FAQs

1. The class that I need is full and closed. What can I do about that?
2. My instructor keeps talking about MLA format. What's that?
3. What's plagiarism?
4. I am unable to print my essay at home. Where can I go to print it on campus?
5. How can I contact my instructor?
6. I received good grades in high school, but at COC I am not happy with my grades on my assignments. What's wrong?
7. I received good grades in high school, but at COC my English placement scores were poor. Why?
8. My instructor said there are materials on reserve at the library. What does that mean?
9. I lost my textbook. Are there extra copies on campus that I can use?
10. I'm having trouble keeping up with the readings. Where can I get help?
11. What can I do with an English major?
12. How do I drop/add this class?
13. I want to transfer to a CSU/UC. Who has a good English department?
14. How will improved writing skills help me in the future?
15. I am supposed to take 71. Do I have to take 71L too?
16. Whats the difference between English 091 and English 094?
17. Whats the difference between English 101 and English101H?
18. My counselor told me that I could take either English 102 or 103 to fulfill my transfer requirements. What's the difference between English 102 and 103?
19. What is the highest English class that I need to graduate from COC, to transfer to CSU, to transfer to UC?
20. I'm an online student. Is there any online tutoring?
21. I don't have much time and I heard online classes are easier than an on-ground classes. Are they?
22. My teacher is using Blackboard and I am having trouble with it. Where can I get help?
23. I have a complaint about my instructor. To whom should I complain?

1. The class that I need is full and closed. What can I do about that? The best thing that you can do is join the waitlist for the class. If there are openings before the semester begins, you will be automatically added to the class. You will be notified by email, so you should check your email regularly so that you will know if you are added and can arrange to pay your fees. If you are still on the waitlist and the term is beginning, you should attend the first day of class. Students on the waitlist will be added (in the order they appear on the waitlist) if enrolled students do not attend the first day. If you do not attend the first day, other students who are not on the waitlist but who did attend the first day will be allowed to add if there is room. You should also consider alternative days/times/locations that the course is offered. If there is an open space in another section even if it is not at your preferred day/time or location that is often a better choice than staying on a waitlist, especially if you are not among the first few students on the waitlist. The further down the waitlist that you are, the more unlikely it is that there will be room for you to add the class. If you really need the class, you should sign up for a section that has space available.

2. My instructor keeps talking about MLA format. What's that? The Modern Language Association (MLA) answers this question with the following statement: All fields of research agree on the need to document scholarly borrowings, but documentation conventions vary because of the different needs of scholarly disciplines. MLA style for documentation is widely used in the humanities, especially in writing on language and literature. Generally simpler and more concise than other styles, MLA style features brief parenthetical citations in the text keyed to an alphabetical list of works cited that appears at the end of the work.

MLA style has been widely adopted by schools, academic departments, and instructors for over half a century. The association's guidelines are also used by over 1,100 scholarly and literary journals, newsletters, and magazines and by many university and commercial presses. The MLA's guidelines are followed throughout North America and in Brazil, China, India, Japan, Taiwan, and other countries around the world.

The MLA publishes two authoritative explanations of MLA style: the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers and the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing.

3. What's plagiarism? Many people think of plagiarism as copying another's work, or borrowing someone else's original ideas. But terms like "copying" and "borrowing" can disguise the seriousness of the offense:

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means

• to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
• to use (another's production) without crediting the source
• to commit literary theft
• to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.

In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward. But can words and ideas really be stolen? According to U.S. law, the answer is yes. The expression of original ideas is considered intellectual property, and is protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions. Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection as long as they are recorded in some way (such as a book or a computer file).

All of the following are considered plagiarism:

• turning in someone else's work as your own
• copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
• failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
• giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
• changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
• copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not (see our section on "fair use" rules)

Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided, however, by citing sources. Simply acknowledging that certain material has been borrowed, and providing your audience with the information necessary to find that source, is usually enough to prevent plagiarism. See our FAQs on MLA citation for more information on how to cite sources properly. The text above comes from Plagiarism.org at http://www.plagiarism.org/

4. I am unable to print my essay at home. Where can I go to print it on campus? COCs Valencia campus provides several printing options, including the following:

• The ASG Computer Lab in the Student Union
• The Library
• The TLC Lab (BOHN-209)

You must provide your own paper

5. How can I contact my instructor? Instructors will usually post their contact information on their syllabi. However, if you do not have a syllabus from your instructor, you can access your instructors e-mail address using the contact information page for the English department. You can also contact the College of the Canyons switchboard at 661-259-7800. The switchboard operator will be able to connect you to your instructors office phone and/or voicemail. Finally, some instructors might ask you to leave materials in their mailbox. Faculty mailboxes are located in the Administration Building behind the switchboard. The administrative assistants at the front desk will be able to help you leave materials for your instructor.

6. I received good grades in high school, but at COC I am not happy with my grades on my assignments. What's wrong? You should discuss the situation with your instructor. It could be that there are parts of the assignment or the course material that you may have misunderstood. Your instructor can help you to identify these areas and work with you to create a plan to help you improve. You also will want to make sure that you understand all of the comments that your instructor gives on your assignments and try to address those areas in future assignments. If you do not understand the comments, you should meet with your instructor to get more information. Another thing to keep in mind is that the expectations for college and high school are different. Especially if you are new to college, you may need to adjust the time you spend outside of class reviewing class notes and working on assignments. The general rule is that you should expect to spend two hours outside of class working on assignments for every hour that you spend in class each week. For a 3-unit class in a 16-week semester, that means you should be spending six hours each week outside of class working on material for that class in order to be successful in that course. You may need to change your time management and study strategies to adjust to the college environment. If you are noticing that this is an issue for you in several of your classes, you should consider enrolling in one of the courses that the college offers that assists students in meeting their educational goals.

7. I received good grades in high school, but at COC my English placement scores were poor. Why? Answers to this question will be best provided by a counselor familiar with your situation.

8. My instructor said there are materials on reserve at the library. What does that mean? You instructor has made material available to students at the library's reserve materials desk. Typically, this means you will be able to check an item out for a short period of time. Most often, such material are not allowed to leave the library. You will utilize them while inside the library. Ask your instructor or librarian if you require further information.

9. I lost my textbook. Are there extra copies on campus that I can use? Check with your instructor. Sometimes an extra copy of the textbook may be available at the TLC Lab and/or the Library.

10. I'm having trouble keeping up with the readings. Where can I get help? You may get help with reading assignments in the Tutorial, Learning, and Computing (TLC) center in Bonelli Hall 209. In this center, tutors are available for many disciplines, and they are familiar with typical reading assignments and active reading strategies

 11. What can I do with an English major? A major in English offers several career paths. The English major enables students to think critically, read intelligently, and write effectively; these are skills that translate well into several careers. In particular, English majors often become lawyers, marketing and advertising executives, teachers, creative and technical writers, and editors. The English major helped launch the careers of several famous people, including filmmaker Steven Spielberg, journalist Diane Sawyer, songwriter Paul Simon, and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Students interested in becoming an English major should contact a program advisor to declare the major. Students should also take a variety of English courses, including critical thinking classes, literature classes, and creative writing, to see what aspects of the major most appeal to them. Finally, students who are interested in becoming English majors should contact faculty in the English department for advice and mentorship. Several of the instructors in the English department have a wealth of career experience with their own English majors.

12. How do I drop/add this class? To add or drop a class, you may come to the counter in Admissions or visit my.canyons.edu, log in, and select the appropriate link. However, remember that after a class has started, any student wishing to add a class needs to obtain an Add Code Form first from the instructor.

13. I want to transfer to a CSU/UC. Who has a good English department? The UC/CSU system has an excellent reputation, and each of its English departments will provide a good foundation for a bachelors degree in English. The UC system has a more competitive selection process than the CSU which may influence your application decisions. However, both systems will serve you well as you complete your English major.

14. How will improved writing skills help me in the future? Good writing skills reflect a high level of literacy, and a high literacy level is required in many areas. For example, to continue your education at a university, you will want good writing skills to be able to do well in class assignments, research papers, and tests. Furthermore, after you graduate, good writing skills will increase the likelihood of you landing a good job and enhance the chances of your being promoted once hired.

15. I am supposed to take 71. Do I have to take 71L too? Yes, English 71L is a .5 unit co-requisite course that must be taken along with English 71. There are no required texts or homework for the course, but attendance is mandatory. English 71L is taken as a credit/no credit course, and credit is issued for adequate attendance and completion of in class assignments.

16. Whats the difference between English 091 and English 094? English 091 and 094 both satisfy the prerequisite for English 101. Both are reading and writing courses. However, English 091 focuses more on reading and writing for 4-year college courses so is most appropriate for students who are planning to transfer to a four-year college, and English 094 is more appropriate for students planning to go directly into the workplace from College of the Canyons.

17. Whats the difference between English 101 and English101H? English 101H is the honors section of English 101. Either English 101 or English 101H can be used for the AA/AS degree class. English 101 is transferable to all CSUs and most UCs. However, only English 101H will be counted for transfer at UC Berkeley. Students who plan on transferring to UC Berkeley should plan on taking English 101H and not English 101. Only one section of English 101H is offered each semester, so students planning on completing an Honors degree or transferring to UC Berkeley should plan ahead to take the course. The class size for English 101H is limited to 25 students, to encourage increased faculty-to-student and student-to-student connections. Course information on English 101 can be found here. English 101H covers all of the material in English 101, but includes additional work in the form of literary analysis and critical thinking. English 101H course work includes a long research essay and literary analysis of two book-length works of fiction. English 101 is a three-unit class; due to the increased workload, English 101H is a four-unit class (class will meet for four hours each week). Students who enroll in English 101H can, therefore, expect a more intense and fast-paced course.

18. My counselor told me that I could take either English 102 or 103 to fulfill my transfer requirements. What's the difference between English 102 and 103? Both English 102 and 103 meet the Critical Thinking requirement for the AA/AS degree and for transfer to CSU and UC. Both of these courses have a prerequisite of English 101. English 102 teaches these skills through the reading and analysis of literature, while English 103 does so through nonfiction essays. Some transfer schools and/or majors require English 102 specifically, and others may require both 102 and 103 so be sure to check with the counseling office about your specific transfer needs

19. What is the highest English class that I need to graduate from COC, to transfer to CSU, to transfer to UC? Students with catalog rights prior to Fall 2009 can use English 091 or English 094 for their AA /AS degree. Students with Fall 2009 or later catalog rights, will need English 101. Student will need English 101 to transfer to CSU or UC. Students transferring to UC will need English 102 or English 103 ( Critical Thinking requirement). Students can chose to select English 102 or English 103 for critical thinking for CSU or another class from the list ( COMS 225, PHIL 106, 205, 230 or SOCI 108). We recommend you confirm any course decisions you make with a COC counselor.

20. Im an online student. Is there any online tutoring? Online tutoring is available for students enrolled in English classes at College of the Canyons. For complete details regarding the COC online tutoring services, visit https://www.canyons.edu/academics/tlc

21. I don't have much time and I heard online classes are easier than an on-ground classes. Are they? Online classes at College of the Canyons are not easier or harder than on-ground classes. The amount of time and effort required for either will be about the same. The key difference between the two delivery formats is that online courses tend to require more self-directed study. To find out more about specific online courses, read your teachers course Orientation Letter at the Distance Learning homepage https://www.canyons.edu/academics/onlineeducation.

22. My teacher is using Blackboard and I am having trouble with it. Where can I get help? Blackboard Assistance Blackboard is the course management system that is used for most of the online and hybrid courses at College of the Canyons. The links below will answer most of your questions about Blackboard. Blackboard Assistance

23. I have a complaint about my instructor.To whom should I complain? You should first make sure that you have discussed the issue with your instructor. It could be that there is a misunderstanding, and speaking to your instructor about it can help to resolve the issue.

In the event that you are not able to resolve the issue with your instructor, your next step would be to contact the department chair, who will work with you and your instructor to come up with a solution to the problem. The department chair can advise you regarding additional options if necessary.