English Studies Houston Community College SouthWest
Course Syllabus
ENGL 1302 – Composition II
Spring 2013
Prof. Matthew R. Richards
MA in Creative Writing and Poetry from University of Houston-Clear Lake
BA in English Literature from University of North Texas
Email: For now-mattrichards7@hotmail.com
Office:
Course Location:
Course Semester Credit Hours: Credit Hours 3.00
Lecture Hours 3.00
Total Contact Hours: 48.00; Course Length: 16 weeks; Type of Instruction: Lecture
Course Description: ENGL 1302 is a more extensive study of the skills introduced in ENGL 1301 with an
emphasis on critical thinking, research, and documentation techniques, and literary and rhetorical
analysis. In this course, students will demonstrate their mastery of the research process, persuasiveargumentative writing, and critical analysis. This is a core curriculum course.
Course Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1301 or satisfactory score on the CLEP exam
Course Goals
Equip students to:
1.
Communicate ideas effectively through discussion.
2.
Employ research in academic writing styles and use appropriate documentation style (MLA).
3.
Analyze various genres of writing for form, method, meaning, and interpretation.
4.
Write in appropriate genres to explain and evaluate rhetorical and/or literary strategies
employed in argument, persuasion, and various genres.
5.
Write in appropriate genres using varied rhetorical strategies.
Learning Outcomes
The student will be able to:
1.
Apply basic principles of rhetorical analysis.
2.
Write essays that classify, explain, and evaluate rhetorical and literary strategies employed in
argument, persuasion, and various forms of literature.
3.
Identify, differentiate, integrate, and synthesize research materials into argumentative and/or
analytical essays.
4.
Employ appropriate documentation style and format across the spectrum of in-class and out-ofclass written discourse.
5.
Demonstrate library literacy.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
1.
Define and apply the concepts of critical thinking, critical reading, and critical writing.
2.
Identify the components of a sound argument.
3.
Write well-organized, well-supported compositions, including a research paper.
4.
Follow the guidelines of Standard Written English.
5.
Read and analyze assigned essays and literary selections.
6.
Evaluate the effectiveness of arguments and develop sound, logical coherent, persuasive
arguments on their own.
7.
Participate in a team assignment to evaluate and present an effective analysis of an essay.
Attendance Policy:
No more than 4 absences are allowed. Anyone who arrives 15 minutes late is absent.
Class Participation Policy:
Because participation is counted as part of your grade, missing class could negatively impact your grade.
Disrupting class could also lower your participation grade. Keep on the topic at hand. If you have
questions off the current topic, address these outside of class or by email with the instructor. Do not talk
out of turn. Do not try to dominate a discussion with your questions or comments – give others a fair
opportunity to participate.
Classroom Etiquette:
A. When class begins, please stop your conversations.
B. Late arrivals and early departures are disruptive. If despite your best effort you arrive
late, please quietly take a seat at the back of the classroom. Similarly, in the rare event
that you must leave class early (e.g. for a medical appointment), email me in advance
to let me know, then sit close to the rear door and leave as unobtrusively as possible. If
you can’t be there on time or must always leave early because of a class or work
conflict, either seek specific permission from me or do not take the class
C. Any electronic device with an on and off switch should be turned off during class.
D. E-mail and online communication should be grammatically correct and courteous in
manner and tone.
Honesty Code:
Students are expected to exhibit honesty, integrity and high standards in your academic work. Members
of the college community benefit from an open, honest educational environment. We are all responsible
to encourage and promote academic integrity, a code of moral and artistic honesty. Students should
refer to the Student Handbook for policies and procedures on Cheating and Plagiarism. If, in the
judgment of the instructor, cheating or plagiarism has occurred, he or she may assess an appropriate
penalty: an F on the assignment, an F in the course, and/or a recommendation that the student be
suspended from the College.
Instructional Materials:
Making Literature Matter 5th edition
Instructional Methods:
The instructor will provide students with the knowledge that can help improve their reading, writing,
and critical thinking skills. She will do this by creating a positive environment in which students can be
successful. Students are responsible for reading the textbooks, submitting assignments on the due
dates, studying for exams, participating in classroom activities, attending class, and enjoying the learning
experience. Because engaging students in learning is essential for their success, they must come
prepared to be involved in discussions with the class.
Student Assignments:
Group Presentation – Students will work in groups of 3-5 to read an assigned essay and present an
analysis of the essay to the class. The group report should be no longer than 10 minutes and each
member should participate. The report should provide information about the author, analyze the thesis,
and evaluate the methods used to support the argument.
Essays – Students will write essays 4-5 pages in length, using good organization,
effective grammar, correct punctuation and spelling, and coherent arguments. Use MLA formatting for
all essay assignments.
Argumentative Research Paper – Students will select an argumentative topic from the
list provided by the instructor. From this topic, the student will develop a focused argumentative thesis
and use effective sources to support the argument. Requirement elements of the research process
include drafting the thesis, presenting a working outline, submitting a draft of the research paper for
instructor review, and applying instructor comments before submitting the final paper.
Grading Criteria:
Attendance and Participation
10% Students will be marked absent if over 15 minutes late for
class and are expected to take part in all class discussions
Essays (3)
40% Instructor will discuss specific topics
Argumentative Research Paper 30% Select and research an argument
Total 100%
Grading Scale:
100 – 90 A, 89 – 80 B, 79 – 70 C, 69 – 60 D, Below 60 F
Reading List
Short Stories
The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe 1238
A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner 713
A good man is Hard to find by Flannery O’Connor 1283
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman 954
A & P by John Updike 614
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson 867
Poetry
Featured Poets
Robert Frost
Acquainted with the night 1453
Mending Wall 72
The Road not Taken 1452
Stopping by woods on a snowy evening 1450
Fire and Ice
Nothing Gold can stay
Emily Dickinson
I heard a fly buzz--- when I died 1611
Wild nights! Wild Nights! 591
Tell the truth but tell it slant
Because I could not stop for death
There is no frigate like a book
Romanticism
William Blake
The tiger 854
The Chimney Sweeper 1381
The Lamb
London
John Keats
Ode on a Grecian Urn
To Autumn
Ode to a nightingale
Bright Star 589
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Kubla Khan
William Wordsworth
The Solitary Reaper 75
I wandered lonely as a cloud
The world is too much with us
Imagist
Ezra Pound
In a station of the metro
William Carlos Williams
The Red Wheel Barrow
This is just to say
Poem
Modern
W.H. Auden
Funeral Blues 661
Musee de Beaux Arts
The unknown citizen 71
T.S. Eliot
The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock 693
Langston Hughes
Let America be America again 1047
Open letter to the south 1051
Theme for English B 1054
Theodore Roethke
Elergy for Jane 663
My papa’s waltz 273
Dylan Thomas
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night 1608
Post modern
Slyvia Plath
Daddy 279
Mirror
Gary Soto
Behind Grandma’s House 430
Oranges
Mary Oliver
Singapore 146
When death comes 1605
Drama
Tragedy
Othello 742
Antigone 1309
Other
Trifles 941