ENGLISH 1301 (65453, 65455, 64628)
FALL 2013
Instructor
Mrs. Patricia Green
“Office hours”: Lunch, before and after school, and by appointment
Email: pgreen@houstonisd.org or patricia.green@hccs.edu
Learning Web: http://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/patricia.green
Textbook
The Writer’s Presence (Seventh Edition). Eds. McQuade and Atwan.
N.B.: You are not required to buy this book. All of the readings you are required to do
outside of class are available online. A list of URLs may be found on the last two pages
of this syllabus.
Materials
Loose-leaf notebook paper
Pens (blue or black ink)
Grade Breakdown
10% Essay #1: editorial analysis
10% Essay #2: college essay
10% research paper proposal and bibliography
20% Essay #3: research paper
10% Essay #4: in-class mid-term essay
10% Essay #5: analytical essay
10% Essay #6: in-class final exam essay
20% Journals, quizzes, and other daily assignments
Important Dates
September 4
November 1
December 6
December 9
December 15
classes begin
last day for administrative/student withdrawals—4:30 p.m.
instruction ends
final exam
semester ends
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. Students who intend to withdraw from a course must do so by the official last
day to drop.
Withdrawal Policy
The State of Texas has begun to impose penalties on students who drop courses
excessively. For example, if you repeat the same course more than twice, you have to pay
extra tuition. Beginning in the Fall of 2007, 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.
If you do not withdraw before the deadline, you will receive the grade that you are
making as the final grade rather than a “W.” This grade (due to missing classes and
missing work) will probably be an “F.” The last day to withdraw from the Fall 2009
semester is November 3rd.
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.
Grades of “W” and “I”
A grade of “W” is given for a “withdrawal.” A grade of “I” is given for “incomplete.”
An “I” is for emergencies only. You have one semester to complete the missing work.
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.
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.
Free English Tutoring
The Southwest College offers you numerous opportunities for free English tutoring at our
tutoring centers (Stafford, Alief, and West Loop) or our electronic tutoring services.
Signs will be posted once the HCC live tutoring hours have been established. Online
tutoring services include AskOnline and mycomplab.com. You will find the AskOnline
tutoring icon on the HCC homepage for students. More information about the online
services will be available once the semester gets started.
Open Computer Lab
You have free access to the Internet and word processing in the open computer lab in the
Scarcella Science Center and in the West Loop Campus. Check on the door of the open
computer lab for hours of operation.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism results in a grade of zero (“F”) on that project. Consult your online student
handbook on scholastic dishonesty. Cheating and/or collusion also result in a grade of
zero (“F”) on that project. Two instances of plagiarism will sabotage the course grade and
will result in an “F” in the course. Consult your online student handbook for more details
on scholastic dishonesty. All out-of-class essays must be submitted to turnitin.com. If I
find that you have cheated or plagiarized, I will notify your parents/guardians and the
coaches or sponsors of all Bellaire activities in which you participate.
Late Paper Policy and Make-Up Exams
All assignments are required to be submitted on the date they are due. Due dates are
posted on your syllabus and/or assignment page. Late papers will be docked a letter grade
(ten points) per day.
Electronics Policies
1. Turn off and put away all cell phones, beepers, text-messaging devices and other
electronic devices when class starts. The sounds of cell phones ringing during class are
disruptive. Students should not leave the class to make a call or answer one (or worse—
answer a call in class). No cell phones permitted on top of desks.
2. No Bluetooth devices in ears allowed during class.
3. No MP3 players or other music devices with earphones allowed during class.
4. No laptops open during class.
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.
COURSE DESCRIPTION, PURPOSE, AND OBJECTIVES
MISSION STATEMENT OF THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
The purpose of the English Department is to provide courses that transfer to four-year colleges;
introduce students to literature from diverse traditions; prepare students to write clear,
communicative, well-organized, and detailed prose; and develop students’ reading, writing, and
analytical skills.
ENGLISH 1301 COURSE DESCRIPTION
English 1301 is a course devoted to improving the student's writing and critical reading. The
course involves writing essays for a variety of purposes from personal to academic, including the
introduction to argumentation, critical analysis, and the use of sources. English 1301 is a core
curriculum course.
COURSE PURPOSE
English 1301 is designed to help students write multi-paragraph expository, analytical, and
argumentative essays that have the following qualities:
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clarity in purpose and expression,
appropriate and sensible organization,
sound content, including applications of concepts from and references to assigned readings,
completeness in development,
unity and coherence,
appropriate strategies of development,
sensitivity to audience
effective choice of words and sentence patterns,
grammatical and mechanical correctness, and
appropriate MLA citation format.
EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR ENGLISH 1301: By the time students have completed
English 1301, they will
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understand writing as a connected and interactive process which includes planning, shaping,
drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading;
apply writing process to out-of-class writing;
apply writing process as appropriate to in-class, impromptu writing situations, thus showing
an ability to communicate effectively in a variety of writing situations (such as essay exams
and standardized writing tests like the TASP);
apply suggestions from evaluated compositions to other writing projects;
understand and apply basic principles of critical thinking in analyzing reading selections, in
developing expository essays, and writing argumentative essays;
apply concepts from and use references to assigned readings in developing essays;
analyze elements of purpose, audience, tone, style, and writing strategy in essays by
professional writers
complete short writing assignments, journal entries, reading quizzes, and other activities to
strengthen basic thinking and writing skills
understand and appropriately apply various methods of development in writing assignments;
avoid faulty reasoning in all writing assignments;
fulfill the writing requirements of the course, writing at least 5,000 words during the
semester.
EDUCATIONAL COMPETENCIES IN HCCS CORE CURRICULUM
Reading: Reading material at the college level means having the ability to analyze and interpret
a variety of printed materials--books, articles, and documents.
Writing: Writing at the college level means having the ability to produce clear, correct, and
coherent prose adapted to purpose, occasion, and audience. In addition to knowing correct
grammar, spelling and punctuation, students should also become familiar with the writing
process, including how to discover a topic, how to develop and organize it, and how to phrase it
effectively for their audience. These abilities are acquired through practice and reflection.
Speaking: Effective speaking is the ability to communicate orally in clear, coherent, and
persuasive language appropriate to purpose, occasion, and audience.
Listening: Listening at the college level means the ability to analyze and interpret various forms
of spoken communication.
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.
Computer Literacy: Computer literacy at the college level means having the ability to use
computer-based technology in communicating, solving problems, and acquiring information.
Core-educated students should have an understanding of the limits, problems, and possibilities
associated with the use of technology and should have the tools necessary to evaluate and learn
new technologies as they become available.
EXEMPLARY EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
 To understand and demonstrate writing and speaking processes through invention,
organization, drafting, revising, editing, and presenting.
 To understand the importance of specifying audience and purpose and to select appropriate
communication choices.
 To understand and appropriately apply modes of expression (descriptive, expositive,
narrative, scientific, and self-expressive)
 To participate effectively in groups with emphasis on listening, critical and reflective
thinking, and responding.
 To understand and apply basic principles of critical thinking, problem solving, and technical
proficiency in the development of exposition and argument.
 To develop the ability to research and write a documented paper and/or to give an oral
presentation.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF READINGS AND DUE DATES
N.B.: Unless otherwise indicated, you need to read the assigned material before coming to class.
M (9/2)
W (9/4)
F (9/6)
Labor Day Holiday
College Day (in auditorium)
ESSAY # 1 DUE; handout: Ferguson, “The College Essay”
M (9/9)
W (9/11)
(Summer Reading Test: BHS grade only)
(Notes Quiz: BHS grade only).
WP 27-30 (Alexie “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me”)
Fall Holiday
F (9/13)
M (9/16)
W (9/18)
F (9/20)
M (9/23)
W (9/25)
F (9/27)
M (9/30)
W (10/2)
F (10/4)
M (10/7)
W (10/9)
F (10/11)
M (10/14)
W (10/16)
F (10/18)
ESSAY #2 DUE
Reading Quiz: WP 164-69 (Mayblum, “The Price We Pay”); 355-65
(DeLillo, “In the Ruins of the Future”); 762-68 (Nussbaum, “Veiled
Threats”)
Journal #1: WP 686-92 (Hitchens, “Believe Me, It’s Torture”)
Reading Quiz: 451-57 (King, “Everything You Need to Know About
Writing Successfully—in Ten Minutes”); 527-37 (Orwell, “Politics and
the English Language”)
Journal #2: WP 600-06 (Turkle, “How Computers Change the Way We
Think”); 633-41 (Carr, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”)
Group Work: WP 716-31 (King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”)
(Six Weeks Test: BHS grade only)
Journal #3: WP 217-21 (Staples, “Just Walk on By: A Black Man
Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space”)
PAPER PROPOSAL AND BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE
Reading Quiz: WP 400-06 (Fallows, “Throwing Like a Girl”); 555-57
(Pollitt, “Why Boys Don’t Play with Dolls”)
Journal #4: WP 347-547 (Cunningham “Why Women Smile”)
Group Work: WP 377-87 (Eighner, “On Dumpster Diving”)
Reading Quiz: WP 68-75 (Cofer, “Silent Dancing”); 187-203 (Rodriguez,
“Aria…”); 232-37 (Tan, “Mother Tongue”)
Journal #5: WP 322-30 (Bowden, “Our Wall”)
In-class exercise: grammar/mechanics
M (10/21)
W (10/23)
F (10/25)
Journal #6: WP 330-36 (Brooks, “People Like Us”)
Reading Quiz: WP 293-304 (Akst, “What Meets the Eye”); 315-17
(Barry, “Beauty and the Beast”)
ESSAY #3 DUE
W (10/30)
F (11/1)
Reading Quiz: 661-64 (Foer, “Let Them Eat Dog”); 781-86 (Pollan,
“What’s Eating America”)
Journal #7: WP 822-29 (Slater, “The Trouble with Self-Esteem”)
Debate: WP 787-83 (Sandel, “Designer Babies”)
M (11/4)
W (11/6)
F (11/8)
Journal #8: WP 665-73 (Gatto, “Against School”)
In class: WP 650-54 (Ehrenreich, “Will Women Still Need Men?”)
In-class exercise: grammar/mechanics
M (11/11)
W (11/13)
MID-TERM EXAM (Essay #4)
In-class exercise: grammar/mechanics
WP 504-10(Momaday “Way to Rainy Mountain”)
In-class exercise: grammar/mechanics
M (10/28)
F (11/15)
F (11/22)
Journal #9: WP 814-19 (Singer, “The Singer Solution…”)
In-class exercise: grammar/mechanics
WP 949-54 (Updike, “A&P”)
In-class exercise: grammar/mechanics
M (11/25)
W (11/27)
F (11/29)
ESSAY #5 DUE
Thanksgiving Holiday
Thanksgiving Holiday
M (12/2)
W (12/4)
F (12/6)
In class: WP 212-16 (Sedaris, “Me Talk Pretty One Day”)
Journal #10: WP 470-75 (Koeppel, “How to Fall 35,000 Feet—and
Survive”); 606-16 (Weed, “106 Science Claims and a Truckful of
Baloney”)
In-class exercise: grammar/mechanics
M (12/9)
HCC FINAL EXAM (Essay #6)
M (11/18)
W (11/20)
URLs for Assigned Readings
Akst, “What Meets the Eye”:
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/183837/what_meets_the_eye/
Barry, “Beauty and the Beast”: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1376541/posts
Bowden, “Our Wall”:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/05/us-mexican-border/bowden-text/1
Brooks, “People Like Us”: http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/2003/09/brooks.htm
Carr, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/
Cofer, “Silent Dancing”: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~facoba/readings/cofer.htm
DeLillo, “In the Ruins of the Future”:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/dec/22/fiction.dondelillo
Eighner, “On Dumpster Diving”:
http://www.tarleton.edu/Faculty/sword/On%20Dumpster%20Diving.pdf
Fallows, “Throwing Like a Girl”:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1996/08/throwing-like-a-girl/306152/
Foer, “Let Them Eat Dog”:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703574604574499880131341174.html
Gatto, “Against School”: http://www.wesjones.com/gatto1.htm
Gopnik, “Shootings”:
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2007/04/30/070430taco_talk_gopnik
Hitchens, “Believe Me, It’s Torture”:
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/08/hitchens200808
King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail”:
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
King, “Everything You Need to Know About Writing Successfully—in Ten Minutes”:
https://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/135/King_Everything.html
Koeppel, “How to Fall 35,000 Feet—And Survive”:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/aviation/safety/4344036
Mayblum, “The Price We Pay”: http://www.poiemadesign.com/html/the_price_we_pay.html
Nussbaum, “Veiled Threats”:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/veiled-threats/?_r=0
Orwell, “Politics and the English Language”:
http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit
Pollan, “What’s Eating America”:
http://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/whats-eating-america/
Pollitt, “Why Boys Don’t Play with Dolls”:
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/08/magazine/hers-why-boys-don-t-play-with-dolls.html
Rodriguez, “Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood”:
http://www.teacherweb.com/CA/EastlakeHighSchool/MrGillet/Rodriguez_Aria.pdf
Sandel, “Designer Babies”: http://www.tikkun.org/article.php/Sandel-designer-babies
Singer, “The Singer Solution to World Poverty”:
http://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/05/magazine/the-singer-solution-to-worldpoverty.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
Slater, “The Trouble with Self-Esteem”:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/03/magazine/the-trouble-with-selfesteem.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
Staples, “Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space”:
http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/rspriggs/files/staples%20just%20walk%20on%20by
%20text.pdf
Tan, “Mother Tongue”:
http://swhs.swisd.net/teachers/perry/033BDE8E-011F79E5.2/Tan_MotherTongue.pdf
Turkle, “How Computers Change the Way We Think”:
http://web.mit.edu/sturkle/www/pdfsforstwebpage/Turkle_how_computers_change_way_we_thi
nk.pdf
Weed, “106 Science Claims and a Truckful of Baloney”:
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2004-05/106-science-claims-and-truckful-baloney