Course Syllabus

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Course Syllabus: English 101 Freshman Composition

College-level reading and writing, with a focus on Climate Science! 

(This is a long document. If you go to Modules, you'll find the same content presented in shorter Pages, under the Module entitled "Syllabus." That may be an easier way to access this important information.)

Global Warming

Instructor Contact Information

  • Instructor Name: Piper Rooney - please call me Piper :-) 
  • GCC Email: piper@glendale.edu OR click on "Inbox" in Canvas
  • Contact Phone: 818 240 1000 extension 5342
  • Live Office Hours: Monday 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. Sierra Vista 242
  • Online Office Hours Through ConferZoom: Tuesday 4:30 - 5:30 p.m., Thursday 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. (Except for the following Tuesdays: Sept. 10th, Oct. 15th, and Nov. 19th).

Part of your "Participation" grade is based on your attendance of three ConferZoom Office Hours. I require students to attend one office hour per month in the months of September, October, and November. For each attendance during which you and I, or other students in the Zoom session have substantial communication, you will receive 10 points. 

ONLINE: I'll be holding online “office hours” on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. During this time, you can ask questions and we can go over course materials. You can join our online meetings by clicking on "ConferZoom" in the links on the left-hand side of our course in Canvas. You will see a new meeting that you can join every Tuesday or Thursday, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., EXCEPT on Thanksgiving Day! 

FACE TO FACE: If you're on campus, I'd love to meet face to face. Please visit me on Mondays between 1:30 and 2:30 in Sierra Vista 242.

Course Description

From the College Catalogue and Course Outline of Record

ENGL 101 is a foundation course in critical reading and writing skills required of those students intending to transfer to a university. Through their reading and discussion of selected prose works, students learn to identify problems, examine possible solutions, recognize unstated assumptions and values, appraise evidence, evaluate arguments, draw inferences, and test conclusions. Through their writing, students learn to analyze, synthesize, organize information logically, and propose original ideas. Students also receive instruction in research and MLA documentation and are required to complete a fully documented research paper.

Transfer Credit: CSU, UC, USC. (C-ID ENGL 100)

About Your Class 

  • This course is 100% Online: You will not be required to meet on-campus for any reason. 
  • This course will officially begin on September 2nd 2019 and end on December 18.
  • This is a 16 week synchronous/asynchronous course with synchronous office hours.
    • Please refer to Important Dates for Add/Drop and Withdrawal Deadlines.
    • (The deadline to drop this class without a "W" notation and to receive a refund is September 14th, 2019. The deadline to drop and receive a "W" with no refund is November 23rd, 2019.)

Browser Compatibility:

I highly recommend using the most recent version of Google Chrome as your browser to make sure everything works correctly in Canvas.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, you will be able to:

  • critically read and evaluate culturally diverse literary and prose texts which address critical positions and problems. Identify thesis or unifying theme of text and its traditional use of reasoning and logic. Identify and evaluate supporting evidence for relevance and accuracy and evaluate text in terms of diction, tone and unity.
  • demonstrate appropriate application of supporting evidence from primary and secondary sources. Evaluate evidence in terms of accuracy, relevance, and freedom from faulty assumptions.
  • write sophisticated, coherently structured, mechanically sound expository and persuasive essays related to literary works and current issues.

 

Course Exit Standards

Upon successful completion of the required coursework, the student will be able to:

    1. read critically and write critical, thesis-based essays from the rhetorical perspective of example, comparison/contrast, analysis, definition, and argument
    2. organize, develop, and revise original writing using appropriate tone, style, and semantics;
    3. understand induction and deduction, evaluate claims and assumptions, identify logical fallacies, and present reasoned arguments;
    4. analyze, synthesize, distinguish fact from opinion or belief, seek credible sources, and reach logical conclusions;
    5. examine values, identify bias and prejudice, and objectively summarize the views of others;
    6. prepare a research paper using proper documentation and format.

Textbook(s) and Required Materials $$

This is a "Low Cost Textbook" course.  A lot of the assigned readings, videos, and other materials will be provided free on Canvas. You will need to acquire - through library loan, book rental, book purchase, or another means of acquisition - one book: The 2015 edition of Elizabeth Kolbert's Field Notes from a Catastrophe. You will also be asked to access two videos. These materials are listed below. 

Many readings will typically be provided by links to articles hosted on sites such as The New York Times, Grist, The New Yorker, Guernica and other online publishing presences. I will also provide Word docs for any articles that are not accessible for free.

Your Book (to Buy/Rent/Borrow/Acquire!)

Required:  Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert

  • Please be sure to get the 2015 edition as this has three extra chapters that were written after the publication of the 2006 edition.
  • You are welcome to use an eBook of this edition. Amazone sells it for $9.99 and they provide a free Kindle App for reading, annotating, and digitally searching.

Documentaries to Rent:

  • An Inconvenient Truth - released in 2006

  • An Inconvenient Sequel - released in 2016

(These two documentaries will be viewed in Week 9 of the course. They are available to rent for approximately $3.00 or $4.00 apiece.)

Course Communication

Email

If you ever have any questions and can't wait until one of our ConferZoom office hours to speak with me synchronously, please email me through Canvas by clicking on "Inbox" on the left side of your homepage. Click on "Compose a new message", select this course and then select "Teachers" under the "To" field and you will find my name, Piper Rooney. This is email inside Canvas :-) I am not supposed to receive any personal email...Canvas email only, please! I will respond to your email within 36 hours hours, Monday-Friday. If you do not hear back from me within this time, please assume I did not receive your email and resend it.

I don't answer emails over the weekend, but I will reply on Monday to anything sent during that time.

Netiquette: When You Email Me:

  • Please tell me
    • Your name
    • What course you're enrolled in (for example: English 101, section 1294)
  • Please write to me in full sentences
  • Please spell my name correctly (Piper or Ms. Rooney), and greet me, just as I will greet you and call you by your correctly-spelled name - as long as you tell me what it is! Thank you!!!!

Course Assignments

Important Dates

The due dates for your assignments can be found in the Calendar in the global navigation links at the top of your screen. Please review these. In addition, I will post reminders prior to the due dates in the Announcements - so please be sure to set your Announcements so that you receive them immediately.

Weekly Assignments

Each week you will need to complete the following:

  • Read the weekly lesson. This will become available every Sunday before the start of the week.
  • Take the weekly reading quiz by Wednesday at 11:59 p.m.
  • Post in the weekly Discussion Forum by Wednesday at 11:59 p.m.
  • Respond to two other students’ posts in the Discussion Forum by the following Saturday at 11:59 p.m. (During weeks when an essay is due, there will be no quiz or discussion assignments.)
  • Complete any special weekly assignment by the Saturday of the week that it is due. 

Special Projects/Assessments

In addition to your weekly assignments, there will be three essays, two written research papers, and a collaborative newsletter. These assignments have due dates that are marked in the course calendar and in your syllabus.

You will need to turn in each project by using Turnitin. For these assignments, you will simply upload your assignment into the Canvas system and click on the "checkbox" with the pledge that this is your original work before you submit your project.

Grading Criteria

Grading Criteria Chart

Assignment

Percentage of Grade

Quizzes

Discussion Posts and Responses

Essays

Exams

3 X Office Hour/ConferZoom visits

Newsletter

Research Project

15%

20%

30%

10%

5%

5%

15%

Total:                  

100%

 

Grading Scale

Letter Grade

Percentage

A

90-100%

B

80-89 %

C

70-79 %

D

60-69%

F

59% and below

Assignment Rubrics

In order to understand what is expected of you for each assignment, please check out the rubric -- a table that details the "tips for success" of each assignment and the benchmarks for success -- attached to each Assignment/Discussion for the grading criteria.

Course Grades & Feedback

Please read my notes on your essays, and all feedback on other assignments. The notes that I place on your work are my chief means to support your advance as a writer, critical reader, analyst, and critical thinker. By reviewing and taking my feedback seriously, you have the best chance of improving your skills and laying the groundwork for success in your college writing. 

You can view your grades using the Grades button in the course navigation links. Please check your grades regularly to make certain that I have received all your assignments. If you have a question about a grade, email me through the Canvas Inbox (left-side of your screen). Please do not post your personal concerns in a discussion forum.

I will be using the Canvas grading tool for your discussions and written assignments within [insert tentative turnaround time] of submitting your assignment. You can see not only your grades, but also comments and feedback as well.

Submission Policy

Plan for success! Submit your work by the requested due date and time. If you have an extenuating circumstance, please contact me by private message before the assignment is due to make alternate arrangements.

(Please read my Late Policy below for further information.)

Attendance/Participation/Refund Policies

Online Courses

    • DE Drop: A student must log into Canvas during the first week of an online/hybrid class and pass the Check-In Assignment by Thursday at 11:59 PM (10-16 week classes) or Sunday at 11:59 PM (10-16 week classes) in order to remain in the class (this is a state requirement). See Refund/Payment Policy for more information regarding course drops.
      • Any student who is added after the Sunday at 11:59 PM deadline as a 'late add' student has until Census to complete the Check-In Assignment or be dropped. 
    • DE Participation/Attendance: If a student misses more than the equivalent of two weeks’ worth of online assignments (at least two reading quizzes and two Discussion Posts plus Peer Responses, along with special assignments) during a fall or spring semester, they may lose credit for, or be dropped from, the course.

    Additional Policies and Resources

    Academic Honesty

    It is expected that all work submitted for grading is original, not copied from others and that the work being graded is indeed done by the student who is receiving the grade. Cheating and plagiarism are serious violations of the student conduct code. Cheating or plagiarizing will result in a zero on the assignment or test and may result in other disciplinary action taken by the College. All incidents of cheating or plagiarizing are reported to the Dean of Students. For more information, please refer to the Glendale Community College Academic Honesty Policy.

    Late Work

    Please inform me BEFORE an essay due date if your work will be late. That is the only way that I can offer you the opportunity to submit a late essay or research project. We can negotiate the terms on which I'll accept a late submission, but only if you contact me beforehand.

    I do not allow late quiz submissions unless a student has explained and documented the legitimate and exceptional reason for missing a due date.

    Late Discussion Posts lose 10% of their potential grade.

    Students with Disabilities

    • All students with disabilities seeking accommodations are responsible for making arrangements in a timely manner through the Center for Students with Disabilities. Please let me know right away if you will need accommodations so we can pre-plan together.
    • Please let me know if you have adaptive software and hardware to assist you with taking this course or if you have any specific needs of which I should be aware. You can find more information about Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) or call the office at 818-240-1000 x5905.

    Student Technical Support

    Go to the Student Tech Support  page if you are having Canvas tech issues or check out the resources below:

    Student Online Services

    There are many additional services to help you during this course. A few of these include:

    • Free Online Tutoring, which can be accessed through the website or through Canvas.
    • GCC Library (Databases & Online Chat), which can be accessed through the website or through Canvas.

    Additional services can be found on the GCC Student Services Webpage.

    Course Summary:

    Course Summary
    Date Details Due