SYLLABUS
FOR
Professor: Dr. Ann V. Nunes
Email:
ann.nunes@hccs.edu
Semester: Spring 2013
ENGLISH 1301
CRN: 30294
Time:Mon/Wed/Fri 1 pm-3 pm
Room: FAC 316
Required Texts: Peterson, Linda H., et al. The Norton Reader: An Anthology
of Nonfiction, 13th edition. New York: W. W. Norton &
Company, 2012.
Handbook (McGraw Hill…to be discussed)
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 bring with you
Pencils and blue and/black pens to use in class
Scantrons for quizzes
Flashdrive/wand or other technology for saving essays
Yellow folder (brads, no pockets) for In-Class Essay I1
Red folder (brads, no pockets) for In-Class Essay I2
Black folder (brads; pockets optional) for Regular Essay 1
White folder (brads; pockets optional) for Regular Essay 2
Green folder (brads; pockets optional) for Regular Essay 3
Multicolored folder for R4 on the movie
Blue folder (brads and pockets) for short Research paper
Purple folder (brads; pockets optional) for journals
(Get the most INexpensive folders you can find!)
Your being here means you can be treated 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 (two in-class essays, one the first week of
February, on the first week of March.
One short research paper (five pages) due the end of February
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 February)
Homework and quizzes on sentence structure, paragraph formation, research techniques, &
citation.
Library Session
Oral Presentation and Test on Final Exam Day
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—not 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.
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: By appointment
Hand in the research paper on February 20.
Hand in the journals on February 25.
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 fails to 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
made it impossible to attend that day. Students will find it unnecessary to contact the instructor to ask what
occurred in the previous class. Rather, to facilitate keeping up in the unlikely event of an emergency absence ,
each student will, on the first day of class, gather contact information from ten fellow-students and
will contact them to determine what transpired during an absence.
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, 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. 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 are 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
Week
Number
1
MON 1/14
Course
introduction,
syllabus,
first writing
WED 1/16
FRI 1/18
2
MON 1/21
WED 1/23
FRI 1/25
3
MON 1/28
WED 1/30
FRI 2/1
4
Class Discussion
Policies & procedures of
department, college and
classroom. Writing samples.
Tutoring. Syllabus. Introduce
first essay, brainstorm, list,
freewrite, cluster, pre-writing,
outline.. Dec of Ind. and
Stanton. Research Paper
topic: Gun Control, Yes/No?
Assignment
“unalienable rights”
“freedom,” “happiness”.
Fragment: subordinate clause;
list of subordinating words
For Wed 1/16, read the first two paragraphs of the “Declaration
of Independence” (Norton p 804) and read Stanton’s Declaration
p 811; note the differences and be prepared to list them aloud in
class or on paper as a quiz.
Wed 1/23, recite “We hold…” thru “…safety and happiness.”
Norton p 804. Essay 1: personal experience, oppression,
discrimination, trauma. Discuss, brainstorm, & outline one
student’s personal experience. Peer Review of typed draft of
this first essay due Friday 1/18; final draft due Wed 1/23.
Gun Control in light of attack on school children of New Town.
Subordinate clause as Fragment. Read Lincoln’s Gettysburg
address Norton p 486 for Friday 1/25; recite on Mon 1/28. For
Friday 1/25, print list of subordinating conjunctions/pronouns to
use during Quiz that day on subordinate clauses versus sentences.
Define verbs/verbals:gerunds,
participles: No verb means
no sentence means fragment
Major Sentence Errors. Peer Review today of Essay 1.
Due Fri 1/25: Essay in yellow folder—Outline, final draft,
peer review. [Journal: D of I and fragments.] Read 446-449
MLK Birthday
Holiday; no class
Meet in library.
For Friday read “Who Shot
Johnny” 316; “Get a Knife,
Get a Dog, but Get Rid of
Guns,” 323; Lincoln 486.
Quiz. Discuss two more
MSEs: run-on and comma
splice. Students have taken
peer-reviewed essay to tutor
to avoid MSEs.
Librarian Explains Research and Works Cited. Take notes on
where to find information on Gun Control Yes and on Gun
Control NO. Be clear on how to organize research paper to
produce a balanced discussion in your research paper. Be
prepared to take quiz Friday on reading assignments. Read 358
Discuss Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address page 486. Memorize it to
recite it on Wed 1/30. Quiz on readings, including Zora Neal
Hurston’s “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” (Norton p 12).
Today: Recite paragraph, Declaration of Independence.Read
488, 314, 532. Signed Peer Review of typed draft of essay.
Take up first essay. Discuss
Hurston essay; prepare to
write in-class analysis of
Hurston’s attitude to herself.
More discussion to prepare to
write in-class essay on “How
It Feels to Be Colored Me”.
Discuss Works Cited page and
in-text citation of Hurston.
Discuss Hurston Essay and
its Work Cited Page.
Essay 1 due today in yellow folder without any MSEs. Read 213.
Recite Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Quiz today on Major
Sentence Errors Read MLK “I have a dream” speech Norton pp
852-855 and be ready to recite para.11-15 on Monday 2/4.
For Monday 2/4: Discussion of Hurston’s essay to develop
outline of in-class analysis of her essay. Discussion to prepare to
write in-class essay Wed. 2/6 analyizing Hurston’s attitude in
“How It Feels to Be Colored Me”. Read 1022,
Fri 2/8: Tentative Works Cited Page of Research paper.
Quiz: Major Sentence Errors.
Be prepared to write in-class essay Wednesday 2/6 analyzing
Hurston’s essay about her own feelings.
Week
Number
MON 2/4
Class Discussion
Assignment
Discussion of Hurston’s
“Colored Me” and how to
write its “Work Cited” page.
Due Wed 2/6: MLA “In-text documentation” and typed “List of
Works Cited” (MLA format) for your analysis of Hurston Essay.
Also type your Outline of your analysis of Hurston’s essay.
Recite para. 11-15 of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
WED 2/6
In-class Midterm in-class
essay analyzing Hurston’s
depiction of herself
Bring typed Outline and typed Works Cited for your In-Class
Essay analyzing Hurston’s “Colored Me” essay. For Friday, read
MLK’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” pp 818-831.
FRI 2/8
Discuss pathos, ethos,logos,
as shown in MLK’s “Letter”
For Monday 2/11: Type list three best examples of pathos, of
ethos, and of logos. Be prepared to justify your choices in class.
Be prepared to recite para. 16-20 of Dr. King’s “Dream” speech.
Recitation of MLK
“Dream” speech
paragraphs.
Prepare to use examples of
ethos, pathos, and logos to
write essay on MLK “Letter”
Discuss organization of your
analysis of “Letter”
Today: Recite para . of Page 852 of Dr. King’s “I have a
dream” speech. Turn in typed examples of pathos, ethos, logos.
Due Wed 2/13: Typed tentative Works Cited page for research
paper, with four items, including at least one book and at least one
article referencing Newtown school tragedy.
Due Mon 2/18: 2nd out-of-class essay on MLK “Letter” citing
good examples: ethos in first body paragraph, pathos in 2nd body
paragraph, logos in 3rd body paragraph.
Discuss best examples of
logos, ethos, pathos in
“Letter” Discuss topic
sentences.
Today: Turn in tentative Works Cited list for Research Paper.
Research Paper due Friday 2/22.
For Friday: Choose examples of logos, ethos, pathos in “Letter”.
Turn in outline listing three best of each.
Finish draft version of essay on pathos, ethos, and logos (in
“Letter”) for Peer Review on Mon 2/15..
Discuss “Letter”
For Monday: Turn in revised Works Cited list for Research
Paper. Bring Scantrons for Quiz.
Today: Recite 3rd part of “Dream” page.
Discuss logical fallacies.
Discuss “Letter” in light of
audience, purpose, credibility,
thesis, outline; pathos logos
ethos; reading writing:
emotional distance
Turn in Research Paper.
Norton p 892-904.
Turn in Outline and the revised Works Cited list for Research
Paper. Keep a copy to turn in Wed 2/20 with the Research
paper.
Peer Review of essay on pathos, ethos, logos. Final version
due Friday 2/22.
Turn in Research Paper in blue folder. In brads: typed outline
on top, then most recent draft, then works cited page, then prior
drafts including signed peer review. Notes go in left pocket;
photocopies and printouts in right pocket of the folder.
Red folder: Turn in final version of out-of-class essay on
pathos, ethos, logos in “Letter”
5
MON 2/11
WED 2/13
FRI 2/15
6
MON 2/18
WED 2/20
FRI 2/22
7
Discuss “Letter”
Week
Number
MON 2/25
Class Discussion
Assignment
Turn in Journals
Handout: Reb Nachman’s
two microstories and Truth.
Read stories Latino and
Asian.
Turn in Journals. 20 lines/week describing class activity for
five weeks.
Quiz Wednesday on handouts. Bring Scantrons.
Today: Peer Review of essay on pathos, ethos, and logos (in
“Letter”) Remember, purpose of essay is to show understanding
of pathos, ethos, logos. Recite “Dream”. Final version of essay
due Friday 3/1.
In-class Essay 2
Turn in Journals. Write In-Class Essay 2.
MON 3/4
Recitations
WED 3/6
Review for Final Exam
Read Norton: Steinem, Wollstonecraft, Guinier, Hughes,
Copland, Holt, Sullivan McCloud. Cartoon 1091?
Review, questions, on final Quiz and Oral Presentations
Final exam activity
Bring Scantrons.
Oral presentation on your research.
Final Quiz on readings and handbook material.
WED 2/27
FRI 3/1
8
FRI 3/8