SYLLABUS FOR ENGLISH 1302
Professor: Dr. Ann V. Nunes
Email:
ann.nunes@hccs.edu
Semester: Spring 2015
CRN: 40876
Time:Tues/Thurs 8:30-10 a.m.
Room: SJAC 172
Required Texts: Foreign Affairs—January 2015 edition—Available at Barnes &
Noble or at campus book store.
The New Yorker—December 22&29 2014 edition—similarly found.
Time 2015—No. 2, similarly found
Sunday New York Times Magazine and Wall Street Journal.
Handbook from Engl1301.
Also Required:
College Dictionary with word origins (Oxford, and American
Heritage are all excellent)
Pocket-sized Websters’s or AH dictionary to bring to class
No. 2 pencils and black pens to use in class
Memory stick/wand or other technology for saving essays
A red folder (brads, no pockets) for out-of-class Essay 1
A blue folder (brads no pockets) for Midterm in-class essay quiz
A yellow folder (brads, no pockets) for out-of-class Essay 2
A green folder (brads, no pockets) for Final in-class essay quiz
A white folder (brads and pockets) for Research paper (12 pp)
An orange folder (brads, no pockets) for journals
(Buy the cheapest folders you can find!)
You are responsible adults and will be treated accordingly.
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 work from the internet into your
paper, requires the use of quotation marks and citation of your source; omission of such citation
constitutes cheating, whether the student lifts a line, a paragraph, a page, or an entire essay. If,
instead of giving an exact quote, you paraphrase, you must omit the quotation marks but you still must
state the source of the idea. One act of plagiarism willresult in a grade of “0” for the offending paper/assignment
without the option to rewrite the paper. 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 essay exams, and a 10-12-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, regardless of the level of the out-ofclass essays, the student will fail the course if s/he writes an unsatisfactory or plagiarized research paper or in-class essay.
Assignments
Two out-of-class essays, based on essays you have read, each 2½ to 3 pages long
Two in-class Quiz essays, written in the upstairs library lab and turned in before class ends (late papers or
emailed papers will NOT be accepted)
One research paper (10-12 pages) due in April
Oral Presentation of D. of I. passage and of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
Oral Presentation of MLK passage
Ten Journals (one for each week of class, done weekly but not handed in until May 1)
Homework [grammar and sentence structure, on in-line citation, works cited page, & research techniques]
Occasional quizzes on grammar and sentence structure and research techniques
Library Instruction Session on Research Techniques
Oral Presentation on Final Exam Day
Two or more Quizes on Major Sentence Errors & on readings, including one on Final Exam Day
Each assignment will lose points unless it has a heading (and avoids any cover sheet) as follows:
Student’s first and last name
Nunes
Engl1302 Central Campus HCCS
Month/day/year
Each essay assignment will include outline, final draft, initial drafts, peer-reviewed version. Each paper must
have a heading & 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—not Arial nor Century Gothic or
other sans serif font. Students will avoid script fonts such as Script MT Bold; also avoid use of ALL CAPS, bold
or italics. (Italics are appropriate for titles of books, journals, magazines, newspapers, movies, etc.)
Research paper: all notes in left pocket of red folder; all references (photocopied from articles/books along with
title pages of books & articles, or printed from internet) in right pocket of same red folder; brads to contain, in
order: outline; final draft of paper; “Works Cited” page; all previous drafts, from latest to earliest, in order; all
prewriting.
Absence from midterm or final quiz or essay exam, or failure to turn in journals or research paper
on time, gets you an F in the course.
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. Late
drafts will be accepted, but will be penalized 5% per class session. 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 unless the absence is in observance of a
religious holy day.
The misfortune of having failed to listen or having missed a previous class is no excuse 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
Attendance:
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 or for making sure his/her name is called. The class lasts only an hour and 15 minutes
and students are expected to remain in the room throughout. A student who is absent more than three times, or
consistently arrives late or leaves early, is likely to miss important instructions or assignments and to fail the course.
If you realize you are failing the course, you must drop the course on your own before 4 pm Tuesday March 24. If
you simply stop attending, I will not drop you. You will get a grade of FX and may have to pay back financial aid.
Student Learning Outcomes for English 1302:
You will show you can write a five-paragraph essay with an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion,
analyzing another essay or analyzing a painting or poem. You will be able to classify, explain, & criticize strategies
used in the essays and stories you read. You will be able to use logic, examples, statistics, and expert citations to
support two or more sides of complex issues. You will follow directions regarding each assignment. You will
demonstrate the ability to use the library and the internet effectively and to produce a Works Cited page in proper
MLA format, in conjunction with in-line citations within your paper. You will produce an outline for each essay or
research paper, using standard MLA format. You will avoid major sentence errors and other errors in grammar,
punctuation, spelling, and format. You will avoid “filler” and “froth” and will instead offer specific information.
SUPPORT SERVICES: Tutoring: Free tutoring is available in SJAC 384. Check door for schedule.
Library: The Library is on the third floor of the Learning Hug. Be sure to obtain a free student i.d. at once
so you can check out books or use the photocopy or printer. Open Computer Labs: Computers are
available in the Library (3rd floor of the Learning Hub) and in SJAC 384. Check for hours.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: Any student with a documented disability (e.g., physical,
learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodation must contact
the Disability Support Services Office at the beginning of each semester. Faculty are authorized to provide
only the accommodations requested by the Disability Support Services Office in the Learning Hub
106, or call counselors at 713-718-5165. To visit the ADA website, log onto www.hccs.edu, click Future
Students, scroll down the page and click on the words Disability Information.
Anything in this syllabus, including assignments and exam weightings, is subject to alteration by the
instructor at any time.
Electronic Equipment: Turn off all electronic equipment before entering class, and do not charge your
battery in this classroom, or you may receive a zero in participation for the day. If you leave the room
during an in-class or in-lab assignment, place your phone on my desk to avoid suspicion of soliciting outside help
and receiving a zero for that assignment.
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 for that
day and will be marked absent.
Computers, PDAs, etc.: No chat, email, games, camera phone use, etc. while class is in session. None
allowed in class during quizes or in-lab essays. Same ejection rules apply. You may ask permission to
photograph what is on the screen or on the board, or to copy from a computer onto your flash drive.
Never give me—or anyone—your only copy of anything. Always keep a copy for yourself.
Classroom Etiquette: When someone, whether instructor or student, has the floor during lecture or
discussion, the class must pay attention to that person, not interrupting. 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.
Concerning work for other classes: do this course’s work in this class. If you lack enough work to
occupy you during this class, it is easy to find much more for you to do.
Attendance grade: You will earn an attendance grade 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).
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 (quite likely “F”) based on your course average in relation to the full slate of required assignments.
Grading Scale: A 90-100% B 80-89% C 70-79%
IP or F 60-69% XF if you stop coming
IP (In Progress grade) is given to students who do not meet the minimum grading standards but who are 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. Your grade is a simple average of
all major assignments. Minor assignments are combined and included as one major HW assignment.
Keep track of your own running average. Do not ask me to do this for you. I calculate at the end of the
semester, when I turn in final grades.
IMPORTANT NOTICES: Students who must repeat a course face significant tuition/fee increases at HCC and
at other Texas public colleges and universities. If you are considering course withdrawal because you are not earning
passing grades, talk to your instructor or counselor about your study habits, reading skills, attendance, course
participation, and opportunities for tutoring or other assistance that might be available. The number of withdrawals
from any class is limited.
If you intend to withdraw from this course, do so before Tuesday, March 24th, at 4:30 p.m., or your
final grade might be in jeopardy. Students who stop attending class and do not withdraw themselves prior
to this deadline may be assigned the final grade of FX, compared to an earned grade of F, which is due to
poor performance. Please note that HCC will not disburse financial aid funding for students who
have never attended class. Students who receive financial aid but fail to attend class will be reported to
the Department of Education and may have to pay back their aid. A grade of FX is treated exactly the
same as a grade of F in terms of GPA, probation, suspension, and satisfactory academic progress.
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
EGLS3 as part of the Houston Community College Student System available online: hccs.edu/EGLS3
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 longer essays) –
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:
Week
Number
1
TUES 1/20
Course
introduction,
syllabus,
first writing
THURS 1/22
2
TUES 1/27
THURS 1/29
Class Discussion
Assignment
Department, college and
classroom policies and
procedures, first reading,
and first essay.
Produce writing samples.
Use tutors. Find “Declaration of Independence” online;
memorize from “We hold these truths….” through “safety
and happiness” to recite on Tues 1/27. Find Lincoln’s
Gettysburg Address to recite Feb 3. Write 1st journal this
week. 1st essay: outrage of discrimination/oppression, from
personal experience & two articles in Time magazine on
“Charlie” cartoonists and their murderers & other articles.
If you have no handbook, get McGraw Hill.
First essay, brainstorm, list, Goals of Essay 1. Pre-writing techniques. Students tell
freewrite, cluster, etc.
details of personal oppressive experiences; outline on board.
Journaling. Class research
Students freewrite, cluster, & outline experiences/reading of
topic? Complete 1st essay by oppression/discrimination (self or examples in articles).
2/3.
Find & read MLK’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”.
Discussion: What are
“unalienable rights”? What
is “pursuit of happiness”?
What matters? Who
matters?
Recite passage from D of I. Read “I have a dream” speech
(ML King); memorize from “I have a dream today” through
“content of their character” What makes life worth living?
What is worth dying for? Is it also worth living for? How do
you choose a career—what you love? What pays best? Why?
Meet in library. Hear how
to find best Data Bases.
Third floor of learning hub. Learn to use keyword searches
for data bases. [On Tues 23, bring typed essay for Peer
Review of Essay 1].
Recitations. Discuss Essay
Recite passage from D of I. Bring Essay 1 for peer review
3
TUES 2/3
THURS 2/5
1. Analyze parallel
construction in “I have a
dream” speech.
Peer Review of Essay 1
Discuss outline, content,
Works Cited, for Essay 1.
Thurs 2/5. Also for Thurs, read ML King’s “Letter from
Birmingham Jail” & read articles; find examples of pathos,
ethos, & logos.
Peer Review. Turn in Essay 1 in red folder Tues 2/10.
Recitation of Lincoln’s G. A. on Tues 2/10. In-class essay
on ethos, pathos, & ethos in Library Lab 2/24.
4
TUES 2/10
THURS 2/12
5
Turn in Essay in red folder.
Recite Lincoln G. A.
Discuss pathos, mention
ethos, logos.
Discuss ethos. Explain
logos as logical proofs or
refutation of claims.
Recite 1st half of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Recitation
of 2nd half due Tues 2/24. Seek outrageous examples of
pathos, such as people killed or injured, or child’s tears.
Type list of examples for Thurs 2/12.
Seek examples of ethos from MLK Letter & also in Foreign
Affairs and in New Yorker. Type list of three strongest
examples of each to turn in Tuesday 2/17.
Week
Number
TUES 2/17
Class Discussion
Assignment
Discuss logos. Discuss
audience; credibility;
purpose; thesis; outline.
Discuss MSEs.
THURS 2/19 Social conscience – King’s
“Letter from Birmingham
Jail” and “I have a dream”
Discuss in-class essay.
Discuss MSE.
6
Seek examples of logos in MLK Letter & also in Foreign
Affairs and in New Yorker. Type list of three strongest
examples of each to turn in Thurs 2/19. Write outline of
ethos, pathos, & logos for 2/19 & for in-lab essay on 3/3.
Recite 2nd half of Lincoln’s GA. Examples of ethos, pathos,
logos, from MLK & from articles in Foreign Affairs & New
Yorker. Note importance of using strongest examples. Note
importance of avoiding Major Sentence Errors. Bring
Scantrons for QUIZ on MSE & readings on Tues 2/24.
TUES 2/24
Review ethos, pathos,
logosl. Review MSE. Quiz
today covers articles read.
Bring Scantrons for Quiz on articles we have discussed and
also on Major Sentence Errors and also on ethos, pathos,
and logos. Quiz begins 9:20 a.m. after review.
THURS 2/26
Recite from “I still” to
“character”. Discuss logic
to prove your point or to
refute points claimed by
others.
Recite MLK “Dream” section. Review to write in-lab exam
essay.Expect to complete essay in time to go downstairs and
print it out. Meet in lab on 3rd floor downstairs at 10 a.m. to
accept essay-exam printouts. NO LATE essays accepted.
First In-lab Essay Exam:
Ethos, Pathos, & Logos
comprise the three body
paragraphs.
Midterm in-class exam essay in library, using lab computers
on 4th floor of Learning Hub and printers on 3rd floor. For
Thursday 3/5: Read in Handbook about logical fallacies;
seek examples in all readings so far. Read New York Times
Sunday magazine, Wall Street Journal.
List of logical fallacies. Hasty generalization. Either/or
fallacy. Begging the question. Post hoc, proctor hoc. Nonsequitur. Circular reasoning. Ad hominem. Ad populum
Affirming the consequent. Denying the antecedent.
Bandwagon. Begging the question. Biased sample. Seek
each fallacy in all magazine articles discussed so far;
identify each by name. Too small sample. Untrue premise
NO essays accepted via email.
7
TUES 3/3
THURS 3/5
Discussion of logical
fallacies in articles read so
far. Hasty generalizations.
either/or fallacy. Begging
the question fallacy.
8
TUES 3/10
Discuss more fallacies as
found in articles.
Equivocation.False analogy. Faulty causality. Hasty
generalizations. Red Herring.Slippery slope.Straw man
THURS 3/12
.More fallacies in articles.
Stereotypes and overstatement. Moral equivalence.
TUES 3/17
Spring Break
No classes
THURS 3/19
Spring Break
No classes
Week
Number
9
Class Discussion
TUES 3/24
Making and supporting
claims. Research.
MLA format.
THURS 3/26
Assignment
Recite next MLK “Dream” section..
For second out-of-class essay, revisit writing techniques:
Brainstorm, freewrite, cluster, list, etc.
Discuss topic for other out- Review Major Sentence Errors, proper bibliographic form
of-class essay.
for magazines and newspapers, classic logical fallacies
10
TUES 3/31
Review for Quiz
Review Major Sentence Errors, proper bibliographic form
for magazines and newspapers, classic logical fallacies
THURS 4/2
Quiz
Bring Scantron and pencils for quiz on Major Sentence
Errors, on readings to date, on proper bibliographic form,
logical fallacies.
TUES 4/7
Discuss third out-of-class
essay.
Analyze essay by Zora Neal Hurston? Visit museum and
analyze painting? Analyze one of the magazine articles?
THURS 4/9
Discuss topic of third outof-class essay.
Be finishing the research papers, which are due 4/23.
12
TUES 4/14
Watch movie.
THURS 4/16
Watch movie
Discuss evil and honorable actions of Don Cheadle
character, of elder uniformed policeman, of younger
uniformed policeman, of TV director & of his wife, and of
each of the young carjackers.
Discuss further behavior of the same characters named
above.
11
13
TUES 4/21
THURS 4/23
Discuss choosing three of
Turn in third out-of-class essay. Note: For in-class essay, it is
the six characters to discuss required to discuss good and bad behaviors of Don Cheadle
in three body paragraphs
character in first body paragraph. May discuss one (not both)
of carjackers, or one (not both) of uniformed police
officers.
Discuss behavior of movie
characters and how to
include them in body
paragraphs; and conclusion
Turn in Research papers. You may choose to discuss the
TV director or his wife, along with either a uniformed
policeman or a carjacker.
14
TUES 4/28
Further discussion of
movie characters
Further discussion of
movie characters.
Be very clear as to expected content and format of in-class
essay. Prepare outline and Works Cited page.
Turn in Journals.
TUES 5/5
Final Exam in-Lab Essay
Meet in Library again. Write essay on movie. Turn in printout
of essay in blue folder with outline at the front and Work
Cited page at the back, before 10:30 a.m.
THURS 5/7
Review for Final Exam
Quiz. Explain Final Exam
Oral presentation.
Oral
Review Major Sentence Errors, Bibiliographic Format,
Logical fallacies, Ethos, Pathos, Logos, articles, movie. .
Final Exam Activity
Start at 8 am; finish 10 am
Oral Presentations and Final Scantron Matching and Multiple
Choice Quiz. Turn in at 10 a.m.
THURS 4/30
15
16
THURS 5/14