<p> The English 90/120 Learning Community: Transfer for Success Fall 2013</p><p>Instructor: Karen Larsen Email: [email protected] Office Location: 1031T Phone: (707) 253-3001 Office Hours: M 11-12:00, W 3:30- 4:30, T/TH 9-9:30, 11:30-12:30 and by appointment Web Page: http://english90larsen.blogspot.com Required Texts: Touchstones, Chris Juzwiak The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien Several online articles (students need to print and bring to class)</p><p>Welcome! English 90 is the first part of the English 90/120 Learning Community. This semester, we are linked to Counseling 111 and English 84 (Writing Center). </p><p>Research shows that learning communities contribute significantly to student success. We are social beings, and most of us perform better when we feel connected to others. In college, we do this by developing meaningful relationships with our instructors, fellow students, and the college community at large; in addition, when students are guided to develop or refine their “life skills” such as time management and organization, they tend to persist and succeed in college. Finally, if the institution provides access to resources such as financial aid, tutoring, and academic planning, students are more likely to confront and resolve real life issues that frequently interfere with student learning. The focus of the ELC is to help students meet their diverse and complex needs and to move forward.</p><p>English 90 - Preparing for College Reading & Writing 1 - Course Information</p><p>Course Prerequisite: English 85 or placement testing</p><p>Course Description: English 90 (4 units) will help prepare you to be successful in English 120 and other courses that require college-level reading and writing skills. To improve your reading, writing, and critical thinking skills, this course will cover the following topics: </p><p> o Grammar and sentence structure o Critical reading strategies o The writing process o Essay structure and development o Research skills and MLA documentation o Writing under time pressure</p><p>Student Learning Outcomes: </p><p>Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: o Think, read, and write critically o Write a unified, coherent, well supported, and grammatically correct document reason- ably free from errors. o Demonstrate a clear and thoughtful thesis as well as the ability to move from general statement to specific support. Assignments/Evaluation:</p><p> Essays: You will write five essays and a revision project. Two essays will be written during class, and three essays will be completed outside of class. On the days we write essays in class, you must be present. You must complete all five essays and the revision project to be eligible to pass the course. Completing the essays, however, does not mean that you will automatically pass the course.</p><p> o English 90 Assessment Essay: Essay #5 will be an in-class essay exam taken by all English 90 students to help determine if they are prepared to move on to English 120.</p><p> Reading/Writing Log: Your reading for this class will be extensive. For each assigned reading, you will complete a corresponding reading log entry, in which you summarize and analyze the text. You will be also asked to write responses reflecting on topics discussed in class. Reading/Writing log entries must be typed. More details to come. </p><p> Participation: Participation grades will be based on completion of assigned exercises, outlines, grammar quizzes, participation in peer workshops, attendance and effort.</p><p> o Peer Workshops: Peer workshop dates are listed on the syllabus. Full participation in peer review workshops is required, so plan to attend each workshop with three complete copies of your essay draft in hand. If you are late or absent, you will not receive credit.</p><p> Writing Center Assignments: The Writing Center link (English 84) is designed to help students with their writing challenges. In addition to receiving feedback on essay and paragraph assignments, the Writing Center link focuses on grammar, spelling, and punctuation issues that hamper your writing. To earn credit for the course, you must complete 5 assignments and log in 27 hours over the course of the semester. Because I see tremendous value in this partnership, I have factored points into your final grade for English 90 as an incentive to complete your work.. To earn the points you must complete each assignment on time and have logged in the required number of hours. </p><p>Grades: Essay 1 10% Essay 2 10% Essay 3 (in class) 10% Revision Project 15% Assessment Essay (Essay #4) 15% Essay 5 10%</p><p>Reading/Writing Log 10 % Participation 15% Writing Center 5%</p><p>You must receive a 70% to pass this course. Final semester grades will be broken down as follows: A = 100-90% B= 89-80% C= 79-70% D = 69-60% F =59%- Policies:  Attendance/Punctuality: Attendance is crucial to your success in this course and it is therefore mandatory. If you miss more than two classes in a row, I will assume that you have dropped the course unless I hear from you. You may miss up to four days before being dropped; however, missing this much class time will significantly impact your grade. Upon your fifth absence, I may drop you from the class roster provided that the deadline to do so has not passed. If the deadline has passed, you may receive a failing grade in the course. If you choose not to complete the course, you should drop the course yourself; otherwise, you risk receiving an F. Additionally, I expect you to arrive on time to class and to stay for the entire session. Habitual tardiness is rude and unacceptable. When you miss class, it is your responsibility to come to the next class prepared. This means coming to my office hours before the next class meets or contacting a classmate for missed work. </p><p> Late Assignments: Each student may turn in one late written assignment (not including Essay #4) during the course of the semester. This assignment may be turned in one class session after it is due without penalty. This is your "freebie," so use it wisely! All other late assignments will not be accepted unless you have obtained my approval in advance. I do not accept assignments via email. If you turn in an essay to my mailbox, please have it time- stamped and dated by the faculty secretary. </p><p> Make-Up for Quizzes In-Class Essays: Allowing a make-up exam is up to the instructor’s dis- cretion. Make-up exams may be offered if you have a documented emergency. </p><p> Plagiarism: Plagiarism is taking all or part of someone else's words or ideas and using them as your own. This is unacceptable and the consequences are severe. To avoid plagiarism, be sure to cite all of your sources (in MLA format); this includes summarized and paraphrased text. If you plagiarize, you will receive a zero for the assignment and you will not be allowed to revise the assignment. Recently the NVC Board of Trustees adopted an academic honesty policy designed to aggressively detect and punish violators. (See the NVC Catalog to read this policy). Please be advised that faculty also have access to a comprehensive plagiarism site, Turnitin.com, that requires only a word or phrase to detect plagiarism. You will be required to submit all of your essays to this database.</p><p> Students in need of accommodations in the college learning environment: Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a learning disability should contact Learning Services in the Library and Learning Resource Center (LLRC), room 1766, phone (707) 256-7442. A Learning Disability Specialist will review your needs and determine appropriate accommodations. If you need accommodations for physical or other types of disabilities, schedule an appointment with DSPS Counselor, Sheryl Fernandez, in the Counseling Department (1300 building), phone (707) 256-7220 for appointment. All information and documentation is confidential. Please feel encouraged to make an appointment with me privately to discuss your specific learning needs in my class. </p><p> Student Conduct: Students are expected to treat each other and the instructor with respect. Classroom disruptions will not be tolerated. If a student disrupts the class, he/she will be given a warning. If the behavior continues, the student will be asked to leave the room and the incident will be reported to the Vice President of Student Services. If the instructor deems the disruption to be severe, the student will be asked to leave immediately without receiving a warning. Please turn off your cell phones and any other electronic devices while you are in class. </p>