English 132: Composition II
Fall 2017Henry Ford College “Dystopian Society”
Eng 132-17 Tuesday--Thursday
2:10 pm – 3:30 pm
Instructor: Valerie Haas Contact Info: Email—[email protected]
Liberal Arts Office: 313-845-9624
Catalog Description:
English 132 is the second course in the two-semester college-level reading and writing sequence that begins with English 131. The course further instructs students in the reading, writing, and critical thinking skills required at four-year colleges and universities and in the workforce. You will learn how to select, evaluate, analyze, synthesize, reference, and document source material, including a variety of literary works (including film) that explore diverse themes and cultural perspectives. You will then use the source material to complete a college-level research paper. This course, however, does not repeat the information you should have
garnered from 131, but rather seeks to expand upon your pre-existing knowledge of the writing process, basic grammar and argumentative conventions.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in English 131 Course Grading Scale: A-E
Required Materials: Pens and pencils
Two-pocket folders to store handouts, classroom activities, returned papers and various drafts
Required Texts (Available at Bookstore):
"Minority Report," by Philip K. Dick. (.pdf on class website) Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. Any edition.
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood. Any edition. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. Any edition.
The Little Seagull Handbook. Bullock, Brody, & Weinberg. 3rd edition. Assignments and handouts can be found on the class website:
https://sites.google.com/site/english132henry/
Suggested Materials:
create a folder within your email to store your work in case of
technological difficulties. It is also advisable that you work on Google Drive or another cloud based system, as it stores your work as you go.
Suggested texts:
Dictionary and Thesaurus
Teaching Philosophy:
Writing is like any other skill: practice it and you get better at it. Even the most talented writer has to practice his or her craft in order to do it well. To paraphrase a well-known quote: He who does not write has no advantage over he who cannot write. Writing is meant to be read, so the symbiotic relationship between reading and writing is something that we all need to acknowledge and put to use every day. We will be reading a lot in this class. And writing a lot. And writing about the reading. And writing about your writing. And reading each other’s writing. Get used to it. Embrace it. It’s good for you. Really.
Goals of This Class:
Students will regard readings not as elements in a specialist’s world, but as thought-provoking perspectives on life past and present. Students will read accurately and critically, learning how to assess the relationship between the theme(s) of a work and the outlook of individual -characters. Students will draw inferences from reading, participate in class discussion, and write essays and a research paper, employing a college-level vocabulary.
Reading Objectives
By completion of English 132, students will be able to accomplish the following: Summarize a work of fiction or non-fiction.
Discuss connections between a literary text and human experience. Identify and analyze particular elements such as style, structure, theme,
character, plot, point of view (in a literary text). Discuss how diversity is represented in the literature.
Writing Objectives
By completion of English 132, students will be able to accomplish the following: Plan, draft, revise, and edit essays.
Write essays in class with opening, supporting, and closing paragraphs Compare and contrast terms, ideas, or literary elements.
Develop or explain definite themes, using specific details from the reading selection.
Write essays that use a college-level vocabulary.
Write essays that have minimal errors in syntax, grammar, and mechanics.
Critical Thinking objectives and the Research Paper
online material by evaluating their accuracy, bias, and ethics.
Synthesize those sources with a student’s own interpretation of a topic.
Writing Objectives for the Research Assignment
By completion of English 132, students will be able to accomplish the following: Draft an analytical and persuasive thesis that does one of the following: Analyzes literature and/or readings on a given theme.
Contrasts an author’s treatment of a theme with current societal perspectives of that theme.
Contrasts elements (e.g., characters) from two different works of literature. Compose a coherent, unified research essay.
Demonstrate argumentation skills by making a convincing, coherent, logical argument.
Paraphrase and integrate documented material correctly into their writing. Write clear, direct sentences, varied in length and construction, applying
basic syntactic principles such as coordination, subordination, and parallelism.
Document research in a format (e.g., APA or MLA) relevant to a student’s major field of study (e.g., nursing, education).
Assessment of Academic Achievement:
As approved by the English Division in 1999, the major assessment tool will be the documented research paper. The paper will be from five to eight pages in length, use either MLA or APA documentation, and adhere to the outcomes identified in this syllabus for the research assignment
In addition to the required research paper, you will be assessed on your ability to:
Analyze, organize, and adapt communication to fit a certain audience.
Develop communication using effective rhetorical techniques.
Select, evaluate, analyze, synthesize, reference, and document source material for a research paper. Use language persuasively.
Edit prose for diction, style, grammatical correctness, and accuracy.
Required Essays:
In addition to the research paper, you will be required to write two fully realized essays for the course, as well as two in-class essays, and several in-class responses to prompts essays.
Assigned Readings:
You will read and analyze various written documents. These readings will be building blocks for writing assignments and the research paper.
Conferences:
class. Let me know if wish to meet with me before class and I'll try to arrange it. There are scheduled conferences the last regular week of classes.
Class Rules:
1. Classroom respect: In this class, we will be sharing and expressing divergent viewpoints on a number of issues. Therefore, it is important to remember that ideas are not always indicative of the person espousing them. All classroom discussions and topics are exercises in academic debate and inquiry, nothing more.
2. Attendance & Tardiness: You are expected to be in every session (mentally and physically). Please be here on time and ready to work. Being disruptive is unacceptable, as is habitual tardiness. I will not repeat information for you if you are late or absent. You are responsible for obtaining all classroom information and materials.
The Communications Division Policy on Attendance and Participation
Henry Ford College requires students to actively participate in their learning with regular and sustained interaction.Since student success depends on active engagement,
students who have NOT attended an entire class session and actively participated in academically-related activities by the College's Never Attended deadline will not be permitted into the class even if they are already enrolled in the class.
Online students will be considered as "Never Attended" if they have not logged on or if they have only logged on without actively engaging in academically-related activities. All of the above students will be assigned a "Never Attended" grade on their record.
Please note that this policy was developed in accordance with the College policy on “Never Attended” flagging and in compliance with federal regulations.
English and World Languages Division Policy on Attendance and Participation
The English and World Languages Division requires students to participate actively in their learning. Since student success depends on active engagement, students who have NOT attended class by the College's refund deadline will not be permitted into the class even if they are already enrolled in the class. They will be assigned a "Never Attended' grade on their record.
3. Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism is probably the number one offense in the realm of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism is defined as intentionally trying to pass another’s writing, work, words or ideas off as your own. We will learn that academic writing requires us to cite,
doubt…CITE! Here's the official language:
English Division Policy on
Plagiarism/Academic Integrity
Among other things, academic dishonesty includes plagiarism. Although not the sole form of misconduct of which a student may be guilty, this is
probably the most common academic offense that can occur in an English course. Essentially, plagiarism is the act of using another author’s words or ideas without properly crediting him/her. Plagiarism can include, but is not limited to, the following fraudulent acts:
Failing to supply quotation marks for words – sometimes even a single word – copied exactly as seen in the original from published materials or internet sources, including blogs
Using the structure and/or substance of another’s text without providing credit Employing passages directly from sources without citation while only
rearranging word order, altering grammar or revising a few words
Omitting the sources or parenthetical documentation for words or ideas or including a Works Cited page without appropriate parenthetical documentation
Falsifying citations, such as inventing or misrepresenting sources Submitting a paper written or revised by another
Students who plagiarize may fail the course and be reported to the Registrar’s Office so that the college can take disciplinary action. Students can view HFCC’s complete and unabridged policy on Academic Integrity by visiting the following web address:
http://www.hfcc.edu/current_students/student_policies.asp - 1.
4. Late Work: Late work puts you behind and jeopardizes your success in class. No work is accepted late without a documented medical excuse. That said…you can email me your work if you are not In class that day. Exceptions are Peer Reviews…these must be done in class.
5. Cell Phones: I will show you the respect of giving you my full
attention during the class meeting and I expect the same from you. All cell phones should be turned off and never should a call be answered in class. If you are expecting an emergency call, please put your phone on quiet mode and answer it outside. There will be absolutely no talking on cell phones, nor answering of cell phones in class.
class website. Treat all classroom handouts and assignment sheets as reading assignments; read them thoroughly.
7. Personal Responsibility & Collegiality: This course is a college course and I expect everyone to act as such. On top of the other policies in this class a few other things should be mentioned. All course
communication should occur with the notion that you are contacting an English teacher. Proper sentence structure, punctuation and letter format are not only desirable, they are required! I cannot answer vague
questions from unknown sources and will not try, so please identify yourself in all communications. Remember, this is an academic environment where your responsibility is education.
Specific Projects:
Reading Quizzes -- There will be short quizzes for sections of reading for each day it is due. Make it easier on yourself…read the material.
Essay 1–Students are required to compose a Summary and Response essay based on a topic derived from “The Minority Report”. You will be getting an assignment sheet with detailed information about this project.
Essay 2—Students are also required to write an analytical essay focusing on a character in a Fahrenheit 451. You will be getting an assignment sheet with detailed information about this project.
Essay 3 – As a final project/paper, you will be required to complete a 5-8 page essay that is analytical in nature. The final paper topic and details will come later in the semester.
Oral/Visual Presentation of the Research Paper – A 5 minute presentation—a verbal and visual sharing of the discoveries you made about your topic for the Research Paper.
In-class Essays – You will write two essays in class responding to topic we've discussed in class and/or to literature we have read. They will be evaluative and argumentative in nature. I will let you know what this will entail before you are to write the papers.
Annotated Bibliography – Using Source Evaluation handouts, you will evaluate your research paper sources and then summarize the sources you will be using in an Annotated Bibliography for the final paper.
Bi-Weekly Writing – 7 times in the semester you will be given a topic to write on and will be given a relatively short amount of time to write a short response essay. These are mainly practice for the In-Class Essays.
grade, we will be having various class discussions. The best thing about studying literature and film is discussing it. This is where we can argue interpretations and challenge ourselves to dig deeper. You are required to be an active participant and offer thoughtful academic responses and challenges to various interpretations. No points are awarded for merely showing up.
Grading:
Essay 1 100 points
Essay 2 150 points
Essay 3 200 points
Essay 3 Rough Draft 25 points
Source Evaluations for RP 50 points (5 x 10pts each) Bi-Weekly Writing 70 pts (7 x 10pts each)
Annotated Bibliography
for Essay 3 100 points Rough Drafts of Essays 1 & 2
For Peer Review 20 points (2 x 10 pts each) Revised Rough Drafts of Essays 1 & 2
For Instructor Review 20 points (2 x 10 pts each) Reading Quizzes 100 points (10 x 10 pts each) In-class Personal Essay 1 50 points
In-class Personal Essay 2 50 points Oral/Visual Presentation of
Essay 3 25 points
Participation/Class Discussion 40 points
TOTAL: 1000 points
Final Grade Breakdown
Grade Points %
A 930-1000 93-100
A- 900-929 90-92
B+ 860-899 86-89
B 830-859 83-85
B- 800-829 80-82
C+ 760-799 76-79
C 730-759 73-75
C- 700-729 70-72
D+ 660-669 66-69
D 630-659 63-65
D- 600-629 60-62
The Learning Lab: The Learning Lab (located on the second floor of the Learning Resource Center 845-9643) is a terrific resource for writing at any point in the process. If you would like help developing ideas, focusing your essay, thinking about other directions for your writing, editing or with other parts of the writing process, they are happy to help you. The
Learning Lab is staffed by instructors available to tutor writing students on a walk-in basis. If you call the lab, they will be happy to provide you information about their hours of operation this term. When you go, be sure to bring a draft of what you are working on and your assignment sheet with you. If I think that your writing might benefit from working with a Learning Lab instructor, I will let you know.
Students with Disabilities: If you have a documented disability that affects your work in this class (or any other), HFCC’s Assisted Learning office can provide support for you. Call them or let me know and I can help you to contact them at 313-845-9617 to make necessary
arrangements to ensure your success in this course.
Tentative Weekly Schedule:
(As the instructor, I reserve the right to alter this schedule if necessary, but will endeavor to adhere to it.)
Week One:
Thursday, August 24
In-Class: Introductions
Discuss syllabus and Class Website
Homework for next class:
Read: “Minority Report,” (handout on class website)
Week Two:
Tuesday, August 29
In-Class: Quiz on “Minority Report”
Assignment: Essay 1: Critical Analysis of “Minority Report.” Discuss the concept of Dystopia
Discuss MLA/APA Thursday, August 31
In-Class:
Discuss “The Minority Report” short story and Essay 1 Show example of good essay
Weekly Writing 1 Week Three:
Tuesday, September 5 In-Class:
Watch Part 1 of film: The Minority Report
HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS: Work on Essay 1
Thursday, September 7
In-Class: Watch Part 2 of film: The Minority Report HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Rough Draft of Essay 1 Week Four:
Tuesday, September 12
Due: Rough Draft of Essay 1
In-Class: Peer Review of Essay 1 HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Revised Draft of Essay 1 for Instructor Review
Thursday, September 14
Due: Revised Draft of Essay 1
Weekly Writing 2 HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Read Fahrenheit 451, Part One (pp. 3-68)
Week Five:
Tuesday, September 19 In-Class:
Quiz on Part One of Fahrenheit 451
Discuss Part One of Fahrenheit 451
HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Read Part Two of Fahrenheit 451 (pp.71-110)
Thursday, September 21
Due: Final Draft of Essay 1
In-Class: Quiz on Part Two of Fahrenheit 451
Discuss Part Two of Fahrenheit 451
Essay 2 Assigned
HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS: Read Part Three of Fahrenheit 451 (pp. 113-165)
Week Six:
Tuesday, September 26
In-Class: Quiz on Part Three of Fahrenheit 451
Discuss Part Three of Fahrenheit 451
Discuss Essay 2 Thursday, September 28
In-Class: Work on Essay 2 Weekly Writing 3 HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Rough Draft of Essay 2 for Peer Review Week Seven:
Tuesday, October 3
In-Class: Peer Review for Essay 2 HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Revised Draft of Essay 2 for Instructor Review
Thursday, October 5
Due: Revised Draft of Essay 2 for Instructor Review
In-Class: Discuss censorship and dystopian societies HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
None
Week Eight: Tuesday, October 10
In-Class: In-Class Essay 1 HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
None
Thursday, October 12
Due: Final Draft of Essay 2
In-Class: Source Evaluations and the Annotated Bibliography Weekly Writing 4-Revise In-Class Essay 1
HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS: None
Week Nine:
Tuesday, October 17
In-class: Work on Source Evaluations
Annotated Bibliography w/examples HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Source Evaluations 1 & 2 on dystopia Thursday, October 19
Due: Source Evaluations 1 & 2 on dystopia
In-class: Introduction to The Handmaid’s Tale HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Week Ten:
Tuesday, October 24
In-Class: Quiz on Chapters 1-6 (pp. 3-99) of The Handmaid’s Tale Discuss The Handmaid’s Tale
Assign Essay 3
HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Read Chapters 7-11 (pp. 103-195) of The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood Thursday, October 26
In-Class: Quiz on Chapters 7-11 (pp. 103-195) of The Handmaid’s Tale Discuss The Handmaid’s Tale
Discuss Essay 3 Weekly Writing 5 HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Read Chapters 12-15 (pp. 199-295) of The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood Source Evaluation 3 on dystopia
Week Eleven: Tuesday, October 31
Due: Source Evaluation 3 on dystopia
In-Class: Quiz on Chapters 12-15 (pp. 199-295) The Handmaid’s Tale Discuss The Handmaid’s Tale
HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Source Evaluations 4 & 5 on dystopia Thursday, November 2
Due: Source Evaluations 4 & 5
In-Class: Discuss Annotated bibliography Discuss MLA
HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Read Part One of The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (Chapters 1-9)
Week Twelve:
Tuesday, November 7
HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Read Part Two of The Hunger Games (Chapters 10-18)
Thursday, November 9
In-Class: Quiz on Part Two of The Hunger Games Discuss Part Two of The Hunger Games Weekly Writing 6
MLA review; work on citations and Annotated Bibliography HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Read Part Three of The Hunger Games (Chapters 19-27)
Week Thirteen
Tuesday, November 14
In-Class: Quiz on Part Three of The Hunger Games Discuss Part Three of The Hunger Games Watch Part 1 of film: The Hunger Games Thursday, November 16
In-Class: Watch Part 2 of film: The Hunger Games HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Annotated Bibliography for Essay 3
Week Fourteen: Tuesday, November 22
Due: Annotated Bibliography
In-Class: MLA Jeopardy Weekly Writing 7 HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
None
November 23 NO CLASS HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Week Fifteen:
In-Class: Discuss Presentations Conferences Begin HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Work on Research Paper
Thursday, November 30
In-Class: Conferences continue HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Rough Draft of Research Paper for Peer Review
Week Sixteen: Tuesday, December 5
In-class: Peer Review of Rough Draft of Research Paper Begin Oral/Visual Presentations of Research Paper Thursday, December 7
In-Class: Oral/Visual Presentations of Research Paper continue HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS:
Final Draft of Research Paper Finals Week:
Tuesday, December 12 3:35pm – 5:30pm Due: Final Draft of Essay 3
