English 201A/71337
Instructor: Amelia Marini
Welcome to online learning at Cuesta College! I'm Amelia Marini and I'll be teaching this particular online section of English 201A. Before you enroll in the course, please read through this welcome letter, which provides information about the course content and the requirements for taking this course online. If you decide to enroll in the course, you'll receive even more specific information once it begins on August 17, 2020.
Basic Contact Information
Email: amelia_marini@cuesta.edu
Office Hours:
This semester's office hours will be held online by appointment. When we need to meet, we'll coordinate a time to video conference that works for both of us.
Instructor Contact Expectations:
The best way for you to contact me is through email. I check my email at least twice a day every weekday, and I'll usually have a response to you within 24 hours. However, please allow for 48 hours before following up. Certain times of the semester are busier than others and it occasionally takes me a little longer to get back to you. If you email me over the weekend, I may not respond until Monday morning.
Taking an Online Course (Very Important!):
Course Environment - Canvas:
As you know, our class will not be meeting in a conventional face-to-face classroom this semester. Instead, our class Canvas webpage will serve as our classroom. Canvas is a web-based learning management software that allows for me to post announcements, relevant material, assignments, power-points, and video lectures. It also has an online "Discussion Forum" where you'll be able to write responses to our readings and respond to the thoughts of your classmates. You'll submit all your assignments through Canvas, and you'll be able to check your grades on Canvas, too.
Class Opens / Accessing Canvas:
Before classes begin on Monday August 17th, 2020, you will receive an email to your my.Cuesta.edu address providing you with a reminder that class will be starting. This email will include information about how to log into Canvas, the learning management system (LMS) used to deliver course content. You can access Canvas by logging into MyCuesta, then clicking on the Resources Tab, then clicking on Canvas in the Online Learning Channel, or by typing the Canvas address (https://cuesta.instructure.com/) into your browser address bar. Do not bookmark / favorite the canvas site after your login, or you will get an error message next time you try to log in. You must access the canvas log in directly.
If you are not familiar with logging into Canvas, please refer to the Canvas Quick Reference Guide.Links to an external site. 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 August 17th, 2020 and need assistance please email me or technical support at this email address: support@my.cuesta.edu.
Online Learning:
If you've never taken an online course before, please be patient with yourself and know that I'll be here to help you as much as I can. Online courses are not easier than face-to-face courses, but they're a good option for students who require more flexibility than the face-to-face classroom can offer. One misconception about online learning is that it requires less time than face-to-face learning. This isn't true. In fact, you should plan to spend as much time on this course as you would on a face-to-face course. If anything, online learning can be slightly more challenging because students enrolled have to be self-motivated in their engagement with the course content. Every week, it will be up to you to make sure that you're on top of all your assignments and course responsibilities. Please be prepared to spend at least eight hours a week on this course.
Video Conferencing:
There are no required face-to-face meetings for this course. However, some students really benefit from talking about the readings together as a group. Each week, in addition to the material that I post on Canvas, I'll host an optional video class conference that you may choose to be a part of. The time of this conference will depend on what works best for most of the members of our class. I'll be sending out a survey the first week. This will give you a chance to spend some time with one another and with me, and it will give us another avenue for thinking about our course material together. These conferences are always entirely optional and in addition to the course requirements. There is no grade or extra-credit associated with attending the video conference; it is simply a way to offer more conversation to students who benefit from that learning model.
Is an Online Course Right for You?
Though I do as much as I can to make sure that the online course environment is accessible to everyone, some individuals still might find online learning to be a difficult fit. In order to help determine whether taking this course online is a good idea for you, please visit the Online Readiness ResourcesLinks to an external site. to take a "self-assessment”. 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 when there is one available to you).
Regular Effective Contact Policy:
An online course only works if you're committed to completing assignments and engaging with the material each week for the duration of our 18-week semester. Your work will be due regularly throughout the semester, and I'll be grading small and larger assignments and responding to them in a timely way each week. Late work will not be accepted except under extenuating circumstances that we've communicated about. You should plan to log in to our class Canvas page at least two or three times per week. I can see how many times you've logged in. If I notice that you have not logged into Canvas for more than two weeks, you will be dropped from the course.
English 201A:
Course Description:
English 201A is an introductory level writing-intensive course designed to help build and strengthen students' skills with expository, research-based, and argument-driven writing. In this course, you will be asked to carefully read and respond to the arguments of texts that we'll study as a group, write about your own experiences, develop your own research-based writing project, and utilize source materials available to you through Cuesta's library databases. Don't worry if some or most of this is new to you!
Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Write a fair and persuasive argument that takes a clear position while incorporating differing viewpoints.
2. Write an essay that is effectively and clearly organized.
3. Find necessary information, assess its value, and use it in a research paper.
4. Integrate and document sources correctly, clearly, and ethically.
5. Write clear, grammatical sentences with few errors.
Textbook and Course Materials:
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- - Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore's Dilemma. Penguin, 2007.
- - Regular weekly access to Canvas where additional (free of cost) supplementary reading materials and videos will be posted.
- - All formal assignments must be submitted as Microsoft Word documents or Google Docs. Please make sure that you have access to either word processing software/platform.
- - Access to a device with a keyboard (a desktop computer, a laptop, a Chromebook, or a pad with an attachable keyboard will be fine). I reiterate that this course is writing intensive and has not been designed to be completed on a mobile device.
Accommodations and Support
Technical Support:
Cuesta students are encouraged to direct all technical support inquiries to support@my.cuesta.edu. If you are having issues with Canvas, you should contact the Canvas Support Hotline at (877) 921-7680, or click on the help button on the Canvas Navigation to report a problem.
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 me as soon as possible so that you can receive appropriate accommodations in a timely manner. You should also contact DSPS (Disabled Student Programs & Services)Links to an external site. at 805-546-3148 or
College and Course Policies:
Academic Honesty Policy:
In addition to my course policy (which will be detailed in the course syllabus once the course begins), 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 conductLinks to an external site. at:
Add / Drop Policy:
Waitlist Policy:
Please review Cuesta’s waitlist procedure and instructionsLinks to an external site.:
icons at the top right corner of the subsection.