Course objectives
SST 1F is a course to help students develop reading comprehension, improve academic writing with emphasis on the writing process, conduct library research, and accessing newer forms of information technology. It teaches students the skills necessary to handle the diverse reading, writing, and researching demands of college courses. Specially, it aims to improve students' ability in active learning techniques, critical thinking, writing across disciplines, library research and computer literacy.

Course requirements
1. Reading + quote-comment; (3 weeks, 20%)
2. Reading + writing summaries; (3 weeks, 10%)
3. Reading + writing outlines; (2 weeks, 10%)
4. Reading + imitation writing (2 weeks, 10%)
5. Reading + Critique; (1 week, 10%)
6. Essay writing: choose a topic and write a 3-5 pages essay; (2 weeks, 20%)
7. Working on a research project with the help of library resources, and write annotated bibliography. (2 weeks, 20%)
*Any essay submitted after the due date will not be accepted.

Statement on Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious and self-defeating business. If you submit someone else's writing as your own, you shortchange yourself and your education - you simply cannot learn without doing the work. Equally important, if you plagiarize, you create a situation that is unfair to those serious students who do work hard. As the University's catalog states, "the offense of plagiarism may be punished by a range of penalties up to and including failure in the course and expulsion from the university." The English Department takes this policy seriously and enforces it vigorously. If you plagiarize, you will fail the course.
Plagiarism includes:
Submitting as your own work a paper that has been written by someone else;
Submitting as your own work a paper that has been purchased or copies from the Internet;
Submitting as your own work, and without documentation, prose that has been copied
from a printed or electronic source.

Participation and Attendance
You are expected to attend all the class punctually and participate actively in the creative and intellectual work of each session, and any absence will restrict your accomplishment of each assignment and slow your individual progress. If you have to miss a class because of poor physical condition or other uncontrollable emergency, make an early contact and get permission from the teacher first, and, meanwhile, you are still responsible for all assignments, materials and due dates relevant to the day, as well as for being prepared for the following class. Each absence will bring minus 5 points to the final and more than 6 absences without permission will result in failure in the course.

Writing assistants in the Writing Center
The Writing Center, located in Humanities 202, is a free academic support service, open to all students. Writing assistants in the Writing Center are available to help students with critical reading, analysis, drafting, researching, revising and editing. You are encouraged to seek help there in the following period:
Mondays - Thursdays 9:00 am --- 7:00 pm
Fridays 11:00 am --- 3:00pm