T/TH ACAD 225

ENG 102-201 9am-1055am

Fall 2013

William Patrick Wend

http://eng102wwend.pbworks.com

 

Office Hours

Laurel Hall Faculty Work Rooms M 1030am-1130am WF 1130am-1230am

Parker 413B T TH 2pm-3pm

 

I am also available by appointment if these hours don’t work for you.

 

Contact Information

wwend@bcc.edu

Texting: 609-488-4483 (Please make sure you mention who you are in your first text so I can add your name to your texts)

Skype: professorwend

Twitter: @wpwend42 Class Hashtag=#

 

I am primarily in my email during office hours except for Wednesday's when I do "EOffice" hours (8pm-9pm) on Skype. If you send an email after about 3pm, there is a good chance I will not answer it until the next morning. For more immediate responses until around 9pm, txting is probably your best bet. I normally have Twitter open until around 11pm.

 

Required Texts

• Robert DiYanni, Literature: Approaches To Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, McGraw Hill, 978-0-07-312445-2

 

Optional texts you may want to check out...

• Thomas Kinsella, A Brief Guide To Punctuation, http://wp.stockton.edu/freestuff/2012/01/01/a-brief-guide-to-punctuation/ 

• Anne Frances Wysocki, Dennis A. Lynch, The DK Handbook, Pearson, 978-0-205-74143-4

 

Goals & Focus Of Course

• Discuss works of literature through extensive reading and discussion.

• Analyze short stories for plot, setting, characterization, theme, and point of view.

• Examine poetry for imagery, diction, tone, speaker, language, and structure.

• Examine plays, focusing on character development, dramatic structure, and performance.

• Write essays, using MLA-style documentation, analyzing works of short fiction, poetry, and drama.

 

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 four absences. Your grades will be determined by your writing, but attendance and what you contribute to the course are crucial. If you do not attend class or contribute actively, you are unlikely to comprehend the course material well enough to write a skillful term paper at the end of the semester.

 

Points will be taken off your final grade for having more absences than four (this will be part of your course contribution grade). After four absences, your continued presence in this course will be at my discretion. I reserve the right to, and will, 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. Leaving early, without prior permission, is considered disrespectful and will not be tolerated. If this is a morning class and the student has difficulties staying awake or showing up on time, I would strongly suggest finding another section of 102 to take.

 

Technology Policy

Please mute your cell phone 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 fully encourage whatever technology suites your learning style, accommodations, or interests whether they are laptops, tablets, apps on smart phones, etc, as long as they do not distract from our purpose in the classroom. Paper is totally fine too.

 

With that being said, during opening and closing remarks in class focus should be away from technology and on discussing our goals and outcomes for the day. Please remove all earbuds before entering class and keep them removed until you leave the room at the end of 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 via your BCC Gmail account and returned, with annotated comments, via Google Drive. Given there are public and school libraries, the ILRC, 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 their BCC Gmail account 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.

 

Please include a subject and "sign" your email with your name, student ID number, and course section. If you miss class, please check the syllabus for information about assignments, due dates, and outcomes from class. Do not email the professor and ask “did we do anything in class today?” or any variations on that theme.

 

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 11:59pm 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.

 

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.

 

When you revise your paper, please mark each revision as “resolved” on the Google Doc. I will received an email letting me know you did a revision.

 

Of course, there are no revisions on term papers. Also, you may not use your revision to correct a plagiarized paper (see academic honesty policy below). Finally, revisions on your citation practice assignment do not count towards your revision.

 

Extension Policy

Extensions are gifts, not a right. College work involves responsibility and ownership over your individual situation. With that in mind, here are a few caveats about extensions. First, I need to know 48 hours before an assignment is due if you need an extension. This will be clearly addressed on the class schedule. To apply for an extension, we must speak in person or over email immediately. A rough draft of your paper in progress will be required to be handed in at this time. I will then determine whether to grant or deny the extension and how much time would be allotted for it. 

To apply for an extension beyond the 48 hour mark for reasons of hospitalization, bereavement, military service, observance of religious holidays, legal reasons (jury duty, etc), or work related issues (ie: getting called into work at the last minute), written documentation not given before the due date must be in by Saturday night after the due date.

For the following reasons, extensions will not be permitted: short term illnesses and family vacations.

Only one extension will be granted per semester, although an "emergency" extension can be granted under certain circumstances. 

 

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Be aware that plagiarism includes (but is not limited to) copying someone else’s words without crediting the source; paraphrasing someone else’s words without crediting the source; using someone else’s ideas without crediting the source (even if rephrased in your own words); using facts not universally known which are obtained from a source without crediting the source; asking someone else to write your paper, either in whole or in part; or obtaining a paper or portion thereof by any means and submitting it as an original document. The penalty for plagiarism is failure of the assignment and potentially failure of the course (at the instructor’s discretion), and it may result in suspension or expulsion from the College (at the discretion of the Student Affairs Committee). Please refer to the BCC Student Handbook for additional information regarding College regulations and the handling of plagiarism.

 

With this in mind, all papers that use in-text citations must have a works cited page. Failure to include a works cited page will be an automatic zero for the 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.

 

If you are going to be absent for the midterm, barring emergency, I need to know before the exam. Failure to do this will result in a zero for the exam.

 

Course Contribution

I have found in past semesters that "participation" isn't a sufficient means of assessing students. How do you grade shy, or otherwise quiet, students who do very well in your class? At the same time, does a student who does very poorly on papers/quizzes/etc, but "participates" in class deserve a high grade? Instead, I have switched this to an assessment of a student's contribution to the course. How do you do in group work? Are you always on task, or do you take others off task with your actions? Do you bring useful ideas and thoughts into class? Do you go beyond commentary that is intended to please me or make you look smart? Do you experiment, take chances, and offer untested commentary? Do you attend our peer review sessions to not only accentuate your own work, but also help your classmates? Are you punctual and always prepared? Do you do more than just listen to me? What about your presence in the class adds to it? These are some of the factors I will consider when assessing your class contribution grade.

 

A lot of these ideas were inspired by Lisa M. Lane's writing about this issue. 

 

Evaluation

Course Contribution 10%

Time Management Paper 15%

Short Story Paper 20%
Play Paper 20%

Citation Practice 5%

Oral Recitation Project 20%

SOMETHING ELSE 10%

=100%

 

A 100-92

B+ 91-88

B 87-80

C+ 79-75

C 74-70

D 69-65

F 64-0

 

Notification For Students With Disabilities

Burlington County College offers reasonable accommodations and/or services to persons with disabilities. The Office of Special Populations offers comprehensive services to all students with any form of disability (with appropriate official documentation) which hinders their academic success. Students must request the accommodation(s) from the Office of Special Populations. Please contact the Special Populations Coordinator at (609) 894-9311 or (856) 222-9311 Ext. 1803 at or visit the website at:http://www.bcc.edu/pages/182.asp.

 

Additional Support/Labs

Burlington County College provides confidential advising and counseling services free to all students through the Department of Academic Advisement & Transfer. For more information about advising and counselling services, visit the Parker Center or call Extension 7337 at (609) 894-9311 or visit the websites:

 

Advising: http://staff.bcc.edu/advising/

 

Counseling: http://staff.bcc.edu/counseling/

 

Free tutoring is also available for all currently enrolled students. For more information regarding The Tutoring Center call Extension 1495 at (609) 894-9311 or visit the website

 

Tutoring Center: http://staff.bcc.edu/tutoring/

 

Finally...

Students in my classes are responsible for reading and understanding these course policies. Do you have questions? 

• Send me an email: wwend@bcc.edu 

• Talk to me before or after class

• Come to my office during office hours (Parker 413b)  

 

If you are a student who has progress reports for a sport, EOF, or anything else, I will only fill these out during office hours. I will not fill them out at the end or beginning of classes.  

 

The syllabus is a living document. Sometimes, things might not work and we will need to make a change. This syllabus is subject to change at all times. Any changes will be discussed in class and announced on the wiki.  

 

Just a reminder that all readings should be completed before class begins. Make sure you are also carefully examining the course wiki's page for that specific topic as well. 

 

Finally, a matter of general respect: I do not tolerate homophobic, misogynistic, ableist, or racist language in the classroom.

 

Week One

Thursday September 26th

• Attendance 

• Announcements  

• Discuss syllabus

 

 

For Next Time: Read about critical thinking and Updike's A&P

 

Week Two

Tuesday October 1st

• Attendance
• Announcements
• Discuss Time Management Paper Assignment

• Discuss critical thinking 

• Discuss Updike's A&P 

 

For Next Time: Read The Yellow Wallpaper

 

Remember:

 

Thursday October 3rd 

• Attendance
• Announcements
• Discuss The Yellow Wallpaper

 

For Next Time: Read The Lottery

 

Remember:

 

Week Three 

Tuesday October 8th 

• Attendance
• Announcements
• Discuss The Lottery

 

For Next Time: Read The Story Of An Hour

 

Remember:

 

Thursday October 10th 

• Attendance
• Announcements
• Discuss The Story Of An Hour

 

For Next Time: Read Young Goodman Brown

 

Remember:

 

Week Four 

Tuesday October 15th

• Announcements
•  Discuss Young Goodman Brown
• Discuss Citation  

 

For Next Time: Peer Review

 

Remember:

 

Thursday October 17th

• Announcements
• Peer Review For Time Management Paper 

 

For Next Time: Read A Doll's House

 

Remember:

 

Week Five 

Tuesday October 22nd

• Announcements
• Introduce Citation Practice Assignment
• Discuss A Doll's House 

 

For Next Time: Read A Doll's House

 

Remember:

 

Thursday October 24th

• Announcements
• Discuss A Doll's House 

 

For Next Time: Read Othello

 

Remember:

 

Week Six 

Tuesday October 29th

• Announcements
• Discuss Othello 

 

For Next Time: Read Othello

 

Remember:

 

Thursday October 31st

• Announcements
• Discuss Othello 

 

For Next Time: Read Mirror

 

Remember:

 

Week Seven 

Tuesday November 5th

• Announcements
• Discuss Mirror 

 

For Next Time: Peer Review

 

Remember:

 

Thursday November 7th

• Announcements
• Peer Review

 

For Next Time: Read Dickinson's The Soul Selects Her Own Society

 

Remember: Your short story paper is due to my email (wwend@bcc.edu) by 11:59pm on Sunday evening

 

Week Eight

Tuesday November 12th

• Announcements
• Discuss Dickinson's The Soul Selects Her Own Society

 

For Next Time: Read Heaney's Midterm Break

 

Remember:

 

Thursday November 14th

• Announcements
• Discuss Play Paper
  
• Discuss Heaney's Midterm Break

 

For Next Time:

 

Remember:

 

 

 

 

 

 

11-7 Peer Review

Short Story Paper is due 11-10

11-14 Poem

11-16 Poem

11-21 Poem

11-23 Poem

11-26 Peer Review

Play Paper is due 12-1

ENG102-201 Syllabus Fall 2013 by William Patrick Wend is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.