Contact information:

Professor: Matthew Fleming

Email Address: mfleming@cuesta.edu

Phone Number: 805 546 3176  (I will provide my cell phone number within the course)

Office Location/ Hours: TBA (See hours posted within our course)

Instructor Contact Expectations: 

The best and fastest way to contact me is by email or text.  I will generally respond to your emails within 12 hours, 7 days a week, usually must faster.  

Star Signal:

At Cuesta College, we are here to support you and your unique journey. That’s why we use STAR Signal—a tool designed to provide tailored and individualized support. We know that everyone’s path is different, and sometimes obstacles may appear. The STAR Signal is a proactive approach to help you get back on track when life’s obstacles derail you from your path. Whether you’ve missed classes, had challenges with quizzes or exams, have fallen behind on assignments, or there’s a dip in your grades, with a STAR Signal, we can connect you with resources. At different points during the semester, I may activate the STAR Signal to connect you with a Student Completion Coordinator. This individual will reach out to you, offer encouragement, and suggest resources that align with your needs. We’re here to support you, and the STAR Signal is just one of the many ways we worktogether to help you stay on the path toward reaching your goals.

Course Environment:

This online course will be using the Web-based Learning Management System Canvas as the method to disseminate information. Canvas provides the framework for the course including lecture material, student data files, the tools to receive and send course materials, and a grade book. Using the communication tools, you can communicate using e-mail, and you can share materials and ideas with other course participants via the discussion forums and groups.

Accessing the Course:

You will see your course in Canvas on the first day of class. You can access Canvas by clicking on Canvas from the top bar of the Cuesta homepage (www.cuesta.edu), or by typing the Canvas address (https://cuesta.instructure.com/) into your browser address bar.

If you are not familiar with logging into canvas, please refer to the Canvas Quick Reference Guide.   Once logged into Canvas, you will be directed on where to get started. Be sure to read all the direction on the course home page.  

If you are having difficulty logging into Canvas after class starts and need assistance please email me or technical support at this email address support@my.cuesta.edu.   

Online Learning: 

If you have never taken an online class or this is your first experience with Canvas, please be patient with yourself. Online classes are not inherently easier, although they may be much more convenient for many students. You should expect to spend at least as much time, if not more on this course as you would on a course that meets face-to-face. Since there is no lecture component, much of this time will be self-directed and there will be a substantial amount of reading, viewing, studying, and writing required. This course is completely online using Canvas; all coursework (discussions, assignments, quizzes) is submitted online. There are no face-to-face meetings.  Please be prepared to spend 8 - 12 hours per week on coursework for this class.

Is an ONLINE CLASS FOR YOU?:

Go to the Cuesta College Canvas Tutorial (self-paced).  There are many resources that were designed to help you understand the basis for an online class and the skills necessary for success. (If the tutorials do NOT describe you, then taking this class online is NOT for you and I strongly suggest that you drop the online class and enroll in a traditional classroom section.)

Course Description:

ENGL C1001 (formerly ENGL. 201C) is an advanced composition course beyond ENGL C1000 (formerly ENGL 201A), which emphasizes critical thinking, including reasoning, rhetoric, reading, and information literacy in order to develop argumentative skills for diverse contexts and audiences. Prerequisite: ENGL C1000 (formerly ENGL 201A) with a grade of C or better. Transfer: CSU; UC.

Important Notes about Workload and this Course:

I have designed this course in as flexible, yet structured a manner as possible in hopes of making it a productive, interesting, and valuable class. I must be aware of overloading you with too much material to complete and comprehend. You must be aware of overloading yourself by taking a class that will demand many hours from you and your consistent participation. You must be realistic about the time commitment necessary to succeed in this course.

Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI)

Regular and Substantive Interaction will be met through weekly instructor initiated threaded discussion forums; weekly announcements to students; timely and substantive feedback on student assignments; email, phone or messaging to individuals; and virtual office hours as scheduled and by appointment.

This course requires regular and substantive interaction among all students and the instructor for the full 18 weeks of the course. We will achieve this in a variety of ways:

• throughout the week postings in discussion and homework forums in Canvas
• weekly book homework readings and submissions,
• interactive online essay work-shopping through Canvas forums
• viewing of short video lectures and content
• writing of a series of essays using turnitin.com

Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Demonstrate advanced critical thinking and reasoning skills.
2. Write arguments using advanced rhetorical and composition skills.
3. Demonstrate information fluency.

Text Book and Materials:

• All textual resources for this course are provided within the Canvas Shell. No purchases necessary.

Areas of Assessment:

Homework Assignments (worth 5 points each).

Quizzes (worth 10 points each).

Homework Discussion Forums (worth 10 points each).

Essay Q & A Forums (worth 10 points each)

Essay Group Workshop Forums worth (10 points each).

Critical & Creative Analysis Discussion Forums (worth 20 points each).

3, 4-page Essays (worth 200 points each).

Homework Assignments:

Each week you will complete Homework Assignments worth 5 points each that come from our course readings and handouts that are due by Monday at 10:00 a.m.. These assignments should be submitted towards the end of the week and after you have had time to participate in the homework forum and learn from others about the material.

Quizzes:

To gain maximum knowledge, you should take the quizzes after completing the readings, videos, forums, and assignments for the respective week and asking questions in the "Ask Questions Here" forum or in the Homework Forums or contacting me via email or phone. These quizzes are not timed.

• Quizzes are worth 10 points each
• Quizzes are due by Mondays at 10:00 a.m.

Essay Q & A Forums:

The Essay Q & A forums are a great opportunity to understand the Essay prompts, present your initial ideas on choosing a subject and a position, and providing insight to your peers on their choices.

• Essay Q & A forums are worth 10 points each

Essay Q & A Forum Posting Guidelines:

• You must post a minimum of 3 posts as per the directions. These posts do not have to be on separate days, but try not to post all of them too late in the week or you are less likely to receive peer feedback and be able to offer your own feedback to others.

Homework Discussion Forums:

Each week as you work on the homework assignments, you must participate in the Homework Discussion Forum. This forum gives us a chance to work out concepts related to the homework, review sample problems, and engage in lecture/discussion on the topic:

• Homework Forums are worth 10 points each

Homework Discussion Forum Posting Guidelines:

Each week as you work on the homework assignments, you must participate in the Homework Discussion Forum. This forum gives us a chance to work through concepts related to the homework, review sample problems, and engage in lecture/ discussion on the topic.

• You must post a minimum of 3 discussion posts per week, over a minimum of 3 days to be eligible for full credit
• Your posts are not given a required word count but write more than 1 sentence and truly use this forum as a virtual study group
• Do not posts comments like this: "This homework is really hard," "I don't have any questions," etc. .  Instead, critically and creatively post.
• If you consistently ask questions that are already answered by other posts in the forum, I'm going to think you aren't reading all the posts and mark you grade down. Make sure you are! :).

Tip: Completing all these assignments is critical to doing well in this course. I give full credit when I see honest attempts at getting the “right” answer. I give no credit or less credit to homework that does not get turned in by the deadline, includes plagiarized/A.I. content, is partially completed, or only repeats what we discussed in the Homework Forums.

Essay Workshop Forums:

We will use these forums to workshop your essays. You will cut and paste your intro, body paragraphs, etc. into the reply field for the discussion as well as attach documents to retain formatting and work with me and other students to improve all the essays. These forums cannot function effectively without full participation from each member:

• Workshop Forums are worth 10 points each.

Essay Workshop Forums Posting Guidelines:

• You do not have the same posting guidelines on the workshop forums as the other forums, but you do want to avoid posting all your post on the last few days of the week because other students will not learn from your feedback.

Tip: I strongly encourage you to post your essay drafts early and often, and when reading and commenting on your peers’ drafts to do so constructively and respectfully.

Critical & Creative Analysis Discussion Forums:

This forum is one of the most important components of the course because it allows us to critically think as individuals and as a class on a new subject each week. I have created prompts to which we will respond. I encourage you to post, read, and respond consistently and often:

• Critical & Creative Analysis Discussion Forums (worth 20 points each).

Critical & Creative Analysis Forum Posting Guidelines:

This forum is one of the most important components of the course because it allows us to critically think as individuals and as a class on a new subject each week. I have created prompts to which we will respond. I encourage you to read and post consistently and often. These rules will encourage you:

Critical & Creative Analysis Forum Guidelines:

This forum is one of the most important components of the course because it allows us to critically think as individuals and as a class on a new subject each week. I have created prompts to which we will respond. I encourage you to read and post consistently and often. Following these guidelines will help you learn and succeed:

• Minimum of 3 meaningful posts, on 3 separate days, preferably with days in between, starting and ending every Monday at 10:00 a.m.
• In your first post, respond to the prompt in a minimum of 150 words and embed a relevant image or link by Friday at 11:59 at the latest.
• In your two reply posts, make them a minimum of 60 words each and if other directions aren't given, respond to your peers with constructive, critical, and thoughtful commentary. 
• Address the person or people you are responding to by first name.
  
• Show us that you have been reading everyone's posts by incorporating references into your own and including original, creative, and non-redundant content. You will lose points if it becomes clear that you aren't reading all the discussion forum posts.

Essays:

You will be asked to write 3 essays, which must be handed in on time and in the proper MLA 9 format. The papers must be full, 4 full pages in length, include 4 sources, and have 1 labeled example each of a Paraphrase (P), a Summary (S) a Direct Quotation (DQ), and a Block Quotation (BQ). The works cited page does not count as 1 of the 4 pages. You must submit all essays through Canvas to turnitin.com as an upload (don’t cut and paste) before the due date. All papers must meet the minimum page requirement to receive credit and be in the proper MLA format. Please review the A.I. and Plagiarism Policies.

Grading Scale:

A 90-100

B+ 87-89

B 83-86

B- 80-82

C+ 77-79

C 70-76

D+ 67-69

D 63-66

D- 60-62

F Below 60

Technical Support:

Cuesta students are encouraged to direct all technical support inquiries to support@my.cuesta.edu.  If you are having issues with Canvas, or email.  support@instructure.com. If you are having difficulty viewing the course or logging in, it may be because you are not using the correct url: https://cuesta.instructure.com/ or you are using your phone or using an unsupported browser.  

Your learning environment is best accessed from a desktop or laptop computer, using Firefox or Chrome.  This may solve your problem!  Please review the browser requirements and minimum computer specifications .

Accommodations:

This course is designed using an accessible Learning Management System, and course materials have been created with ADA compliance in mind. If you have a disability and might need accommodations in this class such as extended time on exams or other resources. Please contact the instructor as soon as possible so that you can receive appropriate accommodations in a timely manner. You should also contact DSPS (Disabled Student Programs & Services)  or at 805-546-3148.

College & Course Policies:

Academic Honesty Policy:

Plagiarism is defined as “the use of someone’s ideas or writings without giving proper credit to that person.” I do not want to see old papers of yours or anyone else’s, undocumented paraphrasing, or contraband Web info. If you didn’t think up an idea, you had better quote/paraphrase and document your sources.

In addition to my course policy, please note all students attending San Luis Obispo County Community College District at any district site and when representing Cuesta College in any off-campus activity, assume an obligation to conduct themselves in an acceptable manner compatible with the Student Code of conduct. Please review the Cuesta College Student Code of conduct 

Artificial Intelligence Usage Policy:

For all the work in this course, please do not use Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) to generate any of your content or ideas or to revise your sentences.  This policy includes all discussion forum assignments, homework assignments, essays, and projects.

Cuesta College's Restricted Usage A.I. Policy:

The use of generative AI is not authorized for use in this course. All the work that students submit for this course should be their own. Plagiarism is unethically paraphrasing and/or presenting someone else’s words, writing, images, solutions, or ideas as if they are one's own without citing and/or quoting the original source material, and this includes work produced with the use of generative A.I. (GenAI) tools. The use of GenAI tools is not permitted at any stage of the work process for any assignment. Violations of this policy will be considered academic misconduct. Different classes at Cuesta College may implement different A.I. usage policies, and it is the student’s responsibility to be informed of and conform to expectations for each course

Please also review the complete A.I. policy pdf at the end of this document.

Add / Drop Policy:

Please review the Cuesta policy for drops

• Add Policy
• Drop Policy 

Waitlist Policy:

Please review Cuesta’s waitlist procedure and instructions.

Everyone is Welcome:

It is my intent that students from all backgrounds and perspectives be well-served by this course, that students' learning needs be addressed both in and out of the virtual class, and that the differences of perspective and cultural and social background that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength, and benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of human beings as well as the natural world. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally, or for other students or student groups.

Important note:

Given the sensitive and challenging nature of the material discussed in class, it is imperative that there be an atmosphere of trust and safety in the classroom. I will attempt to foster a virtual class environment in which each class member is able to hear and respect each other. It is critical that each class member show respect for all worldviews expressed in this class. It is expected that some of the material in this course may evoke strong emotions. Please be respectful of others' emotions and be mindful of your own. Please let me know if something said or done in the classroom, by either myself or other students, is particularly troubling or causes discomfort or offense. While our intention may not be to cause discomfort or offense, the impact of what happens throughout the course is not to be ignored and is something that I consider to be very important and deserving of attention. If and when this occurs, there are several ways to alleviate some of the discomfort or hurt you may experience:

1. Discuss the situation privately with me. I am always open to listening to students' experiences, and want to work with students to find acceptable ways to process and address the issue.
2. Discuss the situation with the class. Chances are there is at least one other student in the class who had a similar response to the material. Discussion enhances the ability for all class participants to have a fuller understanding of context and impact of course material and class discussions.
3. Notify me of the issue through another source such as your academic advisor, a trusted faculty member, or a peer. If for any reason you do not feel comfortable discussing the issue directly with me, I encourage you to seek out another, more comfortable avenue to address the issue.

Online Help from Cuesta:

Send an email to support@my.cuesta.edu and include your name, class, section number (CRN), and instructor's name, and describe the problem you are experiencing.This information will be sent to a technical support individual at Cuesta who will get back to you within 48 hours (usually a response will be much sooner). Please call 805-546-3100 ext. 2802 during the hours of 7:30 am-6:00 pm, Mon.-Thu.

• To understand the browser requirements/minimum computer specifications click here: Browser Requirements.
• To understand the Cuesta Add/Drop Policies click here: Cuesta Add/Drop Policy
• To understand the Cuesta Academic Honesty Policy and Student Code of Conduct click here: Cuesta Academic Honesty and Student Conduct Policies.
• To understand the Waitlist Procedure and Instructionsclick here: Cuesta Waitlist Procedure and Instructions.
  
• For Tech Support for Canvas, click here: Canvas Tech Support.
• For some Online Class Readiness Tools, click here: Online Readiness.
• For Cuesta's Disabled Student Services Program, click here: Disabled Student Services Program.  If you have a difference of abilities and might need accommodations (support services) in this class, please contact Disabled Student Program & Services in Building 3300 as soon as possible to ensure that you receive the accommodations in a timely manner.