English 211
English 211 (Preparatory Reading and Writing Skills) is a course designed to teach students the skills necessary for college level reading and essay writing. Emphasis is on writing in response to critical, analytical questions about assigned readings.
Required Texts:
Graff and Birkenstein, They Say / I Say, 3rd edition
Kushner (ed.), The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2016
Russell Banks, Rule of the Bone
a good English dictionary
Course Requirements:
- Essays and Drafts: The graded essays counting for the bulk of your course grade will be formal writing assignments, mostly analytical in approach, the kind of writing that you will be doing in English 1A. Some essays will be written in-class. Some of the essay assignments will involve peer review where other students will be reading and commenting on your draft. I will accept late essays up to one week after the due date—only if you speak to me well before the due date. Only essays receiving a grade of “No Credit” can be revised and resubmitted. Late essays cannot be rewritten. Instances of plagiarism will not be tolerated. You will fail the assignment if you plagiarize ideas or parts of a paper. You may fail the course if you do not do your own work. Over the course of the quarter we will work on citing, paraphrasing and summarizing sources.
- The Portfolio: The final for this class will be a portfolio of your writing which will include: one in-class essay, one essay written out of class, (at least one of these two essays must be analytical) and a third essay reflecting on your growth as a writer this quarter. Your portfolio will be evaluated by a team of English department readers who will determine if the writing demonstrates that you are ready for English 1A. If two members of the portfolio evaluation team determine you are ready for English 1A, you will receive a PASS for English 211. If two evaluators determine that your writing does not yet indicate readiness for 1A, you will receive a NO PASS for 211.
- Sentence Combining: Throughout the quarter you will practice sentence combining to develop greater flexibility in your use of the English sentence. You will incorporate a variety of sentence types in your writing assignments.
- Attendance/Participation/Quizzes: Class sessions will involve plenty of writing instruction including lectures, discussion, and writing workshops.Attendance is mandatory on class days. A fifth absence will result in being dropped from the course. You are responsible for whatever occurs in class even if you are absent, so obtain contact information for classmates in case you miss a class. Showing up for class is not enough. Do the assigned reading and be prepared for I will call on you often. There will be some quizzes given occasionally, both with and without warning. They are designed to highlight key information and ensure that the texts are being read. Quizzes cannot be made up. Many class sessions will involve short writing assignments in response to the assigned reading for the day. You will be required to share your writing with the rest of the class. This is not a class for lurkers! You are expected to participate in class every session.
Grading:
This is a PASS/NO PASS class. Scores of 70 and above receive a PASS; scores below 70 receive a NO PASS. In order to submit a final portfolio for evaluation, you must satisfactorily complete the other work of this class. That includes completion of all writing assignments and sentence combining exercises—with a combined average of 70 and above and participation in a mandatory conference with me. Your final portfolio cannot be submitted late.
Grading Scale:
Pass
A=90%+; B=80%+; C=70%+
No Pass
D=60%+; F=below 60%