Syllabus

English 1B, Fall 2009
College of Alameda; Professor Wanda Sabir
Course code 43489, Room C-211 9-10:50 TTh
Class Meetings: August 20-Dec. 10; No classes: 9/7; 10/23; 11/11; 11/26-27

Final Exam: 8-10, Tuesday, Dec.15 (Portfolios due via e-mail)
Drop dates: Sept. 5 (w/refund), Sept. 19 (w/out a W), Nov. 25 (w/W).

Syllabus for English 1B: College Composition and Reading

English 1B is a transferable college writing course. It builds on the competencies gained in English 1A with a more careful and studied analysis of expository writing based on careful reading of selected plays, poems, novels, and short fiction.

Plan to have a challenging, yet intellectually stimulating 18 weeks, which I hope you begin by setting goals for yourself. Make a schedule and join or create a study group. Writing is a social activity, especially the type of writing you’ll be doing here. We always consider our audience, have purpose or reason to write, and use research to substantiate our claims, even those we are considered experts in.

We’re supposed to write about 8000 words or so at this level course. This includes drafts. What this amounts to is time at home writing, time in the library researching, reading documents to increase your facility with the ideas or themes your are contemplating, before you once again sit at your desk writing, revising, and writing some more.

Writing is a lonely process. No one can write for you. The social aspect comes into play once you are finished and you have an opportunity to share.

I thought it might be interesting this semester to look at the global reach of hip hop as we also look at how hip hop has influenced or perpetuated certain views of women. Byron Hurt directs a film, Hip Hop Beyond Beats and Rhymes, which looks at misogyny in hip hop culture. I am still trying to decide on what books we’ll use, so for the moment we will look at essays about genre from scholars and artists, to compare the personal with the theoretical. At each meeting we will listen to an artist or watch a film to analyze the work—is it fair to look at rap’s literary quality, minus the performance aspect? What happens when we take a song out of context?

As the weeks progress we will develop a list of the key architects of this genre. Why aren’t their names more well-known by contemporary fans? Does their absence from popular culture limit or change the nature of hip hop? What is this argument that hip hop is dead? Who is KRS-1 who calls himself “hip hop” and refers to the genre as a nation?

Keep a reading log. Discussion groups will meet each week. Students will also keep a reading log/journal/notes with key ideas outlined for each discussion section, along with vocabulary and key arguments listed, along with primary writing strategies employed: description, process analysis, narration, argument, cause and effect, compare and contrast, definition, problem solving.

Unlike classes in the past, this semester I am trying something new, besides looking at the global reach of hip hop and key stakeholders beginning with women in hip hop, students will make several short presentations for each unit: Women in Hip Hop with a side-bar on Hyper-Masculinity, the Graf or Writing Movement, Dance or Bi-boying, Bi-Girling, DJing, Fiction and the MC or Poet/Rapper.

Everyone will write an essay on each genre—a short 250 word response posted on the blog. The new twist is each student will have to choose four elements to expand into a longer paper to present to the class this semester. Each research paper will be between 3-4 pages long. We will toss the lower graded paper.

Everyone has to do fiction or poetry. It’s your choice. Independently, students need to read a hip-hop novel or a collection of poetry by a hip-hop artist and write a paper analyzing its merits and themes. This is your final essay and the first draft is due November 16, final draft due via email by Nov. 20 8 AM to professorwandasposse@gmail.com

We’ll work on your portfolios the following class. The portfolio is due by Wednesday, November 25 at 3 PM via email or on CD. There is no final the day of the final. Revisions need to be in by December 15 if necessary.

For each genre or element, students need to profile a person representative of the art form analyzed or critiqued. I would like for students to look for artists who are also social entrepreneurs, artists who use their work for social change, to better society—

Each essay needs to use at least 3-4 outside sources which should include at least one (1) scholarly article along with other material. Each essay should also include One (1) direct quote, one (1) free-paraphrase and one (1) block quote—one citation per page—no more, no less. Each essay also needs to include a works cited page and a bibliography. We will practice this in class. We will write many of the shorter essays in class or for homework. The task should be simple once students decide which four (4) elements they’d like to respond to in depth.

Midterm
There will be a midterm. We will probably look at a theme we’ve already discussed, perhaps the objectification of women in rap music and how this tendency is a by-product of a larger problem confronting American society. Students might be asked to bring in a song and an article to develop a position on the issue.

Another question might look at the history of rap and how it was defined fifty years ago and how it has evolved. Would the founding parents be proud or dismayed by its offspring? Remember the conversation a few years back about Hip Hop being dead?
I think we’ll look at poetry for our midterm question. We’ll analyze some of the poetry of some of the artists portrayed in The Spoken Word Revolution (slam, hip hop and the poetry of a new generation). There are some great programs happening at EastSide Arts Alliance this month students might want to check out. Visit www.eastsidearts.org

Also, this weekend Michael Franti’s Power to the Peaceful is Saturday, Sept.12, 9-5 in San Francisco at Golden Gate Park, Speedway Meadows, and on Sunday, Sept. 13, 10-7 at the Herbst Theatre. Visit http://powertothepeaceful.org/ It’s $5 but no one is turned away.

Hopefully the material we are covering will encourage you to leave your comfort zone and venture out to have primary experiences: attend concerts, performances, poetry readings. If any student wants to organize an outings let me know. If you hear of an event you think the class might enjoy let us know. The anniversary of Tupac’s killing is Sept.13, there might be something happening locally. Also, in Berkeley there is a production of Machiavelli's The Prince at the Berkeley City Club (2315 Durant Ave., (510) 848-7800). $14-$25 CentralWorks.org Ticket prices are: $14-$25 with shows Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m., Sundays, 5 p.m. and Sat., Sept. 19, 5 p.m. Continues through Sept. 19. Visit http://www.eastbayexpress.com/events/machiavelli_s__i_the_prince__i_/ Event?oid=1179438 for a review.

Theatre
Next week there is a free production of San Francisco Mime Troupe’s current play at Laney College, Sept. 16, 6:30 (music), 7 p.m. (show). Visit http://www.sfmt.org/schedule/



Jot down briefly what your goals are this semester. List them in order of importance.

1.



2.



3.



4.

5.



Presentation 1: Due Tuesday, Sept. 29
Bring in an object that represents the intersection between hip hop and American culture. How does the object signify a tradition older than itself—go deep and philosophical… while at the same time represent a progression into something fresh or new or is it all an illusion, a trend, hip hop culture just a cycle human-kind has cycled through before and will again—all that changes is the treads?

Be prepared to share. Write a brief profile on the object justifying its inclusion in the archives (100 words or so). You will post the written response on the blog. I’ll take photos.


Index Cards Sept. 14-24
Please list your contact information: Name, Address, phone number e-mail address, best time to call and the class you are in with time.

What strengths do you bring to the class? What do you hope to obtain from the course – any particular exit skills? What do I need to know about you to help you meet your goals

Assignment
Written Response to the Syllabus due next week either Sept. 22 or 24

Write a comment to me regarding the syllabus: your impressions, whether you think it is reasonable, questions, suggestions. This is our contract, I need to know you read it and understand the agreement.

Library Orientation
We will meet at the Library Tuesday, Sept.22, for the entire class meeting, 9-10:50 AM. Please arrive on time.


Grading
Blog essays and comments: 15 percent
Discussion Groups and Preparedness: 10 percent
Midterm: 15 percent
Research Essays/Presentation: 25 percent
Portfolio: 25 percent
Peer Reviews from Lab teachers/class aide (Dominique) or college tutor: 10 percent

The blog and in-class essays, which take their themes from the class: hip hop as global movement, hip hop and women, the aesthetics of hip hop, are practice essays, and are about a fourth of your grade, your midterm is another fourth with the peer reviews. The short research essays or expanded freewrites are another fourth. Your portfolio is the final chunk bringing the grand total to 100 percent! The portfolio is really just a compilation of your work this semester with two cover essays, each just one page in length. (Save all of your work.) I suggest students start a personal blog for the class and send me the link for your portfolio at the end of the course.

To encourage participation and for this students have to be prepared, I weighed the preparedness and participation strongly which means I will be taking notes when students do not do their homework. If you are in a group where students are pretending to be prepared when they are not, drop me an anonymous note.

I am not above the pop quiz on readings. Remember, this plan can change in a twinkling of the eye, if we find it isn’t working.


Writing Center
You will also need to plan to spend time weekly in the Writing Lab (L-234-235, 748-2132). It is a great place to get one-on-on assistance on your essays, from brainstorming and planning the essays, to critique on the essay for clarity, organization, clearly stated thesis, evidence of support, logical conclusions, and grammatical problems for referrals to other ancillary materials to build strong writing muscles such as SkillsBank, the Bedford Handbook on-line, Diana Hacker’s Rules for Writers on-line, Townsend Press, and other such computer and cyber-based resources. Call for hours. There is also an Open Lab for checking e-mail, and a Math Lab. All academic labs are located in the Learning Resource Center (LRC) or library.

Students have to enroll in LRNE 501 (Supervised Tutoring) Class Code: 43990. It is free and there no penalties. All it does is allow you to use the academic labs on campus. It takes 24-hours to kick in, so register now. Go to www.peralta.edu Click enroll now link. Click activate my account link… and follow the instructions to activate your account and set your password. The steps are too many to type here. If you have questions see Pat Denoncourt, LRC Coordinator, Rm. L204


The student ID is necessary to use the labs and to check out books. The IDs are free and you can take the photo in the F-Building, Student Services.

Have a tutor of teacher sign off on your essays before you turn them in; if you have a “R,” which means revision necessary for a grade or “NC” which means “no credit,” you have to go to the lab and revise the essay with a tutor or teacher before you return both the graded original and the revision (with signature) to me. Revise does not mean “rewrite,” it means to “see again.”

When getting assistance on an essay, the teacher or tutor is not an editor, so have questions prepared for them to make best use of the 15-20 minute session in the Lab. For more specific assistance sign up for one-on-one tutoring, another free service. For those of you on other campuses, you can get assistance at the Merritt Colleges’ Writing Center, as well as Laney’s.

All essay assignments you receive comments on have to be revised prior to resubmission; included with the revision is a student narrative to me regarding your understanding of what needed to be done; a student can prepare this as a part of the Lab visit, especially if said student is unclear over what steps to take.

Students can also visit me in office hours for assistance; again, prepare your questions in advance to best make use of the time. Do not leave class without understanding the comments on a paper. I don’t mind reading them to you.

English language fluency in writing and reading; a certain comfort and ease with the language; confidence and skillful application of literary skills associated with academic writing. Familiarity if not mastery of the rhetorical styles used in argumentation, exposition and narration will be addressed in this class and is a key student learning outcome (SLO).

We will be evaluating what we know and how we came to know what we know, a field called epistemology or the study of knowledge. Granted, the perspective is western culture which eliminates the values of the majority populations, so-called underdeveloped or undeveloped countries or cultures. Let us not fall into typical superiority traps. Try to maintain a mental elasticity and a willingness to let go of concepts which not only limit your growth as an intelligent being, but put you at a distinct disadvantage as a species.

This is a highly charged and potentially revolutionary process - critical thinking. The process of evaluating all that you swallowed without chewing up to now is possibly even dangerous. This is one of the problems with bigotry; it’s easier to go with tradition than toss it, and create a new, more just, alternative protocol.

Grades, Portfolio
We will be honest with one another. Grades are not necessarily an honest response to work; grades do not take into consideration the effort or time spent, only whether or not students can demonstrate mastery of a skill - in this case: essay writing. Grades are an approximation, arbitrary at best, no matter how many safeguards one tries to put in place to avoid such ambiguity. Suffice it to say, your portfolio will illustrate your competence. It will represent your progress, your success or failure this summer session in meeting your goal.

Office Hours
I’d like to wish everyone good luck. I am available for consultation on Monday mornings 9:30-10:30 a.m. , Wednesday 9:30-10:30 a.m., Wednesday afternoon 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, if you want to take me to lunch—just kidding, I am available after 12 for appointments if you notify me in advance. All the office hours take place in my office, L-236. I am not on campus on Fridays. (Jot my cell number down in this section.) My office number is (510) 748-2131, e-mail professorwandasposse@gmail.com.

I am more a phone person than an email person, so you can call me if I don’t respond to an email. I do read your blog posts.

I’d encourage students to exchange phone numbers with classmates (2), so if you have a concern, it can be addressed more expediently when I am not available. Study groups are recommended, especially for those students finding the readings difficult; don’t forget, you can also discuss the readings as a group in the Lab with a teacher or tutor acting as facilitator. Dominique is hosting a study group on Thursdays, L-bldg., second floor, 12 noon to 1 p.m.

Keep a vocabulary log for the semester and an error chart (taken from comments on essay assignments). List the words you need to look up in the dictionary, also list where you first encountered them: page, book and definition, also use the word in a sentence. You will turn this in with your portfolio.

I do not expect students to confuse literal with free paraphrase (a literal paraphrase is plagiarism). Students should also not make confused word errors, sentence fragment errors, comma splice errors, subject verb agreement errors, errors in parallel structure, subject verb agreement errors, MLA citations errors, errors with ellipses, formatting an essays—margins, headings, etc. If you are not clear on what I mean, I suggest you run through Stewart Pidd Hates English. It is on reserve in the library.

Students are expected to complete their work on time. If you need more time on an assignment, discuss this with me in advance if possible to keep full credit, also certain assignments, such as in-class essays cannot be made up. All assignments prepared outside of class are to be typed, 12-pt. font, double-spaced lines, indentations on paragraphs, 1-inch margins around the written work (see Hacker: The Writing Process; Document Design.)

Cheating
Plagiarism is ethically abhorrent, and if any student tries to take credit for work authored by another person the result will be a failed grade on the assignment and possibly a failed grade in the course if this is attempted again. This is a graded course.

Homework
If you do not identify the assignment, I cannot grade it. If you do not return the original assignment you revised, I cannot compare what changed. If you accidentally toss out or lose the original assignment, you get a zero on the assignment to be revised. I will not look at revisions without the original attached – no exceptions. Some student essays will be posted on-line at the website. Students will also have the option of submitting assignments via email.

All assignments completed away from class should be typed. Use blue or black ink when writing responses in class. You can annotate your books in pencil.

Textbooks:
Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip Hop. Ed. Jeff Chang. Basic Civitas Books, 2006. ISBN: 10: 0-465-00909-3 (I’m thinking about this book.)

The Spoken Word Revolution (slam, hip hop & the poetry of a new generation). Ed. Mark Eleveld. Sourcebooks MediaFusion, 2004. ISBN: 1-4022-0246-6.

Students also need a dictionary. I recommend: The American Heritage Dictionary. Fourth Edition.

Recommended:
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation. Jeff Chang. Picador, 2005. ISBN: 0-312-42579-1

Know What I Mean? Reflections on Hip Hop. Michael Eric Dyson. Basic Civitias Books, 2007. ISBN: 0-465-017716-9 (I am making copies of certain chapters).

Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America. Tricia Rose. Wesleyan Press, 1994.

The Africanist Aesthetic in Global Hip Hop: Power Moves. Halifu Osumare. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.


Fiction
Students have to chose a work of fiction to read on their own to present later in class. There is a written and an oral aspect to this assignment.

The Coldest Winter Ever. Sister Souljah. Simon & Schuster. 2006.
http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?tab=1&pid=514298&er=9781416521693

Angry Black White Boy or The Miscegenation of Macon Detornay. Adam Mansbach. Crown/Three Rivers Press, 2005.

The Brief Wondrous Times of Oscar Wao. Junot Díaz. Penguin, 2007.

Interesting article
http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Urban_Fiction/Street_Lit/Hip_Hop_Fiction_Resources_for_Librarians

Students need a grammar style book. You don’t have to purchase mine, but you need something comparable.

Rules for Writers. Fourth or Fifth edition. Diana Hacker. Bedford/St. Martins. (If you don’t already have such a book.)

Elements of Style (any edition)


Additional Items

Along with a dictionary, the prepared student needs pens with blue or black ink, along with a pencil for annotating texts, paper, a stapler or paper clips, floppy disks, a notebook, three hole punch, a folder for work-in-progress, and a divided binder to keep materials together.

Also stay abreast of the news. Buy a daily paper. Listen to alternative radio:
KPFA 94.1 FM (Hardknock), KQED 88.5, KALW 91.7. Visit news websites: AllAfrica.com, Al Jazeera, CNN.com, AlterNet.org, DemocracyNow.org, FlashPoints.org, CBS 60Minutes.