Course Description
English 150 is a course designed to bring your reading, writing, and critical thinking skills up to college level. You will practice analyzing ideas and structures in assigned readings and compose argumentative essays in response to those readings.
This section of English 150 is “themed.” We will read, discuss, and write about a broad variety of issues relating to health care. This course is designed for students interested in medicine, nursing, and issues of public health.
English 150-L is the lab portion of English 150. In lab, you will work on assignments from class. You will have an opportunity to use computers as well as desk space. I will be in the room, assisting you on an individual basis. Occasionally, we will do an activity during lab time.
Outcomes: What Will I Learn to Do?
At the end of this term, your reading and critical thinking ability should be at the level where you can:
· Articulate the central and secondary concepts in a reading assignment
· Identify and respond to the question at issue or problem introduced in a reading
· Distinguish information (data) from interpretation and inference
· Identify a writer’s purpose, tone, assumptions, and point of view
· Explain the implications and consequences of a writer’s reasoning
· Recognize and describe a writer’s stylistic moves, including method of introdution and conclusion, use of examples and details, sensitivity to audience, and method of development.
· Develop your own opinions based on reasoned analysis
At the end of this term, your writing ability should be at the level where you can:
· Generate ideas for essay and journal assignments and support an arguable thesis
· Compose well-developed paragraphs that are focused, coherent, and unified
· Use concrete details and specific examples to develop and explain general ideas
· Organize information within an essay
· Meet intellectual standards for clarity, accuracy, relevance, depth, and breadth
· Apply appropriate tone and level of diction for an academic audience
· Summarize, paraphrase, and quote the ideas of others without plagiarizing
· Proofread and edit for basic grammar and punctuation rules
· Demonstrate intellectual virtues such as integrity, empathy, and humility
Projects: What Assignments Will I Complete?
You will complete reading assignments, generate questions and answers, complete sentence skills exercises, take quizzes, participate in discussions and activities, and write essays. At term’s end, you will write an in-class, four to five-paragraph essay where you will demonstrate your mastery of the skills you have practiced. This assessment will constitute 20% of your course grade.
What Materials Will I Need?
- Anker, Susan. Real Essays with Readings, Second Edition. Boston, Ma: Bedford / St. Martins, 2006.
- Langan, John and Janet M. Goldstein. English Brushup, Fourth Edition. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2006.
- Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997.
- The American Heritage Dictionary. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
- Rhodes’ English 150 Course Packet
You will also need a floppy disk (or flash drive) for lab, a notebook, and a binder.
Assessment: How Will My Projects Be Graded?
English 150-L is a credit/no credit course. You must be present and actively working at least 80% of the time in order to pass. English 150 will be graded as follows:
Essays: 50% Homework, quizzes, final: 30% Assessment: 20%
Grades Available:
Assignments
You are expected to complete all assignments on time. Essays turned in late lose a letter grade each day they are late, including the first day if they are not turned in when collected in class. If you aren’t in class when we have a quiz or when homework is collected or checked, you can not make up the work. Be aware that homework will not always be collected and/or graded.
Attendance Policy
In this class, there are no “excused absences.” You must decide for yourself whether or not you can afford to miss class. Attendance is taken at the beginning, so if you’re late, it counts as ½ an absence. With six or more absences, you automatically fail the course. If you know in advance that you are going to miss class, contact me. Occasionally, I am able to check homework and give quizzes in advance.
Students with Disabilities
If you have a disability and think you will need accommodation in this class, please come and talk to me about it. Bring your support services / accommodations agreement form from the DSP&S office.
Code of Conduct
You are expected to be on time, prepared, and focused for class and lab with all the books and materials you might need. Treat other members of the class with respect and tolerance and do all that you can to avoid disrupting learning. Your are free to leave the room at any time, but do so quietly. Turn off your cell phone before class begins. Save your snack for break time—don’t eat during class or lab.
Cheating
If you are caught cheating (turning in work that is not your own, copying during a quiz, etc.), you will receive a zero for the assignment and will be subject to academic discipline, including possible expulsion. One common form of cheating is plagiarism, taking the words, phrases, or ideas of others and claiming them as your own. Be aware that copying information straight from websites and printed materials without quoting and/or citing is a serious academic crime. In class, we will cover appropriate strategies to avoid this mistake. You will also be required to submit your essays to Turnitin.com before papers are accepted for grading.
Homework Format
Most homework assignments may be either handwritten or typed. Title each and include page numbers, such as “English Brushup, p. 47.” Your name, date, and class should be at the top of the first page, on the left hand side. Put your last name and page number at the top right on all sheets, in case they get separated.
Essay Format
Your essays should follow Modern Language Association (MLA). Font should be Times New Roman, 12 point, double-spaced. Margins should be set at 1-inch from the edge of the page. Indent each paragraph an additional .5 inches. Do not put extra spaces between paragraphs. Page numbers should appear as headers at the top right of the page, along with your last name. Center the title; don’t put it in bold, underline it, or change font.
English 150 Schedule
Theme One: Barriers to Health Care
Week 1: How to Read, Write, and Think at the College Level
This week we will review some basic reading and writing skills. We’ll also begin exploring the concept of critical thinking.
Real Essays, Chapters 1-2, p. 3-32
“Those People” by Erwin Johnson
Week 2: The Writing Process
Picking up on Erwin Johnson’s theme of barriers to health care, we’ll begin reading The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. You’ll also start pre-writing for essay one.
Real Essays, Chapters 3-4, p. 33-53
Spirit, 3-31
Sentence Types, English Brushup, 51-60
Week 3: Planning and Drafting
This week we’ll focus on making a writing plan and writing a first draft. We’ll also cover common spelling errors relating to homonyms.
Real Essays, Chapters 5-7, p. 54-93
Homonyms, English Brushup, p. 135-144
Spirit, 32-59
Week 4: Revision
The best way to become a better writer is to learn to effectively revise your work. This week we’ll focus on the revision phase and experiment with peer review.
Real Essays, Chapter 8, p. 94-112
Fragments and Run-ons, English Brushup, p. 61-72 and 73-82
Theme Two: Limitations of Treatment
Week 5: What is An Argumentative Essay?
This week we’ll look more closely at the format and organization of the argumentative essay, including the pattern of “they say / I say.” We’ll practice writing summaries and paraphrases and begin prewriting for essay 2.
“Against Antibiotic Overuse” by Ann Marie Hart
Real Essays, Chapter 17, p. 246-264
Spirit, 60-92
Week 6: Drafting Essay 2
This week we’ll continue to explore the theme of the limitations of treatment and complete your rough draft of essay 2. We’ll cover the use of quotation marks—and the skill of incorporating quotes in your essays.
“Drug Safety” by Marc Ferris and “At Issue” Pro / Con essays
Spirit, 140-153, 171-180
Quotation Marks, English Brushup, p. 115-124
Week 7: Revising and Peer Editing
You’ll complete your final draft of essay two this week just in time for spring break.
Commas, English Brushup, 93-102
SPRING BREAK March 12-16
Theme Three: The Value of Human Life
Week 8: Brushup Your Style
You’ll look closely at the comments you received on your last essay and work on your weaknesses.
Spirit, 210-224, 250-261
Apostrophe, English Brushup, p. 103-114
Week 9: Arguments Using Narrative
We’ll begin exploring other methods of essay development, including narrative, and practice using those methods for framing our arguments.
Real Essays, Chapter 9, p. 115-132
Spirit, 262-288
Pronouns, English Brushup, p. 83-92
Week 10: Arguments using Illustration and Example
We’ll continue to explore the theme of “the value of human life,” this time within the framework of illustrations and examples. We’ll also prewrite and draft essay 3.
Real Essays, Chapters 10-11, p. 133-164
“Covering the Uninsured” by Keith Epstein
Week 11: Revision and Peer Editing
You’ll complete your final draft of essay 3 and brush up your spelling and punctuation.
Other Punctuation Marks, English Brushup, p. 125-134
Word Choice, English Brushup, p. 155-164
Theme Four: Who Should Live? Who Should Die?
Week 12: Definition and Cause and Effect
We’ll explore the theme “Who Should Live and Who Should Die?” and prepare for our in-class practice exam (essay 4).
Real Essays, Chapter 14, p. 196-211
“The Supreme Court and Physician-Assisted Suicide” by Marcia Angell
Parallelism, English Brushup, p. 175-184
Week 13: Cause and Effect
We’ll continue exploring the theme “Who Should Life and Who Should Die?” and write the in-class practice exam (essay 4).
Real Essays, Chapter 16, p. 230-245
“The Consequences of Imposing the Quality of Life Ethic” by Eileen Doyle
Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers, English Brushup, p. 165-174
Week 14: Assessment Preparation
You’ll receive the readings for your in-class assessment essay (essay 5) and we will begin reviewing for the final exam.
Essays to be announced
Combined Mastery Test and Editing Test Practice, English Brushup, p. 231-251
Week 15: Assessment Essay
You will write your in-class assessment essay (essay 5). We will continue reviewing for the final exam.
Combined Mastery Test and Editing Test Practice, English Brushup, p. 231-251
Week 16: Final Exam Week
We will meet only once this week (Tuesday, 12:35 in DN2) for our final exam.
The above schedule and procedures are subject to change