|
 COURSE
OUTLINE
Texts and Materials: (1) Abcarian and Klotz ed. Literature: The Human Experience
Shorter 9th edition, (2) A College Writing Handbook, (3) A College-level
dictionary; (4) Three-ring binder; (5) Loose-leaf sheets; (6) Stapler.
COURSE
DESCRIPTION
English
Composition II is a three-credit, general education course that continues the
emphasis of Composition I on expository/analytic writing, with a greater
focus on critical thinking and writing in response to the class readings of
short stories, poetry, and drama. Students will learn to evaluate and respond
to the ideas that they encounter in literature. The course aims to develop
students’ writing skills, essential for the production of persuasive,
well-supported essays. A research paper is required for this course. The course
prerequisite is WRT-101: Composition I.
In this
course we will continue working with many of the concepts you were introduced
to in Composition I. The emphasis will be on sharpening writing and reading
skills. We will be working through the entire writing process, from getting
our first thoughts on paper to producing a finished, edited manuscript. What
makes this course different from Composition I is the material we will use as
writing inspiration; here we will be reading fictional work exclusively. Your
papers and other assignments will require you to think critically about these
works. Class participation is required.
BCC
HONORS
Taking an Honors course makes you a member
of the BCC Honors Program. Being involved in the Honors learning community
has clear benefits including smaller, more stimulating classes, the
opportunity to earn an Honors diploma and to achieve a good transfer to a
top-tier four-year college. For program details such as eligibility, the
Honors-by-Contract option and class schedules, see www.bergen.edu/honors.
Please come to the meetings and events of
the Honors Association, our student club. You will have an opportunity to
make new friends, learn more about the Honors Program, hear about the best
approaches to managing time and studying effectively, understand transfer
options and the benefits of graduating from Bergen with an Honors diploma,
among other. See http://www.bergenhonors.ning.com.
STUDENT
LEARNING GOALS
As a
result of meeting the requirements in this course, you will be able to:
- Use critical readings
skills to understand and evaluate literary texts; to summarize works of
literature and to explain how literary elements interact to convey
meaning.
- Write academic and
personal responses to works of literature using appropriate literary
terminology.
- Continue developing a
process by which you write.
- Argue the validity of your
interpretation of a work of literature.
- Use quotations and
paraphrases from primary and secondary sources your writing and document
them following MLA style.
- Revise your essay to
achieve unity and coherence.
- Edit and proofread your
writing for clarity and correctness.
COURSE
WORK
Four essays of about 500 words will make up
the major portion of the writing assignments. Two will be written at home and
should be typed; two will be written in class.
You will also be doing a good deal of shorter
writing, some in class, some at home. This will
include revised compositions of 500 words, analyses of readings, short
summaries, critiques, et al. I will be asking you to keep a
http://www.bergen.edu/faculty/mmakowiecka/readingjournal.html
to record your thoughts about what we read.
The longest paper you will write will be a 7
to 10 page, see an online guide at http://www.bergen.edu/rpp/lit.
We will spend a good deal of time discussing exactly how this will be done.
It must be typed and will include secondary sources cited in correct MLA
format, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01.
You will give me this in stages: possible topics, a thesis statement, an
outline, a list of sources, the final paper. Because
we will spend a lot of time on the research paper, it will make up a pretty
big chunk of your final grade.
To
earn credit on a paper, you must complete the following:
a. Write your name and the
assignment number in the upper left-hand corner of the first page.
b. Write the analytic
essay in complete and grammatically correct sentences and paragraphs.
c. Compose the essay
on your word processor.
d. Submit an essay of
appropriate length.
e. Submit an essay
that does not engage in plagiarism.
f. Name the essay document, include
your last name plus the assignment number (i.e. "Essay 1"). Don't
forget to write your own title and to use title format for it (one standard font, no underline, or bold, etc.).
g. Format a Works Cited page according to MLA
Style.
h. Submit the essay to http://www.turnitin.com.
Class number 2567338 and password HONORS.
Tips for Writing Essays http://writingguide.geneseo.edu/?pg=topics/organization.html
Tips for Writing Exam Essays http://writingguide.geneseo.edu/?pg=topics/essayexams.html
Tips for Formatting Works Cited in MLA Style http://www.bergen.edu/owl/resources.html
CLASS
ACTIVITIES
You will
be required to:
- Read, interpret, and
analyze numerous short stories, poems, and plays and discuss these in
class.
- Participate in class
discussions.
- Learn and apply various
literary terms to texts assigned by your professor.
- Be on time for class and
seldom absent.
- Participate in conferences
with the professor as requested.
- Complete all assignments
in a timely manner.
- Undertake tutoring at the
tutoring center and/or additional assignments as assigned by the
professor.
RESOURCES
Your main resource is the textbook, and you are welcome to use the web links
provided in the syllabus. There will also be a Library orientation session to
help you fins information for the research paper at
http://www.bergen.edu/library.
Tutoring and Writing Labs are available before and after class, see http://www.bergen.edu/pages/1795.asp.
Both the revised essays and the library research paper are to be submitted to
turnitin.com, an anti-plagiarism
Web-based service.
For most college resources available
to students, go to http://bergen.edu/pages/2160.asp.
Merit-based scholarships at http://bergen.edu/pages/1818.asp.
All BCC students enrolled in credit courses are entitled to a WebAdvisor account at http://go.bergen.edu.
With WebAdvisor, you may register online, check
your schedule, pay bills, etc. Please make sure you enter your preferred
e-mail address there.
EVALUATION
How will the written work be evaluated? Four
main areas are the keys to success in the essays: a clear statement of a main
idea that satisfies the particular assignment; organization into a clear
beginning, middle, and end; development and support of the main idea; last,
but not least, grammar, spelling and punctuation. I will explain the
requirements of the shorter assignment when I assign them.
You will be working in pairs and small
groups with others in the class. First, you can learn a lot from your
colleagues in class; each of you brings a different perspective to reading
and writing. Second, in order to be an effective writer, you need to be
comfortable sharing your writing with others and getting feedback at each
stage of the process.
I will hold individual conferences to
listen to your concerns and give you individual guidance on issues related to
critical thinking and writing.
GRADING
POLICIES
A
This essay is clear, well-organized, revised, edited, and stylistically
effective.
B+ This essay needs improvement in one of the
above areas.
B This essay needs improvement in more than one area.
C+ This essay needs more revision or editing.
C This essay needs substantial revision or editing.
D This essay is deficient in many areas and needs to be
completely revised.
F This essay is deficient in critical categories.
Your final
grade
for this course will be based on the number of points
you accumulate this semester. You can earn 100 performance points in this
course. If you accumulate 90-100 performance points, your final course grade
will be "A;" 85-89 points = "B+;" 80-84 points =
"B;" 75-79 points = "C+;" 70-74 points = "C;"
60-69 points = "D;" and 0-59 points = "F." You will
accumulate points by meeting the course requirements.
ATTENDANCE
You are expected to attend class
regularly and on time. If you are not able to attend for some reason, please
try to contact me in advance, if possible. You
are responsible for material covered in class whether you are here or not.
Because many of the assignments will be done as part of class exercises,
absences will certainly affect your final grade. You cannot pass
the course with six absencies. Doctor’s notes are
required for every absence. If you are ill, and/or will miss class the
day an essay is due, ask a friend or family member to drop it off in my
mailbox in Room A-333. Please let me know if you are ill or have a family
emergency ASAP.
PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is using someone else's words or ideas in such a way that a
reader cannot distinguish them from your own work. As such, it is a form of
cheating. If you have questions about plagiarism, please ask me about it
before your paper is due; after a paper is handed in it's too late to claim
ignorance. The penalty for plagiarism is an automatic F for the essay without
a chance to rewrite it, in addition to whatever penalty the College sees fit
to impose, including expulsion from school. Plagiarism
is increasingly a problem, especially in online courses. As a result,
all faculty at Bergen Community College have access
to a Web site (http://www.turnitin.com)
that can determine, usually within 24 hours, whether a paper has been
plagiarized.
EXTRA
CREDIT ASSIGNMENTS
From time
to time, I will assign an extra credit activity (up to four in the course of
one semester) to be completed by the students who wish to prove their
excellence and motivation. I would like to make it clear that extra credit
activities are not a replacement for a missing essay, lack of participation
in class discussion or an exam, and so forth. :)
DISCLAIMER Submitting all the papers does
not automatically guarantee that you will pass the course. You must be able
to demonstrate an ability to write clear, well-organized and relatively error
free compositions without anyone's assistance. Please don't hesitate to
talk to me before, during or after class, or during my office hours.
You may e-mail me at any time.
|
Composition 201-040H
Syllabus SPRING 2009
|
|
Prose Fiction
|
|
Week I –January 20
|
Introduction
to the course. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/575/01/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/01/
Toni Bambara, "The Lesson" p. 116
|
|
Week II – January 27
|
Shirley
Jackson, "The Lottery" p. 328
|
|
Week III – February 3
|
Raymond
Carver, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" p. 733
|
|
Week IV – February 10
|
First Essay Due Feb 13; Alice Walker, "Everyday Use" p.
599
|
|
First Essay Due
at TURNITIN.COM on FEBRUARY 13, midnight
|
|
Week V – February 17
|
Flannery O'Connor "Good Country People" p. 100
|
|
Poetry
|
|
Week VI – February 24
|
First In-class Essay; William Blake, "The Lamb" (xerox), "The Tyger"
p. 126
|
|
Week VII – March 3
|
Elizabeth
Bishop, "One Art" p. 824; Dylan Thomas, "Do Not Go Gentle
Into That Good Night" p. 1075 Journals 1 due.
|
|
Week VIII – March 10
|
Robert
Frost, "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" p. 1070;
"Birches" p.141, "After Apple Picking" p. 1068
|
|
Week IX – March 16-21
|
SPRING BREAK
|
|
Week X – March 24
|
Christopher
Marlowe, "The Passionate Shepherd. . ." p. 800; Sir Walter Raleigh,
The Nymph's Reply. . ." p. 801; Andrew Marvel, "To His Coy
Mistress" p. 815
|
|
Week XI – March 31
|
William
Shakespeare, Sonnets 18 p.811; 130 p. 812; 29 p. 811; 73 p. 1056
|
|
Second Essay Due
at TURNITIN.COM April 6, midnight
|
|
Drama
|
|
Week XII – April 7
|
Second Essay Due April 6; Sophocles, Antigone
|
|
Week XIII – April 14
|
Sophocles,
Antigone, cont.
|
|
Week XIV – April 21
|
TBA
|
|
Week XV – April 28
|
Research Paper Due; Journals
2 due;
|
|
Week XVI – May 5
|
Second In-class Essay; Conferences
|
|
Last day of class
May 7.
|
|
