Syllabus for Basic English with Writing Workshop

Credits: 4.00
DEN 1002-01 CL
2024 Spring

Instructor Information

Instructor: Dani Weber

Title: Associate Professor of English
Instructor Phone: 845-434-5750 x4239
Email: dweber@sunysullivan.edu
Office Hours
M W 12-1; T 12:30-1; R 12:30-2
Office Location
F-116, also on Zoom by appointment

Course Information

Course Start and End Date: Jan 22, 2024 / May 10, 2024
Meeting Time: T 1:00 PM - 1:50 PM Location: C105
Meeting Time: TR 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM Location: C105

Course Format: Seated

Last Day to Withdraw: Friday, April 5, 2024

Course Description

This course is designed for students who need practice in fundamental reading and
writing skills. Students work on choosing and developing topics, coming up with ideas,
and structuring those ideas in a logical, effective order. They also review writing basics
such as grammar, mechanics, spelling, sentence structure, and paragraph development,
and they practice reading comprehension and vocabulary skills. Students spend an
additional hour per week in writing workshop, working independently under the guidance
of the instructor to improve critical thinking, reading, study, writing, revision, and time
management skills. This class is designed to prepare students for success in the
Composition I course. This course is required of students who have not demonstrated
the minimum proficiency established for entrance into ENG 1001. This course may not
be used to satisfy the English requirement at this College. Students must complete DEN
1002 with a grade of C or better to progress to ENG 1001 Composition I.

Co/Prerequisites

N/A

Course Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

1. Improve reading and writing skills by having students read, write about, and discuss a
variety of texts
2. Learn to summarize texts and produce their own essays
3. Practice sentence and paragraph formation to develop essay writing skills
4. Build revision skills through peer revision of written work

Course Materials

All readings will be provided

All readings and materials for each module can be found in that module on Brightspace.

Technology Requirements

Brightspace is where your course materials can be located.

Pulse – Mobile access to your Brightspace Classes. Download from your phone’s Play
or App Store.

Brightspace Help – contact brightspacehelp@sunysullivan.edu or go to E006 for in-

person help.
Campus Tech Support Phone: 845-434-5750 extension 4457

Campus Tech Support Website: ithelpdesk@sunysullivan.edu

All other materials will be provided in the corresponding module.

Evaluation and Grading Scale

Category % of Grade Grade Items (Learning Associated Learning

Activities) Objectives/Outcomes
Class 20% Freewrites, discussions, 1. Improve reading and
Participation & group work, exercises, writing skills by having
Informal, In- reflections, workshops, students read, write
class Written etc. about, and discuss a
Assignments variety of texts

2. Learn to summarize
texts and produce their
own essays

3. Practice sentence and

paragraph formation to
develop essay writing
skills
Quizzes, 8% 2 quizzes, 6 reading 1. Improve reading and
Reading journals writing skills by having
Journals students read, write
about, and discuss a
variety of texts

2. Learn to summarize
texts and produce their
own essays

3. Practice sentence and

paragraph formation to
develop essay writing
skills
 Category % of Grade Grade Items (Learning Associated Learning
Activities) Objectives/Outcomes
First Drafts 6% 6 first drafts 2. Learn to summarize
texts and produce their
own essays

3. Practice sentence and

paragraph formation to
develop essay writing
skills
Peer Reviews & 15% Peer Reviews for 1. Improve reading and
Revision Plans 5 short essays; 1 photo writing skills by having
journal students read, write
(120 pts) about, and discuss a
6 Revision Plans (30 pts) variety of texts

2. Learn to summarize
texts and produce their
own essays

3. Practice sentence and

paragraph formation to
develop essay writing
skills

4. Build revision skills

through peer revision of
written work
 Category % of Grade Grade Items (Learning Associated Learning
Activities) Objectives/Outcomes
Formal Written 45% 100-word Memoir (50 pts) 1. Improve reading and
Assignments & 3 formal essays (300 pts) writing skills by having
Process students read, write
Photojournal (50 pts)
about, and discuss a
variety of texts
Reflection (50 pts)

2. Learn to summarize
texts and produce their
own essays

3. Practice sentence and

paragraph formation to
develop essay writing
skills

4. Build revision skills

through peer revision of
written work
Works 6% 1. Improve reading and
Cited/PEE writing skills by having
students read, write
about, and discuss a
variety of texts

2. Learn to summarize
texts and produce their
own essays

3. Practice sentence and

paragraph formation to
develop essay writing
skills
 Category % of Grade Grade Items (Learning Associated Learning
Activities) Objectives/Outcomes
Optional Third Bonus Submit third drafts with 3. Practice sentence and
drafts your portfolio paragraph formation to
develop essay writing
skills

4. Build revision skills

through peer revision of
written work
TOTAL 100%

Grade, Grade Points, and Numerical Equivalent

Letter Grade Letter Grade Letter Grade

% Grade % Grade % Grade
Grade Points Grade Points Grade Points
A 4 93-100 B- 2.67 80-82 D+ 1.33 67-69
A- 3.67 90-92 C+ 2.33 77-79 D 1 63-66
B+ 3.33 87-89 C 2 73-76 D- .67 60-62
B 3 83-86 C- 1.67 70-72 F 0 0-59

Academic Integrity Policy

The Academic Integrity Policy can be found on the college website.

Intellectual honesty is essential in any academic setting. The purpose of college writing is
to develop your abilities as a writer, scholar, and thinker. I expect you to make, and learn
from, your "mistakes." Relying on cheating, plagiarism, or AI means you are cheating
yourself out of the education you are paying for and out of the person you could be.

Plagiarism, the use of another’s words or ideas without giving proper credit, and
cheating, are violations of ethical behavior within the academic community. Plagiarism or
other acts of academic dishonesty must be reported to the Division Dean, and
disciplinary action will be taken. If the act is caught after the semester has ended, action
may still be taken with a grade change. Unless the instructor authorizes otherwise, all
assignments must be individual, original work created for this specific class.
Writing is thinking. For me to fairly assess your work, therefore, and for you to grow as a
student and a critical thinker, your writing must be your own. In accordance with the
College’s established policies regarding academic integrity, you may not use ChatGPT or
any other LLM software in this class except under very limited circumstances. All work
will be submitted to Turnitin, which has a fairly accurate AI checker. Any use of AI that
scores above 10%, as well as any work that I deem not reflective of your voice, will
initiate a conference with me and a possible 0 for the assignment. This will also count as
your first instance of academic dishonesty.

Cheating in any form not only wastes my time; it also wastes your classmates' time.

In this course, instances of academic dishonesty include

1. any use of AI or language-generating software without citation;
2. the word-for-word use of material from an outside source that is not in quotation marks
or a block quote (as appropriate) and properly cited;
3. the use of another’s ideas and/or sentence or paragraph structures without properly
crediting the source; or
4. recycling your papers (or someone else’s) from another class without prior permission.

Any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty must meet with the instructor.
At my discretion, students who have misused sources must re-do the assignment until
the issue is resolved or accept a 0 for the assignment.

Further, students who commit acts of academic dishonesty will be penalized in the
following capacity:

- 1st offense: F or 0 on the assignment and possibly the class.

- 2nd offense: 0 on the assignment and F in the class.
- Students caught cheating will be reported to the Dean and will not be permitted to
withdraw.
- Additional academic penalties may be pursued.

Student Code of Conduct

The SUNY Sullivan Student Code of Conduct can be found on the college website.

Showing consistent respect for the class, for each other, for yourself, and for me will help
ensure your success in this class.
Course Policies and Expectations

Participation and Expectations

Here's the first rule of success: show up and do the work. Participation is 10% of your
grade, which you will earn by coming to class, fully participating in and completing all
activities, and submitting your work on time.

All in-class

Building community is vital to the success of the work of this course, which requires us to
share our writing and serve as supportive readers and audience members. Whether in
person or online, I expect you to interact with each other like well-mannered,
compassionate, open-minded, thoughtful adults who show respect to others–and
ourselves–even when we disagree.

Late Work/Make-up Policy

Assignments will be due each week. You can find all due dates on Brightspace. I will
grade all assignments by the end of the following week. If you fall behind, please
complete assignments as soon as possible. I do accept late work until I have graded the
assignment. No late work will be accepted after an assignment has been graded.

Hybrid Attendance Policy N/A

Attendance Policy

As stated above, coming to class will be key to your success. Please show up to class
ready to fully participate in and complete all activities and please submit your work on
time. Each missed class will result in lost points for participation. In-class activities
cannot be made up if you miss class.

Netiquette

Showing up for each other will be key. This means being prepared, doing the work,
paying attention, and giving your best effort in all class activities, especially in activities
such as peer reviews where your classmates depend on your participation and feedback
to complete the assignment.

The more you put into this class, the more you’ll get out of it. Please pay attention to
deadlines, stay on track, and notify me of any issues that may arise. In general, timely
communication is key to your success in college (and life).

Additional Course Policies and Procedures

Feedback and Suggestions

The instructor encourages student feedback and suggestions, which can be presented
directly during office hours or by email. Students are invited to contact Rose Hanofee,
Interim Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at rhanofee@sunysullivan.edu if
they wish to offer positive or negative feedback about an instructor or a class.

Accessibility and Accommodations Statement

SUNY Sullivan values equity and inclusion; we are committed to a climate of mutual
respect and full participation. Our goal is to create learning environments that are usable,
equitable, inclusive, and welcoming. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of
this course that result in barriers to your inclusion or achievement, please notify the
instructor as soon as possible. Students with disabilities are also welcome to contact the
ADA Officer Alba De los Santos at 845-434-5750 x4328 or
adelossantos@sunysullivan.edu within the Department of Learning and Student
Development to discuss a range of options for removing barriers in the course, including
accommodations.

Basic Needs Statement

To learn effectively, you must have basic security: a roof over your head, a safe place to
sleep, enough food to eat. If you’re having trouble with any of those things, please
contact the Dean of Student Development Services, dean@sunysullivan.edu and/or me.
Together we can work to make sure those needs are met.

Names & Pronouns

SUNY Sullivan recognizes that students may not use the name that they were assigned
at birth, and may use a first or middle name other than their legal name to identify
themselves. Pronouns can be a way to affirm someone's gender identity, but they may
also be unrelated to a person's identity. Pronouns are a public way in which people are
referred to in place of their name.
In this class, we will support each other by honoring the names and pronouns we use. I
will be creating space for sharing pronouns and chosen names; however, sharing this
information will be your choice and not required.

Continued and prolonged use of the incorrect name and/or pronouns can be considered
harassment and will be addressed under SUNY Sullivan’s Harassment & Discrimination
policies.

Course Schedule / Outline of Topics

Schedule of Assignments - Comp I with Studio

Spring 2024
TR 11-12:15, T 1-1:50
To stay on track, please observe all due dates. All work is due by class on the due
date.

Week/Date Topic Assignments

Due

Module 1: Intros & Warm-Ups

Week 1 Week 1: Intros Due R 1/25

T 1/23 Intros; In-class Diagnostic; Course Outline & Quiz 1: Course
R 1/25 Class Expectations Outline
Brightspace fundamentals; Due T 1/30
R&W: Cisneros Name WJ 1: My Name

Week 2 Week 2: Warm-up Due R 2/1

T 1/30 Readings: 100-word memoirs; DB 1 DB 1: 100-word
R 2/1 Workshop: 1st draft Memoir 1st
In class Peer Review/Workshop draft
Steps of the writing process; Revising & editing Due T 2/6
 2nd draft of the
memoir

Module 2: Superpower

Week 3 Week 3: Prewriting & Writing R 2/8

T 2/6 WJ: Reflection on memoir; Author Share WJ 2: Readings
Readings: Your Superpower T 2/13
R 2/8 What’s Your Superpower? Getting started 1st draft due

Week 4 Week 4: Reviewing & Revising R 2/15

T 2/13 Disc Board 2: In-class Peer Review DB 2: Revision
Editing & revising Plan
R 2/15 Workshop; Grammarly T 2/20
2nd draft due by
class

Module 3: Person or Place

Week 5 Week 5: Generating Ideas R 2/22

T 2/20 WJ: Reflection on Assignm 1 WJ 3: Readings
Assignment 2 - Person/Place Readings: T 2/27
R 2/22 Person/Place samples DB 3: 1st draft
Developing a Topic due

Week 6 Week 6: Reviewing & Revising R 2/29

T 2/27 DB 3: In-class Peer Review; giving feedback DB 3: Revision
R 2/29 Workshop; Revising and Editing Plan
Grammarly T 3/5
2nd draft due
 Module 4: Dream Career

Week 7 Week 7: Finding & Incorporating Sources R 3/7

T 3/5 WJ: Reflection; Brainstorming your future; finding Source & Quote
R 3/7 and using sources T 3/12
Building citations and incorporating quotes Citation

Week 8 Week 8: Research your future R 3/14

T 3/12 Guest speaker (TBD) T 3/26
R 3/14 Work on draft / Conferences First draft due

Week 9
T 3/19 Spring Break

R 3/21

Week 10 Week 10: Reviewing & Revising R 3/28

T 3/26 In-class Peer Review DB 4 DB 4 Revision
R 3/28 Workshop Plan
T 4/2
2nd draft due

Module 5: College Life Multi-Modal Presentation

Week 11 Week 11: Photojournaling R 4/4

T 4/2 Creating Multi-Modal Presentations WJ 5: College
R 4/4 Photojournaling; Incorporating & Citing Images Life
T 4/9
1st draft due

Week 12 Week 12: Reviewing & Revising R 4/11

T 4/9 In class Peer Review Revision Plan
R 4/11 Workshop; Revising and Editing T 4/13
2nd draft due

Module 6: Portfolio and Revisions

Week 13 Week 13: Portfolio R 4/18

T 4/16 WJ Reflection; Sample Reflections WJ 6: Am I
R 4/18 Basics of Writing, Recap ready for Comp
I?
T 4/23
1st draft of
Reflection due

Week 14 Week 14: Reviewing & Revising R 4/25

T 4/23 In-class Peer Review Revision Plan
R 4/25 Conferences/Workshop T 4/30
Work on
Presentation &
Portfolio

Week 15 Week 15: Final Drafts R 5/2

T 4/30 Conferences/Workshop Work on
R 5/2 Conferences/Workshop Presentation &
Portfolio

Week 16 Week 16: Presentations Portfolio &

FINALS M 5/6 Reading Day revisions
WEEK FINAL CLASS: Presentations Optional class
All final revisions, presentation, and portfolio reflection
due on Brightspace by 11:59 on W 5/8 or TBD