Composition 102: Writing about
Literature
Spring 2013
Dr. Roxanna Pisiak
Crawford 226
684.6172
pisiakr@morrisville.edu
MWF 11 – 11:50 a.m.
Spring 2013 Office Hours:
Monday and Wednesday 9 – 10 a.m., Tuesday
and Thursday 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., and by
appointment.
Texts:
The Seagull Reader: Stories. Edited by Joseph Kelly.
2nd edition. 978-0-393-93091-7
 The Seagull Reader: Poems. Edited by Joseph Kelly.
2nd edition. 978-0-393-93093-1
 The Girl Who Fell From the Sky. Heidi Durrow.
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Course Description:
Composition 102 is an introduction to literature course that allows you to continue to develop writing skills
mastered in Composition 101. You will learn the elements of literature by studying different genres and will
practice higher-level interpretive and analytical thinking skills. English 102 counts as a Humanities General
Education course.
Course Objectives: Students who pass this class with a “C” or better will be able to:
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Construct a literary thesis statement.
Provide a well-supported and well-organized interpretation of a literary selection.
Analyze the meaning of a literary selection.
Identify and show familiarity with common literary terms and conventions.
Write essays that exhibit proper use of Standard English, conventions of writing about literature, and
correct citation of sources.
Course Expectations: As students in my class, I expect you to:
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Complete your all reading and writing assignments prior to class.
Bring your textbook with you to class.
Arrive at class on time and remain in class for the entire period. [Anyone who leaves class during
an exam will be considered finished with the exam.]
Exhibit respectful behavior toward everyone in the classroom.
Turn off and put away all cell phones and other electronic devices while in class.
Be prepared to participate in class discussions and any written, in-class work.
Contact me prior to or immediately after any class absence.
Attendance and Tardiness:
Grades:
Missing an excessive number of classes (more than
3) will have a negative effect on your grade. When
you are absent you risk missing quizzes or other inclass assignments (which cannot be made up—see
below), missing important announcements, missing
the chance to participate in class discussions, and/or
missing important notes and information that will be
included on exams.
If you miss a class, please contact me—not to offer
an excuse but as a simple courtesy and to find out
what you have missed.
Being late to class once or twice in a semester is not a
problem. Being late to class more often than that is a
problem, however, and you will be asked to resolve
the issue immediately, either by arriving at class on
time or by withdrawing from the class.
Academic Honesty and Plagiarism:
Academic honesty promotes continued academic and
occupational success. Maintenance of academic
honesty and quality education is the responsibility of
both faculty and students. Any assignment
(including those in all electronic media) submitted by
a student must be of the student's original authorship.
Representation of another's work as your own shall
constitute plagiarism.
Plagiarism is defined as any representation of the
thoughts and/or words of another as your own. This
definition includes everything from “borrowing” a
paper from a roommate to forgetting to include a
parenthetical citation as well as a host of other
possibilities. Plagiarism is a serious offense and I
will treat it as such in our class. Please be aware of
what constitutes plagiarism and familiarize yourself
with Morrisville State College’s policy regarding
plagiarism.
Special Needs:
If you have any learning preferences that need to be
accommodated in our classroom, please inform me of
them no later than the second week of classes. This
will ensure that your accommodations can be met.
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3 Exams (Short Story, Poetry, & Novel 10%
each): 30%
3 Essays (Short Story & Poetry: 15% each;
Novel: 20%): 50%
Quizzes & other in-class graded work, including
class participation: 20%
The grades you receive during the semester will be
numerical. The following scale will be used for
interim and final grades:
93 – 100 = A
90 – 92 = A-
87 – 89 = B+
83 – 86 = B
80 – 82 = B-
77 – 79 = C+
73 – 76 = C
70 – 72 = C-
67 – 69 = D+
64 – 66 = D
Below 64 = F
Assignments and Course Work:
Class notes, exam preview sheets, and assignment
sheets for papers are available on Blackboard
(http://www.morrisville.edu/bbwebct/).
The Exams will consist of objective questions (short
answer, identification, etc.) and essay questions. The
Essays will require interpretation and analysis of
texts read in class; we will do some preliminary
drafting work on the essays in class.
Quizzes are frequent, and will be given almost
always during the first 5-10 minutes of class. Most
quizzes are objective in nature and graded out of 100
points (extra credit questions may be offered on some
quizzes). Some quizzes may be more subjective in
nature and therefore graded “+” (excellent), “√”
(satisfactory), or “-“ (unsatisfactory). Other in-class
work will be done individually and in groups.
Homework assignments, in addition to reading, will
include short written pieces.
Positive, relevant Participation that fosters class
discussion is strongly encouraged and can have a
significant and positive effect on your grade (and the
opposite is true as well!).
Make-Up and Late Work:
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F 2/1
 Mary Robison “Yours” (available on
Blackboard)
 William Faulkner “A Rose for Emily” (155-164)
 Symbols (see notes on Blackboard)
Make-up exams can generally be arranged, but
only under dire circumstances—serious illness,
legitimate family emergencies, etc. If you
request a make-up exam, be prepared to
demonstrate that you deserve one.
If you need to submit one of the papers late you
must request an extension at least 24 hours prior
to the due date.
You cannot make up in-class work or quizzes
that you miss due to an absence or being tardy.
My policy is to quiz frequently and to drop the
lowest quiz grade at interim grades and the two
lowest quiz grades at the end of the semester.
Therefore, one or two missed in-class
assignments or low grades should not hurt your
overall average.
Computer and/or printer problems are not, under
any circumstances, a suitable excuse for
submitting an assignment late. Please take this
into consideration when you save/back-up your
work and when you print your assignments.
M 2/4
 Raymond Carver “Cathedral” (84-98)
 Theme (see notes on Blackboard)
W 2/6
 Catch-Up and Review
F 2/8
 Short Story Exam
M 2/11
 T. C. Boyle “Tooth and Claw” (61-83)
W 2/13
 Anya Achtenberg “Cold Ground” (available on
Blackboard)
 Sherman Alexie “What you Pawn I Will
Redeem” (8-28)
F 2/15
 Homework as assigned in class.
ENGL 102 Schedule:
M 2/18, W 2/20 & F 2/22
 No Class—Winter Break Any schedule changes will be announced in class.
W 1/16
 John Updike “A&P” (450-57)
 Plot (see notes on Blackboard)
F 1/18
 Flannery O’Connor “A Good Man is Hard to
Find” (372-388)
 Character (see notes on Blackboard)
M 1/21
 No Class—MLK Jr. Day
W 1/23
 Eudora Welty “A Visit of Charity” (available on
Blackboard)
 Setting (see notes on Blackboard)
F 1/25
 Charlotte Perkins Gilman “The Yellow
Wallpaper” (172-189)
 Point-of-View (see notes on Blackboard)
M 1/28
 Bobbie Ann Mason “Shiloh” (265-279)
W 1/30
 Ernest Hemingway “Hills Like White Elephants”
(203-208)
M 2/25
 Richard Bausch “The Man Who Knew Belle
Starr” (available on Blackboard)
 Joyce Carol Oates “Where Are You Going,
Where Have You Been” (337-353)
W 2/27
 Bonnie Jo Campbell “The Trespasser”, “World
of Gas,” “Solutions to Brian’s Problem”
(available on Blackboard)
F 3/1
 Dan Chaon “I Demand to Know Where You’re
Taking Me”, “Stay Awake” (available on
Blackboard)
M 3/4  Choose a topic for your short story essay. Be
prepared to work on the essay in class.
W 3/6
 Homework as assigned in class.
F 3/8
 Homework as assigned in class.
M 3/11
 Short Story Essay due.
 Introduction to Poetry
W 3/13
 Robert Hayden “Those Winter Sundays” (14748)
 Theodore Roethke “My Papa’s Waltz” (269)
 Diction (see notes on Blackboard)
F 3/15
 Walt Whitman “When I heard the learn’d
astronomer” (333)
 Galway Kinnell “Blackberry Eating” (189-190)
M 4/15
 Poetry Essay due.
 Introduction to the Novel.
W 4/17
 Heidi Durrow The Girl Who Fell From the Sky
(1-43)
F 4/19
 Durrow (45-87)
M 3/18
 Elizabeth Bishop “First Death in Nova Scotia”
(available on Blackboard)
 David Wagoner “The Other House” (available
on Blackboard)
 Imagery (see notes on Blackboard)
W 3/20
 William Stafford “Traveling through the Dark”
(293-294)
 Edna St. Vincent Millay “What Lips My Lips
Have Kissed” (223-224)
F 3/22
 Neal Bowers “Driving Lessons” (available on
Blackboard)
 James Wright “A Blessing” (358-59)
 Figurative Language (see notes on Blackboard)
M 4/22
 Durrow (89-130)
W 4/24
 Durrow (131-173)
F 4/26
 Durrow (179-219)
M 4/29
 Durrow (221-264)
W 5/1
 Conclude novel.
F 5/3
 Novel Exam.
M 5/6
 Homework as assigned in class. W 5/8
 Homework as assigned in class. F 5/10
 Novel Essay due.
M 3/25
 Seamus Heaney “Digging” (149-50)
 Langston Hughes “Harlem” (174)
W 3/27
 Robert Frost “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy
Evening” (129-30)
 Adrienne Rich “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” (256)
 Symbol
F 3/29
 Poetry Exam.
M 4/1, W 4/3, & F 4/5
 No Class—Spring Break M 4/8
 Choose a topic for the Poetry Essay.
W 4/10
 Homework on essay as assigned in class.
F 4/12
 Homework on essay as assigned in class.