English Composition II

ENG 122  3 credits

Fall 2003

Instructor:  Rebecca Potter

Class Hours:  Monday/Thursday 9am – 10:20am

Location:  Bristol Hall Room 220

Start/End Dates:  8/25/03 – 12/11/03

Email:  rpotter@coloradomtn.edu

Phone:  870-4447

Required Texts: Modern Writer’s Handbook, Kline and O’Hare

                           Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer

Required Materials:  Pocket Folder to use when turning in assignments.

Course Philosophy and Objectives:

English 122 is designed to build on what you learned in English Composition I and to further increase writing skills so students can compose a clear, unified piece of expository writing free of mechanical errors.  Students will be asked to read and think critically and to write with a strategic sense of argument and design using such rhetorical devices as examples, comparison and contrast, definition, and cause and effect, etc … .  This course not only considers the world around us, but each students’ place in the world community. Throughout the semester students will be asked to consider issues, reflect on their positions, synthesize their thoughts and articulate a position clearly and persuasively both in discussion and through their written work.

Requirements/Assignments

• Readings must be read prior to class.  This does not mean skim or simply glance through them.  You need to have some sense of what you have read and your thoughts on the material before you came to class in order to make class time most useful.

• You will be asked to write responses to readings.  I may give you questions or prompts to consider, or you may be asked to simply reflect on the issue being addressed.

• Class participation is essential.  You will be asked to participate in in-class exercises, class discussions and workshops.  In order for students to participate effectively, they must come to class prepared.  ***If students do not arrive with ready drafts on workshop days, they will be marked absent for that class period.***

• You will write 5 major papers.  One of these will be a revision of an earlier paper.  One will be an extensive research paper.

• Students must complete all five assignments to receive credit for the class.  If one or more assignments are not turned in, the student will receive an ‘F’.

Paper Format:  Manuscripts must be typed, double spaced with 12 pt. font and page #’s.  Margins should be one inch.  Title pages are not necessary;  titles can be centered above the first paragraph.  Please STAPLE, not paper clip your manuscripts.

Late Assignments:  Papers must be handed in on time:  late papers will be docked one letter grade per day late (unless you receive approval from me prior to the due date).

Attendance:  Students are allowed to miss two classes.  Any absences beyond that will lower your grade incrementally.  For example, three unexcused absences will drop a final grade of B to a B-.

Grading:  When calculating your final grade, I will use the following formula:  paper #1=10%, paper 2 10% paper #3=15%, paper #4=15%, paper #5=20%, written responses=15%, participation=15%

Plagiarism:  Plagiarizing consists of stealing and passing off the ideas or words of another without crediting the source.  We will discuss different types of plagiarism in class and how to avoid it.  If there are any doubts about what constitutes plagiarism, PLEASE see me.

Refund Date: September 12, 2003

Withdraw date:  November 14, 2003

Please Note:

• Any or all of this syllabus may be altered during the semester by the instructor as the learning environment requires.  Students will be notified of changes.
• Students wishing to withdraw from this course must INITIATE the course withdrawal/drop process.
• This class could be cancelled one week prior to the census date if an insufficient number of students are enrolled.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act:  Appropriate accommodations will be made for all students with documented disabilities.  If you have a disability requiring accommodations in this class, please notify the instructor as soon as possible.

Course Schedule

August 25                    Introduction to class.  Course requirements.  Writer as critic.

                                    Assignment:  Movie review.

August 28                    Discuss reviews.  Evaluative criteria.

                                    Assignment:  Read sample reviews.  Revise reviews.

September 1                LABOR DAY NO CLASS

September 4                View first half of “American Beauty.”

                                    Assignment:  Establish criteria.

September 8                View second half of  “American  Beauty.”

                                    Assignment:  Rough draft of movie review.

September 11              Workshop review.

                                    Assignment:  Final review due.

September 15              Turn in reviews.  Introduce community essay.  What does it mean to be an American?  A U.S. Citizen?  U.S. History and Government exam.

Assignment:  Read “America and I”;  Prologue from “Invisible Man.”

September 18              Discuss readings. The American Community

                                    Assignment:  Read “China’s Big Mac Attack”; “On Bad Teeth.”

September 22              Discuss readings. The Global Community.

                                    Read:  Excerpt from Ishmael.

September 25              Discuss readings. The Environmental Community.

                                    Assignment:  Read:  “Community and Cyberculture.”

September 29              Virtual Communities.  Review student example. Brainstorm for paper.  Hand out prompt.

                                    Assignment:  Rough draft of community essay.

October 2                    Workshop rough draft.

                                    Assignment:  Final draft due.

October 6                    Final draft due.  Introduce Into the Wild.  Hand out prompt.

                                    Assignment:  Read Into the Wild pp. 1-69.

October 9                    Discuss Into the Wild

                                    Assignment:  Finish Into the Wild

October 13                  Discuss Into the Wild.  Dateline Special.

                                    Assignment:  Rough draft due.

October 16                  Workshop essay.

                                    Assignment:  Final draft due.

October 20                  Final draft due.  Introduce cultural analysis paper. 

                                    Assignment:  Read selections on Columbine incident.

October 23                  View:  “Bowling for Columbine”

Assignment:  Read “Unnatural Killers”; “Hollow Claims About Fantasy Violence”; “When Life Imitates Video.”

October 27                  Discuss readings.  Brainstorm topics.

                                    Assignment:  List of topics.  Readings TBA.

October 30                  Library tour.  Discuss readings.

                                    Assignment:  TBA.

November 3                Research strategies.  MLA Citation guidelines. 

                                    Assignment:  Research for essay.

November 6                In-class research time:  the search for reliable sources.

                                    Assignment:  Research topic.

November 10              Creating a working bibliography.

                                    Assignment:  Bibliography.

November 13              Review bibliographies.

                                    Assignment:  More research.

November 17              How to synthesize research into writing.

                                    Assignment:  Outline and introduction with hypothesis/thesis.

November 20              Review outlines and introductions.  Discuss needed material.

                                    Assignment:  Working toward a rough draft.

November 24              TBA

November 27              NO CLASS  THANKSGIVING

December 1                 Rough draft workshop.

December 4                 Style workshop.

December 8                 Cultural Analysis essay due.

December 11               Evaluations.