Professor Ramos' Blog

A Community of Writers

English 101 Syllabus – Spring 2021

UNIT 1 Narrative

WEEK ONE – 1/20

Wednesday Syllabus and Intro to Course

WEEK TWO – 1/25

Monday Intro to Literacy Narrative

WEEK THREE – 2/1

Monday Literacies

Wednesday The Conversation and “They Say”

WEEK FOUR – 2/8

Monday 

Wednesday

WEEK FIVE – 2/15 and 2/17

Monday HOLIDAY NO CLASS

WEDNESDAY Responding and Peer Review

UNIT 2 REPORT

WEEK SIX – 2/22

Monday Intro to Report

Wednesday Intro to Research and Quoting

WEEK SEVEN – 3/1

Monday

WEEK EIGHT – 3/8

Monday

  • Chapter 5 (“And Yet”: Distinguishing What You Say from What They Say)
  • Watch Jonathan Haidt: “Can a Divided America Heal?“ JOURNAL 7

WEEK NINE – 3/15

Monday

SPRING BREAK 3/22 – 3/27

UNIT 3 Literary Analysis

WEEK TEN – 3/29

Monday

  • DUE Final Draft of Report
  • Read SANDRA CISNEROS, “Eleven” (6)
  • Read SANDRA CISNEROS, “Woman Hollering Creek” (43) JOURNAL 9 Summary/Response

WEEK ELEVEN –  4/5

Monday 

  • Chapter 8 (“As a Result”: Connecting the Parts)
  • Read SANDRA CISNEROS “Never Marry a Mexican” (68) JOURNAL 10

WEEK TWELVE – 4/12

Monday

  • Read Chapter 7 (“So What? Who Cares?”: Saying Why It Matters)
  • Read SANDRA CISNEROS “Bien Pretty” (137) Journal 11

WEEK THIRTEEN – 4/19

Monday

  • DUE Rough Draft 3
  • Chapter 9 (“You Mean I Can Say It That Way?”: Academic Writing Doesn’t Always Mean Setting Aside Your Own Voice)
  • Read SANDRA CISNEROS, “Los Boxers” (130) Journal 12

UNIT 4 Argument

WEEK FOURTEEN – 4/26

Monday

WEEK FIFTEEN – 5/3

Monday 

WEEK SIXTEEN – 5/10

Monday

  • Chapter 13 (“Don’t Make Them Scroll Up: Entering Online Conversations)
  • Read KEVIN KELLY, “Better Than Human”  JOURNAL 15

WEEK SEVENTEEN – 5/17

Monday Peer Review

  • Due Rough Draft 4 for peer review
  • Chapter 11 (“He Says Contends”: Using the Templates to Revise)
  • Watch Project Drawdown TED Talk JOURNAL 16

WEEK EIGHTEEN – 5/24

Monday FINAL EXAM

  • Final Draft due

English 101: Freshman Composition

Instructor: Sefferino Ramos Email: sramos@craftonhills.edu  
Text: (909) 453-2953 Website: ProfessorRamos.blog  
English 101 – 50 M/W 3:00 – 4:50 PM  
         

Course Description

Welcome to English 101! Over the next eighteen weeks we will study how to write different types of college essays. By studying and writing different types of compositions, you will learn how to compose your own effective and purposeful texts. We will study argumentation, learn to research, and practice the process of writing. We will study how good writing is dependent on the situation, reader, and purpose it is created for. What you say, how you say it, and who you are saying it to, are important to keep in mind as you write.

We will explore many concepts about writing: literacy, discourse communities, rhetoric, the writing process, the conversation, and critical reading, writing, and thinking, to name a few. This is one of the few writing classes you may ever take, the more you apply yourself here, the better you will be able to communicate effectively in college and your future careers. Come to class with an open mind and ready to work and you will learn a ton about writing.

This class is a work in progress. We will be reading and writing in class and we will utilize the class website to comment and respond to each other. Everything you will write in this class will be published online. Do not worry, this will be the highlight of the class. We will build a community of writers to learn from each other and produce knowledge for others to learn as well.

Course Objectives

Upon satisfactory completion of the course, you will be able to:

  1. Write a 1,000-word essay, consisting of introduction, multiple body paragraphs, and a conclusion, with a clear statement of thesis, written at the collegiate level;
  2. Adhere to principles of unity, clarity, development, organization, and coherence in essays;
  3. Write effective sentences with varying structures and type;
  4. Locate and evaluate the credibility of books, articles, periodicals, and newspapers related to particular subjects;
  5. Evaluate and effectively integrate ideas of others, relevant to a specific topic, through paraphrase, summary, and quotation into at least one multi-page essay;
  6. Choose and effectively employ in a multi-page essay a variety of rhetorical strategies, such as definition, comparison/ contrast, and argument;
  7. Produce a collegiate-level, multi-source research paper of at least 3,000 words, effectively following the MLA or APA documentation format;
  8. Proofread, revise, and edit essays for few to no gross errors in English grammar, usage, or punctuation;
  9. Analyze and evaluate a piece of writing for its rhetorical and technical merit, with consideration of the principles of unity, coherence, tone, persona, purpose, methods, and the effects on a target audience;
  10. Write a collegiate-level, in-class essay of at least 500-750 words that is unified, coherent, and relatively free from distracting sentence-writing errors that analyzes, evaluates, or argues a topic or piece of writing.

Learning Outcomes

The primary intention is for you to develop your academic writing skills in order to succeed in subsequent college courses. This happens through the following learning outcomes:

  1. Demonstrate the ability to critically examine, analyze, and respond to the writing of established authors.
  2. Compose error-free essays of varying lengths (500 – 1500 words) effectively utilizing various writing genres.
  3. Locate articles from academic journals and integrate information into a well-written research paper of approximately 3000 words.

Required Course Materials

Assessment and Grading

Specific instructions and rubrics will be provided to you for your work on the major projects. As we go through the course, we will clarify the assignments and make sure we agree on what good work looks like.

Crafton Hills does not use a + or – grading scale, only A, B, C, D, and F. The class uses a 1000-point grading scale. Points required for an A= 900, B= 800, and C=700. Anything less than 700 points is considered a failing grade. Essays 1 – 4 are mandatory for everyone. Everything else is up to you. You decide what grade you want to earn and how you will accomplish it.

Assignment Points Earned
Essay 1 150  
Essay 2 150  
Essay 3 150  
Essay 4 150  
Final Exam 100  
Reading Journals 10 x 12 = 120  
Writing Center 15  
Annotated Bib 25  
Rough Drafts 15 x 4 = 60  
Peer Review 20 x 4 = 80  
     
Total  1000  
     
     

Course Policies

Syllabus Revision: I may need to change or revise the syllabus during the semester. Students will receive ample notice of revisions.

Classroom Code of Conduct: We will be discussing controversial and/or adult oriented content in this course. You are all adults and are expected to conduct yourself accordingly in class and in all interactions with other students. Racist, sexist, bigoted, and hurtful language will not be tolerated and could get you removed from the course and/or reported to disciplinary authorities. While I am here to lecture and help facilitate discussion, it is up to you to participate in the class and keep up with the readings. I will be available through email and after class, so please see me if you need anything pertaining to our class.

Attendance: We will work together regularly in groups and to workshop assignments. For this to work, your attendance is necessary. If you do miss class, you can contact a class mate to get the notes or assignments required or check the blog. The class lessons will be recorded and you can see them at your convenience.

Personal Writing: Do not write anything that you are not comfortable sharing with this class and outside of this class. The writing that we do here is for everyone in the class. If you have any questions about whether something is suitable, please discuss it with me or your class mates.

Plagiarism: Knowingly submitting the work of others as your own is considered plagiarism. Proper MLA citation is required for any and all sources used in the course. If you have any questions or need help with citation please see me. If you plagiarize, the least that will happen is you fail this course.

Electronic Devices: Electronic devices are not permitted during class time, unless specifically cleared by me. Please silence or turn off your electronics and phones. If you require special accommodation, please see the contact the Disabled Student Services office at (909) 389-3325. There is no texting, social media, or email during class.

Late Work and Make-up Work: All assignments are due at the start of class on the designated dates. It is your responsibility to have assignments submitted on time. In-class assignments and essays cannot be made up. Please contact me directly if you have any questions or need special accommodations. Make-up work will only be accepted in case of emergency or a case by case basis. Do not wait until the next class session to ask about make-up work. Contact me before it is late.

Revision: If you are not happy with a grade you receive on an assignment, you may revise the essay with the original attached and a one-page reflection on the revision process, within one week of receiving the grade.

ADA Compliance: If you are unable to participate fully in this class due to a disability that qualifies under the Americans with Disabilities Act, you should contact the Disabled Student Services office at (909) 389-3325.

Disclaimer: The best way to grow as a writer is to study other writers’ work, so I may use your writing as a model/sample in our class or for future classes. This is a great way for you to contribute to the growth and learning of your peers here at Crafton Hills College and beyond. Do not be embarrassed, we are all here learning from each other.

Classmates are an important resource for success: Use the space below to get the phone number or email of two or three students in this class.

Name:_________________________________ Contact Info:___________________________________

Name:_________________________________ Contact Info:___________________________________

Course Schedule

  • The following is the schedule of assignments for this class. The schedule of readings and assignments is subject to change based upon the needs of the class.
  • All readings and assignments are listed on the day they are due. Please come to class with all readings and assignments complete.