ENGLISH 1301 SYLLABUS
PART I: ENGLISH 1301 COURSE INFORMATION
Southwest College: Stafford
Summer I - 2011
Instructor
Name: Patricia Green
Office hours: 5:00 room 316
Classroom: 316
Class hours: 5:30-8:00; 8-10:30 pm English 1301 CRN # 77100, 77686
E-mail: patricia.green@hccs.edu
Textbooks
Two textbooks are required for the course:
The Little, Brown Handbook. (2010) Eleventh edition
Fowler, H. Ramsey and Jane E. Aaron
The Writer’s Presence. (2009) Sixth edition.
McQuade, Donald and Robert Atwan
Other Materials
Paper and pens, folder for handouts and a Notebook
Pocketed paper folder or manila envelope for essay #4 research materials
Jump drive/flash drive
Grade Percentages
Essay #1: (10%) 750 word personal narrative or memoir
Essay #2: (10%) 750 expository essay
Essay #3: (10%) 500-750 word in-class mid-term essay: a sense of place
Essay #4: (10%) 750 word critical analysis essay
Essay #5: (30%) 1,000 word researched and documented argumentative/persuasive
essay on ethics and morality
Essay #6: (10%) 500 word in-class final exam essay
Other grades:
Daily grades: Quiz, daily assignments and participation (10%)
Journals # 1-10 (10%)
Important Dates
June 6: Classes Begin
June 7: Last Day for Add/Drop/Swap
June 29: Last Day for Administrative/Student Withdrawals—4:30pm
July 3: Instruction Ends
July 6: Final
July 10: Semester Ends
July 15: Grades Available to Students
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Attendance Policy
Regular attendance is required at Houston Community College. HCCS class
policy states that a student who is absent more than 12.5% (6 hours) of class may
be administratively dropped. Students who intend to withdraw from a course must
do so by the official last day to drop.
Withdrawal Policy
The State of Texas has begun to impose penalties on students who drop courses
excessively. For example, if you repeat the same course more than twice, you
have to pay extra tuition. Beginning in the Fall of 2007, the Texas Legislature
passed a law limiting first time entering students to no more than six total course
withdrawals throughout their academic career in obtaining a certificate or
baccalaureate degree. There may be future penalties imposed.
If you do not withdraw before the deadline, you will receive the grade that you are
making as the final grade rather than a “W.” This grade (due to missing classes
and missing work) will probably be an “F.” The last day to withdraw from the Fall
2009 semester is November 12th.
You should visit with your instructor, an HCC counselor, or HCC Online Student
Services to learn what, if any, HCC interventions might be offered to assist you to
stay in class and improve your performance. Such interventions could include
tutoring, child care, financial aid, and job placement.
Grades of “W” and “I”
A grade of “W” is given for a “withdrawal.” A grade of “I” is given for
“incomplete.” An “I” is for emergencies only. You have one semester to complete
the missing work.
Student Course Reinstatement Policy
Students have a responsibility to arrange payment for their classes when they
register, either through cash, credit card, financial aid, or the installment plan.
Students who are dropped from their courses for non-payment of tuition and fees
who request reinstatement after the official date of record can be reinstated by
making payment in full and paying an additional $75.00 per course reinstatement
fee. The academic dean may waive the reinstatement fee upon determining that
the student was dropped because of a college error.
HCC Student Email Accounts
All students who have registered and paid for courses at HCC automatically have
an HCC email account generated for them. Please go to
http://www.hccs.edu/students/email/ to review how to send email using this
account.
Free English Tutoring
The Southwest College offers you numerous opportunities for free English
tutoring at our tutoring centers (Stafford, Alief, and West Loop) or our electronic
tutoring services. Signs will be posted once the HCC live tutoring hours have been
established. On-line tutoring services include AskOnline and mycomplab.com.
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You will find the AskOnline tutoring icon on the HCC homepage for students.
More information about the on-line services will be available once the semester
gets started.
Open Computer Lab
You have free access to the Internet and word processing in the open computer lab
in the Scarcella Science Center and in the West Loop Campus. Check on the door
of the open computer lab for hours of operation.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism results in a grade of zero (“F”) on that project. Consult your on-line
student handbook on scholastic dishonesty. Cheating and/or collusion also result
in a grade of zero (“F”) on that project. Two instances of plagiarism will sabotage
the course grade and will result in an “F” in the course. Consult your on-line
student handbook for more details on scholastic dishonesty. No opportunities for
rewriting/resubmitting the plagiarized project will be given.
Late Paper Policy and Make-Up Exams
All assignments are required to be submitted on the date they are due. Due dates
are posted on your syllabus and/or assignment page. Late papers will be docked a
letter grade (ten points) per day.
Electronics Policies
1. Turn off and put away all cell phones, beepers, text-messaging devices and
other electronic devices when class starts. The sounds of cell phones ringing
during class are disruptive. Students should not leave the class to make a call or
answer one (or worse—answer a call in class). No cell phones permitted on top of
desks.
2. No Bluetooth devices in ears allowed during class.
3. No MP3 players or other music devices with earphones allowed during class.
4. No laptops open during class.
5. You can answer your calls and make calls during your break.
Use of Cameras and Recording Devices
Use of recording devices, including camera phones and tape recorders, is
prohibited in classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, and other locations where
instruction, tutoring, or testing occurs. These devices are also not allowed to be
used in campus restrooms. Students with disabilities who need to use a recording
device as a reasonable accommodation should contact the Office for Students with
Disabilities for information regarding reasonable accommodations.
COURSE DESCRIPTION, PURPOSE, AND OBJECTIVES
MISSION STATEMENT OF THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
The purpose of the English Department is to provide courses that transfer to four-year
colleges; introduce students to literature from diverse traditions; prepare students to write
clear, communicative, well-organized, and detailed prose; and develop students’ reading,
writing, and analytical skills.
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ENGLISH 1301 COURSE DESCRIPTION
English 1301 is a course devoted to improving the student's writing and critical reading.
The course involves writing essays for a variety of purposes from personal to academic,
including the introduction to argumentation, critical analysis, and the use of sources.
English 1301 is a core curriculum course.
COURSE PURPOSE
English 1301 is designed to help students write multi-paragraph expository, analytical,
and argumentative essays that have the following qualities:
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clarity in purpose and expression,
appropriate and sensible organization,
sound content, including applications of concepts from and references to assigned
readings,
completeness in development,
unity and coherence,
appropriate strategies of development,
sensitivity to audience
effective choice of words and sentence patterns,
grammatical and mechanical correctness, and
appropriate MLA citation format.
EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR ENGLISH 1301: By the time students have
completed English 1301, they will
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understand writing as a connected and interactive process which includes planning,
shaping, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading;
apply writing process to out-of-class writing;
apply writing process as appropriate to in-class, impromptu writing situations, thus
showing an ability to communicate effectively in a variety of writing situations (such
as essay exams and standardized writing tests like the TASP);
apply suggestions from evaluated compositions to other writing projects;
understand and apply basic principles of critical thinking in analyzing reading
selections, in developing expository essays, and writing argumentative essays;
apply concepts from and use references to assigned readings in developing essays;
analyze elements of purpose, audience, tone, style, and writing strategy in essays by
professional writers
complete short writing assignments, journal entries, reading quizzes, and other
activities to strengthen basic thinking and writing skills
understand and appropriately apply various methods of development in writing
assignments;
avoid faulty reasoning in all writing assignments;
fulfill the writing requirements of the course, writing at least 5,000 words during the
semester.
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EDUCATIONAL COMPETENCIES IN HCCS CORE CURRICULUM
Reading: Reading material at the college level means having the ability to analyze and
interpret a variety of printed materials--books, articles, and documents.
Writing: Writing at the college level means having the ability to produce clear, correct,
and coherent prose adapted to purpose, occasion, and audience. In addition to knowing
correct grammar, spelling and punctuation, students should also become familiar with the
writing process, including how to discover a topic, how to develop and organize it, and
how to phrase it effectively for their audience. These abilities are acquired through
practice and reflection.
Speaking: Effective speaking is the ability to communicate orally in clear, coherent, and
persuasive language appropriate to purpose, occasion, and audience.
Listening: Listening at the college level means the ability to analyze and interpret various
forms of spoken communication.
Critical Thinking: Critical thinking embraces methods for applying both qualitative and
quantitative skills analytically and creatively to subject matter in order to construct
alternative strategies. Problem solving is one of the applications of critical thinking used
to address an identified task.
Computer Literacy: Computer literacy at the college level means having the ability to
use computer-based technology in communicating, solving problems, and acquiring
information. Core-educated students should have an understanding of the limits,
problems, and possibilities associated with the use of technology and should have the
tools necessary to evaluate and learn new technologies as they become available.
EXEMPLARY EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
 To understand and demonstrate writing and speaking processes through invention,
organization, drafting, revising, editing, and presenting.
 To understand the importance of specifying audience and purpose and to select
appropriate communication choices.
 To understand and appropriately apply modes of expression (descriptive, expositive,
narrative, scientific, and self-expressive)
 To participate effectively in groups with emphasis on listening, critical and reflective
thinking, and responding.
 To understand and apply basic principles of critical thinking, problem solving, and
technical proficiency in the development of exposition and argument.
 To develop the ability to research and write a documented paper and/or to give an oral
presentation.
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English 1301 Student Calendar
Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday
Summer 2010
WP – the Writer’s Presence
LBH – Little, Brown Handbook
J - Journal
HW – homework
Schedule of Assignments
WEEK ONE
Monday, June 6
Introduction to English 1301, explanation of English1301. Check proof of enrollment
Diagnostic essay (Journal # 1). Show proof of registration.
LBH Part I:the Writing Process overview, p.2, Developing and Shaping Ideas, p. 16, and
drafting and revising, p. 46. Planning, pondering, drafting. Evaluating the Thesis
Statement p. 32. Daily exercise: handout.
HW: Read Sherman Alexie’s “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me.”
p. 13. J#2 on Alexie is due Wed. 6/8
Assign Essay # 1, due Thurs. 6/9: Personal Narrative or Memoir
Tuesday, June 7
Introduction to English 1301, continued, proof of registration, class rules and
expectations, and an introduction to the two textbooks. Show proof of registration.
Overview of the writing process: Part I LBH, WP: p. 269, 301, 440 Diagnostic Essay,
Journal # 1 is due. Read Annie Dillard’s “The Writing Life” p. 664
LBH p. 230 Chap. 12 Understanding Sentence Grammar. Ex. 12.9 Prepositional phrases
Discuss Alexie J#2: rough draft for Essay #2
HW: Read Richard Rodriguez, “Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood” p. 210.
Wednesday, June 8
Library Computer Lab. Work on Narrative Essay # 1
LBH: Chap. 4 p. 72: Writing and Revising Paragraphs. Parallelism p. 85, Pattern of
Development, p. 93.
WP: S. Alexie, “This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” p. 909
HW: J#3: Write one 7-9 sentence paragraph. Revise and rewrite and revise the same
paragraph two more times, making changes and improvements (rough draft of Essay #1).
Read White, “Once More to the Lake” p. 270
J#2 is due
Thursday, June 9
Essay # 2: Expository Essay due 6/17
LBH Chap. 2: Developing and Shaping Ideas p. 16-45. Ex. 2.6 p. 32 Evaluating thesis
statements.
Group Work. Class Discussion
Read Stephen King’s “Everything You Need to Know About Writing Successfully- in
Ten Minutes.” p. 440 “My Inner Shrimp” G. Trudeau p.254
Quiz: Sherman Alexie and Richard Rodriguez
LBH Chap. 6 – Developing Academic Skills p. 128-138 Chap. 8- Writing in Academic
Situations
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HW: Read Brent Staples’ “Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter
Public Space” “Origins” by Barack Obama WP p. 240. The Hazards of Autobiography”
p. 201. J #3 on Staples or Obama
Essay #1 is due Personal Narrative, or Memoir
WEEK TWO
Monday, June 13
Read chapter 13 LBH pp. 264-270. Ex. 13.3 and 13.5
Read Langston Hughes’ “Salvation” p. 142 and “How to Be a Bad Writer” p. 145. J #3
Discuss Staples. How does perception and experience determine a person’s judgment? Is
there a connection between this essay and Trudeau’s?
Write Journal # 4 on Hughes or Trudeau
HW: Work on expository essay # 2
Tuesday, June 14
Planning page for Essay # 2: personal notes on purpose, audience, tone, strategy, tentative
thesis and optional outline.
Read the following articles: Obama’s “Origins,” p. 194 and “LBH chap. 17: Fragments
p. 330-337. Ex. 17.2
LBH: (review for quiz) Chap. 18 p.338, Voice p. 298, p. 300, ex. 14.11
Journal #4 is due
HW: How is this autobiography more effective than an expository, documentary format?
Review argumentation.
Wednesday, June 15
8:00-8:45 - Library Computer Lab: Database research. Work on Essay # 2
The Research Paper, due date: July 1
LBH Unit 9, LBH chapter 42: Planning a Research Project pp.558-571
LBH Part 9 – MLA Research p. 548 – 725, Chaps. 41 - 47
Brainstorm ideas for a sense of place essay. Fill in handout.
Read Read McBride’s “Hip-Hop Planet” p. 463
HW: Read Momaday’s “The Way to Rainy Mountain” p.487. Work on the research paper
Thursday, June 16
Quiz: Argumentation
“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr. WP p. 715.
Show video of the speech. LBH: Chap. 18 Comma Splices and Fused Sentences p. 338
LBH Unit 8: Effective Words
Essay # 2 is due
Critical Analysis Essay # 4 – brainstorm
LBH Unit 9: Research
HW: Read “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by MLK, Jr. p.730
LBH Chaps. 9 and 10: Reading and Writing Arguments critically p. 176 & 196
Quiz: Active and passive voice, fragments, fused sentences and comma splices
Argumentation Essay.- Argumentation handout.
J #5 – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Essay # 4 – Critical Analysis Argumentative Essay Due 6/23
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WEEK THREE
Monday, June 20
Discuss identity within the context of ethnicity, nationality, family, school, gender, age,
friends, etc. Read “Why Women Smile,” p. 324
Discuss “LBH chapter 7, pp. 135-149: Studying Effectively and Taking Exams. Essay
Examinations, p. 822
LBH Part 9 MLA Research Writing p. 548-725
Discuss argumentation based on WP reading
HW: Read L. Chaudry “Mirror, Mirror on the Web” p. 632, or W. Gibson “The Net is A
Waste of Time” p. 691. J#6 is based on one of the readings. For additional readings on a
sense of place, see WP p. xlvi
J #5 is due
Tuesday, June 21
Overview: LBH chapter 14, Verbs pp. 272- 300: Voice – active and passive p. 298-300.
Ex. 14.11 p. 300.
Read Gore Vidal’s “Drugs” p. 883
J # 6 is due – Chaudry or Gibson
HW: M. Pollan “What’s Eating America” p. 800. Bring in photos on Thursday
J # 7: a sense of place (rough draft for the mid-term)
Wednesday, June 22
Essay #3: Mid-Term: a sense of place
Library Computer Lab
One-on-one conferences
HW: Research Paper outline and thesis statement. Read Ephron, “Boston Photographs” p.
676
J # 7 is due
Reminder: bring photo
Thursday, June 23
Discuss Pollitt and gender roles. Review “Why Women Smile.” Discuss Gore Vidal’s
“Drugs.”
LBH: Sexist Language 187, 312, 508-510
One-on-one conferences: the research paper: thesis ideas.
Review LBH chapter 9: Reading Arguments Critically pp. 179-198
Quiz: Argumentation Quiz
HW: Read Carter’s “The Insufficiency of Honesty” p. 318, Morris, “Liar, Liar” p. 775
J#8
Essay # 4: Critical Analysis is due
WEEK FOUR
Monday, June 27
Discuss Carter’s, “the Insufficiency of Honesty,” p. 318. Read Emily Dickinson’s “Tell
the Truth, but Tell It Slant.” Compare ideas about honesty. Use examples from the media
and current events.
LBH, chapter 6: Developing Academic Skills
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HW: Read David Sedaris, “Me Talk Pretty One Day” p. 235 and John Updike, “A&P” p.
967 J # 8 is due
Tuesday, June 28
Discuss technology pieces.
LBH: Review Research Unit 9
HW: Read Beller’s “The Trouble with T-Shirts” p. 53 J # 9
Choose your favorite WP piece for an oral presentation on Thursday, 6/30
Wednesday, June 29
8:00-8:45 -Library Computer Lab. Work on the research paper. One-on-one conferences.
Discuss Beller. Read “On Dumpster Diving” p. 355
LBH chapter 11: Reading and Using Visual Arguments pp. 216-227
LBH: Oral Presentations, p. 856. Sign up for oral presentations
J #9 is due
Thursday, June 30
Oral Presentations
Review Argumentation
Discuss “On Dumpster Diving” p. 355. Share and compare the June 6, 2010 NY Times
magazine article, “What a Freegan Calls Home” by Jake Halpern.
Read and discuss “The Declaration of Independence” as an argument essay, p. 705
Quiz: MLA
Essay # 5: Research Paper is due
HW: J # 10 – assess your success in Composition I this semester.
WEEK FIVE
Monday, July 4
Holiday
Tuesday, July 5
Review: Argumentation. Discuss what the class has learned in this class as writers and
readers (overview of the semester).
Hand out graded research papers. Discuss common errors, give positive feedback.
Finish oral presentations
J # 10 is due
Wednesday, July 6: Final Essay # 6
Library Computer Lab
THE WRITER’S PRESENCE, 6TH EDITION READING LIST:
(Please Note: ITALICIZED WORKS ARE RECOMMENDED READINGS AND WILL NOT
BE COVERED DURING THE STANDARD SEMESTER)
Anne Frank, “From The Diary of a Young Girl” (115-121)
Michihiko Hachiya, “From Hiroshima Diary” (131-137)
Sherman Alexie, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” (13-16)
Maya Angelou, “What’s Your Name, Girl?” (17-22)
Raymond Carver, “My Father’s Life” (57-63)
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Judith Ortiz Cofer, “Silent Dancing” (64-72)
Bernard Cooper, “A Clack of Tiny Sparks: Remembrances of a Gay Boyhood” (75-83)
Edward Hoagland, “On Stuttering” (137-141)
Langston Hughes, “Salvation” (142-146)
Nancy Mairs, “On Being a Cripple” (157-167)
Malcolm X, “Homeboy” (168-182)
David Mamet, “The Rake: A Few Scenes from My Childhood” (183-189)
Barrack Obama “Origins” (194-201)
Barrack Obama “Barrak Obama on the Hazards of Autobiography” (201-202)
George Orwell, “Shooting an Elephant” (203-209)
Richard Rodriguez, “Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood” (210-226)
Marjane Satrapi, “My Speech at West Point” (230-233)
David Sedaris, “Me Talk Pretty One Day” (235-239)
Brent Staples, “Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space” (240244)
Andrew Sullivan “The M-Word: Why It Matters to Me” (246-249)
Amy Tan, “Mother Tongue” (249-254)
Garry Trudeau, “My Inner Shrimp” (254-257)
Alice Walker, “Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self” (258-264)
E. B. White, “Once More to the Lake” (270-274)
David Brooks, “People Like Us” (306-310)
Amy Cunningham, “Why Women Smile” (324-332)
Mark Edmundson, “Dwelling in Possibilities” (342-354)
Lars Eighner, “On Dumpster Diving” (355-364)
James Fallows, “Throwing Like a Girl” (386-392)
Ian Frazier, “All-Consuming Patriotism” (393-396)
Jon Gertner, “The Futile Pursuit of Happiness” (397-406”
Malcolm Gladwell, “Big and Bad” (407-416)
Maxine Hong Kingston, “No Name Woman” (447-458)
Charles McGrath, “The Pleasures of the Text” (473-475)
Azar Nafisi, “Reading Lolita in Tehran” (493-502)
Danielle Ofri, “SAT” (503-509)
George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language” (510-521)
Katha Pollitt, “Why Boys Don’t Play with Dolls” (522-525)
Calvin Trillin, “A Traditional Family” (545-547)
Marie Winn, “TV Addiction” (590-591)
Virginia Woolf, “The Death of the Moth” (601-604)
Annie Dillard, “Living Like Weasels” (660-663)
Nora Ephron, “The Boston Photographs” (676-681)
William Gibson, “The Net Is a Waste of Time” (691-693)
Michiko Kakutani, “The Word Police” (710-714)
Martin Luther King Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (730-747)
Errol Morris, “Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire” (775-782)
Scott Russell Sanders, “The Men We Carry in Our Minds” (828-833)
Leslie Marmon Silko, “In the Combat Zone” (842-848)
Jonathan Swift, “A Modest Proposal” (866-873)
Gore Vidal, “Drugs” (883-885)
John Edgar Wideman, “The Night I Was Nobody” (886-889)
Terry Tempest Williams, “The Clan of One-Breasted Women” (890-897)
Raymond Carver, “The Bath” (919-925)
Sherman Alexie, “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” (909-919)
Jamaica Kincaid, “Girl” (926-927)
Joyce Carol Oates, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” (929-943)
Flannery O’Connor, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” (947-960)
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John Updike, “A & P” (967-972)
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