• Writing Guide for our course (log into Canvas)

• Recommended free websites for research  (from Mesa Library)

• Free complete writing handbook (from Excelsior)

• Working with sources (Duke University)

There are no required books except for exam "bluebooks"  for the final exam if needed.

Work Length Percentage 

         of Final Grade

Writing project 1   1,500- 1,800 words     15%

Film Analysis 1 TBA 10%

Quizzes, Short Assignments Varies 45%

Writing project 2     1,000-1,200 words  10%

Film Analysis 2 TBA 10%

Open Note Final Exam Multiple choice/short answer      10%

FINAL GRADES:   A: 90% - 100% | B: 80% - 89% | C: 70% - 79% | D: 60% - 69% | F: 59% or lower

• Instructions for late assignments and make-up work for my classes

• DSPS Accommodations 

• Free tutoring in-person or online at Mesa

• Financial Aid at Mesa

• Mesa Student Health Services

• CalHOPE LiveChat, Free Resources and Support

• Free clothing/food resources at Mesa via The Stand

• more links to come soon. Let me know if there is something else (websites, free stuff etc.) you've found helpful so I can build out more resources for everyone.

Be here now:     When you’re interacting with the material and discussions, be present.  Avoid gaming or social media when you’re working on school things.  If you are in the classroom, put your phone away and relax. This time and place has be set aside for you. 

Be aware:    Think about the words you choose to use. Be aware of the needs and feelings of the people around you. Are you listening as well as writing? Are you learning from others? Are you leading by example? 

Be organized:    Check in often. Keep materials where you can easily access them. Retain all work until after grades are posted at the end of the semester. It might be important to show proof of a grade. 

Be engaged:  Ask questions of me, your classmates (and anyone else), and the texts. Your voice matters and the world needs you. Seriously. We can't do this without you! I love when students ask me for clarifications or explanations or extra help. You are why I am here. 

You can expect me to...

• be as clear and organized as I can be to ensure you meet course outcomes.
• get nerdy about this stuff. I'm a thinker!
• provide a variety of assignments to ensure your learning needs are met.
• be actively present in your learning.
• love your raw, messy writing and ideas as you engage in learning. 
• provide a supportive and safe environment for you to share and discuss ideas with your peers.
• reach out when I sense you need support.
• treat you with dignity and be flexible to support your individual needs.
• make a few mistakes and view those as an opportunity to learn and grow.

We expect you to...

• to actively participate in this course and meet due dates.
• communicate with me so I understand how to support you.
• contact me if you have concerns with meeting a due date.
• regularly contribute to collaborative activities to ensure other members of the community have ample opportunity to read/listen, reflect, and respond to your ideas.
• treat your peers with dignity and respect.
• give yourself grace and be patient. Mistakes and missteps are essential for learning.
• submit your own work and credit others when you borrow something from them 

• Evaluate textual and visual texts for strengths and weakness.
• Argue and justify positions on topics that are important to you.
• Apply critical thinking skills to reading, writing, and class discussions.
• Expand or create a reading and writing process that works for you.
• Connect your experience to the experiences of others, even if those seem really different at first.

Policy For Attendance

• Students should drop all classes they are no longer attending. 

• Students who remain enrolled beyond the withdrawal deadline will receive an evaluative letter grade in this class. 

• Even though I do not deduct points for an absence, your final grade may still be impacted by inactivity (missed discussions, multiple missed/late assignments) or repeated missed classes (missing explanations for assignments or clarifications about work),

Deadlines, Rewrites and Revisions

• Learning is an ongoing process. This means (in our class) you can revise or re-submit most assignments for a higher grade as long as it’s before the last day of class. You must contact me if you feel you would like to rewrite something. 

• If you need an extension, reach out to me before the due date.

• Review my handout on late work to learn more about what you should do if you fall behind on assignments.

Non-negotiables

• Plagiarized or AI-generated work is not eligible for re-write or re-submission. See academic policies below for more info about that.

• Discussion boards/Peer work: These are time sensitive and cannot be made-up. Active participation is important; we learn (and retain) a lot from communicating with and teaching one another. If you miss something, email me with a solution for making up those points.

• Exams. You may only make up a midterm or final if it’s missed for a medical reason or emergency. Contact me if this is the case. 

• If you are unfamiliar with AI language models and automated writing assistance, read this short overview:  What is ChatGPT?

• Don't trust automated services as a "source" of information because these are often wrong or mix up accurate and incorrect information. It isn't considered credible sourcing for academic work. 

• In my courses, you may use these services, as well as things like Wikipedia, to learn more about something, but you may not use them as a replacement for your own words. That is considered plagiarism. These are tools, but they can't replace your voice or your ideas or your emphasis.

• Academic integrity is expected at all times. Plagiarism in any class will result in consequences ranging from grade reduction to failure in the class or even more serious consequences. 

• Please continually check that your work is your own and if you feel like you need extra help, contact me and also check out our free tutoring resources. Help from a trained Mesa tutor is not plagiarism.

• San Diego Mesa College values honesty, academic integrity, and community. Our goal is to guide our students in maintaining academic excellence, in addition to fostering a sense of belonging to our campus. At San Diego Mesa College, students are expected to create their own work in connection with all lecture and laboratory assessments and assignments, and will refrain from copying, cheating, plagiarizing, utilizing outside resources, or any form of academic misconduct. Students will properly acknowledge external sources. 

• Students are expected to be honest and ethical at all times in their pursuit of academic goals. Students who are found in violation of district Procedure 3100.3, Honest Academic Conduct, will receive a zero grade on the assignment in question and may be referred for disciplinary action in accordance with Procedure 3100.2, Student Disciplinary Procedures.

OFFICIAL COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is designed for transfer-level students or for those who want to develop competence in college level reading and composition. In this course, students read, analyze, discuss and think critically using a variety of works and sources. Based on these activities, students write essays, fully documented research projects, and other types of texts for various purposes and audiences. This written work, which demonstrates effective, logical, and precise expression of ideas, totals at least 6000 graded words. Designated sections of this course may be taught from a specific cultural perspective. (FT) Associate Degree Credit & transfer to CSU and/or private colleges and universities. UC Transfer Course List. 

DISTRICT STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Identify and distinguish between statements of fact, personal opinion, informed opinion, premises, assumptions, and values. 2. Investigate the assumptions, claims, support, reasoning, context, and other elements that drive a specific argument, explanation, or way of thinking. 3. Recognize and respond to logical fallacies. 4. Identify and evaluate various types of evidence. 5. Apply the principles of rhetoric to produce an argument for an intended audience. 6. Locate and evaluate research sources in a variety of media. 7. Apply the principles of critical reasoning to a specific research topic, everyday practice, or a commonly-accepted idea or definition. 8. Identify and produce effective argumentative prose.

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES 

CLO #1: Critical Thinking

Students will display mental habits that show evidence of questioning, analysis, synthesis, and beliefs based on evidence.

CLO #2: Rhetorical Awareness

Students will be able to identify and evaluate the elements of arguments and produce written works which adhere to established academic conventions of structure and content.

CLO #3: Global Awareness

By reading both fiction and non-fiction texts from a variety of authors from different backgrounds voicing diverse points of view, students will be able to describe and explain multiple perspectives as well as analyze the effects of different cultural perspectives on classic and contemporary issues.