Skyline
College
Instructor: Rachel Bell
Web
page: http://www.skylinecollege.edu/bellr
Office Hours: M 3:30-4:30 & M W 7-9pm in Rm
7306 and Weds 3:30-4:30 in Learning Ctr 5-100
”Whoever
controls the media, controls the mind.” ~Jim Morrison, The Doors
Course
Prerequisites: Writing Prereq: Completion of
ENGL 826, ESOL 840 or ESOL 841/842 with a grade of C or better, or eligibility
for ENGL 836, ENGL 846 or ESOL 400 on approved college placement test.
Reading
Prereq: Completion of
READ 826, ESOL 840 or ESOL 841/842 with Credit or a grade of C or better, or
eligibility for READ 836, ENGL 846 or ESOL 400 on approved Reading Placement
Test and multiple measures.
Course Objectives: The
objective of this course is to integrate the teaching of reading and writing
skills. This course will guide students toward becoming more critical readers,
writers, and thinkers through recognizing the effective writing strategies of
other writers, through becoming aware of their own processes of writing, and
through learning to discern logical relationships between words, ideas, and
arguments. The course will also guide students toward becoming more active,
purposeful, and confident readers. To achieve this goal, we will work on
strengthening and developing study skills as well as reading strategies. By the
end of this course, students will be able to read and write more effectively,
distinguish the main ideas from supporting details, apply strategies to
increase retention, evaluate a writer's argument or reasoning, and draw from a
larger vocabulary.
“The
Internet has been the most fundamental change during my lifetime and for
hundreds of years”.
~Rupert Murdoch, Founder and CEO of
News Corp
Required Materials: Course
Reader (at Skyline's Bookstore) and the following texts…
YouTube by Jean
Burgess & Joshua Green
Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet by Sherry Turkle
Losing the News: The Future of the News that
Feeds Democracy by Alex S. Jones
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public
Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman
Course
Policies:
(1) Attendance—Your active participation is necessary for you and your
classmates to realize the objectives of this course. Therefore your attendance is crucial. A maximum of 4 (four) absences is permitted
over the course of the semester.
Exceeding these absences will adversely affect your participation grade.
(2) Late
Assignments—No late work will be
accepted. All due dates are given well
in advance; therefore I feel that it is unfair to the students who complete
their work on time to accept the work from those who do not. However, because “life happens,” each student
will be allowed two “late tickets” during the semester; twice students may
choose to turn an assignment in the following class period after the
due date. Late assignments beyond this will
not be accepted. You cannot use late tickets on in-class exams.
(3) Class
participation—Remember that
participation counts--both for your grade and in your life. It is essential that you become consciously
involved in class by participating in discussions and contributing thoughtful
comments, questions, and answers.
(4) Plagiarism-- Paraphrasing or directly copying any text and using it as your own without
proper attribution, whether you’ve done it intentionally or not, is plagiarism
and is unacceptable and will result in failure. We will carefully look at how to integrate
and properly document outside sources.
(5) Disabled
Students—Reasonable
accommodation will be provided for eligible students with disabilities. Contact
the DSPS office for an accommodation letter (650) 738-4280.
(6) Technology
Policy—These policies are made with this idea in mind…
You’re in college to gain knowledge from the classes you have signed up
for. This information is going to help
you be successful in many areas. Ideally
you will excel in these classes, achieve your goals, and earn a degree that you
will have for life. To accomplish this
you need to not just be physically present but also mentally present which
means don’t text, surf the net, take calls in the
hallway or in any other way use technology to be “elsewhere” during class time.
Laptops: Can be used in the classroom and can be a very
effective learning tool. However, if you
are suspected of misusing the laptop and using it for non-class related
activities (checking email, posting on Facebook or
Twitter, shopping, instantly messaging, playing games, randomly surfing the
net, completing homework for another class), you will be required to email your
class notes to the instructor 10 minutes after the conclusion every class
session. If you are not able to produce
the requested notes, you will lose in-class laptop privileges.
Cell phones: You do not need cell phones for any reason
during class time. Before you enter the
classroom, turn your cell phones off.
This does not mean put them on vibrate; it means to turn them off. Nothing is more distracting than phones
ringing during class. There is also no
need to ever be texting during class, and yes the instructor can see you when
you are texting under the desk. Going
out in the hallway to answer a call or make a call is also unacceptable during
class time. Students guilty of any of
these activities will be marked absent for the day.
IPods or other listening devices: These are inappropriate in the
classroom. Before you enter the
classroom, turn off and put away any such device.
Papers: Five major
papers will be written for this class. The
requirements are as follows:
(1) Due Dates-- Paper
#1 (2-4 pages, 500-1000 words) Draft
due 2/16, Revised 2/23
Paper #2 (3-5 pages, 750-1250 words) Draft due 3/21, Revised 3/28
Paper #3 Midterm essay exam on Monday, April
18th 4:30-6pm
Collaborative Research Paper #4 (4-6 pages,
1000-1500 words) Draft 5/18, Revised 5/27
Paper
#5 Final essay exam—2 ½ hours on Fri, May 27th 11:10-1:40pm
(2) Revision-- E.B. White said, “The best writing is rewriting.” Because revising or “re-seeing” a piece of
writing is such an important aspect of the writing process, each of the papers
has two due dates. Each student will
receive feedback and suggestions on each of his/her papers through in class
workshop groups of three; then each student will be asked to revise each paper
based on peer feedback.
Please note: if the first due
date for a paper is missed, the paper cannot be turned in at all and will not
receive a grade.
(3) Workshopping--Each paper will be read, discussed, and commented upon by student
workshop groups. Students without a
completed paper on the day of the workshop will not be allowed to participate
in the workshop. Students not participating
in workshops will lose their peer participation points for that activity, they
will not receive the benefit of commentary on their writing, and if they do not
turn a paper in on the workshop date, they cannot turn in a revised paper a
week later for a grade. You cannot pass
the course if you fail to turn in one of the five (5) major papers for the
course. Below are the workshop
dates--students must upload a copy of their paper for their group members and
comment on the writing of their group members on the day specified:
Paper #1 Workshop: Weds, 2/16 Paper #2 Workshop: Mon, 3/21 Paper #4 Workshop: Weds, 5/18
(4) Format—Papers must meet the required minimum length or run the risk of not
being accepted. All papers must be
typed, double-spaced, have 1” margins, and have a font of 12. If you email me any assignments as
attachments, they must be in .doc or .rtf format or else I will not be able to
open your document.
Reading Journals: A series of informal written responses will
be collected on the course readings.
“The
Internet and digital technology have sent the news business into a frenzy of
rethinking, an
upheaval of historic proportions
whose outcome is much in doubt. Things that are precious may well be lost
or terribly damaged,
and new things that are marvelous will certainly emerge. What is sure is that
the old media
world is being
transformed—collapsing, in some respects—and the new media world will be
different,
for better or worse”. ~Alex
S. Jones author of Losing the News
Course Grade: Record
Your Own Grades:
Paper 1 10% Score for Paper
1 ______ x .10 =
_____
Paper 2 10% Score for Paper
2 ______ x .10 =
_____
Paper 3—Midterm 10% Score for Paper
3 ______ x .10 =
_____
Paper 4 20% Score for Paper
4 ______ x .20 =
_____
Paper 5—Final on 5/27 20% Score for Paper
5 ______ x .20 =
_____
Reading Journals 10% Reading
Journals ______ x .10 = _____
Presentation 5% Presentation
score ______ x .05 =
_____
* Participation 5% Participation ______ x .05 =
_____
TOTAL:
(convert total to %) ________
* Participation includes being
prepared each day, meeting
with me at least once during the course of the
semester, Scoring as follows: 100-90=A, 89-80=B
adding to daily discussion, and
giving your classmates 79-70=C, 69-60=D, 59-0=F
thoughtful responses to their writing in workshops.
For an online grade calculator, go
to: http://www.smccd.edu/accounts/bellr/ReaderGradingMenu.htm
Additional
campus information:
Available Support Services: The
Learning Center (Building 5) provides support for writing, reading, math, and
other subjects. Sign up for LSKL 800 for
general tutoring, or for LSKL 853 for reading and
writing support through the Writing & Reading Lab in the Learning
Center. Librarians, on the 2nd
floor of building 5, can assist with research projects and library questions.
Academic counselors, health services, and other student support services are
available in the Student Services Center in Building 2.
Smoking Policy: Smoking is now
permitted only in designated areas in parking lots around campus.
Designated areas are clearly marked and ashtrays are located nearby. The
active participation and cooperation of all students, faculty, staff and guests
in promoting a healthy and safe environment at Skyline College and guests are
expected to observe the smoking policy. Tobacco-free resources are available in
the Student Health Center, located in Building 2, room 2209, (650) 738-4270,
and on the Skyline College website.