English 1A, Composition and Reading

We have three areas of focus for this course:

Reading, Thinking, and Inquiry: Although we will be looking at ways to help you read more quickly and effectively, that isn't all. These days, it is not only important to be able to understand what you are reading and get the basic gist, but it has become increasingly important that you are able to see what the writer is trying to do, evaluate their reliability and think critically. We will be working on skills including analyzing language and structure, understanding how arguments are constructed and their weaknesses, as well as focusing on skills for comprehension and retention of texts.

Writing: Not only is important to be able to write well in order to do well in nearly any college class, but with the explosion of technology and social media, the written word is everywhere in our world. We write everything from posts and comments to blogs and research papers, and this course will help you hone and strengthen your writing skills through focus on the writing process, a familiarity with structuring and developing a variety of written texts, as well as editing and proofreading skills.

Information Literacy and Research: The final topic we will focus on is another one that is paramount in a world rife with misinformation and disinformation: your ability to find and evaluate information. We will look at finding sources, evaluating them, integrating them effectively, and documentation.

These three areas of focus have grown directly out of the Course Outline of Record, which says that no matter what section of English 1A a student takes, successful completion should mean they have achieved the following five student learning objectives.

Course Structure

This course is structured into four units:  

• Unit 1: Introduction (2 weeks),
• Unit 2: Reading Thinking, and Inquiry (5 weeks),
• Unit 3: Writing (5 weeks),
• Unit 4: Information Literacy and Research (4 weeks)
• ...plus one week for Finals. 

Each unit will have modules with the specific learning goals, activities, and assignments. Most assignments are not due until the end of the unit, so that you can work through things at your own pace and have less stress over deadlines. However, the course is set up with the idea that you will complete one module per week. (For example, the Writing Unit lasts for five weeks and has five modules.)

Each module includes a Weekly Discussion, with a specific Weekly Discussion due every week. You should have your main post up by 11pm on Friday, and your two replies by Sunday at 11pm.

However, aside from the Weekly Discussions, ALL other assignments are due at the end of the unit rather than weekly, although you are strongly encouraged to complete one module per week to stay on track.

Unit Contents

Unit 1: Introductions

• Introduction to the Course
• Introduction to College Reading and Writing

Unit 2: Reading, Thinking, and Inquiry

• Reading Basics
• Key Skills and Strategies
• Evaluating Structure
• Evaluating Arguments
• Analyzing Language & Making Connections

Unit 3: Writing

• Essay Structure
• Writing Process
• Paragraphs
• Revision
• Proofreading

Unit 4: Information Literacy and Research

• Finding Information
• Evaluating Information
• Incorporating Information
• Citing Information

Regular Schedule

You should aim to complete one module per week. In each module, you will have Discover resources to learn about a particular topic, with the ability to take a short quiz or complete a short activity instead if you are already familiar with that concept or skill.

• If you find yourself struggling with some of the concepts or skills, or are unable to pass the certification quiz or activity, there will be a "Further Discovery" section with more in-depth explanations and resources to make sure you firmly grasp the essential information.

Once you have completed the certifications to show you understand the information in the Discover section, you will be able to move on to the Practice section, where you will have a variety of different activities available to practice the various skills and apply the information from the Discover section. 

• If you find yourself having difficulty in successfully completing the Practice activities, there will be an "Extra Practice" section with simpler, more broken-down activities to help you apply each skill separately before needing to put them together.

Once you have successfully completed the required Practice activities for the module, you will arrive at the Mastery Assignment: an overarching assignment or larger project that asks you to demonstrate your mastery over the topics at a more complex level. You cannot attempt the Mastery Assignment until you have succeeded at the Discover certifications and Practice activities. If you get a failing grade on the Mastery Assignment, you will be able to do one or more additional activities to help you master the pieces you are working on, and will then have an opportunity to do a different Mastery Assignment, with your new grade completely replacing the old one.

Separate from the Discover > Practice > Mastery set of assignments, you will also have a Weekly Discussion included in each module. One will be due each week, with main posts required by Friday at 11pm, with replies required by 11pm on Sunday.

In addition to the Discussions and Discover, Practice. Mastery assignments, there will also be three essays assigned during the semester: one due at the end of each of the Reading, Writing, and Research Units (no essay is due as part of the Introduction Unit). For each essay, you will write a rough draft and have a conference with the instructor about it before submitting your final draft.

Click the link below for an infographic of your weekly responsibilities:

• Weekly Tasks

Course Texts

The ONLY text you need for this course is the main textbook:

• College Reading and Composition: Information and Strategies, (4th rev. edition) by L. Dawn Lukas

I encourage you to purchase directly from the publisher at https://he.kendallhunt.com/product/college-composition-and-reading-information-and-strategies

You have two options, the physical textbook, or the ebook. The textbook is a regular, printed textbook that you buy and get to keep. The ebook is much cheaper, but gives you access to a 6-month license that lets you access the textbook online (but not download it). I encourage you to get the printed text, but you should purchase the option that works the best for you. I have included the ISBN numbers below for reference.

• • TEXTBOOK ISBN: 978-1-7924-3254-5 (standard, printed textbook)
  • E-Book ISBN: 978-1-7924-3780-9 (6 month license for online access; no offline access or download available)

(Note: The SRJC Bookstore lists additional books as being required; they are not and will not be used in this course; you only need the main textbook listed above)

Hardware & Software

Because this is an Internet-based class, students will need:

• Access to the Internet via a modem or high-speed connection such as cable or DSL
A recent version of Web browser software (such as Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer)
• An email account and the ability to access that account for sending and receiving messages
• A sufficiently powerful computer with modern operating system capable of handling the above requirements.

Because this is an online class in which students will be uploading essays and receiving feedback from peers and the instructor, students will need:

• To be able to create and open/view Microsoft Word files (.doc or .docx) - many other programs have a "save as" feature by which you can convert. There is also a FREE program available called Open Office that can create and open MS Word files: you can get more information at  www.openoffice.or 
• The ability to view PDF files. Most browsers already have this capability, but if yours does not, you can get the FREE viewing program from adobe at  http://get.adobe.com/reader

Grading

Discover (and if needed, Further Discovery) assignments are not worth points, but must be successfully completed in order to access Practice assignment. All Discover assignments are auto-graded.

Practice (and, if needed, Extra Practice) assignments are not worth points, but must be successfully completed in order to access the Mastery assignment. Most Practice assignments are auto-graded, but some are manually-graded or have manually graded components (and thus will not be instantly available),

Mastery Assignments are worth 25 points each. Discussion Assignments are worth 20 points each. 

There will be three Essay assignments, each of which includes a rough and final draft. All the essays (rough and final) put together are worth 550 points, with final drafts being worth more than rough drafts, and with each essay you write being worth more than the previous one. 

Finally, the three Conferences (for the essays) are worth 50 points each, the Open House assignment  is worth 25 points, and the Final Exam is worth 55 points.

Below is a chart with information about assignments and grades:

Administrative Matters

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is vital for learning, so cheating or plagiarizing will not be tolerated. Plagiarism  involves the representation of another's work as your own, for example: (a) submitting as one's own any material that is copied from published or unpublished sources such as the Internet, print, computer files, audio disks, video programs or musical scores without proper acknowledgment that it is someone else's; (b) paraphrasing another's views, opinions or insights without proper acknowledgment or copying of any source in whole or in part with only minor changes in wording or syntax even with acknowledgment; (c) submitting as one's own work a report, examination, paper, computer file, lab report or other assignment which has been prepared by someone else. If you are unsure about what constitutes unauthorized help on an exam or assignment, or what information requires citation and/or attribution, please get assistance. Violations will result penalties ranging from a zero for that assignment to a loss of points, depending on the severity of the infraction. For a second offense, penalties range from a zero on the assignment to failure of the course, and/or additional disciplinary actions.

View SRJC policy (3.11) on Academic Integrity and the Student Conduct Code, which is in the SRJC Catalog and part of Policy 8.2.8, Student Discipline. You do have a right to due process should you wish to contest an allegation or penalty that you have received.

Students With Disabilities

If you are student with a disability, if you have not done so, you are advised to register with the Disability Resources Department (DRD) as soon as possible in order to receive any accommodations that you qualify for. DRD is located in Analy Village on the Santa Rosa campus, and Petaluma Village on the Petaluma Campus.

Many additional links are available in the SRJC “Distance Ed Accessibility” page of SRJC Disability Resources Department  (Click here to access the Distance Ed Accessibility page). Links to an external site.

Every effort is made to conform to accessibility standards for all instructor-created materials. Students should contact their instructor as soon as possible if they find that they cannot access any course materials. Students with disabilities who believe they need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disability Resources (527-4278) or the website link above.

Dropping the Class

If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it. A student may be dropped from any class when that student's absences exceed ten percent (10%) of the total hours of class time. It is strongly advised that if you need to miss more than one class/homework deadline in a row that you contact the instructor to avoid being dropped from the class.

REMEMBER! In order to work on the practice assignments for the Introduction to the Course module, you need to complete a Syllabus Certification to show you have read and understood the most important information. Click the link below to be taken to the syllabus certification activity:

• Syllabus Certification