Page 1 of 5 In Search of a Voice and Other Adventures .docx

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In Search of a Voice and Other Adventures:
College Reading and Composition I--English 101-8218
Online Spring 2016 (8 weeks: 11 April-3 June)
H. Vishwanadha
e-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]
My voice restore for me
My mind restore for me
. . . . . . . .
It is finished in beauty
It is finished in beauty.
from the Navajo "Night Chant"
1. This course will focus on effective expository prose and
critical reading--necessary survival
skills for your success in college and the professional world. In
addition, we shall improve

our research skills through assignments in the library.
2. This class is taught entirely online and runs eight weeks from
11 April to 3 June. You are
expected to have a working computer with a reliable connection
to the web via the
internet throughout the semester. Make sure you have installed
on your computer the
necessary software to submit assignments in a format
compatible with the ETUDES platform
and my computer (Word 2003 or later format or Rich Text
Format for all documents). You
should become familiar with the ETUDES platform and other
aspects of the online learning
environment. The home page of the online courses at
myetudes.org is the main portal to gain
access to the course home page that has all the course materials.
The web site also includes
helpful videos, FAQs, and other useful information to help
orient you to the ETUDES
platform. Browse these sources as soon as possible. Take note
of the Help Desk. For any
technical questions or problems, contact the Help Desk at
310.287.4305 or

[email protected] Regular participation in all online discussions
is required.
Additional information about distance learning and online
courses, visit
www.wlac.edu/online
3. Writing is a complex, enriching process. All of us should
systematically go through the
prewriting/discovery, rough draft, and revision phases of the
composing process. Rewriting is
the best form of writing. We shall continually revise our essays
to make them informative,
thoughtful, and effective.
mailto:[email protected]
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4. The absolute TRUTH about composition according to

Vishwanadha:
We write not just for grades and teachers but for real human
beings.
We write not just correctly but effectively and gracefully.
We write not just to fill up paper but to inform and persuade.
Rewriting is the best form of writing.
5. Required texts:
a) A. Gawande. Complications. A Surgeon‟s Notes on an
Imperfect Science. New York:
Picador, 2002.
b) S. Winchester. Professor and the Madman. New York: Harper
Perennial, 2005.
c) A Pocket Style Manual. Ed. Diana Hacker. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin‟s, 2007.
d) A good desk dictionary.
1. Assignments:
Essays (about 4) 55%
Timed-writing assignments (about 6) 25%
Threaded discussions 15%

Journal (at least one entry a week) 5%
Carefully review the document titled “101EssayGrading
Rubric,” which is posted in the
“Course Policies and Procedures” section
2. There is no midterm or final examination. We will write
several essays and timed-writing
assignments throughout the semester. The last essay will be
completed and submitted by
Saturday 4 June and the last timed-assignment by Friday 3 June.
Details will be given later in
the semester.
3. There is no formal research paper. The essays (including
Essay IV) will require research of
secondary sources. We shall follow the usual procedures for
academic research (compiling a
working bibliography of reliable sources, taking careful notes,
and documenting all borrowed
information) as outlined in Hacker‟s Pocket Style Manual.
Specific instructions for
composing and submitting these essays will be given in the
course of the semester. Students
are required to adhere to these instructions. Essays not
following these instructions will not

be accepted.
4. The course grade--a cumulation of all the written work--will
be determined according to the
following scale:
A+ 12 B+ 9 C+ 6 D+ 3
A 11 B 8 C 5 D 2
A- 10 B- 7 C- 4 D- 1 F 0
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5. Class Participation: Active and regular participation in all the
activities every week
(reading, discussions, essays) is required. The discussions are a
vital part of the course. Not
participating in a weekly discussion or not submitting an
assignment is equivalent to being
absent for the entire week. Two or more unexcused absences
will result in your being

dropped from the course. Remember, all assignments will have
specific due dates, and after
the deadline has passed the system will not allow you to submit
late assignments. Make sure
you submit your work by the deadline specified to receive
proper credit.
6. Any assignment more than one week late--except under
extenuating circumstances--will lose
one letter grade. Please complete all assignments, both written
and oral--on time. Not
submitting a major writing assignment, such as an essay or
timed paper, will result in a drop
of one letter grade in the course grade.
7. Individual Conferences (Office Hours): Although we do not
meet on campus, I expect you
to “meet” me regularly via email throughout the semester.
Don‟t hesitate to ask questions and
seek advice about any aspect of the course and about your
writing. I check my emails
regularly, several times a day, including weekends. And I reply
promptly.
8. Course SLO: Argue a point and support it (in writing) using
extensive evidence from
outside sources.

9. Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be
able to:
-level material;
rgument and
assumptions of a nonfiction
text;
-level
research, such as locate
sources, read and annotate them, and use them appropriately in
the student‟s own
writing;
ctively for different audiences and purpose,
with an emphasis on
informative and persuasive writing;

expression in the English
language;
Page 4 of 5
munity of critical thinkers and
responsible citizens.
This course helps improve our skills in critical thinking, critical
reading, effective research,
and persuasive writing. We will write and revise essays
throughout the semester to help
develop these skills and to measure our progress in improving
these skills.
Please adhere to the principles outlined in the “Standards of
Student Contact” in the
Things to Know/Policies (PDF file), pp. 138-39, at
www.wlac.edu.
You will find clear discussion of the nature of academic

writing, the procedures for
submitting essays in college, and the nature of plagiarism and
how to avoid it in Diana
Hacker’s A Pocket Style Manual and at
www.dianahacker.com/writersref. I shall refer to
appropriate sections in the book throughout the semester. Read
them carefully and follow
the instructions.
Disability Support Services (DSS) Accommodation Statement*
“Students with disabilities
who need any assistance or accommodations should contact the
instructor”. Students should also
contact the Disabled Student Programs & Services (DSPS)
center located in SSB 320 or call
310-287-4420.” [email protected]
Academic Integrity: True education involves development of
excellence in our skills as well as
our ethical conduct. Integrity—both academic and personal—is
part of the very fibre of this
course. We are all expected to be honest in our work and our
behavior. Here is the college policy
on academic dishonesty that you should be aware of: “Academic
dishonesty policy: “LACCD

student code of conduct as it relates to student dishonesty
(Board Rule 9803.28) is as follows:
„Violations of academic integrity of any type by a student
provides grounds for disciplinary
action by the instructor or college. Violations of Academic
Integrity include, but are not limited
to, the following actions: cheating on an exam, plagiarism,
working together on an assignment,
paper or project when the instructor has specifically stated
students should not do so, submitting
the same term paper to more than one instructor, or allowing
another individual to assume one‟s
identity for the purpose of enhancing one‟s grade. For more
information on the Standards of
Student Conduct refer to the college catalog available in
hardcopy and online at www.lattc.edu.‟”
Finally, before you consider dropping the class, talk to me. It's
never as bad as you think it is.
Best wishes.

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Tentative Schedule
Weeks
1-2 Narrative/Process Analysis Essay I and
Review of Thesis Paper 1
Discussion of Gawande:
Author‟s Note, Introduction and Part
I (pp. 11-106).
3-4 Research Essay II and
Discussion of Purpose Paper 2
Discussion of Gawande,
pp. 109-52.

5-6 Definition Essay III and
Discussion of Winchester: Paper 3
Chapters 1-6
7-8 Argument and Persuasion Essay IV and
Discussion of Winchester: Paper 4
Chapters 6-10
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Instructions for Writing and Submitting Essays
English 21 and 28 and prior English classes have introduced us
to the academic essay and
the composition process. We should be familiar with the
standard features of a college-level
essay—clear and precise thesis statement relevant to the
question asked; specific evidence from
the text in support of the thesis; a cogent and persuasive

argument; coherent organization; clear
prose style—and with the stages of the composing process—
brainstorming, drafting, and
revision. We shall, of course, review these elements and these
steps in the course of this
semester. Essays in the English department are to be submitted
in accordance with the MLA
Formatting and Style Guide available in the Hacker book. Refer
also to the websites of some
university writing centers, such as the one at Harvard
University
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/resources.html and at
Purdue University
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/. You should also consult me
via email.
We shall write about four essays in expository prose (to be
reviewed in the next couple of
weeks) on a variety of topics. [There is a separate document
providing instructions on timed
writing assignments; it will be posted shortly in the Timed-
Writing Assignments module.] The
essays are to be submitted according to the following
guidelines. If you do not follow these

guidelines, I shall not accept your paper for grading.
1. Usually, the essay prompt will be posted online on Monday
by about 9:00a.m. PST,
perhaps earlier, and will be due at the end of the following
week. Within 24 hours of the
posting, you are to email me your choice of topic with some
notes showing the
brainstorming stage of the writing process. The notes should be
fairly substantive.
2. Latest by Thursday 11:00a.m. PST of the week of the posting,
you are to send me via
email a rough draft on the topic you have chosen. Send all
documents as attachments in
Word 2003 format or Rich Text Format. Other formats are
incompatible with my
computer and the computers on campus. As a result, the essay in
a different format
cannot be read. The rough draft should have a clear thesis and
relevant supporting
evidence. The rough draft need not be complete, but it should be
substantial. The
organization and the writing need not be polished, but the essay
must have an

introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Please do not
wait until the last minute
to submit the draft.
3. I shall read the draft and send you written comments on the
content and organization—
within 12 hours of your submission. I do not grade rough drafts.
After you have reviewed
my comments, you may write additional drafts and submit them
to me for more
comments—until 24 hours prior to the deadline. The additional
drafts are optional. The
first draft is required of everyone.
4. The final draft, with only the first rough draft attached, is to
be submitted electronically
to the appropriate section of the course home page. Use 12 point
Times New Roman font.
Submit the essay in Microsoft Word 2003 format or Rich Text
Format. There are no
minimum or maximum page-length requirements. Make sure you
discuss the issue
thoroughly and persuasively.
5. If you have any questions or concerns about any aspect of
this process or you have not

received a response from me as promised, please do not hesitate
to contact me right away
Page 2 of 2
by sending me an email [email protected] or Private Message
from the course
home page. I check all my messages several times a day every
day, including weekends.
I usually write comments and assign an appropriate letter grade
to the final draft of the
essay. After you have had a chance to review my comments, I
am prepared to go over the
essay with you to explain my rationale and for you to ask
questions as well as to seek
clarifications of any point. Don’t hesitate to be in touch with
me. Usually, there are no further
revisions of the essay. There are no assignments for extra
credit.
Final Note: Submit all papers online to the appropriate section
of the course home page
on the Etudes platform. Take note of the technical requirements

and the due dates. Once the
due date has passed the system will not accept any late
submissions.
Page 1 of 2
The Components of a Successful Essay
Through writing this assignment, students should demonstrate
the following outcomes or should show that
they can do the following:
Write effectively, using the conventions of standard English, a
clear focus, appropriate
support/evidence and logical organization.
Collect and organize research data, using credible sources to
write a convincing/persuasive
document.
Analyze, synthesize and evaluate information to assess the
validity and usefulness of an argument.
Name:
Due Date:

Criteria
Unsatis-
factory
Needs
Work
Adequate Good Excellent
Assignment Fulfillment
Does the essay fulfill the required criteria? Does it have an
appropriate
original title? Did the writer bring two drafts to class? Is the
essay in MLA
format (including one-inch margins)? Is the essay made up of
at least
______ words/pages?
INTRODUCTION/THESIS
Thesis
Does the writer include a clear thesis statement (claim) that
states the topic of
the essay and the writer’s point of view on that topic?
Introduction
Does the introductory paragraph include the title and author of
the text?
Does the writer introduce the essay with adequate background
information in
a full paragraph that leads the reader to the thesis statement?

Does the writer
use some version of one or more of the following techniques:
Question Anecdote/Story/Experience
Importance of the topic Opposite of thesis
Arresting/shocking statement/statistic Quotation
Philosophy An insight
SUPPORT/BODY PARAGRAPHS
Organization
Does the writer use a clear, logical pattern of organization such
as
chronological, thematic, or Rogerian? Does the writer use topic
sentences
that relate back to and develop the thesis statement? Does the
writer stay
focused on proving the thesis statement with appropriate,
relevant evidence?
Does the writer use transitions when moving from idea to idea?
Development/Support
Are the body paragraphs fully developed with SPECIFIC
reasons,
illustrations, examples, details, evidence, and/or explanations
that support
the thesis? Does the writer synthesize the text, outside research,
and his/her
knowledge and experience to prove his/her points? Does the
writer identify
unfamiliar persons, places, and things and define terms?

CONCLUSION
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Conclusion
Does the writer wrap up his/her essay using an effective
technique?
GENERAL/ FULL ESSAY
Critical Thinking
Does the writer demonstrate an understanding of the text by
explaining and
analyzing its meaning? Does the writer clearly communicate
well-thought-
out reasons he/she is arguing his/her side of the issue based on
evidence
from research and knowledge? Does the writer acknowledge,
grant merit to
and/or refute sufficient opposing views in the essay?
Research
Does the writer cite sources according to MLA format? Does
the writer
integrate and synthesize relevant quotations, paraphrases, and
summaries
from outside sources into his/her essay?
Sentence Craft
Is the writing fluent, clear, and easy to understand? Does the

writer use an
appropriate tone and provide support for his/her points? Does
the writer
use declarative sentences and avoid asking questions? Does the
writer use a
variety of sentences?
Proofreading
Does the writer use standard English throughout the essay and
use correct
grammar, punctuation, and spelling?
More than
5 errors/pg
5 or fewer
errors /pg
4 or fewer
errors /pg
3 or fewer
errors/pg
2 or fewer
errors / pg
Comments/Grade:

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