Composition II Syllabus for 2013-2014
Return to Syllabus List
Instructor Information
Instructor
Shelby Amiro-Wilson (Curriculum Vitae)Office Hours
Available via Google Meets with appointment.
Course Information
Recording Policy
Disability Statement
Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact disAbility Services (Student Service Center room 119, phone 371-5436) as soon as possible.
Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:
As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc
Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:
Administrative Drop Policy
N/A
Student Withdrawal Procedures
N/A
Privacy Statement
The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students. If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .
Course
ENGL-1302-DC027 Composition II
Prerequisites
ENGL 1301
Course Description
Intensive study of and practice in the strategies and techniques for developing research-based expository and persuasive texts. Emphasis on effective and ethical rhetorical inquiry, including primary and secondary research methods; critical reading of verbal, visual and multimedia texts; systematic evaluation, synthesis and documentation of information sources; and critical thinking about evidence and conclusions.
Student Resources Student Resources Website
Department Expectations
Amarillo College English Department Plagiarism Policy, revised Spring 2013
\ \\ \
The English Department takes plagiarism seriously.
\ \\ \
Plagiarism is defined as the following: the use of someone else’s exact words that are neither quoted nor cited; paraphrasing someone else’s words without citing them; or using someone else’s research without citing it.
\ \\ \
Student plagiarism in the Amarillo College English Department is internally tracked. To clarify, records will be kept in the Department of those students who have plagiarized. At the beginning of each new semester, the names of students who plagiarized the previous semester will be sent to all English Department faculty.
\ \\ \
Plagiarism may receive a penalty of a zero. A subsequent infraction will be deemed a reason for expulsion from the class. At this point, the case will be referred to the Vice President of Student Affairs.
\ \\ \
Note: Self-plagiarism will be discussed with the class by each instructor and infractions for such are left up to the individual instructor’s discretion.
\ \\ \
In addition to the course description, the skills taught in this course will be primarily achieved through the study of literature. Also, in addition to the learning outcomes, students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of literary genres and the basic vocabulary of literary analysis, as well as write a researched literary analysis paper that utilizes peer review.
\ \\ \
Occupational License Disclaimer
Hours
(3 sem hrs; 3 lec, 1 lab)
Class Type
Dual Credit Course
Syllabus Information
Textbooks
Amarillo College English Department. A Rhetoric Handbook for English 1301 & 1302. Plymouth, MI: Hayden McNeil, 2013. Print.
Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Compact 7th Edition. MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.
Supplies
A computer with reliable access to the internet and a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, or LibreOffice .
OpenOffice and LibreOffice contain free word processing applications and can be found here:
Student Rights and Responsibilities
Log in using the AC Connect Portal
In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .
If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".
Expected Student Behavior
Amarillo College English Department Plagiarism Policy (Revised 2013):
The English Department takes plagiarism seriously.
Plagiarism is defined as the following: the use of someone else’s exact words that are neither quoted nor cited; paraphrasing someone else’s words without citing them; or using someone else’s research without citing it.
Student plagiarism in the Amarillo College English Department is internally tracked. To clarify, records will be kept in the Department of those students who have plagiarized. At the beginning of each new semester, the names of students who plagiarized the previous semester will be sent to all English Department faculty.
Plagiarism may receive a penalty of a zero. A subsequent infraction will be deemed a reason for expulsion from the class. At this point, the case will be referred to the Vice President of Student Affairs.
Note: Self-plagiarism will be discussed with the class by each instructor, and infractions for such are left up to the individual instructor’s discretion.
Grading Criteria
Percent-weighted scores for Amarillo College:
Essays (including semester test essay): 60 %
In-Class Timed Writings: 15%
Active Participation in Discussions (including Socratic circles and Roundtable Discussions): 15%
Daily Work (one-page responses, writing conference, quizzes, homework): 10%
For your Amarillo ISD grades, each assignment has a point value. More comprehensive and complex assignments are worth more points than daily grades and homework assignments. Your Amarillo ISD and Amarillo College grades may differ.
Amarillo College Grading Scale:
90-100% = A
80-89% = B
70-79%=C
60-69%=D
59% and lower=F
It is the responsibility of the student to request make up work when absent.
Work must be turned in on the assigned due date in class or no later than 11:59 PM of the due date in digital format to one of my email accounts or your e-Backpack:
shelby.wilson@amaisd.org or shelby.wilson@actx.edu
https://amaisd.ebackpack.com/login
Missed work must be made up within three days of the absence unless you make arrangements with me during your absence or immediately upon your return. Please be aware that failing to make up missed work in a timely manner puts you at risk of failling further behind. This impacts your overall grade.
Remember: Stay current with the daily lesson—if you fall behind it is easy to keep up via email.
Late Work Policy:
I do not accept late work on major assignments. Deadlines are posted well in advance. However, if it becomes apparent that you will not meet the deadline for some unforeseeable reason, you must contact me before the due date. In this case, you will agree to a new deadline after which no work will be accepted. Should you choose this option, be aware that 70 will be the highest grade you can achieve. Use this option only in an emergency.
I would highly suggest keeping up with your Amarillo College email and monitoring your grade through AC Connect:
Monitoring your college grade is entirely your responsibility. I cannot contact your parents/guardian about your Amarillo College grade. I also cannot discuss your Amarillo College grade with your parents without your express written consent.
If you have difficulties with using Amarillo College’s online systems, you can contact the CTL HelpDesk at (806)371-5992 or at ctl@actx.edu.
Attendance
Students attend this class at Palo Duro High School and must abide by AISD attendance policy.
Regular attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the student to attend class and to complete all assignments. If during the semester you consider dropping, please check with me first for an alternate plan, one that protects your investment in the course and gives you an opportunity to complete it. Remember that the deadline for drops this semester is April 24, 2014.
The Texas Education Code stipulates that students attending Texas institutions of higher education for the first time in fall 2007 and later may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career, including courses from which transfer students have withdrawn at other Texas institutions of higher education. There are certain exceptions to this policy and petitions for exceptions should be directed to the Registrar.
Calendar
Required Assignments and Exams
Since this is a composition class, learning is assessed through writing.
1.Timed Writings (approximately every two weeks, lowest 2 from the semester will be dropped from your AC grade only)
2.One-page responses (to assigned readings from text)
3.Socratic Circles (approximately every two weeks)
4.Poetry Portfolio (3 poems: 1 closed form, 1 open form, and 1 choice of author)
5.Short Story (2-7 pages)
6.Poetry Analysis (3-5 pages)— with research (MLA format)
7.Literary Analysis (5-7 pages)—with research (MLA Format)
8.Literature Circle Presentation—with PowerPoint
9.Writing conference for in-progress writing to be completed no later than May 2 during office hours. Writing should be as complete as possible, meaning that it will have an introduction, a body, a conclusion, and a Works Cited page, if applicable.
10.Final Exam: Two-hour, in-class final exam that assesses course objectives outlined in syllabus.
Extra Credit: Self-selected novel/play from list provided—or cleared with me—and book conference completed no later than April 25 during office hours. You may do this at any time in the semester and apply it to the current or a future six weeks.
Objectives:
Students will be able to
- read and think critically
- annotate various texts and reflect upon meaning
- analyze text for evidence and effectiveness of rhetorical elements
- apply rhetorical elements in spoken and written products
- write and speak clearly and effectively in standard American English
- utilize the library’s online databases; effectively embed research into a research paper using correct MLA format; and understand what constitutes plagiarism
- understand point of view and use of third person
- improve timed writings
Required and recommended reading
A Rhetoric Handbook for English 1301 and 1302: pages 3-60.
Selections from: Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Compact 7th Edition. MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.
Additional non-fiction and fiction readings as assigned.
Literature: Frankenstein; Hamlet; Heart of Darkness; science fiction selection for literature circles
Major assignments, required reading, and subject matter of each lecture and discussion:
Unit 1: Poetry: Literature, Art, Analysis, Purging of Emotion: (1/2-2/7 (and 2/14))
Essential Questions:
- What is poetry? Why use poetry?
- How does form affect meaning?
- How is poetry composed?
- What separates exemplary poetry from mediocrity?
1/2: Intro to course
1/3: Word Hoards Revisited: Poetry and Vocabulary Building Exercises
1/6: Read pages 712-741 in Kirszner and Mandell’s Literature
-Roundtable discussion
-Introduce Poetry Portfolio (Due February 14th)
1/7: Find a piece of art that you like, copy a small picture of the piece if possible, document the artist, title and location of the piece. Using it as inspiration, draft a poem about it and put it in a safe place for now.
-Read PS1-PS8 in Literature ( right after p. 720)
- Resources:
- The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC
- http://www.nga.gov/
- The Louvre, Paris
- http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?bmLocale=en
- The Prado, Madrid
- http://www.museodelprado.es/en
- The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) NYC
- http://www.moma.org/explore/collection/index
1/8: Prewriting strategies for poetry analysis in Timed Writing
1/9-10, 13-14: Modern American Poetry Discussion
Read and Annotate from Literature:
9th: Introduction to American Poetry
p. 1010-11 “Introduction to Poetry” by Billy Collins
p. 789-90 “Royal Palm” by Hart Crane
p. 790-91 “Dog Fight” by Charles Bukowski
p. 1067-68 Excerpt from “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman
10th: A Melting Pot Culture
p. 993-4 “Defending Walt Whitman” by Sherman Alexie
p. 995 “Papi Working” by Julia Alvarez
p. 995-6 “Africa” by Maya Angelou
13th: Unconventional Women
p. 1013 “’Faith’ is a fine invention,” “I dwell in Possibility—,” p. 1015 “Wild Nights—Wild Nights!” by Emily Dickinson
p.826-8 “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath
p. 780 “Living in Sin” by Adrienne Rich
p.836 “You fit into me” by Margaret Atwood
14th: Unconventional Men
p. 718 “l(a),” p. 781-2 “in Just—,” by e.e. cummings
p. 842-3 “A Supermarket in California” by Allen Ginsberg
p. 884-5 “American Haiku” by Jack Kerouac
p. 815-16 “Constantly Risking Absurdity” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
-Introduce Poetry Analysis: Poetic Analysis— Minimum 3 pages, 12 point font, double spaced, plain text, with documentation (research). Remember—the works cited page does not count into the page count. Due 2/7.
1/15- Poetry Timed Writing
1/16-1/17 What ever became of poetry? Music: True Modern-Day Poetry
-Read music lyric handout for discussion
-Bring printed out music lyrics for in-class assignment
1/21- Socratic Circle: Modern Poetry
-First one-page response due
1/22- Poetry Forms
-Read and annotate Literature p. 869-877
1/23- How to Quote Poetry in MLA Style/ Using Four-Square for Poetry Analysis
1/24- The Sonnet
-Read and annotate Literature p. 869-877
1/27- The Sestina
-Read and annotate Literature p. 877-880
1/28- Other Forms
-Read and annotate Literature p. 880-884
1/29- Poetry Timed Writing
1/30- Practice Writing Form Poetry
1/31- MLA Editing and How to Use a Computer to Improve Your Writing
-Bring completed, typed rough drafts of poetry analysis. Make sure to also bring a digital copy.
2/3- Socratic Circle: Form Poetry
-One-page response due
2/4- Old Dead British Guys
Donne’s “A Valediction: . . .” (823)
Herrick’s “To the Virgins . . .” (761)
Shelley’s “Ozymandias” (765)
Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely . . .” (932)
2/5- Modeled Poetry Timed Writing (I will be modeling timed writing for poetry on this day, you will be observing and taking notes)
2/6- Newer Old Dead British Guys
W.H Auden “The Unknown Citizen” (767)
T.S. Eliot’s “Journey of the Magi” (919)
Dylan Thomas’s “Do not go gentle . . .” (930)
Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est” (942-43)
2/7- Peer Review- Poetry Portfolio
-Bring three completed poems to class
-Poetry Analysis Due
Unit 2: The Novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (2/10-2-21)
Essential Questions:
- How does historical context play into the reader’s perception?
- What is “evil?”
- How do authors use archetypes (the river, light, darkness) to communicate their message? Where do these archetypes fit in our world?
2/10- Introduce Heart of Darkness, Literary Terms revisited
2/11- Roundtable Discussion: Heart of Darkness
2/12- Identifying Literary Elements and Tying them to the prompt in Timed Writings
2/13- Roundtable Discussion: Heart of Darkness
2/14- Poetry Reading
-Poetry Portfolio Due
2/17- Heart of Darkness Discussion
-One page response due
2/18- Read Sample Literary Criticism
2/19- Timed Writing- Fiction
2/20- Achebe vs. Conrad: Is Conrad a racist? Debate.
-Read provided criticism from Achebe, Bring notes for your side
2/21- Socratic Circle Heart of Darkness
Unit 3: Short Fiction: The Art of the Short Story (2/24-3/21)
- What is important in a story?
- How does form affect meaning? (revisited)
- Does life imitate art? Does art imitate life?
- How does truth play into verisimilitude?
2/24- Discuss “The Yellow Wallpaper” (p.394-405) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
-Introduce short story (2-7 pages), due 3/21
2/25- Discuss “The Yellow Wallpaper” (p.394-405) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
2/26- Modeled Fiction Timed Writing (I will be modeling timed writing for fiction on this day, you will be observing and taking notes)
2/27- Discuss “Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe (p. 677-80)
-Point of View Exercise
2/28- Dialogue Workshop Using “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway (p. 145-9) and other examples- in-class group activity
-One page response due
3/3- Discuss “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner (p. 209-215)
3/4- Discuss “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner (p. 209-215)
3/5- Timed Writing: Fiction
3/6- Verisimilitude: Creating believability over reality.
3/7- Peer Review for Short Story
-Please bring a completed rough draft of a short story for peer review
3/10-3/14: Spring Break
3/17: Discuss “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings” (p. 628-33) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
3/18: Discuss “Araby” (p.375-9) by James Joyce
-One page response due
3/19: Very Short Fiction (Flash Fiction)
-Read “Snow” by Julia Alvarez (p.151-2)
-Read “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid (p. 157)
-Read “55 Miles to the Gas Pump” by Annie Proulx (p.164)
3/20: Very Short Fiction (Flash Fiction)
-Read “The School” by Donald Barthelme (handout)
-Read “The Man Who Shouted Teresa” by Italo Calvino (handout)
-Read “The Blue Boquet” by Octavio Paz (handout)
3/21: Socratic Circle: Short Story (Moderator Selected)
-Short story due
Unit 4: The Novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (3/24-4/11)
Essential Questions:
- Is knowledge power?
- What responsibility do we have with our own knowledge?
- How is knowledge dangerous?
- How does nature play into knowledge?
3/24- Introduce Frankenstein
-Introduce Literary Analysis: Literary Analysis— Minimum 5 pages, 12 point font, double spaced, plain text, with documentation (research). Remember—the works cited page does not count into the page count. Due 5/2.
3/25-3/28- Discuss Frankenstein
-One page response due 3/28
3/31- Discuss Frankenstein
4/1- Textual Connections- Pairing a Poem with Frankenstein
4/2- Timed Writing- Fiction
4/3- Discuss Frankenstein
4/4- Using Four-Square for Literary Analysis
-In-class writing activity
4/7- Discuss Frankenstein
4/8- Writing Better Sentences
4/9- Deconstructing Frankenstein
4/10- Discussion of Themes in Frankenstein
4/11- Socratic Circle Frankenstein
-One-page response
Unit 5: Drama Hamlet by William Shakespeare (4/14-4/25)
Essential Questions:
- Are we merely poor players who strut and fret our hour upon the stage?
- What does it mean to be a good person?
- Does my existence matter? (Do I dare disturb the universe?)
4/14- Introduction to Shakespeare
4/15- Introduction to Hamlet and Discuss Act I
4/16- Tips for Tackling AP Free-Response Questions
4/17- Discuss Hamlet Act II
4/18- Snow Day
4/21- Discuss Hamlet Act III
4/22- Doing a lot with a little: Using Hamlet Act IV for an in-class activity
4/23- Timed Writing: Free Response
4/24- Discuss Hamlet Act V
4/25- Literary Analysis Peer Review
-Please bring completed and typed rough draft to class for review
-One-page response due
Unit 6: Science Fiction Literature Circles (4/28-5/9)
Essential Questions:
- Does science fiction bring us to a greater understanding of what could be or make us fear the unknown?
- What does science fiction say of society’s view of the future?
- Is science fiction believable? Why?
Selections Available:
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
1984 by George Orwell
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
4/28- Introduction to Science Fiction, Select Groups and Books, Create Calendar, Create Norms
-Introduce group book presentations (PowerPoint, minimum 8 slides) Due 5/8
4/29-5/2, 5/5-5/6 – Literature Circle Meetings
5/2- Literary Analysis Due
5/7- Work on PowerPoint and prepare presentation
5/8-5/9- Book Presentations
5/8 - AP Literature and Composition Exam (For those who are testing)
5/12-13: Review for Final Exam
5/14-16: In-class Final Exam
Additional Information
No additional information available
Syllabus Created on:
11/30/-1 12:00 AM
Last Edited on:
11/30/-1 12:00 AM