Julie Sartwell's 1B Syllabus

EWRT 1B—READING, WRITING, AND RESEARCHING:

EWRT 1B is an intensive and advanced reading and writing course that focuses on how to critically analyze and appreciate literature.  Building on the critical thinking, reading, and writing skills you have established in your English courses thus far, we will explore literature—short stories, poems, and the novel—from a diverse group of authors.  While analyzing our readings and composing essays, we will focus on different themes, i.e. “Rituals and Traditions.”  In addition to active participation in classroom discussion, keeping up with the reading and writing assignments, and presenting on the last essay, you will be required to complete FIVE essays as outlined below.  Though this course requires a great deal of work, I've done my best to choose interesting and helpful materials, so I expect a lot from you.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

This course is designed to enhance your capacity to understand, appreciate, and analyze literature.  We will work together (in small groups, pairs, or as a whole class) so that you learn to evaluate literature using critical theories and concepts and what you know to gain a deeper understanding.  Thus, you’ll develop both intellectual and emotional responses to our readings.  Often times we learn about ourselves, history, gender, and much more at the same time!  We will continue to practice writing as a process by reading actively, prewriting, discussing ideas/concepts, creating outlines, idea drafts, and rough drafts, participating in peer response groups, and working on sentence structure—so you can create assignments that are well constructed, focused, developed and analyzed.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

1)  Vea, Alfredo.  gods go begging  

3)     EWRT 1B Workbook.  Available at the De Anza Print Center, past the Seminar building but you must buy the voucher in the bookstore first

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Papers:  You will write five essays in this class, including the first essay assignment, which is less involved.  The rest will be four to six pages in length (with the research paper being a bit longer), double-spaced, with one inch margins, and in 12 point Times font.  You will need to turn these papers in on time, and you’ll also need to complete the rough drafts as assigned.  Thus, for each unit, we will have discussion days, on which we will discuss readings and homework assignments and gather ideas and information, and a peer response day, on which you will bring 1 copy + the original rough draft, which should be at least 2 1/2 pages typed. You must complete ALL of the essays, revisions included, in order to pass this course.

Late Essays:  Late papers will be marked down a 1/2 grade for each class period that it’s late.  If you are turning a paper in late, you'll need to inform me of this, and we'll set up an appropriate due date.  An essay with excessive proofreading errors will be returned ungraded for your correction and counted as a late paper.

Revision: Some students will need to revise certain essays; however, students do not have the option to revise the midterm or the final.  If you plan to revise an essay, you must make an appointment with me so we can talk about your revision plans.  We will also set up a reasonable due date for the revision.  When you turn in your revision, please give me your original draft along with it.  I will NOT accept a revision if these stipulations are not met.  (We learn from revision or re-envisioning.)

Readings:  Each class discussion will be on the readings assigned for that day.  Read the material actively, (We’ll learn or re-learn how to do this.), answer the questions or a variation on this (on “Writing about Literature” handout), study it before the class for which it is assigned, bring the text(s) to class, and come prepared to discuss these ideas.

Presentations:  You will work in small groups to present on themes/ aspects from our novel and what you’ve found in your research.  The presentations will be _________ and part of your final time and are worth 30 points.

Research Paper:  Our fifth essay will be a research paper in which you are required to complete outside research and learn the MLA format.  We will visit the library and talk further on this soon.

ATTENDANCE AND TARDINESS:

Since all the work we do in this class is directly related to the development of your essays, your brains, and your overall well being, faithful attendance in this class is strongly advised.  If you acquire more than three absences, your grade will go down a 1/2 grade, and it will continue to go down a 1/2 grade with each subsequent absence.  If an emergency arises and you can't make it to class, please contact someone from the class to get any materials and/or homework, and let me know by leaving me a message.  If you miss a class, you are still expected to turn in the homework for the class you missed and for the next class--no exceptions.  Be on time to class.  Latecomers will not only disrupt class, but  miss valuable material.  If you are habituall late or absent from class, you will be asked to drop. 

JOURNALS & HOMEWORK:  

PLAGIARISM AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

We will be working on the correct way to document sources, and I’ll expect that any time you use writing or ideas that are not your own in an essay, you will cite your source.  Using others’ words or ideas or whole without acknowledgement is plagiarism and will certainly result in a failing essay and possibly failing the course.  It’s fine to seek help with your essays from the Writing and Reading Center(WRC in SC3),  but it is not acceptable to have anyone else correct your errors for you.  You cannot rewrite an essay that’s been plagiarized, and repeated plagiarism will result in failing the course.

GRADING:
Essay #1:        30 points   

Essay #3:          150 points          

Final (#5), the research paper:                200 points

FINAL NOTES:

∞ Save all essays and homework until the end of the quarter.

∞ Please turn OFF your cell phone before coming to class.  I do not want to see them at all during class, so checking them or text messaging will result in a ½ of an absence.  Obviously, if there is an emergency, you can let me know about this.

∞ See me when you have questions or concerns.

NOTE: