EWRT 1B

DE ANZA COLLEGE-SPRING QUARTER 2013

OFFICE: F11-f     PHONE: 864-8540  E-MAIL:dickersonbob@fhda.edu
FACULTY WEBSITE: http://faculty.deanza.fhda.edu/dickersonbob/
Office Hours: Mon.—Thurs. 11:30-12:20 and by appointment.

Eligibility is established through successful completion of ENGLISH 1A.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Through reading, discussion of, and writing about literature, you should develop a greater ability to understand what you read and to convey that understanding in a variety of clear, unified, coherent, well-developed and effective essays.

TEXTS
Ciuraru (ed.), Beat Poets (Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets)
Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies
Mamet, Oleanna
Wolff, ed., The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories
(Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go—not certain if we will have time for it; will let you know)
North by Northwest: An EWRT 1B Reader (purchased at the Bookstore and picked up at De Anza Printing Services)
Various handouts
A dictionary and thesaurus

ATTENDANCE

We meet two times a week. You are allowed three absences. If you miss more than three classes, I will drop you. Whether your absences are excused or unexcused makes no difference, since you will miss important class time. If you arrive late or leave early, you will be assessed either a full or half absence for the day, depending upon the amount of class time you miss. People who leave during break will receive a full absence for the day. 

 IMPORTANT: If you miss a class or an assignment, please contact another classmate for the information you missed. Do not call or email me for missed assignments. After I determine the pace of the class, I will give you a tentative reading schedule that will help you keep up with assignments. Usually, I determine an appropriate reading schedule by the fourth or fifth week of the quarter. 

IMPORTANT DATES

4/20 is the last day to drop for a refund (4/13 for out-of-state or international students). 4/21 is the last day to drop with nothing showing on your record. 5/31 is the last day to drop with a "W." I will not drop you from the class. You must withdraw yourself or receive the appropriate grade.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

      A) Completion of all assignments on time: You will come to class having read the assignment and prepared to discuss.
      B) Participation in class and group discussions.
      C) Writing of approximately 6,000 words: one or two in-class essays, three or four out-of-class essays, several short in-class and/or out-of-class essays, and a research paper. You will complete all the written assignments or you will not pass the class.
      D) Free-writing exercises, oral reports, and study question responses.
      E) Unannounced reading quizzes.
      F) A final exam.
     

EVALUATION

Your final grade will be primarily determined by the quality of your written work, but it will also be affected by your class attendance, class participation, performance on reading quizzes, and your ability to submit your completed assignments on time.

Probable percentages for evaluation: Essays 40-50%, Research Paper-15-20%, Final Exam-15-20%, Reading Quiz/Study Question Average, Attendance and Participation-20%.

You may rewrite papers for higher grades only if I recommend that you do so. However, if you wish to rewrite a paper for the sheer pleasure of improving your writing skills, I will be glad to read and comment on such an essay.

You may not rewrite late papers for a higher grade. Late papers will be marked down a letter grade for each class they are late. No late papers will be accepted more than one week after the due date. A paper that is not accepted will receive a 0 for a grade. I will not write comments on late papers. A late paper is any paper that is not turned into me at or prior to the beginning of the class on the day the paper is due. Thus, it seems advisable to submit all papers on time.

PLAGIARISM—Don't do it!!!

FLAKE FACTOR—Excessive tardiness, absences, protracted break-taking, late papers, unread assignments, etc. are considered annoying, deleterious, and bad form; consequently, they may affect your final grade (and your future income and investment portfolio, as well).

CELL PHONE RULE—You may not use cell phones in class for any reason. If you need to use one, please go outside the classroom and talk or text or whatever you need to do.

FINAL EXAM

The final exam for Section 17 (TTh 1:30) will be in L-42 from 1:45 P.M. until 3:45 P.M. on Tuesday, June 25.