English 41: College Reading
Fall 2002
Instructor:
Jennifer McBride
Office Phone: 384-6376
Office Hours: MW 11 -12 pm; TTH 8 - 9 am; or by appointment
Office: Library
8A
Course Description
In
this class, students will develop reading comprehension strategies and improve
critical reading and thinking skills which are necessary for college level
reading. The main focus will be on how to discover the main idea of a
passage or essay, what the supporting details may be, what the author's purpose
is, how to decipher tone and figurative language, recognize bias and fallacies,
expand vocabulary, identify issues and point of view and overall, to become
better critical readers. Being a critical reader is like being a good
detective. There are clues we need to look for, techniques that work, and
strategies to employ in order to confront and decode college reading.
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Required Texts
Developing Critical Reading Skills, 6th edition, by Deanne Spears
Any college level dictionary
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Course Requirements
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Attendance
Attendance
is mandatory. If you do not attend
class, you cannot do well. I do
allow three absences. A fourth missed class will necessitate a student being dropped from the
course, so save your absences for when you are really sick or in a bind. Please note, I do not differentiate between excused and
unexcused absences; an absence is an absence.
I strictly uphold this attendance policy.
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Grades
The
minimum passing grade in English 41 is a C.
Grades will reflect an evaluation of tests and homework -- all with
consideration given to class participation and improvement. Your
final grade is based on the points you accumulate. These points are converted into a percentage.
The grading scale is as follows:
100-90%
A
Exams=100 points
each
89-80%
B
Homework=10-25
points
79-70%
C
Final
Exam=200 points
69-60%
D
------------------------
59-0%
F
Important:
A minimum test average of 70% is required to pass with a C grade or better.
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Holidays
September
2: Labor Day
November
11: Veteran's Day
November 28-29: Thanksgiving
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Exam Dates
-
Exam 1: Chapters 1 and 2 -- Wednesday, Sept. 11
-
Exam
2: Chapters 3, 4 and 5 -- Wednesday, Oct. 9
-
Exam
3: Chapter s 6 and 7 -- Wednesday, Nov. 6
-
Exam
4: Chapter 8, 9 and 10 -- Wednesday, Dec. 4
-
Final
Exam: Wednesday, Dec. 18 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
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Last updated on August 12, 2002 by Jennifer
McBride