English 085.02 College ReadingFall 2008Instructor: Mrs. Jennifer EckClass Meetings: Monday and Wednesday, 11am-12:56 pmLocation: 102 Bert WalkerOffice Hours: Available by appointment. Please contact me so we can set up a time suitable to us both.The best way to reach me is via email. If you need me to call you, send an email and I will call you back. I check my email frequently during the days I am not on campus.Email: [email protected] Textbooks and Supplies:1. An Introduction to Critical Reading, 6th edition, by McCraney2. The Last Lecture, by Randy Paush3. Loose leaf paper for in class assignments4. 3 ring binder for Critical Reading Assignments5. 60 3x5 index cards6. A flash drive or floppy disk/CD in order to electronically store assignments. Flash drives are preferable.Optional Supplies:1. Paperback dictionaryCourse Objectives: In this course you will:1. Improve your reading comprehension.2. Write clear summaries of what you read.3. Make connections between what you read and your own experiences.4. Combine information from several reading sources.5. Read for pleasure and for information.1Associate Degree Outcomes: The JCC Board of Trustees has developed a list of essential skills that all graduates should develop. The Board has said:JCC’s goal is to prepare students to live productive and meaningful lives. Implicit in this goal are efforts to prepare students to: (a) live and work in the 21st century, (b) be employed in situations which will require retraining several times during a productive life,and (c) function in a rapidly changing international society.In support of these guidelines, ENG 085 students will develop critical thinking skills, including the ability to1. Generate questions about text before and while reading.2. Identify impact of emotion on thought.3. Distinguish between fact, opinion and inference.4. Recognize bias in a piece of writing.5. Incorporate new knowledge with old.Assignments and Time Management:You must do assigned reading and written work before class begins. This 4-credit-hour class requires 8 hours of study time per week. If you have any questions about an assignment, please call me, e-mail me, or talk to me before or after class. Please don’t wait until it is time to hand in the assignment to tell me you did not understand it or for some other reason could not complete it.Late Work: Late work will not be accepted unless you and I have discussed the situationbeforehand. No exceptions! If you must miss a class you are expected to be caught up with all assignments when you return to class. If you must miss a class, hand in two assignments when you return: the one due the day you were absent and the one due on the day you return.Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. If you miss a class due to an emergency, it is yourresponsibility to contact me or a classmate before the next class meeting to find out what you need to do to prepare for the next class. You probably have a busy life and many things that compete for your time. Nevertheless, class attendance and school work shouldbe high priorities if you are to benefit from courses and receive credit.8 absences: no credit6 absences: highest possible grade is 2.04 absences: highest possible grade is 3.03 absences: highest possible grade is 3.52Withdrawal: If you stop attending this course, it is your responsibility to complete the paper work for a “Withdrawal.” If you wish to request an “Incomplete,” the request must be written.3Academic Honesty Policy: The JCC Catalog states, “Academic honesty . . . is the ethical behavior that includes producing one’s own work and not representing others’ work as one’s own, either by plagiarism, or by cheating, or by helping others to do so. . . .Faculty members who suspect a student of academic dishonesty may penalize the student by assigning a failing grade for the [assignment] or the course itself. Instructors should document instances of academic dishonesty in writing to the Academic Dean.”Assessing Your Reading Skill Progress: At the beginning and end of the semester, you will take the Nelson-Denny Reading Test. This will help in assessing your progress and determining whether you need to take a second semester of College Reading. One of yourpersonal goals should be to read a lot and work hard on improving your reading skill. Your comprehension scores will generally improve to the extent that you read widely, attend class regularly, and put time and effort into doing assignments. To pass out of ENG 085 you need to pass the class and increase your score on the Nelson-Denny Test.Tutorial assistance is available for this course as well as most every course at JCC. Ifyou would like to work with a tutor for this class or for another class, please contact me or visit the Center for Student Success (796-8415), located in BW 125. The staff are there to help you succeed in your studies, so please do not hesitate to make use of this free resource. Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the office of Learning Support Services at 787-0800, extension 8270/8553 as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.Classroom Behavior PolicyStudents are expected to show respect within the classroom by being attentive and listening while others are speaking. Plan to arrive on time, participate in discussions, andwork with others during class time. Be prepared to begin class at 11:00am. All electronic devices must be shut off and put away in pocket, purse, book bag, etc. 4Assignments and Grading:Critical Reading JournalYou are expected to read the assigned works and write about them before class. You will write about the works, concentrating on three levels of meaning.1) Literal Level: What seems to be the main idea, focus, or purpose of the story, and why do you think so? Using your own words, write a summary of important information. 2) Interpretive Level: Explain what lessons you think the author was trying to get across, what the author’s intentions were, what conclusions you were able to come to, what can be learned from the writing, and/or what was inferred in the writing and why. Quote from the text to support your interpretations. The focus here is on the author’s ideas.3) Applied Level: Here you are finding connections between the text and your life. Write about how some part of the