Northwest-Shoals Community College / Spring 2003

English 102, Composition II

Tu/Th Class, 11:00 am – 12:15 pm

 

Instructor: Michael Patrick McClung, B.A., M.A.

256/331-6313

Office: AV-16

E-mail: mcclung@nwscc.edu

 

Required Texts: Perrine ’s Literature, (8th Edition)

                           Harcourt Guide to MLA Documentation,  L. S. Schwartz

 

Class Attendance: Students should attend all class meetings.  Students who miss more than 5 class meetings (that is, more than 20% of the course) will receive an F for the course regardless of the grades they have earned thus far.  Thus, students are discouraged from missing any class meeting unless a genuine emergency arises.  If you are absent due to sickness, you do not need to bring a doctor’s excuse to the instructor; unlike high school, there are no “excused” absences—absent is absent for whatever reason.

 

Make-up Policy: Students who miss essays or exams are allowed to make up the assignment, but the missed work must be completed within one week of its due date.  No work will be accepted beyond this extra time allowance.  Make up essays and exams are painful and inconvenient for everyone involved, so the student is advised to be here any time an essay or exam is scheduled.

 

Conferences: Students are encouraged to speak with the instructor at any time during the semester about their progress and improvement.  However, students should not at any time during the semester tell the instructor what grade they “just have to have.”  Example: “Oh, Mr. McClung, I need to bring up my GPA, and I just have to have a B in this class!”

 

Grades: Your final course grade will come from performance on essays, exams, the research paper, and any other assignments that the instructor gives.  Essays will comprise much of the course content, and they will be judged based on development and support, grammar and mechanics, thesis and organization, unity, coherence, and diction.  Essays turned in late will be graded more stringently than those written and turned in on time.

 

Grade Percentages:   Essays 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A = 16.25% of final course average

                                   Research Paper = 30% of final course average

                                   Final Exam = 5% of final course average

 

Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA ): It is the policy of NW-SCC to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  Any student covered under this act needing and desiring reasonable accommodations for this class should notify the instructor by the end of the second week of classes.  Students may not claim to have a disability at the end of the term and then request special treatment, change of grade, etc.

 

Academic Citizenship: The following are some things you need to know about being a student in this course or any other college course.  (1) You may not habitually come to class late; tardiness is rude and it is a distraction.  Repeated or habitual tardiness indicates gross ignorance of academic amenities.  The instructor will take special notice of those who are repeatedly late to class, and habitual tardiness will result in a lower final course grade for the student; (2) You must purchase the required book(s) for the course; the books are not optional; (3) You may not talk and carry on conversations with your friends and neighbors while the instructor is talking; (4) You may not sleep in class or work on classwork for other courses; (5) It is your job to look interested during class time even if you are not; this is one of the most important lessons you can learn in life; (6) You will not allow a cell phone to ring under any circumstances during class time; in fact, throw your cell phone in the garbage today on your way out of class—every time you use a cell phone, it decreases your intelligence substantially; (7) If you copy essays or portions of essays off the Internet and turn them in as your own work, you will be found guilty of plagiarism and will have an F in the course as of that day; taking someone else’s writing—whether from the Internet or any other print source—and presenting it as your own is a serious academic offense.

 

About Your Professor: Mr. McClung received his B.A. degree in English from the University of North Alabama (1993) and his M.A. degree in English from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (1995).  He has taught in the English Departments of UAB, UNA, and NW-SCC.

 

Course Schedule:

1/14:        Syllabus and Course Introduction

                Seating Assignment

 

1/16:        Guidelines for Writing About Literature handout

                Five-Paragraph Essay Model

                Literary Essay Examples

                Diagnostic Writing Assignment

 

1/21:        Research Paper Assignment given out

 

1/23:        Essay 1A – Bring two labeled, formatted diskettes

 

1/28:        Introduction to Short Stories

Readings : “A Worn Path,” 223; “Miss Brill,”

                182; “The Cask of Amontillado,” 680

 

1/30:        Readings : Harcourt Guide to MLA, 1-30

                Discussion of Bibliography and Note Cards

 

2/4:          Lab – 2X

 

2/6:      Readings : “The Lottery,” 263; “The Short   Happy Life of Francis Macomber,” 77; “A Rose for Emily,” 281

 

2/11:    Lab – 2Y

 

2/13:        Readings : Harcourt Guide to MLA, 31-61

                Discussion of MLA Form

                Individual Conferences

             Broad Topic Due

 

2/18:        Lab – 2A

             Library time for Research Paper

 

2/20:        Individual Conferences about the Research Paper

                Narrow Topic Due

             Library Time

 

2/25:    Begin Typing Research Paper in the Lab

 

2/27:        Introduction to Poetry

                Readings : “Cross,” 766; “Ballad of

                Birmingham ,” 728; “The Red Wheel-

                barrow,” 730; “The Man He Killed,” 739;

                Break of Day,” 747; “There’s been a

                death . . . ,” 747;  “Dream Deferred,” 805;

                “Love,” 897, “Hymn to God the Father,

             768

 

3/4:      3X Essay Draft (in classroom, hand-written)

 

3/6:          Readings: “Mirror,” 749; “When my love

                swears . . . ,” 759; “The Chimney Sweeper,”

                837; “Incident,” 832; “A narrow fellow in the

                grass,” 1037; “To Autumn,” 783; “Batter my

                heart, three-personed God,” 840; “I heard a

             fly buzz . . . ,” 948; “Woman Work,” 908

 

3/11:        Readings: “Ulysses,” 818; “My Last Duchess,”

             849; “The Flea,” 890; “Death, be not proud,” 971

 

3/13:     3Y Essay Draft (in classroom, hand-written)

 

3/18:    3A in Lab

 

3/20:        Introduction to Drama

             Death of a Salesman, 1545+

 

3/25:    Spring Break / No Class

3/27:    Spring Break / No Class

 

4/1:      Lab – Research Paper Time

 

4/3:      Complete Discussion of Death of a Salesman

 

4/8:      Lab – Research Paper Time

 

4/10:        Sophocles, Oedipus Rex

 

4/15:    Lab – Research Paper Time

 

4/17:    Individual Conferences on Research Paper Progress

             Library Time for Research

             Instructor to Sign Drop Forms for Those Not

                 Progressing on RP

 

4/22:     Lab – Research Paper Time

 

4/24:     Individual Conferences on Research Paper Progress

             Library Time for Research

             Instructor to Sign Drop Forms for Those Not

                 Progressing on RP

 

4/29:        Lab – Research Paper Due

             Late Papers Lose 15 points per day!

 

5/1:      Begin 4A in Class (hand-written)

 

5/6:      Complete 4A in Lab

 

Final Exam: Thursday, May 8, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm