Syllabus
English 1102 English Composition II, Spring 2022
Section 31: TR 9:30-10:45 a.m., Arts & Sciences 336
Section 32: TR 11:00-12:15 p.m., Arts & Sciences 336
Professor
Dr. Alex E. Blazer
478.445.0964
Office Hours: TR 12:30-1:45 p.m. and 5:00-5:30 p.m. by appointment
The undergraduate course catalog describes English 1102 as "a composition course that develops writing skills beyond the levels of proficiency required by ENGL 1101, emphasizes interpretation and evaluation of texts, and incorporates a variety of more advanced research methods." While 1101 practices critical, analytical writing through the reading of exemplary essays, 1102 develops analytical, interpretive writing through the reading of literature. In this literature for composition course, we will learn how to critically think and analytically write by reading canonical and contemporary literature. We will look at literature as a complex encounter among Self, Text, and World. We will read individual poems by Dickinson, Stafford, and others as well as a poetry collection by Diaz. We will read short stories by by Kafka, Oates, and others as well as a novel by Lerner. We will read short plays by Albee and Parks, long plays by Sophocles and Shakespeare, and we will watch a filmed play by Shreck. Students will select poems, short stories, and plays for the class to read and discuss. We will journey through the entire writing process, from initial response to a work of literature, an interpretive thesis, literary research, outlining, an initial draft of a paper, peer review, and revision. Assignments include informal responses; peer responses; a drafted, peer reviewed, and revised close reading paper; a drafted, peer reviewed, and revised paper arguing a work of literature's significance; a group presentation on a work of literature; and a research paper.
This course's Academic Assessment page describes our 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.
as well as course outcomes:
- To reinforce principles of writing acquired in ENGL 1101;
- To reinforce the principles and strategies of argumentation and analysis acquired in ENGL 1101;
- 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 in writing.
- To experience public presentation and public reaction to finished work.
required (Amazon or GCSU Bookstore)
Abcarian, Klotz, and Cohen, Literature and the Human Experience, 13th ed.
Diaz, Postcolonial Love Poem
Lerner, The Topeka School
required (GeorgiaVIEW)
recommended (Amazon)
Schreck, What the Constitution Means to Me
Assignments and Grade Distribution
paper 1 close reading, 20%
The 4-5 page drafted, peer reviewed, and revised close reading will rigorously analyze either a short poem or a short story paragraph.
paper 2 significance, 30%
Using textual analysis, the 5-6 page drafted, peer reviewed, and revised significance paper will argue a work of literature's personal or cultural.
paper 3 research, 40%
The 6-8 page drafted, peer reviewed, and revised research paper will research and interpret an issue in a work of literature.
group project, 10%
Groups of 3-4 will choose a work of literature, compile a 12-16 source annotated bibliography of literary criticism on the text, write a 4-6 page paper summarizing the literary debate on the text, and share their findings with the class in a 20 minute presentation. Here's how to calculate your course grade.
Technology
We will use the course site for the syllabus schedule and assignment prompts; supporting documents include an attendance record, a course grade calculation spreadsheet, FAQ, a GeorgiaVIEW walkthrough, a guide to literary analysis, a research methods guide, and paper templates. We will use GeorgiaVIEW for assignment submission and the course packet; if you experience technical issues with GeorgiaVIEW, contact the Center for Teaching and Learning at ctl@gcsu.edu or 478.445.2520. Check your university email for course-related messages. Use an online backup or cloud storage service to not only save but also archive versions of your work in case of personal computer calamities.
Attendance
Because this liberal arts course values contemporaneous discussion over fixed lecture, regular attendance is required. Any student who misses seven or more classes for any reason (excused or unexcused) will be dropped from the course and fail. There will be a one letter final grade deduction for every unexcused absence beyond three. I suggest you use your three skip days both cautiously and wisely; and make sure you sign the attendance sheets. Habitual tardies, consistently leaving class early, texting, and web surfing will be treated as absences. Unexcused absences include work, family obligations, and scheduled doctor's appointments. Excused absences include family emergency, medical emergency, religious observance, and participation in a college-sponsored activity. If you have a medical condition, extracurricular activity, or job that you anticipate will cause you to miss more than four days of class, I suggest you drop this section or risk failure. The university absence policy can be found here. You can check your class attendance record here.
MLA Style and Length Requirements
Part of writing in a discipline is adhering to the field's style guide. While other disciplines use APA or Chicago style, literature and composition follows MLA style. Assignments such as in-class exams, discussion board responses, informal/journal writing, and peer review may be informally formatted; however, formal assignments and take-home exams must employ MLA style. One-third of a letter grade will be deducted from a formal paper or take-home exam for problems in each of the following three categories, for a possible one letter grade deduction total: 1) margins, header, and heading, 2) font, font size, and line-spacing, and 3) quotation and citation format. A formal paper or take-home exam will be penalized one-third of a letter grade if it does not end at least halfway down on the minimum page length (not including Works Cited page) while implementing 12 pt Times New Roman font, double-spacing, and 1" margins. Each additional page short of the minimum requirement will result in an a additional one-third letter grade penalty. Before you turn in a formal paper, make sure your work follows MLA style by referring to the MLA style checklist. Feel free to use these templates that are preformatted to MLA style.
Late Assignments
We're all busy with multiple classes and commitments, and adhering to deadlines is critical for the smooth running of the course. There will be a one letter assignment grade deduction per day (not class period) for any assignment that is turned in late. I give short extensions if you request one for a valid need at least one day before the assignment is due. I will inform you via email if I cannot open an electronically submitted assignment; however, your assignment will be considered late until you submit it in a file I can open. Because your completion of this course's major learning outcomes depends on the completion of pertinent assignments, failing to submit an assignment that is worth 15% or more of the course grade within five days of its due date may result in failure of the course. Failing to submit a final exam or final paper within two days of its due date may result in failure of the course.
Academic Honesty
The integrity of students and their written and oral work is a critical component of the academic process. The Honor Code defines plagiarism 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." The Undergraduate Catalog and Graduate Catalog define academic dishonesty as "Plagiarizing, including the submission of others’ ideas or papers (whether purchased, borrowed, or otherwise obtained) as one’s own. When direct quotations are used in themes, essays, term papers, tests, book reviews, and other similar work, they must be indicated; and when the ideas of another are incorporated in any paper, they must be acknowledged, according to a style of documentation appropriate to the discipline" and "Submitting, if contrary to the rules of a course, work previously presented in another course," among other false representations. As plagiarism is not tolerated at GCSU, "since the primary goal of education is to increase one's own knowledge," any student found guilty of substantial, willful plagiarism or dishonesty may fail the assignment and the course. This course uses plagiarism prevention technology from TurnItIn. The papers may be retained by the service for the sole purpose of checking for plagiarized content in future student submissions.
Writing Center
Writing consultants will work with any student writer working on any project in any discipline. To learn more about Writing Center locations, hours, scheduling, and services, please go to https://www.gcsu.edu/writingcenter. If you have questions about the Writing
Center, send an email to writing.center@gcsu.edu.
Required Syllabus Statements
Additional statements regarding the Religious Observance Policy, Assistance for Student Needs Related to Disability, Student Rating of Instruction Survey, Academic Honesty, Student Use of Copyrighted Materials, Electronic Recording Policy, Academic Grievance or Appeals, and Fire Drills can be found here.
COVID-19 Statement
Information regarding USG, GCSU, and course pandemic policies (including course delivery, attendance, and office hours) can be found here.
- Readings marked Abcarian are in Literature: The Human Experience; readings marked Diaz are in Postcolonial Love Poem; readings marked Lerner are in The Topeka School. What the Constitution Means to Me is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
- This schedule is subject to change, so check back in class and online for possible revisions.
Week 1 |
T, 1-11 |
Introductions |
R, 1-13 |
Browning, "My Last Duchess" (Abcarian 173) Dickinson, [She rose to His Requirement—dropt] (Abcarian 394) Millay, "I Know I Am But Summer to Your Heart (Sonnet XXVII)" (Abcarian 867) Stafford, "Traveling through the Dark" (Abcarian 1150) Wright, "Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy's Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota" (Abcarian 1155) Abcarian, "Reading Literature" (Abcarian 2-10) |
|
Week 2 |
T, 1-18 |
Kafka, "A Hunger Artist" (Abcarian 335-41) Oates, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" (Abcarian 789-801) Abcarian, "Strategies for Reading Fiction" (Abcarian 11-15) |
R, 1-20 |
9:30 a.m. Student Selected Reading Larkin, "This Be the Verse" (Abcarian 187) Ostriker, "The Dogs at Live Oak Beach, Santa Cruz" (Abcarian 189) Dickinson, [I'm Nobody!" Who are you?] (Abcarian 606) Nemerov, "Money" (Abcarian 612) Housman, "To an Athlete Dying Young" (Abcarian 1127) 11:00 a.m. Student Selected Reading Dickinson, [I'm Nobody! Who are you?] (Abcarian 606) Nemerov, "Money" (Abcarian 612) Shelley, "Ozymandias" (Abcarian 1122) Dickinson, [After great pain, a formal feeling comes—] (Abcarian 1125) Housman, "To an Athlete Dying Young" (Abcarian 1127) |
|
Week 3 |
T, 1-25 |
Mahfouz, "Half a Day 1989" (Abcarian 90-2) O’Connor, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" (Abcarian 147-59) Abcarian, "Responding to Your Reading" (Abcarian 36-39) In Class Activity: Selecting and Analyzing a Significant Passage |
R, 1-27 |
Nordhaus, "A Dandelion for My Mother" (Abcarian 190) Cisneros, "My Wicked Wicked Ways" (Abcarian 193-194) Wordsworth, "The World Is Too Much with Us" (Abcarian 390) Ferlinghetti, "In Goya’s Greatest Scenes" (Abcarian P-3-P-4) Schildkraut, "Blackout" (Abcarian 860) Abcarian, "Drafting the Essay" (Abcarian 40-42) |
|
Week 4 |
T, 2-1 |
Kincaid, "Girl" (Abcarian 105) Xun, "Diary of a Madman" (Abcarian 505-15) Abcarian, "Some Common Writing Assignments" (Abcarian 47-58) |
R, 2-3 |
Diaz, Postcolonial Love Poem (Diaz 1-55) Abcarian, "Some Matters of Form and Documentation" (Abcarian 71-75) |
|
Week 5 |
T, 2-8 |
Diaz, Postcolonial Love Poem (Diaz 56-94) Abcarian, "Revising the Essay" (Abcarian 43-46) |
R, 2-10 |
Writing Day: Bring Your Laptops |
|
|
T, 2-15 |
|
R, 2-17 |
||
Week 7 |
T, 2-22 |
Lerner, The Topeka School (Lerner 1-110) |
R, 2-24 |
Lerner, The Topeka School (Lerner 111-90) In Class Activity: From Close Reading to Significance Theses |
|
Week 8 |
T, 3-1 |
Lerner, The Topeka School (191-284) |
R, 3-3 |
Writing Day: Bring Your Laptops |
|
Week 9 |
T, 3-8 |
|
R, 3-10 |
||
Week 10 |
T, 3-15 |
No Class: Spring Break |
R, 3-17 |
No Class: Spring Break |
|
Week 11 |
T, 3-22 |
9:30 a.m. Student Selected Reading Glaspell, "Trifles" (Abcarian 963-76) Albee, "The Sandbox" (Abcarian 1160-5) 11:00 a.m. Student Selected Reading Nottage, “Poof!” (Abcarian 976-84) Albee, "The Sandbox" (Abcarian 1160-5) |
R, 3-24 |
Sophocles, Antigone (Abcarian 417-47) |
|
Week 12 |
T, 3-29 |
|
R, 3-31 |
Group Project Groups 1-2 only: Adamson, "Unpinned or Undone?: Desdemona's Critics and the Problem of Sexual Innocence" (GeorgiaVIEW) Group Project Groups 3-4 only: Grady, "Iago and the Dialectic of Enlightenment: Reason, Will, and Desire in Othello" (GeorgiaVIEW) Group Project Groups 5-6 only: Roux, "Hybridity, Othello, and the Postcolonial Critics" (GeorgiaVIEW) In Class Activity: Practice Annotating a Scholarly Journal Article |
|
Week 13 |
T, 4-5 |
Ibsen, A Doll's House (Abcarian 211-67) Abcarian, "The Research Paper" (Abcarian 59-62) |
R, 4-7 |
Group Project Group 1 only: Lee, "Teaching A Doll House, Rachel, and Marisol: Domestic Ideals, Possessive Individuals, and Modern Drama" (GeorgiaVIEW) Group Project Group 2 only: Moi, "'First and Foremost a Human Being': Idealism, Theatre, and Gender in A Doll's House" (GeorgiaVIEW) Group Project Group 3 only: Oguer, "Ibsen's A Doll's House as a Psychological Trust Game with Guilt and Reciprocity" (GeorgiaVIEW) Group Project Group 4 only: Rekdal, "The Female Jouissance: An Analysis of Ibsen's Et Dukkehjem" Group Project Group 5 only: Törnqvist, "Comparative Performance Semiotics: The End of Ibsen's A Doll’s House" (GeorgiaVIEW Course Packet only) Group Project Group 6 only: Yuehua, "Gender Struggle over Ideological Power in Ibsen's A Doll's House" (GeorgiaVIEW) In Class Activity: Practice Annotating a Scholarly Journal Article Redux |
|
Week 14 |
T, 4-12 |
|
R, 4-14 |
||
Week 15 |
T, 4-19 |
What the Constitution Means to Me (Amazon Prime Video) Recommended: Shreck, What the Constitution Means to Me |
R, 4-21 |
||
Week 16 |
T, 4-26 |
|
R, 4-28 |
||
Finals |
T, 5-3 |
|
W, 5-4 |