English 1102, Section 42
English Composition II
Spring 2010
Arts and Sciences, 342
TR 11:00am-12:15pm

Instructor: Salvatore Talluto					Email: salvatore.talluto@gcsu.edu 
Office: 	Arts and Sciences 1-53					Office Phone: 478-445-2013
Office Hours: Wednesdays 9:00am – 11:00am				Mailbox: A&S 3-03
		or by appointment

Required Materials

•	Madden, Frank. Exploring Literature: Writing and Arguing About Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. 4th edition. New York: Pearson, 2009. Print.
•	Kerouac, Jack. On The Road: The Original Scroll. New York: Penguin, 2008. Print.
•	A folder with pockets or a three ring binder
•	White Lined Paper 
•	A writing utensil

Course Description
 A composition and literature course focusing on skills required for effective writing in a variety of contexts, with emphasis on the academic essay and also including introductory use of a variety of research skills. All students, regardless of their degree program, must earn a grade of C or better in ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102 in order to complete the requirements for promotion at GCSU. ENGL 1102 will cover the following topics:
* Basic introductions to various types of literature, including poetry, drama, and prose fiction;
* Strategies for college-level writing about literary texts, including vocabulary, grammar, style, purpose and audience;
* Revision;
* Basic research methods for college-level work;
* Analysis of texts orally (class discussion) and in writing.

Course Goals
The following general outcomes for ENGL 1102 were approved by the Departments of English and Rhetoric for ENGL 1102:
•	To reinforce principles of writing and speaking acquired in ENGL 1101;
•	 To reinforce the principles and strategies of argumentation and analysis acquired in ENGL 1101;
•	 To write organized, clear, and purposeful prose that meets conventional standards of correctness. 
•	 To understand complexities of culture in order to write or speak about them;
•	 To create forceful and effective written argument in the academic environment;
•	 To reinforce principles of academic research and how to synthesize research in writing so that the insights and documentation are logical and clear;
•	 To gain insight into various ways of interpreting texts and presenting insights about them orally and in writing.
•	 To experience public presentation and public reaction to finished work.

Attendance
One of the main goals of this class is to reinforce your introduction to the larger discourse within contemporary culture and society. In order to facilitate this introduction your presence is required. When you miss a class not only do you miss out on the discussion but the invaluable insight and commentary which you may contribute is then also denied to the rest of the class. However, life often takes us in inexplicable directions. With that in mind you are allowed three discretionary absences. Any absences beyond that will result in a letter grade reduction for each until a total of seven absences, including the three discretionary, at which time you will be given a Failure due to failing to regularly attend class.

		Tardiness
Please come to class on time. Coming in late is disrespectful to the entire class and it disrupts the flow of learning. Two tardies will count as one absence. 

Grading
Please note that I do not assign grades but that you as students earn your grades and that they are non-negotiable. Your grade will be determined by your class participation, by writing and completing two essays, by giving an oral presentation, by completing a research essay, and also by completing a final take-home exam. The range of each grade is as follows:

Grade	Percentage	
A	91-100	
B	81-90	
C	71-80	
D	61-70	
F	0-60	

The following weight is given to each aspect:

•	Class Participation: 30%
•	Two Essays: 20% (10% each)
•	Research Essay: 20%
•	Presentation: 10%
•	Take Home Exam: 20%

Class Participation
One of the main goals of this course is to introduce you as students to the larger discourse of contemporary culture and society. In order to take part in this discourse you must be present and make a willful effort to contribute to the discourse. This includes not only class attendance, but also reading all assigned materials within the time allotted as well as responding to particular materials and particular prompts in class and for homework. This also means participating in class discussions and peer group sessions. All participation must be enacted with respect to all participants. Because discourse is at the heart of this course, class participation counts for 30% of your final grade. 

Responses to Assigned Reading and Class Discussions
	One manner in which to instill sensitivity to written and oral language is to develop reflective practices in which one stops and thinks upon what one has just read or upon a certain topic or just cycles through various ideas that might come across one’s mind. One of these practices is through creating a collection of responses to the required reading and to discussions held in class. These responses are due every class period! There may be exceptions on due dates of the essays and presentations. If ever absent or unsure if a response is required, then write a response anyway. Always assume a response is due! These responses will be shared with the class and will periodically be collected and responded to. This practice is meant to create a willful, reflective, and honest atmosphere in order to facilitate meaningful oral and written discussion within the class. This writing will be ungraded but is incorporated as an integral part of class participation.

	Computers, Cell Phones, and Other Distractions
	Unless needed for a documented disability or other documented special need, the use of computers, cell phones, mp3 players and all other distracting devices and behaviors are prohibited from being used or enacted during class time. If caught using these items or partaking in disruptive behavior you will be marked absent for the day. This absence counts against your three discretionary absences. Any absences beyond the first three will result in a letter grade reduction for each until a total of seven absences, including the three discretionary, at which time you will be given a Failure due to failing to regularly attend class. Note: You are still responsible for all work and material that is to be completed for that day.

Essays
You will be required to write two essays. One essay will be submitted to a peer group to be proofread, edited, and commented upon. After such a time, that essay will then be collected and commented on by the instructor. The essay will then be returned. That essay is then to be revised, proofread, and edited in order to be turned in as a final draft. A hard copy of the draft must be brought to class and handed in on the due dates assigned. An improvement in grade is not guaranteed by revision. A rubric for the essays is located at the end of the syllabus.

Research Essay
As part of the class you are required to develop a research essay based upon the literature and themes discussed in class. This essay can follow any number of approaches regarding the literature and themes discussed in class but must be approved by the instructor in advance following the times set in the class schedule. As part of the project you will develop a six page research essay with at least five sources, two of which can be essays or handouts assigned during this course and three of which must be sources found outside of the class from academic sources. A dictionary or encyclopedia can account for one required source but must be directly relevant and appropriate to the topic. A rough draft of the research paper will be submitted to a peer group to be read and commented upon. The rough draft will then be collected and commented upon by the instructor. The rough draft of the essay will then be returned and should be revised, proofread and edited. A final draft of the essay will be due on the date given in the syllabus. Revision does not guarantee a better grade.

Take Home Exam
The final assignment for the course is a take home exam. The essay will not be required to be drafted, peer grouped, or revised. Any and all material assigned within the class as well as any class notes may be used as long as they are properly cited. The essay is to be typed using Times New Roman font, is to be double spaced with one inch margins and should follow MLA format. This assignment will use the same rubric as the essays.

Length Requirements for Papers
Any final revised version of an essay or take home exam that fails to end half-way down on the minimum page length required will be penalized by one third of a letter grade. Each paper should follow MLA guidelines, be double-spaced, be only in Times New Roman font, use black font color, and have one inch margins.  For each additional page short of the page length requirement the paper will be penalized an additional one third of a letter grade. All drafts are to meet the full minimum page length requirement.

Turnitin.com
The school has provided us with a unique resource. This resource is Turnitin.com. Upon enrolling in Engl 1102 Section 42 I will add your name to the class roster on Turnitin.com. You will be sent an email to your MyCats email address. You must follow the instructions in the email. If by the third class you have not received and email from Turnitin.com or from me regarding registering to Turnitin.com, please come see me. We will go over the basics of how to use Turnitin.com but it is your responsibility to become familiar with the program. It is also your responsibility to make sure that you are registered on Turnitin.com in order to submit your essays on the assigned due date. All final drafts will be submitted to Turnitin.com.

Late Assignments
Papers are due during the class period on the dates assigned. Failure to turn in the assignment during that class period will result in a one letter grade drop for each day (not class period) that you fail to turn in the assignment. Because we will be working on them in class, at any time when a rough draft of an assignment is due, you are expected to bring to class a hard copy of that draft. The draft must also meet all typing, MLA format, and length requirements. Failure to bring a hard copy when a rough draft is due will count as an absence and as a late assignment. All final drafts must be submitted to Turnitin.com. If for some reason I am unable to open the assignment or it has not been received by Turnitin.com I will let you know immediately. Each day (again, not class period) beyond the due date that a readable format is not turned in you will be penalized by one letter grade. At my discretion a short extension may be possible for valid reasons. Unless an emergency, at least a full twenty-four hours is needed for such an extension. 

Academic Honesty
The Honor Code of GCSU and all inquiries and procedures regarding said code can be found under the link within your Student tab in Mycats. Within the Honor Code two items of importance are “cheating” as defined as “the employment of or rendering of any illicit aid in any assigned work” and “plagiarism” as defined as “presenting as one's own work the words or ideas of an author or fellow student. Students should document quotes through quotation marks and footnotes or other accepted citation methods. Ignorance of these rules concerning plagiarism is not an excuse. When in doubt, students should seek clarification from the professor who made the assignment.” Please be advised that while special emphasis is put upon these two particular items the entirety of the GCSU Honor Code is to be followed at all times. There will be serious consequences for breaching any of these items at any time.

The Writing Center
Located at 209 Lanier Hall, the Writing Center is designed to assist all students in all aspects of writing. In their own words at http://www.gcsu.edu/writingcenter/index.htm 

Student Needs and Disability Accommodations
If you have a 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 physical accessibility.  Disability Services, a unit of the GCSU Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, can assist you in formulating a reasonable accommodation plan and in providing support in developing appropriate accommodations to ensure equal access to all GCSU 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, we recommend that you contact Disability Services located in Maxwell Student Union at 478-445-5931 or 478-445-4233. (source Dean of CoAS, 12/2/2009)

Fire Drills and Alarms
Fire drills will be conducted during the semester.  In the event of a fire alarm signal, students will exit the building in a quick and orderly manner through the nearest hallway exit.  Learn the floor plan and exits of the A & S Building.  Do not use elevators.  Crawl on the floor if you encounter heavy smoke.  Assist disabled persons and others if possible without endangering your own life.  Assemble for a head count on front lawn main campus. (source Dean of CoAS, 12/2/2009)

Class Schedule
This schedule is subject to change in order to fit the needs of the specific class, particularly in the events of canceled classes due to weather or unforeseen circumstances. All readings are from the Madden text Exploring Literature unless otherwise noted as a handout. 

Class #	Date	Assignments	
1	01/13/2011	In Class: Introductions; Syllabus;
Handout: Robert Frost “Nothing Gold Can Stay” 
What is Art? Who decides? Why does it matter: HBR Interview with Sandra J. Sucher
HW: Handout: Howard Stevenson “How to Change the World”  Have books for Class # 2	
2	01/18/2011	In Class: Discuss “How to Change the World”
Handout: Dana Gioia “Do Not Expect…”
Close Reading
HW: Exploring Literature: Ch. 1 p. 3-20 and Ch. 3 p.57-105	
3	01/20/2011	In Class: Discuss Responses; MLA Format and Turnitin.com
HW: Exploring Literature: Ch. 2 p. 21 – 54 and Ch. 4 p. 150 – 177 Close Reading Essay Rough Draft Due Class # 5, 01/27/2011	
4	01/25/2011	In Class: Discuss Responses;
Handouts: Percy Bysshe Shelley “Ozymandias” and John Keats “Ode to a Grecian Urn”
HW: Close Reading Essay Rough Draft Due Class # 5, 01/27/2011	
5	01/27/2011	In Class: Peer Groups: Swap papers, proofread and comment on each paper. We will swap papers at least twice. Collect Close Reading Essay Rough Drafts
HW: Handout: Walt Whitman	
6	02/01/2011	In Class: Return Close Reading Essay Rough Drafts Discuss responses to Whitman poems;
HW: Exploring Literature Ch. 5 p. 178 – 204 and Appendix A and B 1312 – 1325
Work on Close Reading Essay Due Class # 8 02/08/2011	
7	02/03/2011	In Class: Case Study in Aesthetic Context:
Exploring Literature p. 457 and p. 685 -702
HW: Exploring Literature: The Harlem Renaissance 1098 – 1147 (No Response Due)
Close Reading Essay Due Class # 8 02/08/2011	
8	02/08/2011	In Class: Close Reading Essay due in Turnitin.com Jazz and Jazz Poetry Handouts: Kofi Matambu “Music and Words in America” and Michael S. Harper “Dear John, Dear Coltrane”
Critical Theory Presentation Packet
HW: Jack Kerouac On the Road 1 – 52
Critical Theory Presentations Due Class # 10, 02/15/2011	
9	02/10/2011	In Class: Discuss On The Road; 
Handouts: Allen Ginsberg “Supermarket in California,” “America,” and Selections from Howl 
HW: On The Road 101 – 201
Work on Critical Theory Presentations Due Class # 10, 02/15/11	
10	02/15/2011	In Class: Critical Theory Presentations; Discuss On The Road
HW: Jack Kerouac On The Road 201 – 251	
11	02/17/2011	In Class: Discuss On The Road; 
Handout: Amiri Baraka Am/Trak and Ken Ficara “Is Rap the Blues of the ‘90’s?”
HW: On the Road p. 252 - 352 and p. 53 - 68  	
12	02/22/2011	In Class: Discuss On The Road; On the Road Critical Theory Research Essay
HW: On The Road p. 352 – 407 and p. 69 -82
On The Road Critical Research Essay Rough Draft Due Class # 17, 03/08/3011	
13	02/24/2011	In Class:  Discuss On The Road; 
HW: Kenneth Rexroth “Disengagement: The Art of the Beat Generation” and John Storey “Postmodernism”
On The Road Critical Research Essay Rough Draft Due Class # 17, 03/08/3011	
14	03/01/2011	In Class: Postmodernism, Art, and Language
HW: Handouts: Helen Cixous “Laugh of the Medusa,”
Virginia Woolf “The Society”
On The Road Critical Research Essay Rough Draft Due Class # 17, 03/08/3011	
15	03/03/2011	In Class: Postmodernism, Art, and Language Continued
Handout: Sylvia Plath “Daddy”
HW:  On The Road Critical Research Essay Rough Draft Due Class # 17, 03/08/3011	
16	03/08/2011	In Class: Peer Groups: Swap papers, proofreading and commenting on each. We will swap at least twice. Collect On the Road Critical Research Essay Rough Drafts
HW: Handouts: Karl Marx Selections from The Communist Manifesto and Thoreau “Resistance to Civil Government”	
17	03/10/2011	In Class: Return On The Road Critical Research Essay Rough Drafts; Discuss Marx and Thoreau
HW: Handout: Martin Luther King Jr. “Letter from A Birmingham Jail” and Exploring Literature: p. 1076 – 1084
On The Road Critical Research Essay Due Class # 19, 03/17/2011	
18	03/15/2011	In Class: Discuss Marx, Thoreau, Douglass, and Martin Luther King, Jr.; 
Malcom X “The Last Message”
HW: On The Road Critical Research Essay Due Class # 19, 03/17/2011	
19	03/17/2011	In Class: On The Road Critical Research Essay due in Turnitin.com
“Ten Minutes,” “New Boy,” and “Strangers”
HW: Enjoy Spring Break	
20	03/22/2011	Spring Break
	
21	03/24/2011	Spring Break
	
22	03/29/2011	In Class: The Human Experience;
Exploring Literature: David Mamet Oleanna p. 1232 - 1262
HW: Finish Oleanna and read Exploring Literature: Charlotte Perkins Gilman “The Yellow Wallpaper” 720 -732	
23	03/31/2011	In Class: Discuss responses to Oleanna and “The Yellow Wallpaper”
Handouts: Robert Frost and W. B. Yeats and selections from Exploring Literature: p. 1205 – 1232;
HW: Handout: Edgar Allen Poe “The Masque of the Red Death,” Exploring Literature: Tim O’Brien The Things They Carried and Flannery O’ Connor “A Good Man is Hard To Find” p. 1172 – 1196	
24	04/05/2011	In Class: Discuss responses to the readings; The Human Experience Essay; 
Handout: Alfred, Lord Tennyson “Ulysses”
HW: Finish Ulysses; Handouts: John Keats “On Reading Chapman’s Homer,” “Homer” and Samuel Taylor Coleridge “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”  
The Human Experience Essay Due Class # 28, 04/14/2011	
25	04/07/2011	In Class: Discuss responses to readings; 
Handout: Samuel Taylor Coleridge “Hymn Before Sunrise, in the Vale of Chamouny”
HW: Handout: Samuel Taylor Coleridge “The Eolian Harp,” Percy Bysshe Shelley “Mont Blanc,”
“Hymn to Intellectual Beauty” William Wordsworth “The World Is Too Much With Us,”  “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” “To Toussaint L’Ouverture,” and “London 1802”
The Human Experience Essay Due Class # 28, 04/14/2011	
26	04/12/2011	In Class: Discuss Responses to Coleridge, Shelley, and Wordsworth; 
HW: The Human Experience Essay Due Classs # 28, 04/14/2011	
27	04/14/2011	In Class: The Human Experience Essay Due in Turnitin.com
HW: Handout: Ralph Waldo Emerson “Nature”
Exploring Literature: Plato “The Allegory of the Cave 1275 – 1280	
28	04/19/2011	In Class: Discuss Responses to Plato and Emerson; Take Home Exam
HW: Handout: Frederich Nietzsche “The Madman” and “The Meaning of Our Cheerfulness” and Exploring Literature: Albert Camus “The Myth of Sisyphus” p. 1272 – 1275
Take Home Exam Due Class # 33, 05/06/2011	
29	04/21/2011	In Class: Discuss responses to Nietzsche and Camus
HW: Handouts: Ernest Hemingway “Now I Lay Me,”
 “A Clean, Well Lighted Place” and Flannery O’ Connor “The River” 
Take Home Exam Due Class # 33, 05/06/2011	
30	04/26/2011	In Class: Discuss responses to Hemingway and O’Connor; Film Case Study: TBA
HW: Take Home Exam Due Class # 33, 05/06/2011	
31	04/28/2011	In Class: Film Case Study: TBA
HW: Take Home Exam Due Class # 33, 05/06/2011	
32	05/06/2011	 Take Home Exams Due in Turnitin.com

Grading Rubric for Essay Papers

Papers tend to have certain characteristics. This rubric is to help guide you in developing those characteristics. The rubric and the descriptions of types of papers is by no means concrete or exhaustive. There is always room for improvement. 

Excellent papers tend to:
•	Synthesize a clear knowledge of the rules and effects produced by language through analysis and evaluation of texts and topics utilizing a controlled use and manipulation of diction, grammar, syntax, and organizational techniques. Examples include
•	Having a compelling introduction that leads to a clearly understood thesis.
•	Superbly addressing all requirements of the assignment which may include meeting the length requirement, answering prompts, or following proper paper format.
•	Provides unique and insightful analysis of any texts, material, questions, conflicts, or issues concerning the topic.
•	Is free of any mistakes regarding spelling and grammar.
•	Ends in a thoughtful, compelling conclusion that recaps the major points of the paper and propels the reader into a forward-thinking frame of mind.

Good papers tend to:
•	Demonstrates adequate knowledge of the topic but either fails to capitalize on the opportunity afforded in finessing each rule or effect of language or contains a few minor errors. This can include:
•	Either containing a generic introduction with a clear compelling thesis or a compelling introduction and only a generic or bland thesis. 
•	Adequately meeting all requirements of the assignment but containing a couple errors such as not meeting length requirements or proper MLA formatting.
•	Demonstrating a knowledgeable understanding of the topic or material but may not address all concerns or may misunderstand a minute particular of the topic or material being discussed.
•	May have an occasional spelling or grammar error.
•	May either have a generic conclusion or may not containing an effective recap of all the major points or propel the reader forward into deeper thought.
Fair papers tend to:
•	Either demonstrates merely a general knowledge of the topic and material or consistently fails to further develop any of the key aspects or items regarding the topic, the material, the format, or the effective use of the rules of language. This may include:
•	Containing a generic or missing introduction or thesis.
•	Merely meeting the requirements of the assignment or containing a number of minor errors
•	Merely demonstrating a general understanding of the material or topic or failing to address major concerns raised by the topic or material
•	Containing a generic or missing conclusion
Needs Improvement papers tend to:
•	Either demonstrates a very limited knowledge of the topic or material or does not effectively capitalize on any aspect or item which would demonstrate a greater understanding of the rules and effects produced by language. This may include:
•	Sloppy or missing introduction and thesis
•	Not meeting one or more requirements of the paper such as length or format
•	Not demonstrating adequate knowledge of the topic, material, or concerns raised by the material.
•	Containing numerous errors including spelling and grammar errors but may contain long passages containing no errors which demonstrates the effort to correct errors.
•	Containing a sloppy or missing conclusion.
Fails to Meet Expectations papers tend to: 
•	Shows almost no effort or reasonable care. This is demonstrated by:
•	Containing a sloppy or missing introduction or thesis.
•	Failing to meet multiple requirements of the assignment.
•	Demonstrates hardly any knowledge of the material, topic, or concerns raised.
•	Contains numerous errors including errors regarding spelling and grammar with no visible evidence of any attempt to correct those mistakes.
•	Sloppy or missing conclusion