Additional Required Supplies:
Two 10 x 12” or larger clasp envelopes (for submitting work)
Strongly recommended:
Readily available Internet and word processing access
USB/pen/flash drive, or similar device to save your work
Any college-level dictionary and thesaurus
A binder and binder paper
Highlighter pens
Post-it notes, post-it tabs
Small stapler
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Course Description
and Co-Requisite:
This class emphasizes critical reading and thinking
skills
appropriate to college reading needs. This course
is for students who already have knowledge of word analysis and comprehension
techniques, but need
work in applying critical reading and thinking strategies to college-level
material.
According to Porter, Kneupper, and Reeder's book The Literate Mind
(1987), a critical thinker is
reflective, methodical, inventive, curious, flexible, and confident. Since this
course is usually taken
after English A and before or concurrent with English 1A, in
addition to completing
reading and writing assignments from the textbooks, students will also use
additional instructor
handouts/materials, the Internet, and group work to recognize the critical
skills they already possess
and to enhance the further
connections between and application of reading, thinking, and writing
skills.
This course has a mandatory
co-requisite course, English 41L, a writing lab. It is your
responsibility to sign
up
for and to complete your lab hours and assignments. You will be scheduled for 3
hours per week. You may
be dropped if you attend fewer than 15 hours by the 12th week. This drop can
affect your enrollment in
English 41 and English 1A.
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Expected Student Outcomes (ESOs):
By the end of this
course, students will develop skills appropriate to college reading needs in a
variety of academic
disciplines. These skills include, but are not limited to, the following:
A. Reading Comprehension Appropriate to College-Level
Texts
1. Identify and paraphrase main ideas
and supporting details within selections
2. Outline and map reading selections
3. Determine the author's
purpose and audience
4. Analyze rhetorical forms for
development
5. Analyze patterns of
organization
6. Analyze the extended meaning
of texts through word choice
7. Infer tone
8. Analyze point of view
B. College-Level Critical Thinking and Reading Skills
1. Recognize argument
structures
2. Evaluate authority and
claims in arguments
3. Recognize deductive and
inductive reasoning
4. Recognize and evaluate
fallacies
5. Examine language elements to
decipher author's meaning
6. Apply critical reading
skills to reading on the World Wide Web
C. Vocabulary Development
1.
Analyze denotation and connotation
2. Identify figurative language
3. Determine tone and bias
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Attendance Policies:
Your enrollment in this course signifies
your ability and willingness to complete the course
work. If you are not able to attend regularly or to complete assignments
in a timely fashion,
you are jeopardizing your own academic success. A reasonable number of absences would be
no more than two absences per
course unit: that means four absences for the semester.
Once you exceed this reasonable number, your ability to continue successfully in
this class may be
jeopardized.
This class begins and ends on
time and frequent (more than three) tardies and/or early departures will be
counted as absences.
Roll will be taken at each class. Points will be assigned for attendance as well as for
participation in work done in class. Save your absences for when you are really sick or in a bind and be sure to
communicate with your professor. You may leave a note in my mailbox, a phone message, or an e-mail
if you will be
absent. If you are absent, you are responsible for getting the required work to me via another
student in
this class or by arranging to have it brought to my mailbox, office, or in person to me on
campus as close to our
class time as possible. If you want exceptions, a break, or special
consideration, my commitment to fairness
and consistency may work against you.
If you add this class
after the first session, you must either make-up missed assignments or accept
the
missing points. You are not automatically "excused" since you were not enrolled.
Adds are limited
by space of classroom facility, course limit, and by absence policy above. It is the student's
responsibility to
drop the class if he or she no longer wishes to attend; however,
I reserve the right to drop you if you
are not here the first day of class
and/or for excessive absences (beyond the "reasonable number"
listed above) during the semester unless otherwise notified in a timely fashion.
Late Work:
I do not accept late work in this class. Assignments are due be class
time on the day the assignment is
due. This policy is designed to reward responsibility and to discourage procrastination. Plan ahead for
potential
technical, transportation, childcare, and other difficulties. A
limited number of extra credit points will be
available to compensate for missing work. If you miss in-class work
including
group work, quizzes, exams, in-class writing, etc. due to absence or
incomplete attendance,
you lose credit for this work. Extenuating
circumstances may modify this policy;
however, it is the student's responsibility to bring
these circumstances to my attention
as soon as possible (before class or at least the
same day) so that the necessary
arrangements can be made.
Test Policy:
A test may be rescheduled, but arrangements must be made prior
to the test date. "No shows" will
not be allowed to make up tests. Again, extenuating circumstances may modify
this policy, but it is the student’s
responsibility to communicate promptly. Graded tests are returned for you to see, but
then are
recollected. You may review them further in my office.
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Grading
Policies and Course Assignments:
Graded assignments
will be returned and grades
will be distributed regularly throughout the semester.
Extra credit assignments will be offered periodically throughout the semester
for students wishing to
improve their grades. There is a limit to how many points you can accumulate
through extra credit.
Grades serve as a measure of individual academic progress and achievement. In
general, you will
be graded on meeting minimum requirements on the assignments, on overall ability
to engage the
assigned readings in a manner appropriate to college-level work, and on
demonstrating that you have
read and contemplated each assignment in more than a cursory fashion.
Your final grade in this class is based on the number of points you accumulate
during the semester
on all of your course assignments. The points you earn on these
assignments will be weighted and
converted into a percentage that will give you a letter grade at the end of the
semester.
Grading Scale:
90%-100% = A 80%-89% = B
70%-79% = C 60-69% = D 0-59% = F
Homework: 40%
Assessment: 40% (Quizzes and Tests including Midterm and Final Exam)
Other: 20% (Class work, Group work, Participation, Extra Credit, Misc.)
Course Assignments: (see Overview of Semester on this syllabus and your
Course
Calendar for detailed information)
--Assigned readings: from both texts as well as supplemental
materials (most of which you
will locate on the Internet)
--Homework assignments: Q-notes (a variation of Cornell Notes), textbook
exercises, reading
response questions, discussion questions, short answer essays, summaries, etc.
--Tests: Chapter tests, midterm, and cumulative final
exam (there is a take-home
component to each). There may also be several short, unannounced and
unannounced reading
quizzes (particularly on Mercury Reader selections).
--Class work, group work, and participation
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Academic Honesty:
The intentional or unintentional presentation of information from another source
as if it were
your own is plagiarism. Students who are caught copying from each other will
both lose credit for the
assignment. In this class you must incorporate and document outside sources
correctly in order to avoid
plagiarism. All other forms of cheating, copying, or academic dishonesty will not be
tolerated.
Do not attempt to
write an assignment for another student or submit as your own an
assignment written by another student.
A failing grade
on a plagiarized assignment and a formal complaint in your student
personnel file are the least I can do
to enforce this academic law. Further consequences can include a failing grade for the course, being
dropped from the course, or academic probation.
Collegiate Behavior and Common Courtesy:
Students are expected to be punctual, prepared, and ready to participate.
Everyone deserves the right to
study and learn in an atmosphere that is
relatively free from distractions; therefore, before you enter class,
please
turn off and put away all beepers/pagers, cell phones/text messaging,
headphones, and all other
personal electronic equipment that can cause
disruption. During
discussion students should listen respectfully,
both to other students and to
the instructor. I will not tolerate disruptive behavior in class and will ask
you to leave if the problem persists. Food and beverages should be consumed
outside. Due to Merced
College liability policies, persons not enrolled in the
class should not be in the classroom.
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Assignment
Formatting and Requirements:
How to Format Your Answers to the DCRS Chapter Exercises
Here is an example of how to format your answers for the chapter exercises.
(Directions and explanations are highlighted).
Chapter 1: Chapter Exercise Selection 1 pgs. 53-55
A. Vocabulary
(Write out the word, the letter of your
chosen answer, and the corresponding definition.)
1.) encroaches on = (c) = intrudes upon
2.) acculturative = (d) = learning about and adopting cultural traits
B. Content and Structure
(Follow the directions in the exercise
and then follow the format below for multiple choice answers.)
5.) (Turn the question into a
statement and incorporate the answer into it. Highlight or italicize your
answer.)
Hirsch criticizes (d) school, which do not demand enough work from children
the most for the state of our literacy.
6.) The decline of the family and poverty are factors that (b) cannot be
dismissed, although schools should not use them as an
to require little work from their students.
MLA Format:
Since this course is often taken after English A and/or before or in
conjunction with English 1A, you
will utilize a variation of MLA formatting for your assignments.
You may answer questions in your book, but in
order to receive credit, work must be written on paper and turned in on time.
Although you may type
your assignments, ALL WORK IN THIS CLASS MAY BE HANDWRITTEN, BUT SHOULD STILL
FOLLOW THE REQUIRED FORMAT.
| |
Doe 1
|
Jane Doe
Amy Hundley
English 41, Section ___
Day Month Year
Assignment Title
(Chapter Title and/or Reading Selection Title
and/or Exercise Title and Page Numbers of
Assignment)
|
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When
Week 1
|
Introduction to Course
“Becoming a Better Reader--Qualities of a Literate Mind
“How to Mark a Book” by Mortimer J. Adler (Handout)
Annotation
New York Times selections: “Consequences: Reading Skills Are Tied to a
Longer, Healthier
Life” and “Good Readers Better Able to Retain Brain Skills” by Eric
Nagourney (Handout)
Modesto Bee article “Benefit of Learning Priceless, But Feds Make an
Educated Guess” by
Stephen Ohlemacher (Handout)
“My Life as a Reader” assignment |
Week 2
|
Introduction--What it Means to be a Reader
DCRS pgs. 1-23
Q-Notes |
Week 3
|
Roots and Prefixes
Context Clues
Chpt. 1--Main Idea, Author’s Purpose, and Modes of Discourse
DCRS pgs. 30-50
“The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society” by Jonathan Kozol MR pgs.
5-13 |
Week 4
|
“Shame” by Dick Gregory MR pgs. 16-20
“Growing Up” by Russell Baker MR pgs. 23-30
Chpt. 2—Inference
DCRS pgs. 65-81
“The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien MR pgs. 215-232 |
Week 5
|
Chpt. 2—Inference
“I Stand Here Ironing” by Tillie Olsen MR pgs. 235-242
“Death by Landscape” by Margaret Atwood MR pgs. 176-193 |
Week 6
|
Test #1: Introduction and Chpts.
1-2
Chpt. 3—Four Methods of Paragraph Development
DCRS pgs. 96-106, 109
“Predictable Crises of Adulthood” by Gail Sheehy MR pgs. 66-73
EXTRA CREDIT OPTION #1 DUE |
Week 7
|
“In Bed” by Joan Didion MR pgs. 32-35
“Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self” by Alice Walker MR
pgs. 37-44
Chpt. 4—Four More Methods of Paragraph Development
DCRS pgs. 124-139, 141-142 |
Week 8
|
Modesto Bee article “Communities Remain Immersed in
Heritage” by Adam Ashton
Merced Sun-Star article “Valley Feels Like Home for Sikhs” by Scott
Jason (Handout)
Chpt. 5—Patterns of Paragraph Organization
DCRS pgs. 156-168 |
Week 9
|
Review Chpts. 1-5
Test #2: Take-Home Portion
of Midterm Chpts.1-5—“Tortillas” by Jose Antonio Burciaga
Test #2: In-Class Portion
of Midterm
“Some Devil’s Definitions” by Ambrose Bierce MR pgs. 160-163
Today’s Kids Are, Like Killing the English Language. Yeah Right” by
Kirk Johnson MR pgs. 165-168
“Life Under the Chief Doublespeak Officer” by William Lutz (Internet)
EXTRA CREDIT OPTION #2 DUE |
Week 10
|
Chpt. 6—Language and Its Effects on the Reader
DCRS pgs. 184-210
Doublespeak, Connotation, Figurative Language, Misuses/Abuses of
Language
“Textbok Changes Draw Charges of Political Correctness” by Anita Vogel
(Internet)
“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut MR pgs. 255-261 |
Week 11
|
Chpt. 7— Tone, Point of View, Allusions, and Irony
DCRS pgs. 225-253
“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin MR pgs.195-198
“Food News Can Get You Dizzy, So Know What to Swallow” by Linda Kulman
MR pgs. 147-152
EXTRA CREDIT OPTION #3 DUE |
Week 12
|
Chpt. 7— Tone, Point of View, Allusions, and Irony
DCRS pgs. 225-253
“Neat People vs. Sloppy People” MR pgs. 89-91 by Suzanne Britt
Jordan
“That Lean and Hungry Look” MR pgs. 93-96 by Suzanne Britt
Jordan
“What I’ve Learned from Men” by Barbara Ehrenreich MR 52-56
“Why I Want a Wife” by Judy Brady MR pgs. 92-94
EXTRA CREDIT OPTION #4 DUE |
Week 13
|
Chpt. 8—Elements of Critical Reading
DCRS pgs. 270-306
EXTRA CREDIT OPTION #5 DUE |
Week 14
|
Test #3:
Chpts. 6-8
“Anatomy of a Hangover” by Donald G. Ross MR pgs. 98-103
“Should Drugs Be Legalized” by William Bennett MR pgs.105-110 |
Week 15
|
“Lullaby” by Leslie Marmon Silko MR pgs.
244-252
“An Ethnic Trump” by Gish Jen DCRS pgs. 399-400
Chpt. 9—Evaluating Arguments: Problems in Critical Reading
DCRS pgs. 315-361
EXTRA CREDIT OPTION #6 DUE |
Week 16
|
Chpt. 9—Evaluating Arguments: Problems in Critical
Reading
DCRS pgs. 315-361
Chpt. 10— Evaluating Web Sites
DCRS pgs. 366-378 |
Week 17
|
Chpts. 1-9 Review
Test #4: Final Exam
Take-Home Portion Assigned
“Why We Don’t Need Animal Experimentation” by Peggy Carlson MR
pgs. 113-114
“Why Doctors Must Not Kill” by Leon R. Kass MR pgs. 121-130
“A Case of Assisted Suicide” by Jack Kevorkian MR pgs. 133-139
“Abortion if Too Complex to Feel All One Way About” by Anna Quindlen
MR pgs. 141-144
“It’s a Girl” by Kathleen Fackelmann MR pgs. 154-158 |
Week 18
Final Exam
|
Test #4: Final Exam Chpts. 1-9
 |
