ANG 1103-A: Composition 1
Fall 2015, Wednesdays 1-4pm, Z-350 Pav. Claire-McNicoll
Instructor: Prof. Heather Meek
Office: C-8118
Office hour: Tuesday 3-4pm (or by appointment)
Email: heather.meek@umontreal.ca
Phone: 514-343-6239
Course Description
This course is designed to improve students’ ability to read and write critically through the
examination of a variety of literary texts. We work from the premise that to write well one must also
read well; to this effect, we will study texts from the three main literary genres (fiction, poetry, and
drama). You will learn to read and interpret these texts thoroughly, to develop and organize ideas, to
formulate pointed thesis statements, to write coherent paragraphs, to revise and edit productively, to
integrate quotations, to master the rules of MLA formatting, and – finally – to produce a coherent,
lucid, and persuasive essay. Class time will be divided between lectures, group discussions, and inclass assignments (including writing sessions and peer review workshops). Because this course
serves as the foundation of your success in future English courses, your reading and writing skills
should improve significantly over the course of the semester. To meet this objective, the course is
writing-intensive.
Required Text
Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia, eds. Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry,
Drama, and Writing. Fifth Edition. Boston: Pearson, 2016.
Suggested Text
An English dictionary.
Web Resource
Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
Evaluation
1 in-class essay:
2 take-home essays:
In-class assignments:
Attendance and participation:
Final exam (two essays):
15%
40%
10%
5%
30%
In-class essay and final exam: You must be available to write the in-class essay and the final exam
on the scheduled dates. Make-ups will be granted under special circumstances if proper
documentation is provided. More details will follow.
Take-home essays: Take-home essays must be given directly to me (in hard copy form) at the
beginning of class on the due dates. Late essays will be penalized 5% for each day overdue.
Extensions should be arranged at least 10 days in advance. More details will follow.
In-class assignments: You are to produce ten short, in-class assignments over the course of the
semester. You will receive 1% for each assignment that you complete and hand in during class time.
Attendance and participation: It is expected that you attend all classes and that you come prepared to
share your ideas on the relevant topics and readings.
Electronic Devices
Cellphones, laptops, and tablets are prohibited in the classroom; they must be turned off and hidden
from view. If for some reason it is crucial that you use one of these devices during class time, please
arrange to meet with me.
Plagiarism
Students are warned not to plagiarize. Plagiarism is considered a serious academic offence which
may lead to a mark of ‘F’ on an assignment or a course, or even suspension or expulsion from the
University. Please note that I am required to report all cases of plagiarism to the Dean. See
http://www.integrite.umontreal.ca for more on the definitions and consequences of plagiarism. If you
are uncertain what plagiarism is, please arrange to meet with me.
Class Schedule
WEEK 1 – September 2
Introduction to the course
WEEK 2 – September 9
Theodore Roethke, “My Papa’s Waltz” (380)
Jamaica Kincaid, “Girl” (56-58)
“Writing about Literature” (1089-97)
In-class assignment: Active reading (previewing, highlighting, and annotating), generating ideas,
prewriting, and outlining
WEEK 3 – September 16
“Reading a Story” (5-6)
“Point of View” (28-32, 58-60)
“The Tell-Tale Heart” (40-45)
“Writing about Literature” (1098-1104)
In-class assignment: Developing an argument and drafting an essay
WEEK 4 – September 23
“Symbol” (203-06, 244-45)
Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery” (235-43)
In-class assignment: Writing topic sentences and paragraphs
WEEK 5 – September 30
“Character” (61-63, 98-100)
Raymond Carver, “Cathedral” (85-98)
In-class essay (15%)
WEEK 6 – October 7
Flannery O’Connor, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” (336-49)
“Writing about Literature: Revising your Argument” (1105-1113)
In-class assignment: Begin (or continue) drafting take-home essay #1
2
WEEK 7 – October 14
“Setting” (101-04, 145-46)
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” (215-29)
“Document Sources Using MLA Style” (1155-67)
In-class assignment: Peer review of take-home essay #1
STUDY BREAK
WEEK 8 – October 28
Take-home essay #1 due (20%)
“Reading a Poem” (363-69)
“Listening to a Voice: Tone” (379, 399-401)
Langston Hughes, “Theme for English B” (389-90)
Wilfred Owen, “Dulce et Decorum Est” (398-99)
WEEK 9 – November 4
“Dramatic Poetry, The Dramatic Monologue” (372-73)
Robert Browning, “My Last Duchess” (373-75)
“Dramatic Irony” (393)
Sharon Olds, “Rites of Passage” (395)
In-class assignment: Integrating quotations and documenting sources
WEEK 10 – November 11
“Closed Form” (493-94, 501)
William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 130” (614)
Sherman Alexie, “The Facebook Sonnet” (504)
Dylan Thomas, “Do not go gentle into that goodnight” (506)
In-class assignment: Generating titles
WEEK 11 – November 18
“Myth and Narrative” (539-40, 551-52, 556-57)
Anne Sexton, “Cinderella” (553-55)
In-class assignment: Begin or continue drafting take-home essay #2
WEEK 12 – November 25
“Reading a Play” (631-32)
Susan Glaspell, “Trifles” (633-46)
“Analyzing Trifles” (646-53)
In-class assignment: Peer review of take-home essay #1
WEEK 13 – December 2
Take-home essay #2 due (20%)
Review for final exam
In-class assignment: Exam-writing strategies
WEEK 14 – December 9
Final exam (30%)
B-3280 Pav. 3200 Jean-Brillant
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