English 1B: Composition II

Instructor:	Dr. Adrienne L. Eastwood
Office Location:	FOB 116
Telephone:	(408) 924- 4509
Email:	Adrienne.Eastwood@sjsu.edu
Office Hours:	Tuesdays 12:30-3:30 p.m., Fridays 12:30-1:30 p.m., and by appointment
Class Days/Time:	Mondays and Wednesdays, 1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Classroom:	Sweeny Hall, 413
Prerequisites:	Placement by the English Proficiency Test (EPT), or passage of an approved substitute course for the EPT.
GE Category:	Written Communication A2

Web Page: Copies of important course material will be available on my website: www.sjsu.edu/faculty/eastwood

Course Description

This course is the second in SJSU’s lower-division composition sequence.  It is designed to help you build the skills necessary to read and think critically, and to write clearly and confidently at the college level.  The emphasis in 1B is on argument and persuasive writing as an introduction to writing analytical essays grounded in research.

Required Texts

Mather, Marjorie and McLenithan.  Eds. Clear Writing: Readings in Expository Prose.  Broadview Press, 2007.

LePhan, Don. The Broadview Book of Common Errors in English.  5^th Edition.  Broadview Press, 2003.   USE ISBN 978-1-77047-308-9 when ordering both books to get a discounted rate. 

Pollan, Michael.  The Botany of Desire. Random House, 2002. ISBN 978-0-375-76039

Sullivan, Robert. Rats. Bloomsbury, 2004.  ISBN 1-58234-477-9

Other Course Materials: The English department suggests that a dictionary, a rhetoric (or rhetoric/reader), and a handbook are appropriate materials for this course.  Whichever version you used for ENGL 1A will suffice for this class.  Supplementary information can be found online at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ .  You will also need to purchase several yellow books for the in-class essays and the final exam.

Course Goals and Student Learning Objectives

Students shall achieve the ability to write complete essays that demonstrate college-level proficiency in all of the following:

·      Clear and effective communication of meaning.

·      An identifiable focus, tailored to a particular audience and purpose (argumentative essays will state their thesis clearly and show an awareness, implied or stated, of some opposing point of view).

·      The ability to perform effectively the essential steps of the writing process (prewriting, organizing, composing, revising, and editing).

·      The ability to explain, analyze, develop, and criticize ideas effectively.

·      Effective use within their own essays of supporting material drawn from reading or other sources.

·      Effective organization within the paragraph and the essay.

·      Accuracy, variety, and clarity of sentences.

·      Appropriate diction.

·      Control of conventional mechanics (e.g., punctuation, spelling, reference, agreement).

Student Learning Objectives:

SLO 1: Students shall write complete essays that demonstrate the ability to perform effectively the essential steps in the writing process (prewriting, organizing, composing, revising, and editing).

SLO 2: Students shall write complete essays that demonstrate the ability to express (explain, analyze, develop, and criticize) ideas effectively.

SLO 3: Students shall write complete essays that demonstrate the ability to use correct grammar (syntax, mechanics, and citation of sources) at a college level of sophistication.

SLO 4: Students shall write complete essays that demonstrate the ability to write for different audiences.

All SLOs addressed by the various essay assignments.

Academic policies

You are responsible for reading the SJSU academic polices available online:
http://www.sjsu.edu/english/comp/policyforsyllabi.html

Requirements:  

1.     Participation: A portion of your grade will be based on your participation in class.  In order to receive an A or a B in participation, you must do more than just attend class.  You must also demonstrate to me that you have been keeping up with the readings and thinking about the questions raised by the lectures.  I expect each of you to engage in the class discussions, participate actively in group activities, and come to class with the relevant materials.

If for some reason you are unable to attend class, it is your responsibility to find out what information and/or assignments you missed.  If you miss an in-class quiz or a writing assignment, you will receive a zero.  Please get the email address of at least one of your classmates to advise you of what you missed. 

2.     Essays:  You will be required to write 6 graded essays throughout the semester (a total of 8,000 words): 2 written in-class (informal); 4 written outside of class (formal).  All formal essays must be typed, 12 point font, 1 inch margins, and following MLA guidelines found online at: .You must complete all of these essays in order to pas the course. 

3.     Workshops: Writing workshops will be an important aspect of this course.  These workshops will give you an opportunity to read and evaluate classmates’ work, and to receive valuable feedback on your own essays.  Detailed instructions for workshops will be distributed later in the semester; however, failure to comply with any of the steps involved will result in a significant loss of points. 

4.     Informal Writing: You will be asked occasionally to complete short, informal responses to the readings for homework.  I will give you directions for these assignments in class.  Your responses, though informal, should be typed.  I will collect them, and they will count towards your participation grade. 

5.     Quizzes: In order to assure that you are keeping up with the reading, you will be quizzed periodically throughout the semester.  These quizzes will not be announced. 

6.     Final Exam:  The mandatory departmental final exam will be given on Saturday, May 14^th , 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon. You must take this exam in order to pass the class. 

Classroom Etiquette: Laptops, cell phones, or other computer devices have no place in this classroom.  You must keep these devices put away while you are here.  Bring the assigned texts to each class meeting and please arrive on time. 

Late Papers:  Turning in assignments late is unfair to the other students; therefore, I will lower your grade one full letter for each day the paper is late.  In the case of emergencies, please see me.

Grading Breakdown:

Attendance and participation 10%

Homework 5%

Workshops 5%

In-Class Essays (750 words each) 5%

Take-Home Essays 55%

            Essay 1 (1,000 words) 10%

            Essay 2 (1,000 words) 10%

            Essay 3 (1,500 words) 15%

            Essay 4 (3,000 words) 20%

            Final exam 20%

Recommendations: Read the materials thoroughly before class.  Read actively: mark passages that interest you and formulate questions about them.  Come prepared to discuss what interests you about these texts.  Bring the appropriate texts with you to class so that you can follow the lectures and participate in the discussions. 

The University Essay Final Exam: Twenty percent of your course grade comes from an essay final exam, graded holistically. This department-wide final consists of reading and responding to a college-level passage chosen by the English Department Composition Committee. You must take the final exam in order to pass the course.

Grading: A-F. This class must be passed with a C or better to move on to CORE GE Area C3 and to satisfy the prerequisite for English 1B. A passing grade in the course signifies that the student is a capable college-level writer and reader of English.

English 1B, Spring 2011, Course Schedule: SUBJECT TO REVISION: REVISED 3/2

Important SJSU dates Spring 2011

Monday            January 17            Dr Martin Luther King, Jr Day - Campus Closed (K)

Tuesday            January 25            Spring Semester Begins

Wednesday            January 26            First Day of Instruction – Classes Begin

Monday            February 7            Last Day to Drop Courses Without an Entry on Record (D)

Monday            February 14            Last Day to Add Courses & Register Late (A)

Tuesday            February 22            Enrollment Census Date (CD)

Mon--Friday            Mar 28-April 1            Spring Recess

Thursday            March 31            Cesar Chavez Day - Campus Closed (CC)

Tuesday            May 17            Last Day of Instruction – Last Day of Classes

Wednesday            May 18            Study/Conference Day (no classes or exams) (SC)

Thur-Friday            May 19-20            Final Examinations (exams)

Mon-Wed            May 23-25            Final Examinations (exams)

Thursday            May 26            Final Examinations Make-Up Day (MU)

Friday            May 27            Grade Evaluation Day (G)

Saturday            May 28            Commencement (C)

Monday            May 30            Memorial Day- Campus Closed (M)

Tuesday            May 31            Grades Due From Faculty - End of Spring Semester (G)