SYLLABUS
FOR
Professor: Dr. Ann V. Nunes
Email:
ann.nunes@hccs.edu
Semester: Fall 2014
ENGLISH 1301
CRN: 25259
Time:Tues/Thurs 2:30-3 p.m.
Room: SJ 110
Required Texts: Peterson, Linda H., et al. The Norton Reader: An Anthology
of Nonfiction, 13th edition. New York: W. W. Norton &
Company, 2012.
The Brief McGraw-Hill Handbook (soft cover with butterfly)
Also Required:
College Dictionary with word origins (either Webster’s
Collegiate, Oxford, or American Heritage is excellent)
Pocket-sized Webster’s or AH dictionary to keep with you
Pencils and blue and/black pens to use in class
Scantrons for quizzes
Flash drive/wand or other technology for saving essays
[Purple folder (prongs/brads) for In-Class Essay I1]
[Red folder (prongs/brads) for In-Class Essay I2]
Blue folder (prongs/brads) for Regular Essay 1
Green folder (prongs/brads) for Regular Essay 2
Yellow folder (prongs/brads) for Regular Essay 3
White folder (prongs/brads) for Reg. Essay 6 (on the movie)
Orange folder (prongs & pockets) for short Research paper
Purple folder (prongs/brads) for journals
(Get the most inexpensive possible pronged folders!)
Your presence here means you can behave as an adult.
Instructor guidelines and policies
Scholastic Dishonesty, including Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is the act of copying someone else’s writing and/or ideas and submitting
them as your own. Copying from any source, including cutting and pasting words
from the internet into your paper, requires the use of quotation marks and citation.
Omission of citation constitutes cheating, even if not an exact quote: when you
paraphrase, you omit the quotation marks but you still must state the source of the idea. One act
of plagiarism may result in a grade of “F” for the offending paper/assignment. A second act of
plagiarism may result in failure of the course. Students will avoid plagiarism in all
written work for the course. “Scholastic dishonesty’ includes, but is not limited to, cheating
on a test, plagiarism, and collusion. . . .” See Student Handbook on HCCS website.
Requirements for English 1301:
This course is intended to improve the student’s writing of essays and research papers, as
well as the student’s critical reading and analysis of essays and fiction. Students will write
two out-of-class essays, two in-class essays, and a six-page research paper during the course,
using writing process and organizing assignments as appropriate to the topic, the purpose,
the audience, and so on. Multiple drafts of some assignments will be required. Always keep all parts
of the writing process for each assignment. Failure to produce them may result in a failing grade for
the assignment. Moreover, any material from someone else’s work must be cited. If you
want to cite an entire page, summarize it briefly in your own words but also cite the source
to give credit to its author for the idea. Of course, if you were to copy an entire essay, you
would get no credit for the essay, and would be reported to the English department.
Penalties for a student who plagiarizes and entire essay range from a zero on the
essay, to an F in the course, to being expelled from the college.
Assignments
Four out-of-class essays, each 2½ to 3 pages long, and two in-class essays, one the end of
September, on the first week of December.
One short research paper (six pages) due before Thanksgiving
Memorization of Declaration of Independence passage & of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
Memorization of last page-and-a-half of MLK’s Dream speech
Ten Journals (one page, ten lines or more, for each day of class, done after each class but not
handed in until end of November)
Homework and quizzes on sentence structure, paragraph formation, research techniques, &
citation.
Library Session
Oral Presentation and Test on Final Exam Day in December
Each out-of-class essay assignment will include typed outlines, typed initial drafts with peer
reviews, and typed revised drafts. Most essays will require typed Works Cited pages.
Research paper will require printouts of sources, as well as additional assignments related to
the papers’ development.
Each paper must have a title and must use the standard margins (1" on all sides); each must
be double-spaced and must conform to MLA format. Each must be typed or printed in a 12
point font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Courier, Bookman Old Style, Book
Antiqua, or other serif format. Do not use Arial; not Century Gothic; not any other
sans serif font. Students will certainly avoid script fonts such as Script MT Bold.) and
will also avoid use of bold or italics. Names of books and movies must be underlined.
Research paper: Place notes in left pocket of blue folder; references in right pocket (these
are either photocopied from books or articles along with title pages of books & articles, or
printed from internet). Brads contain, in order: outline topmost; then final draft of paper;
then “Works Cited” page; then all previous drafts, from latest to earliest, in order; all
prewriting.
Absence from final essay or final exam, or failure to turn in journals or research paper, yields
an F in the course. However, if you have good reason for your absence, the F can be
changed if the work is produced before the end of March of 2015.
In addition to good grades, students have the possibility of another reward for excellent
writing: the instructor may submit the best papers for publication in the school journal.
Office hours: to be arranged.
Hand in the research paper on November 20.
Hand in the journals the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.
Late Paper Policy / Make-up Work:
Students must complete all essays. That is, all versions of all drafts of the essays (including rough drafts) must be submitted. All
assignments are due at the beginning of the designated class or conference period. If not submitted when I collect
them during class or the scheduled conference, they are considered late. They will be accepted, with a 5%
penalty, if they are less than ten days late. If you miss a group discussion or peer editing session, that
work cannot be made up. Class work and homework cannot be made up. Pop quizzes cannot be
made up. Exams usually cannot be made up. The one exception is mandated by law: absence in
observance of a religious holy day.
Attendance:
The misfortune of having failed to listen, or having missed a previous class, fails to excuse you for being
unprepared for a class or for arriving without the assignment which is due that day . (A student with a
handicap is advised to consult the material on Students with Disabilities.) Students attend every class and
accept responsibility for all the material presented in every class whether present or whether some
unavoidable emergency has made it impossible to attend that day.
Attendance is taken daily. Each student is responsible for signing the class list both first and last
name. A student who is absent more than three times becomes subject to failing the course. If you
know you will need to be absent, explain to the instructor ahead of time and make sure to keep up
with the work. Arriving tardy or leaving early counts as one-third of an absence. The class is only
two and a half hours and students are expected to remain in the room throughout. Leaving the room
counts as missing one-third of the class that day.
Assignments:
Each of the essay assignments will include initial drafts and revised drafts, as well as additional
assignments related to the papers’ development. Papers will range from 2-6 full pages in length
(according to type of assignment). All prewriting and drafts must be submitted with the final
draft for grading.
In addition to good grades, students have the possibility of another reward for excellent writing: the
instructor may submit the best paper for publication in the school journal.
Advice on grammar, punctuation, and other technical aspects of writing will best be
addressed via the Tutoring Center on the third floor of the Fine Arts Building, next to the
English office. Students are urged to utilize tutoring extensively to avoid having papers
being needlessly marked down for such errors.
Anything in this syllabus, including assignment and exam weightings, is subject to alteration by
the instructor at any time.
Cell phones and beepers:
Devices must be turned off before being brought into the classroom and may not be answered
during class time. Any student whose equipment sounds or who answers a phone during class or in
the classroom is subject to having the instructor answer the phone and/or to having the equipment
confiscated for the duration of the class. A student who is experiencing an emergency situation and
anticipates an urgent call during class time must inform the instructor before class begins and,
out of consideration for the other students, must leave the classroom before answering such a
call, if one occurs. If a student has not consulted the instructor, and leaves the room to answer a
call, the student may be barred from the classroom and marked absent for that day.
Computers, PDAs, etc.: No chat, email, games, camera phone use, etc. while class is in session.
Same ejection rules apply.
Classroom Etiquette:
When someone, whether instructor or student, has the floor during lecture or discussion, the class
must pay attention to that person, and not interrupt. If any student has to be addressed more than
once for talking out of turn, s/he will be barred from the class until s/he can meet with the
instructor outside class to determine a solution to his/her problem—and it is the student’s
responsibility to catch me before the next class period. Every class missed, of course, counts as an
absence. A note on work for other classes: only do English work in English class. If you do not
have enough English work to occupy you during English class, I can easily come up with much more
for you.
Grading Scale: A 90-100% B 80-89% C 70-79%
IP 60-69%
W (Withdrawn) may be given if a student misses more than 12.5% of instruction (6 class
hours). IP (In Progress grade) is given to students who do not meet the minimum grading
standards but who are otherwise in good standing (have completed all assignments on a
timely basis, have attended class regularly, have participated, etc.). An IP is not the same as
an Incomplete and does not affect a student’s GPA but does require the student to re-take
the course. IP may only be given once per course per student. W (Withdrawn) is no longer
given to a student who exceeds the 12.5% maximum absence limit. A student who wishes to
drop the course must formally withdraw through the Registrar before the last drop date. D
or F may be given in cases of scholastic dishonesty or other severe academic violations.
I will not calculate your semester grade for you during the course. You can average
your grades during the semester, bearing in mind that the journals and oral presentations
count as much as the essays. Keep track of your average. Do not ask me to do this for
you. I only calculate once, at the end of the semester, when I turn in final grades.
Repeating the Course: Students who take a course and then must repeat it two or more
times may soon face significant tuition/fee increases at HCCS and other Texas public colleges and
universities. Remember that the number of withdrawals from any classes is limited, so think very
carefully before you decide to drop the course. If you are considering course withdrawal because you
are not earning passing grades, confer with your instructor/ counselor as early as possible about your
study habits, reading and writing homework, test-taking skills, attendance, course participation, and
opportunities for tutoring or other assistance that might be available.
If you ever have difficulty organizing your ideas, you might drop them into one of the following
templates to see what works in and what’s still missing from your paper. Copy and use the templates
as often as you like.
Essay Template 1
Introduction –
Attention getter (quote, anecdote, etc.):
________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
List Three Claims you make in body of essay:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
______________
One-sentence explanation of focus of essay (thesis statement):
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Each Body Paragraph (as many as necessary—three for the short essays, more for
research paper) –
Claim (topic of paragraph):
________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Direct quotation (in support of claim) with citation:
________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Interpretation or explanation of how this quotation supports your claim:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
___________
Discussion of, or argument about, your claim (drives home the point made in this
paragraph):
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
___________
Tie this paragraph’s claim to thesis of entire paper:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion –
Reminder of thesis (refreshes reader’s memory of the subject of the essay):
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Final thoughts (the new understanding – but not new information – with which you’d like
your reader to leave this essay):
________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Essay Template 2
Introduction –
Attention getter (quote, anecdote, etc.):
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5 W’s and an H Explanation (who, what, where, when, why, how?):
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Explanation of focus (thesis statement):
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Body Paragraphs (write as many as necessary) –
Claim (topic of paragraph):
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Anecdote explaining claim:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Direct quotation (in support of claim and anecdote):
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Discussion (of anecdote and topic – drives home the point made by this paragraph):
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Transitional sentence (moves you into next body paragraph):
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Concluding paragraph–Avoid saying “In conclusion” (I will count off if you say it)
Reminder of thesis (refreshes reader’s memory of the subject of the essay):
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Final thoughts (the new understanding – but not new information – with which you’d like
your reader to leave this essay):
Tentative Instructional Outline 10-11:30 am
Week
Number
1
TUES 8/26
Course
intro,
syllabus,
first writing
THURS 8/28
Class Discussion
Assignment
Policies & procedures of
department, college and
classroom. Writing samples.
Tutoring. Syllabus. Journals,
essays. Research paper topic is
Gun Control.
Discuss: Declaration of
Independence, Essay 1, and
Works Cited Page of Research
Paper.
Due Thurs 8/28: read Norton 804-813.. Quiz Tuesday 9/23
on readings & on Major Sentence Errors. Due Tues 9/9: Peer
Review of Essay 1.Due Thurs 9/18: Recite “We hold” thru
“safety and happiness” p 804. Thurs 8/28 discuss, brainstorm, &
outline one student’s personal experience.
Library Visit. Meet by
librarian’s desk on 4th floor of
student center (glass building
just outside).
For 1st essay, brainstorm, list,
freewrite, cluster, pre-writing
& outline. Dec of Ind.
Visit library to learn how to find legitimate sources for
information favoring and opposing gun control. [Your journal
page for this week should include discussion of Declaration of
Independence and what you learned during library visit. ]
Due Turs 9/9: Peer review of Essay 1. Be sure everyone in
the group signs the back of your typed paper. Due Thurs
Sept 25: Quiz on all readings plus major sentence errors plus
subordinating words plus format of Works Cited.
Peer Review 1st Essay
Discuss Major Sentence
Errors. EthosPathosLogos.
Essay 1 Peer Review. Sign back of each essay. For Thurs
9/11: Handbook 434-440 Exercises 42.1 & 43.3. Essay 1 in
blue folder. Read Handbook 387-98. List subordinating words
from Handbook 584. Read MLK “Letter from B. Jail” 818 ff.
Essay 1 in blue folder. Gun Control: Tent Wrks Cited & outline.
Handbook. Due 9/16: recite from Dec. of Ind. Quiz 9/25.
Present brainstorming and freewriting, using one student’s
personal experience. Tues 9/2: Meet in library by librarian’s
desk. Due Thurs 9/11: Tentative Works Cited Page and
outline on gun control for research paper..
2
TUES 9/2
THURS 9/4
3
TUES 9/9
THURS 9/11
Format of Works Cited page.
Discuss Ethos, Pathos, Logos.
4
TUES 9/16
THURS 9/18
Discuss MSE, (Major
Sentence Errors). Assign
readings.
Recite Dec of Ind.
Sample Quiz
Recite TODAY. Read Norton: Keillor, 446-449, Lincoln’s
Gettysburg Address, 486. Quiz 9/25. Due 9/11: Read 387-98.
For Sept 18, read Hurston’s “Colored Me” For Tues 9/23:
Recite Lincoln’s GA “Who Shot Johnny” 316; “Get a Knife, Get
a Dog, but Get Rid of Guns,” 323; Lincoln 486; Read 387-98.
A few recite Dec. of Ind. All receive Sample Quiz. Read
Hurston’s “Colored Me” Tues 9/30Turn in typed list for
logos, ethos, and pathos. Tues 9/30 Read Asimov 890 ff;
Goode 43 ff; Bacon 475 ff.
5
TUES 9/23
THURS 9/25
Review for Quiz
Turn in typed list of three best examples of pathos, three of
ethos, and three of logos. Read Hurston’s “Colored Me” p 12ff
In-class Midterm Quiz
Bring Scantron, pencils, and erasers.. Begin learning first half of
Lincoln’s G.A. (Outline Essay 2 Due Tues 9/30)
Week
Number
6
TUES 9/30
Class Discussion
Assignment
Return Quiz. Discuss
pathos, ethos, logos
fallacies.Works Cited Letter
Recite D of I. Outline due for Essay 2 on Thurs 10/9; Peer
Review due Thurs 10/2.Tues 9/30. Tuesday 10/7: Read
MLK “I Have a Dream” speech 852 ff. Read Hurston 12 ff
Return essay 1. Peer Review
Essay 2: Ethos Pathos Logos.
Due Thursday 10/9: Essay 2 Peer Review. Recitre D of I.
Rread William Blake, Ambrose Bierce, pp 483-485
Discuss Hurston’s “Colored
Me”; in-class essay 11/6 ;how
to write outline & Wk Cited
Page. .Review for Quiz 10/30.
Recite D of I. Due Thurs 10/16: Outline & Works Cited for
Hurston Essay. Learn first half of Lincoln’s G.A. for 10/14.
Thurs 10/23: First in-class essay analyzing Hurston’s essay.
Peer Review. Recitations.
Discuss readings
Discuss analysis of Hurston
essay. Review for Quiz 10/30
Today: Peer Review of 2nd out-of-class essay: on ethos, pathos,
logos. Read “Stranger in the Village” 301; “Black Men in Public
Spaces” 314; “Taking Women Students Seriously” 386; “The
Gender Gap at School” 333, “What is a Homosexual” 195;
“Being a Man” 176; Comics, 1022
Recitations of MLK speech
Discuss analysis of Hurston
essay. Review for Quiz Thurs
10/16 on Readings, MSE
(major sentence errors)
Quiz 2 : Readings, MSE
Due today: 2nd out-of-class essay (MLK Letter) in folder.
Recite MLK speech para 16-19
Read Guinier, Hughes, Copland, Holt, Sullivan and McCloud.
Cartoon 1091.
Return Quiz. Discuss
pathos, ethos, logos, as
shown in MLK’s “Letter”
Discuss Hurston
Discuss Ethos Pathos
Logos. Discuss Research
Paper Due before Thksgvg
Discuss Hurstton
Due 11/4: Recite first half of Lincoln’s GA.
Remember, Research paper is due Nov. 25. Ask librarian to
help you find statistics on murder rates to show your plan is
best.
For Tuesday 11/4 , read MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
For Tues 11/2, recite first half of Lincoln’s GA.
In-class essay Nov. 6: Outline, Essay, Works Cited. No peer
review.
TUES10 /28
Discuss Hurston’s opinion
of her self-confidence
Turn in outline of essay analyzing Hurston, due Tues Nov 4.
Keep copy for yourself to turn in with essay.
THURS
10/30
Last day to drop course
Discuss Hurston’s opinion
of her loneliness
Turn in Works Cited for essay analyzing Hurston’s essay.
Keep copy for yourself to turn in with essay.
THURS 10/2
7
TUES 10/7
THURS 10/9
8
TUES 10/14
THURS
10/16
Bring two Scantrons, two pencils, one good eraser.
Take Quiz 2.
9
TUES 10/21
THURS
10/23
10
Week
Number
11
TUES 11/4
THURS 11/6
Class Discussion
Assignment
Discuss examples of
Hurston’s referring to
herself as a god or goddess.
Discuss examples of color’s
being unimportant
compared to the variety of
items inside each person.
Today: Recite first half of Lincoln’s G.A.
Due Tues 11/11: Turn in Typed Works Cited page for
research paper, with five items, including at least one book
and at least one article referencing a specific mass shooting
such as the Newtown school tragedy. For 11/13, recite first
section of MLK’s “Dream” speech;. Recite 2nd section 11/18.
For Tuesday read Gore, 860-71. Focus on diagrams.
In Library computer lab:
In-class essay
Go to Library in Learning Hub to write In-Class Essay on
ZNH’s feelings about herself. Remember you must recite
next Tuesdays. Due 11/20: Essay on Faculty Art in Fine Arts
Bldg. Three body paragraphs: color; lines & shapes; mood.
Discuss readings.
Recite first and/or second half of Lincoln’s GA.
Discujss readings. Recite
first section of Dream
speech (MLK)
Recite first section of MLK Dream speech.
Discuss research paper.
Discuss Work Cited page
for movie, Craash. Discuss
outline for essay on movie.
Recite 2nd section of MLK Dream speech
Research paper due 11/25.
Watch first part of movie. Note plainclothesman (required);
choose two others from two uniformed policemen, , movie
producer, and carjackers.
Today: Turn in tentative Works Cited list for Research
Paper. Research Paper due Tues 11/25. No late papers
accepted. Watch movie & take notes for in-class essay on the
movie’s characters and their good and bad actions.
12
TUES 11/11
THURS
11/13
13
TUES 11/18
THURS
11/20
Watch first part of movie
Crash.
14
TUES 11/25
THURS
11/27
Watch next part of movie
Crash.
Take notes on movie Crash. Notice good and bad behavior of
plainclothes detective. Note good & bad actions of other two
characters you choose from list above.Be prepared to write a
paragraph on plainclothes detective, and also one paragraph
on each of the other two characters you choose from list
above. Discuss detective’s claim that people never touch;
apply to his own behavior to his mother, brother, and
girlfriend.
Watch final section of
movie.
Discuss good and bad behavior of major characters and also
discuss how all characters are interrelated.
Week
Number
15
TUES 12/2
THURS 12/4
Class Discussion
Assignment
Review Session for Final
Essay and Final Quiz
Remember to go to library on Thursday 12/4 to write Final
In-class Essay on persons in the movie, Crash.
Final Exam Essay in
Library
Go to library to write Final In-class essay. Hand the essay to
the professor before you leave the building. Come again on
12/11 to take Final Quiz and to Recite.
2 p.m.
Final Exam Quiz and
Recitation in Classroom
Take Final Quiz. Present final recitation.
16
THURS
12/11