for each workshop (you must provide proof that you had completed a workshop), so you can earn a possible total of 3 points.  Therefore, if you attend three workshops, you can earn 3 points.

If you attend four writing sessions and three library workshops, you can earn a total of 7 extra credit points.

Any extra credit points you earn will be added to your overall points for homework.  Therefore, you might see a score that is greater than 12 points.

Cell Phones

I understand the allure of the phone.  I, too, have difficulty staying away from my iPhone.  However, I respectfully ask you to refrain from using your phones during our class meetings, unless you are looking at the assigned readings on your phone.  I live for discussions, and I hope to hear input from all of you.

Attendance

How to be Successful  

Part of my teaching philosophy is to allow you to develop and discover your own answers to the questions and issues that the readings and class lectures will pose.  Thus, a big part of your learning and acquisition of analytical skills is based on class discussion.  As I teacher, I don’t possess the perfect answer that will guarantee you a high grade.  In fact, you may have a stronger understanding than you realize.  That is why discussion during our class meetings is so essential.  As long as your answer makes sense and/or is factually correct, then you have pretty good chance in succeeding in this class.  When we dig into the videos and online essays during class meetings, I will help in making good choices about what to reference and what to quote in your essay assignments. 

The only reason why I would drop a student is if that student has stopped, attending class, contacting me on a regular basis, and uploading papers onto Canvas for more than two weeks.  However, I will make every effort to keep in touch with all of you. Students should be aware that if I drop them from this course between the dates of 9/9/21 and 11/21/21, they will receive a “W” on their records.  All students who are still enrolled after 11/21/21 will receive a letter grade (or pass/no pass option if that student has chosen that option).  

Please note: if you are unable to attend the first meeting, please send me a message to my Canvas inbox or email me.  Otherwise, I may drop you from the roster.

I understand that life can get in the way, and you may have to skip zoom meetings.  However, I encourage you to contact me and other students enrolled in this course when you are absent from these meetings.  You can always contact me and other students.  Unfortunately, I won’t be able to get you caught up if I have papers to grade, but you can contact your fellow classmates through the Canvas email system.    

Due Dates for Essays, Research Papers, Homework, and Discussion

• Late Essays: if you upload a late essay via Canvas after the due date, I will deduct .5 points for every late day from whatever grade your late final draft earns. For example, if your late essay initially earns an A (13.5 pts.), and you turn in a draft two days after the due date, your grade will drop to an B (12.5 pts.).   
• If you do not in any draft for an essay assignment, you will receive an F grade (0 pts.).
• Late Research Paper: if you upload a late research paper via Canvas after the due date, I will deduct 1 point for each late date from whatever grade your late research paper earns. For example, if your late research paper initially earns a B+ (22 pts.), and you turn in draft three days after the due date, your grade will drop to a C+ (19 pts.).  Please note: your research paper must be uploaded to Canvas. 
• Homework & Discussion: these assignments will only be open during the week they are assigned. When the due dates have passed, you will not be able to complete these assignments.   

Note about Trigger Warnings

We will be exploring a variety of topics, issues, and controversies.  For example, for your research paper, you will be arguing about a pro/con controversy from a list that I will provide.  Though some of the topics and issues are meant to challenge us to step outside of our personal bias, you have to right to not engage in discussions if they have the potential of triggering your trauma.  If you have concerns, please come see me.

Plagiarism Policy

What is plagiarism?  Plagiarism occurs when a student takes sentences or phrases from another writer and inserts these sentences or phrases into his or her writing and does not acknowledge or indicate that these are from another writer or outside source whether it is an essay, article, book, blog, etc.  

You must be careful in how you present outside sources.  If you turn in any work that uses unacknowledged ideas or concepts from other writers, you will receive an F grade (0 points) with no option for a re-write.  I will also report any instance of plagiarism to the school; this means that the school will investigate the report and will take appropriate action against the plagiarist.  

Here Are Some Great Resources

• The Center for Academic Success (CAS) offers online tutoring services and workshops to help you strengthen your writing skills.
• Special Services aids Students with disabilities, whether physical, learning, or psychological, who believe that they may need accommodations in this class. They are encouraged to contact Special Services as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Authorization, based on verification of disability, is required before any accommodation can be made.  The phone number for Special Services is (818) 719-6430, and the office of Special Services is located in the Administration Bldg, Room 1024.
• Student Health Center: medical and mental health services are available to all currently enrolled students at the Student Health Center. There is no cost to students to see any of the medical and mental health providers during extended office hours. You can call the office at 818-710-4270.
• Financial Aid: if you need money to pay for books, supplies, enrollment fees, parking, and other expenses to help you with college, apply for financial aid.  To learn about the financial aid process, visitor send an email to pierce_finaid@piercecollege.edu.  The office is located on the 2nd floor of the Student Services Building.  The Financial Aid Office uses a virtual queue called QLess which enables students to wait in line virtually.
• Title IX: College is committed to fostering a campus community based on respect and nonviolence. To this end, we recognize that all Pierce community members are responsible for ensuring that our community is free from discrimination, domestic and dating violence, gender bias, stalking, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. In accordance with Title IX, Pierce is legally obligated to investigate incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault that occur on our campus. Faculty who become aware of an incident of sexual violence, including harassment, rape, sexual assault, relationship violence, child abuse or stalking, are mandatory reporters and required by law to notify Pierce Title IX Coordinator. The purpose of this disclosure is to ensure that students are made aware of their reporting options and resources for support. The Title IX Coordinator is Dr. Earic Dixon-Peters, V.P. of Student Services. You can reach Dr. Dixon-Peters at 818 710 4228 or peterseb@piercecollege.edu.  

CLASS SCHEDULE

This is only a rough schedule.  There may be changes to the schedule due to time constraints and other unforeseen circumstances.  For example, I may have to switch out one scheduled reading assignment with another one or push bac/k a deadline f/or an essay.  

WEEK 1 (8/30): introduction to class; introduction to analysis; we will be analyzing the style a video or, in other words, how videos package and deliver their information. 

• Please complete the 1^st homework assignment, which is simply a getting-to-know-you questionnaire (due 9/3 by 11:59 pm).
• Video to be viewed: 2 videos explaining what is a growth mindset

WEEK 2 (9/6): Monday, 9/6, is Labor Day, so there will be no class.

• Homework (due 9/10): summary and/or questions on the video, “Milk. White Poison or Healthy Drink?” (YouTube video produced by Kurzgesagt)
• Homework (due 9/10) summary and/or questions on the video, “The dark history of IQ tests – Stefan C. Dombrowski” (YouTube video produced by TED-ed)

WEEK 3 (9/13): review of analyzing the style in a video

• Video to be viewed: “Milk. White Poison or Healthy Drink?” (youtube video produced by Kurzgesagt); we will analyze the video as well as go over a sample paper based on this video in class.
• Video to be viewed: “The dark history of IQ tests – Stefan C. Dombrowski; we will analyze the video in class.
• Essay #1 (analyzing the style in the video, “The Dark History of IQ tests – Stefan C. Dombrowski”) will be due Friday, 9/17, by 11:59 pm.
  • Homework (due 9/19): analyzing the logos, ethos, and pathos in three videos
  • Homework (due 9/19): summary and/or questions on “What is an Elite College Really Worth?

WEEK 4 (9/20): introduction to logos, ethos, and pathos; introduction to evidence: eyewitness and expert testimony as well as numerical data and research data You

• I will show various short videos & documents to show how evidence works.
• Reading assignment: “What is an Elite College Really Worth?” by Derek Thompson; we will analyze the assigned reading in class.
  • Homework (due 9/26): summary and/or questions on “Better Schools Won’t Fix America” by Nick Hanauer

WEEK 5 (9/27): more on rhetoric: logos, ethos, and pathos as well as the four types of evidence

• We will analyze a sample paper that analyzes the rhetoric in “What is an Elite College Really Worth?”
• We will analyze the reading assignment: “Better Schools Won’t Fix America” by Nick Hanauer
• Homework (due 10/3): summary and/or questions on “President’s Budget Proposal Damaging to National Parks as They Continue to Recover from Government Shutdown”
• Homework (due 10/3): understanding and explaining research published in a peer-reviewed journal.

WEEK 6 (10/4): introduction to writing your own argument; introduction to Modern Language Association (MLA) citation

• We will be analyzing “President’s Budget Proposal Damaging to  National Parks as They Continue to Recover from Government Shutdown” in class.
• We will be analyzing the research published in a peer-reviewed journal in class.
• Essay #2 (analyzing the rhetoric of “Better Schools Won’t Fix America) is due Friday, 10/8, by 11:59 pm. You will be required to upload your essay onto Canvas.
• Homework (due 10/10): summary and/or questions on “What are the economic benefits of a national park?” by Janet Nguyen in class & “Win-Win: the Endangered Species Act and Our National Parks”

WEEK 7 (10/25): more on writing your own argument; more on MLA citation

• We will analyze “What are the economic benefits of a national park?” & “Win-Win: the Endangered Species Act and Our National Parks” in class.
• Homework (due 10/31): summary and/or questions on “Why Science Matters for National Parks” by Ryan Valdez, Ph.D.
• Homework (due 10/31): summary of the research article, “Does a natural environment enhance the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)? Examining the mental health and wellbeing, and nature connectedness benefits” by Eun Yeong Choe, Anna Jorgensen, and David Sheffield.

WEEK 8 (11/1): introduction to the research paper; introduction to explaining the topic of your research paper; you will choose your topic from a list that I provide.  Unfortunately, you will not be able to write about a topic that is not on my list.

• We will analyze “Why Science Matters for National Parks” and “Does a natural environment enhance the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)? Examining the mental health and wellbeing, and nature connectedness benefits” in class.
• I will show various short videos on each topic from the list (see above)
  • Homework (due 11/7): questions on a sample essay that explains the topic of vaccine exemptions
  • Homework (due 11/7): please explain which topic from the list (see above) interests you the most.

WEEK 9 (11/8): more on the research paper; how to research the Mt. SAC library databases and Google Scholar; review of MLA citation

• We will analyze the sample paper on vaccine exemptions.
• We will also begin researching for outside sources based on your chosen topic
• Essay #3 (writing an argument for more tax dollars to fund and maintain our national parks) is due Friday, 11/12, by 11:59 pm. You will be required to upload your essay onto Canvas.
  • Homework: questions on a sample research paper on vaccine exemptions.

WEEK 10 (11/15): more on the research paper; review of MLA citation

• We will go over the sample research paper on vaccine exemptions in class.
• We will continue researching for outside sources based on your chosen topic in class.
• Essay #4 (explaining your chosen topic for your research paper) will be due this Friday, 11/19, by 11:59 pm. You will be required to upload your essay onto Canvas.
  • Homework (due 11/21): creating a “Works Cited” list for your research paper.
  • Homework (due 11/21): questions on a student’s research paper.

WEEK 11 (11/22): review of writing an argument using evidence and appeal (logos and ethos)

• We will go over the student’s research paper in class.
• You will be required to bring in two outside sources you plan to use for your research paper and find evidence in them in class.
  • Homework (due 11/28): writing a paragraph using evidence and logos to prove your argument on your research topic.

WEEK 12 (11/29): review of writing an argument

• You will practice writing a thesis statement for your research paper in class.
  • Homework (due 12/5): writing a paragraph using evidence and ethos to prove your argument on your research topic

WEEK 13 (12/6):

• We will go over the final exam, which will be on the video, “We Went to the World’s Largest Skunk Conventions” (from a series called American Convention, produced by Vice).

WEEK 14 (12/13):

• There will be no class meeting this week. However, I will be in the classroom from 7:30 to 9:30 pm, so if you need any last minute help on your research paper, please feel free to drop in.

FINALS WEEK starts on Monday, 12/13.  The final exam will be due on

Thursday, 12/16, by 11:59 pm, and the research paper will be due on Saturday, 12/18, by 11:59 pm.  You will be required to upload both your final exam and research paper onto Canvas.