Category: Students

Table of Contents

• General Information (this page)
• Learning Outcomes
• Policies
• Grading
• Resources

General Information

Course Title

English 1A: College Composition and Reading

Sections

This syllabus applies to three sections of English 1A: D9122, and D9123, and 9125.

Instructor

Greg Kemble

Contact information

Whenever possible, please contact me through Canvas, using the “Inbox” in Canvas’s main menu. It’s much easier for me to keep track of our conversations that way.

If you’re not able to contact me through Canvas, though, here are some alternatives:

• Email: gkemble@yccd.edu (As I said, it’s easier for me to keep track of things in Canvas, so please only use this when you need a response more quickly than usual.)
• Office Phone: (530) 749-3821 (please leave a voicemail)
  • Note: I don’t spend a lot of time in my office, so I’m likely to get a message though Canvas or email more quickly than through voicemail.

Student Hours

I call these “student hours,” rather than “office hours,” because I want to be sure you understand that they are scheduled for you, not for me. Please don’t hesitate to take advantage of them.

Further, if you are not available at the times listed, please contact me to set up an appointment. I’m happy to find a time that works for your schedule — even if that means connecting in the evening or on a weekend.

[Note: as I write this, I believe that I am also teaching a face-to-face class, so one of the hours is scheduled in person. If that class is cancelled, then all three scheduled times will be via Zoom (or phone) — The class was cancelled, so all three scheduled hours will be via Zoom (or phone).]

• Mondays 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. (via Zoom)
• Wednesdays 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. (via Zoom)
• Thursdays 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (via Zoom)

You are welcome to drop in at any of the above times, but I recommend that you contact me to set up an appointment even for scheduled student hours. Though I do my best to protect these times, I am sometimes required to attend meetings or other appointments.

Link for Zoom Student Hours

Passcode (if needed): 538309

Conferences

A few times throughout the semester — usually to discuss a draft of your essay — I will schedule a Zoom conference with you. We’ll use the same Zoom link that as we do for Student Hours.

Office Location

1100 Building, Room 1179.

My office is in the rear of the library building, but you can’t reach it through the library. Walk around the right side of the library building (facing the front). Most of the way down the building (after the patio area), you’ll find a single glass door. Enter there, and then continue straight through the inner glass door. My office is in the second alcove on your right.

Note that I am not often in my office. This will be especially true this semester, as we continue to struggle with COVID. Indeed, I will probably find a place with better ventilation to meet students. So please contact me in advance to make arrangements to meet — even if you’d like to meet during my scheduled Student Hours.

Textbook

Sections D-9122 and D-9123

Required

Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say / I Say. 4th edition. Norton, 2018. ISBN: 978-0-393-63167-8.

This is the 4th edition, without readings, and it would be best if we all used the same text. However, the 3rd edition, or the 3rd or 4th edition with readings, should be fine, if you already have one of those. The differences aren’t earth shattering, and as long as you’re a bit flexible, you should be able to get by.

Section D-9125

I was assigned to teach this section of ENGL 1A well after students had already signed up for the course. And when they signed up, it was advertised as a “no-cost” course. I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to pull it off, but I’ve decided that it wouldn’t be fair to change that. So there is no textbook required for this section.

Course Description

Here’s the description of English 1A that you’ll find in the Yuba College catalog:

An introductory course offering instruction in expository and argumentative writing, appropriate and effective use of language, close reading, cogent thinking, research strategies, information literacy, and documentation. Focus on the recursivity of writing processes and integrating reading, writing, and speaking skills. Students will write a minimum of 6000 words.

If you don’t already have a lot of experience with college or with college-level writing, some of that might not make a lot of sense yet. That’s okay — that’s why you’re here! Don’t let the fancy words intimidate you.

That said, English 1A is a pretty demanding course. That’s especially true of the online version. So while I don’t want you to be scared of it, I don’t want you to be complacent, either.

Time Commitment

As I just said, English 1A is pretty demanding. That’s not just because we English professors are ogres (though we may be); we’re also required to follow some policies that the state of California has set for us. (They even require us to include the following breakdown in the course’s syllabus!)

English 1A is a 4-unit course, which translates to:

• Total hours for the course: 216
  • In-class (“lecture”) hours: 72 
  • Out-of-class (“homework”) hours: 144 

These numbers are for face-to-face courses, and that obviously doesn’t apply in quite the same way for an online class. But you should expect something similar — an average of around 4 hours per week working through the online content, and another average of around 8 hours a week doing outside work (reading, writing, and research).

Does that sound like a lot? It is! I am often surprised at how many students expect to be able to do the course in just a few hours each weekend — or, worse, in a few hours at the end of the semester.

Now, I’m not trying to scare you here. Lots of people succeed in the course! But it’s important that you understand what’s expected of you so that you can plan accordingly.

Are you ready?

Requirements for placing into English 1A have changed, due to changes in California state law; placement is now mostly based on high school Grade Point Average (GPA) — though passing ENGL 51 or 56 still qualifies you for the course.

This means that our class will include students with a wide range of reading and writing skills and expectations:

• some of you are just out of high school and have not yet encountered college-level writing;
• some of you have been away from school for a number of years and fear that you have forgotten much of what you used to know;
• some of you are masters of a language other than English, but struggle with English;
• some of you are just sure that, for whatever reason, you’re not good writers.

I will do my best to meet you at whatever level you find yourself. Of course, online instruction and assignments are relatively set, and it’s impossible for personal interactions to be 100% customized for each member of the class; there just aren’t that many hours in a day. But when I respond to your assignments, and especially your major essays, I will do my best to address your particular needs.

But you will need to do your part, too. Please read my comments carefully, and ask questions when something is not clear.

Above all: understand that one aspect — probably the most important aspect — of college is learning how to learn. Don’t rely only on me and my instruction; make sure you also seek answers on your own. There are a lot of good writing resources out there (I’ll point to several of them throughout the course, including later in this syllabus). The more you pursue questions on your own, the more useful my help — and the help of teachers in future courses — will be.

Next up: Learning Outcomes

I’ve broken this syllabus up into several parts so that it’s not just one long, overwhelming document. The next section is about Learning Outcomes.

Table of Contents

• General Information
• Learning Outcomes
• Policies
• Grading
• Resources (this page)

Resources

COVID Resources

Yuba has put together a resource for issues related to COVID-19. You’ll find it in your Canvas dashboard, next to your courses (“COVID-19 Fall 2021”). It’s full of resources, including modules about COVID-19 in general, taking classes during the outbreak, services that are available for you, and self care. It’s quite impressive, actually; I hope you’ll check it out.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have the most up-to-date information about COVID:

• General information about COVID-19
• How to Protect Yourself and Others
• What to Do if You Are Sick

If you want to get a free COVID-19 vaccine — and if you haven’t gotten one yet, you should! — you can get information about how to do so in your area on the My Turn Public Health Website.

And finally, there is an overwhelming amount of misinformation (incorrect information) and disinformation (intentionally misleading information) about COVID-19 on the Internet and on television, especially spread through social media. Be sure you use credible and reliable sources to stay informed. And if you’re feeling confused or unsure about the information you’ve heard, visit The World Health Organization Mythbusters. It might help you sort out some of the confusion.

College (and Life) Resources

The Writing and Language Development Center (WLDC) offers writing tutors, computers, and workshops. In addition to the Marysville center, they usually have a limited presence at the Sutter Center. They also have online tutoring available. You can visit them in the front of the library or on their website.

Disabled Students Programs and Services  (DSPS) offers support for students with learning and other disabilities. If you know (or suspect) you have a learning disability, be sure to contact them. There are resources available to support you. You can visit them in Building 1800 or on their website.

The Yuba College Library has great staff. As I write this, the library is open, but they also have an online presence. I’ll talk a bit more about the library during the course, especially as we approach the research portion.

The Yuba College Counseling Department has both in-person and online counselors to help. They can help with a lot of different needs, from academic questions (what classes should I take if I want to go to Chico?) to personal questions (I’m hungry and don’t have any money. Where can I get food?). You can find them in the 100A building or online.

Closing Thoughts

I have struggled a bit over the past year and a half, hopefully for obvious reasons. And if I’ve struggled — even with a secure job and a healthy family — I can only imagine the challenges that many of you have faced, or are currently facing.

I was feeling hopeful that things would improve with time, but — for any number of reasons — I feel a bit less hopeful. The new variant (“Delta variant”) seems to be able to spread to vulnerable members of our community through vaccinated people. And the refusal of many to vaccinate makes the possibility of more variants much more likely.

In other words, the stress isn’t going away.

So: if you find yourself struggling, I hope you will reach out — to me, at least, or to some of the resources listed above. Please don’t think that I’ll be upset, or that I won’t care, or that I won’t want to help.

I want you to succeed. Of course, I can’t do it for you — I don’t give grades; you earn them. But I’ll support you in any way I can.

Table of Contents

• General Information
• Learning Outcomes
• Policies
• Grading (this page)
• Resources

Grading

Grading Policy

In order to pass this course, students must both:

• Complete all major writing assignments (Essays 1-3)
• Receive an average grade of “C” or better on all assignments

The “average grade of ‘C’ or better,” mentioned above, follows this breakdown:

Assignment	Percentage
Essay 1	10%
Essay 2	20%
Essay 3	30%
Informal Writing Assignments (e.g., assignment reflections, online discussions, etc.)	25%
Annotated Bibliography	10%
Reflective Essay	5%

• 90%+ = A
• 80%+ = B
• 70%+ = C
• 60%+ = D
• <60% = F

Late Assignments

General Thoughts on my Late Policy

I have tried many different policies for late work — everything from refusing all late work, to accepting all late work with no penalty. Students have made it clear that they need something in between; they need some flexibility, for when life gets in the way of school; but they also need deadlines, so they don’t put things off for so long that they can’t catch up. So I’ve developed a policy that falls somewhere in the middle.

But here’s the most important thing: I am willing to work with you, as long as you contact me. This is especially true in these uncertain COVID times; many lives have been completely upended, and many that are fine now might run into serious problems sometime during the semester.

So please keep in touch. If you think your situation requires that you’ll be late with an assignment, let me know. As I said, I’m willing to work with you. But I need you to let me know what you need.

Major Essay Assignments

For the three major essay assignments, I lower an essay’s grade one-third of a letter for each day that it is late.

For example: assume an essay would have received a B+ if it had been turned in on time. It was due Friday, by 11:59 p.m.

• If it were turned in Saturday (one day late), it would receive a B
• If it were turned in Monday (three days late), it would receive a C+
• If it were turned in the following Friday (seven days late), it would receive a D

Note that even an “F” is better than nothing, in two senses: first, as I mentioned above, you can’t pass the class if you don’t turn in all three major essay assignments; second, an “F” may count for as many as 55 points, which is significantly more than 0 points.

Other Assignments

Many assignments are only useful if they’re done more or less on time. Informal writing assignments will often ask you to respond to your something we’ve read, and you will not benefit from the process if you wait too long. The Annotated Bibliography asks you to process research in preparation for your third essay, and putting that off to the end of the semester negates any value the assignment offers.

In cases like this, I will accept assignments a few days after the due. But at some point, it will be closed, and I will no longer accept late work for that assignment.

However, as I said above, I’m willing to work with you if you have a good reason for being late. But please keep in touch. It is your responsibility to contact me.

End-of-semester Deadline

At some point, I need to wrap everything up and turn in grades. Thus, I have an end-of-semester deadline, which is the last day I will accept any work. Generally, this is early during Finals Week.

Given the past two semesters’ uncertainty around COVID, I’ve had to extend that deadline, so I don’t want to set a date that I’ll later need to change. I will make sure to announce that specific end-of-semester deadline in several Announcements as we approach the end of the semester.

The Main Takeaway

The most important thing I want you to hear: I see due dates as guard rails; they’ll designed to help you keep on track. They are not meant to be opportunities to punish you. So I am willing to be flexible.

This is dangerous, though. Every time a student turns in an assignment late, it usually means she starts the next assignment late as well. That can add up over the course of the semester. And I don’t know about you, but when I get overwhelmed, I procrastinate even more, which makes things worse.

So do your best to keep up with the pace of the course. But if you find you need to turn an assignment in late, please contact me (in advance, if possible). I’m happy to work with you — but I can’t work with you if you won’t keep in touch.

Next up: Resources

The next section is about resources that you might find helpful.

Table of Contents

• General Information
• Learning Outcomes
• Policies (this page)
• Grading
• Resources

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.

Table of Contents

• General Information
• Learning Outcomes (this page)
• Policies
• Grading
• Resources

Learning Outcomes

Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

The English Department at Yuba College has five Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) that guide much of our instruction in composition courses.

Upon completion of the course, students will:

• use reading strategies to understand argumentative texts that contain both literal and implied meanings;
• compose a clearly-written, well-organized, purpose-driven analysis;
• synthesize evidence from outside sources to support claims effectively;
• attribute and document sources correctly;
• successfully employ academic mindsets.

I have a number of other objectives, as well; I would like you to:

• develop your skills — and confidence — as a critical thinker, reader, and writer;
• affect people in your sphere of influence;
• engage deeply with an important public policy issue related to a profession of your choice.

Ideally, you also have your own objectives. If you don’t, I recommend you spend some time thinking about what those objectives might be. Why (beyond earning a grade) are you taking English 1E? Why are you in school more generally?

The clearer your sense of purpose, the more likely you are to stick with the course when it becomes challenging.

Next up: Policies

The next section is about the course’s policies.

Table of Contents

• General Information (this page)
• Learning Outcomes
• Policies
• Grading
• Resources

General Information

Course Title

English 1E: College Composition and Reading: Extended Instruction

Sections

This syllabus applies to section M2488.

Instructor

Greg Kemble

Office Location

1100 Building, Room 1179.

My office is in the rear of the library building, but you can’t reach it through the library. Walk around the right side of the library building (facing the front). Most of the way down the building (after the patio area), you’ll find a single glass door. Enter there, and then continue straight through the inner glass door. My office is in the second alcove on your right.

Note that I am not often in my office. This will be especially true this semester, as we continue to struggle with COVID. Indeed, I will probably find a place with better ventilation to meet students. So, when possible, please contact me in advance to make arrangements to meet.

Contact information

• Email: gkemble@yccd.edu
• Office Phone: (530) 749-3821 — please leave a voicemail.

Email is the best way to contact me, as I check my email much more often than I check my voicemail.

Student Hours / Office Hours

I’ve also scheduled three student hours (or, if you prefer, “office hours”) each week. One hour will be held in person; the other two will be held on Zoom.

• Mondays 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (In person, location to be announced)
• Tuesdays 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. (Zoom — see below for link) [updated time]
• Wednesdays 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (Zoom — see below for link)

However, I am also available by appointment. If you or I can’t make the above listed times, I’m happy to find a time that works for you, even if that means connecting in the evening or on a weekend.

When not meeting in person, I prefer to meet via Zoom (rather than the phone) because it gives us the opportunity to share a screen — we can look at a paper or website together, for example. But if you’d prefer to talk on the phone, we can arrange that by appointment.

Link for Zoom Student Hours

Passcode (it should be embedded in the link, but just in case): 538309

Final exam

As I write this, I can’t find the Final Exam schedule. Final Week is December 10-16. I will let you know our specific date and time once I know it.

Textbooks

Required

Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say / I Say. 4th edition. Norton, 2018. ISBN: 978-0-393-63167-8.

This is the 4th edition, without readings, and it would be best if we all used the same text. However, the 3rd edition, or the 3rd or 4th edition with readings, should be fine, if you already have one of those. The differences aren’t earth shattering, and as long as you’re a bit flexible, you should be able to get by.

Optional

Aaron, Jane E. Little Brown Handbook: Brief. 2nd edition. Pearson, 2015. ISBN: 978-1-323-04096-6.

I’m not sure if this is the Yuba College edition; I know we used to have a college edition, but the publisher discontinued it.

However, all handbooks are pretty much the same. Older editions, or non-Yuba College editions, or even completely different handbooks are all fine (though information about MLA citation may be out of date). Indeed, you may even be able to get by with just the Internet, as long as you have good access. You’ll just need to use the index (or search engine) to find explanations about issues I point out in your papers.

Course Description

Here’s the description of English 1E that you’ll find in the Yuba College catalog:

An introductory course offering instruction in expository and argumentative writing, appropriate and effective use of language, close reading, cogent thinking, research strategies, information literacy, and documentation. Focus on the recursivity of writing processes and integrating reading, writing, and speaking skills. Students will write a minimum of 6000 words.

If you don’t already have a lot of experience with college or with college-level writing, some of that might not make a lot of sense yet. That’s okay — that’s why you’re here! Don’t let the fancy words intimidate you.

You might notice that the course description for English 1E is identical to that for English 1A. That’s because English 1E is English 1A with additional support. When you pass English 1E, you will have met the same requirements as if you’d taken English 1A. These include prerequisites, as well as graduation and transfer requirements.

As you might imagine, then, English 1E is a pretty demanding course. I don’t want you to be afraid of it — that doesn’t help anyone! — but I don’t want you to be complacent, either.

Time Commitment

As I just said, English 1E is pretty demanding. That’s not just because we English professors are ogres (though we may be); we’re also required to follow some policies that the state of California has set for us. (They even require us to include the following breakdown in the course’s syllabus!)

English 1E is a 5-unit course, which translates to:

• Total hours for the course: 270
  • In-class (“lecture”) hours: 90
  • Out-of-class (“homework”) hours: 180

Does that sound like a lot? It is! I am often surprised at how many students expect to be able to do the work of the course in just a few hours each weekend — or, worse, in a few hours at the end of the semester.

Now, I’m not trying to scare you here. But it’s important that you understand what’s expected of you so that you can plan accordingly.

Are you ready?

Requirements for placing into transfer level composition have changed, due to changes in California state law; placement is now mostly based on high school Grade Point Average (GPA) — though passing ENGL 51 or 56 still qualifies you for the course.

This means that our class might include students with a wide range of reading and writing skills and expectations:

• some of you may have been required to take this class based on your GPA and may feel nervous or intimidated by the thought of college-level writing, or frustrated because you don’t think your GPA reflects your actual abilities (that is very possible!);
• some of you may have chosen to take this class because you don’t feel ready and would like the extra help;
• some of you may be just out of high school and have not yet encountered college-level academics;
• some of you may have been away from school for a number of years and fear that you have forgotten much of what you used to know;
• some of you are masters of a language other than English, but struggle with English;
• some of you are just sure that, for whatever reason, you’re not good writers.

I will do my best to meet you at whatever level you find yourself. As I write this syllabus, enrollment is relatively low, which means that I may be able to offer much more individualized instruction. And when I respond to your assignments, and especially your major essays, I do my best to address your particular needs.

But you will need to do your part, too. Please read my comments carefully, and ask questions when something is not clear.

Above all: understand that one aspect — probably the most important aspect — of college is learning how to learn. Don’t rely only on me and my instruction; make sure you also seek answers on your own. There are a lot of good writing resources out there (I’ll point to several of them throughout the course, including later in this syllabus). The more you pursue questions on your own, the more useful my help — and the help of teachers in future courses — will be.

Next up: Learning Outcomes

I’ve broken this syllabus up into several parts so that it’s not just one long, overwhelming document. The next section is about Learning Outcomes.

Table of Contents

• General Information
• Learning Outcomes (this page)
• Policies
• Grading
• Resources

Learning Outcomes

Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

The English Department at Yuba College has four Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) that guide much of our instruction in composition courses.

Upon completion of the course, students will:

• use reading strategies to understand argumentative texts that contain both literal and implied meanings;
• compose a clearly-written, well-organized, purpose-driven essay;
• synthesize evidence from outside sources to support claims effectively;
• attribute and document sources correctly.

I have a number of other objectives, as well; I would like you to:

• develop your skills as a critical thinker, reader, and writer;
• affect people in your sphere of influence; 
• engage deeply with an important public policy issue related to a profession of your choice.

Ideally, you also have your own objectives. If you don’t, I recommend you spend some time thinking about what those objectives might be. Why (beyond earning a grade) are you taking English 1A? Why are you in school more generally?

The clearer your sense of purpose, the more likely you are to stick with the course when it becomes challenging.

Next up: Policies

The next section is about the course’s policies.

Table of Contents

• General Information
• Learning Outcomes
• Policies
• Grading
• Resources (this page)

Resources

COVID Resources

Yuba has put together a resource for issues related to COVID-19. You’ll find it in your Canvas dashboard, next to your courses (“COVID-19 Fall 2020”). It’s full of resources, including modules about COVID-19 in general, taking classes during the outbreak, services that are available for you, and self care. It’s quite impressive, actually; I hope you’ll check it out. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have the most up-to-date information about COVID:

• General information about COVID-19
• How to Protect Yourself and Others
• What to Do if You Are Sick

If you want to get a free COVID-19 vaccine — and if you haven’t gotten one yet, you should! — you can get information about how to do so in your area on the My Turn Public Health Website.

And finally, there is an overwhelming amount of misinformation (incorrect information) and disinformation (intentionally misleading information) about COVID-19 on the Internet and on television, especially spread through social media. Be sure you use credible and reliable sources to stay in formed. And if you’re feeling confused or unsure about the information you’ve heard, visit The World Health Organization Mythbusters. It might help you sort out some of the confusion.

College (and Life) Resources

The Writing and Language Development Center (WLDC) offers writing tutors, computers, and workshops. In addition to the Marysville center, they usually have a limited presence at the Sutter Center. They also have online tutoring available.

Disabled Students Programs and Services  (DSPS) offers support for students with learning and other disabilities. If you know (or suspect) you have a learning disability, be sure to contact them. There are resources available to support you.

The Yuba College Library has great staff. As I write this, the library is open, but they also have an online presence. I’ll talk a bit more about the library during the course, especially as we approach the research portion.

The Yuba College Counseling Department has both in-person and online counselors to help. They can help with a lot of different needs, from academic questions (what classes should I take if I want to go to Chico?) to personal questions (I’m hungry and don’t have any money. Where can I get food?)

Canvas Help

I’ve been creating short videos explaining how Canvas works in my course. (Every teacher uses Canvas a little differently.) Generally, I’ll introduce the videos in the modules, when the information would be useful. But they’ll be collected on a How To Page, which you’ll have access to once the course is open.

Yuba College’s eLearning page offers an orientation to Canvas, as well as video tutorials, general student guides, and guides specifically for mobile phones and tablets.

Canvas also has a Student Guide, which is pretty complete.

And if you need more help,  you can contact one of the Help Desks:

• Any time, you can email College’s Help Desk at  helpdesk@yccd.edu;
• During working hours (Mon – Fri 8:00 am – 5:00 pm), you can reach Yuba College’s Help Desk at (530) 741-6981;
• After hours (Mon – Fri 5:00 pm – 8:00 am, and weekends), you can reach Canvas’s Help Desk at (844) 303-8279.

Closing Thoughts

I have struggled a bit over the past year and a half, hopefully for obvious reasons. And if I’ve struggled — even with a secure job and a healthy family — I can only imagine the challenges that many of you have faced, or are currently facing.

I was feeling hopeful that things would improve with time, but — for any number of reasons — I feel a bit less hopeful. The new variant (“Delta variant”) seems to be able to spread to vulnerable members of our community through vaccinated people. And the refusal of many to vaccinate makes the possibility of more variants much more likely.

In other words, the stress isn’t going away.

In addition, online classes can be challenging; they require an unusual level of discipline, organization, and “self-starting.” It’s easy to get behind — and that can lead to feeling overwhelmed, which can lead to procrastination that gets you even further behind, and so on. It’s a nasty cycle. (I speak from experience.)

So: if you find yourself struggling, I hope you will reach out — to me, at least, or to some of the resources listed above. Please don’t think that I’ll be upset, or that I won’t care, or that I won’t want to help.

I want you to succeed. Of course, I can’t do it for you — I don’t give grades; you earn them. But I’ll support you however I can.

Table of Contents

• General Information
• Learning Outcomes
• Policies
• Grading (this page)
• Resources

Grading

Grading Policy

In order to pass this course, students must both:

• Complete all major writing assignments (Essays 1-3)
• Receive an average grade of “C” or better on all assignments

The “average grade of ‘C’ or better,” mentioned above, follows this breakdown:

Assignment	Percentage
Essay 1	10%
Essay 2	20%
Essay 3	30%
Informal Writing Assignments (e.g., assignment reflections)	10%
Annotated Bibliography	10%
Discussion Groups	15%
Reflective Essay	5%

• 90%+ = A
• 80%+ = B
• 70%+ = C
• 60%+ = D
• <60% = F

Late Assignments

General Thoughts on my Late Policy

I have tried many different policies for late work — everything from refusing all late work, to accepting all late work with no penalty. Students have made it clear that they need something in between; they need some flexibility, for when life gets in the way of school; but they also need deadlines, so they don’t put things off for so long that they can’t catch up. So I’ve developed a policy that falls somewhere in the middle.

But here’s the most important thing: I am willing to work with you, as long as you contact me. This is especially true in these uncertain COVID times; many lives have been completely upended, and many that are fine now might run into serious problems sometime during the semester.

So please keep in touch. If you think your situation requires that you’ll be late with an assignment, let me know. As I said, I’m willing to work with you. But I need you to let me know what you need.

Major Essay Assignments

For the three major essay assignments, I lower an essay’s grade one-third of a letter for each day that it is late. 

For example: assume an essay would have received a B+ if it had been turned in on time. It was due Friday, by 11:59 p.m.

• If it were turned in Saturday (one day late), it would receive a B;
• If it were turned in Monday (three days late), it would receive a C+
• If it were turned in the following Friday (seven days late), it would receive a D.

Note that even an “F” is better than nothing, in two senses: first, as I mentioned above, you can’t pass the class if you don’t turn in all three major essay assignments; second, an “F” may count for as many as 55 points, which is significantly more than 0 points.

Other Assignments

Many assignments are only useful if they’re done more or less on time. Discussion Group Assignments will often ask you to respond to your peers’ writing, and they will not benefit from your response if you wait too long. The Annotated Bibliography asks you to process research in preparation for your third essay, and putting that off to the end of the semester negates any value the assignment offers.

In cases like this, I will most often wait a few days after the due date to grade the assignment. But once I grade it, it will be closed, and I will no longer accept late work for that assignment.

However, as I said above, I’m willing to work with you if you have a good reason for being late. But please keep in touch. It is your responsibility to contact me.

End-of-semester Deadline

At some point, I need to wrap everything up and turn in grades. Thus, I have an end-of-semester deadline, which is the last day I will accept any work. Generally, this is early during Finals Week.

Given the past two semesters’ uncertainty around COVID, I’ve had to extend that deadline, so I don’t want to set a date that I’ll later need to change. I will make sure to announce that specific end-of-semester deadline in several Announcements as we approach the end of the semester.

The Main Takeaway

The most important thing I want you to hear: I see due dates as guard rails; they’ll designed to help you keep on track. They are not meant to be opportunities to punish you. So I am willing to be flexible.

This is dangerous, though. Every time a student turns in an assignment late, it usually means she starts the next assignment late as well. That can add up over the course of the semester. And I don’t know about you, but when I get overwhelmed, I procrastinate even more, which makes things worse.

So do your best to keep up with the pace of the course. But if you find you need to turn an assignment in late, please contact me (in advance, if possible). I’m happy to work with you — but I can’t work with you if you won’t keep in touch.

Next up: Resources

The next section is about resources that you might find helpful.

Table of Contents

• General Information
• Learning Outcomes
• Policies (this page)
• Grading
• Resources

Registration Policies

First Week Rule

I often have a number of students hoping to add the class during the first week or two of the semester. So, to make sure that those students have time to join — and to be sure that registered students don’t delay getting started — I require you to do two things before the end of the first week.

Specifically, I’ll need to drop any registered student who does not complete both the Syllabus Quiz and the Canvas Message Assignment by 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 22.

If that creates a problem for you, please contact me in advance. We can make another arrangement, if needed. But I do need you to contact me before Sunday.

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 1A, 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’ll send an announcement that discusses 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 page to see what kind of help is officially available to you.

Communications Policies

Notifications

Canvas has an incredibly flexible communications system. Indeed, at times, it can even be too flexible, and communications can get lost in the range of possible channels.

If you haven’t yet done so, I recommend that you go to your Canvas Settings and set up Notifications in a way that is comfortable for you. (Here’s a tutorial for setting up Notifications.)

Announcements

Two or three times a week, I will post announcements for the class. There will basically be two kinds of announcements:

• Reminders for upcoming assignments, changes to due dates, corrections, and other announcements related to the logistics of the course
• Instructional material, clarifications, spontaneous “lessons” about issues that come up in student work, and other items related to the content of the course

Both kinds of announcements are important, so I recommend that you log in to the course and look for announcements at least three times each week—or, even better, consider setting up a “Notification” to inform you (via email or message “pushed” to a mobile device) whenever an announcement appears. (Again, here’s a tutorial for setting up Notifications.)  

Canvas Messages (“Conversations”) and Personal Email

Messages to individuals (to your classmates, or to me)—Canvas calls these “Conversations”— should generally be used only for private communications. If you have any comments or questions that might be of interest to the class, please post them in an appropriate Discussion thread so others may benefit from the conversation.

For example, if you want to let me know that your essay will be late (a private issue that the rest of the class doesn’t need to know about), it would be appropriate to send me an individual Canvas message. If you are confused about the instructions on a writing assignment, though, it would be appropriate to ask that question in the Discussions area. You may be a little nervous about that, but try not to be. While you may fear that your question is obvious, it’s likely that others have a similar question — and sometimes students’ answers to such questions are clearer than my response.

For class-related issues, please contact me through Canvas; it’s much easier to keep track of conversations that way. For issues not related to the class, or in case you have trouble with Canvas (if you have trouble logging into Canvas, for example), you may contact me at my personal email address (gkemble@yccd.edu).

I will respond within two business days (though I’m usually much quicker than that).

Discussions

A good portion of our class will involve discussions about your writing and research. Indeed, 15% of your final grade rests on your posts and responses to specific Discussion Group Assignments (DGAs) found throughout the various modules. Ideally, these posts will be thoughtful and thorough.

As mentioned above, please use the Discussions area for general questions, too. Again, if you have a personal issue (you just want to let me know why an assignment is late, for example) then send me an individual Canvas message. But if you have a general question about an assignment, or if something really cool happened while researching, etc., please post it in the Discussions area so that others can benefit as well.

It is important that everyone feel comfortable participating in Discussions. For this reason, be respectful of your peers. You will, at times, disagree, but please do so thoughtfully and politely, not with sarcasm or derogatory remarks directed at any person or group of persons. Please remember that there is a feeling human being on the other end of the computer connection. There is a lot of room for debate, but not for flame wars.

On the other side of the coin: please don’t take criticism or advice personally. Love-fests don’t help anyone improve; honest suggestions do. When they’re right, we learn something new. But even when they’re wrong, we strengthen our own position by articulating why we think they’re wrong.

In short: strive both to give and to receive feedback, criticism, or advice with grace.

Dead Links

Every term, I work to improve the course, which sometimes causes unintended glitches. If you find any “dead” links (or other mistakes—inconsistent due dates, typos, whatever), please let me know so I can fix them.

I am also open to feedback, so if you have any suggestions for improvement to the presentation, or you can identify areas that were confusing or not intuitive, please feel free to let me know that as well.

Standards

Using Modules

As modules are released, the assignments associated with the modules will also become available, in the course’s Assignments section. However, you should go directly to an assignment only as a convenience, after you have worked through the module leading up to the assignment.

Occasionally students try to skip straight to the assignment without working through the modules. This is a recipe for disaster, for a number of reasons. Please work through the modules thoroughly and in order, so that you will benefit from the explanations and preparatory writing assignments.

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

Unless specified otherwise in the instructions, please submit assignments as a file upload through the Assignments section in Canvas. (The most notable exception: Discussion Group Assignments.)

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.

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).

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.