CGS LEC 101

First-Year Seminar: Academic Reading

UWM Fall 2022
NWQ 1975

Instructor Information
 Name: Dr. Cassandra Phillips
 Email: phillicm@uwm.edu
 Phone: 262-521-5421 (Microsoft Teams)
 Office: NWQ 1932 (First-Year Bridge Center)
 Office Hours: T/Th 1:00-2:00 p.m. and by appointment

Syllabus Contents:
 Course Information: 2
 Course Policies: 6
 University Policies: 8
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Course Information

Course Description
Catalogue description: Introduction to college learning while also focusing on independent
academic reading at a college level.

Detailed description: LEC 101 is a course that introduces students to college learning while also
focusing on independent academic reading at a college level. The course will
emphasize strategies for developing effective college learning skills, increasing reading
comprehension, varying reading rate, and developing critical reading skills. It will also focus on
assignments and activities that help students achieve the learning outcomes for first-year
composition and other difficult reading-intensive courses that require students to write about
nonfiction reading.

Course Learning Outcomes

After successfully completing Academic Reading, each student should demonstrate progress and
proficiency in the following college-level learning tasks:

Set and make progress toward achieving individual college reading goals

Develop effective personal learning strategies to prepare for English 102 and other
Academic reading-intensive and writing-intensive college courses
Success
Strategies Take efficient notes from college reading assignments; annotate and mark a text
effectively
Effectively discuss complex ideas from texts in small and large group discussions
Support comprehension through reading strategies, such as using context clues to
understand the meaning of a word or phrase in a specific context

Distinguish between important ideas and less relevant information in a nonfiction text
College
Reading Vary reading rate according to the purpose and difficulty level of a college reading
Strategies assignment
Adapt to a variety of college reading situations, using reading and learning strategies that
are appropriate for the genre, purpose, and requirements of a specific reading assignment

Critical Identify and understand, analyze, and evaluate an author’s thesis or overall main point
Reading
Skills Identify, understand, and analyze a) main points of paragraphs and sections, b) key
supporting points, and c) supporting evidence in a chapter or other short nonfiction text

Identify the thesis and key supporting points in a full-length book; connect the main
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point of an individual chapter and related supporting points back to the overall main
point of a nonfiction book; trace the development of important ideas over several
different chapters

Use critical reading strategies to distinguish between fact and opinion, clearly stated and
implied ideas, and denotative and connotative meaning; determine the audience purpose,
tone, and point of view of a text; and analyze an author’s assumptions
Distinguish between literal and figurative meaning; identify and interpret basic
metaphors, symbols, and other types of figurative language
Form a basic interpretation and support it with specific evidence from a short text

Adapt reading strategies according to the requirements of a related writing assignment

Synthesize key ideas from two or more readings on a related topic or from multiple
chapters of a full-length book

Writing Accurately summarize and quote key ideas from class discussion texts without
About plagiarizing; make progress toward accurately paraphrasing main points and key ideas
Reading
Take a position on an issue from a course reading assignment and support that position
with examples, quotations, or other specific evidence from the text

Write a college essay that analyzes key ideas from a reading assignment in connection to
the reader’s own thinking (rather than simply summarizing or reporting on the author’s
ideas)

Required Texts and Materials

Texts: There are no required textbooks in LEC 101--all readings are listed in the course calendar
and available in Canvas.
Materials:
 Access to a computer for completing class activities, both in and out of class. You are
welcome to bring a personal laptop to class if you have one.
 Microsoft Office (available on all campus computers), Google Docs, or another word
processing program or application that permits users to save documents in Word format
(you can download a free version of Microsoft Office through your student email)
 Access to the internet, including Canvas and other UWM websites
 A frequently checked on-campus e-mail account

Course Calendar
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Please reference the “Course Calendar” in Canvas for a detailed list of assignments, activities,
and due dates.

Course Requirements
Learning Activities & Discussions (20% of course grade): In LEC 101 you will participate in
learning activities almost every day of class. These activities include discussion, writer's
responses, small and large group work, and independent activities. These assignments ask you to
practice and apply course concepts that will help you actively and critically read college level
texts.

Reading Reflections (20% of course grade): This semester you will write eight reading
reflections. These reflections are short writing assignments where you respond to readings and/or
reflect on your progress with specific reading strategies.

Course Portfolios: (60% of course grade): A college portfolio is a collection of writing or other
work that documents a student’s learning in a course or field of study. A portfolio helps an
instructor evaluate a student’s overall progress toward achieving course learning outcomes (or
goals). 65% of your grade for this reading course will come from the two portfolios you prepare
this semester at midterm and at the end of the semester. These portfolios will include your best
work from the semester that reflects your learning and application of skills learned in class. You
will have the opportunity to revise some of your earlier work after receiving feedback from your
instructor. An important part of the portfolio will be the reflective cover letter, where you reflect
on your learning and connect the work in the portfolio to specific learning outcomes. The goal is
to demonstrate your understanding of course material and how you can transfer what you’ve
learned and practiced to future college experiences.
 Midterm Portfolio (20% of course grade): The midterm portfolio consists of a cover
letter, Analysis Essay 1, and Analysis Essay 2.
 Final Portfolio (40% of course grade): The final portfolio consists of a cover letter,
Analysis Essay 3, and Analysis Essay 4.

Grading Scale

A 93-100 Exceptional mastery of learning outcomes

A- 90-92
B+ 88-89 Good/above average progress toward achieving learning outcomes
B 83-87
B- 80-82
C+ 78-79 Sufficient progress toward achieving learning outcomes
C 73-77
C- 70-72 Unsatisfactory progress toward achieving learning outcomes with poor
D+ 68-69 participation, a lack of preparation, and/or insufficient completion of required
D 63-67 coursework; repeat LEA 101
D- 60-62
F Below 60 Failure to complete course requirements or unofficial withdrawal; retake LEA
101
R Below 70 Improving academic skills, satisfactory preparation, participation, and
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completion of coursework; insufficient progress toward meeting learning

outcomes; repeat LEA 101
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Course Policies

Workload Policy
On average, students should spend 48 hours per credit per semester on in-class activities and
activities outside of the classroom (i.e., approx. 144 hours for a 3-credit course). Although the
exact breakdown will vary by student and by week, my expectation is that students will spend
the following approximate time on this course:
 Reviewing instructions, lectures, content, and attending class sessions: 45 hours (3 hours
per week, +/- depending on week)
 Reading and note taking: 30 hours (2 hours pers week, +/- depending on week)
 Completing homework (application activities and discussions): 61 hours (4.1 hours per
week, +/- depending on week)
 Writing and revising papers: 8 hours (distributed across the semester)

Attendance
Literacy courses rely on student participation and your presence is therefore essential, both to
you and the class. Should you need to miss class for any reason, please contact me for
opportunities to make up missed learning from class. Please see the "Late Work" section for
missed work policies.

Late Work
Because so much of the work required for this course involves scaffolded assignments and
revision, late work throws off the careful sequencing of assignments. Please submit all
assignments by the appropriate deadline. Not only will you receive credit by doing so, but you
will also receive feedback to help guide your development and your revisions. If you miss a
deadline, please contact me to discuss the assignment and an opportunity for a late submission.

Please note that all students are allowed two late assignments (excluding the final portfolio) with
no questions asked.

Assessment
CGS assesses the quality and effectiveness of the curriculum, programs, and services of the college.
As a course in the UW Milwaukee Associate Degree of Arts and Sciences, the Student Learning
Objectives (SLOs) for this course are aligned with the UW System shared learning goal of Effective
Communication (EC) which focuses on students’ development of reading, listening, speaking,
information literacy, and/or writing proficiencies. Therefore, as part of the UW Milwaukee College
of General Studies assessment processes, student progress in fulfilling the EC SLOs will be
evaluated by using the EC assessment rubrics for written communication or oral communication.
Assessment will be part of a regular assignment or activity in the class but is not a grade and does
not become part of your transcript.
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Office Hours
I encourage you to take full advantage of my office hours from the first week of class. I
am always glad to talk with you about your progress, specific assignments, and any questions or
concerns you may have about the reading or the course in general.

If my office hours conflict with your schedule, you can make an appointment, or I am always
happy to communicate over email at any time: phillicm@uwm.edu.

Technology Policy
We will be using technology often during our class meetings to help us complete online
activities. You are welcome to bring a personal laptop to class. Please do stay focused on class
work when using your computer.

Regarding cell phone use, please be professional. I understand that it can often be useful to have
your cell phone out to note assignment due dates, set reminders for yourself, or take the
occasional picture of class notes, but if you’re frequently on your phone, it’s distracting to me
and your classmates and sends an unprofessional message.
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University Policies

Please click on the university policies below for more detailed information:

Students with disabilities

Religious observances
Students called to active military duty
Incompletes
Discriminatory conduct
Title IX/Sexual Violence
Academic Misconduct
Complaint Procedures
Grade Appeal Procedures
LGBT+ Resources
Smoke and Tobacco Free Campus
Final Examinations

Panther Community Health and Safety Standards:

UWM has implemented health and safety protocols, taking into account recommendations by
local, state, and national public health authorities, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a
member of our campus community, you are expected to abide by the Panther Interim COVID-
Related Health & Safety Policy, which was developed in accordance with public health
guidelines. These standards apply to anyone who is physically present on campus, UWM
grounds, or participating in a UWM-sponsored activity:
 UWM recommends that all individuals visiting UWM facilities wear face coverings
while indoors.
 UWM recommends getting vaccinated for COVID-19 and getting the most recent booster
shot available to you.
 UWM requires that you check daily for COVID-19 symptoms and not come to campus if
you are feeling sick. If you are feeling sick, get tested for COVID-19 and quarantine until
symptoms subside. Use the CDC Quarantine and Isolation Calculator to determine next
steps.
 If you test positive for COVID-19, UWM requires that you self-report at the Dean of
Students Reporting Form. Use the CDC Quarantine and Isolation Calculator to determine
next steps.
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 Additional details about student and employee expectations can be found on the UWM
COVID- 19 webpage.