English 1E (Fall 2021) – Policies

Registration Policies

First Day Rule

Normally, I drop students who miss the first class period without having contacted me in advance. However, that rule is meant to make room for students who are hoping to register in the class. As I write this syllabus, there are plenty of open seats, so I won’t need to enforce this rule.

However, I will drop students who have not attended by the end of the second week of classes (again, assuming they have not contacted me in advance to explain their situation) so that they will be eligible for a refund of fees, etc.

Drop Dates

This semester, the deadlines for dropping the course are as follows:

August 27, to be eligible for a refund;
September 3, to avoid a “W” on your permanent record;
November 12, to receive a “W” on your permanent record.

Dropping after the November 12 deadline will almost certainly earn you an “F,” which can only be overturned in the most extreme circumstances.

NOTE: The state of California (which funds community colleges) no longer distinguishes between a “W” (Withdraw) and a non-passing grade (in ENGL 1E, a “D” or “F”) in determining the number of times a student may attempt a class; students are now limited to three attempts total within a district. If you decide you need to drop, I recommend that you see a counselor to discuss what effect that might have on your educational plans. (As we approach that “W” date, I will likely discuss this in more detail.)

Student Responsibility to Drop

Every term, a fair number of students disappear from the course for a variety of reasons—often without a word. Though I do try to drop such students before the last drop date (I am not a fan of putting an “F” on students’ transcripts), I am not always able to tell if a student has really left or has decided to prioritize her time differently. Therefore, I cannot be responsible to make sure students meet their drop deadlines.

It is the student’s responsibility to drop by the appropriate deadlines. If you decide you need to drop, please be sure you follow through with the Admissions Office.

More important, though: If you find yourself tempted to quit, I encourage you to contact me first. I might be able to help you get back on track.

Disability Statement

If you need special arrangements for a physical or learning disability, I recommend you work with our Disabled Students Programs and Services. That isn’t a requirement, but they offer helpful support for both you and me.

Please visit the DSPS website to see what kind of help is officially available to you.

Standards

Formatting

Your three main essays should be formatted using MLA style format. We’ll talk about this during the course, but here’s a short version:

Essays should:

be typed, using a standard 12-point font (e.g., Times or Times New Roman);
be double-spaced (never single-spaced; never triple-spaced);
have one-inch margins;
have a correctly formatted header, title, and pagination
document sources correctly, using both in-text citation and a Works Cited page.

Essays that do not follow MLA format may have their grades lowered from one-third to one-full letter grade, with the penalty increasing as the class proceeds.

Final drafts of essays, especially, should be edited, proofread, and spell-checked.

And please give each essay a clever and informative title (“Essay 1” is neither clever nor informative….)

Submitting Essays

Most of the assignments — especially the three major essays — will be submitted through Canvas. I’ll work with you to be sure you know how all that works.

Please don’t submit work to my personal email unless it is absolutely necessary. It’s hard to keep track of work that is not submitted as instructed — especially work submitted outside Canvas.

If possible, please upload essays in Microsoft Word format (.doc, or .docx), as this format allows me to respond to your work most effectively. (Note that Google Docs can save a in Word format, under “File | Download.”)

If you do not have access to Word (or Google Docs), then please save and upload your essay as a PDF file. Though this is harder for me to work with, it’s much better than other formats (e.g., .pages or .wks files), which I often cannot even open.

Retrieving Graded Essays

I get feedback on working drafts back as soon as possible–usually within two or three days–and on final drafts within two weeks or so.

When I’ve graded an assignment, you will be able to find your letter grade in the Canvas Gradebook.

However, for most assignments, I will also upload a PDF of your graded essay with my comments, which is where I offer the specific, personalized response to your work. (Note: If you would prefer a Word document, please let me know. However, unless you need it in Word—for example, screen readers handle Word documents better than PDFs—I recommend staying with the PDF, as that format more consistently displays comments.)

You’ll find this document in the same place you submitted the original work—usually, in the Assignments section—and should be able to download it and then either read it on screen or print it out. (As with submitting essays, I’ll work through this with you so.)

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as using another person’s words or ideas without proper acknowledgment. This may take many forms: cutting and pasting from the Internet, using others’ ideas without proper citation, buying a paper, having a friend or family member do an assignment, and so on.

Please don’t.

Plagiarism is serious, and it carries serious consequences. At the very least, a plagiarized paper will receive a “0” on the assignment. But plagiarism may also result in disciplinary probation or suspension, or even expulsion. (See the Student Code of Conduct at https://bit.ly/yc-scoc ).

Most cases of plagiarism that I have encountered — and I have encountered many — have arisen from desperation. If you find yourself growing desperate, please contact me as early as possible so that we can discuss strategies for success on the assignment.

Next up: Grading

The next section is about my Grading policies.

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