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Course Policies

Professor Beth Ann Rothermel

ENGL 0102-009-. English Composition II: A Learning Community with Sociology 101-007.

Office Hours: In Bates 213, Mondays 9:00-10:15; Wednesdays 11:30-12:45; Thursdays 3:00-3:45; and by appointment (572-5336).

Contact Information: 413-572-5336 or brothermel@foma.wsc.ma.edu.

Required Texts and Supplies:

  • Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers, ed. John Schilb and John Clifford.
  • . . . And the Earth Did Not Devour Him, by Tomas Rivera.
  • A handbook such as A Pocket Style Manual (Diana Hacker) or Prentice Hall Reference Guide.
  • A three-ring notebook or folder for keeping in-class writings and quizzes.
  • Folders for turning in drafts of papers.

Course Description: In English Composition II, the second in a sequence of intensive courses in writing, students write to explore and respond to literature. The course looks at works of fiction, drama, prose, and poetry, giving special attention to the varied rhetorical strategies writers employ to express their varied ideas and viewpoints.

Reading, discussing, and writing about literature helps one to develop analytical and critical thinking competencies. In this course you will strive to construct and organize your own arguments about literature more effectively--to think more analytically about issues and to write about social and historical themes in a way that is convincing. By the end of this course you should be better able to handle the wide variety of communication tasks you face in the future.

This section of English Composition 102 is, however, somewhat different from other sections. In signing up for this section, which is linked with Professor Kate Bagley's Principles of Sociology (Soc 101), you have joined a learning community. This means that Professor Bagley and I, while not team teaching, are selecting some readings and designing some assignments that compliment each other. Much of the work you do in this class should help you with the work you do in Professor Bagley's class (and visa versa). For example, you will have opportunities to explore issues and concepts raised in your sociology class in more detail through the writing and discussion you do in this class. Our hope is that you will leave these two courses with a keener sense of how reading and writing about literature relates to sociology, as well as to your own specific personal, civic, and professional goals. We also hope that you will form stronger intellectual and social connections with the other students in this community, as well as recognize the importance of active participation in the larger WSC community.

Specific Course Goals: At the end of this semester you should be able to:

  • Identify, evaluate, construct, and organize logical arguments addressed to different audiences.
  • Read rhetorically and reflectively, with an understanding of the effects of various literary devices.
  • Engage in library and on-line research, evaluate source material, marshal evidence in support of claims, and accurately document sources.
  • Write with an engaging prose style, while adapting that style for different audiences.
  • Identify revisions and corrections needed in your own and others' writing.
  • See connections between the disciplines of Sociology and English Studies.
  • Produce final versions of your writing free from sentence-level errors.

For a more detailed list of course goals, see the Department of English’s Outcomes Statement for English Composition II.

Attendance: This class requires collaborative learning, so attendance is vital. Students who miss more than three classes will lose points off of their grade (10 per absence). I will also give weekly in-class writing assignments and reading quizzes. These can not be made up.  I will, however, drop the two lowest scores.

Additionally, much of the work that we will be doing in this class involves discussion. Your success, and that of the class, depends upon your regular contributions. This is especially true on days when you turn rough drafts in and do peer critiques. Failure to attend class on these days means that you will not be given a peer response assignment, and this will affect your grade.

Keep in mind the college’s policy on withdrawing from English Composition courses.  Students may only withdraw under extraordinary circumstances, which must almost always be documented.

Assignments: I will assign both in-class and out-of-class essays, along with weekly written and oral assignments. Unless otherwise notified, out-of-class assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date specified by the course syllabus. For each out-of-class essay you will write at least one rough draft before producing the final draft. You will also be expected to complete peer critiques and editing logs for each of these essays.

Assignments handed in late will be marked down. Failure to hand in a rough draft and peer critique will lower the grade on your final draft considerably. All drafts should be typed and double-spaced, and formatted using MLA or APA. For instructions on how to format your paper properly see your handbook. You will always need at least three copies of your rough drafts. Consider this an additional course expense. You should also retain a photocopy of all your final drafts. Conferences with me will be arranged when necessary. Any exceptions to the above guidelines must be discussed with me in advance of due dates.

Grading: Please find the criteria for grading on a separate departmental handout. Your final grade will be based on the following point system:

  • Essay 1:  An Evaluation/Proposal Argument, 100 points.
  • Essay 2:  A Literary Analysis/Comparison, 100 points.
  • Essay 3:  A Documented Literary Argument, 150 points
  • Essay 4:  A Dialogue, 100 points
  • Essay 5:  A Literary Analysis, 100 points
  • An Explication: 25 points
  • An In-Class Essay:  25 points 
  • 5 peer responses: 100 points
  • Reading Response Assignments/Quizzes (In-Class and Out): 100 points
  • Writing Process:  100 points
  • Participation: 100 points

To receive a “checkplus” for participation, you must have no more than one absence, contribute daily to discussions in a way that advances the discussion effectively, and show preparedness for class.

To receive at least a check for participation, you must have no more than three absences, contribute at least weekly to discussion in a way that advances the discussion effectively, and show preparedness for class.   

Total: 1000 points

Each final paper (of those done out of class) will receive two letter grades: the first grade will be for product (the essay grade); and the second grade will be for process (each process grade is worth 20 points). The criteria used to evaluate each essay will vary according to the assignment.  We will discuss the criteria used in evaluating each essay prior to its due date.  Note, however, that failure to pass in a rough draft on the date the rough draft is due will not only leave you with a process grade of zero, but will also lower your final product grade by one grade.

When I compute grades at the end of the semester, numbers will correspond to the following letters (i.e., 925 and above equals A, 900-924 equals A-):

  • A = 925
  • A- = 900
  • B+ = 875
  • B = 825
  • B- = 800
  • C+ = 775
  • C = 725
  • C- = 700
  • D+ = 675
  • D = 625
  • F = 624 and below
  • Checkplus = 93
  • Check= 80
  • Checkminus=67

Scholastic Dishonesty: Scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated. All cases will be reported to the Dean.  See the college's policy on plagiarism in the current course catalogue, or the gold brochure on scholastic honesty that you received in English 101.

Tentative Course Syllabus

This schedule covers due dates for major reading and writing assignments. All reading assignments are in the Making Literature Matter text unless otherwise specified. Each week you will complete either one or two in-class writing assignments/quizzes.  Keep these assignments in a folder, as they may aid you when selecting topics or composing essays throughout the semester.

January

  • 22: Introduction to the course. Discussion of course requirements/expectations. Activity.  HW:  Read pp. 3-12 in Schilb.  Select either prompt number 1, 3, or 5 under “Additional Writing Assignments” on p. 11 and write a 500-550 word response.  Please type your response, structuring it as a letter to me instead of a formal essay.  Put all that you have learned to date about writing to work as you construct this piece.  
  • 24: Discussion of writing assignment.  Why read?  Why write?  Self-evaluation.  Reading and writing from a sociological perspective.  Literature as argument—rhetorical situations. HW:  Fieldwork assignment.

Week 2

  • 27: Boundary Breaking.
  • 29:  The Literary Elements.  Short film. Arguing about literature—putting literatures into dialogue.  Conceptions of work.  HW: Read pp. 13-24.
  • 31:  Literature as argument.  HW: Read 24-36.  Also, read p. 634, pp. 682-691.  Tyler’s “Teenage Wasteland,” (handout) due Feb 5.

February

Week 3

  • 3: Poems about experiences in school.  Catacalos, p. 694.  Explication.  HW: Write practice explication.  Read Tyler’s "Teenage Wasteland".  
  • 5: Practice explication due.  Tyler. Elements of fiction. Devil’s advocate activity--invention. Essay #1 assigned (joint assignment with sociology). HW: First formal draft of essay #1 due Feb 7. Bring 3 copies to class.
  • 7:  First formal draft of essay #1 due.  Bring 3 copies to class.  HW:  Read pp. 36-45. 

Week 4

  • 10: Workshop. Focus on audience. Arrangement. HW: Peer critique assigned, due on the 14th. Read selected poems (TBA).
  • 12: Peer critique due--revision. Defining love—cultural perspectives. Love poetry. HW: Final draft of essay #1 due Feb 14. Turn in two copies of your final draft.  Include any prewrites, your rough draft, and peer critique in your folder with your final draft.
  • 14:  Final draft of essay #1 due.  More on poetry:  HW:  Explication, due Tuesday, Feb 18. 

Week 5

  • 18: Drama/Film.  TBA.  HW:  Readings, TBA.
  • 20:  In-class writing.
  • 22:  TBA.  HW: Read Gish Jen’s story, handout.

Week 6

  • 24: Culture—Jen’s story. Issues of fact/issues of symbolism. HW: Reading, TBA.
  • 26:  Issues of theme.  HW:   Read Currier’s "What They Carried," pp. 1438-1448.
  • 28: Currier story. Issues of theme. HW:  Read O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried,”  pp. 1424-1437.

March

Week 7

  • 3:  O’Brien.  Essay #2 assigned.  HW:  Prepare answers to questions for discussion on Gibson and O’Brien.
  • 5:  Joint discussion.   HW: First formal draft of essay #2, due March 7. Bring 3 copies to class.
  • 7: First formal draft of essay 2 due. Bring 3 copies to class.  Peer critiques assigned.   Documented Literary Argument Assigned.  HW: Peer critique due March 17.  Be thinking about topics for documented essay.

Week 8

  • 10-14: Break.

Week 9

  • 17: Peer critiques due. Workshop.  HW: Working on final draft of essay #2 for March 19. Include rough draft and peer critique in your folder with the final draft.
  • 19: Final draft of essay #2 due. HW: Proposal for documented essay.
  • 21:  TBA.

Week 10

  • 24:  Library visit.  Using sources to enhance critical thinking--summarizing.  HW:  Bibliography and source summaries due on March 26.
  • 26:  The research journey. Using sources strategically.  HW:  Research Log/Dialogue due on March 28
  • 28:  Shaping and argument and tailoring it for your audience.  HW:  Audience activity.

April

Week 11

  • March 31: Integrating sources.  Citation workshop.  HW:  First formal draft of essay #3 (documented essay), due April 2. Bring three copies of your essay to class.
  •  2:  First formal draft of essay #3 due.  Bring three copies to class.  Peer critique assigned.  Dickinson poems.  HW:  Peer critique.  Reading TBA.
  • 4:  Workshop.  Sign up for conferences.  HW:  Final draft of essay #3, due April 9.

Week 12

  • 7: Conferences.  HW:  Final draft of essay #3, due April 9. Include any prewrites, the rough draft, and peer critique in your folder with your final draft. 
  • 9:  Final draft of essay #3 due.  HW:  Read Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,”  pp. 1148-1173.
  • 11: Gilman and deviance. Essay # 4 assigned (joint assignment with sociology).

Week 13

  • 14:  TBA.  HW:  First draft of essay #4 due April 16.  Bring 3 copies to class.
  • 16:  First draft of essay #4 due.  Bring 3 copies to class.  Peer critique assigned.  HW: Peer critique.  Read Olsen's "I Stand Here Ironing," pp. 267-373 for April 18.
  • 18:  Workshop.  HW:  Final draft of essay #4 due April 23.  Turn in two copies of your final draft.  Include any prewrites, the rough draft, and peer critique in your folder with your final draft.

Week 14

  • 23:  Final draft of essay #4 due.  Olsen and stratification.  Rivera novel—preparing to read.  HW:  Reading Rivera novel for April 25 and 28 (pages will be assigned).
  • 25: Rivera novel. HW: Finish Rivera novel.

Week 15

  • 28: Rivera novel. Essay #5 assigned (joint assignment with sociology). HW:  TBA.
  • 30:  Joint discussion on Rivera novel.  HW:  First formal draft of essay #5 due May 2.  Bring 3 copies to class.
  • May 2:  First draft of essay #4 due.  Bring 3 copies to class.  Peer critique assigned.  HW: Peer critique.

May

Week 16

  • 5: Workshop.  HW:  Revising essay #5 for May 6/7 (TBA). Turn in two copies of your final draft. Include rough draft and peer critique in your folder with your final drafts.
  • 7:  Wrap-up. 

Please do not hesitate to stop by and talk to me if you have questions or concerns. You can also e-mail me at brothermel@foma.wsc.mass.edu