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All the writing you will be doing in this course is reading-based.
This means that every essay you write will be a response to and analysis of the reading arguing a point of view
about the reading. If you write an essay that does not mention the reading or
directly examine the reading, it will be considered off topic and will
receive little to no credit. You will not be writing plot summaries. You will
summarize parts of the reading to support your argument, but summary should
not take over your paper. Each paragraph should serve to prove a clear and
specific point and all paragraphs should work together to prove one unifying,
thesis (opinion on the reading). For all papers, except the midterm and final
exam, you will be creating your own argument about the assigned reading so
that you are writing from a place of interest rather than duty. You cannot
pass this course if you fail to turn in one of the assigned papers.
Follow standard paper guidelines and know expectations as
described in Chapter 3: Paper Topics: http://www.skylinecollege.edu/skyenglish/3Papertopics.htm
Paper topics come in all shapes and sizes, but in general for an English
class, you can expect to find the following requirements:
·
Meet stated page length requirements. Turning in papers that are under the required page
length sends a message that the assignment was not taken seriously and that a
lack of time, effort, and consideration was put into the project.
·
Adhere to due dates. Plan ahead and break down the project into
manageable stages, so you don’t cause yourself undue stress by doing things
“last minute” or by hurting your grade through missing due dates and not
being able to turn in assignments.
·
Use the stated paper formatting standards. In an English
class, the most common paper formatting approach is MLA. See Chapter 5 on MLA Conventions.
·
Follow the assignment.
It is essential that you follow
the guidelines of the assignment or else you risk receiving little to no
credit for your work. English classes
are also teaching students how to successfully complete college-level tasks,
so take some time in the beginning to ensure you are doing what was asked.
·
Apply writing standards in your paper. This Rhetoric
walks you through the fundamental essay components, so apply these concepts
to your writing. There is also an Essay Checklist in Chapter 4 that you can use
to ensure you have covered all the bases your instructor will be expecting in
an academic paper:
·
Seek opportunities for additional help. Writing can be an
isolating experience but it does not have to be. Use campus resources to help you formulate
your writing plan and to get outside perspective and feedback on your
writing. You can visit your instructor
during office hours at any stage in the writing process. You can also use the tutoring services
offered in the
Learning Center: http://www.skylinecollege.edu/learningcenter/index.php. Getting feedback is one of the most
effective ways to focus and improve your writing.
Use the Essay Checklist to make sure you have all the
necessary essay elements but here is also a quick guide of things not to
forget:
·
MLA formatting: on the first page, include your own title centered at the top, the
course info (your name, the class, the instructor, the
date) in the top left corner and in the top right corner of each page, your
last name next to the page number.
Typed, double spaced throughout, font 12, one inch margins and be sure
to meet the page minimum (Please note: 10 pts are removed for each page the paper is under the
required minimum length and 5 pts for half a page under. Don’t go solely by
word count but by actual length).
MLA Conventions (Rhetoric 172-176): http://www.skylinecollege.edu/skyenglish/5MLA.htm
·
Creative title: Creating a strong, clear, appealing title
is an important part of any writing task.
The title is the reader’s first
introduction to your piece of writing, and first impressions matter. Therefore, you want to create a title which
pulls in your reader’s interest and makes him or her want to keep
reading. Make your essay stand out
from the others and draw in your reader.
The Writing Process (Rhetoric 153-154): http://www.skylinecollege.edu/skyenglish/4Writing.htm
·
Integrating Sources: When writing about texts,
you will want to include quotes and paraphrases and you want to make sure to
smoothly integrate and properly document all your sources. Connect all quote to phrases that introduce
them (don’t drop quotes) and follow quotes with the source information in
parenthesis (usually the author’s last name and the page number). Also, follow quotes with your own analysis
explaining their significance.
Sources (Rhetoric 253-273): http://www.skylinecollege.edu/skyenglish/10IntegratingSources.htm
·
Works Cited: when
you are writing about a text, you will always include a Works Cited even if
you are only citing the text you wrote about.
If you did research, include all your outside sources on the Works
Cited page as well. List the sources
alphabetically by author last name
or by title if there is no author.
MLA Conventions (Rhetoric 177-181): http://www.skylinecollege.edu/skyenglish/5MLA.htm
·
Revising and Editing: the best writing is rewriting so before turning in
an essay for a grade, use the advice on revising (making larger global
changes) and editing (making sentence level corrections) to ensure that you
have submitted your best work.
Revising (Rhetoric 143-152) & Editing
(Rhetoric 155-161):
http://www.skylinecollege.edu/skyenglish/4Writing.htm
·
Grading standards: every student should be striving for the ‘A’ paper
so know what criteria make an excellent paper by reviewing the English
department grading standards that your instructor will be using when
assessing your essay. Use the criteria
as the standard you
are using as you revise your essay.
Grading Standards (Rhetoric 197-198): http://www.smccd.edu/accounts/bellr/GradingMenu.htm
Five major papers will be written for this class:
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Paper #1 (worth 10% of
grade): 2-4 pages, 500-1000 words
Selecting ONE poem
to analyze from African-American
Poetry: an Anthology 1773-1927
edited by Joan R. Sherman
Draft due 2/9, Revision due 2/16
MLA Title page and Works Cited required
Choose ONE poem from the book to
analyze for your paper. Review the section
on poetry in Chapter 12 paying attention to the terms and approaches used in
analyzing poetry (293-296).
Also, to begin a focused literary analysis of your poem, I highly
recommend you first complete a “Poetry Chart” (297):
http://www.skylinecollege.edu/skyenglish/12Poetry.htm. Your paper should be your own explication
of and analysis of your selected poem.
You are not summarizing the poem but rather arguing your point of view
about its significance.
Uploading the revision of Paper #1 on
Tues 2/16 before midnight:
(1) Before midnight on 2/16, go to WebAccess: https://smccd.mrooms.net/
(2) Log in using your G number and password which is your birth date
(mm/dd/yy)
(3) Click the course CRN for your class: CRN#44389 (11am class) and CRN#44390
(12:30pm class)
(4) Click on the link that says “SUMBIT by 2/16: Revision of Paper 1 &
Essay Checklist.”
(5) Scroll to the bottom and click “Add Submission,” click “Add,” then click
“Browse” and select your
paper from your computer and then
click “upload this file.” Repeat to
upload all your documents.
When complete, click “Save
changes.”
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Research Paper #2
(worth 10% of grade): 3-5 pages,
750-1250 words
Analyzing ONE of
the assigned short stories from Sexual Metamorphosis: an Anthology of
Transsexual Memoirs edited by Jonathan
Ames
Draft due 3/8, Revision due 3/15
MLA Title page and Works Cited required with a minimum of ONE outside source
Choose ONE of the assigned short stories to analyze for this paper. Review the section of Chapter 12 regarding
fiction and drama (289-292) to see the different terms and approaches used
when analyzing this type of literature: http://www.skylinecollege.edu/skyenglish/12Fiction-Drama.htm. Your paper should be your own analysis
of your selected short story. You are
not summarizing the story but rather arguing your point of view about its
significance.
Uploading the revision of Paper #2 on
Tues 3/15 before midnight:
(1) Before midnight on 10/13, go to WebAccess: https://smccd.mrooms.net/
(2) Log in using your G number and password which is your birth date
(mm/dd/yy)
(3) Click the course CRN for your class: CRN#44389 (11am class) and CRN#44390
(12:30pm class)
(4) Click on the link that says “SUMBIT by 3/15: Revision of Paper 1 &
Essay Checklist.”
(5) Scroll to the bottom and click “Add Submission,” click “Add,” then click
“Browse” and select your
paper from your computer and then
click “upload this file.” Repeat to
upload all your documents.
When complete, click “Save
changes.”
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Paper #3 (worth 10%
of grade): Midterm 75-minute essay exam
Analyzing
the assigned plays from Asian American Plays for a New Generation
edited by Lee, Eitel, and Shiomi
Tuesday, April 12th during regularly scheduled class time
Open
book, timed essay exam on the assigned plays from Asian American Plays for
a New Generation. In 75 minutes, you will compose an essay to
a prompt about the reading that will be given to you on the day of the
exam. You will not need to include a
Works Cited or outside research. There
is no required page length but you will want to fully answer all parts of the
exam question in a focused, organized and well-developed essay using the
texts as the basis of your response.
Preparing for
the midterm exam:
Before taking the exam, review the section of
Chapter 12 regarding fiction and drama (288-292) to see the different terms
and approaches used when analyzing plays: http://www.skylinecollege.edu/skyenglish/12Fiction-Drama.htm. Also, it is important to review the advice
in the Rhetoric, Chapter 11: Timed Writing (pages 274-285), http://www.skylinecollege.edu/skyenglish/11TimedWriting.htm). The best way to prepare is to annotate your
text and take a practice 75 minute exam before the midterm. There is a non-graded practice exam you can
take in WebAccess.
Click on the link that says:
“PRACTICE MIDTERM (75 min): non-graded writing practice.”
Take the
75-Minute Midterm Exam: Tuesday, April 12th
You have the choice to take the exam in-class or online:
OPTION 1:
Taking the exam online
(1) During our regular class time on exam day, go
to WebAccess: https://smccd.mrooms.net/
(2) Log
in using your G number and password which is your birth date (mm/dd/yy)
(3)
Click
the course CRN for your class: CRN#44389 (11am class) and CRN#44390 (12:30pm
class)
(4) Open the Word program on your computer and save a document as “Midterm”
(5) Click on the link in WebAccess that says
“MIDTERM EXAM (75 min) open 4/12: Essay Exam
on assigned plays in Asian American Plays for a New Generation.”
(6) Recommended because WebAccess is not always
reliable in saving student work:
Cut and paste the exam prompt into
your Word document and compose your exam there, saving
regularly. Before the 75 minutes are up, cut and paste
your entire exam into WebAccess and
submit. If you experience any technical
difficulties, email me your exam directly to
bellr@smccd.edu. As long as I receive the exam 75 minutes
after your exam start time, it will be on
time and accepted.
OPTION 2: Taking
the exam in class in electronic classroom 8121
You can also take the exam in-class during your
regularly scheduled class time. You
can handwrite it
(bring a bluebook or lined paper) or take it on one of the computers, type
it, and submit it in
WebAccess (see directions above).
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Collaborative Research
Paper #4 (worth 20% of grade): 4-6 pages, 1000-1500 words
Analyzing If I
Should Speak: a Novel by Umm Zakiyyah
Draft due 5/17, Revision due 5/23 (12:30pm class) and due 5/24
(11am class)
MLA Title page and Works Cited required with a minimum of TWO outside sources
Choose
an issue or aspect in the book If I
Should Speak by Umm Zakiyyah, and write a
collaborative research essay that asserts your own analysis of the
significance of this book or an aspect of the book. Review
the section of Chapter 12 regarding fiction and drama (289-292) to see the
different terms and approaches used when analyzing this type of literature: http://www.skylinecollege.edu/skyenglish/12Fiction-Drama.htm. You are not summarizing the story but
rather arguing your point of view about its significance.
What is a collaborative paper?
Students will select a partner (or we can assign partners in class) and write
the paper together in teams of two.
I've assigned this type of paper in my classes for many years and
consistently these are the strongest papers I get over the semester. Working
with another person can show you your strengths and weaknesses and help you
produce an excellent paper. As you
work with a partner, is it vital that you each work collaboratively and
equally. Also remember that you will
be completing a Collaborative Paper Evaluation on your partner and on yourself. Also, on the essay you turn in for a grade,
you will indicate who wrote which part of the paper to ensure that the work
was shared. If you have any
difficulties with your partner, let me know immediately and we can have you
write the paper separately. I want this
to be a positive experience for everyone.
Uploading the revision of Paper
#4 on Mon 5/23 (12:30pm class)
or Tues 5/24 (11am class) before midnight:
(1) Before midnight on the due date, go to WebAccess: https://smccd.mrooms.net/
(2) You and your partner need to only upload one copy of the paper and it
does not matter whose name
you submit it under. Just be sure that both of your names are on
the paper. As this is a collaborative
paper, you and your partner will
write the paper together but you will indicate which body
paragraphs each was the principle
writer for (each student must write a minimum of 2 pages each of
the final paper). Indicate this
information next to your names on the first page. For example, the top
left header will contain the
following information:
John
Ramirez (wrote paragraphs 1-4 & 7)
Jun
Chan (wrote paragraphs 5-6 & 8-10)
And
for the page numbers in the upper right corner of each page, you will hyphenate
the last names of the authors, i.e.
Ramirez-Chan 1
(3) Log in using your G number and password
which is your birth date (mm/dd/yy)
(4) Click the course CRN for your class: CRN#44389 (11am class) and CRN#44390
(12:30pm class)
(5) Click on the link that says “SUMBIT: Revision of Paper 4 & Essay
Checklist.”
(6) Scroll to the bottom and click “Add Submission,” click “Add,” then click
“Browse” and select your
paper from your computer and then
click “upload this file.” Repeat to
upload all your documents.
When complete, click “Save
changes.”
(7) You and your partner need to only upload one copy of the paper so decide
who will upload it.
Uploading the Collaborative
Partner Evaluation on the due date before midnight:
(1)
Download the Collaborative Partner Evaluation:
http://www.smccd.edu/accounts/bellr/ReaderWorkshoppingCollaborativeMenu.htm
Complete both pages and assign yourself
as well as your partner a grade. If
you did not have a partner,
submit a written reflection on
your experience in writing the paper to get credit.
(2) Log into WebAccess, click where it says
“SUMBIT: Collaborative Partner Evaluation” and upload file.
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Paper #5 (worth 20%
of grade): Final essay exam—2 ½ hours
Connecting the 4 course
texts under the course theme “Living on the Margins”
11am class: Thursday, May 26th 11:10-1:40pm
12:30pm class: Tuesday, May 24th 11:10-1:40pm
Open
book, timed essay exam on African-American
Poetry edited by Joan R. Sherman,
on the assigned short stories in Sexual
Metamorphosis edited by Jonathan Ames, on the assigned plays in Asian American
Plays for a New Generation edited by
Lee, Eitel and Shioim,
and If I Should Speak by Umm Zakiyahh. In 2 ½ hours (150 minutes), you will compose
an essay to a prompt about the reading that will be given to you on the day
of the exam. You will not need to
include a Works Cited or outside research.
There is no required page length but you will want to fully answer all
parts of the exam question in a focused, organized and well-developed essay
using the assigned texts as the basis of your response.
Preparing for
the final exam:
Before taking the exam, review the advice in the
Rhetoric, Chapter 11: Timed Writing (pages 274-285), http://www.skylinecollege.edu/skyenglish/11TimedWriting.htm). The best way to prepare is to annotate the
texts and take a practice 150 minute exam before the midterm. You can create possible final exam
questions for yourself which connect the works we have read through the
course theme:
“Mastering the Mind.” Take at least
one practice essay exam before the actual final exam. There is a non-graded practice exam you can
take in WebAccess.
Click on the link that says:
“PRACTICE FINAL EXAM (2.5
hours): non-graded writing practice.”
Taking the 2
½ hours Final Exam:
You
have the choice to take the exam in-class or online:
OPTION 1:
Taking the exam online
(1) At 11am on the exam day, go to WebAccess: https://smccd.mrooms.net/
(2) Log
in using your G number and password which is your birth date (mm/dd/yy)
(3)
Click
the course CRN for your class: CRN#44389 (11am class) and CRN#44390 (12:30pm
class)
(4) Open the Word program on your computer and save a document as “Final”
(5) Click on the link in WebAccess that says “FINAL
EXAM (2.5 hrs) opens 11:10am-1:40pm:
Essay exam on course theme
"Living on the Margins.”
(6) Recommended because WebAccess is not always
reliable in saving student work:
Cut and paste the exam prompt into
your Word document and compose your exam there, saving
regularly. Before the 150 minutes are up, cut and
paste your entire exam into WebAccess and
submit. If you experience any technical
difficulties, email me your exam directly to
bellr@smccd.edu. As long as I receive the exam 2.5 hours
after your exam start time, it will be
on time and accepted.
OPTION 2: Taking the exam in class in electronic classroom 8121 from 11:10 to
1:40pm on exam day
You can also take the exam in-class during your
regularly scheduled class time. You
can handwrite it
(bring a bluebook or lined paper) or take it on one of the computers, type
it, and submit it in
WebAccess (see directions above).
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