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WRT-201- English Composition II (3 credits) Spring 2004
English Department Prof. Michael Bodek
Bergen Community College Office: Tec-208 Tel: 201-493-3789
Office Hours: Mon. 7:15-8:15AM; Tues. 10:00-11:00AM; Fri. 10:30-11:30AM, and by appointment. Email: mbodek@bergen.edu Class meetings: Mon./Thur.
Week 1: Getting Acquainted
All activities for Week 1 are due on January 22, 2004.
Introduction
Learn about the course requirements
Learn about prewriting strategies to help you get started on a piece of writing
Visit the web site for your textbook: http://cw.prenhall.com/mcmahan/
Experiment with
the site and take the "multiple choice" quiz on Chapter 1 (after you have read the chapter).
Look over this site. It will be useful to you throughout the course. Look in the frames on the left side of
the screen. Click on profile and create one for yourself.
Read McMahan, Chapter 1, pp. 3-16.
The first three chapters of your text introduce you to three stages of the composing process: prewriting, writing
and rewriting. The first chapter focuses on a variety of "invention" techniques. These are strategies that writers use to get ideas going and to explore ways to go about writing about a particular topic.
Read through the entire chapter, underline and take notes on the important parts. When you read "Eveline," by James Joyce, highlight parts of the text that strike you as interesting or important. You also
might want to highlight parts that confuse you, anger you or evoke a reaction in you.
Activity
1 (Due 1-22-04) Write a short introduction, telling the class and me about yourself and why you have chosen to take this Composition class.
Week 2: The Writing Process
Activity 2 (Due 1-26-04)
Read "Who are my Readers?" on p. 7 and do the prewriting exercise at the bottom of the page. Bring in your letters and prepare to share and discuss your favorite letter with your peers.
All other activities for Week 2 are due on January 29, 2004.
1.Read Chapter 2, McMahan, pp. 17-31
This chapter will review concepts learned and applied in WRT-101: organizing ideas in an essay, developing
ideas with details, writing an effective opening stating your thesis, citing direct quotations. If any of these concepts are new to you, study this chapter of McMahan VERY CAREFULLY. When you are done with your
reading, visit the companion web site, http://cw.prenhall.com/mcmahan/. Move the drop-down menu to Chapter 2 and take both the multiple choice and essay quizzes to check your own understanding of the reading.
2.Work on Essay 1
Essay 1 should be a minimum of five paragraphs. Follow the instructions for the assignment.
Essay #1 - Personal Essay
The characters we meet and admire in the literature we read reflect
the kind of people we are. Write an essay in which you tell me about yourself by describing characters from literature or the movies that you admire and the traits that they possess that you aspire to. For example,
you might admire Antigone from Sophocles' play, Antigone, because she stands up for her beliefs. Or you might admire Superman, not for his superhuman strength, but for his humility about his strength.
Write a paragraph about each quality and character that you admire. In each body paragraph write anecdotes or examples from the character's behavior that illustrate or exemplify the adjective. Your essay should
also contain an introduction and a conclusion that make connections between the qualities, characters and your own personal aspirations in life.
Sample Essay Outline
Paragraph 1: Introduction
Provide general background information such as what you do for a living, what your long term
professional and/or educational goals are, the kinds of reading you like to do, the kinds of movies or plays you go to see, the kinds of people you admire.
Sample thesis sentence: "Three qualities that I
admire in people are idealism, rebelliousness and persistence."Paragraph 2: Body Paragraph: "Sensitivity"
Sample topic sentence: "Idealism is old-fashioned, but I admire
idealistic people and think I am one. For example...."
In this paragraph discuss at least two examples of how some character (like Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye
or Hamlet) showed his idealism and explain why you admired that.
Paragraph 3: Body Paragraph: "Rebellious"
Sample topic sentence: "While I aspire to be an idealist, I am really a
rebel at heart, and I admire those characters I read about who rebel against the system. For example...."
In this paragraph discuss at least two examples of how some character (like Shug Avery from The Color Purple
or Randolph P. McMurphy from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) showed her or his rebelliousness and explain why you admired that.
Paragraph 4: Body Paragraph: "Persistence"
Sample
topic sentence: "Rebels and idealists are actually both dreamers, but I also admire people who don't give up and who persist through difficult times."
In this paragraph discuss at least two
examples of how some character (like Celie in The Color Purple or Richard in Black Boy) showed her or his persistence and explain why you admired that.
Paragraph 5: Conclusion
Provide general information including what your future goals are, how you expect the personality traits you wrote about might help you in college and your future career.
Week 3
: Revision and Introduction to Short Fiction
Activities for Week 3 are due February 5, 2004.
1. Read Chapter 3, McMahan, pp. 32-54
Read through this chapter very carefully. This should be a review of
material presented in WRT-101. Visit the textbook companion web site, http://cw.prenhall.com/mcmahan, and take the "multiple choice" quiz on Chapter 3 to check your own understanding of the chapter
concepts.
2. Read Chapter 4, McMahan, pp. 57-62
This chapter is about many of the basic devices used by writers of short fiction to make effective stories. You will use the terms and ideas in this chapter
when you write about short fiction later in the course Visit the textbook companion web site, http://cw.prenhall.com/mcmahan, and take the "multiple choice" quiz and essay quiz on Chapter 4 to check your
own understanding of the chapter concepts.
3. Read Chapter 5, McMahan, pp. 63-74.
You will be writing another essay about short fiction later in the course. You might choose to write about structure, so this
chapter will give you the information necessary to learn how to write about the structure of a piece of short fiction. Look carefully at the "Rewriting" section of this chapter (73-74). Look at the
"Exercise on Integrating Quotations."
4. Visit the textbook companion web site, http://cw.prenhall.com/mcmahan, and take the "multiple choice" quiz on Chapter 5 to check your own
understanding of the chapter concepts
5. Write Journal 1
Read "Eveline," (4-6), "Everyday Use," (65-70), and "The Story of an Hour," (181-3) and write two journal entries about
each story. Remember the three-part structure of a journal entry: (1) explain the context of the passage (where the passage comes from); (2) explain the passage in your own words; and (3) explain the importance of
the passage. For this assignment, a total of 6 entries (5 sentences minimum for each entry) are required for an "A".
Week 4: Imagery, Point of View, and Setting
Activities for Week 4 are due on February 12, 2004.
1. Read Chapter 6, McMahan, pp. 75-97
This chapter takes us into the heart of this course: we learn about symbolism and imagery in short fiction. You should
learn how to recognize it when you READ and how to use it as an analytical basis when you WRITE.
Look over the student sample paper written by Todd Hageman on pp. 88-97. Look at the questions in the margins of
the "Finished Version" on the right-hand pages. Compare the finished version to the "Second Draft" version. Notice what changes Todd made. You can learn a lot by studying the work of another
student
Visit the textbook companion web site, http://cw.prenhall.com/mcmahan, and take the "multiple choice" quiz on Chapter 6 to check your own understanding of the chapter concepts. The web sites
linked under "literary figures" provide more information about Shirley Jackson and some more sample papers on "The Lottery." You might want to read some of these to get ideas for your own writing
and to learn more about the story.
2. Read Chapter 7, McMahan, pp. 98-110
This chapter is about point of view, a device used by writers of short fiction to make effective stories. Pay special attention to
the four type of point of view described on p. 99. You will, no doubt, use these terms when you write an essay about a work of short fiction. If you have questions about any of the concepts, please feel free to ask
questions. There are no stupid questions. Your questions might help others, so please do not hesitate to pose them. Visit the textbook companion web site, http://cw.prenhall.com/mcmahan, and take the "multiple
choice" quiz on Chapter 7 to check your own understanding of the chapter concepts.
3. Read Chapter 8, McMahan, pp. 111-127
This chapter is about setting and atmosphere, a device used by writers of short
fiction to make effective stories.
Visit the textbook companion web site, http://cw.prenhall.com/mcmahan, and take the "multiple choice" quiz on Chapter 8 to check your own understanding of the chapter
concepts.
4. Write Journal 2
Read "The Lottery" (78-83), "Haircut" (101-107), "Hunters in the Snow"(113-123), "Good Country People" (130-143), and write journal entries about
each story. For this assignment, a total of 6 entries (5 sentences minimum for each entry) are required for an "A."
Week 5: Theme
Activities for Week 5 are due on February 19, 2004.
1.Read Chapter 9, McMahan, pp. 128-147.
Read about how theme grows out of structure, imagery, point of view and setting. Reread Flannery O'Connor's story, "Good Country People," with all of these
elements in mind. Also read the Writing about Theme section of the chapter that begins on p. 143 and ends on 147. This will help you write your second essay.
2.Write Essay 2.
Essay 2: Writing About Short Fiction
This essay calls for you to develop your own thesis on a topic of your choice that became known as you were reading the stories in the short fiction unit of your textbook.
Review the concept of theme as discussed on pp.128-129 of the text. Then write about the theme in one of the following stories: "Story of an Hour," "Hunters in the Snow ", "Everyday Use,"
"The Lottery," "The Haircut," or "Good Country People." For example you might want to write about the theme of scapegoats in "The Lottery," or the mother-daughter relationship
in "Everyday Use" or "Good Country People," revenge in "The Haircut," or the effects of change in "Hunters in the Snow" or "Story of an Hour."
Mechanical Requirements
1.Your essay should be about 2 to 2.5 pages, double-spaced.
2.Your essay should have an introduction, body and conclusion.
3.Cite quotations using the correct MLA style as illustrated in class.
4.Be sure to include a "Works Cited" page with the story as found in McMahan's text as your single source. (See model student
essay on 97 for an example.)
Pay special attention to how you revise this essay. Look carefully at the "Rewriting" section of this chapter (145-147). Read about "achieving coherence" and
"checking for coherence." Make "glosses" as are suggested on the bottom of 146. This is an excellent technique to check over your writing. Submit Essay 2 at the beginning of class on February 19,
2004. Late essays will not be accepted!
3. Visit the textbook companion web site, http://cw.prenhall.com/mcmahan, and take the "multiple choice" quiz on Chapter 9 to check your own
understanding of the chapter concepts.
4. Take the unit test on "Short Fiction" February 23, 2004. The test is "open book" and "open notes." You can also use your quizzes and
essays. Week 6: Writing about Poetry
Activities for Week 6 are due on February 26, 2004.
Take the unit test on "Short Fiction" February 23, 2004. Read Chapter 10 McMahan, pp. 429-432. Read the poem
entitled "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love," by Christoper Marlowe (585) and write a paraphrase of that poem. Do the same thing for "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd," by Sir Walter Raleigh
(586). Read Chapter 11, McMahan, pp. 433-449;
Write one to two journal entries for each poem in Chapter 11. Try to refer to "tone" when you write these entries. Look at the questions on 440-442 to
guide you in thinking about tone and to help you formulate ideas for your journal entries. Write 5 entries (5 sentences minimum for each entry) for your use.
Week 7: Poetic Language and Form
Activities for Week 7 are due on March 4, 2004.
1. Read Chapter 12, McMahan, pp. 450-472. Visit the text companion web site, http://cw.prenhall.com/mcmahan, and take the "multiple choice" quiz to check
your own understanding of the concepts.
Journal 3: Read the poems from pp. 453-455. Write one journal entry for each of the five poems. In your journal entries refer to the figures of speech explained from pp.
451-453. 2. Read Chapter 13, McMahan, pp. 473-490. Visit the text companion web site, http://cw.prenhall.com/mcmahan, and take the "multiple choice" quiz to check your own understanding of the concepts.
Journal 4: Read the poems from pp. 477-480. Write one journal entry for each of the six poems. In your journal entries, refer to the form and/or figures of speech that you notice in the poem. Also look at the 10
clues of how form relates to meaning on pp. 483-4. Comment on the relationship between meaning and form in your journal entries.
Week 8: Comparison and Contrast
Activities for Week 8 are due on March 18, 2004.
1. Take the unit test on "Poetry" on March 18, 2004.
Read Essay 3 Assignment. Write Essay 3, which is due at the beginning of class on March 22,
2004. Late essays will not be accepted.
Poetry: Comparative Essay
This essay calls for you to develop your own thesis on a topic of your choice that emerged as you were reading poetry in the "Anthology
of Poetry" section of Literature and the Writing Process by McMahan. In addition, your topic should compare two poems that connect or are linked with one another by author, form, theme, or ideas. Look for poems
that go together, but also that have interesting contrasts. For example you might want to compare two poems about death, two poems about conformity, two poems about nature. You might want to choose two Shakespearean
sonnets, or sonnets on the same subject by two different poets. You might want to take an image like a mirror, the sea, or a bird and compare how two poets use that image or how a single poet develops that image
differently in two poems.
Mechanical Requirements:
Use a minimum of three "direct" quotations from the poetry to illustrate and explain your ideas. Analyze the examples you use in relation to your
thesis. Develop your essay in the point-by-point method. (See Lectures Notes on How to Write a Comparative Essay) Your essay must be typed. Your essay should be about 3 pages, double-spaced. Cite quotations using
the correct MLA style as illustrated in your textbook. Be sure to include a "Works Cited" page with two sources listed.
Week 9: Writing about Drama
Activities for Week 9 are due on March 25, 2004,
excluding Essay 3, which is due March 22, 2004.
1. Read Chapters 14 and 15 of McMahan, pp. 597-651.
Chapter 14 is very short, but contains important background about how to read drama. Chapter 15 largely
consists of the text of Sophocles' 5th century B.C. play, Antigone. After the play, on page 641, is important information about how to write about drama. Look at the questions under "Analyzing Dramatic
Structure" on p. 641. Write the answers to these questions in your notes and use them as a means of helping you comprehend the play.
2. Read Sophocles' Antigone, pp. 605-640. Write 5 journal entries
on passages from the play that strike you as interesting or important.
3. Read Sophocles' Oedipus the King, pp. 787-829. Write 5 journal entries on passages from the play that strike you as interesting or
important.
Week 10: Writing about Character
Activities for Week 10 are due on April 1, 2004.
1. Read McMahan pp. 691-2.
This short passage from McMahan is about the importance of heroes in drama. It
leads into Williams' play, The Glass Menagerie, which is not required reading for this course. It is important, however, to keep the concept of classical tragic hero and modern hero in mind as you reflect on
your read of Antigone and do your reading of M. Butterfly.
2. Read McMahan pp. 739-785.
3. Read David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly, pp. 741-785.
Journal 5. Write 5 journal entries on
passages from the play that strike you as interesting or important. Show me your five favorites from Antigone, Oedipus and M. Butterfly for Journal 5.
Week 11: Getting Started on the Research
Paper
Activities for Week 11 are due on April 8, 2004.
1.Read the assignment "Research Paper."
Minimum Requirements for Research Paper
1.Four to five pages, double spaced
2.Cite at least one primary source
3.Cite a total of six sources, excluding encyclopedias
4.Use MLA format of internal parenthetical references and a "Works Cited" page
5.The paper is due at
the start of class, April 29, 2004. Late papers will not be accepted.
Extra Credit
If you are missing a major assignment in this course (test or essay), use this assignment as an opportunity to make up for a
missing grade (test or essay). This will be Essay 4. Write an essay about Hwang's M. Butterfly. Create your own thesis about a theme, character or issue raised in the play that you think would make a good
topic for an essay. Contact me with your ideas about your thesis and then work on the essay over the next two weeks. It will be due at the end of Week 12 (April15, 2004).
Week 12: Reading and Taking Notes for
your Research Paper
Activities for Week 12 are due on April 15, 2004.
1. Read, mark and write journal entries on important passages in the sources you have found for your research paper.
2. Read the
works you intend to write your paper about. Also, print out your electronic sources, make Xerox copies of your print sources, read and mark the important parts, summarize longer quotations or whole articles. Be sure
to keep track of the sources of all the passages your have marked, summarized, or paraphrased. You should have copies of every passage you intend to use in your paper.
3. Write direct quotations and make
summaries or paraphrases (indirect quotations) of your sources. You can use quotations from your primary source/s (i.e. the poem/s, play or short fiction you will write your paper about) as well as the sources you
find about the literature (i.e. critical reviews, analysis, historical information, author's background, etc.).
Be sure to include parenthetical citations. Write 5 to 6 sentences of your own analysis about each
of the quotations you cite. Most writing in a research paper consists of (1) presenting information or ideas you have found and (2) analyzing it as it pertains to your thesis. The journal is an excellent tool to
help you develop your analysis of your sources.
Remember the three-part structure of a journal entry: (1) explain the context of the passage (where the passage comes from); (2) explain the passage in your own
words; and (3) explain the importance of the passage. These journal entries will be important because they support your thesis or relate to other information that you have found in your research.
Essay 4 for
extra credit due by the beginning of class today. It will not be accepted after the deadline.
Week 13: Planning and Drafting your Research Paper
Activities for Week 13 are due on April 19, 2004.
1.Write your "Research Paper Preview"
Your research paper preview consists of the following six parts. Please number the parts in your document.
1.Title of paper
2.The thesis
3.An informal outline of your paper **
4.An introduction and conclusion, labeled as such
5.One page of writing (250 words) that shows use of MLA documentation
6.Your revised "Works Cited" page
** An informal outline is a simple list containing the main topics and subtopics of your paper. It will also contain a plan of which sources and examples you intend to use to support the subtopics of your paper.
It does not need to be in complete sentences, however it should be clear enough for an outsider to understand how you will organize and structure your paper.
Participate in a writing conference about your Research Paper Preview.
I will hold office hours (in lieu of class time) to discuss the Research Paper Preview with you, face to face. This meeting is extremely
important to help you with this project. We will review and reinforce the concepts of thesis statement, essay organization, introductory and concluding paragraphs, in-text citations, and documentation format.
Week 14: Revising your Research Paper
Activities for Week 14 are due at the start of class on April 29, 2004.
1. Develop parts of your paper that have not been written.
Finish writing and developing
those parts of your paper that you have not written for your "Research Paper Preview." Be sure to use adequate support and to analyze the supporting examples you put in your paper.
2. Revise your
research paper based on feedback and responses. After receiving feedback about from your "Research Paper Preview," make the necessary revisions in organization, use of citations and documentation format.
3. Hand in your final draft of the research paper.
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