Contents

Please Note:

• If you fail to attend the first and/or second class session, or if you fail to contact the instructor about absences during the first week of classes, I will assume that you are no longer interested in taking the class and I may add someone from the wait list to take your place, unless you contact me and state otherwise.

•  If you register for the class through admissions and later decide to drop the course, it is your responsibility to fill out a drop slip and submit it to the admissions office. If you fail to do this, you may be in danger of receiving an "FW" on your transcript.

Students will practice reading, writing, and critical thinking to improve reading comprehension and to develop composing techniques for effective academic writing. Course is designed to prepare students for college level academic reading and writing and requires one hour weekly of Writing Center's guided practice.

* Please note: English classes scheduled in BC 101, the Computer Writing Center, are conducted using computers as a primary mode. Writing, editing, collaborating, researching, and other activities involve computer use on a regular basis. No special skills with computers are required for enrollment.

• This course may be taken for P/NP or for a grade. If students choose to take the class for a Letter Grade they must submit their request to Admissions or make the request in MyCOM before the deadline published in the schedule of classes.
  

• Students must pass English 92--or earn an appropriate score on the COM placement test in order to be eligible for English 98. Proof of eligibility must be submitted to the instructor, if requested, during the first week of classes or students may be dropped from the class.

• Students are required to complete a minimum of 12 hours in the Writing Center located in LC 110 or by accessing the Online Writing Center.

• Students may not pass English 98 unless they fulfill the lab requirement.
  
• Students are required to keep a record of all Writing Center visits by recording the date, time and a tutor's signature before departing the lab and by signing in and out of the lab attendance log or students may not earn credit for their lab visit.
• Online Writing Center (OWC) visits are automatically recorded when students login to the OWC site; students must e-mail the instructor after each OWC visit evaluating the help they received from the OWC tutor to earn one hour of credit for the visit.
• Students may earn credit for a maximum of 2 hours/week for lab hours. In other words, students will not be allowed to complete the 12 hour requirement in one week.
• The Writing Center is usually closed during finals week, so students must complete their hours before finals week.
  
• The Writing Center schedule of lab hours is published in the Schedule of Classes. The Center is closed on Fridays.

 Upon completion of English 98 students will be able to:

1. Comprehend, analyze, respond to, and evaluate a variety of expository and argumentative compositions of a variety of lengths.
2. Adopt appropriate reading and writing strategies such as identifying purpose, identifying audience, identifying tone, gathering ideas, and organizing ideas
3. Differentiate between expressive, expository, argumentative writing.
4. Demonstrate a basic understanding of written argumentation—understanding the logical relationships between a thesis, topic sentence, and supporting evidence.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of research techniques
6. Explain and be better able to apply the elements of an effective composition (such as thesis statements, topics sentences, supporting points, unity, and coherence).
7. Demonstrate proficiency in revising writing assignments for organization and clarity.
8. Demonstrate proficiency in editing by applying rules of grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and spelling and usage in written exercises by studying their own grammatical and punctuation errors to make their writing more effective.

All texts listed below may be purchased at the CoM bookstore and are also available in the library at the reserve desk or in the main collection. If you cannot  buy your books at this time, you are still responsible for completing the assigned work. The Financial Aid Office provides eligible students with funding, so if you cannot buy your books at this time, you should visit the Financial Aid Office for help, and/or you should visit the library, find the reserve desk and check out the texts needed to complete your assignments. Students will also need a College level Thesaurus and Dictionary for home use and a Flash Drive for class use. 

	Starr, Al and Donna McKusick. Making Sense: A Guide for Readers and Writers. San Francisco: Longman, 2002.
	Edell, Dean and David Schrieberg. Eat, Drink and Be Merry.  New York: Harper, 1999.

• Reading assignments are given to enhance your learning. I don't expect you to read every word, but rather, I expect you to read actively; in other words, you should skim parts of a chapter or section that you are already familiar with, skip sections that you have been exposed to before, and thoroughly read sections that present new material. You should approach reading in this class as you would approach reading a daily newspaper. You wouldn't read the paper from cover to cover, but you would focus on articles of interest to you in order to inform yourself of the latest events or concepts. So too should you read for this class. You will be held responsible for learning all of the concepts presented in the assigned reading, so you should read actively, learning the new concepts well.
  

Students are responsible for meeting all deadlines. Absence is not justification for missing deadlines. Students must arrange with classmates to find out about missed classes and to pick up missed handouts.  Please do not attempt to give explanations for absences or missed assignments. I always assume that you are taking your learning seriously; therefore, there is no need for explanation.

Students are required to abide by the class policy and appropriate etiquette in the computer classroom. Food and drinks are not permitted as these may cause damage to the computers or to the room. Students may use the drinking fountain outside of the room for water; food and drinks may be placed on the table in the hallway. When class begins, the computers should not be used for checking e-mail or for surfing the Internet unless the students are instructed to do so. Using the computers while a classmate or the instructor is speaking is disruptive. If students are enrolled in the last class of the day, students are responsible for shutting down the computer and monitor after class. Students who do not abide by the appropriate etiquette and computer classroom policy will earn low scores in class participation and may be asked to leave. Please consult the Computer Etiquette handout to further familiarize yourself with the class policies.

You should keep copies of the assignments you submit so that you have back-up copies. Always keep copies of your work on two separate media, for example, student should keep a copy of a paper on their hard drive and a copy of the file on a flash drive.  It is also wise to keep printed copies of your work in case of technical problems. Technical difficulties do not constitute an excuse for submitting late work. Printer problems such as running out of paper or ink, or other technical difficulties do not constitute excuses for late work. It is your responsibility to find a computer that functions properly and/or a person who can type your papers for you well in advance of a deadline. I strongly recommend that you take a introductory computer class to learn the basic computing skills you will need to succeed at the college level.

Students are responsible for meeting all deadlines.  Students must complete all of the assignments in order to pass the class. Late papers will not receive comments and, if accepted (under extreme circumstances only), can only earn a maximum grade of D+; late work must be submitted within one week of the original deadline. This is not a punishment, but rather  incentive to encourage students to complete all of the required work. Remember, 68% is better than 0%. Late papers cannot be commented on due to the time constraints on the instructor and due to class deadlines.

•   The class contains adult themes and content; mature reading selections and videos may be discussed and/or viewed during class.
•   Your writing may be used as instructional material in class; if you prefer that your work not be shared in class, please submit your request to me in writing.

It is a violation of academic conduct to share the contents of any of the tests, quizzes or other class materials. In addition, it is a violation to share user names and passwords. If your user name and password are used by someone other than yourself, with or without your knowledge, you are in violation. Please keep your user name and passwords private. Violators will receive an F in the class and may be expelled from the college. Only registered students are allowed access to the online class site. Please consult  the Catalog and Student Handbook for further clarification and consequences of academic misconduct.

  Writing Center
Students who wish to work with a tutor may visit a tutor online in the Online Writing Center, known as the .COM (dot COM), or students may visit the Writing Center on campus in the Learning Center, LC 110.

• Students are required to complete a minimum of 12 hours for the semester in the English Writing Lab located in  LC 110.
• Students may not pass English 98 unless they fulfill the lab requirement.
• Students are required to keep a record of all English lab visits by recording the date, time and  a tutor's signature before departing the lab and by signing in and out of the lab attendance log or students may not receive credit for their lab visit.
• Students may receive credit for a maximum of 2 hours/week for lab hours. In other words, students will not be allowed to complete the 12 hour requirement in one week.
• Although I will offer reminders where I recommend that students visit the Writing Center, it is the student's responsibility to complete the 12 hour requirement. In other words, the student should be aware of the areas in which they may need help in the writing process (idea development, drafting, revising, unity, etc.) and the student should take the initiative and discuss these areas with a tutor at least 12 different times throughout the term. It is the student's responsibility to complete the 5 hour requirement and to keep track of the hours completed throughout the term. Students may, if they choose, use the Online Writing Center to complete their 12 hour requirement.
• To earn credit for the 12 hour lab requirement, students must include an evaluation of each tutor visit for a total of 12 evaluations (12 paragraphs). Students should submit 6 paragraphs at midterm and 6 paragraphs at the end of the term in the participation reports.
• The English Lab will be closed during the first week of classes and during finals week, so students must complete their hours before finals week.
• The English Lab schedule of lab hours is published in the Schedule of Classes. The Lab is closed on Fridays.
• When communicating with a tutor online, you should include your name, a description of the assignment, and the URL to this syllabus (http://www.marin.edu/homepages/IngridKelly/98.htm). The more information you provide the tutor about your assignment, the better they can help you.

Writing Assignments 250 points	Essays & Projects
Participation   400 points	Class Activities:  Quizzes, Discussions, Peer Reviews & Conferences Homework: Journals, Reading Notes, Vocabulary Logs & Textbook Activities
Final 350 points Please note that all of the assignments submitted in the Portfolio  must be at passing level or you may not pass the class.	Portfolio on day of final, which includes: Rewrites of Essays Argumentative Research Paper	Grading Scale:

Your participation in course activities will constitute an important part of your overall evaluation. Your participation points will fluctuate throughout the semester, depending on your participation. If you are participating fully you should notice a high participation score posted at midterms; however, if your participation wanes after midterm, this score may decrease by the end of the semester. Conversely, if your midterm score is low, you have the opportunity to increase your score by participating more fully after  midterm.

To calculate your grade at any point during the semester, follow the steps below:

1. Click on the "Grades" link on the Course Menu when logged in to the class site.
2. Add up the points possible for all of the assignments that have been assigned so far. (To calculate the points possible for the participation column, simply convert your letter grade to points. For example, if you have earned an "A," award yourself 100% of the points possible. If you have earned a "B," you should award yourself 85% of the points possible, if you have earned a "C," you should award yourself 70% of the points possible, and so on.)  Remember, your participation grades will fluctuate throughout the semester and grades posted at midterm may not reflect your final participation grade in the class. I will assign points for final participation scores at the end of the semester.
3. Scroll to the right to see the last grade column which will list your total points earned to date. You may also have to scroll down to see all of your individual scores.
4. Divide your total points earned-to-date by the total points possible-to-date and you will get your grade percentage in the class so far.

For example if my total points earned-to-date are 150 points and the total points possible-to-date are 200, I would use the following formula to calculate my grade: 150/200 = .75 = 75% = C

To calculate your grade to date, simply create a ratio, cross multiply, and solve for X:

Example:
Where 300 = Total Points Possible to Date and 275 = Your Total Points Earned to Date:

300X = 27500
X = 27500 divided by 300
X=91.6
Grade = A-

If, after checking your grade, you notice that you did not receive a grade for an assignment you have completed (remember written assignments may not be posted for about 10 days), please e-mail me to inquire about your assignment. Please note that it is the students' responsibility to insure  that grades are listed correctly. Students should check their grades frequently and contact the instructor immediately if an error or question arises. Additionally, any questions or concerns about grades should be brought to the instructor's attention before the last day of class.