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English 920 Fall 2016 Semester

CRN: 82046Section: 32

Instructor: Anthony Huffaker Schedule: MW 12:00-12:50 CB 106Email: ahuffaker@csub.edu F 12:00-12:50 CB 101Office: FT 203F Message Board: ahuff.proboards.com Office Hours: ? (or by appointment)Phone #: (725) 696-1670 (Call or Text)

Required Texts:

Flachmann, Kim and Michael Flachmann. Nexus: A Rhetorical Reader for Writers (Second Edition).

Fishman, Charles. The Big Thirst.

Troyka, Lynn. Quick Access Compact.

Required Materials:A notebook or loose-leaf paperPen and pencilFlash drive- a mustHighlighter

Course Overview & Policy Statements

PrerequisiteA total English Placement Test score between 138 and 146 OR placement into English 920 on the English Qualifying Exam in Early Start.

Advancing to English 1109To advance to English 1109, you must earn a grade of C- or higher in English 920. To be eligible for a C- in English 920, you must earn a C- or higher on at least one in-class writing assignment and a C- average or higher on all other course assignments.

Course DescriptionStudy of rhetorical patterns as critical thinking strategies to help students develop effective college-level writing skills. Frequent short papers in a variety of essay modes are assigned, and the fundamentals of grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling are reviewed as necessary.

Course Learning Outcomes

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At the end of English 920, students should be able to demonstrate the following skills:

Goal 1: Reading Skills

DE99-1A: Students will explain the purpose, audience, and tone of a text.

DE99-1B: Students will explain how a writer’s choices (e.g., bias, rhetorical modes, organization, diction, etc.) inform a text.

Goal 2: Writing Skills

DE99-2A: Students will create thesis statements for various types of writing tasks.

DE99-2B: Students will demonstrate an understanding of discourse-appropriate syntax.

DE99-2C: Students will demonstrate the ability to use logical reasoning to develop and organize ideas.

Goal 3: Research Skills

DE99-3: Students will demonstrate a basic knowledge of how to synthesize and document summary, paraphrase, and direct quotes in own writing.

Sequence Course Policy This course is a sequence. This means that you will be registered for English 1109 next semester with your cohort. Please be aware that you are responsible for registering for all other classes.

In order to be guaranteed a spot in English 1109, you will need to clear all registration holds, including your mandatory freshman health hold. To do this, you need to go to the campus Health Center and follow their directions for clearing this particular hold. If these holds aren’t cleared, you will not be registered into English 1109.

Attendance PolicyBecause mastering skills in writing requires regular, sustained effort, you should attend your composition classes regularly and punctually. If you have more than two absences, you should not expect to receive a passing grade.

Waiting List PolicyOn a waiting list, you are eligible for a place in the class if you1. come to every class and2. turn in the work while you are there.

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Being on a waiting list does not guarantee you a place in the class. It simply means you are welcome to wait for an opening in the class if you so desire. If no one drops out of the course, then no students can add.

As a result, you should be aware of the last day to add and have a back-up choice if you need another class. This plan is especially important for financial aid recipients and for F-1 and J-1 visa holders, who must carry a full load to receive their financial aid. Being on a waiting list does not count as a class toward a full load.

Instructor-Initiated Drop PolicyMany students are trying to get into composition courses. As a result, this class is subject to the policy on instructor-initiated drops. If the class is full and has a waiting list, the instructor has the right to administratively drop you from class by the end of the second week of the term if you have missed three consecutive class sessions and have not contacted the instructor. However you should not assume that you will be automatically dropped from this course if you have not attended.

Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) Ten to twenty minutes of one class meeting a week will be devoted to silent sustained reading (SSR), followed by a brief writing assignment, such as a journal entry. You should bring your SSR book to every class.

MyWritingLabPlus RequirementYou are responsible for completing 15 MyWritingLabPlus topics in your English 920 class.  This requirement is worth 10% of your overall English 920 grade.  To receive full credit, you must (1) take the Path Builder and Mastery Check and (2) master approximately one/two of the assigned topics (listed below) per week, for a total of 15 topics by the end of the quarter according to the schedule provided by your instructor.  To master a topic, you must earn a score of 80% or higher on the Recall 1, Recall 2, and Apply sections for each of the following topics. Insert your mastery and the Path Builder policy here.• Fragments• Run-Ons• Subject-Verb Agreement• Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement• Commas• Quotation Marks• Apostrophes• Word Choice and Commonly Confused Terms• Working Through the Stages of the Writing Process• Developing Thesis Statements• Organizing• Avoiding Plagiarism

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• Reading Texts Critically• Transitions• Building Sentences with Subordination and CoordinationYou will be held responsible for these new skills every week in your writing.  Since this is an online workshop, you can work on these topics outside of class at your convenience, as long as you master approximately one or two topics per week, for a total of 15 topics.  This means that if you wait until the end of the quarter to complete all 15 topics, you will not receive full credit and your essay will not benefit from your mastery of these skills. You will need the following information to use the site:Website URL:  http://csub.mylabsplus.comUsername:  Student ID# (e.g., 000123456)Password:  The first time you log in, your password will be your full birth date (e.g., if your

birthday is November 9, 1993, then your password would be 11091983).  You can change this password after you log in the first time.

For additional information about the program, please go to the following website: www.csub.edu/mwl/ MyWritingLabPlus Exhausting a Topic: If you exhaust a topic before mastering it, you can either walk into the MyWritingLabPlus Headquarters (located in CB 100) OR you can fill out an unlock form electronically found here:

http://www.csub.edu/mwl/unlockform.html

Individual, Drop-in Tutoring RequirementInstructors may also require you to complete individual, drop-in tutoring for certain aspects of your writing, in which case you will receive a Tutor Referral Form with your graded essay. If you receive a referral form with a paper, you are required within one week to take the form and the paper to the Writing Resource Center for individual assistance. Instructors may withhold your essay grade until after you have completed this requirement.

Turnitin.com RequirementTurnitin.com is a tool to help you avoid plagiarism. Approximately two hours after submitting a paper to this online program, you can access a color-coded report with details about the use of sources in your paper. Because this site does not detect problems with paraphrasing that is not cited properly, you should use this site only as a guide. To use turnitin.com, you will need to register on the site and set up a password. Once this is done, you then will need to create a “user profile” specifically for this class and any others that may use the site. You will need the following information to set up your user profile:

Class ID--###Class Enrollment Password--XXXX

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After creating a profile, students can log onto and use the site.

Note: Submitting a paper to turnitin.com is not the same as submitting a paper to your instructor; you also must hand in a copy of your paper to your instructor.

Revision Policy Required revisions are indicated on the course schedule. When you revise your writing, the original essay must be submitted with the rewrite. In order for a grade to improve, you need to do more than simply correct the marks on the original essay. In other words, rewritten papers should show extensive revision as well as editing

Missed Assignments, Quizzes, and/or Exams Policy All work is due on the assigned day. If you have printing problems, do not skip class; you may turn the work in later in the day without penalty. A full letter grade (i.e., a B- becomes a C-) will be deducted if your work is late. If you are going to be absent, please turn in your work before class. To protect yourself from the horror of a lost or missing paper, please make and keep a copy of every paper you submit. Also note that electronic failure ("the computer ate my paper") is not a valid excuse. You should assume that at some point, technology will, in fact, fail you. Save your document frequently under different filenames, and when you get a page, print it out. (That said, the computer will probably eat your paper anyway). Papers and assignments will not be accepted via email without my permission. They should be printed before class.

Academic Honesty Policy“The principles of truth and integrity are recognized as fundamental to a community of teachers and scholars. The University expects that both faculty and students will honor these principles and in so doing will protect the integrity of all academic work and student grades. Students are expected to do all work assigned to them without unauthorized assistance and without giving unauthorized assistance.”

For a complete statement on the University’s policy on academic honesty, go to CSUB.edu and search “Academic Integrity.”

Guidelines for Papers/Assignments I've said that we'll have to observe certain conventions when we write, so here's a list of standards for your papers: • All papers must be typed and stapled (if necessary). • The text should be double spaced. • Use standard fonts (12 pt. Times New Roman or similar) and margins (one

inch all around) • At the top left-hand corner of the first page include the following (double

spaced):

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Your Name Section Date (Drop one space; write the title of your paper) • Save all copies of your drafts and final papers on a disk and your hard

drive. • All papers must be submitted on time. If you're having trouble, talk to me

before the deadline. • When you turn in your papers, include all rough drafts, and peer reviews• Finally, and most importantly, if you are having difficulties, by all means,

please come see me or get in touch. I rarely bite, and I've had my shots.

Required Work • Three Out-Of-Class Essays You will be required to write three out of class essays (ranging from 2-3 pages to 4-5 pages). More information to follow. These essays should be double spaced, be using Times New Roman 12 pt font (or similar), and be submitted to turnitin.com.

• Two In-Class Essays You will be taking two in class essays. In order to pass English 99, you need to pass at least one of these essays with a C- or higher.

• Assignments Throughout the quarter, you will write responses and summaries of the readings and discussions. Other assignments will be discussed in class.

• In-class Exercises In-class exercises, such as peer revision and editing, are designed to help you revise and edit your work and are applied to your final essay grade. Other in-class exercises are designed to help you develop critical reading skills. Since in-class exercises cannot be made up outside of class and in some way affect your essays, missing class can likely result in a lower final essay grade.

• Novel Discussions We will be discussing The Big Thirst (TBT) quite often in class. Make sure you bring your novel to class every day, and be prepared to join in the

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discussion. Certain days will be devoted to TBT discussion; see the schedule for more information.

• SSR and Journals During most class periods, you will be completing fifteen to twenty minutes of Sustained, Silent Reading (SSR). For every class period, you will be writing a journal on the message board. Make sure you bring your novel to every class meeting, as we might be using it.

• Reading Quizzes On most days that we have a IBofB discussion, you will have a reading quiz. The novel quizzes will be one word quizzes. I will give you a word (like a name, place, or item) that is relevant to the reading you have just done in the novel. You will have 5-10 minutes to write a short explanation of that word’s significance. I will pick words that you will know if you have done the reading. If you are absent a day of a quiz, you will not be able to make up the quiz.

Message Board: You will be asked to post responses to the readings, video and film viewings, and class discussions to the online message board. In order to get to the message board, go to the URL below. Your regular posts to the message board will be factored into your final grade. You will need to register for this message board. Your username must be either your first initial, last name or first name, last initial (for example, if your name was Jane Smith, your only options for usernames would be JSmith or JaneS). After you register, click on the message board for 99.

URL: ahuff.proboards.comClass Message Board Password:

Support Services for Students To request academic accommodations due to a disability, you should contact the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) as soon as possible. This office is located in SA 140, and they may be reached at 661-654-3360 (voice) or 661-654-6288 (TDD). If you have an accommodations letter from the SSD Office documenting a disability, you should present it to me as soon as possible so we can discuss the specific accommodations you need for this class.

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At times, school, work, and/or our personal lives can become overwhelming and difficult to handle. CSUB’s Counseling Center is available to you with skilled and experienced counselors to guide you through the challenges of daily life. Contact 654-3366 for an appointment.

Grading Your final grade will be calculated according to the final percentages:

Out-of-Class Essays 50%In-Class Essays 20%Journal Assignments 10%MyWritingLabPlus 10%Class Participation 10%

For English 920, final grades of A through C- should be entered as letter grades. Grades of D+ or below should be entered as no credit (NC).

Late Work: All work is due on the assigned day. If you have printing problems, do not skip class; you may turn the work in later in the day without penalty. A full letter grade (i.e., a B- becomes a C-) will be deducted if your work is late. If you are going to be absent, please turn in your work before class. To protect yourself from the horror of a lost or missing paper, please make and keep a copy of every paper you submit. Also note that electronic failure ("the computer ate my paper") is not a valid excuse. You should assume that at some point, technology will, in fact, fail you. Save your document frequently under different filenames, and when you get a page, print it out. (That said, the computer will probably eat your paper anyway). Papers and assignments will not be accepted via email without my permission. They should be printed before class.

COURSE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Tardiness: If you come in late, do not disrupt the class. Take the seat nearest the door, and unpack your class materials as quietly as possible.

Absences: Please notify your instructor if you are going to be absent. If you are absent, you are responsible for finding out what you missed during class, as well as what was assigned for homework. Check the message board and/or call your class contact. DO NOT CALL, TEXT, OR EMAIL YOUR INSTRUCTOR TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU MISSED. You are responsible for the work we did even if you miss class. Note: Some activities, like quizzes, cannot be made up.

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Homework: You will find the homework on the message board. Please check the message board before you ask me questions. This way, you will ask better questions, and you will understand my answers better.

Cell Phones: Cell phones should be put on silent during class. Do not answer your phone in class, and do not text message. DO NOT TEXT MESSAGE. Students who do so will be asked to leave. If there is an emergency, please leave the class to answer calls or texts—EMERGENCIES ONLY. If this occurs, you will need to inform me of the emergency.

Talking in Class: Do not talk while you instructor is speaking. This is a serious offense and will not be tolerated. Also, do not talk over your classmates. Be respectful to the instructor and other classmates at all times.

Email, Text, and Phone Etiquette: When you call my cell phone, please be polite and speak clearly, identifying yourself, your class, and section. Leave your phone number twice. This information is essential in order to make sure you get the help you need.

When you email or text me, please use complete sentences. Do not use text language—even if you are emailing from a phone. Give the email a title that will help explain what you need, and identify yourself and what class and section you are in. When texting, be polite, again, write in complete sentences without text language, and begin by stating your name, class, and section, followed by your message.

Do not email from the anonymous CSUB student account. I can’t tell who you are, and I can’t email you back. Please use your assigned runner account with you name in the address, or another email address (hotmail, gmail, etc.) that I can return an email too. I will return ALL emails.

How to Address Your Instructors/ Professors: In all of your classes, you should address the instructor/ professor as they introduce themselves. As a general rule, call them Dr. (last name) or Ms./Mr. (last name), unless they ask you to call them something different.

Emailed and Electronic Work: I do not accept emailed work unless otherwise specified. Bring a paper copy to class or to my office to get credit for the assignment. This includes assignments that need to be submitted to turnitin.com. You must submit the assignment to the website to receive credit, but you must also submit a paper copy to me.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

*The readings and assignments are due on the dates that they are listed.*Silent Sustained Reading: (SSR)

WEEK 1: Path Builder Due Monday, 8/22 See message board for syllabus; Introduction to the class; Introduction to

My Writing Lab Plus (MWLP); Introduction to turnitin.com; Note Taking

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Wednesday, 8/24 SSR; Parts of the Essay; The Writing Process Nexus (pg. 9-17)

Friday, 8/26 Intro to Rhetoric; Rhetorical Modes; Thesis Statements & Topic Sentences Nexus (pg. 18-29)

WEEK 2: Working through the Stages of the Writing Process Monday, 8/29 Nexus (pg. 1-8)

Reading Skills- Main Idea & Pre-reading Main Idea & Pre-reading Worksheet in class.

Wednesday, 8/30 SSR; Nexus (“Description” pg. 47-54)(“Raging Bulls” pg. 58-62); Journal 1Friday, 9/2 In Class Essay #1 (Be sure to post it to turnitin.com)

WEEK 3: Developing Thesis StatementsMonday, 9/5 Documentation; Discuss Paper #1 Wednesday, 9/7 Documentation JeopardyFriday, 9/9 SSR; Direct Quotations, Summaries, and Paraphrases; SPICEC #1

Prewriting for Paper#1 Due

WEEK 4: OrganizingMonday, 9/12 Nexus (“Narration” pg. 94-100)(“I Will Never Know Why” pg. 115-121) Wednesday, 9/14 Nexus (“We Found Our Son in the Subway” pg. 123-127); Journal 2Friday, 9/16 SSR; TBT Reading Quiz and Discussion ; SPICEC #2 Due

WEEK 5: Reading Texts Critically Monday, 9/19 Nexus (“Illustration” pg. 142-148)(“Body Piercing…” pg. 153-155);

Journal 3Wednesday, 9/21 RIAP Training- NO CLASS!Friday, 9/23 Paper #1 Rough Draft Due; Peer Edit

WEEK 6: Avoiding Plagiarism Monday, 9/26 Paper #1 Final Draft Due; Critical Thinking ActivityWednesday, 9/28 Facts vs. Opinion; Facts vs. Opinion Worksheet in classFriday, 9/30 SSR; Discuss Paper #2; TBT Reading Quiz and Discussion

WEEK 7: Fragments Monday, 10/3 Nexus (“Process Analysis” pg. 188-196)(“How to Say Nothing in 500 Words pg. 201-212); Journal 4Wednesday, 10/5 Paper #2 Prewriting Due in classFriday, 10/7 SSR; TBT Reading Quiz and Discussion

WEEK 8: Run-Ons: Comma Splices and Fused Sentences Monday, 10/10 Nexus (“Division and Classification” pg. 237-244)(“No Wonder They Call Me a Bitch” pg. 248-252); Journal 5Wednesday, 10/12 Nexus (“The 10 People You’ll Find in Any Gym” pg. 256-260); Journal 6Friday, 10/14 SSR; TBT Reading Quiz and Discussion

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WEEK 9: Building Sentences with Subordination and CoordinationMonday, 10/17 Nexus (“Comparison and Contrast” pg. 284-291)(“Indecent Exposure” pg. 301-303)Wednesday, 10/19 SSR; Nexus (“The Flight from Conversation” pg. 305-310); Journal 7Friday, 10/21 SPICEC #2 Due in class

WEEK 10: Subject-Verb AgreementMonday, 10/24 Nexus (“Definition” pg. 325-332)(“When is It Rape?” pg. 336-343); Journal 8Wednesday, 10/26 Paper #2 Rough Draft Due; Peer ReviewFriday, 10/28 RIAP Training- NO CLASS!

WEEK 11: Pronoun Agreement Monday, 10/31 RIAP Training- NO CLASS!Wednesday, 11/2 SSR; TBT Reading Quiz and Discussion Friday, 11/4 SPICEC #3 Due in Class

WEEK 12: CommasMonday, 11/7 Nexus (“Argument” pg.415-428)(“Is Google Making Us Stupid?” pg.

429-437); Journal 10Wednesday, 11/9 Observation Writing ActivityFriday, 11/11 SSR; TBT Reading Quiz and Discussion

WEEK 13: Apostrophes; Quotation Marks and ItalicsMonday, 11/14 Paper #2 Final Draft Due; Discuss Paper #3; Wednesday, 11/16 SSR; Nexus (“Letter from Birmingham Jail” pg. 447-458); Journal 11Friday, 11/18 Nexus (“Watering Little Sprout” pg. 439); SPICEC #4 Due WEEK 14: Word Choice and Commonly Confused Terms; TransitionsMonday, 11/21 Kahoot Extra Credit Game DayWednesday, 11/23 Thanksgiving (No Class)Friday, 11/25 Thanksgiving (No Class)

WEEK 15: Mastery Check Opened 12/4Monday, 11/28 SSR; Nexus (“Now You Take ‘Bambi’…” pg. 442-444); Journal 12Wednesday, 11/30 Prewriting for Paper #3 Due in Class; Assessment Survey & Assessment

AssignmentFriday, 12/2 In-Class Essay #2 (Be sure to post it to turnitin.com); Assessment

Survey & Assessment Assignment Due

WEEK 16: Complete Mastery Check 12/8 by 11:59pm Monday, 12/5 Paper #3 Rough Draft Due; Peer Edit, Journals Due

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FINAL: ??? Paper #3 Final Draft Due

I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MODIFY THIS SCHEDULE. ALL CHANGES WILL BE ANNOUNCED.

NOVEL QUIZ & READING SCHEDULE

NOVEL QUIZ & READING SCHEDULE Chapter(s) / Pages Date Due (NOTE: This is the day you should have the reading done, not the day the reading is assigned.)

Chapter 1 Week 4

Chapter 3 Week 5 Theme S

Chapter 5 Week 6 Theme R

Chapter 6 Week 7 Theme Q

Chapter 7 Week 8

Chapter 8 Week 10

Chapter 9 Week 11

Chapter 10 Week 12

Choose and read a section concerning the place in the book you would like to report on. We’ll discuss this more in class.

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(Cut below and turn in)——————————————————————————————————————————

Course Terms and Conditions

I agree to the terms and conditions of the course, and I have read and understand the syllabus. I understand that this is a sequence course, and

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that I will automatically be moved with my class to Eng. 1109 upon my completion of this course.

Name (Printed):____________________________________________ Section:________________

Name (Signed):_____________________________________________ Date:___________________