College of the Canyons

Humanities Division
English 096: Accelerated Preparation for College Reading
and Writing
Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Hauss
Office Location: SCOH 306C
Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays from 1:30 2:30 pm,
Wednesdays from 2-3 pm (in the EOPS lab in SSC-117), and by appointment
Phone: 661.362-3422
Email: jennifer.hauss@canyons.edu

Introduction:
Welcome to English 096! This course will prepare you to succeed in English 101 by focusing on
critical reading and writing skills. It is an accelerated course, which means two things:
1. You will complete work in one semester that you would normally do in two semesters.
2. You will be challenged to complete more complex readings and writing assignments.
The course may be challenging, but we will work through those challenges together. Our class is
a team, and we will support each others learning and growth over the course of the semester.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. I look forward to working
with you this semester!

Course Philosophy:
This class operates on a growth mindset. This means that there is no such thing as a naturally
good writersomeone who was born with writing talent and doesnt have to work at it. We may
all have subjects we prefer, but quality writing (or any other product) is the result of hours of
practice and hard work. You can all be good writers, but you must be willing to put in the hours.
(As an illustration, Kobe Bryant shoots 700-1,000 basketball shots per day to stay on his game.
He also trains 6 hours a day on 6 days a week where many of his competitors train 1-2 hours a
day for 4-5 days a week. In other words, Kobe works to be as good as he is.)

Our Theme: Motivation, Response, Meaning & Happiness

Course Description:
English 096 provides an accelerated approach to prepare students for transfer-level English
composition by focusing on writing strategies for well-organized, unified, and coherent college
essays and critical reading skills for interpreting college-level reading material.

Prerequisite:
This course is not CSU/UC transferable, and it does not earn credit towards College of the
Canyons associate degrees. This class has a prerequisite of English 071 (or placement through
COCs placement process) and meets the prerequisite for English 101.

Required Texts: Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers.

Hacker, Marilyn. Rules for Writers, 7th edition.
Assigned articles from online databases and websites

Materials:

2 Blue Books (8 x 11) for in-class essays

Printed copies of assigned articles
Lined paper for note-taking and class assignments
A College of the Canyons e-mail address
Consistent access to a computer with internet and a printer

Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Differentiate and apply appropriate academic writing strategies to compose effective,
short college-level essays using documented outside sources and personal observations to
develop a unified thesis with well-organized main points.
2. Formulate the kinds of inferences and connections among college-level texts and ideas
that will lead to thoughtful analytical and expository writing.

Course Objectives:
1. Generate relevant and logical main points in support of a focused thesis statement.
2. Analyze rhetorical elements, including audience, purpose, topic, genre, scope, and tone.
3. Narrow a broad topic to an effective scope based on assignment directions, topic, and
essay length.
4. Evaluate, select, and incorporate relevant and sufficient primary and secondary source
material to support the thesis of a short academic essay.
5. Correctly integrate and document sources used in a short essay by applying MLA style.
6. Accurately summarize and paraphrase written arguments in appropriate context.
7. Revise and edit student writing for essay structure and effective sentence level writing
skills, including grammar, mechanics, word choice, tone, and sentence variety.
8. Demonstrate responsibility and ownership of reading by applying active and critical
reading strategies to analyze the meaning of texts.
9. Identify and discuss abstract concepts found in readings.
10. Draw accurate inferences about a text.
11. Improve and expand vocabulary building strategies.
12. Use pre-reading techniques to facilitate analysis of fiction and nonfiction texts.

Class Format and Procedures: We want to create a climate of respect and self-discovery
in our classroom. Therefore, its important for students to thoughtfully listen to one another as
well as feel comfortable to express their opinions. It is inappropriate to be talking or texting
while the instructor or another student is speaking. Phones should NOT be on your desk during
class. Place them in a purse or backpack. When you e-mail me, always include your name in the

correspondence so that I can respond appropriately to you. I will be using your Canyons.edu email address. Please check it for updates and correspondences.

Attendance Policy
Success in this class requires your presence and participation. Your experience of the semester your final grade and the knowledge and skills you will gain is closely tied to your attendance.

We do work in class every day that is worth points. When students miss class, they miss
those points.
Absences will impact students grades because they are missing material that is designed
to help improve their performance in the class.
Students who miss three classes will be dropped from the class, providing the withdrawal
deadline for the class has not passed.
I do not accept late work. I do not accept work via e-mail.
In the case of an emergency, please contact me before the deadline so we can arrange for
the submission of your work.

Cheating and Plagiarism

You are always expected to do your own work and to follow correct procedures for
acknowledging external sources in your writing. If you do not, you will suffer penalties, and
some of these penalties will result in lasting consequences that could hurt your chances for future
success in college. Academic Dishonesty will not be tolerated in this class. Academic Dishonesty
includes:
Cheating on quizzes, tests, or exams
Turning in work that you did not write yourself
Recycling work of your own from previous classes
Using the ideas and/or words of others without appropriate citation (which is also known
as plagiarism)
If I suspect that you have committed an act of Academic Dishonesty, you will be referred to the
Dean of Students for an investigation. If the investigation finds that you did commit Academic
Dishonesty, you will receive a 0 for the assignment in question and will also face further
consequences from the college including possible suspension or expulsion from the college.
For a full definition of Academic Dishonesty and tips for how to avoid allegations of academic
misconduct, please see the Academic Senates Statement on Academic Integrity and the COC
Student Handbook.

Course Assignments
There are 1,000 points available in this course. Unless otherwise specified, all assignments
must be typed in 12 point Times New Roman font, double-spaced and must conform to
MLA format. We will discuss formatting requirements in detail in class. Spelling and grammar
count towards your grade.
Response sheets, group work, class activities, exercises = 220 points
Reading Quizzes and journal entries = 180 points
Mid-term and Final = 200 points

4 Essays = 400 points

Total Points Possible: 1000 points
Total Points Possible: 1000 points
To earn an A, you will need to have at least 900 points. To earn a B, you must have 800 points.
To earn a C, you need 700 points, and a D will be given for 600-699 points. Under 599 points
will be an F.
The best ways to succeed in the course are 1) completing all assignments successfully
and on time, and 2) seeking help if you are struggling.
If you maintain perfect attendance, you will be excused from the final.
Disclaimer
This course and its reading materials assume a mature academic audience. Since academic
writing often has its finger on the pulse of difficult issues and controversies, expect to have
aspects of your belief system and values challenged. We may be reading material dealing with
adult subject matter and difficult, offensive, and/or profane language. If you anticipate being
uncomfortable or significantly upset by such issues, please reconsider whether this is the
appropriate course for you. If you remain in the class, you agree to read and attempt to
understand all of the assigned literature. Respect for the instructor and peers in the heat of
intellectual debate is expected at all times. Repeated instances of disrespect to anyone in our
class will result in a referral to the Dean of Students and possible disciplinary action.

Resources:
Class Website
We have a class BlackBoard site that can only be accessed by members of this class. Some of
your readings will be accessed through BlackBoard, and some of your assignments will be
posted there.
To login to the class website:
Go to: bb.canyons.edu (notice there is no www before the URL) and click the User Login
button.
Your username is your 7-digit student ID number, and your password is student. Enter
those and click the Login button.
Click on our course title and section under My Courses (on the right side of the screen).
Use the navigation bar on the left to move to different areas of the site.
Once you access the site for the first time with this password, you can then change your
password to something more personal by clicking on Personal Information in the Tools
section on the left of the My Institutions tab.
If you need technical assistance outside of class, please call 661. 362-3344 or email
bbsupport@canyons.edu (please allow up to 24 hours for an email response).

Library
Some of our readings are available through the COC Library Databases. To access the databases:
Go to http://www.canyons.edu/offices/library/

 Put your cursor over Research Here and select Online Databases
Choose the appropriate database (listed with the title of the reading in our schedule)
Enter the username ______________ and password ______________.
Search for articles by keyword, author, or title.

Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS)

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that reasonable accommodations be provided for
students with physical, sensory, cognitive, systemic, learning, and psychiatric disabilities. Please
contact me at the beginning of the semester to discuss any such accommodations for this course.
To learn more about accommodations, visit DSPS in Seco Hall 103.
Website: www.canyons.edu/offices/dsps
Phone: 661.362-3341
TTY: 661.362-3726

The Learning Center (TLC)

The TLC provides individual tutoring, Supplemental Learning Workshops, and Guided Learning
Activities. Visit www.canyons.edu/Offices/TLC/ for more information about tutoring services.
The Center is just outside our classroom and can be reached by phone @ 661.362-3662. Tutors
can work with you on your reading strategies, prewriting, outlines, rough drafts, and revisions.
There is a computer lab for student use as well.
You may also find the Skills4Success workshops and GLAs (guided learning activities) helpful.
For a schedule of this semesters offerings, please visit
www.canyons.edu/Offices/AcademicAffairs/collegesuccess/

Networking
You may use this space to write the name and contact information of two or three of your
classmates. If you miss class, you will appreciate having someone to contact.
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