Houston Community College
Department of English, Central College
Spring 2012 / two sections: CRN 84208 (8:30 class) or CRN 84209 (10:00 class)
Fine Arts Center (FAC) - Room 311, 8:30 - 10:00 or 10:00 - 11:30 am, Tue/Thu
3 hour lecture course / 48 hours per semester / 16 weeks
Professor: Roger Wood, Ph.D.
Contact information: 713-718-6247 / roger.wood@hccs.edu
Office location, hours: FAC 318 (also in 319), Mon/Wed 1 - 2 pm, Tue/Thu 2:30 - 3:30 pm
Course description: A more extensive study of skills introduced in ENGL 1301 with an emphasis
on critical thinking, research and documentation techniques, and literary and rhetorical analysis.
Course prerequisites: Completion of ENGL 1301 or a satisfactory score on the CLEP exam
Student 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-of-class written discourse, and (5) demonstrate library literacy.
ENLG 1302 is a Core Curriculum course.
Course Calendar / 16 weeks
NOTE: The title of The Little Seagull Handbook is abbreviated below as LSH. All other reading
assignments are open-resource materials, available (for free) online at the indicated URLs.
WEEK 1:
1/17: Introductions. Overview of the course and requirements. Brief writing sample composed.
1/19: Introduction to inference, argument, and analytical thinking. Read LSH 32-37.
WEEK 2:
1/24: Discussion of writing summaries and personal responses. Essay #1 assigned. Read LSH
38-41, plus open-resource essays:
“Internet Access Is Not A Human Right” by Vinton G. Cerf
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/opinion/internet-access-is-not-a-humanright.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
“With Profanity in Public, Context Delivery Matter” by Kathleen Parker
http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/KATHLEEN-PARKER-COLUMN-With-profanity-inpublic-2134096.php
1/26: Beyond summaries and personal responses: critical analysis. Read LSH 63-65 and
essays:
“Addressing the Justice Gap”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/opinion/addressing-thejustice-gap.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=%22addressing%20the%20Justice%20Gap%22&st=cse
“There Is No Plan B for Water” by David Crossley
http://blog.chron.com/thelist/2011/08/there-is-no-plan-b-for-water/
WEEK 3:
1/31: Summary and Personal Response Essay (Essay #1) due. Critical analytical writing
overview. Persuasion and logic. Read essays:
“Gay Marriages: Make Them Legal” by Thomas B. Stoddard
http://faculty.mdc.edu/dmcguirk/ENC2106/stoddard.htm
“Gay Marriage, an Oxymoron” by Lisa Schiffren
http://faculty.mdc.edu/dmcguirk/ENC2106/schiffren.htm
2/2: Analysis of arguments. Essay #2 topics assigned. Read essays:
“’How About Better Parents?’” by Thomas L. Friedman
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/opinion/sunday/friedman-how-about-betterparents.html?ref=thomaslfriedman
“A Poverty Solution That Starts With a Hug” by Nicholas D. Kristof
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/opinion/sunday/kristof-a-poverty-solution-that-starts-with-ahug.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
WEEK 4:
2/7: Introduction to research process, assignment options, and overview of the major paper.
Read LSH 67-80. Research Paper: Preliminary Topic choice due at the end of class.
2/9: NOTE: Class meets today only in the library. Research strategies and library orientation.
WEEK 5:
2/14: Review of research paper topic options. Read at least one of these essays (your choice):
“History of Houston Ballet”
http://www.houstonballet.org/Inside_Houston_Ballet/History/
“History of The Orange Show Monument” http://www.orangeshow.org/orange-show-history/
“History of the Houston Art Car Parade”
http://www.orangeshow.org/art-car-history/
“A Soccer History of Houston”
http://ussoccerplayers.typepad.com/ussoccerplayers/a-soccer-history-of-houst.html
2/16: Critical Analysis Essay (Essay #2) due. Introduction to the Argument assignment (Essay
#3). Read essay:
“In Houston, Art Is Where the Home Is” by Michael Kimmelman
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/17/arts/design/17kimm.html
WEEK 6:
2/21: Research Paper: Confirmed and Narrowed Topic due. Evaluating sources and avoiding
plagiarism. Read LSH 80-92.
2/23: Discussion of MLA documentation and Argument Essay strategies via the position paper
outline. Read LSH 92-102, 356 ff.
WEEK 7:
2/28: Preparation for the upcoming in-class essay: review of position paper outlines in class.
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3/1: Argument Essay (Essay #3) written in class.
WEEK 8:
3/6: Research Paper: Working Bibliography due. RP process review. Read LSH 103-135.
3/8: Introduction to literary analysis: poetry, key terms and concepts. Read poems:
“Promise” by Paul Lawrence Dunbar
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/promise-97/
“Is My Team Ploughing” by A. E. Housman
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/is-my-team-ploughing/
“The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by W. B. Yeats
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-lake-isle-of-innisfree/
“Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening-2/
NOTE: HCC Spring Break holiday: no class sessions, 3/12 - 3/17
WEEK 9:
3/20: Literary analysis: poetry, continued. Essay #4 topics assigned. Read poems:
“Tell All the Truth” and “I Felt A Funeral in My Brain” (2 separate poems) by Emily Dickinson
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/tell-all-the-truth-but-tell-it-slant/
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-felt-a-funeral-in-my-brain-280/
“When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” by Walt Whitman
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/when-i-heard-the-learned-astronomer/
“Dream Boogie” by Langston Hughes
“Taxi” by Amy Lowell
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/dream-boogie/
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-taxi/
“So You Want to Be a Writer?” by Charles Bukowski
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16549
3/22: Workshop for development, revision and editing of Essay #4 and for the ongoing Research
Paper process. Read LSH 230-261. Research Paper: Sample Note Cards due for in-class
analysis.
WEEK 10:
3/27: Literary Analysis: Poetry (Essay #4) final draft due. Research Paper issues reviewed.
Introduction to literary analysis: prose fiction, key terms and concepts. Read short story:
“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/hour/
3/29: Literary analysis: prose fiction, cont. Read short story:
“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe
http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/CasAmo.shtml
WEEK 11:
4/3: Research Paper: Working Thesis and Preliminary Outline due for in-class analysis. Various
other Research Paper issues reviewed.
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4/5: Literary analysis: prose fiction, cont. Read short story:
“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway
http://www.gummyprint.com/blog/archives/hills-like-white-elephants-complete-story/
WEEK 12:
4/10: Research Paper: Rough Draft due for in-class analysis. Bring LSH to class to consult.
4/12: Final discussion of Research Paper issues. Discussion of solving common sentence
problems and editing for proper format. Bring LSH to class to consult.
WEEK 13:
4/17: Research Paper: Final Draft due. Literary analysis: prose fiction, cont. Read short story:
“The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
http://www.eastoftheweb.com/shortstories/UBooks/Neck.shtml
4/19: Literary analysis: prose fiction, cont. Read short story:
“The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck
http://www.nbu.bg/webs/amb/american/4/steinbeck/chrysanthemums.htm
WEEK 14:
4/24: Individual in-class presentations (approx. three to four minutes each) RE: “The three most
important things I learned in doing the Research Paper process for this course.”
4/26: Concluding discussion of literary analysis. Preparation for the upcoming in-class essay.
WEEK 15:
5/1: Literary Analysis: Prose Fiction (Essay #5) written in class.
5/3: Review for the upcoming final exam.
WEEK 16:
5/10: Final Exam
Student Assignments:
Out-of-class Essays: Final drafts should generally be approximately 600 or more words in length
(or as otherwise directed), preferably typed, double-spaced paper format according to guidelines
in the Handbook or Purdue Online Writing Lab (see Instructional Methods, below); should include
a title page, with all pages of main text numbered (MLA-style) and stapled or clipped together (in
proper sequence) in the upper left-hand corner; must be submitted in hard copy and directly to
the professor (i.e., not left in mailboxes, with a secretary, under an office door, etc.); and may not
be submitted by email. If you must miss a deadline, communicate with the professor to request
an extension (which may or may not be granted, at his discretion).
In-class Essays: Each submission will be composed in the professor’s presence within a 75minute time limit; should be approximately 500 or more words in length, handwritten, doublespaced, with numbered pages following the guidelines in The Little Seagull Handbook; must be
based on topic options and guidelines previously assigned and discussed in class.
Research paper and process: Final draft must be typed and approximately 1500 or more words
in length; must utilize at least five sources and make at least fifteen in-text citations; must follow
MLA format and guidelines in all matters; must be based on a topic option approved by the
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professor; and will earn a process grade based on timely completion of each process step (see
the Course Calendar)--one factor in determining the final grade for the Research Paper project.
In-class presentation: Late in the course, each student will make a brief (3 - 4 minute), relatively
informal oral presentation in class (for more details, see Week 14 of the Course Calendar), to be
evaluated in terms of appropriateness, unity and focus, development, organization, and clarity.
Final exam: In Week 16 the course concludes with a written examination testing students’
knowledge of key terms and concepts relevant to this course, as well as their editing skills
regarding sentence grammar, diction, and mechanics.
Attendance: Your regular attendance and on-time arrival in class are necessary for success.
You will earn an attendance grade (see “Participation” below) based on the following scale:
0 absences = 100 (A+); 1 absence = 90 (A -); 2 absences = 85 (B); 3 absences = 75 (C); 4
absences = 70 (C-); 5 absences = 65 (D); 6 absences = 55 (F); 7 + absences = 50 or less (F).
Assessments (grade values of assignments):
Essay #1 (written out of class)
Essay #2 (written out of class)
Essay #3 (written in class)
Essay #4 (written out of class)
Research Paper and Process (written out of class)
Essay #5 (written in class)
Participation (in-class presentation and attendance)
Final Exam (written in class)
10%
10%
10%
10%
30%
10%
10%
10%
Grading scale: 90 - 100 = A, 80 - 89 = B, 70 - 79 = C, 60 - 69 = D, 0 - 59 = F.
Instructional materials (two types):
Book: The Little Seagull Handbook by Richard Bullock and Francine Weinberg (2011)
Open-resource materials (available for free online): You will need to access the Internet and the
designated URLs to find the assigned open-resource materials listed on the course calendar. Go
to the HCC Learning Web page for this course, and click the direct links for each assignment.
You should bookmark each assigned reading on your computer, and/or print out a hard copy.
Instructional support and policy information:
Open Computer Labs: Computers are available for word processing in FAC 302, JDB 203-204,
the library and other sites in LHSB, and elsewhere on campus. Check those sites for open hours.
Tutoring: For free assistance on any of the writing requirements for this course, visit the English
Department Writing Lab in FAC 321-B. Check the sign posted on the door there to determine
specific hours of operation during the current term. (It’s generally open mornings through early
evenings, Monday through Thursday, plus half a day on Friday.) NOTE: In addition to his
scheduled office hours, your professor will normally be available for consultation in the Writing
Lab on Mondays and Wednesdays 8 - 11 AM.
Services to students with disabilities: Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical,
learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange for reasonable accommodations
must contact the Disability Services Office at the beginning of each semester. For more
information, please contact the disability counselor on campus (or call 713-718-5165).
Academic honesty: Students are expected to be familiar with the HCC policy on academic
honesty (as detailed in various HCC publications) and are responsible for conducting themselves
with honor and integrity in fulfilling course requirements. HCC officials may initiate penalties
and/or disciplinary proceedings against any student accused of scholastic dishonesty (which
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includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion). Should you have any
questions about proper handling of source material for your writing, consult the MLA guidelines,
your professor and/or a tutor (FAC 321-B). Evidence of plagiarism results in a grade of F.
Attendance: Students must attend class regularly and submit assignments on time to pass this
course. HCC policy establishes that a student may be administratively withdrawn from a course
upon missing more than 12.5% of the scheduled sessions (i.e. more than four class sessions).
Course withdrawal: If you elect to withdraw formally from any HCC class and thereby receive a
“W” on your grade transcript, you must contact a HCC counselor or your professor prior to the
withdrawal deadline for the current semester to initiate the process. If you do not do so and
simply cease to attend, you will receive a final grade by default (quite likely “F” or “FX”) based on
your course average in relation to the full slate of required assignments.
Classroom decorum: No cell phones or electronic communication devices may be used in the
classroom for extracurricular or personal matters. No disruption (behavioral, electronic, or
otherwise) of class is acceptable. Please be courteous and respectful of others.
At his discretion, the professor may announce necessary changes in this syllabus and
assignment calendar at any time during the term.
EGLS3 -- Evaluation for Greater Learning Student Survey System: At Houston Community
College, professors believe that thoughtful student feedback is necessary to improve teaching
and learning. During a designated time, you will be asked to answer a short online survey of
research-based questions related to instruction. The anonymous results of the survey will be
made available to your professors and division chairs for continual improvement of instruction.
Look for the survey as part of the Houston Community College Student System online near the
end of the term.
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