EN 1113
Spring 2014 Syllabus and Course Schedule
Instructor: Miss Lauralee Moore
Class Time: M/W 10:00-11:15
Classroom: Lee 001
Instructor Email: lem463@msstate.edu
Office: 201 Lee Hall
Phone: English Department Main Office: (662) 3253644
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 2:00-4:00
Required Texts and Materials:
The Little, Brown Handbook, 4th Custom edition (LBH)
Guide to Freshman Composition, 5th edition (GFC)
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Maus by Art Spiegelman
4 clasp envelopes (Please use the 9x12 size.)
All other texts we use in class will be posted online in My Courses
“Words create sentences; sentences create paragraphs; sometimes paragraphs quicken and begin
to breathe.”- Stephen King On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
“To write is human, to edit is divine.” - Stephen King On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Teaching Philosophy: As an aspiring teacher, I believe that the work of the artist is just as
influential as the written word. Both teaching and artistry are responsible for the creation of art,
although found in different forms. It has become increasingly important to arm our students with
the right tools of knowledge and insight to change the world, not just write an English paper for
the criticism of his/her teacher. If you leave a student ill-equipped for the next teacher to fix, it
will be the same as leaving an artist with a broken easel.
Course Work: EN 1113 requires you to write four original essays (including the final exam)
that will require you to do extensive research and critical thinking about topics related to the
readings we do in class. You will also complete shorter assignments in and out of the classroom
that will help you to prepare for the larger writing assignments; In addition to completing daily
assignments in class, you will take reading quizzes that reflect your comprehension of daily
readings.
Class discussion will not focus on grammar; however, there is grammar guidance in The Little,
Brown Handbook, and I will direct you to relevant sections that can help you in producing more
effective pieces of writing.
Class Policies: I will address these principles on a regular occasion and you will test on them
thoroughly!
1. The number one rule for school and life: ALWAYS FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.
2. Purpose of all authors including you : All authors are trying to manipulate the
audience utilizing literary devices as tools to affect the way the audience thinks, feels,
etc.
3. Thorough explanation of Opinion vs. Judgement:
Opinion- based on personal basis of one’s general feelings toward a certain subject.
Judgement- based on a qualitative analysis based on something’s worth or merit.
4. Purpose of school: to learn STUFF you don’t already know (The word stuff was chosen
for this definition because just general knowledge would not encompass the large variety
of what is learned on a school’s grounds.)
Procedures:
1. Attend all classes. I will take attendance at the beginning of every class meeting, and it is
your responsibility to contact me if you miss a class, and you are responsible for obtaining any
missed information or assignments. If you miss a major essay assignment, you must come see
me during my office hours or schedule an appointment with me in order to make up work. You
may not make up in class work, quizzes, or homework. I will not accept any makeup work for
daily assignments missed due to absences. If you miss class, you cannot makeup daily work—
even if you have an excuse. If you are more than ten minutes late for a class, you will be
considered absent.
2. All essays must be typed in black ink and must follow MLA format.
3. Discussion is important in this class. In order to participate fully in discussions (and, in
general, to perform well in the course), read all required materials before class and take part in
class discussion regularly.
4 . Come to class prepared to learn. Bring all appropriate materials (textbooks, notebooks,
paper, pen, etc.) to class every day.
5. Do your own work.
6. You will receive a ten percent penalty per day for all late assignments. I do not accept
printer or computer issues as excuses for late work. You may print at the library or in various
other computer labs on campus using your MSU ID. Allow plenty of time to have your
assignments ready to turn in on the day they are due. Assignments will not be considered
submitted until you have turned in both a hard copy to me and a digital copy to Turnitin
via MyCourses. Work submitted by email without prior permission from me will not be
considered as turned in.
7. Check your email regularly. I use email as a primary means of communication. I will make
announcements about readings, homework assignments, and other class activities via email on a
regular basis.
8. Help. If you have any questions or concerns about your writing or the class, make an
appointment with me for a conference or email me with your questions and concerns. I am
always available during my office hours and will also try to schedule requested meetings
whenever possible.
For extended help with your writing, you can visit the Writing Center. The Writing Center is free
for MSU students to use, and you should use it, as it is one of the most helpful resources at your
disposal. Visit the Writing Center website here:
http://www.writingcenter.msstate.edu/leehallcenter.html or call (662) 3251045 to make an
appointment. Keep in mind that the Writing Center is not an editing service. The Writing
Center tutors are there to help you through the writing process—not to “fix your
grammar” for you.
Academic Integrity: If you plagiarize any assignment, you will receive an F on the
assignment. MSU has an Honor Code, which applies to all students: “As a Mississippi State
University student, I will conduct myself with honor and integrity at all times. I will not lie,
cheat, steal, nor will I accept the actions of those who do.” school’s policy here:
http://www.honorcode.msstate.edu.
9. Lastly, don’t waste our time. We are here to learn and discuss literature and composition.
Please refrain from distracting the class with weird or unnecessary comments. Especially refrain
from comments that are disrespectful to others, including myself.
Point Distribution:
Exploratory Essay 100 pts.
Research Essay 200 pts.
Fiction Essay 100 pts.
Class Participation 100 pts.
Final Essay (Final Exam) 100 pts.
Quizzes 300 pts.
Total Available: 900
Grade Scale:
810-900pts. = A
720-809pts. = B
630-719pts. = C
540-629pts. = D
0-539pts. = F
Course: Composition II
Unit I: British Literature
Unit II: English Literature
Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies
that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have
already become.- C. S. Lewis
Background and Institutional Considerations
This course unit was formed largely by drawing on favorite literature pertaining to this
certain category from past English courses, mostly courses I took in high school. I drew
mostly from these works of literature because I feel like from a student’s perspective at
the time they proved to be the most influential.
These readings as they did then still require critical thought to analyze and many of them
continue to remain as works of classic literature.
What makes literature good and teachable in my opinion?
Good literature, as it always has draws on the ideas of universal human themes and
presents them to an audience to illicit emotional responses, whether it be positive or
negative.
Course Goals
The purpose of this course is to gain better understanding of the process of composition
and also the process of analyzing literature. I will teach my class to become better self-editors,
and not to fear the writing process as most people do.
Many people fear or question the writing process because it is essentially the mental equivalent
of digging a ditch. To be productive as a writer you will produce “skull sweat,” just as a
construction worker would perspire working in the heat of the day. The writing process will
never be viewed as easy for students, but I will strive to guide my students in making the writing
process as easy as possible to understand.
Course Description
This is the second writing composition course; this class requires students to read and
discuss all the selected literature and gain a better understanding of analyzing literature
and the writing process as a whole.
Unit I
Focus: British Literature
Unit Description and Goals
The reading materials I have included in the British unit plans draw on some of the oldest
literature in Europe. I drew from these texts to allow my students to gain a better understanding
not only of English literature but literature as a whole. They are called classics for a reason, I
suppose. Included for the course are:
Hamlet
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Importance of being Earnest
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Screwtape Letters
Alice in Wonderland
Unit II
Focus: American Literature
Unit Description and Goals
The reading materials I have included in the American unit plans draw on ranging from some of
the earliest literature of the American colonies all the way to a contemporary horror fiction
excerpt from the graphic novel The Walking Dead. I drew from these texts to allow my students
to gain a better understanding not only of American literature but literature as a whole. Some of
these literary works are quite unconventional for a classroom setting, and yet I felt like they
should be pulled because they contain certain aspects of literary worth or merit in which we will
discuss in the Included for the course are:
The Scarlet Letter
“The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock”
The Great Gatsby
Maus
Ender’s Game
Jaws
The Walking Dead
Course Schedule
Any changes will be announced in class or in a class email.
Monday, Jan. 12: Course Introduction; Syllabus Overview
Wednesday, Jan. 14: Read The Scarlet Letter: 1-62 for quiz and discussion
Monday, Jan. 19: Holiday No class.
Wednesday, Jan. 21: MLA Review Day; Read The Scarlet Letter: 62-130 for quiz and
discussion
Monday, Jan. 26: Intro to the Exploratory Essay; Read The Scarlet Letter: 131-189 for quiz and
discussion
Wednesday, Jan. 28: Read The Scarlet Letter: 190-end for quiz and discussion
Monday, Feb. 2: Read for Quiz: The Great Gatsby: 1-60
Wednesday, Feb. 4: In Class Work Day for Research papers!
Monday, Feb. 9: Read for Quiz: The Great Gatsby: 61-113
Wednesday, Feb. 11: Read for Quiz: The Great Gatsby: 113-180
Monday, Feb. 16: Exploratory Essay Research Proposal Due; class work day
Wednesday, Feb. 18: Read for Quiz: Maus: a survivor’s tale part 1
Monday, Feb. 23: Sample Exploratory Essay (GFC)
Wednesday, Feb. 25: Read for Quiz: “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock” (on My Courses)
Monday, Mar. 2: Sign up for conferences; Exploratory Essay Exercise (GFC) Screwtape
Letters: 1-62
Wednesday, Mar. 4: Read Screwtape Letters: 63-115 for quiz
Mar. 9-13: SPRING BREAK No class. 
Monday, Mar. 16: Conferences; Exploratory Essay Draft 1 Due at Your Conference
Wednesday, Mar. 18: Conferences; Exploratory Essay Draft 1 Due at Your Conference
Monday, Mar. 23: Read Screwtape Letters: 117-175 for quiz; Wednesday, Mar. 25: Monday,
Mar. 30: In Class Work Day
Wednesday, Apr. 1: TCR Chapter 5; Sample Research Essay Discussion (GFC); Exploratory
Essay Final Draft Due
Monday, Apr. 6: Research Essay Proposal Due; Library Day
Monday, Apr. 8: Evaluative Annotated Bibliographies Due; Library Day
Wednesday, Apr. 13: Argumentative Research Essay First Draft Due; Research
Presentations
Wednesday, Apr. 15: Argumentative Research Essay Final Draft Due
Monday, Apr. 20:
Wednesday, Apr. 22: Draft 1 Fiction Essay Due; Fiction Essay Peer Review
Monday, Apr. 27: Final Draft Fiction Essay Due; Final Exam Review Day
FINAL EXAM – Thursday, May 8 in our classroom from 12:00-3:00