ENGLISH 110 COURSE OUTLINE
Spring 2007

 

blue dotTextbooks and Materials

blue dotCourse Requirements

blue dotAttendance Policy

blue dotImportant Dates

blue dotCourse Description

blue dotInstructional Methods

blue dotPlagiarism

 blue dotTopic/Assignment Schedule

blue dotEligibility

blue dotEssay Grading Standards

blue dotBehavior Policy

blue dotResources
blue dotStudent Learning Outcomes blue dotSemester Grading Standards    


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English 110AF/AI - Composition, Literature, and Critical Thinking (3 units)

Professor: Nina L. Floro

Office Location: Bldg. 8, Rm. 8210

Office Phone: (650) 738-4414

Web Address: http://www.smccd.edu/accounts/floro/

E-mail floro@smccd.eduemail


Office hours:

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Required Textbooks and Materials:

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Course Prerequisites:

English 100/105 with a C or better is required for enrollment in English 110.
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Course Description:

English 110 is a 3 unit UC/CSU (A2, A3, C2 at CSU) transferable course that also satisfies the Associate Degree English requirement. The course will focus on reading literature and writing compositions that reflect your own ideas and critical analysis about the literature that you read. This course will provide you with opportunities to develop reading, writing, and analytical skills through the careful study of a variety of short stories, poems, and plays. Students will employ methods of literary analysis in their writing as well as develop critical thinking, reading, and writing skills about both the literature and criticism they read.
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Student Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the semester, English 110 students should be able to:
  • analyze, interpret, evaluate, and distinguish various literary forms and their elements

  • identify characteristics, styles, and other qualities of a variety of authors, literary genres, and critical theories

  • recognize, synthesize, evaluate, analyze and apply logical, argumentative strategies in literature and critical theory

  • employ the conventions of scholarly exposition (research and documentation)

  • write coherent, well organized, and logical expository essays that demonstrate competence in analytical and critical thinking about various forms of literature

  • define and apply literary terms to the short story, poems, drama, and critical theory

  • analyze and interpret a range of literary genres using a variety of literary critical theories (i.e.--sociological, gender/feminist, cultural, psychological, etc.)

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Instructional Methods:

Group work, discussion, lecture/demonstration, and individual activities will all be combined as the methods of instruction used in this course. Students will be expected to work regularly in small groups, as a class, individually, and with the teacher in order to develop the skills necessary for writing effective analytical/critical compositions.  Additionally, students will be required to use campus resources (ex.-library, writing lab, tutoring, etc.) to enhance their writing skills and learning experiences

Sequence of Lessons:

Class lectures, demonstrations, assignments, and activities are designed to build the skills necessary to move towards subsequent units of the course. Although revisions to the schedule may be made because of class needs, below you will find a tentative sequence of the lessons that will be covered during the semester. Within each unit, sentence skills will be taught as needed.
  • Unit #1: Intro. to Lit.
  • Unit #2: Short Stories, Part 1 (Essay #1)
  • Unit #3: Literary Critical Theories/Short Stories, Part 2 (Essay #2)
  • Unit #4: Poetry (Essay #3)
  • Unit #5: Drama (Essay #4)


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Course Requirements:
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Grading Standards for Essays:

  • "A" essay: Excellent. The essay engages the reader in a thoughtful, insightful, and sophisticated response to the assigned topic. A clear, meaningful central idea is present and supported by specific details, relevant examples, and thought provoking discussion. The ideas in the essay are well organized, coherent, and unified. There are no significant errors in spelling, grammar or punctuation, and the essay adheres to all the standards in writing, including grammar, punctuation, spelling, formatting, and documentation.

  • "B" essay: Good. The essay fully addresses the assigned topic in an insightful and thoughtful manner. The central idea is supported with clear and relevant examples but may include some information that drifts off point or that may not be fully developed. Competence in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and other written standards (as mentioned in "A" above) is demonstrated, but some errors are present enough to be noted.

  • "C" essay: Acceptable. The essay addresses the assigned topic in a thoughtful but perhaps underdeveloped, disorganized, and/or incoherent manner. The central idea is apparent but may not be supported by sufficient details, examples, and/or explanations. Errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and/or other written standards occur frequently enough to distract the reader from essay's ideas.

  • "D" essay: Unsatisfactory. The essay only minimally addresses the assigned topic and/or may seriously lack in sophistication, organization, and/or depth in its ideas. The central idea tends to be unfocused, incoherent, and/or may not be supported by detailed examples and developed explanations. Errors in grammar, spelling or punctuation are excessive and distract the reader from the writer's ideas.

  • "F" essay: Not acceptable/failing. All in all, an essay at the "F" level reveals ideas that do not demonstrate a sophisticated, planned, logical level of thought and appears to be more like a draft or free-written journal that does not follow the conventions of acceptable, college essay standards. The "F" essay does not address the assigned topic, has no clear main idea and/or supporting ideas, and/or is seriously underdeveloped (far short of the required number of assigned pages), thus not meeting the minimum requirements.
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Semester Grades:

Your course grade will be based on the grades and/or credit you receive for the requirements listed above. The percentage breakdown will be as follows:


NOTE: All major writing assignments and exams must be satisfactorily completed with an average grade of "C" or better in order to receive a passing course grade of "C" or better. An incomplete essay or exam WILL result in a semester grade of "D" or "F."  NO EXTRA CREDIT work is given during the semester, and no make-up work for missed/late assignments is allowed. Also, note that homework sent via e-mail attachment WILL NOT be accepted unless arrangements have been made with the instructor in advance.

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Attendance:

Regular attendance and being in class on time will be an extremely important factor in successful completion of English 110, as assignments, topics on reading and writing, reader response journals, new strategies for writing, and so forth will be discussed in class. Whenever you are absent, call a classmate or me to acquire that day's topics and/or assignments. You must turn in your past due assignments on the day you return from an absence. No other late work will be accepted unless it is arranged with the instructor in advance.


Roll is taken at the beginning of every class meeting. If you are not present when roll is called, you will be marked absent; however, if you arrive within 5 minutes after class begins, see me immediately after class to clear your absence and change it to a tardy. Every 4 tardies will count as 1 absence. Any student who misses more than 10 minutes of class for any reason will receive an absence for the day. Students who have more than 4 absences (for TTh classes) and/or excessive tardies will have their participation grades lowered significantly.


NOTE: YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WITHDRAWING FROM ANY COURSE YOU NO LONGER WISH TO ATTEND. FAILURE TO WITHDRAW BEFORE THE WITHDRAWAL DATE WILL RESULT IN AN "F" GRADE.

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Plagiarism/Cheating:

No plagiarism or cheating of any kind will be tolerated. Both are very serious offenses and may lead to expulsion and/or an automatic "F" in the assignment and/or the course. Plagiarism is the act of taking another person's work, writing, or ideas and using them as if they were your own. This material could be something that you have taken from another paper, book, article, magazine, the Internet, and so forth, or it could be material that someone else has written for you. Cheating on tests, homework, and other class assignments or activities is dishonest and improper conduct. Cheating is an act of deception and fraudulently obtaining of someone else's work, answers, etc.
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Classroom Behavior:

You will at all times be asked to show consideration and respect towards me and all the members of the class. This means that absolutely no offensive or disruptive behavior will be tolerated and that your full attention is given to whatever class activity is taking place. Once class begins, there will be no coming and going as you please. If you must leave early, be courteous enough to make arrangements with me beforehand. Pagers, cell phones, and all other electronic devices that may cause distractions or disruptions must be turned off and out of reach prior to class.   Having a peaceful and respectful classroom environment will give us all a comfortable and safe place to learn and share new ideas.

Other Notes:

Dates to Remember:

  • January 29 : Last day to ADD semester length classes

  • February 9 : Last day to DROP semester length classes without appearing on transcript

  • February 16-19 : NO CLASSES -- Presidents' Day Holiday

  • April 2-8 : NO CLASSES -- Spring Break

  • April 26: Last day to DROP semester length classes with a "W" on transcript

  • May 22: Final Exam: English 110, Sec. AI -- 11:10 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.

  • May 24: Final Exam: English 110, Sec. AF -- 11:10 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.
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