College Now Syllabus—1302
Mrs. Jay
Senior English
These are tentative dates. All are subject to change depending on numerous events outside my
control.
All specific dates will be on the calendar that can be found on inline at the Elkins website. (go to
Fort Bend: http://www.fortbend.k12.tx.us—campuses—Elkins—courses—teacher—Jay—
College Now-- resources—nine week calendars.
Text: Making Literature Matter
Numerous outside readings and novels
Second Semester:
Wuthering Heights
Day 1—Journals due (see calendar for details); quote quiz on WH
Day 2—In class writing on Wuthering Heights. A close reading of a particular passage.
Day 3-5—Fishbowl discussions on WH (see calendar for specific directions).
Day 6—theme due on WH (see calendar for specific assignment and rubric)
Day 7—in class grading of themes according to rubric.
Poetry
Day 1—Need Perrine’s Sound and Sense text.
p. 559 “When my love swears that she is made of truth”
560 “Naming of Parts”
Day 2—In Perrine -- p. 565 “Pathedy of Manners”
Day 3—Perrine p. 592 “ A Valediction Forbidding Mourning”
Assign out of class theme (see calendar for specifics)
Culminating Project
Day 1-2—Culminating project—assign, discuss, set due dates. See major handout for all details
Yellow Raft in Blue Water
Day 1-3—Oral defense due (see calendar for specific assignments)
Day 4—In class writing on Yellow Raft
Prose Essays
Day 1-- Bacon’s “Of Studies” ; Sydney’s “Defense of Poesy” (handouts)
Day 2—Swift’s “Modest Proposal”
Gulliver’s Travels Book IV
Day 1-2—Discuss book IV
Poetry:
Day 1-4—Packets of Metaphysical and Cavalier poetry
Work on John Donne’s secular and religious poetry-- The Bait, Song. The Message
Day 5—In class essay on poetry – Holy sonnet 14
Paradise Lost (Books I and II) and Pilgrim’s Progress
Day 1-3 Close reading of Book I; assign Book II assign choice of topic on PL or PP (see
calendar for specifics)
Day 4—Pilgrim’s progress discussion
Day 5- In- class essay on Puritan Literature
James Joyce—short stories
Day 1—Araby
Day 2—Eveline
Day 3—Clay
Day 4—In Class essay on short stories
Culminating projectDay 1-2—Editing and proofing and final copy due
Ibsen’s plays
Day 1- Doll’s House Act I due
Day 2—Act II due
Day 3—rest of Doll’s House due
Day 4—finish discussion of Doll’s House
Day 5—In class essay on DH
PoetryHandouts on Victorian Poetry
Ibsen’s plays
Day 1—Hedda Gabler Act I due
Day 2- Acts II and III due
Day 3 – finish Hedda
Day 4 – Video on Hedda
Day 5—In class essay on Hedda
Kate Chopin—short stories and The Awakening
Day 1-- The Story of an Hour
Day 2- The Storm
Day 3—Desiree’s Baby
Day 4- In class essay on short stories
Day 5-8—Group presentations on The Awakening (see calendar for specifics)
Poetry
Handout packet on Modern Poetry—Hardy, Houseman, Yeats, Eliot, and others
Days 1-5 Work on individual poems
College Final
Day 1—In class essay on poetry
Day 2—In class essay on prose
College final will be during the AP week. Final grade will be a combination of the three six
weeks grades and the final.
.
College Now
Research Project
Literary analysis, primary source, MLA format
You will write a 4 -5 page paper, based on one of our major works. You will need at least 3
secondary sources and will use internal citations. The paper must contain a minimum of 8 direct
quotations with at least 5 from the primary source. You will have a works cited. Follow the
MLA format for all sections.
Some directions:
1. Articles must be written in the last three years.
2. Find the contemporary articles first using key terms (e.g., jealousy, friendship, power
struggle); then work backwards to make connections to the literary work. Then, and only then,
formulate your thesis.
3. Remember: the principal source is the literary text, so the focus will be on it.
4. Consider no more than 3 or 4 major connections in the articles to prove your thesis. Make
sure that each of these supporting arguments is clear and distinct.
Ideas for topics:
Choose a character from your work that might relate to one of the following topic/ideas or
consider how one may relate to the content or purpose of a work.
Downsizing in Corporate America
Age Discrimination
Retirement Dreams/Nightmares
Role of Contemporary Fathers
Discrimination on Basis of Appearance
Low Savings Rate of Americans
Urban Blight/Disappearance of Suburbia
Paranoia/Depression
Frantic Pace of Contemporary Life/Lack of
Leisure/Workahlics
Role of Psychologists/Psychiatarists
Imaginary (psychosomatic) Illness
Docility
Paranoia/Depression
“The Mommy Track”
Modern Affairs/Lack of Commitment
Spousal Abuse
Values and Children
Arguing Effectively/Ineffectively
“The Glass Ceiling”
Options for Contemporary Women
Effects of Unfaithfulness
Parenting
Truth in Marriage
“The Fast Track”
Survivors of Disasters: Traits
The Aging Athlete
Aimless/Drifting/Youth
Sports: Good/Bad/Effects
Plight of the homeless
Success: How to Measure?
Low Self-Esteem
Depression and Job Failure
Fathers and Sons
Child Abuse
Career Failure
Younger Child/Syndrome
Commitment Problems
The Role of Camouflage/Masks
Power of Bullies
Dictatorship
The Mob
Runaways
Rules of Society
Loss of Discipline/Breakdown of Society
Punishment: Escalation of Crime
Murder/Mayhem/Manslaughter
Savior/Prophets/Holy Men
Democracy/Autocracy/Demagogue
Gangs/Cults
Obsession/Meglomania
Military
Historical Heroes
Government/Deception
Vietnam
Contemporary issues
Historical events
Or come up with one of your own, but be sure to check with me first.
Remember these are only generic topics. You must develop a clear thesis sentence after you have discovered
the connection and limited your topic.
Almost any modern publication can be a source: Mademoiselle, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Omni,
Psychology Today, Time, Newsweek, Time, Business Week, Sports Illustrated, Texas Monthly, National
Geographic, Modern Science, Popular Mechanics, Discover, Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, American
Health, etc.
The Internet will be another major tool. However, you must use reputable sources such as college sites or
newspaper sites.
Due dates to be determined, but each item below will be turned in by a set date:
1. Name of primary source, secondary sources and general topic. (no grade)
2. Specific thesis sentence and general outline of points. (points)
3. Rough copy to include final thesis, main points with internal citations and initial works cited. (two daily
grade)
4. Final copy following MLA format with works cited. (2 major grades: content and originality of thesis and
support; 2 daily grades: style, grammar, mechanics; 1 daily grade: MLA format and works cited)