Department

of English

INTRODUCTION TO COLLEGE ENGLISH: WRITING ENGLISH
603-101-MQ, Section 02 – Fall 2018
Tues. & Thurs. 4-6, Rm. 3H.21

Marie Thérèse Blanc, PhD

Office: 3D.13 Office hours: Mon. 1-2 & 4-6, Tues. 3-4, Thurs. 2-4 Tel.: 514-931-8731, ext. 4986
Email: MIO (we will use LEA/Omnivox in this class; please check it daily)


Please note: when it comes to any personal or academic question/concern, I prefer that students see me during office
hours, when we can actually converse, or immediately before/after class. Email (MIO) should be used for critical matters
only, and you can expect a response w/in a maximum of 48 hours, if not sooner. Polite and proper form of address is
expected. Emails will not be answered in the evening or during weekends. Any email to which the answer may be found
in the course outline will not be answered; please check your course outline first.


Course Hours per Week: 1 hour of theoretical work
3 hours of practical work
4 hours of homework
Prerequisite: Placement Test

Course Description and Content

This course is designed for students whose first language is other than English. It has two objectives:
(1) to strengthen students’ understanding and appreciation of literature, and
(2) to give students extensive practice in the writing and revision of their own texts.
During the term, students will read a number of short stories, poems, and a play. The format of the
course is varied: I lecture, but students also contribute to the spirit and life of the class by way of readings,
discussions, group work, and writing practice. Students should expect to write regularly in class.
Additionally, I conduct essay-writing workshops in order to help students frame and improve their writing.

Texts
® Blanc, Marie Thérèse, ed. Introduction to College English (course manual).
® Miller, Arthur. The Crucible (play)
® A good English dictionary and thesaurus (I recommend the Concise Oxford English Dictionary and
Roget’s Pocket Thesaurus).


Assignments and Grade Distribution (A minimum of 60% is required to pass this course).
² 15%: Three (3) short in-class writing assignments (5% each);
² 15%: Six (6) reading and vocabulary quizzes (2.5% each)
® You will be tested on the details/vocabulary of one lecture & five (5) texts.
² 10%: Two (2) grammar tests (averaged)
² 15%: In-class essay 1 + in-class self-edit (500 words)
² 20%: At-home essay 2 + in-class self-edit (750 words)
² 25%: SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Final in-class essay + in-class self-edit (500 words):
Students are required to pass this assignment to pass the course, failing which their maximum overall course
grade will be 55%.

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v Please note: All quizzes, tests, in-class writing, editing, and in-class essays must be done in class/the
computer lab. Make-up times will be possible only upon presentation of a valid documented excuse,
such as a proper medical note.
v Students who are late for quizzes or who fail to take their grammar test or write their essay on the
date when it is scheduled without a documented excuse will receive a grade of zero (0%) on those
assignments.
v Good note-taking skills are essential to succeed in this class.

• Students who require extra help with writing will attend a Writing Lab offered by the Academic
Skills Centre. For those students, 15% of the final mark will be based on this lab, which means that
writing assignments will be worth 10% (not 15%), the reading quizzes will be worth 10% (not 15%),
and the grammar tests will be worth 5% averaged (not 10% averaged).

Academic Integrity / Cheating and Plagiarism Policy
Dawson College values academic integrity. It is your responsibility as a Dawson student to produce work
done honestly and honourably.
Plagiarism consists in “borrowing” the words or ideas of another author w/out giving that author credit
in BOTH the body of your text AND in the Works Cited page.
Students caught cheating or plagiarizing will receive a grade of zero (0%) on the assignment in
question. According to ISEP, the teacher is required to report to the Sector Dean all cases of cheating and
plagiarism affecting a student's grade. (ISEP Section V-C).

Attendance and Discipline
1) In-class learning activities (discussion, writing and editing, group work, and close reading) are
essential to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to achieve course competencies
and to become successful graduates. Students should be aware that absences inevitably result in a
lack of understanding of class lectures, content, expectations, and progress, and may certainly lead
to failure in the course. Please refer to the ISEP (sec. IV-C) re. attendance.

2) PLEASE NOTE: In order for all to benefit from the great luxury of peaceful “uni-tasking,” NO
electronic devices (cell phones, iPods, iPads, other tablets, laptops) will be permitted in class.
Students who contravene this rule will be asked to leave the classroom. There will be no
exceptions to this unless a student has a dispensation from the AccessAbility Centre, and the rule
isn’t personal; to succeed in Cegep, it is essential that students be able to focus in class.

3) Everyone has the right to a safe and non-violent environment. Students are obliged to conduct
themselves as stated in the Student Code of Conduct and in the ISEP section on the roles and
responsibilities of students. (ISEP Section II-D). Students who fail to behave appropriately will be
asked to leave the class and meet with the Director of Student Services to understand
consequences and establish conditions for an acceptable return to class.

4) If a student is attending an intensive course, the student must inform the teacher within the first
two (2) weeks of class about the specific dates of any anticipated absence.

Holidays & Religious Holidays/Alternate Plans—Fall 2018
Throughout the College, classes are cancelled for the following reasons on the following days:
Mon. 3 Sept.: Labour Day (Wed. 5 Sept. = Mon. schedule)
Mon. 1 Oct.: Election Day
Mon. 8 Oct.: Thanksgiving (Thurs. 11 Oct. = Mon. schedule)
Fri. 12 Oct.: Pedagogical Day

Students who intend to observe religious holidays other than the above must inform their teachers in
writing as prescribed in the ISEP Policy on Religious Observances (ISEP Section IV-D) w/in two weeks of
classes starting.

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Ministerial Objectives and Standards

The objective of this course is to enable students to analyze texts and produce written and oral work.
Students will learn to read literature critically. Students will also learn to write an analytical essay containing
a thesis statement which is clearly supported and developed.

On successful completion of this course, students, with the aid of reference material, will be able to
produce a 750-word essay analyzing a literary text. This essay will demonstrate the following: correct
grammar, syntax and spelling; appropriate tone and diction; and effective sentences and paragraphs. This
essay will also demonstrate thorough revision of form and content.


101 EXIT PROFILE
1. Reading
• Recognize major literary genres: poetry / drama / fiction / essay
• Recognize rudimentary elements of literature: character / setting / plot / tone / theme
• Recognize basic elements of literary language: connotation vs. denotation, figures of speech
• Recognize thesis of an expository text
• Recognize basic patterns of argument / development in an expository text

2. Writing
• In the context of the preparation of assignments / essays, use a dictionary to find definitions, correct
spelling
• Use a handbook to clarify questions of grammar and mechanics
• Vary diction to achieve appropriate tone for audience
• Write sentences free of major structural flaws
• Construct coherent paragraphs: utilize and vary the form of topic sentence / body / transition
• Construct a thesis relevant to a primary literary text
• Organize logical support for a thesis (using outlining, clustering, brainstorming, etc.)
• Write an essay that:
a) introduces and supports a thesis (is not merely a summary)
b) demonstrates logical development
c) demonstrates a tone appropriate to argument and analysis at the college level
d) integrates quotations from a primary text
e) follows MLA rules for format and documentation



Competency 4EA0: To analyze and produce various forms of discourse.
The following elements of the competency will be fully addressed:
1. To identify the characteristics and functions of the components of literary texts.
2. To determine the organization of facts and arguments of a given literary text.
3. To prepare ideas and strategies for a projected discourse.
4. To explicate a discourse.
5. To edit the discourse.


The Institutional Student Evaluation Policy (ISEP) is designed to promote equitable and effective evaluation of student
learning and is therefore a crucial policy to read and understand. The policy describes the rights and obligations of
students, faculty, departments, programs, and the College administration with regard to evaluation in all your courses,
including grade reviews and resolution of academic grievance. The ISEP is available on the Dawson website.


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TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS

On the following table of readings, tests, and assignments, “CM” stands for “course manual” (the first page
number follows, but you must read the entire story or poem). You must complete the assigned readings
before you come to class, or else you will be unable to follow lectures and participate in class activities.
Assignments and other deadlines or important dates are indicated in bold. Grammar readings will be
announced in class, as will any changes to the following schedule.



DATE READINGS & CLASS/LAB ACTIVITIES ASSIGNMENTS & DEADLINES

23 Aug. Introduction to the course Purchase course manual & textbooks
28 Aug. Intro. to the "Elements of Fiction" (CM 4)
30 Aug. "Elements"
4 Sept. "The Necklace (CM 9) Reading quiz = 2.5%
6 Sept. "The Necklace," cont'd.
11 Sept. "The Lottery" (CM 20) Reading quiz = 2.5%
13 Sept. "The Lottery," cont'd.
18 Sept. Writing an Essay--bring dictionary/thesaurus to class Writing assignment1 = 5%
20 Sept. "Hills Like White Elephants" (CM 28) Reading quiz = 2.5%
25 Sept. "Hills Like White Elephants," cont'd.
27 Sept. Grammar test 1 = 10% (aver.)
2 Oct. Review
4 Oct. Bring course manual & dictionary/thesaurus In-class essay 1 begins
9 Oct. Bring course manual & dictionary/thesaurus In-class essay 1 continues
16 Oct. Bring dictionary/thesaurus In-class essay + self-edit 1 = 15%
18 Oct. Introduction to poetry
"Delight in Disorder" (CM 73).
23 Oct. "You Fit Into Me" (CM 77) Quiz on previous poetic form lecture =
2.5%
25 Oct The sonnet; "A Woman's Face…" (CM 79) Topics for At-home Essay 2 (poetry)
explained.
30 Oct. "We Real Cool"; "Negro" (CM 78)" Writing Assignment 2 = 5%
1 Nov. Introduction to drama
6 Nov. Miller & Crucible Grammar test 2 = 10% (aver.) In-class
8 Nov. self-edit 2 = Essay 2 due; 20%
13 Nov. The Crucible, Act 1.
15 Nov. The Crucible, Act 2. Reading quiz on Acts 1 & 2 = 2.5%
20 Nov. The Crucible, Act 3. Writing Assignment 3 = 5%
22 Nov. The Crucible, Act 4. Reading quiz on Acts 3 & 4 = 2.5%
27 Nov. Review, drama
29 Nov. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Final in-class essay Final in-class essay begins
4 Dec. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Final in-class essay Final in-class essay continues
6 Dec. SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Editing; bring Final in-class essay + self-edit = 25%
dictionary/thesaurus (passing this essay is necessary to
graduate from this class, or else max.
course grade = 55%)