ENG 4 - Critical Thinking/Writing Lit
Instructor: Catherine Eagan
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Course Description
Develops critical thinking, reading, and writing skills as they apply to the analysis of fiction, poetry and drama; literary criticism; and related non-fiction from diverse cultural sources and perspectives. Emphasis on the techniques and principles of effective written argument as they apply to literature. Some research required. Prerequisite: English 1A with a grade of "C" or higher.
To take this class, you must have daily access to a computer with an Internet connection, an email account, and experience using a web browser. You will also need to update your email address in CLASS-Web when you register.
Check the college catalog for CSU/UC transferability and to see if this course meets AA/AS degree requirements.
This class begins Jan 22 and ends May 30.
On-Campus Meetings
All class meetings will be online EXCEPT on the following dates when students will meet on campus from 1 - 3:50 pm in Room 2412: Jan. 24, Feb. 14, Mar. 6 and Mar. 20. Students will also meet on campus from 1 - 3:50 pm in the LRC (Bldg 2000) on May 1.
How This Class Operates
This hybrid course mainly consists of individual reading, essay writing, and online discussion, but will be complemented by five on-campus meetings to help students build community, work collaboratively, and get face-to-face assistance with understanding and completing their assignments. Since it is an English class and reading and writing is a multi-step process, it will have a few due dates each week--students should not expect to log on only once a week or to do all their coursework on the weekends.
Class Activities
This course will introduce students to some wonderful literature, but students will go beyond analyzing the themes of the fiction, poetry, and drama they read to analyzing the thought processes, tools, and contexts (historical, gendered, racial, etc.) of the writers themselves. Students will read on their own, participate in discussions, work collaboratively, and correspond with their instructor as they make their way through the material. Students will watch a DVD of a play and also be invited to attend a play or a fictional/poetry reading in person.
Class Project(s)
Students will write shorter essays and one longer research paper.
How Students are Graded
Students will make frequent discussion board posts, participate in group work and peer editing, and write shorter essays and one longer research paper.
Succeeding Online
Students who succeed in the online portion of hybrid courses tend to be independent, self-motivated learners with good computer skills. If you are a procrastinator who relies heavily on the instructor for motivation and can't use a computer too well, you should probably consider enrolling in a completely face-to-face course instead.
Also, don't enroll in this class if you believe the myth that learning online requires less effort than learning face-to-face. This course covers the same content and has similar activities as the completely face-to-face version of the course; only the method of delivery partly changes.
LPC offers a tutorial called "Succeeding in an online course" that will not only tell you if you are a good fit for online learning, but it also offers many strategies -- among other pertinent information -- that will help you succeed online. Though the title of the tutorial says "online course", all of it is applicable to the online portion of hybrid courses. Please complete the tutorial.
Blackboard
This course will use the Blackboard course management system as its virtual classroom. To learn how to log in to Blackboard, go to the Blackboard Login Procedures page. Once you enroll, you will not be able to log in until the first day of class.