College Writing II: Writing and Literary Study
ENWR 106.##: T, F ____ - ____
Room: _______
Spring 2012
[Created by Julia Wagner, Fall 2012]
Faculty – the information in red ink contains notes for your use only. These notes may offer options or outline program policy. Please make sure you remove these before finalizing your syllabus. Remember that the policies you include in your syllabus that are required (attendance, grading, plagiarism) are parts of a contract between you and your students. These cannot be changed once the course begins. Prof. _____________
Instructor Email: _____________
[Individual instructor information should include: name; office location and hour; email address; section
number and semester identifier, class meeting times and location(s)]
Required Texts:
•
•
Portable Literature Reading, Reacting, Writing. Kirszner & Mandell. 8th Edition
Hacker, Diana and Nancy Sommers. A Writer's Reference. Montclair State University custom 7th
ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. (ISBN-13: 978-1-4576-0348-8).
Helpful Websites
English Department Web Site: http://www.montclair.english.edu First-Year Writing Program: http://www.montclair.edu/chss/english/first-year-writing/
CWE Digital Dashboard: http://www.montclair.edu/cwe/az/index-dd.html
Course Aims
This course has two principal purposes. As a writing course, it aims to help students improve their
abilities to write well: to develop focused, thoughtful, and analytic essays. As a literature course, it aims
to develop students’ abilities to respond to, interpret, and analyze complex literary works and to
appreciate literature as both art and representation.
More specifically, as a writing course students will continue with many of the methods with
which they became familiar in College Writing I. For instance, they will write multiple drafts, give and
receive peer critique, and carefully edit their formal work. They will further develop their abilities to cite
and incorporate others' work, and they will learn some of the methods that college students use to write
about literature. As a literature course, it will not only develop students’ abilities to interpret-- make
meaning of--literary texts, but it will also help students think and write about the context in which literary
texts are written and read. In particular, students will consider the social, cultural, historical and political
contexts that bear upon the production--the writing, publishing and disseminating--and reception of
literary texts. Finally, students and instructors will ask basic questions about the role of literature: How
does it function in individuals' lives? How does it function in school? And perhaps most importantly, how
does it function in the culture at large?
For the full course description of ENWR106 College Writing II, see pages 21 through 24 of the
prefatory chapter of A Writer’s Reference.
The Specifics: What Classes Will Do
Over the course of the semester, students will read a range of different literary genres, including
fiction, poetry, and drama, written by a fairly diverse group of writers. They will approach these texts in
four units. Each unit will begin with reading of literary texts and end with a sequence of essay drafts,
culminating in a final essay, due at the end of each unit. During the reading portion of each unit, students
will have homework and in-class activities aimed at developing their abilities of interpretation. They will
receive feedback on their writing from peers and from their instructor, and will be offered opportunities to
revise their work based on this feedback. The final unit will be the creation of the portfolio.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS/GRADING
•
•
•
Class Participation, In-Class Writing, Homework, and Activities
Papers
o Critical Essay 1
(10%)
o Critical Essay 2
(15%)
o Critical Essay 3
(15%)
o Documented Essay
(20%)
Portfolio
(20%)
(20%)
Class Participation, In-Class Writing, Homework, and Activities (20%)
Homework is due, even when a student must be absent from class. Students are expected to come to class
prepared: willing to be an active discussants and listeners, and willing to read from their own writing,
occasionally. During class, students will be asked to write, respond to their peers' writing, and participate
in small group and full class discussion.
Papers (60%)
Four papers, with a minimum length of five pages each, are to be written over the course of the semester.
In these papers students are expected to draw out some aspect of the literature that interests them and then
develop a short, cogent response. For some essays students will have specific writing assignments; for
others they will be expected to develop their own questions and arguments. Students may not submit book
reports or plot summaries. They should focus on argument, interpretation, and analysis of the literary
text(s). Paper four will be a documented essay, requiring some research and appropriate integration of
secondary texts. Failure to hand in a paper assignment or the portfolio will result in a failing grade for
the course.
Portfolio (20%)
The portfolio assignment is intended as an opportunity for students to re-revise two of their papers. In
addition, they will be required to write a two to three page reflective essay. The portfolio will be due on
the date of the final exam, and will serve in lieu of an in-class exam.
Drafts
Students will write four formal essays. Drafting and revision are critical to success in this class, and to
that end, students must keep all drafts and feedback from the instructor, their classmates and from the
Center for Writing Excellence (CWE). Because revision is such a central focus of this course, any
missing drafts when the final paper is handed in will result in a grade no higher than a D.
Reading
Student reading load will vary a little depending on what is being read, but students should expect to read
between 50 and 75 pages a week during the reading portion of units. If students are not keeping up with
the reading, as will be evident from class discussion and in-class writing, quick quizzes may be given.
Substantial work between drafts must also be evident. If students were given notes during a peer review,
their effect on the student’s writing should be apparent. Spell-checking and format changes are not
enough to constitute a new draft.
Attendance: Regular attendance is expected. In-class writing, discussion, and occasional lectures
provide information and processes essential to understanding the texts and writing strong essays.
Students are allowed two absences in this class: excuses are neither needed nor accepted. Every absence
after the allowed two results in a half letter reduction of the final grade. Any student who enters the
classroom after class has begun will be marked as ‘late’. Two ‘lates’ equals one absence. More than five
absences will result in a failing grade for the class.
Plagiarism: The First-Year Writing Program at Montclair State University values students’ honest efforts
in the classroom and as writers. Plagiarism is strongly discouraged and this class will educate you about
what it is and how to avoid it. Should you choose to plagiarize—turning in written work as your own that
you have copied from some other source, whether a website, print media, or even another student—
[Your professor/I] will submit your plagiarized paper and the source materials from which you have
plagiarized to the Student Conduct office and you will face disciplinary action from the University. [Your
professor, I] additionally reserve(s) the right, when plagiarism is proven with documentation, to fail you
for the semester. Should you be accused of plagiarism, you have the right to appeal the decision and also
to request a meeting with your professor and the First-Year Writing program director, Dr. Jessica
Restaino. In an effort to avoid this serious offense, please visit the First-Year Writing Program website to
learn more about plagiarism and how you can avoid it, and be certain to ask [your professor/me] about
any aspects of the issue that you do not understand.
Accommodations: Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability.
If students require accommodations to fully participate in this class, they should visit the Disability
Resource Center (DRC) to receive a letter for their instructor requesting accommodation. All requests
must be approved by the DRC:
(Morehead Hall 305, x5431, https://www.montclair.edu/health/drc/faculty.html)
Class Cancellation: If a class must be canceled due to an emergency, students will be contacted through
a Blackboard announcement. It is important to frequently check email and Blackboard to remain
informed on any class changes.
Live Lit: Students are required to attend one Live Lit! event this semester. For more information, see
Live Lit link at http://www.montclair.edu/writing/. You will receive further information about the dates
available to you and your responsibilities.
Formatting: See page Montclair-6 of A Writer's Reference, and sample student essays found therein, for
proper formatting.
The rest of the syllabus can be found in the prefatory chapter of A Writer's Reference or under Course
Documents on Blackboard. Students are responsible for reading that chapter carefully, paying particular
attention to:
• The Purpose of First Year Writing Courses and College Writing II
• Guidelines and Expectations for First-Year Writing Courses at MSU including what constitutes a
First, Second and Final draft.
• Essay Criteria and Essay Grades: A – F papers
• The Center for Writing Excellence located in the Sprague Library behind Café Diem (655-7442).
Essay Criteria
A detailed description of the First-Year Writing Essay Criteria can be found in the A Writer's Reference,
pages Montclair-8-9. The criteria are: Central claim, development, organization, analysis, and clarity of
prose.
The Center for Writing Excellence (CWE)
Students are encouraged to take advantage of the services offered by the Center for Writing Excellence,
located on the first floor of the Library. More information about the CWE can be found in The Hacker
handbook on pages 13-14. Their website can be found at: http://www.montclair.edu/cwe/
Julia’s notes below are in blue and should be removed before finalizing your
syllabus. This syllabus is based on 5 essays, but you may choose to require only 4
essays in ENWR106. In either case, the page minimum should total approximately
20-22 pages.
Schedule for Portable Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing
Fall 2012
Created by Julia Wagner
Notes to Instructors: There are secondary readings assigned in this syllabus.
These are my individual notations and assignments because this text does not
provide any. For that reason, I select and include my own throughout the semester.
When you see secondary sources included via handouts or blackboard, know that
these readings are not included in this text, but supplied by individual instructor.
Unit 4A on Poetry: some of the poets assigned in this unit are not included in the
text. Please review the unit and determine which readings to replace as not all of
them will be available to students solely via the text.
Whatever part of this syllabus doesn’t work, feel free to adjust and edit as serves
your needs.
Unit 1 – FICTION: RELATIONSHIPS and GENDER
Essay Question: Modern writers such as Ernest Hemingway and Kate Chopin were reacting to an
increasingly complex and changing world; there was a sense that “new things needed to be told
in new ways,” often in “very gritty or realistic ways” (Kirszner&Mandell 66). How do
Hemingway and Chopin’s essays reflect a desire for change. Hint? What are the “new things”
they write about, or what is being communicated in a very “gritty, realistic way”? What kinds of
changes are they suggesting? Length: 4-5 pages. You must generously cite from the primary
sources, as well as selectively cite from at least two critical readings about each author that have
been collected for you on Bb.
Class 1 - Class Introduction, Syllabus Review: Goals and Objectives
REALITSTIC AND MODERN LITERATURE
READ: Understanding Fiction 62-69, “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway 69 72.
READ: Harold Bloom, “How to Write about Ernest Hemingway” class handout.
READ: Analysis of Short-Story (Bb) print out and bring to class.
Class 2 – Syllabus Review (cont’d) and questions. Class discussion: Hemingway
READ “Reading and Writing about Fiction” 2 – 44.
READ: “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin 115,
“The Storm” by Kate Chopin 176.
READ: Feminist Criticism 1217 – 1219.
Class 3 – Kate Chopin + Writing Literary Arguments Review 28-44.
ASSIGN ESSAY#1 Hemingway and Chopin- 1st draft due in next class, bring 2 hard copies.
Class 4 - Writing Workshop //Peer-Review
WRITE: Essay #1, complete final draft due next class, include all draft copies.
Unit 2 – FICTION: CULTURE, RACE, AND SOCIETY
Essay Question: Zadie Smith, Gish Jen, and Edwidge Danticat create short stories that explore
in great detail characters and dialogues, plots, settings, and themes that both validate and deviate
from those of traditional society. Pick two stories and explain the values and societies created
within them. What are the social messages within them? Support your ideas from the text and
from two readings that have been supplied to you on Bb. Length: 4-5 pages.
Class 5 - Collect Essay#1// Introduce new unit
READ: “The Girl with Bangs” by Zadie Smith (Bb).
READ: Social theory #1 -Queer Theory, 1232- 1234.
Class 6 - Class Discussion: “The Girl with Bangs” and Queer Theory
READ: “New York Day Women” by Edwidge Danticat 238,
“In the American Society” by Gish Jen (Bb).
READ: (Social Theories cont’d) Cultural Studies 1229, Post-Colonialism 1234-1236, American
Muliculturalism1236-1238.
Return Essay#1 with comments.
Class 7 - What do all these “isms” mean? Class discussion on Cultural Studies
within “NY Day Women”. In-class writing workshop Essay#2: generating ideas
Review: Writing Literary Arguments 28-44.
READ: classroom handout: Hybridity.
WRITE: 3 typed pages of Essay#2, first draft and include specific questions due in class 8.
Class 8 – Class Conferences: Unit 2 Essay conference
WRITE Final Draft #2: due class 9
Unit 3 – DOCUMENTED ESSAY
JAMES JOYCE & New Historicism
Class 9 - Introduce and review Documented Essay (5-7 pages) (parts one and two also
posted on Bb)
What is New Historicism? 1230, Introduction to James Joyce.
Collect Essay #2.
READ: Imagery//Joyce Bio and Cultural Context 248- 251.
READ: “Araby” 251- 256.
READ: (Bb) Murphy’s - “Dubliners and Modernist Doubt”, 1st 5 pages only (print and bring to
class).
Complete: Discussion Questions on “Modernist Doubt”
Class 10 – Finish “Araby” / Begin Murphy’s Discussion Questions.
READ: Complete the rest of Murphy’s Modernist Doubt (pages 5 – 10)) essay and finish
discussion questions.
READ: “Eveline” (Bb).
Class 11 – “Eveline” Class discussion//finish discussion questions on Murphy
READ: Fargnoli and Gillespie’s Critical Companion to Joyce (Bb).
Class 12 – Writing Workshop: Documented Essay
In Class: Write a paper proposal. What question will you choose? What do you want to
say? Which sources can help? I will collect next class 1 – 2pages.
READ: (Bb) 4 short critical essays on “Araby” from different authors (marked “Araby” 1,2,3,4)
on (Bb). Print out these articles and bring to class with your computer on Friday.
WRITE: paper proposal to hand in next class.
Class 13 – Developing Ideas: Individual Presentations on Paper Proposals ( also
collect).
WRITE: Now that you know your question and your purpose, can you scaffold a rough draft
over 5 -7 pages? What ideas will you need to cover to answer your question? How will you
organize it? What will that look like? Prepare an outline or a list of main ideas.
Lastly: Create topic sentences from this. What are topic sentences?
Class 14 – Writing Workshop: Using Sources to create Annotated Bibliographies and
Diana Hacker
Write: Create your list of sources. What are you using? What do you still need? Transition into
an annotated bibliography.
RETURN: Paper proposals
Class 15 – Library Research Day (not optional).
Class 16 - Hand in Doc Essay rough draft (3 pages and annotated bibliography)
Class 17 - Writing Workshop: Return Rough Drafts with comments
WRITE :draft 2 for peer-review: Bring a hard-copy of doc essay to next class.
Class 19 – Final Peer-Review
Complete: Final Version of doc essay due in class on class 20 (no emails, no extensions, inclass or no credit)
UNIT 4A: POETRY and LANGUAGE
Understanding how speaker, tone and imagery function in a poem.
(**A note to instructors. Not all the poets assigned as readings are included in the
text. You will either have to collect them for the student and distribute via blackboard or
class discussion, or replace with other authors of your choice from this unit.)
Essay Question: Using the elements of tone, speaker, and imagery that we discussed from class
readings, as well as citing from Helen Vendler’s short readings posted on (Bb), choose two
poems from this unit and compare and contrast those three elements in your poems. Length: 4-5
pages. Remember the best comparisons are usually those that are the least obvious, require
detailed tracking and support, use effective transitions, and are very well organized.
Class 20 - Collect Final Drafts Documented Essay/Poetry Introduction Unit
Leo Tolstoi - “What is Poetry?”
Billy Collins “Introduction to Poetry” 666.
Class 21 – Introduce Poetry Unit and Unit Question
READ: Origins of Modern Poetry 414-425.
READ: TONE 436-444, and Vendler (Bb).
Class 22 – Class Discussion on Tone// Assign Groups and hand out tone sheet and
packet: “When You are Old,” “Wild Nights- Wild Nights!” “The Moon Versus us Ever
Sleeping Together Again,” and “Credo”. Each group analyzes the tonal elements of their
poem for the class and presents.
READ: “Latin Night at the Pawn Shop” by Martin Espada (Bb). Write your own tone analysis
for class discussion using worksheet and class discussion as guide.
READ: SPEAKER 426-436, and Vendler (Bb).
RETURN: Doc Essays with comments.
Class 23–Class Discussion: SPEAKER// “Gretel in Darkness,” “I’m Nobody! Who Are
You?” “Please Fire Me” “I, Too,” “Negro” (Harlem Renaissance).
READ: FIGURES OF SPEECH 504-517, and Vendler (Bb).
READ: “Red Wheel-Barrow” by Williams, “Why I Went to College” by Espada, “In a Station
of the Metro” by Pound.
Class 24 – IMAGERY: “The Eagle” by Tennyson, “My Father as a Guitar” by Espada,
“The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop
WRITE: Poetry Essay#4 - 3 page rough draft due in Class 25
READ: Drama and kinds: 730,742, 762-766.
READ: Ibsen Bio and Cultural Context 785 -786.
READ: “A Doll House” by Henrik Ibsen 786-837
READ: Plot, 762-766 (as architecture and checklist) and “Analysis of Short-Story” worksheet
plot definition.
Unit 4B: DRAMA – Henrik Ibsen
Unit Essay Question: Introduce unit// review essay question (also on Bb). Length: 4-5 pages.
Class 25 – “A Doll House” // Plot Discussion
Plot as visual architecture, what shape is this play taking? What is the map of the action?
Review the elements of plot from (worksheet/and text). How does Ibsen’s plot compare to the
standard outlined?
COLLECT: Rough Draft of Essay #4.
Class 26 – “A Doll House” - Complete the visual plot picture
Introduce PORTFOLIO : What is a portfolio? What goes in my portfolio? (handouts
and also on (Bb)
Complete peer-review: Middle draft of Essay#4
UNIT 5: PORTFOLIO WEEK
Class 27 - Peer Reviews (essay 1and 2)
RETURN: Rough Draft of Essay #4: final due class 29
Class 28 – Peer-Reviews
Class 29– Portfolio: “Me as a Writer” expository essay drafting
COLLECT: Essay#4
Exam Week is Portfolio Drop off
Our scheduled exam period is the same day that you drop off your portfolio to me. As
such, there are no extensions or exceptions to this deadline. You may not hand in your
portfolio online. You may not drop off or leave your portfolios in my mailbox, my office or
in the English department. If you have any questions about the contents of your portfolio
or the deadline, please make sure you clarify them with me before our final exam. Thank
you!