Course Syllabus
English 1A
College Writing
Maria Garcia Teutsch
T/Th 11-12:15
Office: C318
Email: mteutsch@hartnell.edu
Phone: 755-6943
Office Hours: - T/Th 12:30-1:30 and online and by appointment
Welcome Everyone to your 1A class AKA gateway to lifelong learning,
Paulo Freire, an educational theorist believes that apart from inquiry, human beings “cannot be truly human. Knowledge emerges only through invention and reinvention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry humans pursue in the world, with the world and with each other.” In this class, we will be writing and reading in an effort to understand the world. It is my belief that self-understanding is grounded in social understanding of the self in the world.
We will begin this class with a first person narration about a significant event that has happened in your life. You will begin with an incident and talk about what this says about you as a person. Then I would like you to think about what this incident says about your community and, if possible, then I would like you to think about what this says about the world in which we find ourselves. I work on the assumption that everyone wants to understand his/her own life, to make meaning out of their experience and to share this meaning. I believe you all have the potential to write something worth reading.
Our next step is the group projects. These are always fun and you usually do quite well on them. It is important that we learn to work with each other and also that we have a public platform for the product of this labor. The public platform of group presentations implies investment in the early and middle stages of the process, when you finally present to the class, I think you will find that your effort will be rewarded with their responses. Writing should not merely be a solitary endeavor. You are responsible for shaping your own group presentation. Please refer to the group presentation heading for more details on this assignment.
The final two hoops you must jump through in order to pass this class involve extensive research on a given topic. The 10-12 page paper will be a solution to a problem you have proposed related to one of the subjects you cover in your Border Portfolio You will also do a Border Project Portfolio based on the novel If I Die in Juarez, by Stella Pope Duarte wherein you will answer study guide questions and also look up the issues listed on this syllabus.
I think all humans want to communicate and that writing is the perfect means for satisfying this need. As a writer, I think it is one of the most exciting things I do, yet I sometimes avoid it unless forced by external or internal deadlines. The following syllabus imposes such deadlines. I look forward to sharing stories with you. Remember: if you can write with clarity, you can do anything and—
FINALLY: believe in your writing.
Sincerely,
Maria Garcia Teutsch
Background
English 1A receives transfer level credit for the University of California and California State University. This being the case, it serves as a foundation for the other writing and research you’ll do in college. The class will focus on writing and non-fiction essays, analyzing college readings and preparing research.
What to Expect
The name of the class is “College Composition,” which means you’ll be doing a lot of writing. There’s a typed essay due about every two weeks with discussion, short homework/reading assignments in between. We’ll be reading about 10-15 essays in your Convergences textbook. You must type all of your assignments, so you should have a basic understanding of computers and some familiarity with keyboarding. If not, you should take a keyboarding class.
Course Objectives:
Upon satisfactory completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Critically read, synthesize, analyze, interpret, and evaluate texts from a variety of
rhetorical styles and cultural contexts;
2. Develop a focused thesis and select relevant evidence to present in an
argumentative or persuasive paper;
3. Gather, evaluate, and incorporate outside sources into a purposeful and coherent
research paper;
4. Demonstrate basic research skills utilizing diverse resources from a variety of
media;
5. Experience and develop an awareness of the importance of writing as a process;
6. Demonstrate mature style in writing;
7. Apply appropriate diction, style and tone in relation to the subject and audience of
the student’s writing;
8. Apply the MLA Stylesheet conventions to research writing.
Student Learning Outcomes
1.Write longer and more complex essays compared to English 101, built from a combination of several rhetorical patterns that pursue answers to challenging questions or advance substantial arguments that are supported with relevant, thoughtful, and sufficient evidence drawn (as appropriate) from written texts and the writer’s own experience and knowledge.
2.Recognize that writing is a process requiring multiple drafts to create and complete an effective piece of writing.
3.Gather, evaluate, and incorporate diverse resources into purposeful and coherent research paper with sources documented in MLA format.
How Do We Get There?
We will study MLA guidelines throughout the semester and use our Bedford handbooks repeatedly. We will learn from each other. Each person will introduce a given topic such as “in-text citations” and etc. as they become necessary in our writing. Since I don’t look at writing as a solitary endeavor, but rather an act that needs an audience, we will help each other through peer reviews, individual conferences with me, small group and whole group discussions. Remember, we are all here to learn and one of the ways we learn is by asking questions.
We will also utilize our campus’ writing center. This place is here for you to use. You will be required to attend at least one workshop on an area you believe to be a weakness for you in your writing. Your first paper will be returned with rewrite advice prior to grading them in an effort to help you to focus on areas of needed improvement. We also have a fantastic tutorial center and a fantastic teacher (me) who loves to work with you during my office hours. (I love all facets of writing—even editing).
Class Participation/Homework
Students are expected to attend class. If you need to be absent for a real reason other than “I’m tired,” or “I’m busy,” I will undoubtedly excuse your absence. We will begin this class working from the premise that we are all tired and busy, this is not an excuse, it is merely a state of being. You are responsible for all of your homework assignments and they must be turned in on time. I teach in a collaborative learning environment; therefore, we are only as strong as our weakest link. Everyone is expected to enter into conversation during whole class or small group discussion. Perhaps not every time, but it is most important to me that your voice be heard. You also need to participate on peer editing days which means you come in with a rough draft prepared to edit a peer’s rough draft. You will also be given 1-2 essays which will model what I am asking you to do for each paper. You will write a 1 page typed response for each reading. You will also read the novel, If I Die in Juarez, by Stella Pope Duarte, and keep a reading and writing portfolio, half of which will be due on October 19th, and the other half on the last day of classes.
Assignments/Timeline:
I. NARRATION: Begin to plan and draft an essay on a significant event, to an audience that might be interested in the behavior or conditions that drive the event. This should be a well-defined incident, which the writer witnessed or knows about, or one in which she actively participated. This essay calls for some description, and a clear sense of who, what, where and when is desirable. This essay should say why the event should be of interest to a genial but uninvolved audience. Third Person, 2-3 typed pages in length.
First draft due August 31st
Draft returned with rewrite advice.
Second draft due one week after paper is returned.
Always refer to attached “What a formal essay should look like”
II. Group Presentations 9/2
ESSAY EXAMINATION 9/28
Each person is responsible for a group of questions, the visual project, or the author’s biography. Each person should hand in a ONE page summary of their contribution to the group. Your grade will depend on how your ENTIRE group performs. That means that if one person is absent on the day of the presentation they need to make sure their portion of the presentation is covered or the entire group may receive a failing grade. You must help each other. Do not let your group down.
INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCES in October (Half of If I Die in Juarez border issues Portfolio is due at the time of your conference.)
III. THE RESEARCH PAPER: PERSUASION: Plan and draft a position paper on an issue you believe to be a problem in the Chicano/a community. The essay should be written in a formal tone to a potentially unreceptive audience. Make plain what you want your audience to do and the reasons why they should. In this persuasive piece you should articulate why the audience should think and act as you do. For this task the writer should offer separate and distinct reasons why the audience should come over to the speaker’s side. MINIMUM 6 PAGES. Remember that you may use the same topic/issue for your 10-15 research paper wherein you propose a solution to this problem.
MLA research/Library Learning Center visit: 10/7
Annotated bibliography and report on library findings: 10/14
Rough draft due/peer editing: 10/21
Final paper due: 11/2
BASIC SEARCH STRATEGY
Each of the following concepts will be discussed in detail by the professor.
• Know your research task.
• Take notes and keep a working bibliography
• Get an overview of your subject
-check disciplinary guides
-check encyclopedias
-check subject headings
-check bibliographies
• Find sources
-books
-periodicals
-newspapers
-online sources
-CD-ROM databases
• Evaluate sources for relevance and for bias.
Research Communities
Write an essay proposing a solution to a problem. Choose a problem faced by a community or group to which you belong, and address your proposal either to one or more members of the group or to an outsider who might help solve the problem.
As you prepare to write a proposal, you will need to choose a problem you can write about, identify your prospective readers, find a tentative solution to it, and develop reasons for adopting your proposal rather than an alternative. The research component of this assignment should help to solidify your argument.
Choose one problem from your list that you consider especially important. It should be one that seems solvable, though you need not know the exact solution now: and it should concern others in the group. It should of course be a problem you can explore in detail—and one you are willing to discuss in writing.
ANALYZING
Start by writing a few sentences in response to each of the following questions:
• Does the problem really exist? How can I tell?
• What caused this problem? Can I identify any immediate causes? Any deeper causes? Is the problem caused by a flaw in the system, a lack of resources, individual misconduct or incompetence? How can I tell?
• What is the history of the problem?
• What are the bad effects of the problem? How is it hurting members of the community or group? What goals of the group are endangered by the existence of this problem? Does it raise any moral or ethical questions?
• Who in the community or group is affected by the problem? Be as specific as possible: Who is seriously affected? minimally affected? unaffected? Does anyone benefit from its existence?
• What similar problems exist in this community or group? How can I distinguish my problem from these?
AUDIENCE
Use these questions to stimulate your writing:
• How informed are they likely to be about the problem? Have they shown any awareness of it?
• Why would this problem be important to them? Why would they care about solving it?
• Have they supported any other proposals to solve the problem? If so, what do their proposals have in common with mine?
• Do they ally themselves with any group that might cause them to favor or reject my proposal? Do we share any values or attitudes that could bring us together to solve the problem?
• How have they responded to other problems? Might they solve this problem as well?
• Is a solution required that would disband or change the community or group in some way?
• What solution might eliminate some of the causes of the problem?
• What solution would eliminate any of the bad effects of the problem?
• Maybe the problem is too big to be solved all at once. Try dividing it into several parts. What solutions might solve these parts?
• If the problem requires a series of solutions, which one should come first? second?
• What solution would ultimately solve this problem?
• What might be a daring solution?
• What would be the most conservative solution, acceptable to nearly everyone in the community or group?
• Choose the most promising solution. Write down the steps necessary to carry out your solution. This list will provide an early test of whether your solution can, in fact, be implemented.
DEFENDING YOUR SOLUTION
Imagine that one of your readers opposes your proposed solution and confronts you with the following statements. Write several sentences refuting each one.
• It won’t really solve the problem.
• We can’t afford it.
• It will take too long.
• People won’t do it.
• Too few people will benefit.
• I don’t even see how to get started on your solution.
• It’s already been tried with unsatisfactory results.
• You’re making this proposal because it will benefit you personally.
Answering these questions now should help you to prepare responses to possible objections to our proposal.
GROUP DISCUSSION
Now is a good time to get together in a group with two or three other students and run your chosen topic by one another. Assess their awareness of the problem you wish to write about, and “try out” your solution on them. Are they convinced that it is a possible solution? a good solution? What counterarguments can they offer? What alternative solutions do they suggest? Your purpose is to decide whether the problem you have chosen to write about is one that matters and whether your solution seems feasible.
DOING THE RESEARCH
Thus far you have relied largely upon your own knowledge and instincts for solving the problem. You may now feel that you need to know more. You may need to learn more about the causes of the problem, perhaps, or to find more technical information about implementing the solution. If you are proposing a solution to a problem about which others have written, you will probably want to find out how they have defined and what solutions, they have proposed. You are about to enter into a conversation with other people who care enough about your topic to write about the same subject. You too are a part of this interpretive community. You may need to acknowledge these sources in your essay, either accommodating or refuting them. Now is a good time—before beginning to draft—to get additional information you need. We will spend one to two class periods in the library learning about, and utilizing, online resources, library materials, and CD-ROM databases.
•
IV. If I Die in Juarez/Border Issues Portfolio 11/2-end of semester
V. Individual Presentations-11/9-end of semester
If I Die in Juarez/Border Project Portfolio Due: 12/9 (The Last Day of classes)
General Policies:
Students are expected to attend class. This is an interactive learning environment and your attendance is important to me and to your classmates. More than three unexcused absences will result in a drop of 10-20% of your letter grade as factored into your class participation. Perfect attendance is encouraged. FIVE unexcused absences will result in your being dropped from this class (state law). Three tardies translate into one absence. You are not the special person who gets to come in late while the rest of us schmoes have to be here on time. We are all special in this class and we must all be here on time. Cell phones are to be turned off when entering the classroom. I realize you are a very important person and really super popular, but you did not enroll in a cell phone answering class, you enrolled in this class and as such, do not have your cell phones out for any reason unless prior clearance has been established with me. Late papers will NOT BE ACCEPTED unless cleared by instructor: That means that if you are absent on the day the assignment is due, you must make arrangements to get your paper to me or it will not be accepted. If you do not turn in all of the assigned papers, you will most assuredly not receive the grade you want since each paper is worth 10-20% of your grade. Homework assignments will not be accepted if turned in late. No homophobic, racist or sexist remarks will be tolerated in this classroom.
Textbooks and materials:
Convergences, Robert Atwan
The Bedford Handbook, Marilyn Hacker
If I Die in Juarez, by Stella Pope Duarte
Against my wishes, you must also purchase your handouts at a nominal fee.
Your Name
Ms. Maria Garcia Teutsch
Name of Assignment
Due Date of Assignment
Title of Assignment (Centered)
Students, this is an example of what will be acceptable to turn in. Double space the entire document, beginning with the heading; and use Times New Roman font, size 12. Your title should reflect the nature of the assignment. Be creative; titles are important. No special punctuation is needed for titles, unless they include the name of a poem (use “quotation marks”), a short story (also use “quotation marks”), a play/novel (use italics or underline). Capitalization, however, is needed where appropriate.
Next, you may leave the margins at the default setting, or you may wish to change them to one inch. Tabs for paragraphing may also be left at the default setting, if appropriate (5-7 spaces). The point is that your paper should be aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
And a paper will not be aesthetically pleasing even if it is typed or computer generated if it contains errors. There is really no excuse for having typographical errors with today’s technology. Checking your spelling and even your grammar is but a click away from perfection. Remember not to use “YOU.” Save all of your papers on a disk.
Individual Presentations
You will have between 5-15 minutes for your individual presentation. They usually run about 10 minutes. You need to be very well organized in order to get all of your presentation materials out to the class, and also to inform them about your research findings. Your presentation will need to cover the following one of the issues on your Border Project sheet. Condense your research about your chosen problem to 1-2 paragraphs. In order to receive a grade higher than a “C” you must in some way involve the class. You must also have a handout for each member of the class.
As for the rest of the class: while the other students in the class are doing their presentations, you will be taking notes. You will need to provide me with your responses to EACH presentation by May 27, 2010. I expect to see the first and last name of each presenter, followed by a brief summary of their presentation. You must have it typed. These will be graded. If you have written a response to all presenters, you will receive an “A.” Anything less than that and your grade will go down accordingly, between 5-10 points for each missed presenter.
Chicano/a Perspective
Border Project
Due Date TBA
Arizona Anti-Immigration law
The Treaty of the Guadalupe Hidalgo
Define Chicano/a
Name five Chicano/a artists and show examples of their work.
Briefly describe the conflict in Oaxaca
Repatriation
The Bracero Movement
5 books written in English by Chicano/as or Mexicanos
5 movies about Mexican/American relations
What exactly is this fence business? Describe the bill enacted by Congress and made into law by President Bush regarding the 700 mile fence.
Mexican-American police relationships, give an example.
Name three Chicano/a musicians
Define: Aztlan
Name three Pre-Columbian gods or goddesses and give a brief description of each.
Name one Pre-Columbian religion and briefly describe.
Name three Chicano/a poets.
Find one website based on false premises regarding border politics. (These are usually quite racist and easy to find).
Find three reliable online sites regarding border issues.
Name all the states bordering Mexico-United States.
How would you solve some of the issues regarding illegal immigration?
What are three of the issues involving illegal immigration?
Name the civilizations who invented a written language independently.
Define: Coyotes
Human smuggling along the border, cite a specific example
The missing and/or murdered women of Juarez
The conflict in Chiapas
The conflict in Guatemala
Peer Editing
Author’s name. Whose paper are you editing?
Editor’s name. What is your name?
1. First, read the entire paper, without noting errors. Does the paper have a clear focus?
2. Do you understand the author’s main point? Is there a clear thesis statement? What is it? (Restate it in your own words)
3. Is the paper logically organized? Do you have any suggestions about arranging the paper?
4. Examine the paper for effective details. Are the author’s examples clear and are there enough of them? Where could examples be added or clarified?
5. What words or phrases seem unclear to you (circle them)?
6. What is your overall impression of the paper? What overall praise or constructive criticism do you have to offer the author?
