Course Syllabus: English 1A, Joan Canty
Fall 2008, Section 0940: Fully Online Course Using Blackboard/WebCT
This syllabus contains important and necessary information about the course. I recommend that you print a copy for your binder.
Initial information:
LOGGING IN TO THE CLASS: On the first day of class (8/25), go to this login page and follow the instructions: http://webct.yosemite.edu/webct/entryPageIns.dowebct
Blackboard/WebCT (interactive class site): Go to
College Web site: http://columbia.yosemite.cc.ca.us/cantyj/
IMPORTANT NOTE: BE SURE TO READ THE ORIENTATION DOCUMENT (UNDER “READ THIS BEFORE YOU START THE CLASS”) ON MY COLLEGE WEB SITE AND ON THE CLASS'S BLACKBOARD/WEBCT HOME PAGE (UNDER “READ THIS FIRST”). IT WILL ANSWER MANY OF THE QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT THE CLASS, AND HAS ORIENTATION MATERIALS AND “HOW-TO” INFORMATION.
Troubleshooting
HELP DESK NUMBER (for problems with computers, login, and Blackboard/WebCT): 588-5282, 588-5385 M-F
Help Desk link: http://www.yosemite.edu/helpdesk/
HELP DESK NUMBER FOR TECHNICAL PROBLEMS: 588-5282; 575-6412 TUESDAY-FRIDAY
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT: If you have a disability that may affect your performance in this class, please notify me and/or the Disabled Student Services office (588-5130) within the first two weeks of the semester, if possible. Your notification will remain confidential.
Name: Joan Canty
TECH TIP: Click any blue underlined text while in the virtual classroom to go immediately to that place.
CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR:
Because we do
not meet in a classroom, I am making sure that you have a number of ways to
contact me. Please stay in touch. Please notify me IMMEDIATELY if you
have computer or browser problems that cause you to be unable to log in to or
access Blackboard/WebCT or if you cannot submit
assignments through Blackboard/WebCT.
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH ME
Class E-mail in Blackboard/WebCT, the software program that you will be using to access this course: Every student in this course has an email account. (Go to Course Tools>Mail) You can send messages to anyone enrolled in the class including me. NOTE: You will be not be able to send email to traditional addresses from this account. I will check this email daily during the week. I consider myself off-duty on weekends but often check in. Please read the Communication Guidelines on the class’s home page in Blackboard/WebCT that include email etiquette, called Netiquette. I check my Blackboard/WebCT and campus email accounts twice a day, Monday through Friday, and sometimes on weekends. I will respond to you within 24 hours under normal circumstances; I will announce any change in this policy in Blackboard/WebCT Announcements section.
Campus email: cantyj@yosemite.cc.ca.us
You also may set up a campus email account for yourself. However, I will be communicating with you through the online class email UNLESS the system is down.
Web
site (
1) The following is a direct link to my college home page, which is NOT located in Blackboard/WebCT. http://columbia.yosemite.cc.ca.us/cantyj/
(You may also email me AT MY CAMPUS EMAIL ADDRESS from my college home page.)
2)
Go to
PHONE: VOICEMAIL: 588-5100, press 4, ext. 8404. Leave a message with a callback number and I will get back to you.
CAMPUS MAILBOX: Go into Instruction Office in Manzanita (near Admissions & Records) and locate mailroom; my mailbox is on the left-hand side. My mailbox is above my name label
EMERGENCY CONTACT: Sometimes your computer, or mine, will crash, or a browser may fail, or you may lose electrical power. On rare occasions the mainframe that supports the class software, Blackboard/WebCT, will fail, or the college Home Page will have difficulties, or you will not be able to log into Blackboard/WebCT. Leave a voice mail for me, or an email message to my college email address if you can, detailing the problems you have encountered. I will respond to you within 24 hours. If this is a systemwide problem that I cannot solve, I will notify the folks who can. You may also contact the Help Desk if the problem lies with your computer.
Office Hours:
Virtual (Blackboard/WebCT Chat invitation): Tuesdays 1-2 p.m., or by prior appointment, and whenever I am “visible and available” in the class (click on “who’s online” under Course Tools)
Face to face: Tuesdays 12-2 p.m. and by prior appointment
Office
location: 209A Tamarack (second floor above the library, or
Snail-mail
Address:
BASIC COURSE INFORMATION
Name: English
1A-College
Course ID# 0940
Course Description: The following description appears in the college catalog. The course objectives listed later in this document explain more fully the topics/skills covered in this class.
Development of college level reading and composition skills. Emphasis will be on applying techniques of critical analysis to reading, interpreting, writing, and conducting research. Writing emphasis will be on the expository essay, including the longer documented essay. Note: Students will complete a minimum of 8,000 words by the end of the semester. (UC/CSU) (MJC ENGL 101)
Textbooks:
The cost of college
textbooks has risen dramatically; thus, this semester I have chosen a shorter
main textbook so that students should be able to spend less than $100 on books
for this class. I have copies of the books at the reserve desk in the
Notebook: You need a notebook or binder for this class to print out and collect papers related to class, such as:
· Pages you print from the weekly Learning Modules
· This Syllabus
· Material that you print from the Internet
· Copies of all assignments, including Introductory information, essay assignments, and communication guidelines
Supplemental Material:
CANTY’S COURSE ORGANIZATION & POLICIES
Announcements and Other Information:
You may click on the Announcements icon either from the My Blackboard/WebCT page or from the Course Tools to find important information and/or changes. Also, check the Homepage at least twice a week for information on assignments. It is the first page you see each time you enter the class. You can click Homepage from the Course Tools to get to this page at anytime. If you click on another icon from the My Blackboard/WebCT page, such as email, you will bypass the Homepage, but be sure to access it afterward.
MAKING SURE YOUR COMPUTER AND BROWSER WORK EFFECTIVELY WITH BLACKBOARD/WEBCT:
When accessing Blackboard/WebCT, you will get a window that will check your Internet browser and Java version for compatibility. If you get error messages, you may have to update or change your browser and Java version, or use another computer.
You will also have to disable the pop-up blocker on your computer to access Blackboard/WebCT.
NOTE: If you plan on using a computer at your place of employment, please be sure that the security settings are such that accessing all the Blackboard/WebCT components is possible. Many businesses have firewalls and other security measures that prevent full Blackboard/WebCT access. You may have to temporarily disable your home computer security settings if they prevent you from participating in the class.
Learning Modules: (See Icon on Homepage and also listing in Course Tools)
Learning Modules are the heart of course assignments and activities; unlike the syllabus, which is an overview, each weekly Learning Module contains lessons, all reading assignments, and links to all writing assignments, discussions, and quizzes (assessments). The Learning Modules will also contain links to Web sites I want you to read. On Friday morning of each week, the Learning Module for the upcoming week will be released. I usually release only one week at a time because there are assignments that I prefer we work on together as a class. However, there will also be opportunities to work ahead on some assignments. Occasionally, I find a need to change a due date or an assignment. All changes are announced via the Announcement tool in Blackboard/Blackboard/WebCT. IF THE SYLLABUS INFORMATION CONFLICTS WITH THE LEARNING MODULE INFORMATION, THE LEARNING MODULE INFORMATION TAKES PRECEDENCE.
Print out the assignment sheets, lessons, and essay instructions in hard copy from the learning modules; there is a printer-ready feature in which you can select all or part of the items in the weekly learning module. Print this out and use as a checklist as you complete your assignments.
The Learning Module also provides links to weekly discussions and quizzes (assessments). However, be sure you've read all the assignments in the weekly Learning Module before you open the quiz for that week. Once you have opened the quiz, the timer starts ticking, and you will have only one chance to take the quiz. If you find you've opened the quiz in error, contact me immediately. I can reset the quiz for you in certain circumstances.
OVERVIEW OF WHAT YOU NEED TO DO WEEKLY IN THIS CLASS: Each week there are reading assignments in Easy Writer, Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum, Autobiography of a Face, assigned Web links, and Lessons in the weekly Learning Module. There are weekly writing assignments: shorter homework exercises, which practice skills needed for the essays, and longer essay assignments that are due every 2-3 weeks. Almost every week features a discussion topic; you are responsible for a longer initial posting and responses to two other students' initial postings. Almost every week you will have a timed, open-book quiz on the readings and possibly Web links. Each week I will try to have goals and objectives listed so you can see how your reading and writing fit into the larger picture. I do not assign busywork; each assignment and discussion goes toward other work and skill-building in the class. Before uploading assignments to the class, SAVE YOUR WORK elsewhere on your computer or another storage device; in case of a power outage or browser timeout, you may lose your work if you are typing in into a Discussion or Assignment submission window.
The Course Calendar (see icon under Course Tools) is meant to facilitate your planning. However, I rely mainly on the weekly Learning Modules and the Syllabus to show what is due. If you wish to add your own dates to the Course Calendar for your convenience, please do so. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DUE DATES FOR WEEKLY QUIZZES AND WEEKLY DISCUSSIONS DO NOT SHOW UP IN THE COURSE CALENDAR.
The Learning Modules include the following components, each of which will be fully explained when you access the Learning Module for each week.
Due Date Emergencies: Part of what is needed for an online course are good time-management skills. I give you ample time to complete the weekly assignments, quizzes, and discussions, and you should not wait until the last minute to complete and submit your work. Also, you should save your work often, and to an external source such as a floppy disk or a flash drive. Sometimes, however, your browser or computer will time out when you are working on an assignment or quiz; at times Blackboard/WebCT itself, the class software, will not work. If you cannot submit an assignment or discussion or quiz by the due date and time because of technical difficulties, here is what you should do:
1) Leave me a voice mail explaining the difficulty, and 2) send the assignment to me as a Rich Text Format attachment in a message to my college email address: cantyj@yosemite.edu
If you are unable to use email, then leave me a voice mail with a callback number and I will contact you. I may be able to reset a quiz for you.
I
will respond to you within 24 hours. If there is a systemwide
problem that I cannot solve, I will notify the folks who can. You may
also contact the Help Desk if the problem lies with your computer. I will
extend the due date if the problem lies with Blackboard/WebCT
or
OTHERWISE, I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK OTHER THAN THE ONE LATE ESSAY OPTION (SEE BELOW).
Grading and Assignments
100 - 90% - A
89 - 80% - B
79 - 70% - C
69 - 60% - D
59 – 0% - F
Essays: 525 points, assigned 1 to 3 weeks apart; each essay builds on the skills learned in the previous essay and in the weekly assignments.
Discussion postings 180 points (12 @ 15 pts.)
Quizzes 130 points (approximately)
Weekly Writing Assignments 165 points (approximately)
Assignments are listed in the weekly Learning Modules and also under the Assignments icon under Course Tools, and each assignment has instructions and a drop box. Save your work in Rich Text Format (RTF) and upload to the assignment drop box before the due date. Quizzes are under the Assessments icon; weekly discussions are under the Discussions icon. The Assignments drop box has four tabs: Inbox, Submitted, Graded, and Published. The Inbox contains what you haven't yet completed. Under the Submitted tab are the assignments you have submitted but that I haven't graded yet. Under the Graded tab are your graded assignments with comments from me. Your graded essays with my comments under the Graded tab will usually be an attachment in this format: yournamegrade(essay number).rtf. Open the graded file to read my comments.
Late Assignments:
I expect your work promptly on or before the due dates. I realize that life is full of unexpected twists, and technology can fail or be faulty at times. For this reason, I have devised a policy regarding late assignments that I believe is fair to both you and me.
Plagiarism.
Plagiarism means copying the writing of others without putting quotation marks around the words and telling your reader who originally wrote them. It also includes writing the ideas of others in your own words (paraphrasing) without telling where you located those ideas. We use Modern Language Association (MLA) format in this class, and we will have some lessons on how to properly use this format. If you have any doubts about whether you might be plagiarizing or citing sources incorrectly, please consult with me.
I also
consider it plagiarism when you get someone else to write your work for you or
correct your writing errors. It is all right to use a tutor, such as those in
the college's
Quizzes: Quizzes are found under the Assessments icon in Course Tools. After the practice quiz, all the following quizzes will be based on the reading assignments for each week. If you open a quiz to take a peek at it, the quiz clock will start running, so please do not open the quiz until you are ready to take it. You will have only one chance to take each quiz. If you have a power or computer failure while taking the quiz, email me and I will reset the quiz for you. Be sure to SAVE your quiz answers, then Submit them, and to exit the quiz when done. Quiz grades are available AFTER the quiz closing date and time, as I must grade some of the questions by hand (the short answer and paragraph questions).
Discussions: Each week except the last week you will be assigned a discussion topic. The discussions are worth about 16% of your course grade, so it is important to participate weekly. The discussions will be based on readings for the week or topics that are related. Click on the "Communications" icon in the Getting Started folder on the class Home Page for discussion guidelines and sample postings. Each week, the initial posting, of 200-300 words, is due on Friday; a response to two different students' initial postings, each about 100-200 words, is due by Monday. If you miss the initial posting on Friday you may post by that Monday for a late penalty. I expect you to use good essay form when writing your responses, paying attention to spelling, grammar, punctuation, organization, focus, etc., that you address the discussion topic, and that all your postings are substantial. I also expect that you will post your messages respectfully. Refer to the Netiquette web site for guidance; I have supplied a Web link in the Getting Started folder.
Course "Attendance." I expect you to log into the course two or three times a week to complete assignments, quizzes, and discussions, and to check announcements and course email. If you have not logged in for three consecutive weeks, and I have not heard from you otherwise, I will assume that you are no longer attending the online class and I will drop you from the class roster.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Every
college class is designed to encourage student learning. The course content
will help you accomplish the learning objectives for this class. The following
is a list of the learning objectives for all students who take English 1A at
Reading Goals
GOAL: Read and comprehend college-level material.
Student Learning Objectives:
1. Recognize and identify the effect of tone, style, and diction in a reading selection.
2. Distinguish between literal and figurative levels of reading.
3. Develop an appreciation for artistically unified writing.
4. Identify, understand and explain the basic concept or effect communicated and its supporting points.
GOAL: Use the Internet and other sources for research, reference and instructional purposes, while also evaluating the reliability of sources.
Student Learning Objectives:
1. Distinguish between summary and analysis.
2. Distinguish between subordinate and main ideas.
3. Distinguish between purpose and main idea.
4. Make logical inferences.
5. Identify types of appeals used in an argument: logical, ethical, emotional.
6. Identify logical fallacies and propagandist uses of language.
7. Distinguish between one’s own opinions and statements of the writer
8. Distinguish between statements of fact and opinion by the writer.
Writing Goals
GOAL: Identify your unique process when completing writing assignments.
Student Learning Objectives:
1. Explore a variety of strategies to gather ideas, organize, and refine writing.
GOAL: Demonstrate skill in writing multiple paragraph essays, including the longer documented essay
Student Learning Objectives:
1. Compose a clear introductory paragraph, appropriate to the topic.
2. Compose a clearly defined thesis statement that limits and focuses the topic of the essay.
3. Organize information to be used in the development of one's own thesis
4. Write logically developed, organized paragraphs that support the controlling idea or thesis
5. Develop and use varied sentence patterns effectively.
6. Use transitional words, phrases, and sentences to provide for coherence between and within paragraphs
7. Define audience needs and expectations and adapt writing to meet those needs (background information, diction, tone, mode, etc.)
8. Choose and effectively use a rhetorical strategy appropriate to the topic.
9. Choose and effectively use point of view appropriate to the topic.
10. Construct a conclusion that effectively closes the essay.
GOAL: Effectively incorporate research material in one’s own writing.
Student Learning Objectives:
1. Develop ideas from a variety of sources (cited references, personal experience, observation, etc.)
2 Use critical judgment in organizing supporting material.
3. Paraphrase and summarize referenced material.
4. Smoothly incorporate direct quotes into one’s own
sentence and paragraph structure.
5. Use MLA documentation guidelines.
6. Avoid plagiarism.
GOAL: Employ a variety of resources, tools, and skills to diagnose and fix writing errors/problems.
Student Learning Objectives:
1. Revise essays for clarity, coherence, development, correctness, appropriateness, emphasis, style, etc.
2. Develop effective proofreading strategies.
3. Use Standard American English when writing, avoiding the colloquial except when appropriate
4. Use precise, economical diction.
5. Demonstrate refined punctuation skills.
6. Identify and correct faulty sentence construction.
ENGLISH
1A, FALL 2008;
ASSIGNMENTS
ARE DUE ON THE DATES LISTED. Not all links and assignments are listed
here; for each week’s details, consult the Weekly Learning Modules under
Homepage>Learning Modules or Course Tools>Learning Modules. This
schedule is subject to change.
Almost every week there will also be a quiz and a discussion.
PLEASE NOTE: THE COURSE CALENDAR, FOUND IN THE CLASS UNDER COURSE TOOLS>CALENDAR, GIVES DUE DATES FOR WRITING ASSIGNMENTS. IT DOES NOT, HOWEVER, GIVE THE DUE DATES FOR EITHER QUIZZES (ASSESSMENTS) OR FOR DISCUSSIONS.
Essay dates:
Essay 1 9/1
Essay 2 9/15
Essay 3 #1 9/22
Essay 3 #2 9/29
Essay 3 #3 10/6
Essay 3 #4 10/13
Essay 4 10/20
Essay 5 11/3
Essay 6 topic 11/3
Essay 6 thesis 11/10
Essay 6 outline and references 11/17
Essay 6 rough draft extra credit WEDNESDAY 11/26
Essay 6 final draft 12/8/08
Introduction to class
Syllabus overview
Introductions
Learning Blackboard/WebCT
Read Week 1 Learning Module for complete assignments and links to assignments and practice quiz
Read "Memoir" lesson in Week 1 Learning Module
Read
in Writing and
Read Grealy Autobiography of a Face pp. 1-28.
Read all the information under “Introduction” on the Blackboard/WebCT home page; in "netiquette" read Core Rules only
Practice quiz, no grade, due 9/8 (longer due date than other quizzes, and, unlike other quizzes, you may take it more than once)
No discussion topic
Read Week 2 learning module for complete assignments
Read Quotes and Paraphrases Lesson in Week 2 learning module
Read WRAC Ch. 1 "Summary" p. 8 to end and Lee “I Think, Therefore IM” p. 122-125
Read Easy Writer EW p. 12-20 and p. 31-41 (sections 3-4b)
Read Grealy pp. 29-68
First "real" graded quiz, Quiz 2: covers this week's readings on Easy Writer, syllabus, summary, plagiarism
FIRST discussion topic (go to Week 2 discussion): initial by 9/5, responses to others by 9/8
Read Week 3 learning module for complete assignments
Read Quoting using MLA guidelines lesson in week 3 learning module
Write quoting and paraphrasing exercise in assignment drop box (due 9/15)
Chapter 5 WRAC: Cyberspace and Identity; read Introduction p. 107-109.
Read Leonard, “We’ve Got Mail—Always” p. 110-113
Read Grealy pp. 69-102
Quiz 3; quoting and paraphrasing
Discussion topic 3; initial due 9/12, responses 9/15
Essay 2 summary due 9/15 (one time only late essay option due 9/22). Save in Rich Text Format and submit as an attachment in the assignment drop box. Do not submit as a copy and paste in the assignment drop box submissions window.
Assign Essay 4, critique, due 10/20
Week 4: released 9/12, due 9/22
Read Week 4 learning module for complete assignments
Read Parsons, “A Shared Sadness,” pp. 132-136 and Kaplan “The End of History” p. 119-121;
Read WRAC Chap. 2 "Critique" to p. 34.
*Read Lessons in this week's learning module about Logical Fallacies and Thesis
Read EW p. 20-31
Write WRAC Exercise 2.1 p. 27-28 on your own; you will be writing a total of six thesis statements. Submit to assignment drop box but also save your work for later use in a future writing exercise in Week 13
*For extra credit: identify and create Logical Fallacies; see Logical Fallacies exercise in assignment drop box (due 9/29)
Write Essay 3 #1 for Grealy (see Weekly Learning Moudle and assignment drop box for Essay 3 assignments)
Read Grealy pp. 103-139
Quiz 4
Discussion 4: initial due 1/31, responses due 2/3
Read Week 5 learning module
WRAC Turkle, pp. 145-153; read Lewis “The 15-Year-Old Legal Whiz” p. 159-164
Read Chap. 2, p. 34-44.
Read EW p. 82-86: comma splices, fused sentences, fragments
Read Grealy pp. 140-175
Writing: Essay 3 #2 due 9/29
*Write sentence correction exercise
Logical fallacies extra credit
Quiz 5
Discussion 5: initial due 9/26, responses 9/29
Read Week 6 learning module
Read WRAC Ch. 8 Introduction; also Nestle “The Ironic Politics of Obesity” p. 388-79, “Fat and Happy” by Worley p. 362-366 and "Prevalence of Obesity Among U.S. Adults, by Characteristics and by State" p. 350-353
Read Grealy pp. 176-204
Read EW pp. 88-94:consistency, completeness, coordination, subordination
Writing: Essay 3 #3 due 10/6
Quiz 6
No Discussion
Essay 4, Critique, due 10/20
Read Week 7 learning module
*Assign Essay #5: Synthesis (due 11/3)
Read WRAC Ch. 3: Synthesis, p. 45-62
Read Seid “Too Close to the Bone” p. 497-508, Critser "Too Much of a Good Thing" p. 354-357 and Spake, “Rethinking Weight” p. 465-471.
Read EW p. 94-100: conciseness, parallelism, shifts
*Read Wordiness lesson in weekly Learning Module
Read Grealy pp. 205-end
*Write Wordiness/concision/parallelism/shifts exercise
Writing: Essay 3 #4 due 11/3
No Quiz 7
Discussion topic 7: initial due 10/10, responses 10/13
Writing: Final draft due, Essay #4: critique
*Assign Essay #5: Synthesis (due 3/23)
Read Week 8 learning module
Read WRAC Ch. 3: Synthesis, p. 62-84
Read WRAC Ch. 8 Schwartz “Fat & Happy?” p. 380-386, and Gawande “The Man Who Couldn’t Stop Eating” p. 390-403.
Quiz 8
Discussion 8: initial due 10/17, responses 10/20
**Essay 6 assigned (Final draft 12/8, but several components due prior to that date)
Read EW p. 102-110, Commas
Quiz 9
Discussion 9: initial due 10/24, responses 10/27
Read Week 10 learning module
WRAC Ch. 6 Milgram "The Perils of Disobedience" p. 183-194
Read MLA style in EW pp. 196-231
Read MLA lesson in weekly learning module
Writing: Essay 5 synthesis due 11/3 (late option 11/10)
Write MLA format exercise
Research topic due, Essay #6
Quiz 10: MLA & Ch. 6 readings
Discussion 10: initial due 10/31, responses 11/3
Read Week 11 learning module
Preliminary thesis due, Essay #6
Read WRAC Ch. 6 Sartwell "The Genocidal Killer in the Mirror" 232-233 and Dalrymple "Just Do What the Pilot Tells You" p. 234-237
Read WRAC formal outline p. 65 that you will create for final draft of Essay 6; also, refer to complete sample essays in MLA format in WRAC p. 67-72 and EW p. 226-231
No Quiz 11
Discussion 11: initial due 11/7, responses 11/10
Week 12: released 11/7, due 11/17
Read Week 12 learning module
Writing: Preliminary outline and list of references, Essay #6
Read
Read Plagiarism lesson in Weekly Learning Module
Read EW p. 168-194 on research and plagiarism
Read WRAC Parker "Obedience" p. 202-212
*Read Writing Thesis Statements Lesson in weekly module
Write thesis exercise
Quiz 12
Discussion 12 : initial due 11/14, responses 11/17
Read Week 13 learning module
Read
Read Introductions and Conclusions lesson in weekly module
Write Introductions assignment, using thesis statements you wrote for Ex. 2.1 in Week 4
**Extra Credit: submit rough draft (at least 500 words) of Essay 6 by 11/26**
Quiz 13
Discussion 13--Last one. Initial due 11/21, responses 11/24
Read EW p. 110-126 on other punctuation
Quiz 14 (last)
Other assignments to be announced
No final exam. Final grades will be posted by 12/15. Please complete the course evaluation found in Assessments section, as I use student feedback to adjust my classes. It is a confidential, anonymous survey, and I will not know which students give particular responses. If you wish to identify yourself, please use your initials or first name with each response.