Syllabus

Middle Georgia State College - Department of English - Fall 2013

English 1102

Instructor: Sharon Aiken – H/SS 248 - Office phone: 478-471-2893

Office hours:  M/W: WRC: 2-3 p.m.; T/TH: H/SS 248: 2-5 p.m.

Email: sharon.aiken@maconstate.edu - Use your Macon State email. I check and respond to my Macon State email, Monday-Thursday and on Sunday evenings.  I expect you to do likewise, because I use email for class announcements or changes in the class schedule. 

Website:   aikenenglish1102fall2013.blogspot.com

Required Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C is required in ENGL 1101 before a student may take English 1102.

MGSC and MGSC English Dept. Policy Statements:

30-Hour Rule: In accordance with Board of Regents policy, students must complete ENGL 1101 and

ENGL 1102 before earning thirty hours of course credit.

Exit Requirements: All students must complete ENGL 1101 with a grade of A, B, or C to proceed to

ENGL 1102 and to receive Area A1 credit.

Regents Exemption: Students who complete both ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102 with grades of A, B, or C have fulfilled the University System of Georgia Regents Reading and Writing Requirements.

Supplemental Instruction: ENGL 0099A Basic Writing and Grammar and ENGL 099B Essays and

Advanced Grammar are Learning Support classes that students may elect to take along with ENGL

1101 or in preparation for ENGL 1101.

MGSC Academic Misconduct Statement: As a Middle Georgia State College student and as a student in this class, you are responsible for reading, understanding, and abiding by the MGSC Student Code of Conduct. The Student Code of Conduct is included in the MGSC Student Handbook and is available online at  http://www.mga.edu/student- affairs/docs/MGSC_Student_Handbook.pdf.

Policy on Disability Accommodations: “Students seeking academic accommodations for a special need must contact Middle Georgia State College Office of Disability Services  in Macon at (478) 471-2985 or  in Cochran at  (478) 934-3023.  Students may also visit the Disability Services Office in room 266 of the Student Life Center on the Macon campus or in Sanford Hall on the Cochran campus.”

Attendance Policy: This class follows the guidelines established by MGSC as follows:  “Students whose number of absences is more than twice the number of class meetings per week [4] may be assigned a failing grade for the course at the discretion of the instructor. Students who have more absences than the number of class meetings per week, but less than twice the number of class meetings per week, may be penalized at the discretion of the instructor. Students who have absences which are less than or equal to the number of class meetings per week will not be penalized.” In addition, if you know you will be absent when a paper is due, submit your paper in advance. If you are ill and unable to come to class when a paper is due, be prepared to submit a doctor’s excuse, as well as your paper, upon return to class. (If a member of your immediate family has a health condition requiring your absence from class, remember:  that is still an absence.  [English 1101 and 1102 have been known to cause sprains, eczema, dandruff, sudden seizures of unknown origins, hospitalizations, broken bones, accidents, and the plague. Students and their families are most susceptible one to two days before a paper deadline.] Do your work, plan ahead and protect yourself and your loved ones.)

Withdrawal Policy: “ Students may withdraw from the course and earn a grade of “W” up to and including the midterm date, which occurs on [date].   After midterm, students who withdraw will receive a grade of “WF.” The MGSC Withdrawal Form, which is available online or in the Office of the Registrar, must be signed by the instructor in advance of withdrawal.”

Plagiarism Policy: If you cheat on a test, you will get a zero. If you plagiarize an assignment, that grade will result in a zero. Failing this course is the common penalty for plagiarism; it is difficult to achieve a passing grade, if one receives a zero on a plagiarized assignment. Plagiarism occurs when a writer uses the ideas, wording, organization, etc., of another writer without proper citation, whether intentional or unintentional. This includes having someone “help” you write the paper, buying the paper online, or lifting ideas, sentences, and/or paragraphs from another text. Keep an electronic copy of all assignments and be prepared to send it to me immediately if asked. Please go to the MSC Library site for further information on avoiding plagiarism. Note:

A plagiarism prevention service is used in the evaluation of written work submitted for this course. As directed by the instructor, students are expected to submit their assignments, or have their assignments submitted, through the service in order to meet the requirements for this course. The papers may be retained by the service for the sole purpose of checking for plagiarized content in future student submissions.

Required Texts:  Meyers, Michael. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature

Required Material: 

• jump drive - All in-class work is on computer; out of class papers will need to be composed and saved in either Ms Word or .rtf format. All work needs to be saved electronically.
• pocket folder for research essay
• half-inch binder in which all work may be kept and submitted at the end of the semester

Purpose of the Class:  English 1102 is an introduction to literature that continues the writing principles studied in English1101. ENGL 1102 introduces students to the three basic genres of literature—fiction, drama, and poetry—their conventions, and associated literary terms, with some introduction to critical approaches. ENGL 1102 students are asked to respond to literary works with essays that not only analyze themes, but also analyze literary techniques.

Student Learning Objectives - Upon successful completion of ENGL 1102, students will be able to:

·      

   demonstrate a collegiate competency to read critically and communicate ideas in well- developed written forms (MGSC General Education Learning Goal A1 [Communications]), read and respond to various texts for purposes of interpretation, analysis, synthesis, evaluation and judgment

·          have a working knowledge of literary terms and understand the effect of narrative, dramatic, and poetic conventions upon meanings,

·          use recursive processes that include collecting information, focusing, ordering, drafting, revising, and editing,

·          demonstrate the techniques and skills of research, integration of source material, and documentation.

·          use conventions of writing mechanics, usage, and style to communicate effectively for the given audience, purpose, and format (guidelines recommended by the Board of Regents Advisory Committee on English).

Course/ Essay Requirements:

Students must write four or more essay-length papers. They should write on each of the three genres studied. At least one of the four essays must require students to incorporate library research into their writing following the MLA style. One essay must be an in-class writing. The four (4) required essays must comprise at least 50% of the course grade for ENGL 1102.

Definition of Plagiarism:

The following definition of plagiarism expands upon the Student Code’s description of plagiarism and has been adopted as standard by the English Department. For further explanation and illustrations, refer to the English Department’s “A Definition of Plagiarism,” available online at http://www.mga.edu/liberal-arts/english.

1. It is plagiarism to copy another’s words directly and present them as your own without quotation marks and direct indication of whose words you are copying.  All significant phrases, clauses, and passages copied from another source require quotation marks and proper acknowledgment, down to the page number(s) of printed texts.

2. It is plagiarism to paraphrase another writer’s work by altering some words but communicating the same essential point(s) made by the original author without proper acknowledgment.  Though quotation marks are not needed with paraphrasing, you must still acknowledge the original source directly.

3. Plagiarism includes presenting someone else’s ideas or factual discoveries as your own.  If you follow another person’s general outline or approach to a topic, presenting another’s original thinking or specific conclusions as your own, you must cite the source even if your work is in your own words entirely.  When you present another’s statistics, definitions, or statements of fact in your own work, you must also cite the source.

4. Plagiarism includes allowing someone else to prepare work that you present as your own.

5. Plagiarism applies in other media besides traditional written texts, including, but not limited

to, oral presentations, graphs, charts, diagrams, artwork, video and audio compositions, and other electronic media such as web pages, PowerPoint presentations, and online discussion postings.

Midterm Deadlines and Portfolios:

• Students should have at least two graded essays returned to them before the semester’s withdrawal deadline.
• At the end of the semester, all essays are to be filed for one full semester. After one semester, instructors may allow students to pick up their papers.

Final Examination:

The final examination in English 1101 is a two-hour essay written in response to class reading. Students may take notes on the reading using a 3” by 5” note card. This card may not contain any full sentences, with the exception of documented quotes from the readings. In class, the students will be given a choice of at least two topics based on the reading. The student will write on one of these options: he or she will not have access to the readings or to grammar handbooks, but the student may use his or her note cards, a dictionary, and a thesaurus. The final exam essay should reflect knowledge of the readings, but mere summary of the readings will not be acceptable. Any additional instructions for the final exam will be provided by the instructor. The final exam must count for 20 % of the student’s final grade.

Grading Scale:

Grade	Average
A	90-100 / Excellent Work
B	80-89/Good Work
C	70-79/Satisfac tory Work
D	60-69/Unsatisfactory
F	< 60/ Failing

Class Policies:

1.       Please be on time; if you drive a distance to get here, plan accordingly. There are times we are all tardy, but being in class, ready to work says a great deal about your serious attention to this class and does not go unnoticed.

2.       Assignments are to be handed in on time, typed. Writing on class computers is part of the class; there will be both in-class and out-of-class essays.  Title all assignments and use MLA format.

3.       If a hard copy of the paper is not handed in on time, in class, the date that it is due, you may email a copy of the paper, WITH PENALTIES :

a) you will automatically forfeit a letter grade off the paper

b) that essay may not be graded until the end of the semester, which is when I grade all late work

c) if it is the first or second essay, you will not have an opportunity to revise the essay for a higher grade.  

4.       Students have the option of revising the first and second essays with the following stipulations:

a.       The students makes time to conference with me on the mistakes noted in the paper

b.      The original essay and rubric must be handed in with the revised essay

c.       If the only edits made to the paper are for grammar/mechanics/corrections , the grade will remain the same (the student has only copied and corrected)

d.      Substantive revisions could gain the student as much as one letter grade

5.       I will NOT accept a research paper late or via email.

6.       If you plan to print out of class essays in class, please attend to them it in the first 10 min. of class. Do NOT plan to revise, or retype your paper when you come to class—this should be done on your own.

7.       IF YOU USE ANY WORD PROCESSING PROGRAM OTHER THAN MS WORD, SAVE YOUR PAPER AS AN .rtf  (Rich Text Format) file.  Your paper cannot be opened, cannot be read, cannot be printed otherwise. Not even the tech guys and gurus in the library can help.

8.       If you miss a daily assignment, you may NOT make it up; if you FAIL TO TURN IN a major essay, your grade will result in a ZERO. You MUST complete all major assignments to pass the class.

9.       I expect students to demonstrate a professional demeanor in their attitude, manner and language, both written and spoken.  Turn your phones on “manner mode” if you must keep them on. Do not text, update your facebook status, shop on your tablet, or surf the web when I am teaching, when we are engaged in peer review or class discussion, or when students give a presentation. If you want to enjoy those activities, I will ask you to leave the class. This class asks only two hours and a forty minutes of your undivided attention each week. If that is too difficult, you should reconsider whether you are serious about this class.

10.   Please do not distract others who are working or paying attention in this class. I respect your right to fail this class, but not your right to infringe upon others who may want to pass. No one needs to be distracted.

11.   Active Participation is expected from every student in class and is worth ten percent of your final grade. It begins but does not end with attendance and includes the following:

Criteria	25 pts.	20 pts.	15 pts.	0-10 pts. & below
Attendance	Attends class regularly – with no more than 1 absence at mid-term; usually prompt & professional	Attends class regularly; no more than 1 absence at mid-term; professional & seldom tardy	Attends class regularly; may have more than 2 absences at this point; professional	Has missed more than 2 days and often presented as unprofessional
Level of Active Engagement	Proactive in class; contributes with ideas, questions, observations; answers questions; treats classmates & professor with courtesy	Contributes to class; frequently offers comments, answers & asks questions; treats classmates & professor with courtesy	Offers some observations and answers questions now and then or when called on; treats classmates & professor with courtesy	Rarely contributes to class by offering ideas or asking questions. primarily a non-participant. Does not add to class discussion, but sits silently.
Listening Skills	Listens when others talk; builds on others’ ideas; involves others in class by asking questions or seeking others’ responses	Listens then others talk; frequently builds on ideas of others.	Listens when  others talk, but does not respond to ideas	Often does not listen when others talk; often distracted by his/her own agenda—e.g., the internet, studying for another class, talking to peers, when inappropriate
Preparation	Almost always prepared for class, with assignments and required class materials	Usually prepared for class	Frequently prepared for class	Seldom prepared

The Writing Center is NOW OPEN; additional information will be forthcoming, but it is in your best interest to use the writing center to improve your writing

IMPORTANT DATES:

·       August 22: Last Day to Make Class Schedule Changes

·       September 2: Labor Day Holiday

·       October 16: Last Day to Withdraw from a Regular Session Class with a "W"

·       November 25-29: Thanksgiving Holidays

·       December 9: Regular Session Classes End

·       December 10-13: Final Exams for Regular Session Classes (refer to the Academic Calendar for the Exam Schedule)

Grading and Assignments:

Assignment	Percent of Grade	Tentative Due Date
Essay # 1 – in-class over short prose and class discussion	10	09/03
Essay #2 – Prose – with research, including internal citation, works cited, in MLA format	10	09/30
Essay #3 –  Poetry	10	10/28
Essay #4 – Drama - Oedipus	20	11/18
Quiz 1 – literary terms and selected short stories	10	09/23
Quiz 2 – poetic techniques and terms and selected poems	10	10/21
Class Participation	10	12/09
FINAL ESSAY  – Literary Analysis over Doubt	20	TBA

Tentative Schedule by week—reading selections should be completed by the date announced in class (TBA = to be announced); do expect to ask and answer questions about each story:

08/19: print out and read the full syllabus for our next class; discussion of major points on syllabus today; discussion of critical/active reading; for second day of class: introduction to prose fiction and literary terms, using Walker, “The Flowers,” 82; Carver, “Popular Mechanics,” 276; “55 Miles to the Gas Pump,” 450  as examples; in addition to terms incorporated in text, emphasis will be placed on inference in interpretation

08/26: Discussion of two stories as well as strategies and techniques used within those stories: “A Rose for Emily,” 84 and “Killings,” 96.

09/02: Labor Day Holiday

09/03: Writing over short prose: Essay #1

09/09: Reading of two stories: “Good Country People,” 378; also 408-410 for day one; for the second day: “Revelation,” 392 and 432-447

09/16: Assignment and discussion of the literary research paper—continued both days

09/23: Day one: work on research essay; day two: Quiz #1 over terms, stories, and MLA format

09/30: Research essay due (Essay # 2)(additional work TBA)

10/07: Introduction to Poetry, 549-569 and 592; poems: “Those Winter Sundays,” 551; “The Fish,” 561; “Mountain Graveyard,” 564; “l(a,” 565; “Manners,” 593; terms found in text, 600-606; “Common Ground,” 606; if time allows, “The Diction and Tone in Four Love Poems,” 611-617

10/14: Imagery, Figures of Speech, Symbolism, Allegory, Irony; Sound and Rhythm in poetry, pages 636-756; poems TBA

10/21: day one: final discussion of poetry; day two: Quiz #2 over poetry and essay assigned

10/28: Essay #3 due; introduction to Greek drama and the study of Sophocles’ Oedipus

11/04: Oedipus study

11/11: Oedipus study

11/18: Essay #4, over Oedipus due; begin study of modern drama, Doubt

11/25:  THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS

12/02: study of modern drama, Doubt

12/09: study of modern drama, Doubt

12/TBA: FINAL EXAM