English 1A Online

IMPORTANT DATES:

Day Classes Begin: Jan 29, 2024

Day Classes End: May 23, 2024

This class is part of CityOnline and has a shorter semester. CINE 21-Sec 93Xis an online class with no required on-campus meetings. This class is taught asynchronously, with no scheduled lectures, and is not self-paced. For more information about CityOnline go to https://online.ccsf.edu/.  

REQUIRED BOOKS:

Rules for Writers 9th  or 10th Edition by Diana Hacker

The Skin We Speak: Thoughts on Language and Culture in the Classroom edited by Lisa Delpit and Joanne Kilgour Dowdy

College dictionary

*Also, you will receive a number of web links during class.

ABOUT THIS COURSE:

In English 1A, we will be focusing on the nuts and bolts of writing.  We will read and analyze texts, look at rhetorical structures to understand how a piece of writing is constructed and we will write our own essays. These essays will require analysis as well as research.  In addition, we will be asking ourselves: How does our use of language empower or stigmatize? How does our home language differ from our formal language?  How does language adapt to our social, cultural and professional needs over time? How can we harness the power of language to change the world in which we live?

Throughout most of the class we will workshop.  By this I mean we will take apart a piece of writing with literary techniques you will learn in class.  We will see where a text becomes con, particularly powerful or confusing.  We will analyze language, tone, structure and rhythm.  We will ask why we think a piece of writing works or why it doesn’t.  We will be doing this with published work as well as your own. 

Moreover, we will focus on the fundamentals of academic reading and writing.  We will write essays formally concerned with argument and criticism, highlighting the importance of thesis statements, analysis, research and MLA documentation.  In short, we will be honing our ability to write academic papers as a goal as well as a means of understanding and critiquing what we read. 

If you are already familiar with taking courses online, with Canvas in particular, and you are comfortable meeting deadlines, this course is probably a good fit. If you have never taken an online course, I strongly encourage you to take 1A in person.

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:

Xochiquetzal Candelaria

Email: xcandela@ccsf.edu (my preferred  method of contact)

Phone:  (415) 239-3825

Office:  Batmale Hall 618

CANVAS ACCESS:

We will be using Canvas for online English 1A. In the past, the college used Insight and many courses are being transferred over to the new platform. To log in to Canvas you will need your RAM ID.

If you have any problems with logging in, don’t hesitate to contact CCSF Online Course Support Center.

If you want to become familiar with Canvas, please watch the CanvasVideo Overview for Students.

Also, be sure to check that your computer is prepared to handle Canvas: The Computer Readiness Test runs an automatic browser check with results and links for downloading plugins that you might need for your course.

ATTENDANCE:

In some ways, taking a course fully online is a bit harder than an in-person course because you are not physically in the company of fellow students and the instructor in a real-time environment. Asking a question and learning the answer has to be done through writing (mostly) and takes more time and effort than speaking and listening in real time. Also, you have to know how to navigate the Learning Management System, in this case, Canvas.

You can expect to spend approximately 9 hours a week doing work for this class. Please plan to log in to the course at least four times a week, so you can process the material and meet the two deadlines a week.

Work is due @ 7PM. Please do not wait until the last minute to submit your work; if a technical difficulty should arise you will have a 24 hour grace period in which to submit work; if you miss a deadline you cannot submit late work because the week’s work closes. 

ACCOMMODATIONS:

If you need special accommodations, please contact the Disabled Student Services and Programs (DSPS):

Phone: (415) 452-5481

See you online!

Professor Xochiquetzal Candelaria