Author: WRCAD012711
Company: SCCCD

English 125 - Spring - 2004
Reedley College
Syllabus
Instructor: Corinna Ruth	Dates to Remember:
Schedule #571 21	Jan. 12- May21 - Spring Schedule
12:00 P.M. - 1:50 P.M.	Jan. 19- Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
W - FEM 7	Feb. 13 - 16 - President’s Day Holiday
F - LAL 1	March 12 - Last Day to drop this class
Voice Mail 638-3641 Ext. 3935	April 5 - 10 - Spring recess
Office hrs. - by appointment	May 17 - 21 - Final Exam Week
e-mail - cruth@scccd.org	May 21- Final Exam -10:30-12:30 P.M. (FEM 7)

Texts/Supplies:
Patterns for College Writing (9th edition), Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell
A Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage (3rd edition), Larry Beason and Mark
Lester
3 1/2 “diskette: a good dictionary, a portfolio folder.

Course Objectives:
This course will give you practice in constructing clear and concise sentences and cohesive paragraphs within a well-organized essay. The emphasis will be on content, organization, correct usage, spelling, and punctuation.

Requirements:
You will be required to complete eight process essays (about one every other week). You will also write five in-class essays, and you must pass at least three. You will be given quizzes that will cover grammar assignments and lecure information. The grammar assignments and in-class essays will be graded pass/fail. You will write a final essay exam. All passing assignments must receive a grade of C or better.

Grading:
A total of 1100 points is possible for the semester.
Eight out-of-class essays (3 pages) - 100 points each
Grammar quizzes (graded pass/fail) - 100 points possible
Six 11/2 - 2 page in-class essays (must pass three) - 100 points possible
Final exam essay - 100 points
Papers will not be accepted after the due date. (See tentative schedule) Grades will
be computed on a percentage basis: 990-11 00~A; 880-989=B; 770-879=C;
660-769=D. You must receive a C average or better in order to pass this class. Grading (continued):

A passing essay has the following strengths:
	-good mechanics, spelling, usage and syntax
	-strong organization and structure with a solid main point or idea
	-evidence of an effective writing style, tone, purpose, and creativity

An essay that is not passing might need strengthening in the following:
	-Mechanical errors
	-Organizational problems: We will develop a plan to help you restructure your paper.
	-Development: I might advise you about expanding and developing your main idea with examples and other details.

Attendance: You will be expected to come to class on time each day and stay for the entire period; after four absences (for whatever reason) I may drop you through March 12. You may drop this class or be dropped through March 12, but after this date a letter grade will be assigned. A sign-in sheet will be available. If you are late, you must see the instructor after class to sign in. If you are absent, you must make up all exams, quizzes, and writing assignments.

Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s work as though it were your own. This includes another student’s work or copying from the internet or other sources. Plagiarism is against the law and could result in an F grade for the course.

Tentative Schedule:
See the attached tentative schedule for the semester. This is, of course, subject to change.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
All out-of-class essays must be at least 3 pages long. In-class essays - 1 1/2 - 2 pages long. Lab will be held every Friday. Be prepared to respond to grammar quizzes each week. In-class essays will be a response to assigned readings and will be announced in advance. All quizzes are taken out of Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage.

Week 1 - Writing sample - Review of syllabus -Discussion of “Ground Zero” by Suzanne Berne pp. 158-161 for next week’s writing assignment. Freewrite on Friday. Quiz on fragments Fri., Sentence Practice 3, p. 22 and Editing practice 3, p. 24

Week 2 - Descriptive Essay #1 “Ground Zero” pp. 158-61 polished draft due Fri. Read “Shooting an Elephant” pp. 117-123. Discussion on Wed. Quiz on run-ons, comma splice Fri. Sentence Practice 3, p. 30 and Editing Practice 3, p. 32.

Week 3 - Descriptive Essay #1 “Ground Zero” pp. 158-61 final draft due Fri. Narrative essay #2 “Shooting an Elephant” pp. 117-123, freewrite due Fri. Quiz on coordinating conjunctions, Sentence Practice 3, p. 43 and Editing Practice 3, p. 45.

Week 4 - Narrative Essay #2 “Shooting an Elephant” pp. 117-123, polished draft due Fri.
Read “College Pressures” pp. 447-453. Quiz on subject-verb agreement Fri. Sentence
Practice #3, p. 77 and Editing Practice 3, p. 79.

Week 5 - Narrative Essay #2 “Shooting an Elephant” pp. 117-123, final draft due Fri. Hand in freewrite for “College Pressures” pp. 447-453 on Fri. Quiz on verb tense, Sentence Practice #3, p. 105 and Editing Practice 3, p. 107 on Friday.

Week 6 - Classification/Division Essay #3 “College Pressures” pp. 447-453 - polished draft due on Friday. Read “The Lottery” pp.292-299. Quiz on pronoun agreement, Sentence Practice #3, p. 128, Editing Practice 3, p. 130, and Editing Practice 3, p. 138.

Week 7 - Classification/Division Essay #3, “College Pressures” pp. 447-453 - final draft due on Friday. Freewrite due Friday on “The Lottery” pp. 292-299. The first in-class essay in response to “The Valley of the Windmills” (p. 147) will be written in lab on Friday (1 1/2-2 pages). You will have one hour to complete it. There will be no grammar quiz this week.

Week 8 - Process Essay #4 “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, pp. 292-299 - polished draft due on Friday. Read “Hope is a Thing With Feathers” pp. 525-526. Quiz on dangling modifiers on Friday - Sentence Practice 3, p. 199 and Editing Practice 3, p. 201.

Week 9 - Process Essay #4 “The Lottery” pp. 292-299 - final draft due on Friday.
Freewrite due on Comparison/Contrast Essay #5 “Hope is the Thing With Feathers” pp.
525-26.	The second in-class essay in response to “The Way to Rainy Mountain”
(p.	169-1 72) will be written in lab on Friday. You will have one hour to complete
it.	There will be no grammar quiz this week.

Week 10- Comparison/Contrast Essay #5 “Hope is the Thing With Feathers” pp. 525-
526 - polished draft due on Friday. Read “Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts” by Bruce
Catton, pp. 386-389. Quiz on quotation marks Sentence Practice #3, p. 262 and Editing
Practice #3, p. 264.

Week 11- Comparison/Contrast Essay #5 “Hope is the Thing With Feathers” pp. 525-
526 - final draft due on Friday. Freewrite due on “Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts” pp.
386-389.	The third in-class essay in response to “Once More to the Lake” by E.
B.	White (pp. 175-1 80) will be written in lab on Friday. Again, you will have one hour to complete it. No grammar quiz this week.

Week 12 - Comparison/Contrast Essay #6 “Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts” pp
386-389 - polished draft due on Friday. Read ‘Television: The Plug-in Drug” by Marie
Winn pp. 325-332. Quiz on parallelism on Friday - Sentence Practice #3, pp. 307-308
and Editing Practice #3, p. 310.

Week 13 - Comparison/Contrast Essay #6 “Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts” pp.
386-389 - final draft due on Friday. Freewrite due on Friday for ‘Television: The Plug-in
Drug” pp. 325-332. The fourth in-class essay in response to “Burdens” by John
Kenneth Galbraith (p. 509-510) will be written in lab on Friday. Your time limit for 2-3 pages is one hour. No grammar quiz this week.

Week 14 - Cause/Effect Essay #7 “Television: The Plug-in Drug” pp. 325-332 - polished draft due on Friday. Read “Letter from Birmingham Jail” pp. 570-582. Quiz on commas on Friday - Sentence Practice #3 - p. 52 and Editing Practice #3 - p. 55.

Week 15 - Cause/Effect Essay #7 ‘Television: The Plug-in Drug” pp. 325-332 - final draft due on Friday. Freewrite due on Friday for “Letter from Birmingham Jail” pp. 570-582. The fifth in-class essay In response to “The Ways We Lie” by Stephanie Ericsson (pp. 470-477) will be written in lab on Friday. 2-3 pages should be written in one hour. No quiz this week.
Week 16 - Argumentation/Persuasion Essay #8 “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin
Luther King Jr. pp. 570-582 - polished draft due in lab on Friday. Quiz on verb tense on
Friday - Sentence Practice #3, p. 363 and Editing Practice #3, p.365.

Week 17 - Argumentation/Persuasion Essay #8 “Letter from Birmingham Jail” pp. 570-582
- final draft due on Friday. Portfolios due this week. Include all out-of-class essays and in-class essays in your portfolio. Hand in either Wednesday or Friday. You will be using your portfolios for your final exam.

Week 18 - Final exam week. You will write your final exam on Friday, May21 at 10:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. in FEM 7.