ENGLISH 2328 COURSE SYLLABUS
SUMMER II SEMESTER 2015
Part I: Course Information
When the student is ready, the teacher appears. (ancient proverb)
Art lives upon discussion, upon experiment, upon curiosity, upon variety of attempt, upon
exchange of views and the comparison of standpoints. . . . (Henry James, “The Art of Fiction”)
Instructor
Name: Mr. Jeff Lindemann
Office location: Room C-218, West Loop Campus
Office hours: 12:30 – 2:00 Monday-Thursday (C-218)
Office phone: 713-718-8853
E-mail: Jeff.Lindemann@hccs.edu
Learning Web: http://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/jeff.lindemann
English 2328 Course Description
English 2328 is a critical study of major American writers from 1865 to the present. This
course requires substantial reading and research. Students who enroll in this course are
strongly advised to have passed English 1301 with a grade of “C” or better. Prerequisite
is English 1301. Three credit hours (Three lecture).
Textbooks
The Norton Anthology of American Literature, eighth edition, volumes C, D,
and E OR use the Learning Web and buy copies of the two plays: Long Day’s Journey
into Night and A Streetcar Named Desire. (You can order used copies through
Amazon.com.)
Other Materials
Three ring binder for syllabus and handouts that you wish to print
Grade Percentages
Essay #1: (20%) Realism and naturalism (1,000 word out-of-class essay)
Essay #2: (20%) Early modern literature (1,000 word out-of-class essay)
Essay #3: (20%) Modern fiction and poetry (1,000 word out-of-class researched essay)
Exam #1: (10%) Long Day’s Journey into Night (in-class mid-term exam)
Exam #2: (10%) A Streetcar Named Desire (in-class final exam)
Daily quiz grades: (20%) Average of daily numerous quiz grades plus extra credits
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Grading Scale
A = Excellent (90-100): A+ = 100, A = 95, A- = 93
B = Good (80-89): B+ = 88, B = 85, B- = 83
C = Adequate (70-79): C+ = 78, C = 75, C- = 73
D = Needs work (60-69): D+ = 68, D = 65, D- = 63
F = Unacceptable (0-59): F+ = 58, F = anywhere between 0 – 57
Other Abbreviations
L = Late (minus 10 points or a letter grade)
R = Revise (for a grade no higher than 75)
P = Plagiarized (0 for the assignment with no opportunity for revision)
? = Question about assignment (See me!)
Grading Components
(See my grading rubric for full explanation.)
1. Content (gains most points)
2. Organization
3. Sentences
4. Diction
5. Punctuation, capitalization, and manuscript mechanics
Note on Major Sentence/Grammar Errors
Major sentence errors include fragment, comma splice, run-on, awkward/garbled
sentence. A major diction error is a subject-verb agreement error. These errors will cause
you to lose valuable points on your essay. We have on-site tutors (Writing Center, West
Loop, Room C-230) and AskOnline, our 24/7 on-line tutoring service to help you with
your out-of-class-essays before you submit them.
Revise/Rewrite Policy on Essays
If you receive a grade of “R” on Essay #1 and/or Essay #2, you may revise/rewrite for a
grade of 75. You have one week to revise/rewrite. When you submit your revision, you
must include the draft returned to you. No revisions or rewrites on Essay #3.
Attendance Policy
Regular attendance is required at Houston Community College. HCCS class policy states
that a student who is absent more than 12.5% (6 hours) of class may be administratively
dropped. I take attendance every day. If you come in late, it is your responsibility to see
me after class so I can mark your attendance.
Students who intend to withdraw from a course must do so themselves by the official last
day to drop. After the official drop date, I am unable to assign you a grade of “W”; I have
no other option but to assign you a grade of “F.”
After the last day to drop, if you exceed your six hours of allotted class absence, I will
assign you a grade of FX (F due to too many absences).
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If you miss a portion of the class (like thirty minutes to one hour), that time is subtracted
from your six hours if the time you may be absent.
Withdrawal Policy
The State of Texas now imposes penalties on students who drop courses excessively. The
Texas Legislature passed a law limiting first time entering students to no more than six
total course withdrawals throughout their academic career in obtaining a certificate or
baccalaureate degree. There may be future penalties imposed.
You should visit with your instructor, an HCC counselor, or HCC Online Student
Services to learn what, if any, HCC interventions might be offered to assist you to stay in
class and improve your performance. Such interventions could include tutoring, child
care, financial aid, and job placement.
International Students
Receiving a “W” in a course may affect the status of your student visa. Once a “W” is
given for the course, it will not be changed to an “F” because of the visa consideration.
Please contact the International Student Office at 713-718-8520 if you have any questions
about your visa status and any other transfer issues.
Student Course Reinstatement Policy
Students have a responsibility to arrange payment for their classes when they register,
either through cash, credit card, financial aid, or the installment plan. Students who are
dropped from their courses for non-payment of tuition and fees who request reinstatement
after the official date of record can be reinstated by making payment in full and paying an
additional $75.00 per course reinstatement fee. The academic dean may waive the
reinstatement fee upon determining that the student was dropped because of a college
error.
Please note: If you are dropped for non-payment, you run the risk of not being able to
renter the course you selected because it filled to seat capacity before you were ready to
pay.
HCC Student Email Accounts
All students who have registered and paid for courses at HCC automatically have an
HCC email account generated for them. Please go to http://www.hccs.edu/students/email/
to review how to send email using this account. You must use your HCC email account
when you want to contact the on-line tutors.
Daily Grades
Daily grades are worth twenty percent of your grade. A daily quiz is usually ten multiplechoice questions on the homework readings. I give no make-ups on daily quizzes. On
some days during the summer, I must give two daily quizzes. I do not give early daily
quizzes before class or late quizzes after class. You may drop three quiz grades at the end
of the semester. Extra credits are worth one added to your daily quiz average.
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Special Conditions
Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision,
hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the
Disability Services Office at the Southwest College at the beginning of each semester.
Faculty members are authorized to provide those accommodations requested by the
Ability Support Services Office. You may contact Dr. Becky Hauri, counselor for the
Southwest College Office of Abilities at becky.hauri@hccs.edu .
Free English Tutoring
HCC offers free tutoring at our Writing Centers located throughout the system. You will
receive individual attention (30 minute sessions) with any of your writing projects. Check
for location, dates, and times of tutoring. Signs will be posted once the hours have been
established for the semester. Online tutoring is also available 24/7 at
www.hccs.askonline.net.
Open Computer Lab
You have free access to the Internet and word processing in the open computer lab.
Check on the door of the open computer lab for hours of operation.
Library
The West Loop Library is open each day Monday-Friday. Check with the library for
hours.
Student Organizations
Phi Theta Kappa is the honor society of two-year colleges. Students must earn a 3.5
grade point average and accumulate 12 credit hours at HCCS. HCCS has a very active
chapter called the Omega Sigma Chapter. For contact information visit
www.omegasigma.org or contact the Southwest College faculty advisor Ms. Eunice
Kallarackal at eunice.kallarackal@hccs.edu.
Inclement Weather
During inclement weather conditions, monitor major local channels for updates on school
closings.
Due Dates and Make-Up Exams
All essays have due dates. Out-of-class essays turned in late are docked a letter grade (ten
points).
Grade of “I”
An “I” is assigned for a missed final due to an emergency, not for unfinished coursework
such as a research paper. All work must be submitted by the end of the semester, even if
it is not finished. A student has 60 days to complete the missed final. After 60 days a
grade of “I” incomplete becomes an “F.” I am unable to give a final after 60 days.
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My Course Policies (Reasonable Behavioral Guidelines)
1. Please come to class on time. Time missed before class is subtracted from the 12.5%
attendance policy. Leaving class early or arriving late also results in time subtracted from
the 12.5% attendance policy. If you arrive late, you must see me after class so I can mark
your attendance.
2. Sorry! No sleeping or heads on desks permitted. If you fall asleep, I’ll wake you up by
tapping on your desk.
3. Please do not ever ask, “Are we doing anything important in class today?” The answer
always is “Yes! We are!”
4. If you must leave early, please tell me before class starts.
5. No food allowed in class. Water and beverages are fine. Please throw away bottles at
end of the class session (or better yet, recycle them in the containers be the elevator).
6. I dismiss class ten-fifteen minutes early so you may take a break before another class.
7. Please do not chat with class colleagues during lectures or class discussions. Let us
listen to what our class members have to contribute.
8. Do not bring small children to class.
9. An 89.4 average at the end of the semester is a B. A 79.4 average is a C.
10. The time to discuss an essay grade is after it is returned, not at the end of the
semester.
11. I will accept no late or rewritten essays after our last class session (check calendar).
12. The out-of-class essays must be typed. The in-class essays will be written either in
blue books purchased in the bookstore or on the computer in the computer lab or library
classroom.
13. Plagiarized essays receive a grade of 0/F with no opportunity to rewrite.
14. If for some reason, I am more than fifteen minutes late, class is dismissed. Follow
your course calendar and complete any assignments for the next session.
15. When you email me, please use correct English. Proofread your message. Use correct
grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
16. Save an electronic copy of all of your out-of-class essays.
17. You may revise Essays #1 and #2 if you receive a grade of “R” for a new grade no
higher 75. You must submit the draft with “R” along with your revised draft.
18. Good learning attitude, cooperative demeanor, and courteous behavior all go a long
way with me!
Personal Electronics Policies
1. Turn off and put away all cell phones unless you are using them to access course
materials during class. The sounds of cell phones ringing during class are disruptive
to me and other students. You can answer your calls and make calls before or after
class or during breaks.
2 DO NOT leave the class to make a call or answer a personal call (or worse—answer a
call in class). (I become irritated by students who get up and walk out of class to
make a call—as if they were in a movie theater.)
3. No text messaging during class.
4. No ear buds in ears during class.
5. If you have an impending emergency and need to keep an electronics device
turned on, I would like to know as soon as class starts.
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Use of Cameras and Recording Devices
Use of recording devices, including camera phones and tape recorders, is prohibited in
classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, and other locations where instruction, tutoring,
or testing occurs. These devices are also not allowed to be used in campus restrooms.
Students with disabilities who need to use a recording device as a reasonable
accommodation should contact the Office for Students with Disabilities for information
regarding reasonable accommodations.
Scholastic Dishonesty
According to the Student Handbook for the Houston Community College System:
“Students are responsible for conducting themselves with honor and integrity in fulfilling
course requirements. Penalties and/or disciplinary proceedings may be initiated by
College System officials against a student accused of scholastic dishonesty. ‘Scholastic
dishonesty’ includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism, and collusion.”
Cheating on a test includes:
Copying from another student’s test paper;
Using materials during a test that are not authorized by the person giving the test;
Collaborating with another student during a test without authority;
Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in whole or part the
contents of an un-administered test; and/or
Bribing another person to obtain a test that is to be administered.
Plagiarism means the appropriation of another’s work and the unacknowledged
incorporation of that work in one’s own written work offered for credit.
Collusion means the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written
work offered for credit” (34-35).
Please note the possible consequences of such dishonesty, as stated in the 2006-2009
Student Handbook: Possible punishments for academic dishonesty may include a grade
of “0” or “F” for the particular assignment, failure in the course, and/or recommendation
for probation or dismissal from the College System (35).
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will, by the end of the semester:
1. Explain and illustrate stylistic characteristics of representative works of major American
writers from 1865 to the present.
2. Connect representative works of major American writers from 1865 to the present to
human and individual values in historical and social contexts.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of various works of major American writers from 1865 to the
present.
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4. Analyze critical texts relating to the works of major American writers from 1865 to the
present.
5. Critique and interpret representative literary works of major American writers from 1865
to the present.
CORE OBJECTIVES
Given the rapid evolution of necessary knowledge and skills and the need to take into account
global, national, state, and local cultures, the core curriculum must ensure that students will
develop the essential knowledge and skills they need to be successful in college, in a career,
in their communities, and in life. Through the Texas Core Curriculum, students will gain a
foundation of knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world, develop
principles of personal and social responsibility for living in a diverse world, and advance
intellectual and practical skills that are essential for all learning.
Students enrolled in this core curriculum course will complete a research project or case study
designed to cultivate the following core objectives:
Critical Thinking Skills*—to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and
analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information
Communication Skills—to include effective development, interpretation and expression
of ideas through written, oral and visual communication
Personal Responsibility—to include the ability to connect choices, actions, and
consequences to ethical decision-making
Social Responsibility--to include intercultural competency, knowledge
of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national,
and global communities
NOTE: Student proficiency in Communication Skills will be assessed as a formal written out-of-class
essay, which is at least three pages long and which includes an oral presentation component as well as a
visual component. Student proficiency in Critical Thinking will be assessed by a formal out-of-class
essay assignment. Personal Responsibility and Social Responsibility will be assessed as part of long
unit or major essay assignments, which will include assigned reading responses, pre-writing activities,
multiple drafts, and group activities.
*Critical Thinking: Critical thinking embraces methods for applying both qualitative and
quantitative skills analytically and creatively to subject matter in order to construct alternative
strategies. Problem solving is one of the applications of critical thinking used to address an
identified task.
Critical thinking as applied to the study of literature involves
1. connecting patterns and motifs in works of literature,
2. looking for relevant information that supports your assertions,
3. interpreting literature,
4. solving literary problems,
5. drawing conclusions, and
6. tolerating ambiguity and complexity in literature.
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MY GRADE ROSTER
You may keep a running record of your grades in this course. At any given moment during the
semester, you should have a good idea what your grade is in this course based on what daily
quizzes and major essays you have completed.
Your Exam Grades:
_____ Essay #1 (20%) Realism and naturalism (1,000 word out-of-class essay)
_____ Essay #2 (20%) Early modern literature (1,000 word out-of-class essay)
_____ Essay #4 (20%) Modern fiction and Poetry (1,000 word researched, out-of-class essay)
_____ Exam #1 (10%) Long Day’s Journey into Night (in-class mid-term)
_____ Exam #2 (10%) A Streetcar Named Desire (in-class final exam)
_____ Daily Grade Average (20%)
Daily Quiz Grades:
_____ Quiz #1
_____ Quiz #11
_____ Quiz 21
_____ Quiz #2
_____ Quiz #12
_____ Quiz 22
_____ Quiz #3
_____ Quiz #13
_____ Quiz 23
_____ Quiz #4
_____ Quiz #14
_____ Quiz 24
_____ Quiz #5
_____ Quiz #15
Extra Credits (added to quiz avg.)
_____ Quiz #6
_____ Quiz #16
_____ (+1)
_____ Quiz #7
_____ Quiz #17
_____ (+1)
_____ Quiz #8
_____ Quiz #18
_____ (+1)
_____ Quiz #9
_____ Quiz #19
_____ (+1)
_____ Quiz #10
_____ Quiz #20
_____ (+1)
Reminder: No make-ups on daily quizzes. I will drop the three lowest daily grades at the end of
the semester.
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ENGLISH 2328 COURSE SYLLABUS
Part II: Course Calendar
WEEK ONE (July 13th – 17th)
SESSION #1 (Monday, July 13th)
 Introduction to English 2328
 Course objectives, grades, class policies
 Overview of English 2328
 American literary realism
 Writing critical thinking essays on literature
 Topics for Essay #1 (due Monday, July 20th)
Assignment for Session #2: Read brief biography (in textbook or on Learning Web) on Mark
Twain. Read Twain’s “How to Tell a Story” (on Learning Web) and “The Celebrated Jumping
Frog of Calaveras County.” (You may want to start reading Henry James’ Daisy Miller: A
Study.)
SESSION #2 (Tuesday, July 14th)
 American realism: Frontier humor
 Critical approaches: Historical criticism
 Mark Twain: “How to Tell a Story” and “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras
County”
 Sample critical thinking essay about literature
Assignment for Session #3: Read brief biography on Henry James. Read Daisy Miller: A Study.
(NOTE: Plan for a good two hours for reading Daisy Miller: A Study.)
SESSION #3 (Wednesday, July 15th)
 Critical approaches: Formalism (formal elements of literature)
 American realism: Psychological realism
 Henry James: Daisy Miller: A Study
Assignment for Session #4: Read brief biography on Mary Wilkins Freeman. Read Freeman’s
“The Revolt of Mother.” Read brief biography on Sarah Orne Jewett. Read Jewett’s “A White
Heron.”
SESSION #4 (Thursday, July 16th)
 Critical approaches: Feminist criticism
 American realism: Regionalism
 Mary Wilkins Freeman: “The Revolt of Mother”
 Sarah Orne Jewett: “A White Heron”
Assignment for Session #5: Read brief biography on Kate Chopin. Read Chopin’s “The Storm.”
Read brief biography of Stephen Crane. Read Crane’s “The Open Boat.” Read brief biography of
Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Read Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper.”
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SESSION #5 (Friday, July 17th)
 American realism: Naturalism
 Critical approaches: Biographical criticism
 Kate Chopin: “The Storm”
 Stephen Crane: “The Open Boat”
 Charlotte Perkins Gilman: “The Yellow Wallpaper”
 Writing an essay about literature
Assignment for Session #6: Finish Essay #1 and have it ready to submit at the beginning of
Session #6. Read brief biography on Robert Frost and Frost’s poems on Learning Web.
WEEK TWO (July 20th – 24th)
SESSION #6 (Monday, July 20th)
 Essay #1 due
 Topics for Essay #2
 Introduction to poetry
 Poems by Robert Frost (Frost’s poems on Learning Web under Robert Frost)
Assignment for Session #7: Read brief biography on Langston Hughes and Hughes’ poems on
Learning Web.
SESSION #7 (Tuesday, July 21st)
 Robert Frost, continued
 Poems by Langston Hughes (Hughes’ poems on Learning Web under Langston Hughes)
Assignment for Session #8: Read brief biography on Sui Sin Far. Read Sin Far’s “In the Land of
the Free.” Read brief biography of Hamlin Garland. Read Garland’s “Under the Lion’s Paw.”
SESSION #8 (Wednesday, July 22nd)
 Sui Sin Far: “In the Land of the Free”
 Hamlin Garland: “Under the Lion’s Paw”
Assignment for Session #9: Read brief biography on Willa Cather. Read Cather’s “Neighbor
Rosicky.” Read brief biography on Arna Bontemps. Read Bontemp’s “A Summer Tragedy.”
SESSION #9 (Thursday, July 23rd)
 Willa Cather: “Neighbor Rossicky”
 Arna Bontemps: “A Summer Tragedy”
Assignment for Session #10: Read brief biography on Zora Neal Hurston. Read Hurston’s “The
Gilded Six Bits.” Read brief biography on Charles W. Chesnutt. Read Chesnutt’s “The Wife of
His Youth.”
SESSION #10 (Friday, July 24th)
 Zora Neal Hurston: “The Gilded Six Bits”
 Charles W. Chesnutt: “The Wife of His Youth”
 Topics for Essay #2
Assignment for Session #11: Write essay #2. Plan in advance: purchase copies of Eugene
ONeill’s drama Long Day’s Journey into Night (mid-term exam) and Tennessee Williams’
drama A Streetcar Named Desire (final exam).
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WEEK THREE (July 27th – 31st)
SESSION #11 (Monday, 27th)
 Essay #2 due
 Topics for Essay #3 (research paper)
 Using library resources for research (books and databases)
 Background to modern American poetry
 Imagist poetry by Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, Amy Lowell
 Modern poetry between World Wars: Carl Sandburg, e. e. cummings, Marianne Moore,
Archibald McLeish, Wallace Stevens
Assignment for Session #12: Read modern poetry. Theodore Rothke’s “My Papa’s Waltz,”
Elizabeth Bishop’s “The Fish,” Randall Jarrell’s “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner,” Robert
Lowell’s “Skunk Hour,” Sylvia Plath’s “Lady Lazarus,” Anne Sexton’s “The Starry Night” and
“Sylvia’s Death,” and Adrianne Rich’s “Diving into the Wreck,” Mary Oliver poems TBA, and
Mark Doty poems TBA.
SESSION #12 (Tuesday, July 28th)
 Incorporating secondary sources in your research paper
 Modern poetry after World War II (For poems covered in class today, see homework
reading above in “Assignment for Essay 12.”
 Background to Pre-World War II American drama
 Eugene O’Neill
Assignment for Session #13: Read Acts 1 and II of Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into
Night.
SESSION #13 (Wednesday, July 29th)
 Long Day’s Journey into Night (Acts I and II)
Assignment for Session #14: Read Acts III and IV of Long Day’s Journey into Night.
SESSION #14 (Thursday, July 30th)
 Long Day’s Journey into Night (Acts III and IV)
Assignment for Session #15: Study for exam on Long Day’s Journey into Night.
SESSION #15 (Friday, July 31st)
 In-Class Mid-Term on Long Day’s Journey into Night (one hour)
 Short break
 Results of exam
Assignment for Session #16: Read brief biography on F. Scott Fitzgerald. Read Fitzgerald’s
“Winter Dreams” and “Babylon Revisited.”
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WEEK FOUR (August 3rd – 7th)
SESSION #16 (Monday, August 3rd)
 Film biography: F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great American Dreamer
 “Winter Dreams”
 “Babylon Revisited”
Assignment for Session #17: Read brief biography on Ernest Hemingway. Read Hemingway’s
“A Clean Well-Lighted Place” and “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.”
SESSION #17 (Tuesday, August 4th)
 Film biography: Ernest Hemingway: Wrestling with Life
 “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”
 “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”
Assignment for Session #18: Read brief biography on William Faulkner. Read Faulkner’s “A
Rose for Emily.” Read brief biography on Flannery O’Connor. Read O’Connor’s “Good Country
People.”
SESSION #18 (Wednesday, August 5th)
 Williams Faulkner: “A Rose for Emily”
 Flannery O’Connor: “Good Country People”
Assignment for Session #19: Read brief biography on Alice Walker. Read Walker’s “Everyday
Use.” Read brief biography on Sandra Cisneros. Read Cisneros’ “Woman Hollering Creek.”
SESSION #19 (Thursday, August 6th)
 Alice Walker: “Everyday Use”
 Tales of La Llorona
 Sandra Cisneros: “Woman Hollering Creek”
Assignment for Session #20: Read brief biography on Raymond Carver. Read Carver’s
“Cathedral.” Read brief biography on Amy Hempl. Read Hempl’s “In the Cemetery Where Al
Jolson Is Buried.”
SESSION #20 (Friday, August 7th)
 Raymond Carver: “Cathedral”
 Amy Hempl: “In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried”
Assignment for Session #21: Read brief biography on Tennessee Williams. Read Scenes 1-5 of
A Streetcar Named Desire.
WEEK FIVE (August 10th – 12th)
SESSION #21 (Monday, August 10th)
 Essay #3 on modern fiction due
 Post World War II Modern drama
 Tennessee Williams: A Streetcar Named Desire (Scenes 1-5)
Assignment for Session #22: Read Scenes 6-11 of A Streetcar Named Desire.
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SESSION #22 (Tuesday, August 11th)
 A Streetcar Named Desire (Scenes 6-11)
Assignment for Final Exam Session: Study Scenes 1-11 of A Streetcar Named Desire.
FINAL EXAM SESSION: (Wednesday, August 12th)
 Final Exam #2: A Streetcar Named Desire
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