English 120 College Composition and Reading
Grossmont College Summer 2009 Online classes
Section 0556 and 0557

In completing this course you will need to use email, but you will also need to use the Grossmont College Blackboard system to be able to respond to the weekly online discussion topics and for ease in obtaining various documents and handouts (this means that you will probably not be able to complete the class using only your Blackberry). You will need to login to the Blackboard system at http://bb.gcccd.net. Here you will find documents and links similar to those available here (though in a different organization).

There are two discussion forums available: one strictly for responding to the posted topics and another for student-to-student free chat (keeping in mind that it is still a public forum, not a private chat room). Responses on the former are graded; responses on the latter are not. The instructor reserves the right to delete, modify, or remove inappropriate responses and to block users whose messages are inappropriate

• 10 % of the final grade is based on the INSTRUCTOR'S EVALUATION of your effort and progress.
• 60% of the final grades is based on ESSAYS (including a final exam). Essays are evaluated for the content of the ideas and for rhetorical effectiveness. Errors in grammar, punctuation, idiom, etc., detract from the overall effectiveness of writing and will affect the grade.
• 10% of the final grade is based on the DISCUSSION TOPICS. The Discussion Forum is posted on Blackboard. Log in to the Blackboard system HERE or go to Grossmont main page for general information about Online Courses
• 10% of the final grade is based on a variety of STUDY SKILLS assignments (summaries, outlines, etc., including all work on the research paper other than the final paper itself, such as thesis, outline, bibliography, etc.) .) as well as an online “Library User Computer Instruction” assignment found at http://www.grossmont.edu/library/luci/
• 10% of the final grade is based on the RESEARCH PAPER..

Evaluation Standards for Essays:
The grades for your essays will be based on a variety of factors, most of which will probably seem somewhat subjective to you. The image of the multiple choice test (in which the grade is determined by subtracting the number of errors from 100%) has become a metaphor that influences our whole society's way of thinking: it is assumed that everyone starts at perfection and then goes downhill as the result of mistakes. Excellence becomes largely a matter of minimally following some of the rules (or not getting caught) This image is a rotten way to run a school, a business, a government, or anything else for that matter. Excellence in writing, as in any endeavor, is not just a matter of avoiding obvious error. Let's use a different analogy: building a house. A house doesn't begin at perfection; it begins as a bare lot, as nothing. In order to build a good house you must select an appropriate site (just as in an essay you must select an appropriate subject); lay a firm foundation (thesis); divide the whole into rooms with specific functions such as bedroom, kitchen, living room (outline); provide adequate doorways (transitions); paint and decorate (style, word choice)—I think you see the point. It is true that if the builder leaves out a door, he avoids making a mistake by hanging the door crooked, but he also cuts off access to a room. What you fail to do in an essay is just as important as what you do. Further, a builder could follow all the "rules" (building codes) perfectly, yet still wind up with an ugly and uncomfortable house. Also, just as a great deal of what goes into building a house is not visible to an ordinary person, much that goes into building an essay is not apparent to an ordinary reader. Another "builder" (writer), however, will see the underlying form and will appreciate the hidden features (plumbing, wiring, ventilation, lighting, heating). An essay that has very few (or even no) errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar may still be a poor essay. Content, logic, mechanics, style, word choice, complexity of subject,— many things will determine your grade. Basically, the following guidelines will be used:

•  A   Essay shows unity, specificity, and coherence. It is virtually free of mechanical error. It shows consistently clear critical thinking skills and sound logic. It uses sophisticated sentence style and word choice appropriate to the subject.
•  B   Essay shows unity, specificity, and coherence. It has few (if any) mechanical errors. It exhibits sound critical thinking skills and logic. It is developed in easy-to-read prose
•  C   Essay is adequate. Its ideas come across fairly well in spite of a few mechanical errors. It may have some flaws in critical thinking and logic. The sentences show some variety and the word choice is adequate.
•  D   Essay is shallow and undeveloped, or it contains seriously distracting mechanical errors. It may show little, if any, critical thinking and the logic may be logically flawed. The sentences may show little sophistication, and the word choice may be weak. Overall, the essay may show little pre-writing effort or attempt at revision.
•  F   Essay shows little effort to meet the assignment. It may be riddled with mechanical errors. It may be logically inconsistent or show almost no critical thinking.

Essay Format and Policies:

1. ALL WORK FOR THIS CLASS MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY—as Microsoft Word Documents, rtf, Appleworks, or text files (or as part of the online discussion forum) In general, plain text files will probably be returned in pdf format. I cannot return files in Word Perfect or Microsoft Works formats (and often cannot even open them). Please use your "save as" function rather than the "save" function to a usable format (Word, RTF, Pages, Open Office) before submitting them.
2. Put your name, the date of submission, and the name of the specific assignment (such as "description essay" or "reading response essay") in the upper left corner. Give your essay an appropriate title that reflects your subject and thesis. Use one-inch margins all the way around your writing. Generally follow MLA standards for layout. Check your handbook for details.
3. You may revise essays, but YOU MUST clearly label the essay as a revision and YOU MUST include the corrected copy I originally returned to you.
4. Summaries, outlines, bibliographies, and any other non-essay work may NOT be revised.

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