Course Syllabus

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English 5: Advanced Composition and Critical Thinking

Section 3653

Fall 2017

Instructor: Lauren Nahas

Email: lnahas@santarosa.edu

Office: Jacobs 129 (PETALUMA CAMPUS)

Office Hours: Mondays 3:30-4:30, or by appointment

Course Description

A critical reasoning and advanced composition course designed to develop critical reading, thinking, and writing skills beyond the level achieved in English 1A. The course will focus on development of logical reasoning and analytical and argumentative writing skills.

Pre-Requisites

Completion of ENGL 1A or higher (V8)

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Describe principles of critical thinking.
2. Apply principles of critical thinking to texts, media, and everyday experience.
3. Write critical analysis and response papers.

Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
A. Critical Thinking Objectives
    1. Identify and analyze the structure of arguments in the reading assignments.
    2. Evaluate the validity and soundness of arguments in the readings and in their own
         compositions.
    3. Identify common formal and informal fallacies of language and thought.
    4. Apply principles of inductive and deductive reasoning to their arguments.
    5. Distinguish between factual and opinion statements.
    6. Distinguish between and use denotative and connotative aspects of language for appropriate
         rhetorical ends.
    7. Draw inferences from a variety of sources (print, media, Internet and electronic databases).
    8. Identify propaganda and other manipulations of rhetoric--charged language and slanted
         facts in the readings and in their own compositions.
B. Composition Objectives
    1. Write essays of varying lengths, from 1000 to 3500 words, as appropriate to assignment or
         writer's purpose.
     2. Employ writing strategies including analysis, synthesis, and summary.
    3. Employ writing strategies including causal analysis, advocacy of ideas, persuasion,
         evaluation, refutation, interpretation, and definition.
    4. Demonstrate continued development in writing correct, sophisticated college-level prose.
    5. Examine classical divisions of rhetorical appeal including ethos, logos, and pathos.
    6. Employ effective writing techniques including organization for logic and coherence;
         revision for focus, clarity, precision, and diction; use of correct grammar, punctuation, and
         spelling.
    7. Compile and evaluate library research for application in research papers.

Required Textbooks and Materials

All the course readings are available at the Petaluma Campus bookstore.

  • Between the World and Me by Ta’Nehisi Coates, ISBN: 978-1925240702
  • You are Not So Smart by David McRaney, ISBN: 978-1592407361
  • Everything’s An Argument 7th edition by Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Rusziewicz, ISBN: 1457698676
  • Course Reader (Available in the Petaluma Campus Bookstore)
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader (downloadable for free)

Important Dates

Last day to drop with a refund — Sept 13

Last day to drop without a "W" — Sept 25

Last day to drop with a "W" — Nov 14

Thanksgiving Holiday — Nov 23-26

Final Exam — Dec 6

Methods of Evaluation

  • 3 Essays (all out of class)
  • 1 In-Class Argument Critique
  • 3 Presentations (of research or readings)
  • 1 written grade evaluation (during Final Exams)

Grading Policy

This course uses a contract grading system.  

You are guaranteed a B if you:

1.  Miss no more than 3 classes;

2.  meet due dates and minimum standards for all major writing assignments; the minimum standards are defined as:

  • Unity and Organization: The thesis is apparent and generally controls the direction and development of the essay.  For the most part, paragraphs are unified.  The essay has a logical progression of ideas.
  • Ideas and Support: The essay shows a basic understanding of the sources.  The essay develops its supporting points with adequate evidence and analysis.  The essay addresses the essay topic and meets the required length.
  • Style and Mechanics: The essay may contain some errors that distract the reader but to not impede understanding.
  • Documentation and Use of Sources: The essay displays awareness of MLA documentation and citations, though there may be a few errors.

3.  participate in all activities;

4.  complete all writing process assignments (e.g. outlines, brainstorming discussions, etc);

5.  give thoughtful peer feedback during peer review (e.g., post your drafts on time, commenting on drafts, responding thoughtfully to peer review-related discussions, answering peer questions, etc);

6.  make substantive revisions when the assignment is to revise—extending or changing the thinking or organization—not just editing or touching up.

Thus you earn the grade of B entirely on the basis of what you do—on your conscientious effort and participation. The grade of B does not derive from my judgment about the quality of your writing. Grades higher than B, however, do rest on my judgment of writing quality. To earn higher grades you must produce writing that I judge to be exceptionally high quality.  The minimum standards and rubric for each essay will explain the specific expectations for each essay.

About grades lower than B

I hope no one will aim for these grades. The quickest way to C, D, or F is to miss discussions and not turn in assignments. This much is non-negotiable: You are not eligible even for a passing grade of C- unless you have participated in 12 of the 14 weeks of class, completed 85% of the homework assignments, and completed all of the major essays. And you can't just turn in all the late work at the end. If you get behind on the work, please stay in touch with me about your chances of passing the course and to make a plan about how to catch up.

Late Work

I do not accept late homework.  You can turn it in to at least get feedback on it, but you will not recieve credit for it.  This is because often our assignments are time-sensitive and you miss out on aspects of the purpose of the assignment if you don't submit on-time.  

You are allowed to turn in 1 of the major essays late.  You get a full-week's more time on that essay.  I suggest that you use that time wisely to speak with me, visit the Writing Center, or use SmartThinking Tutor or Net Tutor to get extra feedback on the essay.  Submit any late essays to the "Late Essay" assignment, which is at the top of the course's Module's page.

Revisions

You may revise all major essays for a better grade.  I will announce due dates for those revisions as soon as I finish evaluating all of the first-drafts.  I may not evaluate those revisions until the end of the semester, so don't expect quick feedback on your revisions.  

Feedback

My goal is the update grades on Homework the week after it is turned in.  At times I get behind though.  For major essays, my goal is to return them to you with feedback within 2 weeks.  If I get behind in grading, I will inform the class. 

Instructor Communication

I will be responding to email Monday-Thursday.  You can expect a response from me within at least 24 hours.  

Attendance and Participation

During the a regular semester, college policy requires me to drop students who do not attend more than two weeks of the course. If I do not see you actively participating in the course for more than two week, I will drop you. However, if you decide not to complete the course, be sure to drop yourself so that you don’t receive an F in the course.

Behavior

Students who persistently disrupt the course after being asked to stop will be referred to the Student Conduct Administrator.  Disruptions include holding personal conversations, interrupting other students or the teacher, answering cell phone calls, listening to music, and aggressive behavior or speech.  For further information on Santa Rosa Junior College’s Student Conduct Policy in the Catalog.

Plagiarism

Basically, plagiarism is taking the writing (the actual phrases and sentences) or ideas of another author and presenting them as if they were your own.  So, cutting and pasting ANY text (that is not placed in quotations marks) into your essays is considered cheating, or plagiarism.  We will cover plagiarism in the course, and you might also read about SRJC's Academic Integrity Policy, and the in the SRJC Catalog, Policy 2.8.2.

If I find plagiarized writing in any of your assignments, I will report it to the college, and I will give you an F for that assignment.

Helpful Resources

Disability Services

If you need disability related accommodations for this class, such as a note taker, test taking services, special furniture, etc., please provide the Authorization for Academic Accommodations (AAA letter) from the Disability Resources Department (DRD) to the instructor as soon as possible. You may also speak with the instructor privately during office hours about your accommodations. If you have not received authorization from DRD, it is recommended that you contact them directly. DRD is located in the Bertolini Student Center on the Santa Rosa campus, and Jacobs Hall on the Petaluma Campus.

The Writing Center

The Writing Center offers free, individual assistance for any writing assignment you have in any class.  English instructors and instructional assistants are available for drop-in conferences to help you with any writing-related work, including: brainstorming essay ideas, developing a thesis, essay organization and development, using correct documentation format, and how to edit for grammatical and mechanical errors.  The Writing Center also offers the use of computers for writing, research, and completing online learning modules.  Students may print for free one copy of their own written work, such as drafts of essays, college transfer applications, scholarship applications, and other college writing tasks.

Check the Writing Center's hours on their website.

Smarthinking Tutorial Center

You can use SRJC's online tutoring system, Smarthinking, to get extra help with your essays.  To connect with a tutor, follow these steps:

    1. Login to your SRJC Student Portal.
    2. Go to the Quick Links section.
    3. Click the Smart Thinking Online Tutoring link towards the bottom of the Quick Links.

Smarthinking Drop-in Tutoring:

In the live tutoring sessions, tutors can help you with questions about grammar, style (APA or MLA), organization, or any general questions about writing. Just choose "Writing (All Subjects)" in the Drop In Tutoring area. This option can also support you with pre-writing activities such as brainstorming, outlining, or thesis development.

Smarthinking Essay Center

If you have a completed draft of your paper ready to submit for review, submit it to the SMARTHINKING Essay Center by selecting the Essay Center choice under Writing Center. A professional writing tutor will give you the help that you need to improve your paper and your overall writing skills. The tutor's response will arrive in your Smarthinking Inbox within about 24 hours.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due