Effective
Date of this Description/Syllabus: Spring 2017
Prepared
by: Dr. Rhonda V. Wilcox
Office:
Honors House 104
Phone:
(678) 359-5296
email:
rhonda_w@gordonstate.edu
Office
hours: MW 4:25-6:00; TR 1:55-3:20, 4:55-6:00
Course
Description/Syllabus
Course
Designation (discipline abbreviation & number):
ENGL 1102
Course
Title:
Composition II
Class
hours per week: 3
Laboratory
hours per week:
0
Credit
hours:
3
Division
offering course: Humanities
Course
description for college bulletin:
A
composition course emphasizing interpretation and evaluation that incorporates a
variety of advanced research methods.
NOTE: In order to
eligible to enroll in English 1102, students must have been exempted from or
earned at least a C in English 1101.
If you have not received a C in English 1101, you have not met the prerequisite
for English 1102. For most institutions, a C or better is required for
transfer.
Course
objectives:
English
1102 continues the work of English 1101, with greater emphasis on literature,
research, analysis, and logical argument. Upon completion of English 1102, a
student should be able to:
understand and explain college-level reading;
write clear, coherent, well-constructed expository essays which are logically
and specifically developed, which contain few serious errors in grammar, usage,
and mechanics, and which unite style with purpose;
understand quotation, documentation, and proper research
techniques;
demonstrate effective oral presentation of college-level ideas;
demonstrate the ability to follow oral and written instructions.
The
course thus addresses the college's expected outcomes for general education in
college-level reading and writing, bibliographic research and resource use, and
oral communication. Students will also have experiences related to the general
education outcomes in aesthetics.
The
Humanities Department’s formally stated objectives for all English 1102 classes
are:
1.
Students will be
able to conduct independent research in a variety of disciplines and evaluate
that research to produce informed, thoughtful contributions to scholarly and
professional issues.
2.
Students will be
able to craft their writing to suit a variety of audiences and rhetorical
purposes in both electronic and traditional formats.
3.
Students will be
able to apply critical thinking concepts such as inductive reasoning, deductive
reasoning, and moral reasoning to their own texts and to the texts of
others.
4.
Students will be
able to analyze and evaluate their own texts and the texts of others for tone,
style, purpose, audience, and errors of logic.
5.
Students will be
able to evaluate and synthesize a variety of primary and secondary resources
with their own thinking to create structured, persuasive, and sustained
arguments.
*
LIBRARY HOURS: Mon-Thu 8:00 am--10pm; Fri 8:00 am--5 pm; Sun 2--10 pm; Saturday
10 am—2 pm. Hours are subject to change, e.g. for
holidays.
Course
content:
English 1102 is a rhetoric-based writing course. For this class, the student
will write the following papers:
1.Literary
analysis (no outside research), 500-600+ words (15%, in-class)
2.Argumentative/persuasive
essay (some research), 700-800+ words (15%, out-of-class); one third of this
grade is constituted by an associated oral presentation in
class
3.Annotated
bibliography (outside research), 500+ words (10%, out-of-class)
4.
Thoroughly documented literary research paper of at least 1500 words (excluding
outline, bibliography, etc., from the word count) with a minimum of 5
secondary sources: i.e., a term paper (25%,
out-of-class)
5.
Optional revision of essay 1, 2, 3, or 4 (to be averaged with the original
grade; out-of-class)
6.
Final exam, 500+ words (25%, in-class)
Students
will be required to produce out-of-class papers on a computer (available in the
Instructional Complex and library; or students may use their own).
Any
student who fails to turn in any of the essays (except the optional revision)
will fail the course. Any student who fails the in-class final exam will receive
no higher than a D in the course.
Class
participation, brief writing assignments (e.g. in-class paragraphs), pop quizzes
(usually on reading assignments), and exercises will make up the remainder of
the student's grade.
The kinds of instruction may include class preparation for writing, small-group
critiques of finished essays or preparatory work, oral presentation and
evaluation of papers, lectures, discussions, and other activities.
Each
student will have a minimum of three conferences (required to pass the course)
with the instructor. Either the student or the instructor may schedule
additional conferences. Students MAY NOT MISS OTHER CLASSES in order to attend a
required English conference. If a student is found to be missing another class
in order to attend a conference for this class, the relevant essay will be
penalized five points. Any student who has genuine difficulty scheduling a
conference should discuss the problem with the instructor outside class.
Required
Texts:
Venus,
Wesley, and Mark King. The Gordon State
College Writing Handbook. Barnesville: Gordon College, 2015. Ebook. <
http://www.gordonstate.edu/successcenter/writing-handbook
>.
100
Years of the Best American Short Stories.
Ed. Lorrie Moore and Heidi Pitlor. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015.
Print.
Collins,
Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic, 2012. Print.
Required
folder: Arrange papers (essays and revisions) in the folder, earliest
assignments on the bottom. AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER, TURN IN THE FOLDER
(required).
You
must purchase hard copies of 100 Years of the Best American Short Stories and
The Hunger Games. You will not be allowed to use electronic copies for in-class
essays and exams because of some past students’ cheating.
Grading
Policy:
Standards: A=90-100; B=80-89; C=70-79; D=60-69; F=below 60
B+
=88; B =85; B- = 82; C+ =78, etc.
The following description of grade standards (composed by the faculty of Elon
College) further explains the evaluation process:
A:
This indicates clearly superior work.
The A theme has significant content and a clear purpose that it successfully
accomplishes without major errors of any kind. Its organization and style are
appropriate to the subject, which is so restricted that it can be intelligently
treated within the limits of the paper. It handles the mechanics of punctuation,
sentence and paragraph construction, and the choice of diction and idiom
logically and appropriately.
B:
This indicates writing that is clearly of good quality. Although the B theme
will probably lack some of the insight and tight control of superior work, it
demonstrates the same ability of handling significant content according to a
clear purpose. Its organization and mechanics are free of major
errors.
C:
This represents average college work, but it possesses few distinguishing
qualities. It may show some breakdown in logic and organization, careless
proofreading, and a deficiency in writing mechanics.
D:
This grade indicates a piece of writing that falls below average college work.
Although the D theme may show a potential for average achievement, it is flawed
by mechanical errors, such a s those of spelling, punctuation, and
capitalization. It does manage to convey its ideas to the reader, but its
organization is probably weak.
F:
This indicates unacceptable college writing. It is likely to be marred by
serious errors of punctuation, spelling, diction, sentence and paragraph
construction. The subject is likely to be incoherently presented.
Some
examples of serious errors are: sentence fragments; comma splices; fused
sentences
Some
examples of lesser errors are: capitalization mistakes; inappropriate (vs.
inaccurate) diction
•
ADA
and 504
•
If
you have a documented disability as described by the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, you may be eligible
to receive accommodations to assist in programmatic and/or physical
accessibility. The Counseling and Accessibility Services office located in
the Student Center, Room 212 can assist you in formulating a reasonable
accommodation plan and in providing support in developing appropriate
accommodations to ensure equal access to all GSC programs and facilities.
Course requirements will not be waived, but accommodations may assist you in
meeting the requirements. For documentation requirements and for
additional information, contact Counseling and Accessibility Services at
678-359-5585.
•
Title
IX
•
Gordon
State College is committed to providing an environment free of all forms of
discrimination and sexual harassment, including sexual assault, domestic
violence, dating violence and stalking. If you (or someone you know) has
experienced or experiences any of these incidents, know that you are not alone.
All faculty members at Gordon State College are mandated reporters. Any
student reporting any type of sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating
violence, domestic violence or stalking must be made aware that any report made
to a faculty member under the provisions of Title IX will be reported to the
Title IX Coordinator or a Title IX Deputy Coordinator. If you wish to
speak with someone confidentially, you must contact the Counseling and
Accessibility Services office, Room 212, Student Life Center. The licensed
counselors in the Counseling Office are able to provide confidential
support.
•
Gordon
State College does not discriminate against any student on the basis of
pregnancy, parenting or related conditions. Students seeking
accommodations on the basis of pregnancy, parenting or related conditions should
contact Counseling and Accessibility Services regarding the process of
documenting pregnancy related issues and being approved for accommodations,
including pregnancy related absences as defined under Title IX.
Student
Evaluation of Instruction:
Near the end of this course, you will be asked to evaluate the instruction of
the course. Your honest responses will help make this a better course. Also,
please feel free to make suggestions during the course. Remember, I want to
hear from you.
Plagiarism,
Cheating:
The English faculty of Gordon College views any form of cheating as a
serious violation of commonly accepted standards of honesty. All student work
must be solely that of the person submitting the work. Any giving or receiving
of unauthorized help from others or from notes or other materials during the
course of taking a quiz, test, or exam or in writing a paper will result in an F
on the work; any use of forbidden materials such as rough drafts during the
course of in-class writing will also result in an F for the assignment. Note
that an F on the work involved in cheating is the minimum punishment; a zero on
the work is another possible consequence; if justified by aggravating
circumstances, the matter may be referred to the Academic Dean or (according to
a rule approved by the Faculty Senate in Fall 2009) the Dean of Students. See
the Academic Dishonesty Policy in the Academic Catalog
(87-88).
Moreover, when source materials are used in the writing of papers, the
student must document such use of sources both by clearly indicating material
being used as quotation and by giving proper recognition when ideas or
information has been paraphrased or summarized; the following principles
enunciated in the section on avoiding plagiarism in James D. Lester's Writing Research Papers: A Complete
Guide, 8th edition, should be scrupulously observed:
1.
Acknowledge borrowed material by introducing the quotation or paraphrase with
the name of the authority. This practice serves to indicate where borrowed
materials begin.
2.
Enclose within quotation marks all quoted materials.
3.
Make certain that paraphrased material has been rewritten into your own style
and language. The simple rearrangement of sentence patterns is unacceptable. [To
illustrate: It is unacceptable to simply rearrange sentence
patterns.]
4.
Provide specific in-text documentation for each borrowed item. For example, MLA
[Modern Language Association] style requires name and page for all in-text
references. Requirements differ for other fields . . . .
5.
Provide a bibliographic entry on the Works Cited page for every source cited in
the paper.
6.
Omit [from the bibliography] sources consulted but not cited in the text. This
point is important.You do not want your instructor leafing back through the
paper trying to find your use of a source that, in truth, was not cited.
(140-41)
Furthermore,
you must avoid collusion. Here is a definition from the Humanities Chair:
Collusion
is defined as receiving excessive help to the point that a work can no longer be
considered the product of a single author and therefore cannot be accurately
assessed an individual grade. If I suspect a submitted work to be the result of
collusion, I reserve the right to refuse credit for that work if the claimed
author is unable to demonstrate sole authorship. A good way to avoid this
problem is to get help from the Student Success Center rather than from family
or friends.
I
may decide to have you submit some of your work to Turnitin.com. Terms and
Conditions of Use may be found at http://www.turnitin.com/static/usage.html.
In
general, if you have a question, feel free to ask it. My goal is for you to
learn and to enjoy learning.
Business
procedures
Cell
phones
and other electronic devices: Silence your cell phones and any other
electronic devices before class begins. Exception: Emergency personnel may leave
theirs on and slip out of class to take phone calls in the hall when necessary.
If you have a job as an EMT (or similar work), notify me during the first
week of classes and be sure to sit near the door. All students should
remember that they will receive a class participation grade, and cell phone
interruptions disturb discussion. If you are texting during class, it suggests
that you do not find the course to need your full attention. What kind of
impression do you think that makes on the teacher? We may make occasional
exceptions if we as a group decide to look something up, but do not use your
cell phone otherwise.
Attendance: You may receive a WF if you fail to attend regularly. If you
receive a WF, you will be ineligible for VA and other financial
assistance.
As a matter of courtesy, you should explain your absences to me. However, you
should realize that even "excused" absences count against you--not as a moral
judgment, but simply as a matter of getting business done. As a college
student, you are responsible for all class and assigned work whether you are
present or not. Whenever possible, you should notify me ahead of time (in
person, by phone, by email, or by a note slipped under my office door) if you
must miss a class, so that we can try to make appropriate arrangements. Leave a
message by phone or email as soon as possible. Because of the volume of email I
receive, I cannot provide lengthy explanations or commentary by email. Do feel
free to use your email to contact me if you have a problem, but follow up later
by phone or in person. If you must miss a class and cannot contact anyone,
then prepare the next assignment listed on the schedule (see last page of
syllabus).
Some
work, such as in-class essays, can be made up only under special extenuating
circumstances (work not made up gets a zero unless it is excused). Students who
miss more than nine MWF, six MW or TR, or three once-a-week evening classes
normally fail the course. Three tardies equal one absence. In general, it is a
good idea to save your cuts because (1) you may get deathly ill towards the end
of the quarter and find you have to miss an unexpected number of times, and (2)
things actually do happen in class.
Late papers: Late papers, including revisions, are penalized five points
per calendar day. I am very strict about this policy. On the other hand, I am
very reasonable about giving extensions (without grade penalty) for good cause
IF you arrange the matter beforehand. If you do not get an extension beforehand,
then the penalty will stand unless you can produce evidence of serious,
unavoidable problems intervening in the composition process.
My office (see full contact information on page one): Feel free to visit
me to talk about the course (whether you have a problem or just an interest).
You may also leave messages on or under my door. You may call me at my office at
678-359-5296. My email address is rhonda_w@gordonstate.edu. If you find yourself
involved in an English Emergency, you may also call me at home (404-373-5328).
(I have kept my landline for my students’ convenience.) Leave a voicemail
stating your name and phone number if I don’t answer right away.
In
general,
LET
ME KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON and ASK FOR HELP IF YOU NEED
IT!
TENTATIVE
SCHEDULE for Monday/Wednesday Class
Additional
readings may be assigned.
HG=The Hunger Games. Short
stories (with titles in quotation marks) are in 100 Years of the Best
American Short Stories. Read the material before the class period in
which it is listed below; it will be discussed during the class period in which
it is listed. If you miss class, keep up with the reading listed
below.
Week
1 (1/11) Introductory material; writing sample
Week
2 (1/16) Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday; (1/18) “At the Round Earth’s Imagined
Corners,” 707
Week
3 (1/23) “Brownies,” 562; quotation review, Writing Handbook Ch. 2.7—2.7.4;
(1/25) “The Enormous
Radio,” 160
Week
4 (1/30) “The Third and Final Continent,” 544; (2/1) Literary Analysis
Essay (15%, in-class)
Week
5 (2/6) Required conferences: some class members will have conferences during
the period; others will meet outside of class on various days; (2/8) “I Stand
Here Ironing,” 173
Week
6 (2/13) “Babylon Revisited,” 62; (2/15) Argumentation/persuasion, Writing Handbook Ch. 3—3.2.7
Week
7 (2/20) Research technique, Writing
Handbook Ch. 8—8.3.17.7; (2/22) paraphrase review
Week
8 (2/27) Research, continued; bibliography; Writing Handbook Ch. 9; (3/1)
preparation for oral presentation
Week
9 (3/6) Oral presentation (in-class) (3/8)
Argumentative Essay (out-of-class) due (15% in
combination with oral)
[March
6: last day to drop classes without WF]
Week
10 (3/13-17) Spring Break
Week
11 (3/20) Required conferences; (3/22) The Hunger Games Ch.
1-6
Week
12 (3/27) HG Ch. 7-12; (3/29) Ch. 13-16
Week
13 (4/3) HG Ch. 17-27 (end); (4/5) critical essays on HG
Week
14 (4/10) Term paper subject due, critical essays continued; (4/12) Annotated Bibliography due (10% out-of-class);
Week
15 (4/17) Term Paper planning conferences; (4/19) research, discussion
continued
Week
16 (4/24) Term Paper rough draft due for in-class workshop; (4/26) Term Paper
due (25%)
Week
17 (5/1) Exam preparation, readings from 100 Years; Term Paper feedback;
(5/3) Optional Revision due
FINAL
EXAM
For
MW 12:30 class: Tuesday May 9, 10:15 am—12:15 pm
Any
changes made to the syllabus are at the instructor’s
discretion.
TENTATIVE
SCHEDULE for Tuesday/Thursday Class
Additional
readings may be assigned.
HG=The Hunger Games. Short
stories (with titles in quotation marks) are in 100 Years of the Best
American Short Stories. Read the material before the class period in
which it is listed below; it will be discussed during the class period in which
it is listed. If you miss class, keep up with the reading listed
below.
Week
1 (1/12) Introductory material; writing sample
Week
2 (1/17) “At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners,” 707; (1/19) “Brownies,”
562
Week
3 (1/24) Quotation review, Writing
Handbook Ch. 2.7—2.7.4; (1/26) “The
Enormous Radio,” 160
Week
4 (1/31) “The Third and Final Continent,” 544; (2/2) Literary Analysis
Essay (15%, in-class)
Week
5 (2/7) Required conferences: some class members will have conferences during
the period; others will meet outside of class on various days; (2/9) “I Stand
Here Ironing,” 173
Week
6 (2/14) “Babylon Revisited,” 62; (2/16) Argumentation/persuasion, Writing Handbook Ch. 3—3.2.7
Week
7 (2/21) Research techniques, Writing
Handbook Ch. 8—8.3.17.7; (2/23) paraphrase review
Week
8 (2/28) Research, continued; bibliography; Writing Handbook Ch. 9; (3/2)
preparation for oral presentation
Week
9 (3/7) Oral presentation (in-class)
(3/9) Argumentative Essay (out-of-class) due (15% in
combination with oral)
[March
6: last day to drop classes without WF]
Week
10 (3/13-17) Spring Break
Week
11 (3/21) Required conferences; (3/23) The Hunger Games Ch.
1-6
Week
12 (3/28) HG Ch. 7-12; (3/30) Ch. 13-16
Week
13 (4/4) HG Ch. 17-27 (end); (4/6) critical essays on HG
Week
14 (4/11) Term paper subject due, critical essays continued; (4/13) Annotated Bibliography due (10% out-of-class);
Week
15 (4/18) Term Paper planning conferences; (4/20) research, discussion
continued
Week
16 (4/25) Term Paper rough draft due for in-class workshop; (4/27) Term Paper
due (25%)
Week
17 (5/2) Exam preparation, readings from 100 Years; Term Paper feedback;
Optional Revision due
FINAL
EXAM
For
TR 12:30 class: Tuesday, May 9, 2:45 pm—4:45 pm
Any
changes made to the syllabus are at the instructor’s
discretion.