English 1B online
English 1B (Reading, Writing and Research) is a transfer-level course that teaches students to read and analyze college-level texts and to write college-level papers with the focus on learning how write a research paper. This online version of English 1B does not require face-to-face meetings on campus. All coursework will be done online using De Anza's course management software, CANVAS.
In this course we learn the techniques and practice of personal, analytical and argumentative writing based on our critical reading of texts. This course is designed to teach you to write an organized, well-developed expository essay with a minimum number of mechanical errors--in short, to write college-level prose. To this end, we will address the writing process (pre-writing, writing and revising) as well as questions of sentence structure and error identification.
The student learning objectives and outcomes for this course include the following: 1) Demonstrate analytical skills in the reading of literary (and non-literary) texts linked by common theme or issue; 2) Demonstrate analytical, organizational, verbal, and research skills in writing; 3) Comparatively evaluate multiple sources
Required Texts:
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink
Marilynne Robinson, Gilead
Elizabeth Kolbert, The Sixth Extinction
OPTIONAL but Recommended Text:
Rosenwasser and Stephen, Writing Analytically, 5th edition
All texts are available at the De Anza College Bookstore and on online sites such as Amazon.com.
Course Requirements:
This class will require at least 8,000 words of graded writing: 4 essays and drafts, discussion assignments, and a research paper. All coursework will be submitted through the course management software or by email. Each assignment is described in detail on our class web site.
- Essays and Drafts: The graded essays counting for the bulk of your course grade will be formal writing assignments graded numerically according to a grading standard. The essays will be analytical responses to the required texts. Most of the essays will involve peer editing, the first drafts reviewed and critiqued in groups. TO HAVE A CHANCE OF PASSING THIS COURSE YOU MUST COMPLETE ALL ESSAY ASSIGNMENTS AND RESEARCH PAPER. Late essays will be penalized in points. Instances of plagiarism will not be tolerated. You will fail the course if you plagiarize ideas or parts of a paper. All essays and the research paper will be submitted on our course site AND on Turnitin.com.
- Research Paper: Over the course of the quarter, you will learn various research skills and compose a research paper of 10-15 pages. You will incorporate at least one of your essays as a chapter in your research paper that will comprise of at least two chapters. In short, your research paper is an expansion of one of your essays, and so you will be "working on" your research paper as you write your essays over the course of the quarter.
- Discussion Assignments: You will be expected to log in to your class web site on a regular basis to access course materials, complete and submit assignments, and participate in discussion forums. For every essay assignment there will be discussion forums set up to facilitate informal writing assignments consisting of posting responses to discussion questions and prompts and responding to a classmate's post. There will be due dates for the initial posts and responses to a post, and the discussion forums will remain open until the corresponding essay is due.
Note that in order to maintain active status in the course you must login within the first week of the term and submit all of your essay assignments by each of their ultimate deadlines. Failure to complete the writing assignments and to post and respond to the discussion forums may result in being dropped from the course and will ultimately affect your course grade.
Grading:
Essays 50%
Research Paper 25%
Online Discussion Assignments 25%
Grading Scale by %:
| Letter Grade | Percentage |
|---|---|
| A | 93+ |
| A- | 90-92 |
| B+ | 87-89 |
| B | 83-86 |
| B- | 80-82 |
| C+ | 77-79 |
| C | 70-76 |
| D | 60+ |
| F | Below 60 |
If you need support services, you can find more information about tutoring and disability
accommodations at the following sites:
Student Success Center: http://www.deanza.edu/studentsuccess/
Disability Support Programs and Services: http://www.deanza.edu/dsps/
A Suggested Routine for doing the coursework:
- Log in to the class web site on a regular basis.
- Check the schedule of reading and writing assignments in the syllabus and “to do list.”
- Read the weekly lessons and access course materials (if necessary).
- Participate in class discussion by posting responses to discussion assignments in the Topic Discussion Forums.
- Ask questions about course materials and assignments in the appropriate Q&A Discussion Forum. Please note the particular areas for posting general questions about the course and specific questions about the readings and assignments. Asking questions is an important part of this class for it initiates the feedback process that is crucial to online instruction.
- If you do not understand something, DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT YOUR INSTRUCTOR thru CANVAS or by email. I will respond to your messages and emails within 24 hours. For those questions whose responses you think will benefit others in the class, please post in the appropriate weekly Q&A Discussion Forum where you will receive a response promptly.