English 101
COLLEGE COMPOSITION & READING
"Technology and Ourselves"
Modesto Junior College | Spring 2024
Welcome to English 101, READING & COMPOSITION! My name is Nathan Lloyd, your instructor for this class (see the Welcome video and the "About Me" section below), and this webpage is our course syllabus. In it, you will find important information about how I teach, what is expected of you, and how we'll communicate.
Think of me as not just your teacher, who explains concepts and instructions and awards grades, but also as your guide and part of your support network. I am always available via email (through the Canvas Inbox is the best way; you can email lloydn@yosemite.edu but sometimes emails there get overlooked because that inbox fills with clutter from the school administration) and will have a drop-in Zoom office hour most Mondays at 12pm. You may call me Mr. Lloyd or Professor Lloyd or "Prof" or "Teach" or any other appropriately endearing nickname.
Some of you may be entering this course with anxiety, whether because it is your first college class, because it's your first class in a long time, or because it's your first time taking a fully online course (with no live Zoom sessions). I speak directly about what to expect in the welcome video on this syllabus, and that may help to ease your anxiety. Additionally, I speak more directly about how fear and anxiety can prevent success and what kind of attitude and mindset will help you succeed in the class in the video "Face Your Fear and Persevere!" which all students should view in the beginning of the course.
Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash
ABOUT COURSE
Course Start Date: 1/16/2024
Course Available on 1/14/2024 (it won't appear on your Dashboard until that day)
Log in and start by 1/16/2024 by the latest
Our course lasts 15 weeks + Finals Week
Assignments due Mondays and Thursdays
First assignments due Tue. 1//16/24 (due to the holiday and term start date)
Assignments include audio/video interactions, text discussion forums, readings and annotations, prewriting assignments, and essays
Modality: asynchronous online
no live Zoom class sessions
Work through Canvas Modules
Manage your time
Meet due dates
All materials provided:
This course is ZTC (it has Zero Textbook Cost)
Our course theme, “Technology and Society,” frames the course reading, writing, and research. Throughout the semester, we will investigate how the time we spend on the internet and social media affects both our thinking and our social interaction, and then we will begin to look at other ways that modern technology shapes society, for better or for worse. This theme fosters active discussion and provides opportunities for clear argumentation and challenging critical thought. It also allows us to address very current issues that are affecting all of us daily on a personal level.
ABOUT ME
I teach English at Merced College, Modesto Junior College, and San Joaquin Delta College
I've been instructing college English classes since 2014
I have a lovely wife and amazing 7-year-old daughter
I spend my spare time researching and writing a history podcast
Check out my podcast in the embedded player below for a better idea of my devotion to research and critical thinking!
Communication Essentials
Preferred Method of Direct Communication
Use the Canvas Inbox to message me!
Any message will be automatically sent to my email at lloydn@yosemite.edu
If you email that address directly, there is a chance I may not reply according to my response time below.
General Availability
I tend to check emails in the morning and then throughout the day.
I try to be away from the computer and with my family in the evenings.
Expected Response Time
I willy typically reply to messages within a day to a day and a half at the latest.
The exception may be weekends, when I try to reserve my time for family and life!
Course Communication
Check the Announcements and Home Page regularly for ongoing check-ins and lectures
Access comment feedback on assignments right from the Grades page, by clicking the word balloon button
Access detailed annotation feedback by clicking the assignment name link on the Grades Page and then click View Feedback (this is easiest to view on a laptop or desktop using the Chrome browser)
Week One Success Kit
Due Dates for Week 1
Introduce Yourself and Your Internet Usage: due Tuesday 1/16
Face Your Fear and Persevere video quiz: due Tuesday 1/16
Write Me a Professional Email: due Thursday 1/18
Materials Needed for Week 1 and for the course
Internet access and internet capable device
All assignments will be completed on Canvas or on the website Perusall, where course readings are made available and annotated.
Perusall does not have a mobile version, so having access to a laptop or desktop with the Chrome browser will make reading and annotation assignments more accessible.
You must access Perusall assignments by launching the site from the associated Canvas assignment page.
Our Pact
What You Can Expect from Me
I'll remain present and active throughout the course.
I'll make regular announcements and video check-ins.
I'll make myself available for 1:1 video conferencing.
I'll provide timely and constructive feedback with the intention of inspiring you to improve your writing in upcoming assignments.
I will make every effort to allow reasonable accommodation for late submission of assignments in cases of emergencies or hardship situations. Just ask!
What I Expect of You
You will make an effort to remain confident and believe in your ability to succeed, even if you experience setbacks.
You will make an effort to participate in all readings, annotation activities, discussions, workshops, and pre-writing activities, and to view my videos and other materials in their entirety.
You will try to reach out to me before or shortly after any assignment's due date to let me know if there are personal circumstances preventing you from completing that assignment.
You will interact with your peers enthusiastically in activities that call for it, putting effort into your responses and feedback to them.
You will engage with your peers in a constructive and respectful way, using netiquette and helping to build a supportive community of learning.
My Teaching Philosophy
I understand that all students come to my class with a different set of skills and different habits and rituals when it comes to reading and writing. I believe our diversity as a class, in background and in our approaches to communication, is an asset, providing us with more learning opportunities. My goal is not to make you conform to specific writing practices or adapt your study techniques to what I prescribe. Instead, I want to get you thinking about your process and identifying ways you might improve it. The objective of our course is to learn, not just to follow instructions, and different people take different paths to learning.
I believe that education is a dialogue--it requires engagement from both sides. I must tailor my instruction to your specific needs, providing all the support that may be required for you to succeed, and you must voice your questions and concerns, letting me know where you need further support, if we are both to be successful. We must remember, though, that this is not a dialogue between just two of us. This is a discussion, involving our entire class. I must do my best to foster a strong community focused on learning that will include all students participating in the course. As members of that community of learning, you must also support each other, since we are all in this together.
Course Goals
(Student Learning Outcomes)
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Apply a variety of rhetorical strategies to write unified, well-organized essays with arguable theses and persuasive support.
Analyze, interpret, and evaluate texts and sources (primary and secondary).
Integrate the ideas of others through paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting in appropriate documentation format.
Demonstrate proofreading and editing techniques so that written work conforms to the conventions of standard, written, academic English.
Image Attribution: Goals by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Pix4free
My Advice for Success
To successfully complete this course, students should make an effort to:
Have confidence in their ability to improve their writing over time, and try to have determined responses to setbacks.
Reach out to me in a timely manner if any personal circumstances or hardship situations may prevent them from completing assignments.
Complete all assignments, including readings, annotations, discussion posts, and peer reviews, in order to keep their participation grade high.
Keep upcoming essay prompts in mind as they annotate readings and respond to discussion prompts, and use these assignments as opportunities to develop ideas and build toward strong rough drafts.
Make use of student support services, especially tutoring and research assistance from librarians!
Image Attribution: college.library CC BY 2.0 Flickr
Support for You
The college offers many resources for your support. Your tuition and fees pay for these services, so you should not hesitate to use them if they can help!
Visit the Student Success & Tutorial Center webpage to schedule an appointment
Visit the Student Tech Support webpage to find Canvas and MC Portal support
Visit the Disabled Students Programs & Services (DSPS) webpage to apply for accommodations
Visit the Student Health Services webpage to access medical care and mental health services
Visit the Food Pantry webpage for Basic Needs and Food Resources
Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash