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English 1060
Leah
Michels,
instructor
This handout contains the policies that will govern
this course for the semester. It is your responsibility to reread this
handout from time to time so that you remain aware of these policies at
they become applicable to specific assignments and situations affecting your
final outcome in the course.
Where to find me: I will be available to talk in
person, in my office, G316, during my posted office hours. You can call me
or leave messages for me by calling 522-3690. You can also leave me e-mail
messages at
lamichel@oaklandcc.edu.
What this course will do for you: In this class
you will develop your ability to read, understand, and retain difficult
material. You will also use information you have gathered through reading
in your writing. Your writing will demonstrate an awareness of audience,
organizational ability, and competence analyzing and incorporating
information from the text. You will improve your grammar and mechanics,
become critical readers for one another, and develop interpersonal and team
skills. You will use technology in an effective manner.
What you need to do: I would really like to see
each of you complete this class and do well. To do that, I insist on the
following:
1.
regular, timely attendance;
2.
reading and comprehension of the assigned readings;
3.
work and participation in class;
4.
completion of assigned essays;
5.
thoughtful revision of essays.
Your past performance in English classes is not as
important for success as your present attitude and willingness to work a
reasonable amount. Please try to envision your success in here and agree to
do your work daily and weekly. This short-term effort should translate into
a good grade, the ability to read college-level material effectively and
critically, and the ability to write well.
Don’t hesitate to talk to me if you have any problems
with the subject matter. If you do your best to follow my minimal rules,
I’m very happy to help you succeed in here.
Grades: English 106 works on a portfolio
committee system: You will compile a portfolio consisting of papers and
in-class essays you write for class. This portfolio is evaluated by a
committee of other English teachers at OCC (not me). Your portfolio is
categorized as either ready for 151 or not ready for 151. The committee
does not evaluate anything but the quality of your writing. If the
committee decides you are ready for 151, I then assign you a grade.
I will record many grades. These grades will be my
evaluation of your attendance, reading and comprehension, use of class time,
written summaries and essays. Some of my evaluations will be as simple as
looking out to see if you are present and on time. Other evaluations will
be more subjective, as I assess your class participation, knowledge of
assigned readings, and the quality of your writing.
The approximate percentage devoted to each area is:
10% quizzes
10% group work
10% use of class time
70% essays—four drafts of four papers (I will grade the
quality of the final draft, the effort and changes evident in the three
previous drafts.)
written summary/responses to reading
(Note that some of these areas may overlap: for
example, if you are absent for a class in which we have a quiz and then
class discussion or group work, you have earned 3 Fs in one class period.)
You are required to work with an open writing lab tutor
(provided free of charge, extensive hours, in the IIC) at least once per
paper (four times all semester). If I recommend that you seek additional
tutoring, you should consider that an assignment, and know that failure to
complete assignments carries a heavy penalty.
Attendance or lack thereof, while not given a
percentage of your grade, will affect your grade. Missing a single class is
considerable. You can miss two classes or be late twice with no direct
averse affect to your grade; three times, your grade is significantly
lowered; four times, your grade is lowered by one whole letter grade. If
you are absent five times, you will earn a WP. I do not assess absences
in terms of excused or unexcused. Missing five classes, for any reason,
will simply make it impossible for you to complete the course.
You will be responsible for information disseminated in
class, whether you are present or not. Make up assignments are generally
not possible. I will not seek you out to give you information or demand a
late paper or remind you how many absences or lates you have. Absence does
not absolve you of your responsibility to turn in work.
Class procedures: This is a workshop class.
Most days you will either sit at a computer and write, or you will work in
groups discussing the reading, and later, giving and receiving feedback on
your drafts. Some days we will discuss the readings as a class, take
quizzes, or I will lecture on some feature of an assignment or some point of
grammar.
An important feature of this class is the revision of
your written work. In the past you may have written a single draft of a
paper and turned it in for a final grade. Here you will write a draft and
then be given advice on how to improve the paper. This advice will come
from your classmates, our facilitator, the open lab writing tutors, and me.
You do not have to follow every piece of advice you receive, only the ones
you believe will improve your paper. You must consider all advice, and be
ready to substantively change your paper over and over.
The first two drafts of each paper will go to feedback
groups; the third draft will be turned in to me. I will write all over your
papers. I will spend a lot of time developing ideas and strategies to help
you get your paper ready for the portfolio committee. I do not always have
good handwriting, and sometimes what I write may be confusing to you. I
will not be hurt if you ask me to explain a comment I’ve written on your
paper. I will be furious, however, if you do not seriously consider what I
have written on your papers as you make your final revisions. That fury
will result in a lowered grade.
Books, materials, technology: You will be
required to have:
Common text, to be announced;
a good, college-level dictionary for
home use;
personal error log—where you will keep
track of errors you tend to make and how to fix them;
two folders with pockets for
this class alone, no sharing;
two computer disks that will
work for our computers (problems with technology are not my domain. I will
not accept, “my disk won’t work” as an excuse).
You must be able to work on the computers here. I give
no guarantees of compatibility between our computers and others. If you
wish to use another computer in addition to the computers here, that is your
prerogative, but you must be able to work here. Making the switch
between computers is your responsibility.
Keep all writing you do in your folder. Keep all
handouts in the folder. Bring all materials with you daily.
After reading this syllabus, you should have a good
idea of what this class will entail and what I will expect from you. If
these expectations will not work for you, you may wish to find another
class. Staying in this class represents your acceptance of the terms laid
out in this document.
Hints: Here are some basic college
expectations:
1.
Know that in college you are expected to spend at least two
hours working outside of class for every hour you are in class.
2.
Use a planner—it is your responsibility to keep track of when things
are due. You are responsible for material covered in your absence—don’t
expect extensions.
3.
Read and annotate your assignments before they are due.
4.
Be prepared for class, be it finishing the reading, having copies of
your work, computer disks; don’t ask to get prepared during class.
5.
Do not imagine instructors will pass you if you have not earned a
passing grade.
6.
Go to group early and often , and not always with the same people
7.
Attend class on time, regularly, and work until the end. Regularly
showing up late or leaving early is tantamount to insulting the instructor.
8.
Utilize the free writing tutor.
9.
Talk to me!
General education attributes: General Education
is the foundation of every student’s program, regardless of area of
emphasis, and is intended to impart common knowledge, intellectual concepts
and attributes. Attributes specifically identified for this course
encourage you:
1.
To communicate effectively
2.
To learn independently and collaboratively.
ADA Notification: Students requiring special
assistance (including those affected by the Americans with Disabilities
Act) should contact the PASS office (see attached sheet) and inform the
instructor of any special conditions pertaining to their learning.
Note on plagiarism: Any student caught cheating
(using someone else’s work as his or her own) will fail. There is no
negotiation in such a case. Students should be aware that it is their
responsibility to prove their innocence (with previous drafts or notes).
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