English C1001 (formerly English 1C)

Sections offered Fall 2025

Theme this semester: Reason and Emotion - analyzing philosophical and scientific arguments. 

Two sections this semester, one in-person full-term section and one online section part of the 16-week City Online schedule.

CRN 72924  In-Person  Section 002  Full Term: (8/15/25 to 12/19/25)

CRN 72925  Online  Section 933  16-week Term: (9/2/25 to 12/19/25) 

CATALOG DESCRIPTION

In this course, students receive instruction in critical thinking for purposes of constructing, evaluating, and composing arguments in a variety of rhetorical forms, using primarily non-fiction texts, refining writing skills and research strategies developed in ENGL C1000, Academic Reading and Writing (or C-ID ENGL 100) or similar first-year college writing course. 

Prerequisites/corequisites/advisories:

Completion of English 1A/C1000 with a C or better or placement in English 1B/1C/C1001.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, a student will be able to:

1. Define, recognize, and utilize forms of critical reasoning, including deductive and inductive reasoning, in a variety of rhetorical contexts.

2. Reflect critically on one’s own thought processes to identify and avoid cognitive biases and common fallacies of language and thought.

3. Employ critical reading and research strategies to locate and evaluate complex texts representative of diverse experiences, perspectives, and forms of authority.

4. Evaluate and document evidence to construct arguments in a variety of rhetorical situations, distinguishing knowledge from belief and fact from judgment.

5. Draft written arguments to respond appropriately to texts, with attention to intended audience, purpose, and social context, and revise for clarity, cogency, persuasiveness, and soundness.

Class Meetings

The in-person classes meet regularly, twice a week, on Ocean Campus (see above), while the online section will have one optional meeting/week on CityZoom, tentatively Wednesdays 2:10-3pm; this optional meeting will be recorded for those who cannot attend.

Course Web Site

You will use the Canvas Learning Management system for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmates' work, sharing resources, and viewing grades.  I can help with the course material and with some Canvas issues. But, if you need help uploading an assignment or with the mechanics of Canvas, you should reach out to Canvas help. 

Textbooks  

• A Rhetoric of Argument (RA), 3rd Brief ed., by Jeanne Fahnestock and Marie Secor. The CCSF English Department has received permission from the authors to provide a digital pdf version of the text to you for no charge. Find the files for selected chapters in pdf format at the top of the Modules section in the Canvas Learning Management system under the heading: English C1001 Textbook Resources (directly above Module 0). If you prefer a hard copy, purchase from the CCSF Bookstore, or from an online vendor as an e-book or hard copy. 

• Looking for Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain, (LFS) by Antonio Damasio. Purchase from the CCSF Bookstore, or from an online vendor as an e-book or hard copy. 

• How to Think like a Philosopher (HTT), by Julian Baggini. Purchase from the CCSF Bookstore, or from an online vendor as an e-book or hard copy.

Field Trips

None.

Important Dates

 [Find the following dates in the Instructional Calendar or in the online Schedule of Classes by hovering over the deadlines link next to your class listing.]

For the in-person section:

• Start and End Dates

• August 18, 2025 - December 19, 2025

• Important Dates:

• Last day to add: September 5, 2025

• Last day for refund: August 29, 2025

• Last day to drop without W: September 5, 2025

• Last day to drop with W: November 13, 2025

• Last day to elect pass/no pass: NA

For the online section:

Start and End Dates

• September 2, 2025 - December 19, 2025

Important Dates:

• Last day to add: September 19, 2025

• Last day for refund: September 11, 2025

• Last day to drop without W: September 19, 2025

• Last day to drop with W: November 20, 2025

• Last day to elect pass/no pass: NA

Dropping the Class

• First of all, I do not want you to drop the class. Please contact me immediately if you have any headwinds that are blowing so hard they are threatening to knock you off course. 

• I will work with you to come up with a plan that will enable you to stay in the course and succeed. However, if you find yourself still needing to drop the course, be aware that the date when you drop the class can variously affect your transcript and finances. 

• If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it to avoid getting no refund (after 10% of course length), a W symbol (after 20%), or a grade (after 60%). Typically, I only drop students myself at the beginning of the semester, if they are a no-show or miss several assignments in a row, in order to make room for other students who want to add. 

• In order not to be dropped as a No-Show, you will need to complete the Check-in Discussion by the end of the seventh calendar day after the class begins. 

• In order not to be dropped after your initial activity in the course, you must also participate in the first weekly Discussion by the end of the fourteenth calendar day after the class begins.

Course Syllabus