English

Faculty

Bart Rawlinson

Ginny Buccelli

Jaime Cechin

Jason Davis

John Rall

Vincent Poturica

In addition to these full-time English instructors, we have several excellent adjunct (part-time) instructors.

Adjunct Faculty

Aaron Bailey abailey@mendocino.edu

Andrew Lutsky alutsky@mendocino.edu

Angela Metzger ametzger@mendocino.edu

Dennis Shepherd dshepherd@mendocino.edu 

Jeffrey Brunner jbrunner@mendocino.edu

Jennifer Clark jclark@mendocino.edu

Joycelyn Trigg jtrigg@mendocino.edu 

Kyle Kirkley kkirkley@mendocino.edu 

Lucille Bayer lbayer@mendocino.edu 

Molly Dwyer mdwyer@mendocino.edu 

Pauls Krasts pkrasts@mendocino.edu

Rebel Rickansrud-Young rrickansrud@mendocino.edu

Riba Taylor rtaylor@mendocino.edu 

Steve Hellman shellman@mendocino.edu 

Susan Cordell scordell@mendocino.edu

Jeffrey Brunner jbrunner@mendocino.edu

English 560 labs
Online Writing Center

Fall 2020

Course Overview

Students enrolled in English 85 or 200 are all required to also enroll in one of the Writing Labs offered by the Mendocino College English Department that support student reading and writing. English 560 is an online writing lab, However, we support students with other course work outside of English.

Instructor Information

The Online Writing Lab is staffed with Mendocino College English Instructors who are available to assist students with assignments and to answer questions.

Online English Lab Hours- Fall 2020

Monday - Friday

9:30-4:30 and 8:30-10:00

&

Saturday

10:30-1:30

Students completing English 560 will be able to:

1.    Identify developmental reading and writing learning needs, such as sentence grammar, reading comprehension, and organizational skills.

2.    Identify their own developmental reading and writing learning needs, such as sentence grammar, reading comprehension, and organizational skills.

3.    Utilize active reading and prewriting techniques in creating drafts to share with the instructor for feedback.

How to Access Tutoring

When you need feedback/help with an assignment do the following:

1.    Open the current open lab assignment (found on the course Home Page or under the Assignment tab in the left hand course navigation menu).

2.    Upload or share a draft of your assignment to the current open lab assignment

3.    AND: upload or share a copy of your assignment prompt or directions.

4.    AND: In the comments, or in a separate uploaded document, ask two specific feedback questions. To begin we suggest asking one grammar and one content question (see chart below for suggestions). Please number your questions.

• We can't proofread the paper (find any and all sentence level mistakes) for you, but I can look for specific sentence level issues.
• Your paper will be read and given feedback electronically in the paper itself as well as in the comments. 

English 560 Can Help You With

Reading Challenging Texts
Brainstorming essay ideas
Mechanics of writing: Sentence/Grammar/Syntax issues
Punctuation
Revision and Editing skills and techniques
Organization
Structure
Paragraphs
Understanding the elements of composition
Topic sentences
Style, clarity, and coherence in writing
MLA/APA documentation format
Research techniques
Thesis Development
Use of Metacognitive Reading Logs
Text Analysis

Examples of Questions to Ask

Below is a list of other kinds of concerns you may have. These are examples, please don't feel that you are limited to just these questions or concerns.

Question/Concern

I need help with run-on sentences. /sentence

Is my thesis okay?/content

I don't know if I am using commas correctly. / sentence

I need help coming up with ideas for my paper. / content

Do the paragraphs make sense? / content

I'm worried about whether or not I have accidentally plagiarized. / content

Do my sentences make sense? / sentence

Are my paragraphs long enough? /content

I struggle with the English language; am I putting my sentence together correctly? /sentence

I'm not sure if I have put the essay together correctly. /content

I don't really understand how to use semi-colons. / sentence

Are my topic sentences okay? / content

I don't know how to site a source. / content

The 2019 Literary Contest attracted dozens of fine manuscripts. The following pieces were chosen as winners in their respective categories.

POETRY

First Place - Van Arsdale - Russell Peters

Second Place - Hopscotch - Peter Nash

Third Place - The Peoples Republic of Poetry - Herb Garfield

SHORT FICTION

First Place - Wet Kitty - Robyn Koski

Second Place - The Last Nail - Michael Mondo

Third Place - Romeos - Bill Herr

PERSONAL NARRATIVE

First Place - Road to the Jetty - Leslie Wahlquist

Second Place - Coffee at the Headlands Café - Pricilla Comen

Third Place - The Martinez to Chico Night Train - Michelle Blackwell

ACADEMIC ESSAY

First Place - Mendocino State Hospital: Where Mysteries Abound - Jasmin Blanc

Second Place - The Privilege of the Right to Privacy: An Expansion of Roxanne Gay’s “A Tale of Three Coming Out Stories” - Paloma Rall

Third Place - The Truest Romantic: How Wordsworth Found Beauty in Industrialized London - Liana Edington

ASSOCIATE IN ARTS IN ENGLISH FOR TRANSFER

The English major prepares students with the reading, writing, and thinking skills required for university level study of literature, composition, and related disciplines. Courses in this major focus on understanding the communication process and developing the skills to communicate effectively. The Associate in Arts in English for Transfer is designed to prepare students for a seamless transfer into the CSU system to complete a baccalaureate degree in English or similar major. Priority admission with junior status to the CSU system will be granted. Students completing this degree are exempt from Mendocino College Institutional Requirements.

Required Courses (Units):

ENG 201 Critical Thinking through Literature (4)

ENG 245 American Literature I (3)

ENG 246 American Literature II (3)

Plus 6 additional units from the following:     

ENG 210 Creative Writing (3)

ENG 225 Introduction to Shakespeare (3)

ENG 250 Contemporary World Literature (3)

ENG 265 Introduction to California Literature (3)

ENG 270 Children’s Literature (3)

Plus 3 additional units from the following:

ASL 200 Elementary American Sign Language: Level I (3)

ASL 201 Elementary American Sign Language: Level II (3)

ENG 205 Critical Thinking (3)

SPN 200 Elementary Spanish: Level I (4)

SPN 201 Elementary Spanish: Level II (4)

SPN 202 Intermediate Spanish: Level I (4)

SPN 210 Spanish for Spanish Speakers: Level I (4)

SPN 211 Spanish for Spanish Speakers: Level II (4)

THE 200 Introduction to Theatre (3)

Total Major Units: 19-20

Total Degree Units: 60

Program Level Student Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate proficiency in writing college-level essays in a variety of rhetorical modes; final drafts should include a clear, complex thesis statement, rigorous support, minimal sentence-level errors, logical organization, and consistent paragraph unity.

2. Demonstrate the ability to analyze and construct clear and well-supported interpretations of literary texts.

3. Distinguish elements of fiction such as plot, theme, character and setting and apply this knowledge to the works of major authors.

4. Demonstrate skills in elementary inductive and deductive reasoning, and identify basic formal and informal fallacies of language and thought.

5. Demonstrate the ability to cite sources using MLA or APA style.

Career Opportunities

Completing the baccalaureate degree or graduate level work can lead to a variety of opportunities. Students completing the baccalaureate program or graduate work may be hired in the major or allied fields as a journalist, editor, information specialist, legislative assistant, public relations officer, teacher, advertising writer, lawyer or technical writer.

Associate Degree for Transfer requirements pursuant to SB 1440:

• 60 semester or 90 quarter CSU-transferable units.
• The California State University-General Education-Breadth pattern (CSU GE- Breadth); OR the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) pattern.

The Mendocino College Library has the following online resources for students:

• Catalogue

• Databases

• Libguides