Contact information

Instructor: Roland Finger

Email Address: roland_finger@cuesta.edu

Phone Number: (701) 566-2614

Office Location/ Hours: Room 6222 and Online Through Zoom: TBA

Instructor Contact Expectations: 

The best and quickest way to contact me is through email.  I will generally respond to your emails within 24 hours during weekdays only.  During busy times of the semester, the response time may increase to 48 hours.  On weekends, I will do my best to get back to you ASAP, but I cannot guarantee an expeditious response. 

Course Environment:

This online course will be using a 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 the first day of instruction 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 a significant amount of timer 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.)

Regular Effective Contact policy:

Regular and Effective Instructor Contact will be met through weekly instructor initiated threaded discussion forums; weekly announcements to students; timely and effective feedback on student assignments; email, phone or messaging to individuals; and virtual office hours.

Course Description

For the official course description and course outline of record please go to CurricUNET.

In this class, your emotional and intuitive connections with language will reach a sweet spot with reason and logic. We will practice using words as razor-sharp scimitars to cut to the core of issues. As you develop arguments by analyzing different texts, your experiences, views, and personal insights will help you to draft and revise powerful essays. This class will cultivate an aggressive curiosity for ideas, reading, and writing. 

The Cuesta Catalog provides a rather dry description of English 201A, stating that the class “provides a study of and practice in the use of language and writing argumentative/analytical essays and research papers,” which is all true, but the class is so much more. It is an entry into college writing and can affect every other class you take that has room for creative, logical, and insightful ideas expressed through words.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Employ close reading strategies to identify and interpret patterns and ideas written in complex 
texts and to demonstrate comprehension of main and supporting ideas in selected readings.
2. Develop process-based writing practices that include generating, drafting, and revising to 
produce clear and persuasive writing.
3. Write essays that are organized effectively.
4. Formulate effective strategies to find relevant resources, critically evaluate information in 
light of its complexities of authority and production, and ethically attribute and skillfully 
integrate source material.
5. Write fair and persuasive arguments that assert and support positions, demonstrate audience 
awareness, and incorporate differing viewpoints.

Textbooks and Materials

• Hoffman, Andrew. Monsters: A Bedford Spotlight Reader. 2^nd, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2020.
• Pichetshote, Pornsak, et al. Infidel. Image Comics, 2018.

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

Academic dishonesty of any sort, including plagiarism, is not allowed.  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.

Add / Drop Policy:

Please review the Cuesta policy for drops

• Add Policy
• Drop Policy

Waitlist Policy:

Please review Cuesta’s waitlist procedure and instructions.