ENGL 118: College Writing Development

Radical Educators/Radical Educations

Professor Anne Kingsley, Fall 2015
DVC Course Description:
This course helps students to improve their expression of ideas in college-level expository
essays. Through continual writing practice, students will improve their skills in observation,
fluency, organization, and revision, as well as other parts of the writing process. Students will
learn to analyze a variety of texts with an emphasis on nonfiction.

Juan Gris, The Open Book, 1925

Course Communication:
General Course Questions

Individual Questions

Office Hours

Post to course discussion board

on D2L under
communication;
discussions; course
discussion board; course
questions. Then, select new
thread to post your question
and make your subject line
clear.
akingsley@dvc.edu

Wednesday & Thursday 1-2

PM, and by appt.

24 hour response time on

course page

24 hour response time

Monday-Friday (if you dont
receive a response, resend
email).
(Saturday and Sunday will be
answered by Monday morning,
9:00 AM)
FO 218

Course Theme:
In order to give shape to this summer semester, we
will be exploring the theme of Radical
Educators/Radical Educations.

Radical (Oxford English Dictionary),

adj.
a. going to the root or origin; touching
upon or affecting what is essential and
fundamental; thorough, far-reaching.

We all share the fact that we are here at DVC

b. characterized by independence of or
participating in this classroom and in the process of
departure from what is usual or
learning. What this classroom looks like and what
traditional; progressive, unorthodox, or
kinds of learning take place here is bound up in
innovative in outlook, conception,
questions about institutional structures; economic,
design, etc.
social, and cultural forces; and developing
technologies. Throughout the course, we will develop
our writing skills by examining and participating in discussions on rethinking and redesigning
higher education. We will start by evaluating important educational critics who work to disrupt
or interrogate teaching and learning practices. You will learn how to work with difficult texts in
order to develop comprehension and response strategies. In the second unit, we will be selecting
research topics on new technologies in higher education. You will be assessing these
technologies, their impact, and their viability. Last, the final unit will be a group project where
small teams of 2-3 people will design, propose, and pitch an educational program or technology
implementation for DVC. In this unit, you will work on what it means to write formal proposals as
well as how to translate those proposals into effective presentations for particular audiences (i.e.
a group of DVC faculty). As students and consumers of education, you will be asked to reflect on,
develop, and engage your own experiences in the classroom.
Course Materials:

Microsoft Word

One of the following: PDF printouts OR laptop PDF reader with annotation tools OR tablet
reader with annotation tools

Grade Breakdown:
Section 1

Empowered Education

150 pts.

Section 2

Radical Classroom Literacies

150 pts.

Section 3

Radical TechnologiesPropose and Present a

Student-Run Technology to Improve College
Success at DVC

200 Pts.

(Above 450 =A) (Above 400= B) (Above 350 =

C) (Above 300 = D) (Below 300 = F)

500 pts.

Total

Learning Outcomes:

(100
individual/
100 group)

Write a variety of essay types with focused thesis statements and coherent paragraphs
that are well-structured and relatively free of error, with a minimum of 750 words each.

Identify, apply, and comprehend the value of different stages of the writing process.
Recognize and control sentence boundaries and demonstrate ability to write a variety of
sentence types.

Write clearly and correctly and eventually reflect a sense of voice in their writing.

Write unified, coherent paragraphs, appropriately supported, using simple, effective

transitional elements.

Critically analyze student and/or professional writing presented at a variety of stages of

the writing process.

Course Policies:
Due Dates: In general, course work will come with a due date/time and will be submitted to
D2L Please have a way of bringing a copy to class, so you can refer to your notes during our
discussion.
Responses, Notes, and Discussions (Homework): Homework turned in 1-2 days after the
due date will lose 2 points; work turned in after 3 days will only be eligible for half credit. No
late assignments will be accepted past the end of the learning section.
Formal Assignments and Essays: Late formal projects or assignments turned in 1-3 days
after the due date will lose 10 points; formal projects or assignments turned in after 4 days
will only be eligible for half credit. No late assignments will be accepted past the end of the
learning unit.
Attendance: We will begin each day of class with a small and wonderfully simple writing
assignment that you will complete on an index card. The cards will serve as a record of your
attendance. You are allowed two unexcused absences. After two absences, you will lose 20
pts. per absence thereafter. After six absences, I give up on the math and consider it an
automatic failure of the course not good. Three late arrivals will also equal an absence.
Missed Class: If you missed class, you missed important information. Its definitely not a
good idea to send emails that say Did I miss anything?. Instead, you can write to your fellow
classmates or email me regarding the work missed in class that day. For example, a really
nicely stated piece of communication might look something like this: Dear Professor X,
Sorry for my absence today. I hope you received my work that I emailed to you prior to class.
In addition, I wanted to write and make sure I was up-to-date on what is due and the material
covered. The calendar says that we have an outline due on Wednesday. Are there any other
assignments given in class that I might have missed? Thank you, etc.
Participation: Participating in class discussion includes arriving to class prepared and on
time, taking part in active class discussions, small group work, asking questions, and
contributing your knowledge and insight to the classroom. Participation can also include
extending conversations about course topics outside the classroom via email, office
appointment, or online discussions. I cannot say enough that preparation is crucial. Without
having completed the required reading and writing for class, you will be unable to contribute
positively and constructively to classroom discussionand we want your voice in the
classroom!

 Electronic Devices: Youll find different instructors have different policies about the
presence of laptops and smart phones in class. In this class, smart phones must be kept off
and silenced. However, many of us will be using tablets and laptops for our reading and notetaking devices. These devices are purposeful and effective if used to diligently focus on the
task at hand in the classroom; however, if they are used to multi-task i.e. check facebook or
update Twitter or answer an email or complete another assignment while taking notes for our
class, I will ask you to put the device away. If you know it is too tempting to resist these other
channels while in class, just leave the laptop or tablet in your bag until you really need it.
Ultimately, its a matter of common courtesy as well as academic focus.
School Policies
Plagiarism & Academic Integrity

Diablo Valley College is committed to creating an environment where student achievement

is championed and celebrated. Because the college values academic integrity as an
essential component of academic excellence, students are expected to be truthful and
ethical in their academic work. Commitment to academic integrity is the responsibility of
every student and faculty member at Diablo Valley College.

Academic dishonesty is defined as: an act of deception in which a student claims credit for
the work or effort of another person or uses unauthorized materials or fabricated
information in any academic work. Academic dishonesty is a violation of the DVC Student
Code of Conduct and will not be tolerated. Academic dishonesty diminishes the quality of
scholarship at Diablo Valley College and hurts the majority of students who conduct
themselves honestly.

In the reading or writing classroom, plagiarism will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is

representing someone elses words, ideas, artistry, or data as ones own, including copying
another person s work (including published and unpublished material, and material from
the Internet) without appropriate referencing, presenting someones elses opinions and
theories as one s own, or working jointly on a project, then submitting it as ones own.
Papers submitted for other courses are not original writing and, therefore, will be
considered plagiarism. If you have borrowed, quoted, or utilized ideas from another
source, you must cite and acknowledge that source. If you plagiarize, you will be asked to
rewrite the assignment, and you will lose a full grade on the unit. If you plagiarize a
second time, you will receive an F on the paper. Any further infractions will be reported
to Academic Administration for disciplinary action, and you will receive an F in the
course.

Learning Assistance
DSS: Disability Support Services is a program that is designed to ensure that students with
disabilities have equal access to all of the educational offerings at Diablo Valley College. They
facilitate equal opportunity through the provision of appropriate support services, curriculum,
instruction and adaptive technology. They can be reached at 925-685-1230 ext. 2546
Learning Center: All students currently registered in credit courses are eligible for two hours of
tutoring per week. English tutors help students develop, clarify, and organizer their ideas, as well
as learn to find and correct errors. English tutors can also help students develop effective reading
and writing strategies and good study skills. Find out more about the Learning Center tutoring
availability on our D2L site.