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English 94

Study Skills

Instructor:                 Shusmita Sen

Office:                        Old Main 211-R         

E-mail:                        msen@scc.spokane.edu                   

Phone:                         533-7367

Office Hours: 

Course Description: Study Skills courses are designed to make you feel comfortable in a college setting, build up confidence, and develop certain study habits that would assist you through your college career. Even though it is not transferable, mastering the content of this course will mean greater success in whatever field of study you choose.

 Study Skills 94 emphasizes reading improvement, note taking skills, textbook and chapter skills, memory training skills, test taking skills, vocabulary improvement skills, research and library skills, writing skills, and general classroom skills. All of these skills are vital to success, but you must take the initiative to master them.

Texts and Supplies:

·         Orientation to College Learning, 4^th edition, by Dianna L. Van Blerkom

·         Case Studies for the First-Year Experience Students, 1^st edition, by John Riesen, John Szarlan, and Suman Singha

·         A folder to hold all documents together

·         Loose-leaf papers for all your in-class writing needs

Assignments:

All Home work assignments should be handed in at the beginning of the class period unless otherwise directed. Though pass/fail assignments receive no points, they are vitally important to your mastery of the course. Each Pass/Fail Assignment must be submitted complete on or before its due date for a student to be eligible for a final grade above 1.9. Your course grade will be determined by the percentage of the total points you've earned converted to a decimal using the attached percent-to-decimal scale. 

Late Work Policies:

I do not accept late assignments for any reason unless you make arrangements in advance.  However, to allow for the unexpected, you may make up one missing assignment without penalty according to the following guidelines:

• The assignment must be made up within one calendar week of its due date.
• Pop Quizzes and Miscellaneous Points Awards cannot be made up in any way.

• Please talk to me about your individual needs.

 Grading Policies:

Your grade will be based on the total points achieved on the activities you choose to complete.  As indicated above, it can also be affected by your attendance. Below is a list of possible assignments:

*Missing any of these comprehensive exams will result in failing the course.

• Please save all your assignments till the end of the quarter (in case of conflicts).
• Accessing your Grades: To encourage you to take ownership of your progress in this class, I will use web grading. You can access your grades at: https://secure.scc.spokane.edu/UserSpace   

To understand the weight of the grades you receive, please consult the following table:                                                                    

Attendance Policies:

Daily attendance will be taken, and you will begin to lose points after the first three (days) absences. Please do not offer excuses or explanations for late work or for your absence. I do not distinguish between “excused” and “unexcused” absences.  Absences, regardless of the situation, are absences. Learn to accept the consequences of your choices – especially those choices that are personally challenging.

Classroom Conduct and Behavior:

No student has the right to interfere with another student’s opportunity to learn. Being late for class or leaving early is disruptive, so please be on time and in class for the scheduled classes. Your contribution to the class will enhance the learning environment for you and your classmates. If your behavior disrupts others or the learning environment, you will be asked to leave, and you will not receive credit for that day’s work or attendance. This is a college classroom and adult level of behavior is expected at all times. Violations of decorum may result in a student being administratively dropped from the course. Please see the S.C.C. Student Code of Conduct for more information.

Withdrawals and “Z” Grades:

1.       It is recommended that you see your instructors and /or advisors if you consider withdrawing from this class. I rarely give Z’s; in case you stop attending, have not formally withdrawn, and do not complete the course, you will receive a grade of 0.0 (F).  If you decide to stop attending this class, be sure to go through the school’s official withdrawal process.

2.      A grade of “Z” or “I” (Incomplete) may be given, when requested by the student, under justifiable circumstances and solely at the instructor’s discretion. 

Other Policies:

1.       The American with Disabilities Act is designed to ensure that students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to access academic programs and successfully complete their educational goals. SCC is committed to providing accessibility to all students. Any students with disabilities who have accommodation needs must call Ric Villalobos at 533-7356 or contact the Disability Support Services located in Building 15 to make an appointment. This information will remain strictly confidential.

2.  Please note: the WAC 131, 12.010 Section 3 specifies that children are not allowed in classes with a parent. Because of this regulation, please make other arrangements if school schedules or illnesses are a problem. 

3.       Also, please keep your cell phones turned off.  It is extremely rude to receive your calls when the class is in session.

4.       Cheating – As WAC 132Q-04-060 indicates:

• Any student who, for the purpose of fulfilling an assignment or task required by the faculty as part of the student’s program of instruction, shall knowingly tender any work product that the student fraudulently represents to the faculty as the student’s work product, shall be deemed to have cheated. Cheating shall be cause for disciplinary action.

• Any student who aids or abets the accomplishment of cheating as defined in subsection (1) of this section shall also be subject to disciplinary action.

5.       Plagiarism Policy – WAC 132Q-04-061:

“Plagiarism (from the Latin word for “kidnapper”) is the presentation of someone else’s ideas or words as your own. You plagiarize deliberately if you copy a sentence from a book and pass if off as your writing, if you summarize or paraphrase someone else’s ideas without acknowledging your debt, or if you buy a term paper to hand in as your own. You plagiarize accidentally if you carelessly forget quotation marks around another’s idea because you are unaware of the need to acknowledge the idea. Whether deliberate or accidental, plagiarism is a serious and often punishable offense.”            Fowler, H. Ramsey.  Little, Brown Handbook, 3^rd ed. Boston: Little, 1986. 570.

To encourage academic excellence and honesty, the SCC English Department has established the following policy:

PENALTIES FOR DELIBERATE PLAGIARISM OR CHEATING

• First Offense:  Automatic failure of the paper or test and possible failure of the course.
• Second Offense: Automatic failure of the course.

Note:   It is important that you understand your responsibilities as a student as clearly as possible. Please feel free to ask questions about anything that may appear unclear or confusing to you, either at this point or anytime during the quarter. This syllabus is an agreement between you and me that defines our mutual expectations as instructor and students in this course.

Contents within this site are copyrighted by both the author of essays and/or Mita Sen
(email msen@scc.spokane.edu)
The contents within these pages are solely those of the author and S.C.C.
should not be held responsible.  ©2005 and 2006