Email: jmcmahon@elcamino.edu
Office: H121P; extension 5673
Office Hours:
Monday/Wednesday 4:15 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday/Thursday 3:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Turnitin Class ID & Enrollment Key:
Class ID: 23791862
Enrollment Key: strength
Materials You Need for This Class:
One. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
Two. Ebook version of The Little Seagull Handbook, Third Edition, purchased on the Norton website: digital.wwnorton.com/littleseagull3
Three. Flat, Pocketed Folder for Your Homework Portfolio
Work You Must Do in This Class
One. You will write 4 typed, 1,000-word essays in MLA format. The fifth essay, your capstone essay, will need 2 to 3 sources for your Works Cited. These essays will be uploaded on turnitin. Late essays are accepted for a week after the deadline and are marked down a full grade.
Two. Instead of getting quizzed on the readings, you will write 200-word reading-response essays to the readings. You will keep these typed responses in a flat, pocketed folder, which I will grade twice, in the middle and at the end of the semester. Your portfolio is worth 150 points, 15% of your total grade.
Grading Based on 1,000 Points
4 Typed Essays
2 Portfolios
One. First three 1,000-word essays are 200 points each (600 subtotal).
Two. Final Capstone Essay #4, also 1,000 words, with 3 sources is 250 points.
Three. Homework Portfolio includes all your 200-word reading responses: 75 points for parts 1 and 2 for 150 total.
Grading Point Scheme
Total Points: 1,000 (A is 900-1,000; B is 800-899; C is 700-799; D is 600-699)
Essay Assignments
Essay #1 (1,000 words)
You need minimum 2 sources for your MLA Works Cited page.
Choice A
Read Tad Friend’s New Yorker online article “Can a Burger Help Solve Climate Change?” and look at two opposing camps on the role of alternative protein sources as a viable replacement for meat. One camp says we face too many obstacles to accept non-animal alternative proteins: evolution, taste, and cost, to name several. An opposing camp says we have the technology and the proven product in Impossible Foods and other non-meat proteins to replace animal protein. Assessing these two opposing camps in the context of Tad Friend’s essay, develop an argumentative thesis addresses the question: How viable is the push for tech companies to help climate change by replacing animals with alternative proteins?
Choice B
Read Elizabeth Anderson’s “If God Is Dead, Is Everything Permitted?” and defend, refute, or complicate the author’s claim that non-religious societies offer a superior moral framework for human evolution than religious societies.
Choice C
In the context of the Netflix documentary Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, develop an argument about how Yuval Noah Harari's explanation of the Cognitive Revolution exposes human vulnerability to mass manipulation, deceit, and Groupthink.
Choice D
Support, refute, or complicate Harari’s assertion that the “agricultural revolution was the greatest crime against humanity.”
Essay #2 (1,000 words)
Minimum of 2 sources for your MLA Works Cited page.
Choice A
Watch Netflix documentary Ronnie Coleman: The King. Considered to be the greatest bodybuilder of all time, Coleman is now on crutches, faces a lifetime of excruciating pain, must take opioid pain medication, may have to be consigned to a wheelchair, and by most accounts the abuse he took to become a champion bodybuilder is the reason for his condition. The film celebrates Coleman’s life principle to persist in doing what he loves, but doing what he loves comes with a price: excruciating, life-altering injuries. Is doing what we love worth it? In this context, develop an argumentative thesis that addresses the notion that in order to achieve exceptional success, we are justified to make sacrifices of our body, minds, and souls. Is Coleman’s current condition justified by his success and his heroic drive to do what he loves? Answer this question and be sure to have a counterargument section.
Choice B
Read LA Times editorial “Why not let homeless college students park in campus lots?” and develop and argumentative thesis that addresses the claim that community colleges are acting in students’ best interests by providing sleeping spaces in the parking lots.
Choice C
Read Yoni Appelbaum’s essay “How America Ends” and develop an argumentative thesis about the role of massive demographic shifts on American democracy.
Choice D
Read Derek Thompson’s essay “Workism Is Making Americans Miserable” and develop a thesis that supports or refutes Thompson’s claim that work has become a false religion that doesn’t deliver on its promises.
Choice E
Read "Should the Government Give Everyone $1,000 a Month?" by Spencer Bokat-Lindell in The New York Times and develop a thesis that argues for or against UBI as a viable solution to the crisis of mass unemployment.
Essay 3 (1,000 words)
Minimum of 2 sources for your MLA Works Cited page.
Choice A
Read New Yorker writer Joshua Yaffa’s essay “The Kremlin’s Creative Director: How the television producer Konstantin Ernst went from discerning auteur to Putin’s unofficial minister of propaganda” and develop an argumentative thesis that addresses the role of media in producing a new type of “postmodern propaganda” that shatters critical thinking.
Choice B
Read the online essay "It's been hot before" and write an argumentative essay about the role of logical fallacies in the dangerous denial of global warming and global drought. For another source, you can use Netflix Explained, "The World's Water Crisis."
Choice C
In the context of Jasmin Barmore’s essay “The Queen of Eating Shellfish Online,” develop an argumentative thesis that addresses the alleged benefits of mukbang, the glorification of binge-eating on a webcam. In your essay, address the lonely factor by reading Read Judith Shulevitz’s essay “Why You Never See Your Friends Anymore,” and use the essay to support or refute the contention that mukbang addresses the depression and anxiety of loneliness.
Choice D
Read “The Coddling of the American Mind” and “Have Smartphones Ruined a Generation?” and develop an argument about the authors’ claim that a “coddling culture” is creating a generation of dysfunctional people.
Essay 4 (1,000 words)
You need 3 sources for Works Cited
Option A
Read Allison Arieff’s “Cars Are Death Machines. Self-Driving Tech Won’t Change That” and support or refute her contention that self-driving cars are not the solution to traffic dangers.
Choice B
Read "It's Time to Confront the Threat of Right-Wing Terrorism" by John Cassidy in The New Yorker and "Does the banning of Alex Jones signal a new era of big tech responsibility?" by Julia Carrie Wong and Olivia Solon in The Guardian and agree or disagree with the claim that big tech companies are morally obliged to censor right-wing white nationalist trolls such as Alex Jones. For another source, you can also use “Free Speech Scholars to Alex Jones: You’re Not Protected” by Alan Feuer.
Choice C
Read Alexandra Sifferlin's "The Weight Loss Trap" and Harriet Brown's "The Weight of the Evidence" and develop an argumentative thesis that addresses their claim that losing weight is a nearly futile quest.
Choice D
Read Andrew Marant’s “Free Speech Is Killing Us” and support or refute his claim that free speech does not apply to private companies.
Choice E
Read Spencer Bokat-Lindell’s “Do We Need to Break Up Facebook?” and develop an argumentative thesis that addresses some people’s claim that Facebook has gotten too big and should be divided into smaller parts.
Choice F
Read “What Women Know About the Internet” by Emily Chang and agree or disagree with the author’s contention that regulations are more important than free speech for protecting women.
Choice G
Read the following: “Speaking Ill of Hugh Hefner,” “Why Hugh Hefner’s Haters Won’t Let Him Rest in Peace,” “Negative Obituaries Prove Hugh Hefner Was Right,” and 10-minute video Maher vs. Douthat. Then develop an argumentative thesis that addresses this question: Was Hefner a warrior for equal rights, free speech, and higher culture, or was he a selfish, salacious Peter Pan who denigrated women? Or a bit of both?
Choice H
Read Conor Friedersdorf’s “In Defense of Harvey Weinstein’s Harvard Lawyer” and agree or disagree with the contention that representing someone as monstrous and diabolical as Harvey Weinstein performs a civic good.
Choice I
In the context of Peter Pomeranstsev’s online essay “Russia and the Menace of Unreality,” address the claim that the “mass hallucination” of misinformation is at war with the powers of democracy in the United States and abroad. Also see David Roberts address “tribal epistemology.”
Reading Writing Schedule for English 1C Fall 2019 Syllabus
February 18 Introduction; Homework #1 is to read Tad Friend’s New Yorker online article “Can a Burger Help Solve Climate Change?” and in 200 words explain the difficulties of replacing animals with alternative proteins.
February 20 Alternative protein debate; Homework #2 is to read Elizabeth Anderson’s “If God Is Dead, Is Everything Permitted?” and explain in 200 words how she supports her claim that non-religious societies are morally superior to religious societies.
February 24 Cover morality debate; Homework #3 is to read Sapiens up to page 60 and in 200 words explain how “limited liability companies” and “imagined realities” are part of the Cognitive Revolution.
February 26 Cover Cognitive Revolution in the context of the documentary Fyre. Homework #4 for next class: Read Sapiens, up to page 132 and in 200 words explain how Harari makes the claim that the Agricultural Revolution is history’s “biggest fraud.”
March 3 Cover the Agricultural Revolution. Homework #5: Read Sapiens to page 159 and in 200 words explain how “imagined orders and hierarchies” resulted in “unfair discrimination.”
March 5 Logical Fallacies and Signal Phrase review; Go over Sapiens to page 159.
March 10 Chromebook In-Class Objective: Write first half of the essay.
March 12 Chromebook In-Class Objective: Write second half of the essay.
March 17 Essay 1 Due on turnitin; Ronnie Coleman; debate on providing sleepover parking lots: Read LA Times editorial “Why not let homeless college students park in campus lots?” and develop and argumentative thesis about the pros and cons of providing sleeping spaces for college students. Homework #6 for next class is to read Yoni Appelbaum’s essay “How America Ends” and in 200 words explain how massive demographic shifts threaten American democracy.
March 19 Go over Yoni Appelbaum’s essay “How America Ends.” Homework #7 for the next class. Read Derek Thompson’s essay “Workism Is Making Americans Miserable” and in 200 words explain the curse of “Workism.”
March 24 Go over Derek Thompson’s notion of “Workism.” Homework #8 is to read "Should the Government Give Everyone $1,000 a Month?" by Spencer Bokat-Lindell and in 200 words explain the pros and cons of UBI.
March 26 Go over the UBI debate. We will grade Portfolio #1, based on responses 1-8.
March 31 Chromebook In-Class Objective: Write first half of your essay.
April 2 Chromebook In-Class Objective: Write second half of your essay.
April 7 Essay 2 due on turnitin. We will read the online essay "It's been hot before" and discuss an argumentative essay about the role of logical fallacies in the dangerous denial of global warming and global drought. For another source, you can use Netflix Explained, "The World's Water Crisis." Homework #9 is to read Jasmin Barmore’s essay “The Queen of Eating Shellfish Online” and Judith Shulevitz’s essay “Why You Never See Your Friends Anymore,” and use the essay to support or refute the contention that mukbang addresses the depression and anxiety of loneliness.
April 9 Go over “The Queen of Eating Shellfish Online” and “Why You Never See Your Friends Anymore.” Homework #10 is to read Read “The Coddling of the American Mind” and in 200 words explain how some colleges are cultivating dysfunctional students.
April 21 Go over “The Coddling of the American Mind.” Homework #11 is to read “Have Smartphones Ruined a Generation?” and explain in 200 words how smartphones are part of a coddling culture that is impeding the emotional growth of young people.
April 23 Go over “Have Smartphones Ruined a Generation.”
April 28 Chromebook Objective: Write first half of your essay.
April 30 Chromebook Objective: Write second half of your essay.
May 5 Essay 3 due on turnitin. We will read Allison Arieff’s “Cars Are Death Machines. Self-Driving Tech Won’t Change That” and support or refute her contention that self-driving cars are not the solution to traffic dangers. Homework #12: Read "It's Time to Confront the Threat of Right-Wing Terrorism" by John Cassidy in The New Yorker and "Does the banning of Alex Jones signal a new era of big tech responsibility?" by Julia Carrie Wong and Olivia Solon in The Guardian and in 200 words agree or disagree with the claim that big tech companies are morally obliged to censor right-wing white nationalist trolls such as Alex Jones.
May 7 Go over the Alex Jones controversy. Homework #13: Read Alexandra Sifferlin's "The Weight Loss Trap" and in 200 words explain why it is so difficult to lose weight and keep it off.
May 12 We go over Harriet Brown's "The Weight of the Evidence." We will see Netflix Explained on this subject of weight loss. Homework #14: Read Andrew Marantz’s “Free Speech Is Killing Us” and in 200 words agree or disagree with his position that free speech doesn’t apply to private companies.
May 14 Go over “Free Speech Is Killing Us.” Homework #15: Read Spencer Bokat-Lindell’s “Do We Need to Break Up Facebook?” and in 200 words explain the pros and cons of breaking up this huge social media company.
May 19 Go over “Do We Need to Break Up Facebook?” Homework #16: Read “What Women Know About the Internet” by Emily Chang and in 200 words agree or disagree with the author’s contention that regulations are more important than free speech for protecting women.
May 21 Go over Emily Chang. Homework #17: Read “Speaking Ill of Hugh Hefner,” “Why Hugh Hefner’s Haters Won’t Let Him Rest in Peace,” “Negative Obituaries Prove Hugh Hefner Was Right” and then explain in 200 words why Hugh Hefner is such a controversial figure.
May 26 We will examine the Hugh Hefner debate: Was Hefner a warrior for equal rights, free speech, and culture, or was he a selfish, salacious Peter Pan who denigrated women? Or a bit of both? We will study the following: “Speaking Ill of Hugh Hefner,” “Why Hugh Hefner’s Haters Won’t Let Him Rest in Peace,” “Negative Obituaries Prove Hugh Hefner Was Right,” and 10-minute video Maher vs. Douthat. Your homework #18 for next class: Read Conor Friedersdorf’s “In Defense of Harvey Weinstein’s Harvard Lawyer” and in 200 words agree or disagree with the contention that representing someone as monstrous and diabolical as Harvey Weinstein performs a civic good.
May 28 Go over Conor Friedersdorf’s “In Defense of Harvey Weinstein’s Harvard Lawyer” and agree or disagree with the contention that representing someone as monstrous and diabolical as Harvey Weinstein performs a civic good. Your homework #19 is to read Peter Pomeranstsev’s online essay “Russia and the Menace of Unreality,” and in 200 words address the claim that the “mass hallucination” of misinformation is at war with the powers of democracy in the United States and abroad.
June 2 We will cover “Russia and the Menace of Unreality.”
June 4 Chromebook In-Class Writing Objective: Write first half of your essay.
June 9 Chromebook In-Class Writing Objective: Write last third of your essay.
June 11 Essay 4 Due on turnitin. We will grade Portfolio Part 2.
Students with Disabilities:
If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations, please contact me as soon as possible.
Course Catalog Description:
This course focuses on the development of critical thinking skills. Students will apply these skills to the analysis of written arguments in various forms and genres, both classic and contemporary, and to the writing of effective persuasive essays. Students will learn to evaluate and interpret data, to recognize assumptions, to distinguish facts from opinions, to identify and avoid logical fallacies, to employ deductive and inductive reasoning, and to effectively assert and support argumentative claims.
Course Objectives:
One. Evaluate arguments in terms of bias, credibility, and relevance.
Two. Assess an argument's claims by examining assumptions, by differentiating between facts and inferences, by recognizing errors in logic, by analyzing support, and by identifying both explicit and implied conclusions.
Three. Recognize and assess argumentative claims embedded in literary works, advertisements, political tracts, and presentations in other media.
Four. Express critical viewpoints and develop original arguments in response to social, political, and philosophical issues and/or to works of literature and literary theory.
Five. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate electronic sources and databases, to incorporate research from online and print media, and to compose unified, coherent, fully supported argumentative essays that advance their claims by integrating primary and secondary sources, and by employing the tools of critical interpretation, evaluation, and analysis.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course, students will:
One. Compose an argumentative essay that shows an ability to support a claim using analysis, elements of argumentation, and integration of primary and secondary sources.
Two. Identify and assess bias, credibility, and relevance in their own arguments and in the arguments of others, including primary and secondary outside sources.
Three. Write an essay that is correct in MLA format, paragraph composition, sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and usage.
Essay Requirements (based on 6,000 words):
English 1C SLO-aligned Assignment (Updated for Fall 2016)
The assignment designed using these criteria will be used to assess the course SLOs and should be assigned as a later (or last) essay.
Students will write a 4-5 page essay, not including Works Cited page, which is also required (but does not count towards length requirement. In the essay, the students will do the following:
One. Express critical viewpoints and develop original thesis-driven arguments in response to social, political, and philosophical issues and/or to works of literature and literary theory. This argumentative essay will be well organized, demonstrate an ability to support a claim using analysis and elements of argumentation, and integrate primary and secondary sources.
Two. Use at least three sources and not over-rely on one secondary source for most of the information. The students should use multiple sources and synthesize the information found in them.
Three. Address issues of bias, credibility, and relevance in primary and secondary sources.
Four. Demonstrate understanding of analytical methods and structural concepts such as inductive and deductive reasoning, cause and effect, logos, ethos, and pathos, and the recognition of formal and informal fallacies in language and thought.
Five. Use MLA format for the document, in-text citations, and Works Cited page.
Six. Integrate quotations and paraphrases using signal phrases and analysis or commentary.
Seven. Sustain the argument, use transitions effectively, and use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Course Catalog Description:
This course focuses on the development of critical thinking skills. Students will apply these skills to the analysis of written arguments in various forms and genres, both classic and contemporary, and to the writing of effective persuasive essays. Students will learn to evaluate and interpret data, to recognize assumptions, to distinguish facts from opinions, to identify and avoid logical fallacies, to employ deductive and inductive reasoning, and to effectively assert and support argumentative claims.
English 1C Grammar Policy and Grading
Students in English 1C are expected to write clear, college-level essays with logical paragraph composition and sentence structure as well as correct grammar, spelling, word usage, and punctuation. If you feel you cannot be successful in this class due to struggles with grammar or other elements of essay composition, please see the instructor as early as possible to discuss resources and strategies for your improvement.
Policy on Plagiarism
Any attempt to commit fraud, misrepresenting someone else’s writing as your own, including turning in essays from previous semesters, will result in an automatic F grade, zero points, which mathematically, will disqualify you from earning a grade higher than a C for the semester. You will not be allowed to rewrite for a higher grade and because of the breach of trust it will be preferred that you drop the class. I will use turnitin to investigate plagiarism.
Each essay must be submitted to www.turnitin.com where it will be checked for illegal copying/plagiarism.
I cannot give credit for an essay that is not submitted to this site by the deadline.
The process is very simple; if you need help, detailed instructions are available at http://turnitin.com/en_us/training/student-training/student-quickstart-guide
You will need two pieces of information to use the site:
Class ID and Enrollment Password, which I’ll give you first week of class.
Late Essays Are Deducted a Full Letter Grade
You cannot turn in a late paper more than a week after the due date.
You Cannot “Ride” the Class: You cannot miss over 10 percent of the classes while not keeping up with the assignments because you are not fulfilling the Student Learning Outcomes. Therefore, you will have to be dropped if you are “riding” the class.
Classroom Decorum: No smart phones can be used in class. If you’re on your smartphone and I see you, you get a warning the first time. Second time, you must leave the class and take an absence
Tardies: Two tardies equals one absence.
Comments