WRIT 151: College Composition II
Spring 2006
Manhattan Campus (M01/M06)
3 Credits
Prerequisites: WRIT 101
Dr. Jirousek
Email: LJirouse@nyit.edu
Office Phone: (212) 261-1726
Website: http://iris.nyit.edu/~LJirouse
Office Location: 402A Main Building
Office Hours: M 3:15-5:15, T/Th 1-2
and by appointment
Text: Schilb, John and John Clifford, Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and
Writers, 3rd ed., Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006. ISBN # 0-312-43611-4
Course Description: This course will build upon the solid foundation in critical reading and effective
writing you developed in WRIT 101 while also introducing you to the study of literature. Studying
literary texts yields important benefits, particularly, developing your analytical thinking skills,
expanding your understanding of yourself and others, and providing insights into different cultures—
factors important for success in any career. This discussion-based and writing-intensive course
includes writing workshops and a gradually developed and fully documented final research paper. Our
readings in poetry, fiction, and drama come from a diverse spectrum of writers, and focal themes
include family, education, relationships, justice, and mortality.
Requirements: Keep up with the reading—usually several short texts or one longer text for every
class meeting. Your reading should be “active” and critical, meaning you should ask questions about
the text, think about it, underline important passages, make notes, and be ready to offer your insights
about it. Frequently, we will be writing in-class responses to the readings, which will not be
announced ahead of time and will count toward your grade. Class participation is a vital part of your
experience in WRIT 151 and therefore also a significant part of your grade. Good participants prepare
well for class, attend class consistently, arrive on time, and stay on task, contributing productively and
enthusiastically to class activities and discussions. Assignments include informal writing (such as inclass writing, possible quizzes, and other short writing assignments), a discussion question/brief
response paper, and a series of formal essays. The formal essays each include a draft workshop and
final revised version. You may need to bring multiple copies of drafts for multiple readers during
workshops. Always keep back-up copies of your papers on at least 2 computer disks (or other
electronic storage media), and save frequently during writing. The last paper in the course will include
research and must be properly documented. There are also midterm and final exams in this course.
Attendance, Timely Arrival, and Other Protocols:
 Attend class faithfully; missing more than 4 times is grounds for withdrawal from the course or
automatic failure. At the very least, excessive absences and/or late arrivals will significantly
lower a student’s grade.
 Arrive on time; 2 times late = one absence.
 If you must miss a class, you are responsible for finding out what you missed and catching up;
contact me or consult a classmate.
 Turn off and keep out of sight all cell phones/beepers/radios in my classroom.
 Do not leave the classroom during class, unless you have a genuine emergency; in this case,
make every effort to speak with me first.
 Do not bring food into the classroom unless you receive prior permission from the professor.
2
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Bring your course book to class every day.
Bring only materials/objects appropriate for class work
Disruptive behavior is unacceptable
Paper Submission: To be submitted on time, papers are due as hard copies at the beginning of class
on the due date indicated on the syllabus, and final papers only must also be submitted online by the
end of that same day through TurnItIn.com. All printing, stapling, etc. of the hard copy should be done
well before class. Late papers will be docked two increments per day late (ex.: B becomes C+ in
one day…). Missing a draft workshop will also lower your grade two increments. Extensions may
be given in extreme circumstances, if requested and granted before a due date. In-class writing and
quizzes will be unannounced and may not be made up.
Writing assignments done outside of class (including drafts) should be word-processed and printed
legibly on one side of the paper with one-inch margins for all edges. Double space and include a title
centered above your text. Include your name, the course number, my name, and the date in the upper,
left-hand corner of your first page, and number pages from page 2 onward in the upper right-hand
corner.
Conferences: See me during my office hours (or make an appointment for an alternative time), if you
have questions or want to discuss anything about the course. I strongly encourage you to come in with
drafts of papers to receive feedback before the final paper is due.
A Word on Plagiarism:
Taking someone else's published or unpublished words and turning them in as your own is plagiarism
(cheating) and violates NYIT’s Student Code of Conduct. The standard penalty for plagiarism in
my course is failure for the entire course. I also will forward your name and case details to the
English Department Chair and the Dean of Students, who will open a file on you, documenting
cheating behavior; this could lead to further disciplinary actions by the college against you.
Notice: Each student enrolled in a course at NYIT agrees that, by taking such course, he or
she consents to the submission of all required papers for textual similarity review to any
commercial service engaged by NYIT (currently TurnItIn.com) to detect plagiarism. Each
student also agrees that all papers submitted to any such service may be included as source
documents in the service’s database, solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such
papers.
TurnItIn.com Requirement:
You will turn in all papers done outside of class through TurnItIn.com in addition to handing them in
during class on the due date assigned. Full instructions on TurnItIn.com will be given in class.
Grade Breakdown:
Informal Writing
Discussion Question/Response
Formal Writing
Exams
Participation
15%
5%
40%
30%
10%
3
* The final exam is given--only once--during finals week. Do not make travel plans until we know
the exact date of the exam. You don’t want to miss it!
** The schedule below is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances. Any changes will be
announced in class.
WRIT 151 Schedule
Day Date
Assignments/Readings
1. 1/24
Topics
Course Introduction; Diagnostic Writing
2. 1/26
___
Ch. 1 and 2
Literature, Reading, and Critical Thinking
3. 1/31
Ch. 5 (131-39, 146-51 only), Roethke “My
Papa’s Walz” (316-17), Thomas “Do Not Go
Gentle into That Good Night (1454-55)
Interpreting Poetry; Themes: Family,
Mortality
4. 2/2
Ch. 3 (through 87 only), Soto “Behind
Grandmother’s House” (465-66), Alvarez
“How I Learned to Sweep” (274-75), Tsui
“A Chinese Banquet” (601-602)
Writing Process; Assign Paper #1: On
Poetry; Theme: Family
___
5. 2/7
Ch. 5 (140-46, 152-56), Eliot “The Love Song Interpreting and Writing About Poetry;
of J. Alfred Prufrock” (663-66), Olds “True
Theme: Relationships
Love” (624-25)
6. 2/9
___
POETRY ESSAY DRAFT DUE.
Peer Review Workshop
7. 2/14
POETRY ESSAY DUE. Ch. 4 (through
121), Chopin “Désirée’s Baby” (683 bio.,
690-94)
Interpreting Fiction; Themes: Education
Relationships, Justice, Mortality
8. 2/16
Dubus “Killings” (1203-16), Wharton
“Roman Fever” (875-85)
Interpreting Fiction; Assign Essay 2: On
Fiction; Themes: Mortality, Justice,
Relationships
Ch. 4 (121-30), Tan “Two Kinds” (346-54),
Baldwin “Sonny’s Blues” (376-99)
Interpreting and Writing About Fiction;
Theme: Family
___
9. 2/21
10. 2/23
Carver “The Bath” and “A Small, Good Thing” Interpreting Fiction; Fiction Writing
(247-70)
Process; Themes: Family, Mortality,
Education
4
___
11. 2/28 Bambara “The Lesson” (1107-1113), Hurston
“The Gilded Six-Bits” (713-21)
Interpreting Fiction; Themes: Education,
Relationships
12. 3/2
___
MIDTERM EXAM.
13. 3/7
FICTION ESSAY DRAFT DUE.
14. 3/9
FICTION ESSAY DUE. Ch. 6 (157-72 only), Interpreting Drama; Themes:
Glaspell Trifles (995-1006)
Relationships, Justice
Peer Review Workshop
___
15. 3/14
Hansberry A Raisin in the Sun Acts 1 & 2
(484-541)
Interpreting Drama; Assign Essay 3: On
Drama; Themes: Family, Education,
Justice, Relationships
16. 3/16
Hansberry Raisin Act 3 and background
readings (541-69), Ch. 6 (172-76)
Interpreting and Writing About Drama;
Themes: Family, Education, Justice,
Relationships
_______________
SPRING BREAK!!
___
17. 3/28 Ibsen A Doll House Acts 1 & 2 (943-80)
18. 3/30 Ibsen Doll House Act 3 (980-95)
Interpreting Drama; Themes:
Relationships, Family
Interpreting Drama; Themes:
Relationships, Family
___
19. 4/4
Piercy “To Be of Use” (202-204), Alexie
“Capital Punishment” (1172-75), Hughes
“Let America Be America Again” (1095-97)
Assign Essay 4: Thematic/Research
Paper; Interpreting Poetry, Themes:
Justice, Education, Mortality
20. 4/6
DRAMA ESSAY DRAFT DUE.
(and preview Appendix B)
Workshop
___
21. 4/11 DRAMA ESSAY DUE. Gilman “The Yellow Interpreting Fiction; Theme:
Wall-Paper” and background (916-40)
Relationships
22. 4/13 Research Topic Proposal Due. Appendix B Research/Writing Process: Finding,
(1573-88), O’Brien “The Things They Carried Documenting, and Evaluating Sources;
(1414-27)
Interpreting Fiction; Themes: Mortality,
Education (try to pick up graded proposal
later today or Monday)
5
___
23. 4/18 Appendix B (1588-1606)
(Topic Proposal Returned); Critique
Sample Research Papers
24. 4/20 (working on research paper)
___
Watch Film My Family: All Themes
25. 4/25 Revised Topic Memo/Annotated
Bibliography Due.
Finish Watching My Family; Interpreting
Film: All Themes (try to pick up memo/
bibliography later today or Wednesday)
26. 4/27 No Class Today (instead, conferences
by appointment Wednesday, 4/26 or an
alternative day); working on research paper
___
27. 5/2
THEMATIC/RESEARCH DRAFT DUE.
28. 5/4 THEMATIC/RESEARCH ESSAY DUE.
Workshop
Course closure
FINAL EXAM TO BE ANNOUNCED—TAKES PLACE ONE DAY DURING FINALS WEEK