St. Thomas Aquinas College Spring 2015

St. Thomas Aquinas College Spring 2015 English 102 Intermediate Composition (3 Credits) Mrs. Curley Website: ccurley.pbworks.com e-mail: [email protected]

COURSE DESCRIPTION

English 102 focuses on the development of ideas and themes discussed in English 101. Students read various novels and plays related to these themes for a more in-depth analysis. This course provides an opportunity to pay close attention to the kind of language the writers use to express their feelings and ideas on these topics.

We will expand on the six themes (gender issues, family relationships, friends/enemies, love, education, cultural identity and the self) discussed in English 101. Through a confrontation with these themes, students will discover ways to think about who we are and what is important to us as a culture. In 102, students move from a theoretical discussion of these identity issues to a more practical application of them as they affect the lives of a number of writers and thinkers. In 102, students can make more in-depth explorations of these ideas in the works assigned.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Students will be able to:

1. Analyze and discuss a variety of texts which reflect on the theme of American Identity

2. Write essays with the follow characteristics:

a. A well-defined subject b. A precise thesis c. An organized argument d. Sound paragraph division, structure and focus e. Correct grammatical usage, including spelling, subject-verb agreement, syntax, pronoun use and pronunciation.

3. Demonstrate the correct uses of summary, paraphrase, and direct quotation in order to the sources properly.

Upon successful completion of these courses, motivated and hard-working students should be able to identify the main point an author makes in a written work, infer the author's position on thematic elements of the text, and locate and marshal evidence to document an analytical response to that text; students should, in addition, be able to demonstrate proficiency in the acts of summary, paraphrasing, and direct quotation and to produce written essays that have a clearly articulated thesis, an organized argument, and usage that conforms to the rules of standard written English Requirements and Rules

1. You should actively participate in class discussions and take notes from lecture. The assigned readings must be completed by the day they are scheduled to be discussed.

2. Failure to participate in class discussions will result in daily reading check quizzes, the results of which will be factored into your participation grade.

3. There will be 5 out-of-class essays, which should be five to six pages long, double spaced, in 12-point font (Times New Roman) and 1 inch margins. Attempts to make your paper appear longer will result in a lowered grade. The midterm and the final will consist of identification of reading passages from the semester.

4. No late papers will be accepted. 20 points will be deduced from the grade everyday a paper is late and this includes weekends. You must get your paper to me the day it is due, even if this means sending it in with someone. For exceptional circumstances, I will need to hear from a parent/guardian to avoid penalty. Note: Papers are due at the start of class; those given to me later in the day will be counted as one day late and lose 10 points.

5. If you are absent the day a paper is due, you have two options. 1. Sent it in with a friend or sibling. This option is recommended. 2: Submit the paper by e-mail by 11:00am. Papers submitted later will be marked as late. Then, the day you return, hand in a hard copy . Be aware that you are responsible for any technical difficulties that may arise.

6. If you disrupt the class repeatedly with off-topic discussions or work from other classes you will forfeit a full 10% of your participation grade and risk losing points from your overall grade. Class time is for discussion and note-taking, not for doing the assigned readings. You are expected to be in class on-time.

7. If you are absent three or more times in a semester, you risk dropping a full letter grade. five or more absences (including legal absences) in a semester will result in a failure of the course, and no credit will be received

8. Text messaging has become an increasing problem in the college classroom. If you are caught text messaging you will be asked to leave. This will result in an absence and will be counted as a zero for the day.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism or cheating in any form is unacceptable. Any plagiarism found in a written work, homework, or other writing assignment will result in an automatic zero. Cheating on any quiz or test will also result in a zero. This is a serious offence, which will result in a grade of zero for the paper and possibly other disciplinary actions. EVALUATION

1. Five Essays (75%) Four Essays and in-class final

2. Blog (15%)

3. Class Participation and Quizzes (10%)

Students are expected to complete assigned readings before coming to class, attend every class, actively participate in classroom activities and contribute to class discussions.

Required Texts Beckett, Samuel. Endgame. New York: Faber & Faber, 2008. Keating, Helen Levine. Lives Through Literature: A Thematic Anthology. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995. (Text for Pygmalion). Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. New York: Vintage Books, 1997. Satrapi, Marjane. The Complete Persepolis. New York: Pantheon, 2007. Shakespeare, William. King Lear. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Sophocles, Antigone. New York: Prestwick House, 2005. Wilder, Thorton. The Skin of Our Teeth. New York: Harper Classics, 2003.

SCHEDULE

Pygmalion (Relate to theme of education)

King Lear and Antigone (Relate to friends and enemies)

The Skin of Our Teeth and Endgame (Relate to themes of cultural identity and friends/enemies)

The Complete Persepolis (Relate to themes of love, friends and enemies, gender issues and cultural identity)

Lolita (Relate to themes of love and family)

Final This will consist of an in-class essay. Topic and date to be determined. Blog Responses

We will have a course blog this semester which we will use to carry on the bulk of our discussion of class discussion and secondary texts. Each student is responsible for (1) posting at least 3 entries of at least 200 words (a long paragraph) during the course of the semester, (2) posting responses of at least 100 words to other people’s posts at least 4 times during the semester, and (3) reading the blog weekly. You are welcome to make additional posts.

Content of the posts: The posts should respond to class discussion or the secondary texts. In those posts, explain what you found most interesting and insightful about the essays and/or how they helped you better understand the primary texts. I don’t mind if you criticize the secondary texts, but your criticism should be thoughtful, insightful, and respectful of the author’s intelligence. Responses should respond to the posts.

Schedule of Posts: In order to insure that there will be discussion each week, everyone will be assigned 2 weeks when they have to post, and two weeks when they have to respond. You can choose when to make the remaining posts. I will post the schedule in the upcoming week.

Grading: Posts will be graded on a scale of 1-10 points. You can earn up to a total of 15 points for posts.

16-20 points will be awarded to substantive posts of at least 200 words that demonstrate an accurate and insightful understanding of the material and raise significant points for discussion. 12-15 points will be awarded to posts that are at least 200 words and show an accurate understanding of the material, but do not raise significant issues for discussion. (In other words, these posts are mostly observational.) 5-11points will be awarded for posts that are at least 200 words and demonstrate only a cursory familiarity with the material or that significantly misunderstand the material. (For example, such a post might only refer to an issue raised in the first paragraph or two of an essay, rather than the main argument of the essay.) 1-4 points will be awarded for posts less than 200 words.

Responses will be graded on a scale of 5-10 points. A student can earn up to 10 points for responses. 10 points will be awarded for substantive responses of at least 100 words. These are responses of 4 or more sentences which demonstrate a solid understanding of the material. 5 point will be awarded to brief responses, provided they contribute to the discussion. Note: Any posts or responses made more than a week after the reading it refers to is scheduled will suffer a 1-point penalty. Academic Integrity Statement

Academic Integrity, a commitment to honesty, fairness, respect, and responsibility, is the foundation of the learning process. All members of the St. Thomas Aquinas College community are held to the highest standards of academic honesty. While we recognize the participatory nature of education, we take academic integrity very seriously, and the College policy on academic dishonesty details consequences that can include dismissal from the College. That policy can be found in both the Student Handbook and the College Catalog.

As a student in this class, you must demonstrate your commitment to academic integrity by submitting work that originates in your own thinking and imagination, your ability to analyze and evaluate information, and your own knowledge, that you have done yourself, and that represents your very best efforts. When appropriate, your work should be supplemented and supported by other sources; however, you must always ensure that these sources are properly cited using the recommended documentation system.

Academic Disability Statement

Students requiring accommodations for a documented disability should notify the instructor before the end of the first week of class.