English 101 - English Composition - Tracey Sherard

Course:	English Composition
Professor:	Tracey Sherard
Email:	tracey.sherard@canyons.edu
Format:	Online
Course Length:	16 Week

Introduction

Welcome to English 101. I’m Dr. Tracey Sherard, the instructor of this course, and I’m looking forward to working with you!

I know that foremost in many of your minds is the current state of the Covid19 pandemic. Make no mistake—these are challenging times. I was on research sabbatical in the Spring of 2020 when California went into its first phase of rising COVID19 cases and ‘lock down.’ While I was not currently teaching, I was attending virtual meetings with the English department. I was—and continue to be—amazed by the resilience of our instructors, and most significantly, by you—our students. As you probably already know, most classes at COC are still virtual. I have been teaching online for over 15 years now and feel optimistic and confident our classroom community can be as valuable and fulfilling as a traditional face-to-face class—provided we all recognize and fulfill our roles in that communal capacity.

Course Description

Catalogue Description:

Builds critical reading and expository writing skills through the analysis and evaluation of college- level texts and the composition of well-organized, full-length essays containing properly documented evidence.

Student Learning Outcomes (“SLOs”):

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Analyze and critically evaluate college-level texts for rhetorical and genre strategies.
2. Compose persuasive, well-organized, grammatically correct essays, synthesizing properly documented and relevant evidence to develop and support a unified thesis.

Course Objectives:

1. Analyze and critically evaluate written and visual texts for rhetorical strategies such as ethos, logos, and pathos, among others; (SLO 1)
2. Demonstrate responsibility for the reading process by applying active and critical reading strategies to analyze the meaning of texts; (SLO 1)
3. Analyze and critically evaluate a variety of college-level texts, including a book-length argument or a complete literary work; (SLO 1)
4. Demonstrate responsibility for the writing process and rhetorical context; (SLO 2)
5. Conduct research and critically evaluate appropriate source material(s); (SLO 2)
6. Create a thesis statement to structure the essay as a whole; (SLO 2)
7. Organize and structure essays in an effective manner; (SLO 2)
8. Support arguments by selecting, analyzing and synthesizing evidence such as relevant detail, anecdotes, and well-integrated summaries, paraphrases, and quotations; (SLO 2)
9. Implement the conventions of standard written English while using a variety of sentence structures; (SLO 2)
10. Apply MLA style and citation format; (SLO 2)
11. Compose effective short essays in timed-writing situations; (SLO 2)
12. Reflect on reading and writing practices in order to improve work habits and skills; (SLO 1 & 2)

What to Expect in this Course

Some Basic Information:

While this is a 100% online course, it requires just as much—if not more--time and effort than a traditional in-person one meeting twice a week. You will be expected to complete the same amount of work. Therefore, expect to spend roughly 12 hours a week on reading and writing assignments for this course.

Students who do well in online courses tend to share the following qualities:

• They are good at motivating themselves to complete work by deadlines
• They are strong readers and communicate well in writing.
• They have strong time management skills.
• They enjoy active, cooperative learning experiences.
• They have reliable access to the Internet.
• They have basic computer skills, including the ability to cut/copy and paste between documents, send and receive email attachments, and most importantly, save documents in the appropriate requested file formats.

Basic Required Skills:

You will need to have ready access to current word document creating software (Microsoft Word preferred). If you do not have Microsoft Word, you will still be expected to be able to either save (or ‘export’ if you have a MAC) your documents in Microsoft Word and/or PDF formats (no rich text format, Pages, etc.). You will need an up-to date version of an internet browser (See CANVAS login page for compatible browsers). You need to be computer literate, well-skilled in basic document creation and handling. You should know how to copy and paste from one document to another and how to attach documents to emails. You must know how to override default settings in your word processing program to set page margins, spacing, and fonts, so that I can ensure fairness in determining whether your writing assignments meet minimum full-page requirements.

You will also need to avoid working close to deadlines as unreliable internet connections and computer issues do not generally result in extended deadlines.

 

Course Requirements:

In order to successfully complete this course, you must log onto our class site several times a week to retrieve and submit assignments and to participate in collaborative exchanges with your peers. All of these activities involve deadlines (but many have a built-in 24-hr "grace period").

***There are no Zoom meetings for this class***

This course requires the same amount of total work hours as a regular face-to-face, full semester length section that meets twice a week. In a regular semester, that would mean time spent in class plus reading and homework, usually totals roughly 10-12 hours. If you cannot devote this total amount of time to online work for the course, please reconsider whether this is the appropriate time for you to take this course in a 100% online format.

NOTE: just as in a traditional class, if you know in advance that you are going to “miss” a few class periods (discussion board due dates), doing a few (not many) assignments ahead of time may lessen the negative impact of your “absence” on your grade. However, while early assignment availability is usually possible, it’s never guaranteed, as I continuously update and create new material depending on the needs of each particular class.

 

REGARDING COVID19:

We realize that during these unprecedented and rapidly changing times, unforeseen circumstances may arise, and we will do our best to work with you. Having said that, we are obligated to abide by specific regulations regarding weekly “time on task” requirements.

Participation and meeting deadlines each week is expected, but if you know you will not be meeting a deadline (whether "hard" or "grace-period"), please reach out to your instructors as soon as you possibly can so that we can come to a solution together.

To clarify: this is not a class in which work can be completed far ahead of deadlines or made up during the last weeks of the semester. Class-wide discussion boards (where a good amount of the work will be conducted) will be asynchronous, not synchronous—meaning that you can log in at a time of day convenient to you as long as you meet the deadlines.

I will be online at various times during ‘business hours,’ 9-5, Monday through Thursday, and Friday from 9am-12pm (noon), to facilitate discussion, make announcements, and provide schedule reminders. These virtual ‘office hours’ addressing course-related questions will take place on CANVAS via the Announcements page, the Course-Related Questions discussion board, and possibly other means still to be determined. If you have a personal or grade-related question, make sure to message me privately from within CANVAS classroom). I will also have a few limited on-campus office hours.

However, I will not be available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so planning ahead to get any questions you may have answered is essential for your comfort and confidence as the course proceeds.

Types of Assessments

I will evaluate your work based on specific assignment instructions. Assignments may include, but are not limited to, weekly discussion boards (including responses), reflective reading journals,  timed writing exams, and formal academic essays (submitted to CANVAS, which automatically runs them through Turnitin.com, an online database that helps students to learn about—and teachers to detect—plagiarism).

English 101 covers the ‘ins and outs’ of paraphrasing, summarizing, quoting, and citing sources. My course syllabus will contain a detailed description of plagiarism and of the college procedure for handling it.

Textbook Information / Link to ZTC Textbook

Required Texts for the Course:

1. Becoming Rhetorical: Analyzing and Composing in a Multimedia World, by Jodie Nicotra, CENGAGE, ISBN #: 978-1-305-95677-3

2. Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, by Joseph E. Aoun, The MIT Press, ISBN #: 978-0-262-53597-7

Other Relevant Course Information

If this course is not full, you should be able to add it via MyCanyons.

If the course is full, the best way to add is to be on the waitlist, as the college will automatically add you if a spot opens up. They will notify you by email so that you can pay your fees and remain enrolled in the course. Students dropped for non-payment will not likely be able to re-add.

If it is full and has gone to a wait list, I will go down the waitlist and authorize adds after “no-show” drop deadline, which is Tuesday of week 1, 11:59 pm PDT.

In the event that there is room for additional students other than those on the waitlist to add the class, I will know on Wednesday of the first week of class, so please contact me by email early that day at the latest (even if you are on the waitlist you need to contact me). If I am able to add you to the class, your name will be sent directly to Computer Support Services via computer by Admissions and Records and it may take 1 business day before your account is created in CANVAS, though I will do my best to expedite that process.

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Additional Resources

Canvas

This course can be accessed on the first day of class via Canvas at https://coc.instructure.com. Log into Canvas using your CanyonsID single sign-on:

• CanyonsID Username is your COC student email address (Ex: username@my.canyons.edu)
• CanyonsID Password is your COC student email password

Please visit the Get to Know Your Online Classroom page for help logging into Canvas and for tips on using Canvas and Zoom. Canvas Chat Support is also available 24/7 for any Canvas related issues.

Online Education

Check out the Online Education website for more information on a variety of topics that can help you be a successful online student such as: exam proctoring, learning styles, computer skills, and tips for student success. If this is your first online course, feel free to take our online learning readiness assessment to assess your skills.

The Learning Center (TLC)

The TLC provides FREE online tutoring resources to COC students!

Academic Accommodation Center (AAC)

College of the Canyons AAC provides educational services and access for eligible students with documented disabilities who intend to pursue coursework at COC. A variety of programs and services are available which afford eligible students with disabilities the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of the college programs and activities through appropriate and reasonable accommodations. For more information on their services visit the Academic Accomodation Center website.

Online Counseling

The Counseling Department offers appointments online. You can schedule an appointment by visiting the Online Counseling website. Counselors can help you map out a plan to reach your educational goals as well as advise you on course selection and registration.

Management of Stress and Mental Health

College of the Canyons cares about your emotional and physical health. Learn more about the broad range of confidential student services, including free counseling and mental health services available during this time by visiting the Student Health & Wellness Center website or by calling them at: 661-362-3259.

The National Suicide Lifeline number is 1-800-273- 8255 (TALK). Please call it if you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or is in severe distress - it could save someone's life.

You can also use the Crisis Text Line: Just text "Courage" to 741741. It's free, available 24/7, and confidential.

Veterans Resource Center

The College of the Canyons Veterans Resource Center is a department within the Student Services Division at the college, created to help veterans and veteran dependents with applying to College of the Canyons, enrolling in classes, and requesting VA Education or Vocational Benefits. For more information please visit the Veterans Resource Center website, email veterans@canyons.edu or phone (661) 362-3469.

Library

The Library provides live online and in-person research help, access to a full range of e-resources and physical materials that support the curriculum, individual and group study areas, and much more!

Last updated: 01/31/2023 Sub#: 237