English 90 Course Description and Calendar Dr.  Kleinman	Spring 2007 CCSF
CLASSROOM--Cyberia (Arts Ext 265) OFFICE--Batmale 524, Wednesdays 5:45-6:45 and by appt.
EMAIL (preferred)—ckleinma@ccsf.edu PHONE --452-5082    WEB -- http://fog.ccsf.edu/~ckleinma (Click Courses ---> English 90)	Jump to a printable version (pdf).

It is your responsibility to contact me, preferably in person at the office, as soon as you need my help.  Contact, however, cannot make up for an absence.

You will need to use my web page's "course" link to English 90; our online 90 syllabus is loaded w/ writing, reading, and lab resources coordinated w/ your course assignments.  You should also bookmark the lab page .

TEXTS

Susan Anker's Real Essays, 2nd Ed.

You should also have a college-level dictionary and thesaurus , as well as disks--or email--for saving essays and exercises.   As an English 90 student you are required to use the Writing Lab, Reading Lab, or Cyberia's tutorial/learning resources, or the grammar/composition workshops and reading groups, or Reading Plus, one hour per week, minimum.  That is, you should be the beneficiary of a minimum of sixteen hours of English 90 lab work by week 16.

GOALS

• To become a stronger reader , writer , and thinker . . .
• To become a more authoritative college student in general . . .
• To embrace the portfolio method and the creative potential of revision . . .
• To engage in these acts of learning with colleagues . . .
• To use reference tools and stop guessing how and where to punctuate . . .
• To be better prepared for all future courses . . .

ASSESSMENT 20%--Participation, homework, quizzes, exams 40%--Pre-Portfolio Essays 40%--Portfolio

Remember, your course description and calendar are always online by way of my homepage's course link, so there is no excuse for not knowing your English 90 responsibilities.

LAB AND TEXT PRACTICES

Much of what you need to know can be found at the Lab Page. As an English 90 student, you are required by the college to use the Learning Assistance Center 's resources for at least one hour each week, so be sure to sign in as an English 90 student and have your lab time documented. In other words, you will not pass this course if you do not fulfill the lab requirement. Since you will form a special understanding of Cyberia during class time, you should build on that understanding in Cyberia during open lab time, but your lab time may take the form of meeting with an actual Writing Lab or Reading Lab tutor, joining a weekly reading group, attending a grammar or or composition strategy workshop, using a Cyberia or LAC computer to plan or improve an essay, using a composition or Internet grammar or punctuation program in Cyberia, or using the Reading Lab's electronic resources, or using Reading Plus at any campus lab.   Note--if you are in a Reading course, you cannot count your Reading course lab hours as your English 90 lab hours.  If you're in 9 and 90, use the other lab resources to earn English 90 lab credit; then, after you've completed your English 9 lab hours, you may use the reading lab toward your English 90 lab requirement.

Each exercise in Real Essays is called a “practice.”  The odd-numbered problems are answered in the back of the book, so use the answers to check your progress.  You should always make the written practice activities a part of your reading; otherwise, you may not absorb the material.  In general, you will become a stronger reader, writer, and thinker the more you actively combine those activities.  As can be seen on the calendar, specific practice exercises have already been assigned as homework, but you should experiment with the unassigned practice exercises as well.  Remember, you will rip yourself off if you jump right into the written homework without examining its accompanying reading.  During the semester, though, it is extremely likely that in-class writing, sometimes in the form of a quiz, will take place.  Do not expect to make-up in-class tasks; if you know about an impending absence, make arrangements with me in advance. 

ESSAYS AND PORTFOLIO

During the first three-fourths of the class, you will compose essays in and out of class; some of your writing will be timed in Cyberia, and some will be spread out over weeks.  All of the essays will relate to what we are reading, and all of the essays must be written and turned in on time in order for you to pass the class. During the final month of the course our class will take the form of a portfolio workshop, during which you will be working on your final essay and revising some old writing.  A portfolio is simply a representative sampling of your work and will feature major revisions of two graded out-of-class essays and a new, previously ungraded argumentative essay based on an assignment that other English 90 classes will be using.  Your portfolio will also include a cover letter, as well as any other work that might enhance your portfolio representation of yourself as a college writer, all beautifully typed.  Not submitting a portfolio = not passing the course.  NOTE--The English 90 portfolio is in place of a final, but it will be assessed by other English 90 portfolio professors.  If you earn at least a "C" in the course and your portfolio is strong enough, you will be given the chance to "skip" English 92!

OTHER POLICIES

• Plagiarism , the act of passing off someone else's work as your own, will result in failing the course and/or being removed from the college.  Due to time constraints and Internet accessibility, the temptation to plagiarize is a great one.  If you feel this temptation or are confused about whether you are committing plagiarism, see me before it inhales you into a life of corruption, just as you may see me to talk through any writing and reading issue.
• An absence is an absence.  It is your responsibility to exchange email addresses with 1 or 2 classmates to stay informed of class happenings and notes, and it is your responsibility to contact me in advance about any impending absences.  You will be allowed two (2) absences; three (3) lates or early exits will equal an absence .  Perfect attendance should help your grade. 
• Turn off your cell phones and pagers; “vibrate” if you must.  Each time your device makes noise, you will write a 300-word essay explaining why that disruption occurred. 
• No eating or gum chewing in class, but bottled water might be okay.