Welcome to COA Spring 2012
English 1A, Spring 2012
Professor Wanda Sabir
Course codes: 21757
Class Meetings: Jan. 25—May 17, 9-10, MTWTh
Location: Room A-202
Drop dates: February 4, Full-Term Credit Classes and Receive a Refund. Note: Short-term and open-entry classes must be dropped within three days of the first class meeting to receive a refund. Feb. 5 last day to add. Feb. 11 last day to file for Pass/No pass. Feb. 16 last day to drop w/out a W. Drop February 24, Full-Term Credit Classes Without “W” Appearing on Transcript; April 25 (w/W) and no refund.
Holidays: Feb. 6, 17-20; May 18, May 30; Spring Break: April 2-8 M-Su Spring Recess
Final Exam Week: May 19-25. We have no sitting final. Portfolios are due by May 25, 12 noon electronically. Last day of semester May 25. Class blog: http://professorwandasposse.blogspot.com/
Each One, Pull One (Thinking of Lorraine Hansberry)
. . . We must say it all, as clearly
as we can. For, even before we are dead,
they are busy
trying to bury us.
—Alice Walker
Syllabus for English 1A: College Composition and Reading
English 1A is the first transferable college writing course. Don’t get nervous, hopefully you took English 201 and passed with a B or better. Perhaps you’re fresh out of high school, did okay on the placement exam and voila wound up here. Maybe you’re returning to college after a significant hiatus and aren’t confident in your writing, yet once again passed that placement exam, which, if you recall, tested grammar not writing. Keep your receipt and notice the dates, so you can get a full refund if you cut your losses and drop by Feb. 4/16 (refund, no refund, no W), or Apr. 25 with a W/no refund :-) So my joke wasn’t funny? Hang in there and you’ll do fine in the class if you:
1. Know what an essay is
2. Have written one before
3. Are ready to commit yourself to the task of writing
Plan to have a challenging, yet intellectually stimulating 18 weeks, which I hope you begin by setting goals for yourself. Make a schedule and join or create a study group. Writing is a social activity, especially the type of writing you’ll be doing here. We always consider our audience, have purpose or reason to write, and use research to substantiate our claims, even those we are considered experts in.
I believe we’re supposed to write about 8000 words or so at this level course. Don’t let the numbers scare you. We’ll probably write more. This includes drafts. What this amounts to is time at home writing, time in the library researching, reading documents to increase your facility with the ideas or themes your are contemplating, before you once again sit at your desk writing, revising, and writing some more.
Writing is a lonely process. No one can write for you. The social aspect comes into play once you are finished and you have an opportunity to share.
This semester we will look at women and girls and the inequities which make their lives more difficult just because of the gender biases present in most of the developed and underdeveloped world.
No, you didn’t accidentally end up in a public policy or cultural anthropology class; however, I found the arguments presented in Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, compelling and thought provoking.
We will write an essay based on the themes from this book. We will start with a true heroine’s journey, Leymah Gbowee’s challenging and exciting story about peace in Liberia, a country once at war. Liberia is a country with a complex history. It is the country African Americans formerly enslaved were shipped to once slavery ended and free labor was outlawed. Gbowee’s story, Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War is really inspiring. Before the war, she’d planned to attend the university to become a doctor and war, the immediacy of war changed all that temporarily as the protagonist became a mother and common law wife.
Mighty speaks to how dreams never really die as long as there is memory and hope and support, it also speaks to the great sacrifices a leader makes and the price these sacrifices have on oneself emotionally and physically, and on one’s family. The people who one loves and who one sacrifices for often don’t stand by one in the end as petty drama and jealousy eat at the fabric of the bond.
Excellently recounted, Mighty shows a woman whose life is a work in progress. At times I lose track of her age and then realize how young Gbowee is and what decisions she has to make concerning the lives of so many others. When the peace talk protests grow intense she is awake around the clock. I am amazed she has time for debriefing and self-reflection. Her sister’s support and her children’s understand is amazing. I love the aspects of the book that look at the culture she is a part of, which is clearly not western. The end of the book is too quickly summed up.
There is too much left to cover, I hope this is just part one of the story. I’d love to read the story from the perspective of Gbowee’s children, adopted and one’s she bore. I’d love to hear the story from the perspective of the wonderful friend she had in Tunde.
Mighty isn’t a love story, unless perhaps it is the story about a young woman coming to value herself and that loves growth. Mighty addresses the stress or pressures a leader faces and how unhealthy habits escalate and grow. True to form we learn that Gbowee is stubborn and learns her lessons the hard way whether that is as a girl or a more mature woman. She is not one to be pushed. Luckily we know the end of the story, that she survives. Mighty fills in the details as we count the casualties along the way. It is a sad and triumph story. No one wants the hero’s journey. Those who jealously pulled at Gbowee’s glory didn’t really want what she suffered, though in many cases her comrades suffered as much or more. I wish there was more regarding the strategy the organizers used and more information about what their handbook covered. It would have also been great to hear more of the women’s stories, perhaps in another book we will.
All writing is research writing so students will not write one long essay, rather four shorter essays based on themes from: Mighty, the midterm based on Half the Sky, the third an essay based on the book you chose written by a woman or about a woman, and the fourth is on a social entrepreneur. You meet many examples of SE in Half the Sky. I will introduce you to others in the program, The New Heroes and also in on-line programs from Frontline World, and in films shown in class like To Educate a Girl.
We will use They Say, I Say along with Diana Hacker’s Rules for Writers to practice writing style and organization as well as review grammar where needed. I will give grammar quizzes and if students do not make 100 percent, he or she will know where to focus their review work.
Students also need a notebook for in-class writing with a folder for handouts. You also need a couple of ink pens, a pencil with an eraser, a hole puncher, a stapler and a travel drive for saving one’s work. If you have a laptop, feel free to bring it to class. Tape recorders are fine too to record lectures.
We’ll read the play Lysistrata in March and celebrate love in February. We will also contemplate the cost of war in March as well as celebrate International Women’s Day and Earth Day.
We will keep a reading log for the two assigned books: Mighty and Half the Sky. Discussion groups will meet each week. These reading logs or journals will be where students jot down key ideas and outlined responses for each discussion section, along with themes which arise, vocabulary and key arguments, along with primary writing strategies employed: description, process analysis, narration, argument, cause and effect, compare and contrast, definition, problem solving.
Research Project
Each student will locate a social entrepreneur to profile in an essay. The woman has to be alive, preferably living in Northern California and has been working in her field for over 5 years and have documented resources you can draw from: books, essays, articles, films.
The paper will be about 4-5 pages. This will include a works cited page and bibliography. Students will make 5-10 minute presentations of these papers in May. The paper will be due about two-three weeks prior to the presentation. We’ll discuss this task further later on. Start thinking of whom you might want to profile now. Hint: define social entrepreneur first.
As already stated, the midterm will be based on a theme from Half the Sky. We might write the essay in class. We will talk about it.
New Heroes
Visit PBS.org The New Heroes, to read about social entrepreneurs. (I’ll show you a few episodes from the series.) Too often people feel helpless or hopeless when there is a lot you can do as an individual as soon as you realize the answer lies inside of you. Chose a female entrepreneur who lives in Northern California, someone you’d like to interview and perhaps meet. There is also a series on PBS called Frontline World with many SE profiled.
Academic Blog
In this course, students will submit essays and other written work on-line. The academic blog is an opportunity for students to utilize multiple intelligences as they engage one another in a variety modalities.
The site is: http://www.professorwandasposse.blogspot.com
Student Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course students will have an altered or heightened awareness of the world around them, especially discourse: speech and text. Students will see that everything is an argument, whether that is a cartoon, advertisement, or lyrics in a song. Students will be able to analyze and critique each incident or contact to evaluate its author’s purpose, audience, and evidence to determine whether or not such goal was met and if appropriate, act accordingly.
This course is intended to be both a group learning experience as well as an individually rewarding one. Mid-semester we will schedule conferences so students can confer with the instructor to evaluate his or her progress in the course. Classroom instruction will consist of lectures, small group work, and students working in pairs. This is an effective way for students to exchange ideas with classmates, compare reactions to readings and practice giving and receiving constructive feedback on class work.
Preparation for class, regular attendance and active participation is imperative for those students who wish to succeed in this course.
It is a student’s responsibility to contact the instructor if he or she plans to miss class. The student is responsible for all materials and information given during the class time, so please get telephone numbers for three (3) classmates in case you are late or absent. You will not be able to make up in-class assignments when you miss class.
Requirements for homework assignments:
Not late papers are accepted unless arranged in advance. Any papers below a C grade are an automatic revision or rewrite. Essays range between 2-5 pages, 500-1550 words. The cyber-assignments are generally shorter (250 words), as are freewrites.
Choose topics which give you enough to write about. We will use documentation to substantiate all of our claims. With this in mind, I expect all papers to utilize at least two (2) different outside print sources, in addition to the occasional interview, and broadcast news, that is, radio or television, Internet also.
You will learn to document sources; we will practice citing sources in text, using footnotes and end notes, and writing bibliographies and notes pages. Remember save all your work! This is a portfolio course.
All essay assignments you receive comments and have to be revised prior to resubmission; included with the revision is a student narrative to me regarding your understanding of what needed to be done; a student can prepare this as a part of the Writing Center visit (see below), especially if said student is unclear over what steps to take. The narrative might be in the form of a correction essay where the errors are cited, corrections given with rules and the essay is then revised after the correction essay is graded. These essays follow the Pidd template.
Library Sessions: TBA in February. We will meet in the library instead of the classroom.
Reading great authors and writers helps you develop your style. It’s similar to eating a balanced meal for optimum health. A writer is only as intellectually healthy as the material he or she reads. Models are often a great way to practice a style of writing. I will occasionally make copies of articles from magazines and textbooks I think illustrate a particular style of writing I’d like you to practice, or perhaps an argument which have peaked my interest. If you find an argument, either a visual one or a written one you’d like to share please do so for extra credit.
Jot down briefly what your goals are this semester. List them in order of importance.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Please include your goals along with your name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address and send to me. The due date is January 26, 2011, by 12 noon.
Respond to the following questions as well in the same email:
What strengths do you bring to the class? What skills or knowledge would you like to leave with once the class ends? What can I do to help you achieve this? Is there anything I need to know, such as a hidden disability, childcare issues, etc., which might jeopardize this goal?
Email it to me at coasabirenglish1A@gmail.com by Do not forget to include the assignment in the subject line along with student name, course and time.
Cyber-Assignment Response to the Syllabus due by Thursday, Jan. 26, 12 noon. Include in your response acknowledgement that to pass the class one must have materials, such as textbooks preferably day 1 of classes, no later than the second week of classes day 1.
The syllabus response is a cyber-assignment due on the blog. Don’t email it to me. I will look for it there: http://professorwandasposse.blogspot.com Click comment and post your response to the syllabus there. Chose anonymous and type your name in the post.
Grading:
Mighty: 10 percent
They Say, I Say/Hacker Exercises: 10 percent
Student Book—presentation and essay: 15 percent
Midterm—Half the Sky: 15 percent
Social Entrepreneur Essay & presentation: 20 percent
Portfolio: 15 percent
Cyber-Assignments: 15 percent
The cyber-essays and comments on student work are practice essays and count as participation. I changed the calculation this semester to force students to participate in our on-line discussions. This portion of your grade is 15 percent. Presentations accompany the major essays, but we have other presentations as well connected to the cyber-assignments. 35 percent is attached to two paper presentations: research and independent study. The portfolio, which is a collection of your major work this semester, is another hefty chunk. Save all your graded assignments for inclusion.
Plan to visit the Writing Center (L-234 (510) 748-2132) weekly. Decide in advance what you’d like to cover. If you need help figuring that out, talk to me. Have a tutor evaluate your essays for form and content; the aim is lucid, precise, and clear prose.
The Writing Center
The Writing Lab is a great place to get one-on-on assistance on your essays, from brainstorming and planning the essays, to critique on the essay for clarity, organization, clearly stated thesis, evidence of support, logical conclusions, and grammatical problems for referrals to other ancillary materials to build strong writing muscles such as SkillsBank, The Bedford Handbook on-line, Diana Hacker’s Rules for Writers on-line, Townsend Press, and other such computer and cyber-based resources. The Lab is open M-Th 8-7, Fridays, 8-2. There is an Open Lab for checking e-mail, a Math Lab, an Accounting Lab and there will be an ESL Lab. All academic labs are located in the Learning Resource Center (LRC) second floor. Check the times which might have changed.
Students need a student ID to use the labs and to check out books. The IDs are free and you can take the photo in the F-Building, Student Services. There is also a Cyber Café in the F-Building on the second floor in the cafeteria area. Students need to enroll in a free class to use the academic labs. See the staff in the tutoring center or your counselor.
Revisions
Have a tutor or teacher sign off on your essays before you turn them in; if you have an “R,” which means revision necessary for a grade or “NC” which means “no credit.” Return both the graded original and the revision (with signature) to me. Revise does not mean “rewrite,” it means to “see again.” Also include a short narrative or correction essay stating what you did to improve the essay.
When getting assistance on an essay, the teacher or tutor is not an editor, so have questions prepared for them to make best use of the 15 minute session in the Lab. I will give students a handout designating five (5) areas s/he might want to have the tutor or teacher look at. For more specific assistance sign up for one-on-one tutoring, another free service. For those of you on other campuses, you can get assistance at the Merritt College Writing Center, as well as Laney’s. You can also come see me during my office hours. I am on campus every day except Friday.
All essay assignments you receive comments on have to be revised prior to resubmission; included with the revision is a student narrative to me regarding your understanding of what needed to be done; a student can prepare this as a part of the Lab visit, especially if said student is unclear over what steps to take. If I want a correction essay, I will let you know.
Students can also visit me in office hours for assistance. Again, prepare your questions in advance to best make use of the time. Do not leave class without understanding the comments on a paper. I don’t mind reading them to you.
Pedagogy or Waxing Philosophical
English language fluency in writing and reading, a certain comfort and ease with the language, confidence and skillful application of literary skills associated with academic writing, familiarity if not mastery of the rhetorical styles used in argumentation, exposition and narration will be addressed in this class and is a key student learning outcome (SLO).
We will be evaluating what we know and how we came to know what we know, a field called epistemology or the study of knowledge. Granted, the perspective is western culture which eliminates the values of the majority populations, so-called underdeveloped or undeveloped countries or cultures. Let us not fall into typical superiority traps. Try to maintain a mental elasticity and a willingness to let go of concepts which not only limit your growth as an intelligent being, but put you at a distinct disadvantage as a species.
This is a highly charged and potentially revolutionary process - critical thinking. The process of evaluating all that you swallowed without chewing up to now is possibly even dangerous. This is one of the problems with bigotry; it’s easier to go with tradition than toss it, and create a new, more just, alternative protocol.
Evaluation—Getting that “A”
We will be honest with one another. Grades are not necessarily the best response to work; grades do not take into consideration the effort or time spent, only whether or not a student can demonstrate mastery of a skill - in this case: essay writing. Grades are an approximation, arbitrary at best, no matter how many safeguards one tries to put in place to avoid such ambiguity. Suffice it to say, your portfolio will illustrate your competence. It will represent your progress, your success or failure this summer session in meeting your goals. I like to post essays on the academic blog as examples for other students. I will be asking students from time to time to submit copies for posting. The blog is cumulative, so you can read essays from Spring 2006 to now. I have not posted the Spring 2012 welcome letter on the syllabus, what I have posted is a narrative of the syllabus. I am still writing the welcome. The address for the class blog is: http://professorwandasposse.blogspot.com/
Office Hours: D-219
I’d like to wish everyone good luck. I’d like to wish everyone good luck. I am available on Monday and Wednesday morning 10:30-12 noon, MW afternoons 3-4 p.m. and by appointment MTWTh 3-5 PM (510) 748-2286. Let me know the day before, if possible, when you’d like to meet with me. Ask me for my cell phone number. I do not mind sharing it with you. My email address again is: coasabirenglish1A@gmail.com
Exchange phone numbers with classmates (2), so if you have a concern, it can be addressed more expediently especially over the weekend or on holidays. Again study groups are recommended, especially for those students finding the readings difficult; don’t forget, you can also discuss the readings as a group in the Lab with a teacher or tutor acting as facilitator. Keep a vocabulary log for the semester and an error chart (taken from comments on essay assignments). List the words you need to look up in the dictionary, also list where you first encountered them: page, book and definition, also use the word in a sentence. You will turn this in with your portfolio.
Students are expected to complete their work on time. If you need more time on an assignment, discuss this with me in advance, if possible, to keep full credit. You loose credit each day an assignment is late and certain assignments, such as in-class essays cannot be made up. All assignments prepared outside of class are to be typed, 12-pt. font, double-spaced lines, indentations on paragraphs, 1-inch margins around the written work (see Hacker: The Writing Process; Document Design.)
Cheating
Plagiarism is ethically abhorrent, and if any student tries to take credit for work authored by another person the result will be a failed grade on the assignment and possibly a failed grade in the course if this is attempted again. This is a graded course.
Homework
If you do not identify the assignment, I cannot grade it. If you do not return the original assignment you revised, I cannot compare what changed. If you accidentally toss out or loose the original assignment, you get a zero on the assignment to be revised. I will not look at revisions without the original attached - no exceptions.
All assignments completed away from class should be typed. Use blue or black ink when writing responses in class. You can annotate your books in pencil.
Textbooks Recap:
Gbowee, Leyman, and Carol Mithers. Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War. New York: Beast Books, 2011.
Kristof, Nicholas D., and Sheryl WuDunn. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009.
Students need to choose a book by a woman author or about a woman who lives here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Biographies and autobiographies are great. If you want to read a novel, let me see it first. Students will have a paper and a presentation based on the book. Choose one now and when we finish Half the Sky you can start reading it. The presentation and paper will be due in April.
Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writers. Fourth-Sixth edition. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martins.
Recommended:
Pollitt, Gary. Craig Baker. Stewart Pidd Hates English: Grammar, Punctuation, and Writing Exercises. First or Second Edition. California: Attack the Text Publishing, 2008/9. ISBN: 13: 978-0-9755923-4-2
Students also need a dictionary. I recommend: The American Heritage Dictionary. Fourth Edition.
I will give students more detailed essay assignments for each of the four essays: Mighty, Half the Sky, Book Report Essay and Social Entrepreneur Essay.
Also stay abreast of the news. Buy a daily paper. Listen to alternative radio: KPFA 94.1 FM, KQED 88.5, KALW 91.7. Visit news websites: AllAfrica.com, Al Jazeera, CNN.com, AlterNet.org, DemocracyNow.org, FlashPoint.org, CBS 60Minutes on-line.
This syllabus is subject to change based on instructor assessment of class progress.
English 1A, Spring 2012
Professor Wanda Sabir
Course codes: 21757
Class Meetings: Jan. 25—May 17, 9-10, MTWTh
Location: Room A-202
Drop dates: February 4, Full-Term Credit Classes and Receive a Refund. Note: Short-term and open-entry classes must be dropped within three days of the first class meeting to receive a refund. Feb. 5 last day to add. Feb. 11 last day to file for Pass/No pass. Feb. 16 last day to drop w/out a W. Drop February 24, Full-Term Credit Classes Without “W” Appearing on Transcript; April 25 (w/W) and no refund.
Holidays: Feb. 6, 17-20; May 18, May 30; Spring Break: April 2-8 M-Su Spring Recess
Final Exam Week: May 19-25. We have no sitting final. Portfolios are due by May 25, 12 noon electronically. Last day of semester May 25. Class blog: http://professorwandasposse.blogspot.com/
Each One, Pull One (Thinking of Lorraine Hansberry)
. . . We must say it all, as clearly
as we can. For, even before we are dead,
they are busy
trying to bury us.
—Alice Walker
Syllabus for English 1A: College Composition and Reading
English 1A is the first transferable college writing course. Don’t get nervous, hopefully you took English 201 and passed with a B or better. Perhaps you’re fresh out of high school, did okay on the placement exam and voila wound up here. Maybe you’re returning to college after a significant hiatus and aren’t confident in your writing, yet once again passed that placement exam, which, if you recall, tested grammar not writing. Keep your receipt and notice the dates, so you can get a full refund if you cut your losses and drop by Feb. 4/16 (refund, no refund, no W), or Apr. 25 with a W/no refund :-) So my joke wasn’t funny? Hang in there and you’ll do fine in the class if you:
1. Know what an essay is
2. Have written one before
3. Are ready to commit yourself to the task of writing
Plan to have a challenging, yet intellectually stimulating 18 weeks, which I hope you begin by setting goals for yourself. Make a schedule and join or create a study group. Writing is a social activity, especially the type of writing you’ll be doing here. We always consider our audience, have purpose or reason to write, and use research to substantiate our claims, even those we are considered experts in.
I believe we’re supposed to write about 8000 words or so at this level course. Don’t let the numbers scare you. We’ll probably write more. This includes drafts. What this amounts to is time at home writing, time in the library researching, reading documents to increase your facility with the ideas or themes your are contemplating, before you once again sit at your desk writing, revising, and writing some more.
Writing is a lonely process. No one can write for you. The social aspect comes into play once you are finished and you have an opportunity to share.
This semester we will look at women and girls and the inequities which make their lives more difficult just because of the gender biases present in most of the developed and underdeveloped world.
No, you didn’t accidentally end up in a public policy or cultural anthropology class; however, I found the arguments presented in Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, compelling and thought provoking.
We will write an essay based on the themes from this book. We will start with a true heroine’s journey, Leymah Gbowee’s challenging and exciting story about peace in Liberia, a country once at war. Liberia is a country with a complex history. It is the country African Americans formerly enslaved were shipped to once slavery ended and free labor was outlawed. Gbowee’s story, Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War is really inspiring. Before the war, she’d planned to attend the university to become a doctor and war, the immediacy of war changed all that temporarily as the protagonist became a mother and common law wife.
Mighty speaks to how dreams never really die as long as there is memory and hope and support, it also speaks to the great sacrifices a leader makes and the price these sacrifices have on oneself emotionally and physically, and on one’s family. The people who one loves and who one sacrifices for often don’t stand by one in the end as petty drama and jealousy eat at the fabric of the bond.
Excellently recounted, Mighty shows a woman whose life is a work in progress. At times I lose track of her age and then realize how young Gbowee is and what decisions she has to make concerning the lives of so many others. When the peace talk protests grow intense she is awake around the clock. I am amazed she has time for debriefing and self-reflection. Her sister’s support and her children’s understand is amazing. I love the aspects of the book that look at the culture she is a part of, which is clearly not western. The end of the book is too quickly summed up.
There is too much left to cover, I hope this is just part one of the story. I’d love to read the story from the perspective of Gbowee’s children, adopted and one’s she bore. I’d love to hear the story from the perspective of the wonderful friend she had in Tunde.
Mighty isn’t a love story, unless perhaps it is the story about a young woman coming to value herself and that loves growth. Mighty addresses the stress or pressures a leader faces and how unhealthy habits escalate and grow. True to form we learn that Gbowee is stubborn and learns her lessons the hard way whether that is as a girl or a more mature woman. She is not one to be pushed. Luckily we know the end of the story, that she survives. Mighty fills in the details as we count the casualties along the way. It is a sad and triumph story. No one wants the hero’s journey. Those who jealously pulled at Gbowee’s glory didn’t really want what she suffered, though in many cases her comrades suffered as much or more. I wish there was more regarding the strategy the organizers used and more information about what their handbook covered. It would have also been great to hear more of the women’s stories, perhaps in another book we will.
All writing is research writing so students will not write one long essay, rather four shorter essays based on themes from: Mighty, the midterm based on Half the Sky, the third an essay based on the book you chose written by a woman or about a woman, and the fourth is on a social entrepreneur. You meet many examples of SE in Half the Sky. I will introduce you to others in the program, The New Heroes and also in on-line programs from Frontline World, and in films shown in class like To Educate a Girl.
We will use They Say, I Say along with Diana Hacker’s Rules for Writers to practice writing style and organization as well as review grammar where needed. I will give grammar quizzes and if students do not make 100 percent, he or she will know where to focus their review work.
Students also need a notebook for in-class writing with a folder for handouts. You also need a couple of ink pens, a pencil with an eraser, a hole puncher, a stapler and a travel drive for saving one’s work. If you have a laptop, feel free to bring it to class. Tape recorders are fine too to record lectures.
We’ll read the play Lysistrata in March and celebrate love in February. We will also contemplate the cost of war in March as well as celebrate International Women’s Day and Earth Day.
We will keep a reading log for the two assigned books: Mighty and Half the Sky. Discussion groups will meet each week. These reading logs or journals will be where students jot down key ideas and outlined responses for each discussion section, along with themes which arise, vocabulary and key arguments, along with primary writing strategies employed: description, process analysis, narration, argument, cause and effect, compare and contrast, definition, problem solving.
Research Project
Each student will locate a social entrepreneur to profile in an essay. The woman has to be alive, preferably living in Northern California and has been working in her field for over 5 years and have documented resources you can draw from: books, essays, articles, films.
The paper will be about 4-5 pages. This will include a works cited page and bibliography. Students will make 5-10 minute presentations of these papers in May. The paper will be due about two-three weeks prior to the presentation. We’ll discuss this task further later on. Start thinking of whom you might want to profile now. Hint: define social entrepreneur first.
As already stated, the midterm will be based on a theme from Half the Sky. We might write the essay in class. We will talk about it.
New Heroes
Visit PBS.org The New Heroes, to read about social entrepreneurs. (I’ll show you a few episodes from the series.) Too often people feel helpless or hopeless when there is a lot you can do as an individual as soon as you realize the answer lies inside of you. Chose a female entrepreneur who lives in Northern California, someone you’d like to interview and perhaps meet. There is also a series on PBS called Frontline World with many SE profiled.
Academic Blog
In this course, students will submit essays and other written work on-line. The academic blog is an opportunity for students to utilize multiple intelligences as they engage one another in a variety modalities.
The site is: http://www.professorwandasposse.blogspot.com
Student Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course students will have an altered or heightened awareness of the world around them, especially discourse: speech and text. Students will see that everything is an argument, whether that is a cartoon, advertisement, or lyrics in a song. Students will be able to analyze and critique each incident or contact to evaluate its author’s purpose, audience, and evidence to determine whether or not such goal was met and if appropriate, act accordingly.
This course is intended to be both a group learning experience as well as an individually rewarding one. Mid-semester we will schedule conferences so students can confer with the instructor to evaluate his or her progress in the course. Classroom instruction will consist of lectures, small group work, and students working in pairs. This is an effective way for students to exchange ideas with classmates, compare reactions to readings and practice giving and receiving constructive feedback on class work.
Preparation for class, regular attendance and active participation is imperative for those students who wish to succeed in this course.
It is a student’s responsibility to contact the instructor if he or she plans to miss class. The student is responsible for all materials and information given during the class time, so please get telephone numbers for three (3) classmates in case you are late or absent. You will not be able to make up in-class assignments when you miss class.
Requirements for homework assignments:
Not late papers are accepted unless arranged in advance. Any papers below a C grade are an automatic revision or rewrite. Essays range between 2-5 pages, 500-1550 words. The cyber-assignments are generally shorter (250 words), as are freewrites.
Choose topics which give you enough to write about. We will use documentation to substantiate all of our claims. With this in mind, I expect all papers to utilize at least two (2) different outside print sources, in addition to the occasional interview, and broadcast news, that is, radio or television, Internet also.
You will learn to document sources; we will practice citing sources in text, using footnotes and end notes, and writing bibliographies and notes pages. Remember save all your work! This is a portfolio course.
All essay assignments you receive comments and have to be revised prior to resubmission; included with the revision is a student narrative to me regarding your understanding of what needed to be done; a student can prepare this as a part of the Writing Center visit (see below), especially if said student is unclear over what steps to take. The narrative might be in the form of a correction essay where the errors are cited, corrections given with rules and the essay is then revised after the correction essay is graded. These essays follow the Pidd template.
Library Sessions: TBA in February. We will meet in the library instead of the classroom.
Reading great authors and writers helps you develop your style. It’s similar to eating a balanced meal for optimum health. A writer is only as intellectually healthy as the material he or she reads. Models are often a great way to practice a style of writing. I will occasionally make copies of articles from magazines and textbooks I think illustrate a particular style of writing I’d like you to practice, or perhaps an argument which have peaked my interest. If you find an argument, either a visual one or a written one you’d like to share please do so for extra credit.
Jot down briefly what your goals are this semester. List them in order of importance.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Please include your goals along with your name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address and send to me. The due date is January 26, 2011, by 12 noon.
Respond to the following questions as well in the same email:
What strengths do you bring to the class? What skills or knowledge would you like to leave with once the class ends? What can I do to help you achieve this? Is there anything I need to know, such as a hidden disability, childcare issues, etc., which might jeopardize this goal?
Email it to me at coasabirenglish1A@gmail.com by Do not forget to include the assignment in the subject line along with student name, course and time.
Cyber-Assignment Response to the Syllabus due by Thursday, Jan. 26, 12 noon. Include in your response acknowledgement that to pass the class one must have materials, such as textbooks preferably day 1 of classes, no later than the second week of classes day 1.
The syllabus response is a cyber-assignment due on the blog. Don’t email it to me. I will look for it there: http://professorwandasposse.blogspot.com Click comment and post your response to the syllabus there. Chose anonymous and type your name in the post.
Grading:
Mighty: 10 percent
They Say, I Say/Hacker Exercises: 10 percent
Student Book—presentation and essay: 15 percent
Midterm—Half the Sky: 15 percent
Social Entrepreneur Essay & presentation: 20 percent
Portfolio: 15 percent
Cyber-Assignments: 15 percent
The cyber-essays and comments on student work are practice essays and count as participation. I changed the calculation this semester to force students to participate in our on-line discussions. This portion of your grade is 15 percent. Presentations accompany the major essays, but we have other presentations as well connected to the cyber-assignments. 35 percent is attached to two paper presentations: research and independent study. The portfolio, which is a collection of your major work this semester, is another hefty chunk. Save all your graded assignments for inclusion.
Plan to visit the Writing Center (L-234 (510) 748-2132) weekly. Decide in advance what you’d like to cover. If you need help figuring that out, talk to me. Have a tutor evaluate your essays for form and content; the aim is lucid, precise, and clear prose.
The Writing Center
The Writing Lab is a great place to get one-on-on assistance on your essays, from brainstorming and planning the essays, to critique on the essay for clarity, organization, clearly stated thesis, evidence of support, logical conclusions, and grammatical problems for referrals to other ancillary materials to build strong writing muscles such as SkillsBank, The Bedford Handbook on-line, Diana Hacker’s Rules for Writers on-line, Townsend Press, and other such computer and cyber-based resources. The Lab is open M-Th 8-7, Fridays, 8-2. There is an Open Lab for checking e-mail, a Math Lab, an Accounting Lab and there will be an ESL Lab. All academic labs are located in the Learning Resource Center (LRC) second floor. Check the times which might have changed.
Students need a student ID to use the labs and to check out books. The IDs are free and you can take the photo in the F-Building, Student Services. There is also a Cyber Café in the F-Building on the second floor in the cafeteria area. Students need to enroll in a free class to use the academic labs. See the staff in the tutoring center or your counselor.
Revisions
Have a tutor or teacher sign off on your essays before you turn them in; if you have an “R,” which means revision necessary for a grade or “NC” which means “no credit.” Return both the graded original and the revision (with signature) to me. Revise does not mean “rewrite,” it means to “see again.” Also include a short narrative or correction essay stating what you did to improve the essay.
When getting assistance on an essay, the teacher or tutor is not an editor, so have questions prepared for them to make best use of the 15 minute session in the Lab. I will give students a handout designating five (5) areas s/he might want to have the tutor or teacher look at. For more specific assistance sign up for one-on-one tutoring, another free service. For those of you on other campuses, you can get assistance at the Merritt College Writing Center, as well as Laney’s. You can also come see me during my office hours. I am on campus every day except Friday.
All essay assignments you receive comments on have to be revised prior to resubmission; included with the revision is a student narrative to me regarding your understanding of what needed to be done; a student can prepare this as a part of the Lab visit, especially if said student is unclear over what steps to take. If I want a correction essay, I will let you know.
Students can also visit me in office hours for assistance. Again, prepare your questions in advance to best make use of the time. Do not leave class without understanding the comments on a paper. I don’t mind reading them to you.
Pedagogy or Waxing Philosophical
English language fluency in writing and reading, a certain comfort and ease with the language, confidence and skillful application of literary skills associated with academic writing, familiarity if not mastery of the rhetorical styles used in argumentation, exposition and narration will be addressed in this class and is a key student learning outcome (SLO).
We will be evaluating what we know and how we came to know what we know, a field called epistemology or the study of knowledge. Granted, the perspective is western culture which eliminates the values of the majority populations, so-called underdeveloped or undeveloped countries or cultures. Let us not fall into typical superiority traps. Try to maintain a mental elasticity and a willingness to let go of concepts which not only limit your growth as an intelligent being, but put you at a distinct disadvantage as a species.
This is a highly charged and potentially revolutionary process - critical thinking. The process of evaluating all that you swallowed without chewing up to now is possibly even dangerous. This is one of the problems with bigotry; it’s easier to go with tradition than toss it, and create a new, more just, alternative protocol.
Evaluation—Getting that “A”
We will be honest with one another. Grades are not necessarily the best response to work; grades do not take into consideration the effort or time spent, only whether or not a student can demonstrate mastery of a skill - in this case: essay writing. Grades are an approximation, arbitrary at best, no matter how many safeguards one tries to put in place to avoid such ambiguity. Suffice it to say, your portfolio will illustrate your competence. It will represent your progress, your success or failure this summer session in meeting your goals. I like to post essays on the academic blog as examples for other students. I will be asking students from time to time to submit copies for posting. The blog is cumulative, so you can read essays from Spring 2006 to now. I have not posted the Spring 2012 welcome letter on the syllabus, what I have posted is a narrative of the syllabus. I am still writing the welcome. The address for the class blog is: http://professorwandasposse.blogspot.com/
Office Hours: D-219
I’d like to wish everyone good luck. I’d like to wish everyone good luck. I am available on Monday and Wednesday morning 10:30-12 noon, MW afternoons 3-4 p.m. and by appointment MTWTh 3-5 PM (510) 748-2286. Let me know the day before, if possible, when you’d like to meet with me. Ask me for my cell phone number. I do not mind sharing it with you. My email address again is: coasabirenglish1A@gmail.com
Exchange phone numbers with classmates (2), so if you have a concern, it can be addressed more expediently especially over the weekend or on holidays. Again study groups are recommended, especially for those students finding the readings difficult; don’t forget, you can also discuss the readings as a group in the Lab with a teacher or tutor acting as facilitator. Keep a vocabulary log for the semester and an error chart (taken from comments on essay assignments). List the words you need to look up in the dictionary, also list where you first encountered them: page, book and definition, also use the word in a sentence. You will turn this in with your portfolio.
Students are expected to complete their work on time. If you need more time on an assignment, discuss this with me in advance, if possible, to keep full credit. You loose credit each day an assignment is late and certain assignments, such as in-class essays cannot be made up. All assignments prepared outside of class are to be typed, 12-pt. font, double-spaced lines, indentations on paragraphs, 1-inch margins around the written work (see Hacker: The Writing Process; Document Design.)
Cheating
Plagiarism is ethically abhorrent, and if any student tries to take credit for work authored by another person the result will be a failed grade on the assignment and possibly a failed grade in the course if this is attempted again. This is a graded course.
Homework
If you do not identify the assignment, I cannot grade it. If you do not return the original assignment you revised, I cannot compare what changed. If you accidentally toss out or loose the original assignment, you get a zero on the assignment to be revised. I will not look at revisions without the original attached - no exceptions.
All assignments completed away from class should be typed. Use blue or black ink when writing responses in class. You can annotate your books in pencil.
Textbooks Recap:
Gbowee, Leyman, and Carol Mithers. Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War. New York: Beast Books, 2011.
Kristof, Nicholas D., and Sheryl WuDunn. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009.
Students need to choose a book by a woman author or about a woman who lives here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Biographies and autobiographies are great. If you want to read a novel, let me see it first. Students will have a paper and a presentation based on the book. Choose one now and when we finish Half the Sky you can start reading it. The presentation and paper will be due in April.
Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writers. Fourth-Sixth edition. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martins.
Recommended:
Pollitt, Gary. Craig Baker. Stewart Pidd Hates English: Grammar, Punctuation, and Writing Exercises. First or Second Edition. California: Attack the Text Publishing, 2008/9. ISBN: 13: 978-0-9755923-4-2
Students also need a dictionary. I recommend: The American Heritage Dictionary. Fourth Edition.
I will give students more detailed essay assignments for each of the four essays: Mighty, Half the Sky, Book Report Essay and Social Entrepreneur Essay.
Also stay abreast of the news. Buy a daily paper. Listen to alternative radio: KPFA 94.1 FM, KQED 88.5, KALW 91.7. Visit news websites: AllAfrica.com, Al Jazeera, CNN.com, AlterNet.org, DemocracyNow.org, FlashPoint.org, CBS 60Minutes on-line.
This syllabus is subject to change based on instructor assessment of class progress.
posted by Professor Wanda's Posse at 4:56 PM
32 Comments:
Daniel Escudero-Whitney
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
24 January 2012
In order for me to pass English 1A I must have Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, Mighty Be Out Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War, Diana Hacker Rules for Writers, American Heritage Dictionary. The last item required, which I will be sure to love is They Say, I say, Second Edition.
And just for fun, I will see why Stewart Pidd Hates English, First or Second Edition (smile).
I will have this collection of material no later than one week after day 1 of classes.
In order to excel in class I will need a notebook for in class assignments, blue and black ink pens, a pencil and eraser.
I look forward to improving my composition!
Akeem Dujshonne Diaz
Profesor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
24 January 2012
I acknowledge the fact that I must have the materials "Mighty be our Powers" by Leymah Gbowee, "Half The Sky:Turning Opression into Opportunity For Women Worldwide" by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, "They Say/ I Say" by Gerald Graff and Cathy Berkenstein. I haven't purchased a copy of "Diana hacker Rules for Writers" and "American Heritage Dictionary" but I certainly intend to do so. I have pens smooth as Sammie Davis Jr's voice and a thick durable notebook to last me the entire semsterl. Only two boxes remain empty on my English 1A material check list.
Stephen Yang
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
24 January 2012
For me to participate and enroll in English 1A class I must have the materials Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War by Leymah Gbowee, Diana Hacker Rules for Writers,They Say, I Say, SE by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birenstein and purchased these items online last week and hope they arrive within the next week. The only book I haven't acquired is the American Heritage Dictionary, but I'll purchase one soon. I have ink pens of a wide variety of colors, pencil, erasers, and if I feel like it a laptop. I may be an awkward student, but I look forward to the semester.
James Espinoza
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
24 January 2012
In order for me to excel in English 1A I must obtain both Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War by Leymah Gbowee and Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. I must also purchase Diana Hacker Rules for Writers, American Heritage Dictionary, and They Say, I Say, Second Edition, by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birenstein. In addition to those titles I should probably get Stewart Pidd Hates English even though it is recommended, not required.
I have all the pens, pencils, erasers, and notebooks that I will need to participate in this class and I must say, I look forward to it!
Colleen Low
Professor Wanda Sibir
English 1A
24 January 2012
I acknowledge that to pass English 1A I must attain the textbooks noted in the textbooks Recap section of the syllabus, and "They Say, I Say..." Second Edition. I have these items, notebooks, writing tools and dictionary for the class.
Miss Sabir's syllabus is intensive and insightful. Her selection of reading material seem most interesting and provoking. Her helpful references and information are tools to which she has a vast knowledge of and will be taught in an updated style. I look forward to her talk about her excursion to Africa during the break.
Abel Abyu
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
24 January 2012
I acknowledge and understand that in order to attain the A+ I desire in this class, I must have all the materials such as textbooks (which Ms. Sabir has listed on her syllabus) optimally before the beginning of the second week of school. My hope is to become a better writer and earn a great grade.
Suelekha Yussuf
English 1A
Professor. Sabir Wanda
24 January 2012
Syllabus Response
In order for me to succeed in English 1A class what I needed to do is to have all required text books and assignment books-Half the Sky: Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War by Leymah Gbowee, Diana Hacker Rules for Writers, They Say, I Say, SE by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birenstein and American Heritage Dictionary.
I have all school suppliers such as Computer, notebook, pencil and pen for my participation in and out of the class.
I am very excited about this class and am look forward to learning and improving my writing in English.
Flora Diamond
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A 24 January 2012
Syllabus Response
I acknowledge that I must have the following required materials for me to do well in your class:
Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War -Gbowee, Leyman and Carol Mithers
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide -Kristof, Nicholas D.
Rules for Writers -Hacker, Diana
A Dictionary
Pencil
Paper
I can't wait to gain more important insight into the way women are viewed and treated in different societies. I think both assigned literature piece's will give me that insight.
I liked the syllabus, and how you went into such great detail about your thoughts on Mighty. It make's me excited to learn someone else's story by reading it.
Response to Syllabus
Susan Kelly
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
24 January 2012
I understand that in order to pass the class I must have the required books and materials, which are the following:
1. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.
2. Mighty Be Our Powers:How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War by Leymah Gbowee and Carol Mithers.
3. They Say, I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein (5th, 6th and 7th editions ok).
4. Rules for Writers by Diana Hacker.
5. A book of my choice about a woman or written by a woman.
6. A notebook for in-class writing with a folder for handouts. Can't forget the ink pens and pencil with an eraser. Also a hole puncher, a stapler and a drive.
Laptops and tape recorders are welcomed.
I am aware that all of the above should be in my hands no later than second week of classes day 1.
With that said, I cannot wait to be challenged and to learn with Professor Sabir and this group of people in College of Alameda, English 1A Room A-202.
Im excited to see that we will be learning about intellectually engaging subjects that affect our lives in the outside world not just necessairly whats in a book,i think i'll enjoy the social entrepenur project the most
kenneth windham
Prof Wanda Sabir
ENG 1A
26 januarary 2012
Mike Lieu
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
25 January 2012
Materials needed:
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War, Diana Hacker Rules for Writers,They Say, I Say. I have yet to get them, but i will do so as soon as possible before Monday because that is when Professor Sabir said to have them by. I already have writing utensils and i can't wait to take on this mission of passing English 1A. As soon as i get the books, i will be ready.
Analise Bostrom
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
25 January 2012
To pass English 1A I must buy both Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War by Leymah Gbowee and Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. I will also buy They Say, I Say, Second Edition, by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birenstein. I'm not promising anything but I might also get Stewart Pidd Hates English because it's recommended.
I have all the writing tools, and notebooks that I will need for this class.
Samantha Swain
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
25 January 2012
I understand that for the class I need Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Mighty Be Our Powers:How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War by Leymah Gbowee and Carol Mithers, They Say, I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, all of which I already have. I will also need a folder for handouts and a notebook for taking notes and writing. I look forward to this class.
Nezha Abdelrahman
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
25 January 2012
In Order for me to pass this class I must have the required materials such as textbooks which are Mighy Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War by Leyman Gbowee and Carol Mithers, Half the Sky: Turing Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof, Rulers for Writers by Diana Hacker, and They Say,I Say. Also recommended for this course is Steward Pidd Hates English:Grammer, Punctuation, and Writing Exercises by Gary Pollitt and Craig Barker.
Other materials need for this class are a notebook which will be used for in-class writing, ink pens, pencil with an eraser, a hole puncher, a stapler, and flash driver to save my work on it.
Those are the tools that I need in order to succeed in this class and without my tools I won't be able to get the job done, therefore, the chances of me passing this course would be very slim.
Dennis Garcia
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
25 January 2012
According to the syllabus, I understand what I require to earn the good grade I'm aiming for. I will need the two books listed, "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women World Wide" and "Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War". We will be writing in total, 4 short essays by the end of the semester, and approximately 8000 words in total. I will need to obtain all the basic materials for the class, such as pencil, paper, pens, and folders in order to save all my work. I am certain this class will improve my writing skills and look forward to it.
Hoan vu
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
25 January 2012
I just order 2 books that require for this course. I pay extra for the next day delivery, I don't mind because I need those book asap. and the total cost wasn't that much, which was a lot lower than what I expected. I wonder what will happen to me if those book not arrive by Monday. I require to pass this class to earn my certificate. beside the requirement this is the class I need to take in order to improve myself in reading and writing. Beside the 2 books I think I have everything else. I am looking forward to work and get to know my teacher and my classmates, and one fun and successful semester
Ngoc Huynh
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
25 January 2012
I notice in the syllabus, there wasn't a section that listed any assignments and their due dates. I am assuming that the assignments will be announced in class. I did see that there are percentages of your grade will depend on the reading, essays, presentation, portfolio, and cyber assignments. I found it interesting that the syllabus was written in a very personal matter. Most syllabuses i have seen are very impersonal and speaks in third person point of view. I would also like to say that i have to have all required materials in order to pass the class.
Kenneth Magno
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
25 January 2012
I acknowledge that to pass English 1A with my desired grade, I'm going to need the following materials: , "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women World Wide" by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Also, "Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War" by Leymah Gbowee. Along with those two pieces of literature I will also need Diana Hacker's, "Rules for Writers" and "They Say, I Say" by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. I look forward to improving my skills in English.
Savannah Conley
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
25 January 2012
I understand that to pass this class I will need to have all of my materials, including all of the required texts, which I have procured. I understand, that I need to do all of the assignments assigned, and read all of the required text. I understand not to cheat, and how to succeed in this class. I am looking forward to improving my reading and writing skills in this class this semester.
Kathleen Adams
Professor Sabir
English 1 A
25 January 2012
My Syllabus Response
The syllabus is very instructive. It has everything I need to know about dropping classes and how to get a refund for the classes that I have dropped. It also keeps me mindful of the holidays, and on days classes will not be in session. The final exam dates are just below the scheduled holidays, in case I do not have a Peralta calendar. All of the material presented in the pre writing of the syllabus is vital, and are questions the students ask most, although it is printed on the syllabus.
When I think about English 1A, there is a type of uneasiness that exudes to the point of me being unsure of myself. With a preparedness to overcome the writing process and begin to write with persuasion, I am sure this will be most gratifying. The weeks onward will be a true test to the writing that I have done in the past yet, I am willing to interchange it all for the elation of becoming even better. Writing can be fun and sometimes it can be demanding and lacerating, but this is what makes me a great writer, taking chances without consent is impressive and a good thing.
This semester English 1A promises delightful material and commendable readings such as: Diana Hacker’s Rules for Writers, Frontline, Half the Sky, Lysistrata, Mighty, The New Heroes, , They Say I say, and last, one of the many films we will see in class called To Educate a Girl. Way in on the cost of war and it effects, celebrate Earth Day and Women’s Day, and even celebrate “Love” in February. To top it off, we will be doing a research paper on social mogul.
I am looking forward to the academic blog; it will show how my writing is pending along. Therefore, in order to get the highest grade of A, I must follow the syllabus rules which are: coming to class on time with all of my material that is needed. The Library is my friend and I know the class will visit quite often to get information for ventures.
This concludes my response to the syllabus for English 1A and I am ready for my journey of writing well. Who will join me?
Sherah McCurdy
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
26 January 2012
Syllabus Response
I absolutely love the syllabus. It had great instructions on how to not only pass the class but learn what English is all about such as writing, research, reading, grammar, speech, and just understanding different point of views when it is put into context of a question or idea. Of course we will need our textbooks (which are listed above in the syllabus if you read it) and a couple other small materials that will help such as stapler, hole puncher etc. I expect this semester to be a challenge for me but I am excited to see what the end results will be.
Keith Richard Salminen
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
26 January 2012
In order to pass English 1A, I must make sure I have all required text books as well as pens, hole puncher, stapler and travel drive as needed. I must also make the best effort to attend class and be on time to not only learn the course, but to get the full grasp of it. I am really looking forward to what you have to offer and teach us this spring.
Jules Mulholland
Wanda Sabir
English 1A
January 26, 2012
The syllabus is wonderfully in-depth. Not only do I have a general understanding of the course, I have a good sense of the materials and the academic feel of the class.
I acknowledge that, in order to pass English 1A this semester, I must have:
•Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
•Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War
•They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing.
•Rules for Writers By Diana Hacker.
I also recognize the necessity of these materials by our next session on Monday Jan. 30th.
Looking forward to honing my writing skills, doing some interesting reading and growing while (hopefully) helping others to do the same.
Whitney Maxwell
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
26 January, 2012
The syllabus is wonderfully written, and straight foward. In reading it I have a complete perspective of what we will cover in the 18 weeks to follow. I am aware that in this course we will work between four different text:
Mighty Be Our Powers
Half the Sky
They Say, I Say
Rules for Writers
however my question is which of the four is the most influential and are all four a necessity for quizzes and homework? Outside of these minor questions I believe that in following the syllabus I will be able to excel in this class, and those are my exact intentions. I am anticipating learning from you, all the while reigniting my passion for writing, and possibly inspiring it in my classmates.
Amy Srimoukda
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
26 January 2012
I fully understand that I, as a responsible student, must have the following materials, in order to be able to successfully complete this class and achieve an A as a passing grade. As stated in the syllabus, given by our professor, we are to have all required materials by the following week of the first day of class. The materials include the following:
-Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War by Gbowee, Leyman and Carol Mithers.
-Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Kristof, Nicholas D., and Sheryl WuDunn.
-Rules for Writers, the Fourth-Sixth edition by Diana Hacker.
-They say, I say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birenstein
-An American Heritage Dictionary
I, personally, would like to include some of the following materials that will also help to complete the tasks at hand, and those include a binder, notebook, pens, pencils and other materials that may be a plus in completing the assignments. I will put as much effort into this class as possible and I am very excited to how our professor teach such an amazing course.
Jovita Wechsler
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
1/26/2012
I, Jovita Wechsler, am aware that to succeed in this class and get the A that I want, need all the materials aforementioned in the syllabus. First of all, the books:
1) Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.
2) Mighty Be Our Powers:How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War by Leymah Gbowee and Carol Mithers.
3) They Say, I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein
4) Rules for Writers by Diana Hacker.
5) And a book about or written by a woman, preferably a biography or autobiography.
I still need to get the books, but I will do everything possible to get them by Monday. All other materials such as notebooks, pens, pencils, highliter, eraser and stapler, I already have them.
I am really hoping to learn a lot in this class and also to have enough energy to be able to do everything that needs to be done.
Mark Jansz
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
26 January 2012
I have read the syllabus and I have to say, it was the longest syllabus that I have received, yet the most informative as well. It covered everything that I needed to know, and questions that i had in mind. It was a great syllabus and a good way to start off this class.
I am fully aware that in order to pass in this class that I need to have the required textbooks, such as They say, I say...etc. All the books are listed above in the syllabus. I am also fully aware that in order to do well, I will need to have Pen's, a good binder or notebook, and me, in my seat on time.
Kathleen Adams
Professor Sabir
English 1 A
25 January 2012
My Syllabus Response
The syllabus is very instructive. It has everything I need to know about dropping classes and how to get a refund for the classes that I have dropped. It also keeps me mindful of the holidays, and on days classes will not be in session. The final exam dates are just below the scheduled holidays, in case I do not have a Peralta calendar. All of the material presented in the pre writing of the syllabus is vital, and are questions the students ask most, although it is printed on the syllabus.
When I think about English 1A, there is a type of uneasiness that exudes to the point of me being unsure of myself. With a preparedness to overcome the writing process and begin to write with persuasion, I am sure this will be most gratifying. The weeks onward will be a true test to the writing that I have done in the past yet, I am willing to interchange it all for the elation of becoming even better. Writing can be fun and sometimes it can be demanding and lacerating, but this is what makes me a great writer, taking chances without consent is impressive and a good thing.
This semester English 1A promises delightful material and commendable readings such as: Diana Hacker’s Rules for Writers, Frontline, Half the Sky, Lysistrata, Mighty, The New Heroes, , They Say I say, and last, one of the many films we will see in class called To Educate a Girl. Way in on the cost of war and it effects, celebrate Earth Day and Women’s Day, and even celebrate “Love” in February. To top it off, we will be doing a research paper on social mogul.
I am looking forward to the academic blog; it will show how my writing is pending along. Therefore, in order to get the highest grade of A, I must follow the syllabus rules which are: coming to class on time with all of my material that is needed. The Library is my friend and I know the class will visit quite often to get information for ventures.
This concludes my response to the syllabus for English 1A and I am ready for my journey of writing well. Who will join me?
John Sills
Professor Sabir
English 1A
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
If found the syllabus in general to be a little overwhelming. This might seem counterintuitive, but I think the syllabus has too much information that doesn’t necessarily pertain to the class. Some sections seemed long winded which made it harder to read.
- Please
- Use
- Bullet
- Points
In my opinion they are much more effective in displaying handy information. The information is also more pronounced making it easier to refer back to quickly.
I John Sills, do here by acknowledge that I do in fact need all the materials required by this course to perform to the best of my ability.
In terms of the content of the syllabus I have no reservations.
P.S. I do like that you have decided to write four shorter essays rather than one longer essay that might end up riddled with BS.
Jaron terrell
professor Wanda Sabir
syllabus response
25 januarary 2012
Hey, I will like start off by saying I'm honered to have professor Sabir as my teacher and very excited to bond with my fellow classmates.I am very interested in what we going to learn this sesmester,I think preofesser sabir teaching style is very unique. I have aready read the first chapter of the book "Mighty be our powers" and I can say the book is bomb! and very interesting. I also understand to pass this class its going to take hard work and dedication somthing that I feel I am highly capable of.
Kennedy Alston
Professor Wanda Sabir
Syllabus Response
26 January 2012
Reading the syllabus alone has shown me that this class will be way different than the conventional english class. I say that because of the book selection that professor Sabir has chosen, which tackles subjects I've never encountered in an english class. I'm very excited to dicuss and hear professor Sabir's opinion and input on all of these things. I know to pass this class I will need all of the materials specified by Professor Sabir and I plan on following all directions thoroughly.
Whitney Maxwell Professor Wanda Sabir English 1A 26 January, 2012 The syllabus is wonderfully written, and straight foward. In reading it I have a complete perspective of what we will cover in the 18 weeks to follow. I am aware that in this course we will work between four different text: Mighty Be Our Powers Half the Sky They Say, I Say Rules for Writers however my question is which of the four is the most influential and are all four a necessity for quizzes and homework? Outside of these minor questions I believe that in following the syllabus I will be able to excel in this class, and those are my exact intentions. I am anticipating learning from you, all the while reigniting my passion for writing, and possibly inspiring it in my classmates.
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