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EWRT 1A Course Description
Course Syllabus Website: go to https://catalyst.deanza.edu/ to login (only active the first day of classes)
Office: F41h
Office hours:
Email: simesalan@fhda.edu
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I would like to extend a warm hello and welcome to every student in this class. My name is Alan Simes and I look foward to getting to know each one of you as we all spend twelve weeks writing and reading interesting things--as well as each other. You all have signed up for a course known formally as EWRT 1A: Composition and Reading. So what will we be reading and writing this quarter?
NOTE TO EARLY BIRDS: if you would like to get a head start on the first week assignments, read the first two chapters in Writing Analytically.
READING
This quarter we will be reading and viewing a great variety of texts, including televsion advertisements, magazine articles, short stories, and a novel. There is one crucial book that you will need to buy ASAP called Writing Analytically. This textbook serves as our "how to write college essays" book for the quarter and tells you explicitly how to do the required writing for this class.
TEXTBOOKS
Rosenwasser and Stephen, Writing Analytically, Fifth Edition, Thompson/Wadsworth
Note: this book is available as an e-book or as separate e-chapters. Go to the Cengage website for more information: http://www.cengagebrain.com/shop/index.html?cid=GSEM1&gclid=CMPP3uie_6gCFQEHbAodCmCIRw
Watson, Montana 1948
Note: this book can be purchased at the bookstore or online, or be found at local libraries.
All additional reading will be available on-line.
Note: You MUST have Writing Analytically as early in the first week as possible. There is no subsitute for it and you cannot complete the first week's work without it--and failing to do so means being dropped from the course. Make sure you have the correct edition--the 5th edition.
WRITING
The writing in this course will all be in direct response to what we will be reading and seeing, and all of it will seek to make sense of what we read and see. We will write analytical essays about what we see and read that seek to interpret these complex creations. ALERT: nothing you write this for this class will even remotely resemble the five paragraph essay that we all know by heart, so get ready for somthing different (and far better)....
But what do we ACTUALLY DO in this course?
Short answer: discuss and write about what we are reading by logging on to the CATALYST course website to check and complete assignments, and post weekly comments.
The complete answer is that we create and participate in an online learning community. We will be "meeting" several times every week on the course website to discuss the assigned reading and learn analytical writing. Through the CATALYST website we will have a complete online classroom, a virtual space where we will share ideas about what we are reading and writing. In that space, there will be mini-lectures, small group student work, student exchanges of views, one-on-one student-teacher exchanges and other forms of communication. Keep in mind that I have designed course materials that wil require you to spend at least at least TWENTY HOURS per week in this online classroom actively reading and writing and sharing ideas.
If you are hesitant or unsure about online learning or taking an oncampus/online class be sure to let me know. Above all else, I want you to succeed in this course so please help me to help you.
WHAT IS CATALYST?
CATALYST is De Anza College's own online course management system that provides the online interface for this course. Just turn on your computer, go to https://catalyst.deanza.edu/ and log on with your user ID and password. You will be sent to the specific website where our class is held. Be aware that this site is only functional starting on the first day of classes.
We will be using this online learning software to talk to one another,discuss readings, leave messages, turn in assignments and more. With a little patience and time, you will be able to easily learn and manage this online system. Remember that I and your fellow classmates are ready to help, so don't give up if you reach a temporary technological dead-end--just ask for help!
Remember: The course syllabus is ONLY available on Catalyst.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Maintain only ONE email account for use in this course. It would help greatly if your LAST name formed some part of the email address or if have you it appear on the From line.
Complete all assignments on time--if you turn in more than two or more late assignment you may be dropped from the class and/or greatly harm your overall course grade. All required assignments must be completed in order to recieve a grade of "C" or higher in the course. Late work may be accepted but will negatively affect your overall course grade.
Write approximately 6,000 words or more.
Active, weekly participation in class through weekly online work is required for this course.
Nearly all of our time will be spent on activities that must be performed in a timely manner. Falling behind isn't an option. Careful reading and preparation is crucial. You do have to stay active by reading and posting comments and assignments on the CATALYST website on at least a TWICE WEEKLY BASIS. If you are not actively participating in class or if you fall significantly behind you will be dropped from the course or given a failing final grade.
Collect and maintain all writing assignments throughout the quarter, including all of your listserv postings, in a separate folder on the hard drive of your computer (or wherever you store your virtual files).
THE CRUCIAL FINE PRINT (READ THIS!):
Students who have been inactive on-line a week or more during the course may be dropped for non-participation. All students inactive for two or more weeks, including students who skip discussion forum assignments for two or more weeks, will be automatically dropped or failed--no exceptions.
IMPORTANT: if you have any kind of emergency affecting your involvement in this course you must contact me about it, before if possible. You are responsible for all class activities so act accordingly. Keep me informed of emergencies and problems that affect your performance and ask for my help if you need it.
GRADES
(Please note that the following pertains only to this course during the regular academic year--grades in summer will be done differently and there will be no portfolio.)
There are 400+ points possible in this course: 235 points for the course Portfolio, 100 points for the final exam, 75 points for overall course participation, and points for quizzes (the quiz point total and overall point total for the course depends on the number of quizzes and the specific number of questions for each quiz; this will vary but the total will be around 500 points possible). This course participation grade will depend on your active involvment in this course, on the frequency, quality and quantity of your discussion comments, on your peer review responses to other student's essays and on any informal writing assignments. Final grades will be assessed on the basis of a class curve.
The Portfolio
At the end of the quarter, you will review all the essays and other writing you have turned in, select the best of it according to posted guidelines, rewrite/revise it and submit it as a collection of your best work: this is the portfolio. This portfolio will be due during finals week and will account for three/fourths of your course grade.
PLAGIARISM POLICY
Because I respect the opinions and ideas of others, I am strongly against cheating and stealing and will uphold a strict plagiarism policy. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT VERY CAREFULLY:
1. Students who submit the work of others in whole or in part will receive a zero for that assignment and for the overall Participation grade and may fail the course if the plagiarism continues.
2. Incidents of cheating will be reported to the Dean of Language Arts.
3. Plagiarized assignments may not be revised or resubmitted.
It is the student's responsibility to cite sources and avoid sloppy research. Be sure that any phrases, sentences, or paragraphs that you did not create get placed in quotation marks and be sure to attribute them to their author. Plagiarism is easy to spot so ask for help before you throw your grade away.
If you feel you need to do some research but are not sure how to quote an author or document your sources, ASK FOR HELP. If you have any concern with possible plagiarism, whether you are the potential victim or perpretrator, please contact me immediately.
Technical Difficulties
If technical difficulties arise due to problems with De Anza computer facilites (servers going down, power failing, the world ending, etc.) that prevent access to this web site and associated sites or that prevent email from being sent or received, then extensions for work that is due shall be granted, and due dates relaxed. If there are technical difficulties on your end then you are responsible for keeping up with the class. Keep in mind that I do not send confirmation email for every email I receive.
Contacting the Instructor
The best way to reach me is to email me at simesalan@fhda.edu. I will get back to everyone's email within 24 hours and usually much sooner.
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