Mesa Community College Department of English
Internet English 101
Spring Semester, 2008
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Instructor: Kate Mohler
Office Hours: Most of the time!! 
Phone : 480-461-7850
e-mail: katemohler@mail.mc.maricopa.edu
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Welcome to Internet English 101!  This class involves a lot of writing, reading, collaboration, and computer use—all good ways to improve our abilities to communicate well. This course will teach you about strategies that you can use to move from "just thinking" about writing...to actually writing!  We’ll practice different ways to get started, and you’ll learn different  techniques that will allow you to develop, revise and edit your essays.  Since each writer's needs are unique, I will provide you with lots of individual attention and feedback.

A few words about the computer and distance learning elements of this course: Most Internet-based English 101 classes utilize bulletin boards; however, ours will not.  Also, you will need to establish an e-mail account through MCC in order to participate in this class.  While you will have the option of forwarding your MCC e-mail to a different address (such as your Hotmail or Yahoo address), you are NOT allowed to use AOL e-mail nor the AOL browser (these software programs are not compatible with MCC e-mail).  However, you will still need to begin with an MCC account.  Once you have established your MCC e-mail account, click here if you would like to forward your e-mail someplace else: Forward MCC E-mail

Again: whatever e-mail address you choose to use this semester, you *must* begin with an MCC e-mail account.  In addition, you must be able to send and receive attachments in a recent version of Microsoft Word, and--of course--you must have access to the Internet. For this class, you don't have to buy the orientation CD or install any special software.

An important reminder: Your grades in this class rest SOLELY on your academic performance; however, your technological abilities (finding web pages on the Internet, how to e-mail and send attachments, how to configure your home computers, etc.) will determine, in large part, your success in this course.  Therefore, while the quality of your homework and essay assignments should remain your number one concern, a very close second is honing your computer skills to the point where you are very comfortable using the Internet and e-mail.  I will do my best to provide you with all of the directions you need to succeed with the technological aspect of this course.

Establishing Initial Contact: It is up to you to contact me very early in the semester.  Students who start the class behind schedule run the risk of being withdrawn or "purged" and becoming ineligible for a refund, or earning a failing grade.  This class starts on January 14. 

Required Textbook, Supplies, and Technology:

The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing, 8th edition, by Rise Axelrod and Charles Cooper (available at MCC's bookstore, phone number 480-461-7225)

A dictionary (the bigger, the better)

An Internet provider
An MCC e-mail account

An e-mail system that allows you to attach and download Word documents easilyA recent version of Microsoft Word

 

 

4 essays (3-5 typed pages each, double spaced, about 350 words per page using 12 point Times New Roman font)
Homework (most homework assignments are due by the last day of that week--Friday)
Consistent and dedicated class participation

Grading:  Each essay counts for approximately 20% of your grade.  Homework and class participation count for approximately 20% also.  To determine final grades, I will consider your involvement in this class, the quality of your homework, the quality of your essays, and your overall improvement.  Special Note: If three out of your four essay grades are "D" or lower, you cannot pass this class.  Although I do not require rough drafts, I will gladly review and critique rough drafts if you would like to send them to me early, before the final draft is due.  I highly encourage you to take advantage of this option--let me help you make your essays better! Note: You must send me your invention work before you send me a rough draft. Invention work is explained in detail under "Week Three".

Homework: I will grade the homework assignments you e-mail to me with  a check plus, a check, or a check minus.  Check plus means great and is the equivalent of an A.  To achieve check pluses, respond directly to the prompts and/or questions, using specific references to the text to support your own opinion.  Don't skip parts of the questions; make sure you answer them thoroughly, knowing that I am *very* interested in what you think, and why.  Check means okay and is the equivalent of a C, and check minus means you have failed that homework assignment.  If your homework is very brief and extremely lacking in detail, you will have to re-do the assignment for credit, so it is in your best interest to write lengthy, detailed homework responses the first time around.  If you earn mostly check-pluses, you can swing your final grade up (enough to earn you a B- rather than a C+, for instance) while checks and check-minuses will keep your final grade lower.  Homework assignments are NOT optional, and failure to complete them adequately could result in a failing final grade.

Communication Policy: If I feel that you are failing to participate at an adequate level, or if I see that you are consistently falling behind, I will withdraw you from the course.  You will receive one e-mail warning if you are falling behind or if I haven't heard from you in seven consecutive days.  If you do not respond to that e-mail warning within 48 hours, I will withdraw you using the withdrawal code 35 ("academic difficulties").  If you fall behind again (as in sending in late homework or essays, or "disappearing" again), I will withdraw you with no further notice.  To succeed in this course, you must keep up with the homework assignments, send your assignments and essays in on time, and stay in regular contact with me.  Note: If you need to successfully complete this course to fulfill scholarship or insurance requirements, or other types of commitments, you must keep up with the work in order to avoid being withdrawn.  Finally: If you have not completed all of your homework for each unit by the last day of class, your final grade will be a D, for all homework is required in order to pass this course.

Late Essays: It is imperative to send in all essays on time. Therefore, any late essay you send in will earn a grade no better than a C.  Since no e-mail system is entirely reliable and computer glitches do happen, I will give you a 24-hour window of time after any due date so that you can re-send your essay if it didn't come through (except for rough drafts: they are due when the syllabus states that they are due).  However, any essay that is more than five days late will receive a zero.  To pass this class, all essays must be completed.

Essay Requirements:  You are required to send in full-length, well developed essays, in final draft form (always double space)..  If you would like me to review and critique a rough draft for you before the final is due, e-mail your rough draft to me as an attachment, and in the subject line of that e-mail, write your name and "rough draft" (such as, "John Smith's rough draft" or "Jane Doe's rough draft").  I will review it (make comments and suggestions) and send it back to you. Then, you should revise it according to my comments, and send it back to me (again, as an attachment) when final drafts are due. While I do not require rough drafts, I encourage you to send them to me, so that I can help you avoid certain errors and make good parts even better!  On all rough and final drafts: type your name, the date and type of essay in the upper right-hand corner.  Always center a title as well.  When it comes time for me to grade your essay, I will review it, type comments on your draft, and then send it back to you with my comments and your grade.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the planned or inadvertent stealing of somebody else’s written words or ideas, and must be avoided.  Plagiarism is cheating, and consequences are severe, including failure of the assignment, probable failure of the course, and possible expulsion from MCC.  Whenever you borrow a phrase, sentence, paragraph—or even an idea restated in your own words—from any outside source (Internet, newspaper, magazine, journal article, TV show, book) without giving credit to that source, you have plagiarized.  Having someone else write your essay for you also counts as plagiarism.  If you have any questions about how to acknowledge somebody else’s words or ideas, see me.

E-mailing Homework To Me:  Never send your homework or other smaller assignments to me as attachments (it will take me too long to download everybody's homework all the time!).  Instead, always write your homework in a Word document, save it, then copy it and paste it into an e-mail message to me. This will involve maximizing and minimizing: Write your homework in Word, "select all" and “copy” the whole thing, then minimize your Word document.  Open an e-mail, click once in the big space where you would normally write a note, then choose “paste”: your homework will be pasted into your e-mail and you can then send it.  Again: All weekly homework assignments (invention activities and essay questions) are usually due by Friday of that week, unless I specify otherwise.

Weekly Notes From Kate (that's me!):  Often, using your MCC e-mail addresses, I will e-mail all of you as a class (if you have your MCC e-mail forwarded to an alternative e-mail address, my notes will go there instead).  Look for my weekly updates, informative "lectures," and reminders.

E-mailing Me for Help: I encourage you to e-mail your questions and concerns to me anytime.  Send me specific questions concerning essay assignments and how to organize your paper.  Send me outlines, and/or small sections that you’re struggling with. Send me rough drafts to review.  Send me complaints! I will try very hard to solve problems as they come up.  Please don't hesitate to call me (480-461-7850) or come to see me on campus anytime, as well.

Seeking Out Other Academic Support: If you struggle with grammar and punctuation, you may wish to visit the following sites to read about how to write more clearly:

ASU's Online Writing Center
Useful Links for Writers

 

Final Notes:

1.   Your papers should be double spaced and average 350 words per page.  Titles are required.  Cover sheets are unnecessary. Always use 12 point Times New Roman font.

2.  I will frequently direct you to one of my favorite web sites, ASU's Online Writing Center, so that you can learn more about paragraph development, punctuation, introductions and conclusions, etc.  Please bookmark this link:  http://studentsuccess.asu.edu/writing/resources

3.   Papers that contain high numbers of punctuation and/or grammar errors are unacceptable. I highly recommend that, if at all possible, you make regular tutoring appointments in the MCC Writing Center for help with grammar, punctuation, transitions, essay organization, etc.  Call the Writing Center at 461-7513.

4.   When invention activities or other homework assignments are due, always e-mail them to me (but NOT as an attachment). I will review them, grade them, and send them back to you.

5. Again: If I feel that you are failing to participate at an adequate level, or if I see that you are consistently falling behind, I will withdraw you from the course.  You will receive one e-mail warning if you are falling behind or if I haven't heard from you in seven consecutive days; after that, I will withdraw you with no further notice.  If you need to successfully complete this course to fulfill scholarship or insurance requirements, or other types of commitments, you must keep up with the work in order to avoid being withdrawn.

6. All reading assignments are from our textbook, The St. Martin's Guide to Writing.

7. Very important: Whenever you send homework or essays to me, PLEASE include your class section number in the subject line (you can find your section number on your class schedule).  This will help me to quickly find you on my rosters.

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WEEK ONE, January 14 - January 18

1. E-mail me a short autobiographical paragraph that includes your writing background and lists your hobbies and interests, where you're from, and your goals (academic, personal and/or professional).  Simply send me an e-mail with this information, and I'll write you back!

2. Read and study Chapter 1.  Keep notes and send me any questions you might have.

3. Read and study Chapter 14, too, and let me know if you have any questions.
 

WEEK TWO, January 21 - January 25

1. Read: intro to Remembering Events, top page 18; "Basic Features" 40-41. Note: Our first essay assignment is to write a three to five page essay that describes a significant event in your life.  Your essay should convey the meaning of this event through the use of narration, descriptive details, and dialogue.  Final drafts are due on Friday, February 8.  If you would like me to review and critique a rough draft, you'll need to send it to me as an attachment no later than Friday, February 1. Note: You must send me your invention work before you send me your rough draft. (Invention Work is fully explained under "Week Three".)

2. Read Wolff 29-30.  Send me a response to question one on page 31 (under Analyzing Writing Strategies).

3. Read Dillard 22-24.  No response required.
 

WEEK THREE, January 28 - February 1

1. Read Brandt 19-21.  Send me a response to the following prompt and questions: Reread the essay, paying particular attention to Brandt's use of dialogue (reconstructed conversation from the time of the event).  What do you learn about the author from what she says and how she says it?  What do you learn about her relationship with her parents?  Note: Make sure that you concentrate specifically on the spoken words in quotation marks as you answer these questions.

2. Read Bragg 33-36.  No response required.

3. Read and respond to the Invention Activities on pages 43 to top 50.
        When you do Invention Activities, write approximately three double-spaced pages of complete-sentence, specific responses to the prompts and directions you are given in the book.  Copy the headings and sub-headings from the book so that I can stay on track as I read through your work.  When you are finished, e-mail your Invention work to me (but not as an attachment!).  Invention work always begins by making a list, as the book directs, and then it breaks down the essay for you into parts.  When you are finished writing your Invention activities, you have a lot of material to put directly into your essay! Note: When you copy and paste invention work into an e-mail, the formatting might get messed up, but don't worry about that.  I just need to be able to read it!
 

WEEK FOUR, February 4 - February 8

Final Drafts of Significant Event Essay Due on Friday, February 8.
 

WEEK FIVE, February 11 - February 15

1. Read: intro to Profiles 74; "Basic Features" 100-101.  Note: Our second essay assignment is to write a three to five page essay that profiles a particular person or place or activity.  You must profile someone or something that is new to you (you cannot profile close family members, close friends, or your own workplace). Observe your subject closely, and then present what you have learned in a way that both informs and engages readers.  You will have to conduct an interview for this assignment.  Final drafts are due on Friday, March 7.  If you would like me to review and critique a rough draft, you'll need to send it in to me as an attachment no later than Friday, February 29. Note: You must send me your invention/planning work before you send me your rough draft.

2. Read Cable 76-78.  Send me a response to this prompt and these questions: Cable obviously put a lot of time and effort into visiting the mortuary, making and recording his observations, and conducting interviews with both Howard and Tim.  Consider how Cable integrates quotations from the interviews and descriptive details from his observations into his essay.  What do the quotations reveal about both Howard and Tim?  What do the descriptive details tell you about the effect that  Cable's visit to the mortuary had on him?  How do the quotations and descriptive details shape your own reaction to the essay?

3. Read Chapter 20 "Field Research," 688-top 696, and send me any questions you might have.

4. Read McPhee 85-88.  No response required.

WEEK SIX, February 18 - February 22

1. Read Coyne 91-95.  Send me a response to questions one and two on page 96.

2. Read Edge 79-82.  No response required.

WEEK SEVEN, February 25 - February 29

1. Read and respond to the Invention and Planning activities on pages 103-bottom 115 (this is a longer invention assignment than usual).  Special Note: This time around, I am having you work through the invention section AND the planning section.  Parts of these activities cannot be completed until *after* you have conducted your profile interview (namely the sections towards the end), so please let me know early on who or what you plan to profile, and then send me your completed invention/planning assignment *after* you have conducted your interview.  Your invention/planning work MUST reflect the fact that you have already conducted your interview.  You will need to incorporate details, observations, your interview questions AND your interviewee's responses into this assignment to earn full credit.
 

WEEK EIGHT, March 3 - March 7

Final Drafts of Profiles are due on Friday, March 7.
 

WEEK NINE, March 10 - 14

Spring Break!

WEEK TEN, March 17 - 21

1. Read: intro to Arguing a Position 274; "Basic Features" 294-295.  Note: Our third major essay assignment is to write a three to five page essay/letter that argues either for or against something in particular.  This essay will be in letter format; that is, you will write to a particular person or group in hopes of convincing them to agree with you.  For example, you might write a letter to your husband, trying to convince him to change jobs.  Or, you might write a letter to your parents, trying to convince them to loan you some money for a specific purpose.  Or, you might write a letter to your high school coach, trying to  convince him to change his coaching techniques.  Just remember that these essay/letters are NOT research papers, and no outside sources should be utilized.  This argument is based on what you know and how you feel.  Final drafts are due on Friday, April 11.  If you would like me to review and critique a rough draft, you'll need to send it in to me as an attachment no later than Friday, April 4. Note: You must send me your invention work before you send me your rough draft.

Some argumentative topics are prohibited.  Your essay-letters cannot be about abortion, the death penalty, the legalization of marijuana (for medical or recreational use), or school uniforms.  These topics are overdone in composition courses, not to mention the media.  Also, avoid any topic that is political or religious in nature.  Write your essay/letter to someone you know who you are trying to convince of something in particular.

2. Read Estrada 280-281, and send me your response to these questions:

* What is the controversial issue that Estrada is presenting?

* What is the position that he takes on this issue? (What is his opinion?)

* What particular reasons does he offer to support his position?

* What is his counterargument? (That is, who are the groups of people who would disagree with him, what are their opinions, and how does Estrada respond to their objections?)

Refer directly to the text to support your answers.
 

WEEK ELEVEN, March 24 - March 28

1. Read Chapter 19 and send me a two-page summary of that material.  Compose your summary double-spaced in Word, then copy and paste it into an e-mail.

2. Read Statsky 276-279, and send me a response to this prompt and these questions: Anecdotes can provide convincing support if they are clearly relevant to the point they support, believable, and vivid enough to enable readers to imagine what happened.  In paragraph four, Statsky presents one fully developed anecdote that includes dialogue and a detailed narrative.  In paragraph 8, she offers two briefer anecdotes.  Locate and summarize all three of these anecdotes, including your summaries in  your response.  What does each one contribute to Statsky's argument?  How convincing do you find them to be?

WEEK TWELVE, March 31 - April 4

1. Review the material on anticipating objections, "Counterarguing", in Chapter 19, pages 681-684.  Let me know if you have any questions.

2. Read Etzioni 283-286.  No response required.

3.  Read and respond to the invention activities on pages 297-mid 305.  Remember that for this unit, we will not be conducting any research or using any outside sources!
 

WEEK THIRTEEN, April 7 - April 11

Final Drafts of Persuasive Essay/Letter Due on Friday, April 11.
 

WEEK FOURTEEN, April 14 - April 18

1. Read: intro to Proposing a Solution 328-top 329.  Read "Basic Features" 360-361.  Our fourth (and last) essay assignment is to write a three to five page essay/letter that proposes a solution to a particular problem that is significant in your present life.  This essay will be in letter format, addressed to a person or group who you hope to convince that a) there IS a problem that exists, and b) your solution is the best.  For example: You might write your letter to a work supervisor in hopes of convincing her to help you solve a workplace dilemma in a particular way.  Or, you might write a letter to your parents, offering suggestions to improve your younger sibling's unruly behavior.  Or, you might write to your partner suggesting ways to improve your relationship.  Keep in mind that these essay/letters are NOT research papers, and no outside sources may be utilized.  Use only what you know and how you feel as support.  Final drafts are due on Friday, May 2.  If you would like me to review and critique a rough draft, you'll need to send it to me as an attachment no later than Friday, April 25.

Avoid any topic that is political in nature.  Write your essay/letter to a particular person or group in hopes of convincing them to agree with your solution (or solutions).

2. Read O'Malley 330-333, and send me a response to these questions:

    * Who is O'Malley's intended audience?

    * What is the problem that O'Malley is attempting to solve?

    * Where and what is O'Malley's forecasting statement?

    * List all of the solutions that O'Malley offers to solve the problem.

    * What are his audience's objections to these solutions, and how does he address these objections?

    * How does O'Malley introduce and conclude this essay?  Do you feel that his methods are effective or not?

  WEEK FIFTEEN, April 21 - 25

1. Read Kornbluh 334-337, and send me your response to question two on page 339.

2. Read Sciara 349-355.  No response required.

3. Read Miller 341-346.  No response required.

4. Read and respond to the invention activities on pages 363-371.  Then, turn to pages 374-375 and create an outline for your letter/essay.  Include your outline at the end of your invention work.

  WEEK SIXTEEN, April 28 - May 2

  Final drafts of Proposing a Solution letter/essay are due on Friday, May 2.