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COURSE OUTLINE

English 126 Composition II: Writing About Literature

Course Description:

A composition course which takes literature as its subject matter, ENG 126 builds on the competencies developed in ENG 125, in close reading, argumentation, and writing from sources, and applies them in a new context. Students will read a variety of short literary works including poetry, fiction, and/or drama, and will practice responding to them in class, and writing about them both informally and formally. Students are also asked to produce a research paper related to themes or questions evoked by the literature. Prerequisite: ENG 125.

Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to:

  • Read and listen critically and analytically, including identifying an argument’s major assumptions and assertions and evaluating its supporting evidence.
  • Write clearly and coherently in varied, academic formats (such as formal essays, research papers, and reports) using standard English and appropriate technology to critique and improve one’s own and others’ texts.
  • Demonstrate research skills using appropriate technology, including gathering, evaluating, and synthesizing primary and secondary sources.
  • Support a thesis with well-reasoned arguments, and communicate persuasively across a variety of contexts, purposes, audiences, and media.
  • Formulate original ideas and relate them to the ideas of others by employing the conventions of ethical attribution and citation.

This course meets the Pathways criteria for Composition in the Common Core (above). It also satisfies the following Introduction to Writing About Literature criteria for students who wish to transfer to another CUNY College and major in English. A student will:

  • Be able to respond proficiently in writing (i.e. per the outcomes for “A”) to literary works.
  • Display familiarity with literary works by a variety of authors in a variety of genres.
  • Be able to offer an extended discussion in writing of two or more texts and authors in relation to each other.
  • Demonstrate the ability to analyze and interpret based on careful attention both to the detail and overall design of a literary work.

·  Demonstrate an understanding of the role of context in determining meaning

Required texts (available in the College Bookstore):

  • Pike, David L and Ana M Acosta. Literature: A World of Writing. 2nd ed. Boston: Pearson, 2011.
  • Hacker, Diana. Bedford Handbook. 8th edition. Boston: Bedford/St.Martin’s, 2010.
  • A collegiate-level paperback dictionary.

Grading: The three formal papers will make up the bulk of your grade, as outlined below:

Assignment Percentage of final grade

1. Paper #1 (3-4 pages) 15%

2. Paper #2 (3-4 pages) 20%

3. Research Paper (6-8 pages) 30%

4. Final Exam 10%

5. In-Class and Homework Assignments 10%

6. Class Participation 10%

7. Peer-review critiques 5%

A note on grading practices: When grading assignments, I place equal weight on both what you write and how you write it. As we work on each assignment, I will review the criteria for that assignment with you. As a general rule of thumb, this is how I assign grades:

A papers contain original thought and fluent writing. They make the assignment their own.

B papers show a strong grasp of the assignment and are clearly written, with only a few minor errors.

C papers have a handle on the major requirements of the assignment, but may be shaky on the finer points; they may also display more frequent errors than a B paper would.

D papers struggle to meet these requirements and/or display grammatical problems.

F papers fail to meet the main requirements of the assignment or are plagiarized.

Plagiarism: In our work this semester we will be paying special attention to the ways in which writers draw upon the work of others, making effective and appropriate use of sources. A major concern will be avoiding plagiarism—defined as using the ideas and words of another person without acknowledging that debt. It is important to understand that in academic life, plagiarism is completely unacceptable. Deliberate plagiarism on any assignment, major or minor, will result in a grade of F for the course.

Preparation of written work: All formal papers must be submitted at the beginning of class. Each should be type-written using a computer’s word processing program, printed out and stapled. All work must be prepared and proofread by you personally. While you are permitted to show your work to others and receive editorial suggestions, you may not have someone else proofread your paper for you. In other words, while you may work with a tutor, classmates, or others, to help you identify problems, you must be responsible for fixing those problems yourself.

Attendance: Your success in this class depends on regular and punctual attendance. The English Department's policy for multiple section courses such as this one is:

  • Students in classes that meet twice a week may miss no more than five (5) sessions. Six (6) absences are grounds for failure.
  • Missing 15 minutes of class—arriving late, departing early, or leaving during class–counts as half an absence.

Late Work: The workload in this course is heavy, and it is important to keep up with the assignments. All writing assignments are due at the beginning of the class, whether they are rough or final drafts, or informal homework assignments.

Please remember that it is crucial to the process to complete assignments on time; for example, if you do not bring your rough draft to class on the day it is due, you will not be able to participate productively in the peer-review process. Late work will be penalized.

Classroom Etiquette: Please respect your classmates and govern yourself in the classroom as you would in a professional setting.

  • Turn off all cell phones; do not answer phone calls or text during class.
  • Do not bring food into the classroom.

Writing Center (1C18): Tutors in the center are available to assist you with developing your writing and your writing skills. You are encouraged to visit the Writing Center early in the semester. Don’t wait until a paper is due! The Writing Center offers scheduled tutoring, which allows you to meet with the same tutor each week. Course textbooks and handbooks are also available for use in the Center. For more information, stop by or call the Center (ext. 2494).

Email addresses

One of the best ways to get in touch with me outside of class is via the e-mail address on the first page of the syllabus. Please do not e-mail homework or other assignments to me UNLESS you will be absent from the class in which the assignment is due. I will accept assignments via email before class; those sent after the class in which they were due will be considered not to have been submitted.

You should use your York College email address for all college correspondence. If, in an emergency, you need to use another address, make sure to clearly identify yourself in the message. Remember that when writing to me you should write formally—text message dialect is appropriate when you write to friends, but not so appropriate when you are writing to a professor.

I aim to respond to e-mail messages within 24 hours. As I am human, this may occasionally stretch to 48 hours. If however, you have not heard back from me within 48 hours, you should assume your e-mail has gone astray and re-send it to me.

Detailed Course Outline

Part I: The World Closest to Us: Families ,Children and Adolescence and Lovers

In this first unit, students focus on close reading and analysis of poetry and short fiction; they draft and revise the first formal paper comparing the manner in which two works address a particular theme.

Week 1 Introductions, diagnostic essay.

Reading: “Imagining the World: Poetry” (140-159) “wishes for sons” Lucille Clifton (278); “Daystar” Rita Dove (279) “There is No Word for Goodbye” Mary Tallmountain (277)

Homework Assignment: Brief autobiography of yourself as a writer. (Where have you come from? Where do you want to go as a writer?

Week 2 Discuss form (open/close), lines, stanzas, meter, rhyme; Clifton, Dove and Tallmountain.

Reading: “Sonny’s Blues” James Baldwin (412-37).

Homework Assignment: Locate one three-four sentence paragraph describing music in “Sonny’s Blues,” and explain why you have chosen it and what it shows or tells you about Sonny and/or his brother.

Week 3 Discuss Baldwin, basic elements of fiction (point of view, character, plot, setting, etc.).

Reading: “Those Winter Sundays” Robert Hayden (741);“The Possessive” Sharon Olds (736); “Metaphors” Sylvia Plath (737)

Homework Assignment: Choose two of the poems; find one point of contrast and one point of comparison in their images and ideas about the relationships between parents and children.

Week 4 Discuss Hayden, Olds, and Plath. Assign Paper #1; in-class time to work on analysis as teams.

Paper #1 Assignment:

Write a 3-4 page paper in which you compare and contrast two poems, exploring images and ideas about the relationships between parents and children as you make these connections.

Reading: “The Yellow Wallpaper” Charlotte Perkins Gilman (553); “Everyday Use” Alice Walker (271)

Homework Assignment: How do you imagine the wallpaper in Gilman’s story? What do you think it really looks like? Be sure to quote from the story to support your description.

Week 5 Draft of Paper #1 due. Discuss peer-review techniques; thesis statements; discuss Gilman and Walker.

In-Class Peer Review: Provide commentary on 2 Student papers as assigned.

Reading: “A Doll’s House” Henrik Ibsen Acts I-II (568-90).

Homework Assignment: Nora seems to be planning to ask Dr. Rank for a favor in the middle of this act. What do you think that favor is? Why does she change her mind before asking him?

Part II: War, Power and Death

In this second unit, students focus on analyzing the way in which a non- literary text impacts their reading of a literary text.

Week 6 Discuss elements of drama, Ibsen. Discuss revision techniques for papers, including topic sentences and establishing sentences.

Final Draft of Paper #1 due

Reading: “A Doll’s House,” Act III (590-600).

Homework Assignment: In Act III, Kristine Linde says she has changed her mind and that the “dreadful secret has to be aired”. Why do you think she feels this way? What could have changed her mind?

Week 7 Discuss Ibsen, Assign Paper #2.

Paper #2

Write a 4 page paper in which you discuss the impact a non-literary text has on your reading of “Everyday Use,” “Sonny's Blues, ” OR “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

Time in class to brainstorm possible frames for Paper #2. Discuss integration of quotations.

Reading: “Dulce et Decorum Est” Wilfred Owen (471); “The Colonel” Carolyn Forché (473). “Death, be not proud” John Donne (465); “I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—“ Emily Dickinson (468); “Night Funeral in Harlem” Langston Hughes (handout).

Week 8 Discuss Owen, Forché, Donne, Dickinson, and Hughes. Discuss refining thesis statements for interdisciplinary paper and writing analysis paragraphs.

Draft of Paper #2 due

Reading: “Antigone” Sophocles, Act One (474-478).

Homework Assignment: Identify two differences and two similarities between Antigone and her sister Ismene. How would you describe their characters?

Week 9 Discuss Sophocles; Peer Review: Review 2 Classmates’ drafts of Paper #2

Reading: Complete “Antigone” (478-488).

Part III: Research and Inquiry

Week 10 Discuss Sophocles; Review of research techniques from English 125—Library catalog, databases. Evaluating sources; searching databases and Google scholar.

Final Draft of Paper #2 due

Research Skills: Locate two sources that address your research question.

Reading: Read and annotate the sources you have located.

Week 11 Distribute research paper assignment.

Write a research paper of at least 6 pages that you have developed out of your reading of either “A Doll’s House” or “Antigone.” As you draft and revise your research papers, you will be using 4 sources to illuminate a particular aspect of your chosen play. For example, you might examine a question about the roles and rights of women in the era of the play. The goal is to investigate some of the context of the work and to integrate the sources along with interpretation to address questions that arise in your reading of the work.

Discuss refining research questions, source usage, attribution, and avoiding plagiarism.

Research Exercise: Locate two-three additional sources on your research question.

Reading: Read and annotate the additional sources you located.

Homework Assignment: Discuss how two of the sources you located address your particular question.

Week 12 Oral reports: Be prepared to discuss two of your sources and how they address your question. Discuss research paper thesis statements.

Draft of Research Paper due

Reading: “A Supermarket in California” Allen Ginsberg; “In a Station of the Metro” Ezra Pound (640); “New York” Valzhyna Mort (641); “Theme for English B” Langston Hughes (642).

Week 13 Discuss Ginsberg, Pound, Mort, Hughes. Plagiarism workshop.

Conferences

Peer Review: Respond to 2 classmate’s drafts of Research Paper

Reading: Sample Research papers

Week 14 Final Exam review; paper revision suggestions.

Final Draft of Research Paper due

Reflective Statement

Week 15 Final Exam per Exam Schedule