Syllabus

Yakima Valley Community College-- English Composition 102:

The Valley and The World

Dan Peters, Instructor (dpeters@yvcc.edu 574.6800.3194)

Winter 2009

Course Description:

The second of two college-level courses, English 102, will continue to require clear, unified, coherent, and well-developed essays of increasing complexity. While consideration of audience is an inherent part of the writing required in English 101, students in English 102 will learn to consider more explicitly the role that audience plays when they write. In seeking to gain credibility with their audience and to persuade others to their point of view, students will write extended arguments. Through reading, writing, and discussion, students will continue to examine their own assumptions and opinions and to consider the facts and reasoning of others. In their writing they will bring to bear a variety of texts to support their arguments as they learn basic research techniques and the documentation conventions of the Modern Language Association or comparable style sheets from other disciplines. Extended research, the province of English 203, will not be required.

Prerequisites:

English 101

Course Outcomes:

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to

• Write clear, unified, coherent, and well-developed extended essays that employ primary and secondary sources in writing
  
• Demonstrate an understanding of those sources and their relevance to the arguments being advanced
  
• Employ documentation conventions, as specified by the Modern Language Association or other style sheets, in support of extended arguments
  
• Conduct research using a variety of sources, such as library collections, electronic databases, and/or other sources in support of extended arguments
  
  

Abilities:

1. Students will have the opportunity to practice the following Abilities as they meet course objectives: Analytical Reasoning (AR) and Communication (C).
   

Required Texts

• Class Matters, Bill Keller, ed.
  
• Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich
  
• The World is Flat, version 3.0 Friedman
  
• A copy of a reputable college dictionary
  
• A Writers Reference, Sixth Edition, Hacker
  
• Suggested: 3 ring binder, highlighter pens, blue & black ink pens, email address, thumb drive, computer at home with internet connection, Microsoft word.
  

Required Work

• Three complete assignment sequences. Sequences will center on Globalization and the Yakima Valley. These sequences will include various prewriting activities, a rough draft and a second draft of all three essays.
  
• Preparation for class activities, often by reading outside of class.
  
• Participation in class discussions and activities.
  
• Attendance.
  
• Quizzes over readings.
  
• Various homework assignments, as needed.
  
• Publish/Present your work.
  

End of Quarter Grade:

40% Work before Final Draft

60% Final Drafts

93= A 90= A- 87= B+ 83= B 80= B- 77= C+ 73=C 70=C- 67=D+ 60=D 59 and below= F

General Requirements for essays

1. All essays/exercises are due on the date assigned.
   
1. No late work accepted. Email, friends= fine.
   
2. Essays will vary in length. They should be double-spaced, in a normal sized (10-12 point) font or type comparable to Times New Roman. Essays not meeting the minimum length requirement, and/or the use of a larger than normal font, or large margins, will have a reduced grade, depending on the amount of text missing. Works Cited pages, graphics, charts, etc. do not count toward the minimum page requirement.
   
3. All essays must be typed or printed on a computer printer.
   
4. Essays must be typed in MLA format.
   
5. Keep a HARD COPY of your essay, so that you will have a back-up in case of loss, disk crash, etc.. Anyone working on computer should have a back-up copy of his/her essay on disk.
   
6. Do not expect to receive the same grades on these papers that you have received in the past. My criteria for grading are very different and possibly more demanding than those with which you have worked previously. Moreover, while effort tends to improve the quality of the paper,
   

your grade will be based on the quality of your paper alone,

not the amount of effort you put into it.

There is no final exam.

Be Here, Now

If you miss 5 classes for any reason, you will lose one letter grade.

If you miss 8 classes you will lose two letter grades.

If you miss 10 classes, you will be withdrawn from the course.

An absence will be recorded if you arrive 15 minutes late or leave 15 minutes early.

Please, turn off the electronics, come on time and lean in.

Course Adaptation: If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please talk with me as soon as possible.