Engl237 Fall2015 Syllabus Leone
Engl237 Fall2015 Syllabus Leone
Engl237 Fall2015 Syllabus Leone
3 units
Room 6304
Email: sleone@cuesta.edu
Office Hours: By appt.
Short Quizzes
25%
Midterm Exam
20%
Final Exam
25%
20%
10%
100%
*Please be advised the instructor reserves the right to change the weighting & scheduling of assignments during the course of the semester.
GRADING No final or individual assignment grades will be given to students by phone or email. The following is the point spread
for each possible final course grade: A = 925-1000 pts.; A- = 897-924 pts.; B+ = 876-896; B = 825-875 pts.; B- = 800-824 pts.; C+ = 775-799
pts.; C = 721-774; D = 600-720 pts.; F = 599 pts. or below. The following percentages are used for individual assignment grades: A+ = 1.00; A
= 0.95; A- = 0.92; A-/B+ = 0.9; B+ = 0.88; B = 0.85; B- = 0.82; B-/C+ = 0.8; C+ = 0.78; C = 0.75; C- = 0.72; C-/D+ = 0.7; D+ = 0.68; D = 0.65;
D- = 0.60. F grade percentages depend on the severity of the failed assignment (i.e. a plagiarized paper earns 0 pts.)
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completing this course, students will be able to
1. identify and analyze the formal and aesthetic elements of film across various genres.
2. analyze and interpret films using close analysis and film theory.
3. analyze the historical contexts and influences of significant films.
PAPER GRADING: Your written work will be graded holistically on two principles:
1) [Validity] Content development and support with evidencewhether or not the paper or written response has
a depth of purpose and thought, a workable and visible thesis, and/or adequate development and support of
main ideas with use and analysis of the text and/or research.
2) [Soundness] Strategy of organization and stylewhether or not the paper or written response is structurally
sound with a clear focus on a controlling idea and a strategy utilized to prove the claims stated at the
paragraph and/or essay level. In addition, soundness can be affected by style, particularly whether or not
there are errors in MLA style, sentence structure, punctuation, word choice, etc.
MINIMUM PAPER REQUIREMENTS: The final paper turned in to me must be 5-10 pages typed or wordprocessed, double-spaced, with 1 1.25 margins all around, with a title page, with MLA format, and with a 12 pt.
basic font like Times New Roman. All outside sources also must be cited with a Works Cited page using MLA Style.
Papers that do not meet the above minimum paper criteria will not receive a C grade or above.
PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism is the act of presenting or illegally paraphrasing someone elses words, writing, or ideas
as your own. It is also misrepresenting someone elses written work as your own or presenting the writing of others
as your own, including excessive help from tutors, friends, or family members. The college has a written policy
statement concerning cheating and plagiarism, which includes specific steps that will be taken to punish the
student(s) involved. If cheating, plagiarism, or excessive help is suspected, the paper involved will not be accepted
or graded, and the student involved will be reported to the proper campus authorities. Any paper suspected to have
elements of someone elses writing without proper credit or copied or purchased from an online source will not be
accepted and will earn zero points. Always give credit where credit is due with use of MLA style of documentation
and with appropriate parenthetical citations and quotation marks around any term, phrase, sentence, or long passage
from an outside source. The instructor reserves the right to request that students turn work in to Turn-it-in.com
PARTICIPATION: Participation grades will be assessed from your contributions to whole class discussions. Class
participation is your way to learn and discover the power of film, so please speak your mind whenever possible. Your
perspectives are unique to you and valuable to generate multiple interpretations of the films we screen.
ATTENDANCE: You are only allowed the equivalent of two weeks of free absences (2 absences), but each excessive
non-excused absence beyond this may amount to a 10% loss to your attendance/participation grade depending on the
circumstances. In addition, each unexcused excessive tardy or early departure will amount to a third of one absence,
depending upon the severity and frequency (i.e. three excessive tardies and/or departures = one absence.) Students with
two consecutive absences will be dropped unless they notify me in person or with a note in my box or email. It is the
students responsibility to drop the course administratively before the drop deadline if that is his or her intention. If
youre thinking of dropping, please do me the courtesy of letting me know. Besides, if youre not doing well in the class,
dropping may not be the best solution. Please see me; I may be able to help you get caught up or reorganized.
LATE WORK & DEADLINE EXTENSIONS: If you need a deadline extension for a paper or journal, for whatever
reason, contact me at least a day in advance of a due date by email or in person, and an extension will be granted, no
points off, no questions asked. Extensions are granted until the next class session unless we arrange otherwise. If you
do not contact me a day in advance, you will receive 5 % off for each weekday late or a whole grade off (10%) for each
weekend late. However, take-home exams will not be accepted late with very few exceptionsyou will have only
until the end of the deadline day to turn in take-home exams to my box or by email. If work is emailed, it must be resubmitted to me in hard copy form by the next class session for the work to be graded.
MAKE-UP WORK: There are no make-ups for in-class quizzes if not in attendance with very few exceptions. If you
miss a class for any reason, you will be expected to screen the film and complete the reading as scheduled for that day.
The most recent schedule will always be posted on our MyCuesta course site under Files.
STUDENT BEHAVIOR: Students who use class time to text, surf the internet, sleep, or behave in a manner that may
be distracting to the instructor (or others) will be called out and may be asked to leave. Such behavior will negatively
affect the students participation grade and may be reported to the Office of Student Services for disciplinary purposes.