Professor Dorothy Phaire
EN101 - Technique of Reading and Writing I
Department of English
Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus Phone: 202-274-5629; Department Phone Number: 240-567-1378 Office Hours: I will be checking your emails and questions from the course site frequently. Dorothy.Phaire@montgomerycollege.edu
WELCOME MESSAGE
Welcome to EN101 - Technique of Reading and Writing I,
Welcome EN 101 Students! I am Professor Dorothy Phaire and I am here to be your facilitator and guide as you embark on an online learning adventure through the experience of a virtual classroom. One of my objectives in this online course is to help prepare you for critical reading, thinking, and writing to express your ideas in a sound, mature manner. These are vital components for success in academics, as well as in your chosen careers. One of the single most important things I want you to get out of this course is to care enough about important issues in the world today to be motivated to find out what you don't know, to keep abreast of issues, and our changing environment, and think about how you can make a difference. This is a tall order and you will need to work very hard and take this class seriously for these objectives to be met. I see my role as not only a "teacher" and hopefully "mentor," but as a facilitator and participant as well.
I hope to learn as much from you as you do from each other and me.
FACULTY INFORMATION
I have been teaching as an Adjunct Professor at Montgomery College in the English Department since the Fall 2000 semester. I teach because that's what I do. I write because that's who I am. In addition to teaching, I am a writer of novels, poetry, and plays. My latest contemporary mystery/romance novel was published in October 2007 and is entitled, Murder and the Masquerade.
My play, Saving Us Saints was last performed in November 2007 at the Greenbelt Arts Center. As for educational background, I hold an M. A. degree from the University of Maryland and have over 13 years teaching experience. I invite you to check out my website at: http://www.dorothyphaire.com, if you wish to read more.
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
English 101 is designed to improve writing efficiency so that participants are able to meet traditional academic standards expected in college level writing and reading. Activities in this course will help participants achieve clarity, coherence, conciseness and correctness of using mechanics in multi-paragraph essays. Participants will review mechanics, grammar, vocabulary, active reading techniques and writng styles for skill transference and aesthetic appreciation of language patterns.
COURSE PREREQUISITES
Placement through assessment testing, successful completion of Basic English 001 or EN 002 with a grade of A, or completion of EL 104 with a grade of C or better. A level: RD 120. In addition to Montgomery College's prerequisites for this course, the following are required in order to ensure your success:
- Minimal computer skills
- Commitment to the course
- Consistent access to the Internet
- Microsoft Word as word processing tool
- Use email; Attach documents to email
- Understand basic computer terminology
- Attended one of the EN101 Student Orientation sessions
TEXTBOOK
Patterns for a Purpose: A Rhetorical Reader, 5th ed. by Barbara Fine Clouse
Rules for Writers, 5th ed. by Diana Hacker
ONLINE REQUIREMENTS
You should plan on devoting an average of 6-9 hours per week to this course as you would for a face-to-face course. This time includes time for reading your text, reading and responding to discussion board posts, completing course assignments, and writing and revising essays. Some weeks you may spend more time; some weeks less. You should carefully budget your time. Use the course assignment lists and weekly schedule sheet, which will be available to you in the online class, to budget your time.
