SYLLABUS MassBay Community College Professor Louis M. Rosenberg, PhD Freshman English II Spring, 2011 EN-102 Freshman English II 3 credits Further development of writing skills, with additional exposure to library research. Students produce a minimum of four longer papers, with emphasis on critical thinking, academic research, audience awareness, critical reading, unity, coherence and style. Papers give practice in making reference to readings from a variety of academic disciplines, including literature. Students will demonstrate the ability to read with increased understanding and insight. Lecture: 3 hours per week. Prerequisite: EN 101

REQUIRED TEXTS

AUTHOR TITLE ISBN PUBLISHER

Abcarian, Richard, et al. Literature: The Human Experience. 10th Edition 978-0-312-55644-0 Bedford/St. Martins

Nick Flynn Another Bullshit Night in Suck City

978-0312315955 Picador

OTHER LEARNING RESOURCES ONLINE You will be submitting assignments, downloading information, and interacting with me

and other class members online. See “Technology” section for more information. FILMS All assigned films (see “Films” section), must be obtained by you and screened outside

of class. STATIC

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of 9 LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Read intellectually challenging texts with increased comprehension and enriched aesthetic

response. 2. Incorporate the vocabulary of literary analysis into class discussion and writing in order

to facilitate thinking about texts from various literary genres. 3. Express in discussion and in writing an awareness of diverse voices found in literature. 4. Build a context for understanding literature by linking class readings to other academic

disciplines and to universal human experiences. 5. Write essays that go beyond summary to the analysis and interpretation of texts. 6. Apply the grammatical and rhetorical skills of Composition I to a variety of complex

writing tasks in preparation for writing across the curriculum. 7. Conduct research and assess information from a variety of sources in order to understand

the research topic. 8. Compose essays that incorporate research and documentation in preparation for the

assignments of other college courses. 9. Strengthen Core Competencies* in order to increase success in this and other courses and

in the workplace. *Critical thinking, technology skills, oral communication, quantitative skills, reading, and

writing.

TEACHING PROCEDURES

LECTURES a) It is during the lectures when students are expected to ask any questions concerning any aspect of the course and/or assignments. It is, by far, more beneficial for students to ask questions of general academic concerns here, during the lectures, rather than to see me after class.

b) It cannot be stressed enough how important it is for students to attend the lectures.

ESSAYS a) Students will write essays throughout the semester. (See § “Essays”

for more logistical information) b) It should be noted here that students are encouraged to work with

tutors as rewrites are rarely granted.

PEER-EDITING a) Throughout the semester, I may have students form groups for peer-editing. Traditionally, peer-editing is between two or three students who review and comment on each other’s assignments by using a

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of 9 preformatted rubric.

b) Peer-editing may be handled completely online. STUDENT DEBATES

a) I may assemble students into two teams for debating a particular subject/issue.

b) Students who do not feel comfortable speaking in front of the class (on a team) will have the opportunity to instead submit research essays.

USE OF THE COLLEGE’S ACADEMIC RESOURCE

FACILITY

a) It cannot be overstated how important it is for students to work with a tutor at the Writing Center during the composition of each essay.

b) Therefore, it is strongly recommended that students see their tutors early in the semester in order to establish a valuable working relationship.

GRADING RUBRIC 40% = Essays 25% = Term Exams 25% = In-Class and Online Assignments 10% = Course Exams (Mid-Term [if applicable], Final)

EVALUATION OF STUDENT PROGRESS In grading student essays, I usually employ a rubric where each domain (grammar, logic/reason, etc.) is given a qualitative value. Because I do not believe in marginalia (writing endlessly in the margins), the rubric serves as the grading explanation. However, included in my evaluative process is the expectation that students will make an appointment with me, or see me after class, should they require further, more detailed analysis of their work. It is the students’ responsibility to determine when (and if) an appointment with me is necessary. And students should never wait to handle any academic issue. Student competency is by no means only (and simply) the letter grade. Outside issues (family, job, health, etc.) will be taken into account when evaluating the student’s performance in the course. While every student is graded equally and objectively, I may be inclined to allow certain concessions (such as an extension on a particular assignment) should a student demonstrates just-cause. Having said this, all students are expected to operate at the “college level” at all times. Nothing less is acceptable. STATIC

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of 9 TERM EXAMS Several times throughout the semester, students will sit for a Term Exam.

Normally, these exams are composed of five short-answer questions. In evaluating the Term Exam, I am most interested in the content of the student’s answer rather than grammar/syntax issues—that said, chronic issues of such will be reflected in the grade. The answer sheets for the Term Exams are preformatted with five empty blocks in which the responses are written and may never travel outside of them. Therefore, the Term Exam features an “either you know it or you don’t” overall dynamic with no room for compromise. I’m interested in “quality, not quantity.” As a result, students should not feel obligated to fill the entire block; oftentimes, two or three sentences are all that are necessary. Term Exams may not be made up; however, the lowest score is dropped.

RESPONSE PAPERS

At the beginning of nearly every class, students will write a Response Paper. As its title suggests, students will have five-or-so minutes to complete this assignment. The Response Papers pose one question/prompt that is based on the assigned readings, some important topic covered during the lecture(s), or both. Like the Term Exams, students are provided with a preformatted answer sheet designed to limit the amount of space for their response in order to insure “quality over quantity.” Response Papers may not be made up; however, the lowest two scores are dropped.

MIDTERM EXAMINATION

Your course may include a Midterm Exam. Please see the “Assignments” section for further information, including scheduling.

FINAL EXAMINATION

Students will sit for a Mid-Term and a Final Exam. These are open-notebook, and I often allow students to work in small groups (of no more than two or three). Please understand that the course exams may not be made up under any circumstances, whatsoever. The Final Exam will cover the full arch of the course.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Unless otherwise instructed, students may use their course notes on all exams (“Term,” “Midterm,” and “Final”), and I usually allow the exams to be written in small, quiet groups. However, students may not use any electronic devices, (including computers, PDAs, electronic dictionaries, etc.) during any exam because allowing these amenities would put those without them at a disadvantage. Therefore, if you take notes on a computer, simply print them out and bring them to the exam. Attention ESL Students: While you are certainly welcome to use a dictionary (electronic, book, computer, etc.) during the lectures, you may not use them during the exams. As aforementioned, only notebooks are allowed. STATIC

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of 9 ATTENDANCE

It is important that you are present for all of the lectures. History dictates that grades are almost always reflected in parity with absences; therefore, more absences or late arrivals will, indeed, compromise your grade. You are responsible for everything that occurs in your course, whether or not you are present during a particular lecture. If you find that you must miss a class, it is your responsibility to see a fellow student in order to get the lecture notes as well as any announcements that were made. Remember that I may alter an assignment’s due-date and/or language and announce such changes during class. The following chart illustrates the attendance policy. Only under extraordinary circumstances will exceptions be granted1. Students should plan their semester accordingly.

NUMBER OF ABSENCES

FINAL GRADE PENALTY

1-3 None 4 10 pts.

5+ Two full letter grades It is important to note that the following assignment types are not eligible for make-up. Therefore, late arrivals and absentees will miss these grading opportunities:

In-Class Assignments (Response Papers, debates, etc.) Term Exams Midterm and Final Exams

ASSIGNMENT POLICIES Without exception, all submitted assignments must be typed.

ESSAYS… are often drafted/corrected in peer groups. riddled with grammar, logic, syntax, non-sequitir issues will not pass.

Students are expected to hand in only essays of final quality. This is achieved by working with tutors, showing me drafts of work-in-progress, etc.

1 Extraordinary circumstances are judged on a per-incident basis. Generally, anything foreseeable, such as an appointment of some kind, is not considered extraordinary.

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of 9 must conform to the MLA standard. This includes a Works Cited page

even if the only source used for the particular essay is one of the class texts. In other words, if you use it, cite it!

SUBMITTING LATE ESSAYS

Because 30 points are automatically deducted, the highest grade one can achieve on an essay submitted late is a 70.

It goes almost without saying that it is never a good idea to miss a deadline!

PLAGIARISM Plagiarism is the use of someone else work/intellectual property without giving credit. If I suspect plagiarism, I will require you to engage with me in an oral defense of the essay. If after the oral defense I believe that you did, in fact, plagiarize, you will fail the course. Generally, I handle plagiarism issues internally, without involving the administration.

LATE ASSIGNMENTS

You must meet all of your deadlines! See “Submitting Late Essays,” above. Otherwise, late assignments are never accepted.

BACKUP COPIES AND THE

ARCHIVING OF ALL SUBMITTED

ASSIGNMENTS

You are required to backup (or, in the case of written assignments, keep copies of) all of the assignments that you submit and that are returned to you throughout the course. Further, you must have ready access to these backups should I request them. Such backups, however, do not in any way (including the grading or regarding of an assignment) supersede my authority as final arbiter for this course.

TECHNOLOGY

Website: www.lourosenberg.com/edu Enrollment Key: _______________________

Your class website functions as the central hub for the course. It is where assignments, discussions, scheduling of appointments, course announcements, etc. coalesce. Therefore, you must have access to the site on a daily basis as you are responsible for its official content – i.e. announcements, changes to assignments, class cancellations, etc. General Technology Requirements:

• TECHNOLOGICAL ISSUES OF ANY KIND ARE NOT VALID EXCUSES FOR MISSING DEADLINES, ANNOUNCEMENTS, ETC.2

2 Technological issues include, but are not limited to: Internet connectivity issues (where the student cannot access the Internet due to a disruption of service, whether or not it is the fault of the student or the service or computer or software that he/she is using); loss of data due to an unforeseen malfunction of computer hardware or software or transmission (Internet) errors; use of software/hardware that is not compatible with Professor

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of 9 • Those who do not own a computer will have to make daily visits to their university’s

computer lab, their local library, etc.

• Time-management is of the utmost importance – you should never work up to the eleventh hour. This is especially important concerning the composition and timely submission of assignments as technological issues do occur. You will always have a three day window during which to submit your online assignments.

• Again, TECHNOLOGICAL ISSUES OF ANY KIND ARE NOT VALID EXCUSES FOR

MISSING DEADLINES, ANNOUNCEMENTS, ETC.

A Brief Note on the Technology Requirements Those who are “technologically challenged” are encouraged to visit their university’s computer lab immediately and work with a lab technician on the basic functions of the Internet and word processing. There are also free community courses on the basic operations of the Internet, the computer and its universal software (word-processing, browsing the web, etc.). Ours is a technological world, and to be the least bit competitive one must have mastery over such fundamentals as reading/replying/writing emails, uploading files, using a word processor, using a search engine (such as Google), as well as the ability to interact with a particular website’s technology (such as submitting forms, etc.).

Rosenberg’s servers; compatibility issues where the student’s assignment cannot be accessed by Professor Rosenberg; email delays of any kind; emails not received due to spam control software on the student’s computer/email service; Internet page errors of any kind; file size issues where a student’s file is rejected because it exceeds the maximum upload size; the use of improper software (as outlined herein); etc.

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of 9 FILMS

Below, you will find the film roster for your course. To view them, see the website (RESOURCES >> SCREENING ROOM on the gray main menu bar). Once again, it is important to note that you are responsible for screening the films yourself—we will not watch the films in class. See your course’s website for links to view them; the cost for a rental is about $2.99 each. Alternately, you may also purchase them.

FILM INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE LINKS Deconstructing Harry http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374900/ Annie Hall http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075686/ Misery http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100157/ Brokeback Mountain http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388795/ Donnie Darko http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246578/ Saw http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387564/

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of 9 Assignments Below is the tentative schedule for the major topics covered as well as the due-dates for essays and film screenings. For complete information about each assignment, please refer your course’s calendar on the LouRosenberg.com website.

WEEK OF TEXTBOOK THEMES ESSAYS &

EXAMS FILMS

1/17 • Introduction to the course • Writing about Literature

1/24 • Writing about Literature Essay 1 1/31 • Innocence and Experience Term Exam 1 2/7 • Innocence and Experience Essay 2

2/14 Term Exam 2 Deconstructing Harry

2/21 • Culture and Identity Essay 3 2/28 • Culture and Identity Animal House 3/7 • Love and Hate Essay 4

3/14 SPRING BREAK 3/21 • Love and Hate Macbeth (Patrick

Stewart) 3/28 Term Exam 3 4/4 Term Exam 4 Macbeth (Judi Dench)

4/11 • Conferences (attendance mandatory) 4/18 • The Presence of Death Essay 5

Wit 4/25 • The Presence of Death Term Exam 5

5/2 • TBA 5/9 • Review & Final Exam

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