UNION COUNTY COLLEGE
ENG 101 004 English Composition I – Fall 2009
Dr. Mary Meeks
Office: H-123
908-497-4246
e-mail: meeks@ucc.edu
Office Hours:
M 10:00-11:00; M 1:30-3:30; T 4:30-5:30; and by appt.
Course Description: This course is the first half of a two-semester sequence, completed by either ENG
102 or ENG 122 or required by a program of study, which focuses on the development of the student’s
skill in writing expository prose. Prerequisite: ENG 099, if needed.
Course Objectives: by the end of the semester, each student will
 Understand and think critically about ideas and some of the most important ideas of our time and
their relevance to modern societies and the students’ own personal lives
 Respect the diversity of ideas and demonstrate an understanding of their implications to the
students’ own lives and perspectives
 Produce a well-defined thesis on a topic pertinent to the course and develop it into an effective and
well-organized essay
 Look at the role of reading in writing
 Through a study of the works of writers from diverse cultural backgrounds, develop a sense of the
writing process and each writer’s place within it
 Examine the role of writing and of language in and outside of the classroom
 Identify and discuss the ethical dimensions in discursive writing
 Conduct effective research on a chosen topic, using both Library and Internet resources
 Explore methods of rhetoric, exposition, and argumentation
 Learn and master the standards of grammar and an appropriate style
 Identify and correct errors in mechanics and develop a clear and readable style
Required Materials: (bring to class each day)
*A three ring binder with at least 4 subject dividers (Journal/Classnotes/Responses and Quizzes/Essays)
*A hole-puncher
*Post-it book flags in yellow, blue and green
*Pencils for taking notes in your books
*A stapler (multiple-page assignments must be stapled)
Texts:
*Cohen, Samuel, ed. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007.
*Davis, Sampson, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt, with Lisa Page. The Pact: Three Young Men
Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream. New York, Riverhead, 2002. Print.
*Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writers. 6th ed. w/ 2009 MLA Update Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010.
Print.
*Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies. Boston: Mariner, 1999. Print.
*You will need to have access to a good dictionary, such as The American Heritage College Dictionary.
4th ed. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Print.
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As you read the Course Requirements, be mindful of the Toltec wisdom found in Don Miguel Ruiz’s
book The Four Agreements. The Four Agreements are “Be Impeccable with Your Word,” “Don’t Take
Anything Personally,” “Don’t Make Assumptions,” “Always Do Your Best.” I intend to keep to these. I
hope that you do too.
Course Requirements:
Attendance and Participation: Attendance and participation are required. More than two unexcused
absences could result in failure of the course. Three instances of lateness (more than 10 minutes late)
count as one absence. More than three absences will definitely impact your final grade. Participation is
20% of your final grade.
Note: in the event of an emergency cancellation of a class period, check both the UCC website and your
UCC e-mail. (To access your UCC e-mail, you will need your CWID number and password. Go to the
ALC as soon as possible, if you are having trouble accessing your account.)
You may also call me at the number on p. 1 of this syllabus. In the event that I need to cancel the class, I
will update the voicemail message to let you know and give you an assignment.
A Note about E-Mail and Voicemail – I appreciate your messages and will respond to e-mail and
voicemail during my office hours and between 10:00 and 11:00 AM on Tuesday and Friday. I may check
at other times too, but please do not expect an immediate response, particularly outside of the hours
mentioned.
Response Papers: I will drop the lowest response grade twice during the semester, once at the midterm
and once at the end of the semester. You are responsible for all readings, whether or not you submit a
response for them. If there are two readings listed for a given class period, you must read both, but a
single response paper covering both readings is fine. All response papers must be at least 100 words, in
must be in MLA form with proper citation and a work(s) cited entry. They must be typed in 12 pt. Times
New Roman font and double-spaces with one inch margins. (Response papers that are not in the proper
format will be returned without a grade and will not count toward your 10 papers.) Response papers must
be submitted and stamped at the beginning of class. Late responses will not be accepted. No electronic
submissions will be accepted without prior permission.
Response papers will be graded. The grades will be based primarily on the fact that you have completed
the assignment in the appropriate format. All response papers start out with a grade of 92 (A). The grade
will be adjusted up or down, depending upon the quality of your work.
Quizzes: There will be a total of 8 quizzes in the course of the semester. There will be 2 announced and 2
unannounced quizzes in each half of the semester. Quizzes will be given at the beginning of the class
sessions. There will be no make-ups. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped at the end of the semester.
Conferences: My office hours are M 10:00-11:00; M 1:30-3:30; T 4:30-5:30; and by appointment.
Conferences are strongly encouraged and in some cases will be required. If you write an essay or
research paper and receive a grade of R (Revision Required), you will be required to meet with me to
work on a revision. There is a bonus of 5 quiz points for your first self-initiated conference. You must
bring a completed Bonus Conference Request Form (available online) to your conference. (You are
welcome to more than one, but the bonus applies to the first voluntary conference only.) Conferences
should be scheduled by sending an e-mail to meeks@ucc.edu with three different times that you are
available.
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Papers: All paper assignments (responses, essays, research paper, etc.) will be fully discussed in class.
All papers must conform to MLA format. All papers, except those written in class, should be typed in 12pt. Times New Roman font and double-spaced with one inch margins. Papers must be submitted and
stamped at the beginning of class. Late papers will lose a half of a letter grade for each class period that
the assignment is not turned in. (e.g. A “B” paper, submitted after class on the Tuesday it was due will
receive a C+; the same paper submitted after class on the Thursday after the due date will receive a C, and
so on.) No electronic submissions without prior approval. Keep all drafts of all papers and any
comments from me and/or from other students.
Revisions: Must be submitted along with any previous drafts with comments on them. (I look at all
versions to see how well you revise and to evaluate your overall writing process.) They must be
submitted within one week of when comments are received. In some cases revisions will be required.
You may also submit revisions on a voluntary basis. I will re-grade ONE voluntary revision. (I will read
all submissions and provide feedback, but only one can be submitted for a new grade.)
Research Paper: YOU MUST PASS THE RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT WITH A GRADE OF C
OR HIGHER IN ORDER TO PASS THIS COURSE. (It is rare, but possible to have a passing average
and to fail the course on the basis of your research paper. I will work with you through the required
revision process to try to avoid this scenario, but you need to be aware that it can happen.)
Note on research: By the conclusion of the semester, all students who pass English 101 will have
demonstrated in at least one substantial graded essay, that they understand the fundamentals of research.
This will include doing basic research, being able to evaluate sources and citing at least three of these
sources in the proper (MLA) style in the graded essay. Some of these sources must be electronic,
including, but not necessarily limited to, the Internet. Students must pass this essay with a grade of C or
higher, and students will not be allowed to pass unless they can adequately demonstrate their ability in
this area to quote and integrate multiple sources.
Breakdown of Grades:
20% participation/attendance; 20% responses/quizzes/miscellaneous; 60% formal papers (essays,
including midterm, final and research paper)
Grading Scale: 100-92 A; 91-87 B+; 86-82 B; 81-77 C+; 76-72 C; below 72 F. Please note that a final
grade that falls below the grade of C is considered an F in this course.
*You will receive a bonus 5 quiz points if you come prepared with all of your books and materials on Fri.
Sept. 4, our second class meeting. No extra points will be awarded after Sep. 4. No partial points will be
awarded. (If you only have some of your materials, you will not receive bonus points.)
Exemption from Final Exam – if you are running an A (92 or higher) in the course, as of the last day of
class, you will not be required to take the final exam. In order to meet the qualifications for exemption,
you must also have submitted all required work on time and missed fewer than 3 classes. You will be
notified if you are exempt at the end of class on Dec.14.
Plagiarism and Academic Integrity: The bottom line is that all of your work is expected to be your own.
Cheating of any kind has direct and immediate consequences ranging from automatic failure of the
assignment in question on the first offense to expulsion from the College. When in doubt about how to
cite a source, ask for help.
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Assistance available: UCC has many resources available to help you to succeed in this course. See Dr.
Meeks for details.
Schedule of Assignments: If this schedule needs to change, you will be informed both in class and via
UCC e-mail. A revised schedule will be issued, if necessary, so that we remain “impeccable with our
word.” All readings require a response unless otherwise noted. When you see “TBD,” this indicates that
I have not yet determined the assignment for that day. Stay tuned. . .
W
F
9/2
9/4
Introduction
Introduction Part II (ALC)
M
W
F
9/7
9/9
9/11
LABOR DAY/NO CLASSES
Alexie, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me.” 50 Essays. p. 11-14
Douglass, “Learning to Read and Write.” 50 Essays. p. 144-50
M
W
F
9/14
9/16
9/18
Malcolm X, “Learning to Read.” 50 Essays. p. 281-90.
ESSAY ONE DUE/Club Fair
Lahiri, “A Temporary Matter.” Interpreter of Maladies. p. 1-22.
M
W
F
9/21
9/23
9/25
Ericsson, “The Ways We Lie.” 50 Essays p. 174-83.
QUIZ Carter, “The Insufficiency of Honesty.” 50 Essays p. 104-11.
Lahiri, “Interpreter of Maladies.” Interpreter of Maladies. p.43-69.
F
W
F
9/28
9/30
10/2
Lahiri, “Sexy.” Interpreter of Maladies. p. 83-110.
ESSAY TWO DUE
TBD
M
W
F
10/5
10/7
10/9
Ehrenreich, “Serving in Florida.” 50 Essays p. 151-60.
Lahiri, “A Real Durwan.” Interpreter of Maladies. p. 70-82.
QUIZ Lahiri, “The Treatment of Bibi Haldar” Interpreter of Maladies. p. 158-72.
M
W
F
10/12 TBD
10/14 Kingston, “No Name Woman.” 50 Essays. p. 238-50.
10/16 Angier, “Men, Women, Sex, and Darwin.” 50 Essays p. 29-41.
M
W
F
10/19 Gould, “Women’s Brains.” 50 Essays. p. 184-91.
10/21 MIDTERM
10/23 TBD
M
T
W
F
10/26
10/27
10/28
10/30
King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” 50 Essays. p. 220-37.
LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW
Hurston, “How It Feels to Be Colored Me.” 50 Essays. p. 206-210.
The Pact p. 1-58 Class Cancelled (I will be attending a workshop off-campus.)
M
W
F
11/2
11/4
11/6
The Pact p. 59-101
The Pact p. 101-45
The Pact p. 147-98
M
11/9
The Pact p. 199-end
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W
F
11/11 TBD
11/13 ESSAY THREE DUE
M
W
F
11/16 TBD
11/18 ANNOTATED WORKS CITED DUE
11/20 TBD
M
W
F
11/23 Barry, “Lost in the Kitchen.” 50 Essays. p. 82-84
11/25 NO CLASSES – HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
11/27 NO CLASSES – TURKEY RECOVERY DAY
M
W
F
11/30 TBD
12/2 RESEARCH PAPER DUE
12/4 Lahiri, “The Third and Final Continent.” Interpreter of Maladies. p. 173-98.
M
W
F
12/7 Lahiri, “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine.” Interpreter of Maladies. p. 23-42.
12/9 Mukherjee, “Two Ways to Belong in America.” 50 Essays. p. 298-301.
12/11 Lahiri, “Mrs. Sen’s.” Interpreter of Maladies, p. 111-35.
M
T
F
12/14 Review for Final Exam
12/15 Basic Skills Testing (No Classes)
12/18 FINAL EXAM (ENG 101 004) 8:00-10:30
Be aware that there will be testing happening on campus till Dec. 22. Don’t plan to leave on for the
break before all of your exams are over.
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