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Career Link
South Seattle College
Civics OR English 40: Junior English
Summer Quarter 2016
Instructor: Susan Blythe-Goodman
Phone: (206)934.6497
E-mail: sblythegoodman@southseattle.edu
Office: RAH 311H
Room: RAH 309
Time: 11:10 a.m. 1:30 p.m.
Meeting Days: Monday Friday (June 30 July 28)
Office Hours: 10:00-11:00; 1:30-2:30 or by appointment

Course Description
Howard Zinn dedicates his book A Young Peoples History of the United States to the
younger generation, who we hope will use their talents to make a better world. This
class will investigate excerpts from Zinns book, current news articles, the structure of
the U.S. government and politics to wrestle with the question: What amount of
responsibility do we have to make society better?
Through this exploration, you will write an explanatory memo, a narrative historical
story, and argue a solution to a problem within current society. There will be peer
feedback sessions for some of the writing assignments.
Your final will be a live Twitter chat campaigning for the solution you argued for
the problem you chose.
You will receive a reading response journal for in class assignments and activities. The
journal will be collected and graded at the end of each week.
Successful completion of the course will result in high school or college level credits
being awarded.

Course Requirements

Must meet minimum attendance and participation standards

Must complete sufficient assignments to attain passing grade

Course Textbook
Students will be provided readings as they are assigned. Readings will include:
Excerpts from A Young Peoples History of the United States by Howard Zinn

Multiple articles on current events

U.S. political documents, including (but not limited to) excerpt from the
Declaration of Independence and the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights.

Important Dates

June 30: First day of class

July 4: NO CLASS
July 5: Explanatory Memo due
July 8: Historical narrative first draft due
July 12: Historical narrative final draft due
July 15: Problem and solution argument first draft due
July 22: Problem and solution argument final draft due
July 28: Live Twitter Campaign for your Problem and Solution completed
July 29: NO CLASS

Course Outline
Week 1 (June 30-July 1)
Class introduction Syllabus
Starting a government 101 Declaring Independence!
Week 2 (July 5-8)
Your rights Bill of Rights and the First Amendment
o Create a feedly account
U.S. History Celebrities People who made society better
Week 3 (July 11-15)
Your responsibilities Checks and Balances
How much are we responsible for making
better?

society

Week 4 (July 18-22)

Do Something!
o Problems in the U.S., and coming up with solutions (argumentative
writing)
Week 5 (July 25-28)
Live Twitter campaigns
Tell me more what do you want to spend an extra day on?

General Outcomes

Communication
o Read and listen actively to learn and communicate.
o Speak and write effectively for academic and career purposes.
Computation
o Use arithmetic and other basic mathematical operations as
required by program of study
o Apply quantitative skills for academic and career purposes.
Human Relations
o Use social interactive skills to work in groups effectively.
o Have knowledge of the diverse cultures represented in our
multicultural society.
Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving
o Think critically in evaluating information, solving problems and
making decisions.
Technology
o Select and use appropriate technological tools for academic and
career tasks.
Personal Responsibility
o Uphold the highest standard of academic honesty and integrity.
o Respect the rights of others in the classroom, online and in all other
school activities.
o Attend class regularly, complete assignments on time and
effectively participate in classroom and online discussions, group
work and other class-related projects and activities.
o Abide by appropriate safety rules in laboratories, shops and
classrooms.
Information Literacy
o Independently access, evaluate and select information from a
variety of appropriate sources.
o Have knowledge about legal and ethical issues related to the use
of information.
o Use information effectively and ethically for a specific purpose.

Student Responsibilities:
Attendance: Attendance is not just an expectation but part of the Career Link
curriculum. All students must maintain 80% attendance to avoid going on an attendance
contract. Consistent and timely attendance is imperative to your success in this class.
As per Career Link policy, students finishing the quarter with less than 70% attendance
will not receive credit for the course. Students below 50% attendance three weeks after
the start of the quarter or beyond can be dropped from the class and will receive an NC
grade.
Students must contact the instructor if they will not be in class and are expected to meet
with the instructor by appointment to review missed work. Instructor is not responsible
for initiating this contact or providing you with notes from the days you missed -- talk to
your classmates.
Students must be on time for the class. 3 tardies = one absence. If you are more than 15
minutes late to class, you will be considered absent.
Homework: Homework will be a part of this course. It is expected that homework will be
done on the day that it is due. Late work will be accepted for 1 week past the due date
but at a reduced grade.
Participation in class is expected and will be part of your grade. This means being
actively engaged in class discussions, work sessions, readings. Students listening to
music, text messaging, talking on cell phones, or behaving disruptively will not be
considered active participants and will be marked absent.
Disabilities: If you are a student with a documented disability who will require
accommodations in this course, please register with Disability Support Services in the
Robert Smith Building, Room RS 12 (9-5137) for assistance in developing a plan to
address your academic needs.
Plagiarism or Cheating of any kind will result in a failing grade. The students name
may be sent to the Dean of Academic Programs.

Grading, Assignments and Projects:

Evaluation
Students will be evaluated on class participation and satisfactory completion of
assignments, homework, projects, and tests. Active learning is a key to educational
success; therefore, participation in class is extremely important. Students are to involve
themselves through questioning, active listening, group activities, and discussions.
Students must demonstrate mastery of the course competencies through
participation, assignments, tests, and projects.
The final grade is based on:

Participation (including attendance) 20%

Quizzes, Major Writing Assignments 40%
Daily Work and Assignments
40%

Grading Chart:

Grade

Grade

4.0

98-100

2.4

79

3.9

94-97

2.3

78

3.8

93

2.2

77

3.7

92

2.1

76

3.6

91

2.0

75

3.5

90

1.9

74

3.4

89

1.8

73

3.3

88

1.7

72

3.2

87

1.6

71

3.1

86

1.5

70

3.0

85

1.4

69

2.9

84

1.3

68

2.8

83

1.2

67

2.7

82

1.1

66

2.6

81

1.0

65

6
2.5

80

<1.0

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