Hello and greetings. :)
Below you will find a copy of the course outline and Unacceptable Errors handouts that were distributed in class today. I have also included a copy of the Grade Worksheet. Please note the additions to the syllabus that I initially left out for Week 5
Stay tuned for more information to help clarify questions about the Portfolio. I will post that tomorrow on this blog. See you Wednesday!
English 11
Sacramento State University, Spring 2013
Section 4, MW, 12 noon-1:15 pm
Section 36, MW, 1:30-2:45 pm
Instructor: Catherine Fraga
Email: sacto1954@gmail.com (BEST way to reach me)
Office Hours: in CLV 149 -- MWF,
11-12 noon, or by appointment
www.StretchFraga.blogspot.com
English 11 (which is identical to
English 1A) is a freshman writing course that offers students the opportunity
to learn and develop the reading and writing skills that will be most
useful to them during a four-year college program. The course is designed
to help students improve their ability to understand and critically judge
reading material and to write an essay which has a single controlling idea
and which is coherently developed using idiomatically and grammatically correct
English.
The heart of the course is readings
that require a range of narrative, analytical, reflective and research writing
skills.
Required Texts:
Between Worlds: A Reader, Rhetoric, and Handbook, 7th
edition
By Susan Bachmann and Melinda Barth
(Pearson Publishers)
Required Materials:
· stapler
· lined notebook paper, standard size 8 ½” x 11,”clean edge (not
torn from notebook)
· two blue (or green) books (either size is acceptable)
· soft cover binder for Portfolio
· FIVE index dividers for Portfolio
Classroom Policies:
1. Attendance is very important in
this class. Classroom discussions prepare students for all writing assignments,
and your fellow students and I need your input in order to make this class more
complete and enjoyable. I do not take attendance, and absences don’t
“technically” count towards the grade you earn. However, ultimately, if you
miss class, you may miss a quiz, group work, in class writing, etc. which
really does end up impacting your
earned grade because this work CAN NOT
BE MADE UP.
2. About being tardy for class: It
seems that over the last few years, tardiness has REALLY escalated and become
problematic in my classes. I am not sure why, but I do know that most of my
colleagues deduct a percentage of the earned grade for tardiness. It is really
annoying and disruptive, both to me and the rest of the class, when students
enter the class late—we only meet for 75 minutes two times a week, and I begin
class immediately. In the “real world”, there is even less tolerance for
lateness. Plan ahead. I realize things can happen beyond your control, but
looking for parking is not a good excuse. If I see that tardiness is becoming
excessive, I will ask you to drop the class. PLEASE NOTE—I begin class exactly on time. If you arrive late and I have already distributed a
quiz or writing response assignment, you will not be allowed to complete the
assignment and will receive a zero.
3. YOU MUST TYPE AND DOUBLE SPACE ALL OUT OF CLASS WORK. Work must be
in 12 pt. font, Times New Roman, black ink, MLA format.
4. In all fairness to other
students, I do not accept late work. If you are ill, please arrange for another
student to turn it in for you. Period.
5. Only out of class essay assignments can be submitted late, but there is
a stiff penalty. After the due date, a late essay loses 10 points for every
day it’s late, including weekends. NOT submitting an out of class essay is NOT
an option. The English dept. requires that you write an approximate number of
words in this course. The out of class essays provide a large part of the word
count requirement.
6. You’re responsible for finding
out what you missed if you are absent. I will provide you with a class roster
for your convenience. Checking blog entries can also be helpful, but realize
that I am not going to record for you everything that occurred during class.
7. My policy on EXTRA CREDIT is…I do not believe
in extra credit. In short, “real” life outside the university does not operate
on the extra credit option. You earn the grade you receive. It really is a
fairness issue.
8. ABOUT REVISIONS: you have the option to revise any or all of
your three out of class essays. If you choose to revise, you must submit the
revision with the original within one week of receiving the graded essay back.
In addition, you must highlight all changes and additions on the revised copy.
No exceptions. YOU MAY REVISE ANY OF THE THREE OUT OF CLASS ESSAYS AS MANY
TIMES AS YOU WISH, BUT THE FIRST REVISION MUST BE SUBMITTED WITHIN A WEEK AFTER
IT IS RETURNED TO YOU.
9. ABOUT ROUGH DRAFTS.
You have the option to submit a rough draft for any out of class essay
assignment. Due dates for rough drafts are noted on the course outline.
10. A note on classroom etiquette:
If you feel you cannot survive each
class session without the use of your cell phone, iPod, laptop computer, iPad,
etc. please do not enroll in this class. Simply, it is the highest degree of
rudeness and disrespect. If I see you busy texting, etc. I will not hesitate to
ask you to leave until you finish your crucial business. I plan to give you my
full attention and I expect the same from all my students.
11. ABOUT
PLAGIARISM: From the CSUS Policy Handbook:
“As stipulated in the California
Code of Regulations, Section 41301, cheating or plagiarism in connection
with an academic program at a campus may warrant expulsion, suspension,
probation or a lesser sanction. Administrative action involving academic
dishonesty at Sacramento State is the responsibility of the Student Conduct
Officer in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. Any
administrative action taken by the Student Conduct Officer must be in
accordance with the procedures set forth in Executive Order No. 970, Student
Conduct Procedures for the California State University.”
Familiarize yourself with this
website—everything you need to know about what constitutes plagiarism and the
repercussions.
12. STUDENT ACCOMODATIONS AVAILABLE: Become informed about accommodations
for test taking and other learning disabilities on this campus. The
following excerpt is from
Testing
Services
Testing for Students with
Disabilities
Students registered with Services
to Students with Disabilities, (SSWD), are able to take exams in an environment
free from distractions, with tools usually not available in the classroom. Some
of the testing accommodations available to students are; readers and scribes,
computer assisted and computer adaptive software, and wheelchair accessible and
adjustable tables. Group room testing times are 12:30 PM on Monday, and 8:30 AM
and 12:30 PM Tuesdays - Thursdays. Students arriving after 8:45 AM or 12:45 PM
will not be admitted to the testing room. Testing Accommodation Instruction
forms are to be completed by faculty and
submitted with the exam. Exams should not be faxed or e-mailed.”
13. HOW YOUR GRADE IS EARNED:
Attached to this course outline is
your Grade Worksheet. At no time in the semester should you be puzzled about
your grade.
Please note that your Portfolio
Grade counts for 50 percent of your overall course grade earned. The Portfolio
consists of your three out of class essays as well as your Portfolio Defense
Letter to me, where you will be using the goals set forth in this course to
specifically explain how you have met these goals throughout both the Fall 2012
and Spring 2013 semesters. Please keep ALL returned & graded work until the
very end of the semester.
NOTE: quizzes are NOT always scheduled.
Come to class prepared with the assigned reading assignments completed on the
day they are due to be read.
Class Schedule:
(Please note: This schedule is subject to change at a moment’s
notice. Please bring this schedule, your textbook and appropriate handouts to
every class session. ALSO…not every quiz, group discussion, lecture, or
activity is listed on this class schedule. Simply, that would be impossible.
The pace of the class is not always predictable…if you attend class, follow the
course outline and read the blog, you will stay current.)
Week One (1/28-2/1)
Discuss syllabus, Portfolio
requirements, and course goals (Mon.)
Discuss Unacceptable Errors handout
(Mon.)
Read Chapter 5, Introduction:
“Between Points of View,” pgs. 205-206 AND “Does the Internet Make you
Smarter?” pgs. 218-221 AND “Does the Internet Make you Dumber?” pgs. 223-226. (Wed.)
Quiz on Course Syllabus (Wed.)
Week Two (2/4-2/8)
Discuss/Review—Preparing &
Planning to Write an Essay (Mon.)
Read “Your Brain on Computers” pgs.
227-230 (Mon.)
Read “I Don’t Give a Tweet What
You’re Doing” pgs. 232-234 AND “Twitter? It’s What you Make it” pgs. 235-238. (Wed.)
In Class Writing Response #1 (Wed.)
Week Three (2/11-2/15)
Read “Time Lost and Found” pgs.
239-242 (Mon.)
Out of Class Essay #1 assigned (Mon.)
Group Work #1 (Wed.)
Week Four (2/18-2/22)
Read “The Twitter Explosion” by
Paul Farhi
OPTIONAL rough draft of Out of
Class Essay #1 due (Wed.)
Week Five (2/25-3/1)
Discussion & Review of Out of
Class Essay #1 Rough Drafts (Mon.)
Read pgs. 328-344 on Revising an
Essay (Wed.)
Week Six (3/4-3/8)
Final Draft of Out of Class Essay
#1 due (Mon.)
Discuss Writing a Research Essay (Mon.)
Out of Class Essay #2 assigned (Wed.)
Read Chapter 2
Introduction—“Between Perceptions” pgs. 143-144 AND “If the Genes Fit” pgs.
161-163 AND “Black Men and Public Space” pgs. 164-168. (Wed.)
Week Seven (3/11-3/15)
In class Writing Response #2 (Mon.)
Read “Discrimination at Large” pgs.
175-178 AND “O.K., So I’m Fat” pgs. 179-180 (Mon.)
Group Work #2 (Wed.)
Read “Diabesity, A Crisis in an
Expanding Country” pgs. 182-185 AND “Bodily Harm” pgs. 186-190 (Wed)
Week Eight (3/18-3/22)
OPTIONAL rough draft of Out of
Class Essay #2 due (Mon.)
Read Assigned Packet (TBA) (Mon.)
In Class Essay #1 (Wed.)
Week Nine--MARCH 25-29
SPRING RECESS—NO CLASSES—CAMPUS
CLOSED
Enjoy the week off and be safe.
Week Ten (4/1-4/5)
In Class Writing Response #3 (Mon.)
Watch TED Talk online (TBA) (Mon.)
Final Draft of Out of Class Essay
#2 due (Wed.)
Week Eleven (4/8-4/12)
Read Introduction to Chapter 3:
“Between Cultures” pgs. 98-99 AND “Living in Two Worlds” pgs. 99-101 AND “An
Identity Reduced to a Burka” pgs. 113-116. (Mon.)
Out of Class Essay #3 assigned (Mon.)
Group Work #3 (Wed.)
Read “The Myth of the Latin Woman”
pgs. 118-122 AND “Los Vendidos” pgs. 124-134 (Wed.)
Week Twelve (4/15-4/19)
Read Assigned Packet (TBA) (Mon.)
In Class Essay #2 (Wed.)
Week Thirteen (4/22-4/26)
Portfolio Letter (formally)
assigned (Mon.)
In Class Writing Response #4 (Mon.)
OPTIONAL rough draft of Out of Class
Essay #3 due (Wed.)
Week Fourteen (4/29-5/3)
Grammar/Sentence Structure Review (Mon.)
Final Draft of Out of Class Essay
#3 due (Wed.)
Week Fifteen (5/6-5/10)
Bring rough draft of Portfolio
Letter (two copies) to class (Mon.)
Completed Portfolios due today (WED.)
Week Sixteen (5/13-5/17)
LAST WEEK OF CLASSES
Portfolio Conferences Monday and
Wednesday
Week Seventeen
Finals Week
There is no final given for this
class.
************************************************************
UNACCEPTABLE
ERRORS
In English 11/1A, students should already be very proficient in word usage. We do not have time for grammar
lessons. (I will, however, provide
short ‘mini’ lessons when I feel they are warranted.) The following errors that are commonly made on student
papers are considered unacceptable.
For out of class essays, each unacceptable error
takes ten points off your final earned grade. You may correct unacceptable
errors and receive the points back if you choose to revise. In class essays
that have unacceptable errors CAN
always be corrected to earn back the points lost.
1. there – place Put
it over there.
2. their – possessive pronoun That
is their car.
3. they’re – contraction of they
are They’re
going with us.
4. your – possessive pronoun Your
dinner is ready.
5. you’re – contraction of you are You’re
not ready.
6.
it’s – contraction of it is It’s
a sunny day.
7. its – possessive pronoun The
dog wagged its tail.
8. a lot – always two words I
liked it a lot.
9. to – a preposition or part of an
infinitive I
like to proofread my essays carefully.
10.
too – an intensifier, or also That
is too much. I will go too.
11.
two – a number Give
me two folders.
12. In today’s society This
phrase is grossly overused and very cliché. Instead use “Today” or “In America”
or “Now” etc
13. right(s)/write(s)/rite(s) rights are a set of beliefs or values
in which a person feels entitled: His rights were read to him before he
was arrested for stalking Dave Matthews. Writes
is a verb indicating action taken with a pen, pencil or computers to convey
a message: Michelle writes love letters to Dave Matthews in her sleep. Rites are a series of steps or events
which lead an individual from one phase in life to the next, or a series of
traditions that should be followed: The initiate began his rite of
passage ceremony at the age of thirteen.
14. definitely/defiantly This
error USUALLY occurs when a writer relies solely on spell-check. You really
must learn to become the final editor of your work. Definitely is an adverb and it means without a doubt. Mary will definitely
miss the Dave Matthews Band concert. Defiantly
means to show defiance. She was in a defiant mood. It is an adjective.
Or it could be used as an adverb. She was defiantly rude and sullen
towards the professor.
15. On your Works Cited page: you
MUST center and type at the top the heading just as it is here: Works Cited.
NOT ALL CAPS, NOT BOLDED, NOT UNDERLINED, NOT MISSPELLED, NOT IN A DIFFERENT
SIZED FONT, ETC.
16. woman/women woman
is used when you are referring to ONE female lady.
women
is the
plural of woman, meaning MORE THAN ONE lady
There are many women
at the nail salon, but only one woman is shopping at the market next
door.
***********************************************************************
An accumulation of the following
errors will affect your grade, but not 10 points off for EACH error. My evaluation of your work depends on
how serious the error is, and how often you make it. Some do not slow up the reader as much as others.
- Misuse of the word
“you”. You must actually mean
the reader when you use the word “you”.
- Avoid use of
contractions in formal expository writing. (can’t, shouldn’t, didn’t,
etc.)
- Agreement of subject
and verb. Both must be either
singular or plural.
- Fragmented sentences,
comma splices and run-ons. Be
sure to proofread your papers carefully before turning them in.
You
will not pass English 11/1A if you cannot write an intelligent sentence in
correct English.
English 11, Spring 2013, Prof. Fraga
GRADE WORKSHEET-----1600
POINTS POSSIBLE
Quiz on Class Syllabus (50
pts.)
_____
Unannounced Quizzes (200
pts.) (50 points each)
Quiz 1____(50 pts.) Quiz
2 _____(50 pts.) Quiz 3_____(50 pts.) Quiz 4_____(50 pts.)
In-Class Writing
Responses (200 pts.) (50 points each)
#1 (50 pts.)____ #2 (50 pts.)_____ #3 (50 pts.)_____ #4
(50 pts.)_____
In Class Group Work (150
pts.) (50 points each)
Group Work 1 (50 pts.)_____Group
Work 2 (50 pts.)_____Group Work 3 (50 pts.)_____
In Class Essays (200 pts.) (100 points
each)
In class essay #1 (100
pts.)_____In class essay #2 (100 pts.) _____
PORTFOLIO—50% OF CLASS
GRADE EARNED (800 pts.)
Out of Class Essay
1_____(200 pts.) Out of Class Essay 2_____(200 pts.)
Out of Class Essay
3_____(200 pts.) Portfolio Defense Letter_____(200 pts.)
******************************************************************************
How to assess your grade
earned: Divide the points you earn by 1600
to find the percentage. Then see chart below.
100-96=A
95-90=A-
89-85=B+
84-80=B
79-75=B-
74-71=C+
70-68=C
67-60=D
59-0=F
Examples:
1409
divided by 1600 = 88.0% = B+
1258
divided by 1600 = 78.6% = B-
1121
divided by 1600 = 70.0% = C
