Welcome to ENG 033 - Intro to College Reading. The purpose of the class is to help students become better readers who take ownership of their learning. Students wil read, analyze, discuss and write on the materials presented in the course. Students will read both fiction and non-fiction pieces. The course introduced intermediate college-level readings in order to improve reading comprehension, and teaches study skills needed for success in college-level courses.
|
|
Your grade for the course is determined based on the
following criteria:
|
 |
Each class begins with students moving their desks into a circle so that each student is accountable to the others and is able to see and interact with all classmates. For the first 10-15 minutes of each class, students write in their journals. The remainder of class includes a sequence of activities set by the instructor. Students will be asked to read out loud, to rewrite texts, to do group work, to complete worksheets and handouts, to write on the board, to stand up and give brief oral presentations. |
 |
Attendance in this class accounts for a major portion of the final grade. The
term "attendance" does not mean simply being physically present in the
classroom. Attendance means: being present, having your texts and
notebook with you, listening attentively and taking substantive notes, have all assignements due with you at the start of
session and being prepared to discuss the readings. Students found text messaging in class will be marked absent for that session. Students can be absent three times for any reason and do not have to explain their reasons to the instructor. Any student who is absent four times, no matter what the reason, will be automatically withdrawn from the course. Furthermore, chronic lateness will lower the student's final grade. If you come to class late, please get seated quietly; do not disrupt a class in progress. |
 |
Turn your phone off at the beginning of class. If your phone rings during class you may face any number of consequences. If you have an emergency that requires you to keep your phone on, discuss it with the instructor before class begins, sit near the exit and keep your phone on vibrate. Students caught text messaging in class will be marked absent. |
 |
The
midterm and final exams follow the same format. The exam includes a new
reading selection. Students must annotate it (using a dictionary) then
respond to a series of questions that require them to begin by giving
accurate summary and then move steadily to analysis. Both exams are
given in class and take roughly 75 minutes to complete. |
 |
Plagiarism is simply not
tolerated. We will cover this topic in class. Familiarize yourself with
the school’s academic integrity
policy, at www.mccc.edu/admissions_policies_integrity.shtml.
We will
cover proper citation procedure, but it is each student’s
responsibility to abide by the rules described in the policy, in this
and every course he or she takes in college. Failure to do so will
result in swift and severe disciplinary action. Your instructor may use
the various Internet plagiarism tools, such as Turnitin.com to randomly
check your work or if she suspects a plagiarism violation. The
consequence of plagiarism is course failure
and all violations will be immediately reported to the academic integrity committee. |
 |
The class is broken into 4 thematic units. In each unit core skills are developed and practiced. At the conclusion of each unit a quiz of core content is given in class. |
|
At the end of each class the instructor will give a new reading, note taking or writing assignment to be completed for the next class. Assignments receive a check mark if completed satisfactorily. Assignments that do not show enough time, thought or effort will receive a check minus grade. Assignments that accomplish far more than expected will receive a check plus grade. |
 |
Any
student needing special
accommodation because of disabilities should contact the instructor
during the first week of
class. She will be happy to help. Students with documented learning
disabilities should see Arlene Stinson in the Learning Center in FA 129 so they
can provide their instructors with an accommodations letter. In Communications
classes students with documented LD's are often allowed to take tests
untimed. If you think you may have an LD but have not been tested, you
should go to the Learning Center and ask them to help you set up
testing. You may be entitled to accommodations. |
 |
Students must use their Mercer email accounts to send electronic copies of final drafts to the professor at mathewsh@mccc.edu. Please
identify yourself on all emails sent to the instructor and strive to
use proper grammar and punctuation in your correspondences, particularly if you expect a reply. |
 |
Office hours are held on the West Windsor campus in LA 131 Monday through Thursday from 3:15-4:30pm and by appointment. Students seeking academic advisement are welcome. |
|
| Politeness and self respect
are expected in the classroom at all times. No matter what one’s skill level
in the subject matter, every student can and will maintain a
fundamental level of human decency. Students who are
disrespectful will be given a warning; if the behavior persists they may be asked to leave. Ongoing behavior
issues may lead to the student being withdrawn from the course. Click the link for more on the meaning of "respect": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respect |
