Burlington County College

English 102-110– Composition 102

Monday/Wednesday 8:00 – 9:20

Academic Building 106

 

Instructor: William G. Lewis

Office Hours:

E-mail: wlewis@bcc.edu (This is the best way to get in touch with me)

Phone: (856)630-0993

Website: http://williamglewis.pbworks.com/

 

Course Description:

     This course is designed to introduce to the three basic forms of literature: fiction, poetry, and drama. Through this, we will focus on enhancing your critical thinking and writing skills. By studying these genres of literature, we study the choices a writer makes in their own texts and how those choices influence the work as a whole. Critical thinking is an asset to you during your college years and beyond: it will help you question and analyze what you are hearing, reading, and watching.

     The course will emphasize these skills to teach you how to analyze. Analysis will be done in a myriad of ways but primarily written and oral. This course will expect you to critically interpret the texts we read. In our course, we will use discussions, tests, presentations, and essays to enhance and demonstrate our skills.

 

Course Goals:

     By the end of this course you will be able to:

• Identify the major elements of literature in fiction, poetry, and drama,

• Write clear and coherent essays that analyze these elements,

• Recognize methods use by authors, poets, and playwrights in their works and how they help to mold the work

• Demonstrate your active participation in the reading process through class discussion and presentations

• Present your own interpretations to the class in an informative matter

 

Required Texts:

     Literature: Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 2^nd edition. Edited by Robert DiYanni.

 

Attendance:

     You will be expected to attend class regularly and no more than four absences for any reason will be accepted, even under the most extreme of circumstances. If you miss a class, you will essentially lose out on that day’s contribution to your preparation, since it is never really possible to reproduce or recapture the dynamics and flow of information for a missed class meeting (even if you get notes from someone). 

 

     If you expect to be absent, please notify me before hand in an e-mail.

 

     If you are absent due to illness or any other unexpected reason, contact me within 24 hours of the class you have missed.

 

     Absences do not exempt you from assignments due that day.

 

     You are also expected to come to class on time, and every three times you are late counts as one absence.

 

     Absences will be excused only for these reasons according to college policy: Students shall not be penalized for missing class, clinical, laboratory, and studio sessions due to: (1) the observance of religious holidays; (2) legal reasons (jury duty; to serve as a subpoenaed witness); (3) required military duty; (4) bereavement: loss of a family member; (5) personal illness/injury of the student; (6) to attend to the medical needs of a family member; and (7) such other reasons as the appropriate Division Dean or Associate Dean may deem appropriate. Students shall not be penalized for attending college-sponsored activities provided that they make accommodations with the instructor prior to the absence(s). Standing alone, absences due to the above reasons do not constitute grounds to lower the grade of a student or otherwise penalize a student.

 

     To excuse an absence, however, I may require that you provide me with some kind of evidence or paperwork appropriate to your reason for absence.

 

     If you are absent from class more than four times (except for excused absences as per the guidelines on page 19 of the 2009-2011 course catalogue), you may receive an F for your grade and your continued participation is at my discretion.

 

Communication:

 

Phone:

      If you do call me and reach my voicemail, please be sure to speak clearly and leave your name, course information, and phone number if you wish a return call.

 

E-Mail:

     If you contact me via e-mail, always include your full name and class section (like this: William Lewis, ENG 101-01) in the subject line. Too often students forget to sign e-mail or have e-mail addresses without obvious identifiers. If you do not include your name and class in the subject line, I will not open the message.

     Students who send me e-mail and do not receive a reply of any kind within 48 hours should assume it was never received. Please re-send any such e-mails. I do not mind receiving redundant messages if you are unsure whether your message was transmitted (though I may only reply to one). If your message doesn’t present itself as urgent, I may reply quickly and briefly and ask to get back to you before long.

     If I send you an e-mail, I will use your BCC e-mail address. If you do not regularly check it, I recommend you have your BCC e-mail forwarded to another e-mail address so you do receive it. I do not accept “I didn’t get that e-mail” or “I don’t use my BCC e-mail” as an excuse.

     I will not answer e-mails with poor grammar or texting speak. I expect your e-mails to use proper grammar.

 

Grading:

     I grade on a point system, and the total number of possible points for the semester is 1,000. The total number of points you get will determine your grade:

A = 1,000 – 900

B+ = 899 – 850

B = 849 – 800

C+ = 799 – 750

C = 749 – 700

D = 699 – 600

F = 599 or below

• Final Comparative Essay: 20% (200 points)

• Cumulative Final Exam: 20% (200 points)

• Midterm Exam: 15% (150 points)

• Student-Led Discussion: 10% (100 points)

• Midterm Poetry Explication or Fiction Analysis: 10% (100 points)

• Quizzes on Fiction, Poetry, and Drama 10% (100 points)

• Homework (10 Critical Response Papers): 10% (100 points total)

• Participation and Attendance: 5% (50 points)

 

Exams:

     For your exams, you will be expected to:

• Answer true/false and multiple choice questions about the works we have read this semester,

• Identify key passages and characters from the works we have read as well as explain their significance in the story,

• Identify key literary terms and samples of those literary techniques in works we have read,

• And compose an essay synthesizing and exploring two or more of the works we have read.

     Both exams can cover any of the works that we will read during the semester. You will be expected to be familiar with all of them.

     Do note, however, that the passages chosen will not be obscure moments in the text, but critical points that are important to the story. Passages that we discuss in class are important ones. It does not matter if I bring them up or if a student brings them up.

 

Paper Guidelines:

     Throughout the term, you will be expected to complete two essays throughout the semester.

 

     All work written and submitted should utilize standard rules of grammar, sentence organization, paragraph organization, and diction.

 

     Essays must be completed in MLA format, typed in 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and carefully proofread. Refer to OWL @ Purdue (owl.english.purdue.edu) to see a sample essay.

 

     You will receive a handout with the paper assignment at least 2 weeks before it is due for any essay written outside of class.

 

     All essays will be submitted to my e-mail and graded there. Submit essays by the day they are due before class starts.

 

     If you do not adhere to these guidelines, your grade for the assignment will be reduced.

 

Final Comparative Essay:

     For your final essay, you will be expected to compare and contrast two works of literature of the same genre from our class (For poems, this number changes to 4). You must be comparing similar elements like two characters, two scenes, two themes, etc. The paper will also require at least 2 outside sources and quotes from the works to help prove your point.

 

Midterm Fiction Analysis:

     Halfway through the semester, you will be expected to analyze one work of fiction in detail. This analysis will focus on one work of fiction. The paper will also require at least 2 outside sources and quotes from the works to help prove your point.

 

Lateness:

     Late papers will lose a letter grade for each day they are late. If a paper is more than three days late, it is a 0. If you work on an essay in class the day it is due, it is considered late. There are no exceptions to this rule.

 

Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism:

     Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are unacceptable in this or any other college course. Plagiarism is the use of another person’s work, either by copying or paraphrasing, and not giving them credit for it. If you plagiarize once in this course you will fail that assignment. If you plagiarize again, you will fail the course.

 

Student Led-Discussion:

     This particular project has two parts to it that will culminate in leading a discussion on one work for class. This first part is done outside of class. You are expected to find 3 scholarly sources and create a short annotated bibliography. You are also expected to design a set of 8 questions that you could use for discussion. You may use the critical response paper questions for help, but only one of them may be copied down. At least 4 questions must synthesize the topic of the day (character, setting, sound devices, etc.) with the work. The more in depth the questions are, the better your grade for this portion.

     The second part is done in class: You are expected to lead a 30-40 minute discussion for the class. You will be expected to introduce the work and the issues you intend to discuss. Remember that your focus will significantly change depending on the genre of the work involved. You will be graded on how you conduct the discussion.

 

Quizzes:

     Throughout the course of the semester, you will have 3 quizzes on various topics throughout the semester. All quizzes will utilize multiple choice, fill in the blank, and short answer questions. Each one will focus on literary terms and techniques we encounter and discuss throughout the semester.

 

Class Participation:

     Most of this class will involve discussion of the texts we read and how we write. Lack of meaningful participation hurts everyone in the class and it counts for 5% of your grade. Meaningful participation consists of being prepared, actively engaged in the discussion, organized, and turning off your cell phones. Sharing ideas helps the class, and class participation is expected from you. If lack of participation is class-wide, quizzes and grammar exercises will be assigned instead.

     I will be using a deck of playing cards to choose students at random to answer questions. Each student is assigned a card from the deck and can be chosen at random to answer a question at any time. Responses like “I don’t know” are not acceptable. I invite you to think aloud, muse, guess, and experiment with ideas. Take the opportunity to expand on the ideas of the class.

 

Critical Response Papers:

     In the course of the term, you are required to write 10 short, informal papers (1-2 pages each) on the readings for class.  You may choose which days and which readings you want to respond to.  All the response papers will analyze questions on the works we are reading. Each work will have 1-2 questions concerning it. You will pick one and respond to it.

     Response papers will be graded Pass/Fail.  I ask you to type them (so that they are easier for me to read), but they need not be a perfect, polished product.  Rather, response papers should be just what their name says -- a response to the essay.  Don’t worry about typos or comma splices or organization.  Treat response papers more like a journal entry than like a formal paper.  I don’t want a five-paragraph theme.  Rather, I want an evaluative exploration -- as detailed and specific as possible -- of the reading assignment for the day.

     Normally, as long as you submit a response paper of suitable length, detail, and thoughtfulness (and as long as you turn it in on time in class on the assigned day), you will receive all the points that the response paper is worth.

     You may submit more than 10 response papers in the course of the semester (to make up for any response papers that do not receive a grade of Pass), but no matter how many extra response papers you turn in, you will not receive more than 100 points total for all the response papers you write.  You may not submit more than one response paper on a single day, nor may you submit a response paper for a day that you are absent from class -- absolutely no exceptions.  (NOTE:  Even if you do not submit a response paper on a particular day, you should still come to class prepared to discuss the assigned reading for that day since we will focus our in-class discussion on analyzing and evaluating it.)

 

Tutoring Center:

     The Tutoring Center is located on the second floor of the library on Pemberton Campus. There is also a Tutoring Center in the TEC building in Mt. Laurel. If you are having trouble understanding any of the assignments in class, you can get assistance at the Tutoring Center. There is a link to the Tutoring Center posted on the College website.

     The Tutoring Center is there to help with just about any assignment that you would receive in class. They specialize in helping students one on one and are very flexible in getting the help you need at times convenient for you through the use of both walk-in tutors and appointment tutors. It is highly recommended that you utilize this tool to help revise your essays.

 

Course Outline

Note: The course outline is tentative and subject to change with notification.

     You must have readings done by the date they appear on the outline and the page numbers in Approaches to Literature are next to the assigned reading. Ex. “Story of an Hour” is on pages 38-41 and must be read by 9/9.

 

Week 1: 1/22

Wednesday: SNOW DAY

 

Week 2: 1/27, 1/29

Monday: Handout Syllabus and Course Outline.

               Introduction to the course 

               Procedures

               How to read the course outline

               Introduction to critical reading for literature

 

Wednesday: Reading Stories (27)

                    Luke, “The Prodigal Son” (27-28)

                    The Experience of Fiction (28-29)

                    The Interpretation of Fiction (29-31)

                    The Evaluation of Fiction (31-32)

                    John Updike, “A&P” (32-36)

 

Week 3: 2/3, 2/5

Monday: SNOW DAY

 

Wednesday:  SNOW DAY

 

Week 4: 2/10, 2/12

Monday:  The Act of Reading Fiction (37-38)

               Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour” (38-41)

 

Wednesday:  Types of Short Fiction (43-49)

                     Aesop, “The Wolf and the Mastiff” (44)

                     Petronius “The Widow of Ephesus” (44-46)

 

Week 5: 2/17, 2/19

Monday:  Plot and Structure (49-51)

               Flannery O'Connor, “Good Country People” (172-185)

 

Wednesday:  Character (59-62)

                     Setting (66-67)

                     Tim O’Brien, “The Things They Carried” (433-446)

 

Week 6: 2/24, 2/26

Monday:  Point of View (77-79)

               Charlotte Perkins Gilman “The Yellow Wallpaper” (379-390)

 

Wednesday: Language and Style (85-86)

                     Margaret Atwood, “Happy Endings” (288-291)

 

Week 7: 3/3, 3/5

Monday: SNOW DAY

 

Wednesday:  Theme (90-91)

                    Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Young Goodman Brown” (391-399)

 

Week 8: 3/10, 3/12

Monday: Fiction Quiz

                 Irony and Symbol (97-100)

                 Edgar Allan Poe, “The Black Cat” (137-143)

                 Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery” (409-415) 

 

Wednesday: Midterm Essay Due

                    Reading Poems (495-506)

                    Elements of Poetry (510)     

                     Voice: Speaker and Tone (510-511)

                     Robert Browning, “My Last Duchess” (512-513)

                     John Donne, “The Flea” (789)

                     Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “Ulysses” (856-857)

 

Week 9: 3/17, 3/19

Monday: SPRING BREAK!

 

Wednesday: SPRING BREAK!

 

Week 10: 3/24, 3/26

Monday: Rhythm and Meter (556-557)

               William Wordsworth, “I wandered lonely as a cloud” (519-520)

               Robert Frost, “Mending Wall” (674-675)

               Taylor Mali, “Like Lilly Like Wilson” (744-745)

               John Donne, “Death, be not proud” (790) 

 

Wednesday: Midterm Exam

 

Week 11: 3/31, 4/2

Monday: Diction (518-519)

               Imagery (524)

               Langston Hughes, “Dream Deferred” and “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” (705-706)

               Figures of Speech: Simile and Metaphor (530-531)

               William Shakespeare, “That time of year thou may’st in me behold” (531)

               Matsuo Basho “Three Haiku” (748)

 

Wednesday: Symbolism and Allegory (536)

                     Emily Dickinson, “Because I could not stop for Death” (541)

                     William Blake, “The Lamb” and “The Tyger” (770-771)

 

Week 12: 4/7, 4/9

Monday: Sound: Rhyme, Alliteration, Assonance (548-550)

               Thomas Hardy, “During Wind and Rain” (552) 

               Anne Sexton, “Her Kind” (563)

               Dylan Thomas, “Do not go gentle into that good night” (859)

 

Wednesday: Poetry Quiz

                     Structure: Closed Form and Open Form (564-565)

                     Walt Whitman, “When I heard the learn’d astronomer” (566)

                     Billy Collins, “Sonnet” (737-738)

                     William Shakespeare, “When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes” (848)

 

 

Week 13: 4/14, 4/16

Monday: Reading Plays (899-916)

               Plot (920-922)

               Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie, Scenes 1-5 (1160-1183)

 

 

Wednesday: Character (922-925)

                    Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie, Scenes 6-7 (1183-1206)

 

Week 14: 4/21, 4/23

Monday: Dialogue (925-929)

               Staging (929-932)

               William Shakespeare, Othello, Acts I-II (1012-1047)

 

Wednesday: Symbolism and Irony (932-933)

                    William Shakespeare, Othello, Act III (1047-1067)

 

Week 15: 4/28, 4/30

Monday: Theme (934-935)

               William Shakespeare, Othello, Act IV-V (1067-1097)

 

Wednesday: Drama Quiz

                    August Wilson, Fences (1467-1516)

 

Week 16: 5/5

Monday: Final Comparative Paper Due

               Final Review Day

 

FINAL EXAM: TBA