English 1102, Section 18
English Composition II
Spring 2012
Arts and Sciences, 149
MW 3:30pm-4:45pm

Instructor: Salvatore Talluto					Email: salvatore.talluto@gcsu.edu 
Office: 	Arts and Sciences 1-53					Office Phone: 478-445-2013
Office Hours: Tuesday 9:30am – 11:30am				Mailbox: A&S 3-03
		or by appointment

Required Materials

•	Gardner, Janet, and Beverly Lawn, Jack Ridl, Peter Schakel, eds. Literature: A Portable Anthology. 2nd edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2009. Print. 
•	Delillo, Don. Cosmopolis. NY: Scribner, 2003. 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 D or better in ENGL 1102 (I personally think you are all more than capable to earn much better grades) 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. 

Religious Observance Policy
Students are permitted to miss class in observance of religious holidays and other activities observed by a religious group of which the student is a member without academic penalty. Religious holidays do not pop out of nowhere, advance notice is expected. Exercising of one's rights under this policy is subject to the GC Honor Code. Students who miss class in observance of a religious holiday or event are required to make up the coursework missed as a result from the absence. The nature of the make-up assignments and the deadline for completion of such assignments are at the sole discretion of the instructor. Failure to follow the prescribed procedures voids all student rights under this policy. The full policy and prescribed procedures are found at: http://info.gcsu.edu/intranet/acad_affairs/ReligousObservancePolicy.doc

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 completing a Close Reading Essay, by giving an Critical Theory Presentation, by completing a Research Essay, and also by completing a final Take-Home Essay 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%
•	Close Reading Essay: 20%
•	Research Essay: 20%
•	Critical Theory Presentation: 10%
•	Take Home Essay 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 way to foster 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 to cycle through various ideas that might come across one’s mind while reading and write it down. This is called a reading response. You will write a response to every assigned reading. Responses will be at least a paragraph long and contains at least two quotes from the reading(s). These responses are due every class period! There may be exceptions because of due dates for essays and presentations. If unsure, always assume a response is due! These responses will be shared with the class and will periodically be collected and commented upon. 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.

	Cell Phones, and Other Distractions
Unless needed for a documented disability or other documented special need, the use of 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.

	Computer Use:
	This course is very digitally engaged and utilizes many of Georgia College’s electronic resources such as GeorgiaView. We will go over some basics but it is your responsibility to become familiar with how to use and navigate the GeorgiaView website. Electronic handouts and assignments will be posted to GeorgiaView so that they can be viewed from any location with internet access. Due to the heavy use of electronic handouts and assignments, during permitted times, you may consult your laptops, tablets, or e-readers in class and for the particular educational purpose of accessing these handouts and assignments. Any other use of these electronic devices is prohibited (including checking email or social media sites) and will be treated as a disruptive behavior as outlined above.

Close Reading Essay
This essay will be submitted in three parts. You will write a first draft in hard copy following MLA Guidelines to submit to a peer group to be proofread, edited, and commented upon. After such a time, the essay will then be collected and commented on by the instructor. The essay will be returned to be revised, proofread, and edited in order to be turned in electronically as a final draft in any Rich Text or Word Document Format (.doc, .docx, etc) at Turnitin.com. The final draft will be graded, commented on, and returned. You will then have the option to revise the essay further on your own time and resubmit it to Turnitin.com on the appropriate due date.  An improvement in grade is not guaranteed by revision. A rubric for the essays is located at the end of the syllabus.

Critical Theory Presentation
You will be assigned to a group. You and your group will be assigned a literary theory to research and present to the class. At least 3 academic sources must be consulted and cited in your presentation. You and your group will then come up with an example of how that theory might be applied to one of the poems or stories which we have read so far. Note: Do not interpret the whole poem. Just give one example. You and your group will then create a 10-15 minute presentation to display to the class. This presentation will be graded based on your knowledge of the topic, the appropriateness of your sources, your diction, clarity of the presentation, equal sharing of the duties regarding preparation and presentation, and the creation and use of a visual aid (Slideshows and handouts seem to work best). Your group will also receive public reaction to your presentation from your peers based on these characteristics. Note: I only expect you to become introduced to these theories and familiar with their main objectives and techniques not to instantly become experts in these theories.

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. The research essay will also be submitted to Turnitin.com and subjected to the same formatting, drafting and revision process as the Close Reading Essay.

Take Home Essay Exam
The final assignment for the course is a take home essay 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. 

Format and Length Requirements for Papers
Each essay should be submitted in any Rich Text or Word Document (.doc, .docx, etc) and should follow MLA guidelines: 12pt, Times New Roman font, black font color, double spaced and contain a proper header, heading, and margins (one inch all around). Any final or 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. For every additional page short of the page length requirement the paper will also be penalized an additional one third of a letter grade. All drafts are to meet the full minimum page length requirement.

Due Dates and Late Assignments
Assignments are due during the class period on the dates assigned (with some exceptions for essays due in Turnitin.com). 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 a hard copy of that draft to class. 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 and be submitted by 11:59pm on the due date stated below in the course schedule. 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 but unless an emergency, at least a full twenty-four hours is needed for such an extension.

Turnitin.com
Georgia College has provided us with a unique resource. This resource is Turnitin.com. Upon enrolling in Engl 1102 Section 18 I will add your name to the class roster on Turnitin.com. You will be sent an email to your Georgia College email address. You must follow the instructions in the email. If by the third class you have not received an 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 and should be uploaded as Rich Text or Word Document (.doc, .docx, etc) formats.

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. To learn more visit 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)

Student Opinion Surveys
Given the technological sophistication of Georgia College students, the student opinion survey is being delivered through an online process. Your constructive feedback plays an indispensable role in shaping quality education at Georgia College. All responses are completely confidential and your name is not stored with your responses in any way. In addition, instructors will not see any results of the opinion survey until after final grades are submitted to the University. An invitation to complete the online opinion survey is distributed to students near the end of the semester. Your participation in this very important process is greatly appreciated.

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 Literature anthology unless otherwise noted as a handout. 

Date	Assignments	
01/09/2012	In Class: Introductions; Syllabus; 
HW: Handouts: Cardinal John Henry Newman “Knowledge Its Own End” from The Idea of a University and Thomas Aquinas College “What Is A Liberal Education?” Have books for Class # 3	
01/11/2012	In Class: What is a Liberal Arts Education and Why is it Important?
Video Clip: Homi Bhabha “Humanities: A Culture of Knowledge”
Handout: Dana Gioia “Do Not Expect…” and Robert Frost “Nothing Gold Can Stay”
Close Reading
HW: Handouts: William Carlos Williams; Dana Gioia; Katherine Acheson “Research Within the Text”	
01/18/2012	In Class: Discuss responses; What is Art?
 MLA Format and Turnitin.com
HW: Literature: Edwin Arlington Robinson, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Robert Frost 548 – 554; Gertrude Stein 555; Marianne Moore 560-561; Handout: Dana Gioia “Can Poetry Matter?”  	
01/23/2012	In Class: Discuss responses; Close Reading Essay
HW: Literature: Ambrose Pierce, Guy De Maupassant, Kate Chopin, Anton Chekhov 51 – 70; Lorine Niedecker 578; Theodore Roethke 583; Robert Hayden 587; Samuel Hazo 619
Close Reading Essay: Thesis Statement Due 01/30/2012 and Rough Draft Due 02/01/2012	
01/25/2012	In Class: Discuss responses.  
HW: Literature: Jimmy Santiago Baca 696; Ray Gonzalez 699; Thilias Moss 705; Virgil Suarez 724; Allison Joseph 728; “The Writing Process” 1192-1218
Close Reading Essay Thesis Statement Due 01/30/2012 and Rough Draft Due 02/01/2012	
01/30/2012	In Class: Discuss Responses; Discuss Thesis Statements
HW: Close Reading Essay Rough Draft Due 02/01/2012	
02/01/2012	In Class: Close Reading Rough Draft Due: Peer Groups: Swap papers, proofread and comment on each paper. We will swap papers at least twice.
HW: Literature: Zoe Wicomb, Jamaica Kincaid, Amy Tan, Sandra Cisneros, Ha Jin 391 - 432 Handout: Katherine Acheson “Current Assessment of a Work”
Close Reading Essay Due 02/13/2012 in Turnitin.com	
02/06/2012	In Class: Discuss Responses
HW: Literature: Charlotte Perkins Gilman 70-84 and Alice Walker 368 - 375
Close Reading Essay Due 02/13/2012 in Turnitin.com	
02/08/2012	In Class: Discuss Gilman and Walker
HW: Close Reading Essay Due 02/13/2012 in Turnitin.com	
02/13/2012	In Class: Video and Audio Clips: TBA
HW: Literature: 461 – 487 and 538 – 546	
02/15/2012	In Class: Discussion Responses; Critical Theory Presentation Packet
HW: Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Keats, and Shelley from Literature 488 – 506  Handout: Katherine Acheson “Research About Social and Historical Contexts”
Work on Critical Theory Presentations Due 02/27  	
02/20/2012	In Class: Discuss Responses
HW: Alfred Lord Tennyson in Literature 510 – 517, Matthew Arnold “Dover Beach” in Literature 532 – 533 Handouts: Poems from Arnold and G. K. Chesterton
Work on Critical Theory Presentations Due 02/27  	
02/22/2012	In Class: Discuss Responses;
HW: Work on Critical Theory Presentations Due 02/27  	
02/27/2012	In Class: Critical Theory Presentations
HW:  Handouts: Percy Bysshe Shelley “Mask of Anarchy” and Henry David Thoreau “Resistance to Civil Government”	
02/29/2012	In Class: Discuss Responses; 
Critical Research Essay and Annotated Bibliography
HW: Handouts: Ralph Waldo Emerson “Nature” and Fredriche Nietzsche “The Madman,” “The Meaning of our Cheerfulness,” and “L’Art Pour L’Art
Critical Research Topics Due by 03/07/2012
Annotated Bibliography Due by 03/21/2012	
03/05/2012	In Class: Discuss Responses;
HW: ”    Handouts: Flannery O’Connor “The River” and Ernest Hemingway “A Well, Clean Lighted Place” and “Now I Lay Me”
Critical Research Topics Due by 03/07/2012
Annotated Bibliography Due by 03/21/2012	
03/07/2012	In Class: Discuss Responses; Critical Research Topics Due
HW: Literature: James Joyce, Franz Kafka 101 – 106; John Updike 300 – 305; Joyce Carol Oates 318 - 332
Annotated Bibliography Due by 03/21/2012
Critical Research Rough Draft Due 04/04/2012	
03/12/2012	In Class: Discuss Responses; 
HW: Literature: Wallace Stevens 556 – 557; T. S. Eliot 561 – 568; John Crowe Ransom 568; Wilfred Owen 570; E. E. Cummings 571 -573; Hart Crane 573; Dylan Thomas 590 – 591
Annotated Bibliography Due by 03/21/2012
Critical Research Rough Draft Due 04/04/2012	
03/14/2012	In Class: Discuss Responses; Begin Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie 970 - 1025
HW:  Finish The Glass Menagerie
Annotated Bibliography Due by 03/21/2012
Critical Research Rough Draft Due 04/04/2012	
03/19/2012	In Class: Discuss Responses; 
HW:  Literature: F. Scott Fitzgerald and William Faulkner 166 – 200
Annotated Bibliography Due by 03/21/2012
Critical Research Rough Draft Due 04/04/2012	
03/21/2012	In Class: Discuss Responses; Annotated Bibliography Due
HW: Enjoy Spring Break!!!
Critical Research Rough Draft Due 04/04/2012	
03/26/2012	Spring Break
	
03/28/2012	Spring Break	
04/02/2012	In Class: Intro to the Harlem Renaissance and Jazz Poetry; 
Handout: Handout: Jean Toomer, Sterling Brown, and Langston Hughes
HW: Literature: Claude McKay 569; Jean Toomer, Sterling Brown, Langston Hughes, and Countee Cullen 573 – 577
Critical Research Rough Draft Due 04/04/2012	
04/04/2012	In Class: Peer Groups: Swap papers, proofreading and commenting on each. We will swap at least twice;
HW: In Literature: Eudora Welty 213-220; James Baldwin 250 – 277
Critical Research Essay Due 04/18/2012	
04/09/2012	In Class: Discuss responses to readings; Discuss Responses; Black Arts; 
Handouts: Kofi Matambu and Michael S. Harper
HW: Literature: Dudley Randall 588, Gwendolyn Brooks 593; Michael S. Harper 649 Quincy Troupe 668; Alice Fulton 690 – 692  Handout: Amiri Baraka “Am/Trak”
Critical Research Essay Due 04/18/2012	
04/11/2012	In Class: Discuss Responses; The Beats
Handout: Allen Ginsberg Howl Section I
HW: In Literature: Robert Lowell, Robert Duncan, Charles Bukowski, Richard Wilbur 594 – 600; Kenneth Koch 605-606; Frank O’Hara, Allen Ginsberg, M.S. Merwin 607 – 611; Handouts: Kenneth Rexroth and Diane DiPrima
Critical Research Essay Due 04/18/2012	
04/16/2012	In Class: Discuss Responses:
HW: Don Delillo Cosmopolis 1 - 61
Critical Research Essay Due 04/18/2012	
04/18/2012	In Class: Discuss responses; Critical Research Essay Due 
HW: Don Delillo Cosmopolis 62 – 148	
04/23/2012	In Class: Discuss Responses
HW: Don Delillo Cosmopolis 149 - 209
Take Home Exam Due 05/01/2012	
04/25/2012	In Class: Discuss responses; Film Case Study: TBA
HW: Take Home Exam Due 05/01/2012	
04/30/2012	In Class: Film Case Study: TBA
HW: Take Home Exam Due 05/01/2012	
05/01/2012	 Take Home Exams Due

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.