COURSE
SYLLABUS
Professor Stevens, English 21

Department, Course and Units

Language Arts Department, English 21, English Fundamentals, 3 Units Cannot repeat, 3 hour Lecture

Prerequisite

English 64, ESL 4A or College Placement Process, Non Degree Applicable, Basic Writing Skills

Course Description

In English 21, the primary emphasis is on the practice of short essay construction as well as on reading and thinking skills.  Students also review the essentials of good sentence writing: grammar, usage, and mechanics.

Course Objectives and Academic Requirements

Review (briefly) sentence structure and punctuation.

Write various forms of simple, complex, compound sentences, using. coordinators, subordinators and conjunctive adverbs.

1. Write definition paragraph                       10% of grade

2. Write a descriptive paragraph                  10% of grade

3. Write a process paragraph                      10% of grade

4. Write a cause and effect paragraph          10% of grade

5. Write essays (3)                                    20% of grade    

6. Write a final exam essay                        40% of grade

7. Take  Exit Exam                                    N/A                                          

No late work accepted unless in hospital.  Fax all work to: 949 248-9323

Textbooks

English Skills with Readings, Langan, current edition, McGraw Hill (Required)

Little, Brown Handbook, current edition, optional (Needed for upper level English 28, 101.

Attendance

• Attendance taken from work turned-in. No work, no attendance credit even if you attend class.

• Will be dropped if do not attend first meeting (State law).

• Will be dropped after two consecutive absences (one evening = 3 days absences)

• Will be dropped if one assignments are not turned-in: Fax to (949) 248-9323.  NO LATE WORK ACCEPTED: FAX it.

• Expected to attend every class unless in hospital or very trying circumstances.

Multiple Methods of Student Evaluation

• Essay assignments, problem solving exercises, skills demonstrated, tests, homework, class discussion, projects.
• A 100-90, B 89-80, C 79-70, D 69-60, F 59 and below: NO LATE WORK ACCEPTED.
• See Below

Note: Students with disabilities who need assistance or accommodations should contact the instructor.

Papers.  You will complete five to seven papers.  Papers will vary in length.  Since I ask for the minimum number of pages, you must turn in all papers assigned with the minimum amount of pages due, or you will fail the class. All papers must follow the MLA format. Late papers will not be accepted.  Papers must be submitted in consecutive order – you must turn in the first assignment before the second assignment, etc.  When you submit papers at an unconventional/inconvenient time and/or place, you will be doing so at your own risk.

Grading Criteria, Grades will be determined as follows:

• A--Paper is free from careless grammatical, spelling, and organizational errors. It begins with a clear topic sentence, explains the purpose of the topic, and concludes in the first paragraph with a thesis. It has seamless transitions from paragraph to paragraph, never losing sight of its focal point. It draws a logical conclusion that answers or solves a problem stated in the thesis. It meets the length requirement of the assignment; it has an original point of view that is lively and interesting to read. It has no format errors. Also, it is turned in on time.

• B--paper has many of qualities found in the A paper, but it might have one too many writing errors that tarnish the shine an A paper has. It might be an A paper in all features, but it is too short. Often it lacks the depth of explanation and originality seen in an A paper. Or it is of A quality but was submitted late. A B paper might have one minor format flaw.

• C--paper is an adequate essay. It may have errors, but not enough to hurt its clarity. It shows some of the A and B qualities, but it does not develop the idea to its fullness. It might be a B paper that is late, or too short in content.

• D--paper is an inadequate essay. It contains all or some of the following problems: It falls too short, has too many errors, lacks a clear focus, lacks a logical argument, rambles, loses its focal point, or is too general. It might be a C paper that is late, or too short.

• F--paper is off topic, or poorly written. A student who writes two fail papers is not ready for college English. He/She should enroll in a developmental course as soon as possible.

It is recommended that you keep all work done in relation to this class.

Grading (subject to change pending needs of class)

Classroom Etiquette: Rudeness will not be tolerated. Turn off pagers and cell phones. Your calls can wait.

Plagiarism, or copying and use of another’s work without proper acknowledgment, is not permitted, nor is it permissible for anyone to allow another person to copy his or her work for the purposes of assessment.  Plagiarism is a form of theft; if you are caught plagiarizing, your paper will receive an ‘F’ and you will be asked to drop the class.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Students with disabilities who need any assistance or accommodation should contact the instructor.

This Syllabus and the Assignment Schedule to this syllabus are subject to change.

OUTLINE OF COURSE CONTENT
(Total time 54)

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

As a result of completing this course, students will:

1. Construct a 5 paragraph essay featuring the basic components of academic discourse, including an introduction, a conclusion, and a body of three paragraphs containing reasons and demonstrative examples.

2. Understand the importance of revision and demonstrate the ability to write and revise short 2-3 page essays.

3. Demonstrate knowledge of various rhetorical strategies appropriate to an academic essay.

4. Differentiate between quotation, paraphrase, and plagiarism.

5. Demonstrate a rudimentary knowledge of MLA documentation form and limited ability to incorporate outside readings into an essay.

6. Recognize and correct serious, intrusive grammatical errors that interfere with comprehension, such as run-on sentences, comma splices, fragments, problems with verb forms and forming plurals, and homonym confusion, punctuation and spelling.

7. Engage in class discussions of readings that demonstrate the student's ability to analyze, outline and interpret nonfiction and fiction, identifying main ideas and supporting ideas.

8. Use a thesaurus as a writing tool. for English 21.