Syllabus Mcc English Composition II Spring, 2012

SyllabusMASSASOIT COMMUNITY COLLEGEProfessor Louis M. Rosenberg, PhDSpring, 2012

EN 102 ENGLISH COMPOSITION II 3 credits

English Composition II is a course designed to strengthen students' skills as writers and to focus on analysis and argument. Assignments include critical examination of literature and an essay using research and documentation utilizing the MLA style sheet. Emphasis is on writing as part of the processes of thinking and learning. Prerequisite: English Composition I

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS1

TextbooksThe Norton Introduction to Literature(10th Edition)Eds. Alison Booth, et al.W.W. Norton

DryAugusten BurroughsPicador

Technology Daily access to the Internet and email Ability to perform basic Internet operations necessary to life in the 21st century A word processor (and printer—although you will be completing almost all of your

assignments online) A cell phone (optional—to receive announcements via text message if it is offered in

your course)

Films All assigned films are screened outside of class. You are expected to obtain these films at your own cost—rental, purchase, online, etc.

KEY LEARNING RESOURCES

1 It should be noted that you are required to have in your possession all of the course materials necessary—assignment deadlines are not extended because you don’t have your text or because the item(s) are out-of-stock at your college’s bookstore. You are expected to acquire your course materials by all reasonable means, including ordering online (Amazon, etc.), photocopying, etc.

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M A S S A S O I T CO M M U N I T Y CO L L E G E ENGLISH COMPOSITION II DR . L O U R O S E N B E R G

YOUR COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY’S

RESOURCES

It is vital to your success that you engage the full resources of the university’s Academic Resource Center, particularly the Writing Center. However, you are not limited to these resources. Your university’s library holds workshops throughout the semester covering topics such as research methodology, computer- and Internet-based operations, etc., and you are strongly urged to participate in those workshops which address a skill(s) you’re lacking. Although it is yet another time commitment (usually, an hour or so), participation in these workshops will save you countless hours of trial-and-error during the completion of assignments. Check your university’s website, our course website, and your Student Handbook for more information about the academic services provided to you.

ONLINE Because the Internet is, among other things, the personification of “free speech,” there are no editorial filters except those which each individual site employs. Therefore, the researcher must practice extraordinary vigilance when reviewing potential source material (evidence, etc.) as the use of material which lacks credibility can (and, most often, does) discredit the primary work (in this case, your essay, etc.) to the point of failure.

Your course’s website provides you with not only links to those sites determined to be credible but also other important information related to the use of technology in academia. Also included are some help videos which focus on the major features of the website.

CONTACTING ME Students will use the course website to contact me as well as to book appointments. Email. From the main menu, hover over LOU and select CONTACT LOU from the

dropdown menu. Appointments. From the main menu, hover over LOU and select BOOK AN

APPOINTMENT from the dropdown menu. Quickly After Class. For brief or incidental meetings, students should catch me

after class (and not before, please).

LEARNING OUTCOMES1. Read intellectually challenging texts with increased comprehension and enriched aesthetic

response.2. Incorporate the vocabulary of literary analysis into class discussion and writing in order to

facilitate thinking about texts from various literary genres.3. Express in discussion and in writing an awareness of diverse voices found in literature.4. Build a context for understanding literature by linking class readings to other academic

disciplines and to universal human experiences.5. Write essays that go beyond summary to the analysis and interpretation of texts.6. Apply the grammatical and rhetorical skills of Composition I to a variety of complex writing

tasks in preparation for writing across the curriculum.7. Conduct research and assess information from a variety of sources in order to understand the

research topic.8. Compose essays that incorporate research and documentation in preparation for the

assignments of other college courses.9. Strengthen Core Competencies2 in order to increase success in this and other courses and in the

workplace.

2 Critical thinking, technology skills, oral communication, quantitative skills, reading, and writing.

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TEACHING PROCEDURES & METHODOLOGY

LECTURES It is during the lectures when students are expected to ask any questions concerning any aspect of the course and/or assignments. It is, by far, more beneficial for students to ask questions of general academic concerns here, during the lectures, rather than to see me after class.

It cannot be stressed enough how important it is for students to attend the lectures.

PEER-EDITING Throughout the semester, I may have students form groups for peer-editing. Traditionally, peer-editing is between two or three students who review and comment on each other’s assignments by using a preformatted rubric.

Peer-editing may be handled completely online.STUDENT DEBATES I may assemble students into two teams for debating a particular

subject/issue.

Students who do not feel comfortable speaking in front of the class (on a team) will have the opportunity to instead submit research essays.

USE OF THE COLLEGE’S ACADEMIC

RESOURCE FACILITY

The importance of utilizing the college’s Writing Center cannot be overstated. Students should plan to write at least three drafts of each essay, and this process should be undertaken with a tutor as it is impossible for one to be his own editor and produce anything of true quality.

GRADE DISTRIBUTION

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Essays35%

Term Exams25%

Participation (Incl. in-class assignments)

30%

Course Exams(Midterm & Final)

10% Chart Title

EVALUATION OF STUDENT PROGRESS & GENERAL COURSE POLICY

ESSAYS I usually grade essays using a rubric. Because I do not offer comments in the margins (as the rubric is quite sufficient in providing a more detailed analysis of the work), you are expected to see me with any questions you may have regarding any assignment—it is your responsibility to determine when (and if) an appointment with me is necessary; however you should never wait to handle any academic issue. As aforementioned, there are several ways to contact me.

Policy Late Essays. Students may submit no more than two late essays

during the semester. The penalty for not meeting deadlines is severe: each late submission is subject to a fifty point deduction. Obviously, late essays will always fail, but because you are graded on a point system, a fifty is far better than a zero.

Rewrites. After an essay has been graded, rewrites are generally not allowed. Therefore, keep your deadlines firmly in mind and practice sound time management.

TERM EXAMS Several times throughout the semester, students will sit for a Term Exam. Normally, these exams are composed of five short-answer questions. In evaluating the Term Exam, I am most interested in the content of the student’s answer rather than grammar/syntax issues—that said, chronic issues of such will be reflected in the grade.

Policy Term Exams may not be made up; however, the lowest score is

dropped.

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RESPONSE PAPERS

At the beginning of nearly every class, you will receive a Response Paper, a form on which you will write one-or-two paragraphs concerning the particular day’s assignment (reading, film, etc.) and/or a major topic of prior lectures. Thus, the Response Paper is a true evaluation not only of your performance in the course, itself, but also your ability to quickly synthesize information to offer a credible, intelligent response to a question about which you have no prior knowledge. This, the skill of “thinking quickly on your feet,” is enormously important to master because it demonstrates your competitive ability of always being “at the top of your game.”

Policy Response Papers may not be made up; however, the lowest two

scores are dropped.COURSE

PROBATIONIn order to maintain the integrity and energy of your course, students who fail to meet the minimum course standards, as outlined herein, are placed on Course Probation. Once on Course Probation, the student may not attend the lectures and may not submit assignments.

Policy Course policies (missed assignments, lectures, etc.) remain in full

effect. The only exception to this is attendance, where there are no penalties for absence during Course Probation.

If you find that you have been put on Course Probation, you must book an appointment with me within one week from the day of the status change. Either at the end of the meeting or shortly thereafter, I will inform you of your status.

COURSE EXAMS(Midterm &

Final)

Both the Midterm and the Final Exam are open-notebook. The format is usually multiple-choice questions (usually twenty-five for the

Midterm and fifty for the Final). Additionally, there may be an essay component. Unless otherwise instructed, students may use their course notes on all exams

(“Term,” “Midterm,” and “Final”), and I usually allow the exams to be written in small, quiet groups. However, students may not use any electronic devices, (including computers, PDAs, electronic dictionaries, etc.) during any exam because allowing such would put those without them at a disadvantage. Therefore, if you take notes on a computer, simply print them out and bring them to the exam.

Attention ESL Students: While you are certainly welcome to use ancillary materials (dictionary, computer, etc.) during the lectures, you may not use them during any the exams. As aforementioned, only notebooks are allowed.

Policy Please understand that neither the Final Exam nor the Midterm may

be made up for any reason, whatsoever.

CONFERENCING WITH ME

As I’ve mentioned, you are strongly encouraged to see me throughout the semester to discuss your progress in the course. Historically, those who maintain open communication with me grade much higher than those who do not. Remember…your grade is your responsibility.

Policy I do not see students during the last week of the semester.

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ATTENDANCE It is important that you are present for all of the lectures. History dictates that grades are almost always reflected in parity with absences; therefore, more absences or late arrivals will, indeed, compromise your grade. You are responsible for everything that occurs in your course, whether or not you are present during a particular lecture, either in-class or virtual (Internet). If you find that you must miss a class, it is your responsibility to see a fellow student to obtain the lecture notes as well as any announcements that were made. Remember that I may alter an assignment’s due-date and/or language, announcing such changes during class. Of course, these changes will also be reflected on the website, but such updates may not be immediate.

Policy 4+ absences = Course Probation Late arrivals will be counted as absent.

BACKUP COPIES AND THE

ARCHIVING OF ALL SUBMITTED

ASSIGNMENTS

You are required to backup throughout the course (or, in the case of written assignments, keep copies of) all of the assignments that you submit and that are returned to you. Further, you must have ready access to these backups should I request them. Such backups, however, do not in any way (including the grading or regarding of an assignment) supersede my authority as final arbiter for the course.

PARTICIPATION You are expected to engage fully in your course by actively participating in each lecture. When assessing your participation, I am always far more concerned with the quality of your input rather than how often you offer it. In fact, students who speak infrequently in class can (and, often, do) score just as high as those who speaks often.

Never answer a question, “I don’t know.” Such an answer demonstrates a complete lack of intellectual curiosity and, in turn, significantly degrades your credibility. If you don’t know the answer to a question, ask me to rephrase it or explain why you don’t know. Of course, the opposite of the “I don’t know” answer is the “bullshit answer,” which is equally, if not more, ineffective and damaging.

TECHNOLOGY Your class website functions as the central hub for the course. It is where assignments, discussions, scheduling of appointments, course announcements, communications, booking appointments with me, etc. coalesce. Therefore, you must have access to the site on a daily basis as you are responsible for its official content – i.e. announcements, changes to assignments, class cancellations, etc.

General Technology Requirements:

Technological issues of any kind are not valid excuses for missing deadlines, announcements, etc.3

Those who do not own a computer will have to make daily visits to their university’s computer lab, their local library, etc.

Time-management is of the utmost importance – you should never work up to the eleventh hour. This is especially important concerning the composition and timely submission of assignments as technological issues do occur. You will always have a three day window during which to submit your online assignments.

3 Technological issues include, but are not limited to: Internet connectivity issues (where the student cannot access the Internet due to a disruption of service, whether or not it is the fault of the student or the service or computer or software that he/she is using); loss of data due to an unforeseen malfunction of computer hardware or software or transmission (Internet) errors; use of software/hardware that is not compatible with Professor Rosenberg’s servers; compatibility issues where the student’s assignment cannot be accessed by Professor Rosenberg; email delays of any kind; emails not received due to spam control software on the student’s computer/email service; Internet page errors of any kind; file size issues where a student’s file is rejected because it exceeds the maximum upload size; the use of improper software (as outlined herein); etc.

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Again, Technological issues of any kind are not valid excuses for missing deadlines, announcements, etc.

Those who are “technologically challenged” are encouraged to visit their university’s computer lab immediately and work with a lab technician on the basic functions of the Internet and word processing. There are also free community courses on the basic operations of the Internet, the computer and its universal software (word-processing, browsing the web, etc.). Ours is a technological world, and to be the least bit competitive one must have mastery over such fundamentals as reading/replying/writing emails, uploading files, using a word processor, using a search engine (such as Google), as well as the ability to interact with a particular website’s technology (such as submitting forms, etc.).

Enrolment Key: ______________________________________________ (If applicable)

Site URL: www.lourosenberg.com

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FILMSBelow, you will find the film roster for your course. Once again, it is important to note that you are responsible for screening the films yourself—we will not watch the films in class. See your course’s website for links to view them; the cost for a rental is about $2.99 each. Alternately, you may also purchase them.

Deconstructing Harry4 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118954/Memento http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209144/

Napoleon Dynamite http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374900/Brokeback Mountain http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388795/

Wit http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243664/Hamlet See website for link

4 This film is somewhat difficult to find, so be sure to get it early.

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ASSIGNMENTSBelow is a general schedule of assignments. This schedule will almost certainly change as we progress through the semester, so be sure to check your course’s website for up-to-the-moment information.

Unless otherwise indicated (below), students are not responsible for any of the assignments in the text(s).

All assignments must be completed by their due-dates. This includes all readings and film screenings – you must have read the assigned pages and/or screened the assigned films before it is scheduled.

The reading schedule and essay topic assignments are found on your course’s website.

Essays are always due on Fridays, as assigned.

Term Exams are administered on Mondays, as assigned.

WEEK OF

TOPIC FILMS ESSAYS TERM EXAMS

1/23 Introduction to the course, etc.

F I C T I O N

1/30 Plot

o JAMES BALDWIN, Sonny’s Blueso JOHN UPDIKE, A & P

2/6

Narration and Point of Viewo EDGAR ALLAN POE, The Cask of

Amontilladoo ERNEST HEMINGWAY, Hills Like White

Elephants Character and Setting

o FLANNERY O’CONNOR, Good Country People

o CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN, The Yellow Wallpaper

Deconstructing Harry

2/13

Symbol and Figurative Languageo NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, The

Birthmarko A. S. BYATT, The Thing in the Forest

2/20 Symbol and Figurative Language (Cont.)

o FRANZ KAFKA, The MetamorphosisNapoleon Dynamite

P O E T R Y

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WEEK OF


2/27

Reading Poetryo ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING,

How Do I Love Thee?o PHILLIS WHEATLEY, On Being Brought

from Africa to Americao EMILY DICKINSON, [I dwell in

Possibility—]o WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, [Shall I

compare thee to a summer’s day?]

3/5

Theme and Toneo ROBERT BROWNING, Porphyria’s

Lovero WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, [Let me not

to the marriage of true minds]o LIZ ROSENBERG, The Silence of

Womeno TONY HOAGLAND, Dickheado WILLIAM BLAKE, London

3/12

Speakero ROBERT BURNS, To a Louseo GWENDOLYN BROOKS, We Real Coolo WALT WHITMAN, [I celebrate myself,

and sing myself]o JOHN DONNE, [Death, be not proud]

Situation and Settingo JOHN DONNE, The Good-Morrowo WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, [Full many a

glorious morning have I seen]o DEREK WALCOTT, A Far Cry from

Africa

Memento

3/19 Spring Break

3/26

Precision and Ambiguityo THEODORE ROETHKE, My Papa’s

Waltzo WALLACE STEVENS, The Emperor of

Ice-Creamo E. E. CUMMINGS, [in Just—]o WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS, The Red

Wheelbarrowo ROBERT BROWNING, My Last Duchess

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WEEK OF


4/2

Cultural Belief and Traditiono ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON,

Ulysses , The Lotos-Eaters,

o Genesis in the King James Bibleo ANI DI FRANCO, Adam and Eve

4/9

The Harlem Renaissanceo COUNTEE CULLEN, Yet Do I Marvelo ANGELINA GRIMKE, The Black Fingero LANGSTON HUGHES,

Harlem The Weary Blues The Negro Speaks of Rivers

o HELENE JOHNSON, Sonnet to a Negro in Harlem

o ZORA NEALE HURSTON,How It Feels to Be Colored Me

Brokeback Mountain

D R A M A4/16 MARGARET EDSON, Wit

4/23 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Hamlet Hamlet

4/30 TENNESSEE WILLIAMS, A Streetcar Named

Desire5/7 Wrap up, closing remarks, etc.

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Documents

Syllabus Mcc English Composition II Spring, 2012