Friday, August 23rd: Last day to drop with a refund
Wednesday, August 28th: Last day to add the course
Wednesday, August 28th: The last day to drop the course for no "W"
Saturday, September 28th: The last day to drop the course with a "W" (withdrawal)
This semester, we will explore various social issues as students customize their course experience. Students will choose a social issue and explore its complexities over the course of the semester. Additionally, students will learn rhetorical analysis concepts and formulate an essay which demonstrates their ability to analyze the effectiveness of an argument. This form of introspection can lead to spacious thinking and to formulating new worldviews, and I am very much looking forward to hearing everyone’s insights as we progress through our course.
This course is designed to help students develop critical thinking, reading, and writing skills beyond the level achieved in English 120. The course focuses on the development of logical reasoning and analytical and argumentative writing skills.
You need this course to graduate or transfer. But there is more to it than that. Many of you might think of writing as difficult or tedious. But being able to write clearly, express your ideas well, and critically analyze information will be valuable to you far beyond this course. Whether it is communicating with other instructors, your employers, your children's schools or anyone else, it is essential that you can do so clearly and confidently. Writing well does not only help you, but it is tremendously valuable for our community. You each have individual perspectives and experiences, and sharing that within our community is hugely important.
In this class, we will become a community of writers, learners and critical thinkers. You all have stories to share, opinions to express, and arguments to make, and I am here to help you do all of that. There is no such thing as "bad writers" in our class. We will all work together to be the best writers we can be.
“C” grade or higher or “Pass” in ENGL 120 or equivalent
Flash drive or other storage device for storing your work
A college-level dictionary
In order to be successful in our online course, I have some suggestions:
Set your Canvas Notifications: Click on "Account" and then on "Notifications." Set the following items to "Notify immediately:" Announcement, Grading, Late Grading, and Submission Comment. This will ensure that you are kept up to date on all communications from me.
Log in Regularly: Log in to the course at least every other day. New modules open each Saturday and assignments are due the following Saturday and Sunday.
Set a Routine: I suggest viewing the weekly overview pages each Monday, completing the readings by Thursday of the week, and posting your initial reply to the discussions on Friday or Saturday. Then, you should complete your peer replies on Saturday and Sunday, and, if you'd like, you can get an early start on the following week's reading on Saturday and Sunday as well.
Navigate the modules: To successfully navigate through the module content, my recommendation is to click on the Overview page and click "Next" in the bottom right hand corner of each page. The tracker at the bottom of each page will indicate your progress in the week's module. As you flip through the pages in the module, you will encounter the content that you need in order to complete the weekly activities and course projects.
Watch the assignment prompt videos: For the projects, I offer the prompt instructions in both text and video forms. I suggest watching the videos, as I guide you through the text that's on the page and explain in greater detail. These videos should help to communicate the instructions clearly.
Center the learning process: By going gradeless in our course, I am communicating to students that I value the learning process over grades. This means that I'd like students to really dive into the weekly content and readings, sit with the authors' messages, and make meaningful connections to historical moments and the theoretical frameworks. By doing so, the skills you learn and the connections you make will not only help to crystalize the content in our course, but support you in your future classes as you apply course content in meaningful ways. Further, the content you learn in this class is applicable to the contexts that surround you in your daily life. You may find that, because you aren't distracted or stressed out by grades in our course, you are better able to apply the content to personal situations and current events.
Leverage your resources: I offer student visiting hours (office hours) to come and talk to me about your experiences in the course, to ask me questions, and to unpack readings and course content. You can either make an appointment or drop in during my scheduled hours, and if my scheduled times don't work with your schedule, I am happy to schedule an appointment outside those times. I also include links to our Cuyamaca student services, so please take advantage of the numerous FREE services, including tutoring, counseling (academic and personal), financial aid, and many more!
Analyze the arguments and underlying assumptions in complex and non-traditional texts, explaining the relationships between arguments and the ways writers advance their claims.
Construct original, nuanced arguments and interpretations of texts that demonstrate awareness of audience and purpose, and that synthesize sources representing multiple perspectives.
Create written work that is clear and largely error-free, and demonstrates an advanced understanding of mechanics, style, and voice.
These come from Gholdy Muhammad's book Cultivating Genius.
Identity Formation: students will examine their personal identities as well as those who differ from them in order to situate themselves in scholarly conversations and leverage their cultural, historical, and ancestral capital as well as lived experiences
Skills: Students will develop writing, research, synthesis, critical thinking, rhetorical analysis, technology, and presentation skills
Intellect: Students will gain new knowledge outside of the English discipline by examining the history and interdisciplinary applications of their social issues
Criticality: Students will engage in the projects this term in order to challenge systems of oppression and create social change
Header Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash