English II                                                        

Professor William Patrick Wend

TH                                                                                

wwend@bcc.edu

ENGL152SECE2 1830-2110 Room 125                                          

Voicemail: 609-836-0641

Spring 2011                                                              

Twitter: @professorwend

Three Semester Hours                                              

Office Hours: By Appointment

Prerequisites: ENGL151                                        

http://engl152wwend.pbworks.com

 

                                         Required Texts

   •  Michael Meyer, The Compact Bedford Introduction To Literature, 978-0-312-67729-9

   •  Diana Hacker, Rules For Writers, 978-0-312-66481-7

 

                                      Learning Objectives

   •  Read, analyze, and interpret a selection of literary works in the genres of fiction, poetry,

      and drama.

   •  Develop further the analytical and writing skills learned in ENGL-151 and apply them to

      writing about literature.

   •  Frame, and communicate in writing, an interpretation of a literary text.

   •  Use basic literary terms to analyze, interpret, and evaluate literature.

   •  Assess the meaning and value of the literary experience.

   •  Display awareness of and sensitivity to the diverse human perspectives portrayed in

      literature.

   •  Recognize and evaluate literary primary and secondary source materials.

   •  Demonstrate, in at least one documented course essay, evolving skills in incorporating

      and documenting literary sources, using MLA parenthetical citation and works cited

      format.

   •  Display reading, listening, and speaking skills at a level conductive to the study of

      college-level literature.

 

                                    Expectations & Policies

Below is a brief description of how I will grade writing in this course:

      A: Mastery of essential elements and related concepts, plus demonstrated excellence or

              originality.

      B+: Mastery of essential elements and related concepts, showing higher level

              understanding.

      B: Mastery of essential elements and related concepts.

      C+: Above average knowledge of essential elements and related concepts.

      C: Acceptable knowledge of essential elements and related concepts 

      D: Minimal knowledge of related concepts.

      F: Unsatisfactory progress. This grade may also be assigned in cases of academic

               misconduct, such as cheating or plagiarism, and/or excessive absences.

     

                                       Attendance

Attendance is important. I am allowing three, no questions asked, absences. Your grades will

be determined by your writing, but attendance and class participation are crucial. If you do not

attend class or participate actively, you are unlikely to comprehend the course material well

enough to write a skillful term paper.

 

Points will be taken off your final grade for having more absences than three. After three

absences, your continued presence in this course will be at my discretion. I reserve the right to

fail a student based on excessive absenteeism. In my experience, students who do not attend

class rarely achieve their academic goals.

 

I will not tolerate frequent lateness. Students will not be allowed into the classroom once 10

minutes have elapsed. Quizzes will be open for completion during the first 10 minutes of class

only.

 

Leaving early, without prior permission, is considered disrespectful and will not be tolerated.

 

                                       Expectations & Policies

Below is a brief description of how I will grade writing in this course:

        A: Mastery of essential elements and related concepts, plus demonstrated excellence or

               originality.

        B+: Mastery of essential elements and related concepts, showing higher level

               understanding.

        B: Mastery of essential elements and related concepts.

        C+: Above average knowledge of essential elements and related concepts.

        C: Acceptable knowledge of essential elements and related concepts.

        D: Minimal knowledge of related concepts.

        F: Unsatisfactory progress. This grade may also be assigned in cases of academic

            misconduct, such as cheating or plagiarism, and/or excessive absences.

           

                Smart Phones, Texting, Laptops, Hats, & Other Issues of Etiquette

Please turn your cell phone off BEFORE entering the classroom. If your cell phone goes off

more than once while class is in a session, you will be asked to leave. I will not tolerate texting

or other distractions to the learning experience. Likewise, if you are observed texting twice

during a class, you will be asked to leave. Laptops are fine as long as they aren’t a distraction.

Students who use education apps on their smart phones (please tell me about them!) are fine

too. Please remove all earbuds before entering class.

 

In my classes, I have an expectation students will have access to email and computers in

general. All of your work will be submitted to me digitally. Given there are public and school

libraries, the ILC, coffee shops, etc, students need to budget their time better; I do not see any

excuse for having “no access” to email outside of the classroom.

 

Students are expected to check whatever email they correspond with me from on a regular

basis. I do not accept the excuse, “I didn't check my email for two weeks” as a valid problem.

Digital correspondence should be written using proper grammar and form. I will not reply to

emails filled with texting speak (2, u, 4, lol, j/k) or poor grammar and/or misspellings.

 

I will not be carrying handouts around all semester. If you miss class or lose a handout, please

check the course wiki within 48 hours of the class to view, download, or print a PDF of the

handout in question.

                                                                     

Finally, two matters of general respect: I do not tolerate homophobic, misogynistic, ableist, or

racist language in the classroom. Also, please remove all hats before entering the classroom.

 

                                             Writing

I expect your work to be error free. You are expected to proofread for spelling, mechanics, and

grammar. I will mark down for these errors; please revise and proofread often. All papers are to

be typed, titled, double spaced, and given page numbers with your last name. All papers will be

submitted digitally to my email by 23:59pm on the due date. I will not be accepting print

copies of your papers.

 

If you use Microsoft Works, I would like you to convert your files (.wps) to something more

accessible like .doc or .odt before submitting. Also, students writing in the .pages format will

need to do the same. Please see me if you need help.

 

Do not consider your paper submitted until, if and only if, you receive a confirmation reply

(usually within 24 hours, but don't panic if it is closer to 48-72). If you do not receive one

within 48-72 hours, it is the student’s responsibility to get in touch with me about their work. I

am not responsible for making sure you hand in your assignments; it is yours. Please make sure

you are backing up your work to an external hard drive, flash drive, cloud based source or other

backup method. I will not accept excuses involving crashed computers or broken files.

 

Finally, please follow the “24 hour rule” for paper returns. I do not discuss returned student papers until 24 hours have elapsed since I returned them. There will be no discussion in person

or via email about them until that time window.

 

                                             Term Paper

Your term paper must conform to the sample research paper that begins on page 467 of Rules

For Writers. The term paper will have an introductory paragraph with a thesis, body of essay,

and conclusion. This paper should be at least 1,500 words NOT including the works cited.

Your paper will be written according to current MLA documentation standards. A rough draft

will be handed in as part of your assignment grade plus my comments a few weeks before the

paper is due as well as an annotated bibliography. The final draft of the term paper will be due

the final week of classes.

 

All research must be dated after 2000, unless previously approved, and gathered using research

at the college library or via the internet. A minimum of three sources is required for a passing grade. This semester, your final papers will be written about, or a topic which your reading peaked your curiosity, during our discussions of the writing of Jorge Luis Borges.

 

                                            Rough Drafts

I allow students to submit rough drafts of their writing. Rough drafts will be due by the

Tuesday before the paper is due, which gives me time to properly annotate and return them to

you. While I can offer guidance and suggestions to improve your writing, the primary

responsibility is on the student to allow enough time for revision. I strongly believe in personal

ownership and responsibility over your collegiate success.

 

                                        Paper Revision Policy

I strongly believe one of the most important lessons I learned about writing was that quality

work almost always entails rewriting. In this class I will accept a rewrite of your papers until

the Friday after grades are sent back to the entire class. This means if you are not satisfied with

your grade, you may resubmit that paper for a predetermined period of time. This time period

will be added to the online version of the syllabus and announced during class. Normally, this

will be anywhere from three to five days. After that time period, you may not resubmit.

Obviously, just resubmitting the paper will not count as a rewrite. If you incorporate the

feedback I give you on your papers when I send them back, the odds are pretty high you will

improve your grade. Only making cosmetic changes will not improve it.

 

                                          Academic Honesty

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, cribbing, fabrication,

misrepresentation, unauthorized collaboration, and/or cheating on any academic assignment

submitted for a course. Any student aiding another student in any form of academic dishonesty

is considered equally guilty and subject to the same penalties.

 

For a reported and determined incident of academic dishonesty, the maximum academic

penalty that a faculty member may assign is a course grade of "F" and, in the case of the final

course grade of "F", the student shall be administratively withdrawn from the course. This

report shall be in the student's disciplinary record.

 

The Vice President of Student Affairs may take further disciplinary action(s) against the

student, with a maximum disciplinary penalty of expulsion from the College. This sanction

shall be in the student's disciplinary record, according to Policy #5247, Conduct - Student

Discipline.

                                                                      

                                                 Email

Email is an excellent way to contact me. I prefer if you email me from our Cruiser emails.

Please provide a clear subject line and include your name and class section in the text of the

email. I will respond to your email within 48 hours. I do not answer emails with poor grammar

or texting speak.

 

Upon receiving a paper, I will reply to confirm it. Grading a set of papers normally takes a

week. I will announce in class when the final batch has been returned. If you have not gotten

your paper back by then, I did not receive it. It is the student’s job to follow up with me if they

do not receive their work by then. I will not accept late papers or excuses which amount to

student's disinterest in keeping up with their email. I suggest checking with me if you do not

receive a confirmation email within 48 hours of submitting your paper.

 

                                             Make Up Work

Work should be handed in on the date it is due. I will accept late work with one full grade taken

off the top for each class it is late. If an emergency has come up, I expect an email before the

class you will be missing letting me know. Your work will be due at our next meeting, but it

would be great if you could email it to me in the meantime as well. Any quizzes missed will be

made up during our next class period.

 

                                               Evaluation

Course Contribution 10%                                                                

Quizzes 10%

Journals 10%                                                      

Two papers 10% each (20% total)

Citation Practice 5%                                                              

Poetry Exam 10%

Class Leadership Days 10%                                                          

Final Paper 20%

Annotated Bibliography 5%                                                                    

=100%

There is no extra credit or final exam.

 

A 100-92                                                                                     C 74-70

B+ 91-88                                                                                     D 69-65

B 87-80                                                                                        F 64-0

C+ 79-75

 

                             Notification For Students With Disabilities

If there is any student in this class who has special needs because of learning disabilities or

other kinds of disabilities, please feel free to discuss your needs with your instructor and/or a

staff member in the Center For Academic Excellence.

                                                               

                                        Disclaimer

The instructor may make reasonable changes to this course syllabus by announcement in class.

                                                                 

Week One 

Thursday January 27

• Course introduction

• Pass out citation practice assignment

• Pass out first paper handout

• Class leadership sign up sheet (pick two)

• Pass out journal questions

• Pass out Chopin story

 

For Next Time: Read Updike's A&P (560);       Remember: If you have not yet purchased the

Read Chopin's The Storm (Handout)            texts for this class, please acquire them as soon

                                                                                    as possible.

 

                                        Week Two

Thursday February 3

   • View gender wiki                                            •   Read Chopin's The Storm

   • Discussion of Updike's A&P

For Next Time: Read Chopin's Story of an      Remember: Your citation practice assignment

Hour (15); Read O'Connor's Good Country         is due to my email by 23:59pm Friday night.

People (378)

                                       Week Three

                       th

Thursday February 10

   • Gender quiz                                 •  Discussion of O'Connor's Good Country

   • View irony wiki                                                                    People

   • Discussion of Chopin's Story of an Hour

For Next Time: Read Faulkner's A Rose For                                         Remember:

Emily (90); Read Hawthorne's Young

Goodman Brown (325)

                                        Week Four

                       th

Thursday February 17

   • Irony quiz                                         •   Discussion of Hawthorne's Young

   • View point of view wiki                                                 Goodman Brown

   • Discussion of Faulkner's A Rose For

       Emily

                                                                 s11_engl152SECE2_syllabus 9

For Next Time: Read Ellison's Battle Royal                                        Remember:

(243); Read Hawthorne's The Birthmark (343)

                                         Week Five

                       th

Thursday February 24

   • Point of View quiz                                    •   Discussion of Hawthorne's The

   • View symbolism wiki                                                            Birthmark

   • Discussion of Ellison's Battle Royal                      • Pass out next week's stories

For Next Time: Read Borges' The Garden of                                         Remember:

Forking Paths (Handout); Read Atwood's

Happy Endings (Handout)

                                          Week Six

                 rd

Thursday March 3

   • Symbolism quiz                               •  Discussion of Atwood's Happy Endings

   • View plot wiki

   • Discussion of The Garden of Forking

       Paths

For Next Time: Be ready to view Othello.       Remember: Excessive absenteeism warnings

                                                     will be sent out this weekend...If you are

                                               submitting a rough draft, it is due to my email

                                              by tonight. Tonight is your final opportunity to

                                                             submit citation practice revisions.

                                        Week Seven

                    th

Thursday March 10

   • View tragedy wiki

   • Plot quiz

   • View Othello

   • Pass out second paper handout

For Next Time: Read Shakespeare's Othello           Remember: Your first paper is due to my

(1164)                                                  email by 23:59pm on Friday evening.

                                        Week Eight

                                                                    s11_engl152SECE2_syllabus 10

Spring break...here are some things to keep in mind...

   • In danger of failure notices will be sent out during break...

   • Start thinking about your second paper...

                                          Week Nine

                       th

Thursday March 24

   • Tragedy quiz

   • Discussion of Othello

   • Pass out Homer's To Demeter

For Next Time: Read Homer's To Demeter          Remember: If you are submitting a rough draft

(Handout)                                          for the second paper, it is due to my email by

                                                                                 Sunday evening.

                                           Week Ten

                       st

Thursday March 31

   • Poetry introduction wiki                          •    Pass out Doyle stories for final papers

   • Discuss Homer's To Demeter                                    • Pass out Borges' A Legend

For Next Time: Read Arnold's Dover Beach           Remember: Your second paper is due to my

(664); Read Borges' A Legend (Handout)                      email by 23:59pm on Friday evening.

                                         Week Eleven

                 th

Thursday April 7

   • Pass out final paper handout                                   •   Discuss Borges' A Legend

   • Discuss Arnold's Dover Beach

For Next Time: Read Williams' The Red                                                Remember:

Wheelbarrow (808); Read Dickinson's The

Soul Selects Her Own Society (848)

                                         Week Twelve

                    th

Thursday April 14

   • Poetry quiz                                          •   Discussion of Dickinson's The Soul

   • Discussion of Williams' The Red                                     Selects Her Own Society

       Wheelbarrow                                  •   Pass out annotated bibliography handout

For Next Time: Read Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 (779); Read Browning's How Do I Love Thee?

                                                                s11_engl152SECE2_syllabus 11

Let Me Count The Ways (969)                    Remember: Excessive absenteeism warnings

                                                               will be sent out this weekend.

                                      Week Thirteen

                     st

Thursday April 21

    • Discussion of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18          •   Discussion of Browning's How Do I

                                                        Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways

For Next Time: Read Doyle's The Man With                                         Remember:

The Twisted Lip (Handout)

                                      Week Fourteen

                     th

Thursday April 28

    • View Doyle wiki

    • Discuss Doyle's The Man With The Twisted Lip

For Next Time: Read Doyle's The Adventure                                        Remember:

of the Speckled Band (Handout)

                                       Week Fifteen

                 th

Thursday May 5

    • Discuss Doyle's The Adventure of the Speckled Band

For Next Time: Poetry exam                      Remember: Your mandatory rough draft and

                                                 journals are due to my email by 23:59pm on

                                                                               Friday evening

                                      Week Sixteen

                    th

Thursday May 12

    • Poetry exam

For Next Time: You're done!                      Remember: Your final paper and annotated

                                               bibliography are due to my email by 23:59pm

                                                                         on Sunday May 14th