ENG 112-012M: Page 1 of 6
English 112 – College Composition II Instructor: Michael Roberts
Section 012, Spring 2012 (3 CR) Email: mjroberts@nvcc.edu
T 3:30-6:10, MH 214 ( 703) 257-6500 ex. 47274
Office Hours: CH 231, T 3-3:30, by appt. Mailbox: MC 234
Course Description
English 112 will further prepare students for college writing with an increased emphasis on literary research, critical essay composition, rhetorical strategies, and effective argumentative writing. These competencies will be developed through the thorough examination of a range of texts and through the completion of several research-based assignments. Students will be expected to locate, evaluate, and document sources and effectively edit for style and usage, as well as demonstrate knowledge of information covered in class and offer independent insights about readings.
Prerequisites
Student must have successfully completed English 111 or its equivalent. In addition the student must be able to use word processing software and be able to navigate the class Blackboard website. A NOVA student email account should be activated and checked daily for course-related correspondences.
Course Objectives
Students will understand that writing is a process that develops through experience and practice.
Students will understand and apply rhetorical principles to their work in order to improve the quality of their writing.
Students will develop the ability to analyze and present ideas in well-structured, cohesive prose appropriate to the purpose and audience.
Students will learn to locate, evaluate, and document information to support their thinking and writing.
Required Texts
 Barnet, Sylvan, William Burton, and Willam E. Cain. Literature for Composition. 9 th ed. Boston:
Pearson/Longman, 2011.
 Faigley, Lester and Jack Selzer. A Little Argument. Boston: Pearson/Longman, 2010.
 Hacker, Diana, and Nancy Sommers. A Writer’s Reference. 7 th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s,
2011.
Suggested Materials
 USB flash drive
 Notebook paper for in-class writings and exercises
 Foster, Thomas. How to Read Literature Like a Professor. New York: Harper, 2003.

ENG 112-012M: Page 2 of 6
Grading Policy
First Essay (850 words)
Revision of the First Essay
Second Essay (1000 words)
Third Essay (1000 words)
15%
10%
15%
20%
A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69%
F 0-59%
Final Exam
Quizzes and Written Prompts
Discussion Board and Participation
Paper Requirements
15%
10%
15%
All papers must be completed using word processing software in 12-point Calibri or Times New Roman font, one inch margins, and contain proper MLA documentation and formatting. Papers should be double-spaced and contain your name, course number, date, and paper number in the upper left corner. A “Works Cited” page will be required for the final paper and should include three to five secondary sources. Grades will be determined on a 50% mechanics and 50% content scale. Papers are to be submitted as hard copies to the instructor when called for on the day they are due (Exception-
Paper #3). Electronic copies will only be accepted with prior approval from the instructor.
Late Papers and Missed Quizzes
*Late papers will be marked down one full grade for each day late. After three days have elapsed the paper will not be accepted. Any missed quizzes or classwork cannot be made up.*
Deadlines are important, in this course as well as in life. Papers are to be submitted before class on the day they are due. Lateness penalties will be reduced if extenuating circumstances are discussed with the instructor prior to the due date. The Student’s lowest quiz grade will be dropped at the end of the semester.
Essay Revisions
A revision of the first essay is due approximately one week after papers are returned. Students are strongly encouraged to schedule an appointment with the on-campus Reading/Writing Center located in
MH 112 (703.257.6699).
Policy of Academic Honesty and Integrity

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Academic dishonesty is unacceptable. The first time a student submits an assignment demonstrating evidence of academic dishonesty, he or she will receive a grade of “0” on the assignment and have his or her name recorded in a department database. Any student who is found to have committed a second act of academic dishonesty will fail the course in which the instance occurred and may be referred to
Ray Jones in the Office of Student Conduct.
According to the Student Handbook, academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an assignment by giving, receiving or soliciting information or using unauthorized materials; obtaining or distributing material purported to be on an upcoming assignment; substituting on an examination for another person, plagiarism; collusion with another person on an assignment; and knowingly furnishing false information to the college.
In classes such as this one, the most common form of academic dishonesty is plagiarism. Plagiarism is any act wherein you do not properly acknowledge the thoughts or words of another or attempt to
present those thoughts or words as your own. Please note that this includes failing to submit a works cited page with your assignment or even accidentally forgetting in-text citations or quotation marks.
All work should be independently produced by you for this specific course without outside assistance. Collusion, or working with another person in the preparation or editing of assignments submitted for credit, is also unacceptable, unless such collaboration has been specifically approved in advance by me. In this course, you may only use the academic support services provided by NOVA to get additional assistance on your assignments. If you have questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty, please discuss it with your professor before you submit your assignment. This course may make use of SafeAssign, a plagiarism prevention service, to detect unoriginal content in student papers.
Class Participation / Conduct
Class participation accounts for a large portion (15%) of the student’s final grade. While attendance is mandatory, this category also includes being an active class member, taking notes, offering insights, and asking questions. In-class exercises, group work, attendance, and the submittal of paper theses are all factored into the student’s class participation grade. There will be opportunities to lead a class discussion for additional participation points in which you will be responsible for coming prepared with
2-3 questions to help prompt class discussion and 2-3 specific areas or observations in the text to which you would like to draw the attention of the class.
The use of cell phones or other electronic devices is not allowed once class is in session. Laptops are allowed for note-taking purposes only; if other students are distracted by what appears on your screen the instructor reserves the right to ask you to remove your computer from class. To be a member of this class you agree to not engage in aggressive behavior, make comments during class or electronically that are derogatory, insensitive, or rude, and to not engage in disruptive side conversations during class.
Failure to comply will result in being asked to cease disruptive behavior, depart class, and be referred to the dean of students and/or campus police. *All discussion board postings and Email correspondences should use standard written English and be regarded as respectful, professional exchanges between you, your peers and the instructor.

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Important Dates
Add/Drop on NOVAConnect with tuition refund
Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
**Last day to drop with tuition refund (Census Date) **
Spring Break/ no classes
**Last day to withdraw without grade penalty**
Last week of classes
Final exam week
Examinations end
Course Withdrawal Policy
January 9-26
January 16
January 26
March 5-11
March 23
April 24-30
May 1-7
May 7
Students failing to attend the first four class meetings (i.e. the first two weeks) will be automatically dropped from the course. You may voluntarily withdraw from the course and receive a grade of “W” no later than March 23, 2012. Following this date you will receive an “F” since it is your responsibility to withdraw.
Class Attendance
Regular and prompt class attendance is expected of every student. A good deal of discussion and work will take place during each class and cannot be made up.
*3 or more absences will result in a 10% reduction of the student’s final grade. 5 or more absences will result in an automatic “F” for the course. Repeatedly arriving late (3+ minutes) or leaving early constitutes ½ of an absence.*
If extenuating factors such as illness or a family emergency arise, notify the instructor as soon as possible to arrange potential accommodations. Be aware of the 60 percent date for each class in case you need to withdraw for any reason (see “Important Dates”).
Disability Statement
Students with disabilities may be eligible for accommodations in their classes. If you are a student with a disability you may wish to contact a Counselor for Disability Services in MH 110.
Snow Policy
In the event of a campus closing due to inclement weather look to receive an electronic correspondence from the instructor. The due dates for assigned readings and assignments will not deviate from the syllabus unless otherwise stated by the professor.

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Evacuation Statement
In case of emergency, please follow the emergency procedure as discussed on the first day of class and posted in the classroom.
Tentative Schedule of Assignments
T January 10 Preliminaries- Syllabus Review, Using Blackboard
Due- Set up and check your NOVA email and BB account for a class correspondence
T January 17 ALA- Making an Effective Argument (1-12)
LFC- Reading and Writing about Essays (339-42)
ALA- Analyzing an Argument (10-18) Pathos, Ethos,
Logos
LFC- Martin Luther King, Jr. “Letter from Birmingham
Jail” (1296-1308)
LFC- George Orwell “Shooting an Elephant” (844-9)
LFC- Kate Chopin “The Storm” (71-5)
T January 24
*T January 31
ALA- Writing Your Thesis (66-70) (43-5)
ALA- Organizing an Argument (70-5)
LFC- Louise Erdrich “The Red Convertible” (368-74)
LFC- Jack London “To Build a Fire” (583-93)
LFC- Tim O’Brien “The Things They Carried” (1220-32)
In-Class- Peer Editing: bring a copy of Essay #1 to class
Due- Paper #1: Tactics of Argument (3-5pp.)
LFC- Elements of Fiction (358-65)
LFC- Ray Bradbury “August 2026: There Will Come Soft
Rains” (24-28)
LFC- Gabriel Garcia Marquez “A Very Old Man with
Enormous Wings” (380-4)
LFC- Shirley Jackson “The Lottery” (1213-19)
T February 7
*T February 14
T February 21
ALA- Revising an Argument (180-5)
LFC- Ursula K. Le Guinn “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” (1311-15)
BB- excerpts from Sigmund Freud’s “The Uncanny”
LFC- Charlotte Perkins Gilman “The Yellow Wallpaper”
(746-56)
Due- Revision of Paper #1
LFC- Eudora Welty “A Worn Path” (632-8)
LFC- Sarah Orne Jewett “A White Heron” (594-600)
LFC- James Baldwin “Sonny’s Blues” (858-78)
LFC- Raymond Carver “Cathedral” (709-18)
In-Class- Guest Lecture (?) Professor Andrew Cooper
LFC- Elements of Poetry (488, 495-6, 499, 502)
BB- skim “Glossary of Poetic Terms”
LFC- Billy Collins “Introduction to Poetry” (178)
LFC- Wilfred Owen “Dulce et Decorum Est” (272)
LFC- John Donne “The Flea” (93)
LFC- William Shakespeare “Sonnet 130” (497)

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T March 6
T March 13
(actually February
28)
*T March 20
T March 27
T April 3
T April 10
*T April 17
T April 24
*R April 26
*_ May _
M May 7
LFC- Robert Frost “Mending Wall” (197)
*No Class – Spring Break
ALA- Fallacies of Logic (57-66)
LFC- T.S. Eliot “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”
(199)
LFC- Robert Hayden “Those Winter Sundays” (785)
LFC- Langston Hughes “Theme for English B” (1112)
LFC- William Stafford “Travelling Through the Dark”
(667)
LFC- Linda Pastan “Ethics” (99)
Due- Paper #2: Argumentative (3-5pp.)
In-Class- Poetry TBA
LFC- Reading and Writing about Plays (434-40)
LFC- Susan Glaspell “Trifles” (1336-45)
*March 23 = Last day to withdrawal without grade penalty*
LFC- Jane Martin “Rodeo” (1069)
LFC- A Note on the Elizabethan Theatre (897-907)
LFC- Begin William Shakespeare Hamlet Act I (908)
Additional Reading TBA
LFC- William Shakespeare Hamlet Act I & II (908-50)
LFC- William Shakespeare Hamlet Act III (950-74)
LFC- William Shakespeare Hamlet Act IV (974-993)
LFC- Begin discussing William Shakespeare Hamlet Act
V (993-1011)
Due- Paper #3 Thesis (In Class)
LFC- Finish discussing William Shakespeare Hamlet Act
V (993-1011)
LFC- Will Saretta “Branagh’s Film of Hamlet” (1024-26)
In Class- Excerpts from K. Branagh’s film of Hamlet
ALA- Researching an Argument (131-46)
*Library Visit: Research Resources at NOVA
NVCC Last Week of Classes
ALA- Documenting an Argument (147-71)
Due- MLA Quiz (in class)
In Class- Course Evaluations
In Class- Peer Editing: Bring a Copy of Paper #3 to Class
Final Exam Questions/Discussion
Due Electronically, before midnight- Paper #3:
Argumentative w/ 3-5 outside sources (5-7pp.)
<mjroberts@nvcc.edu>
FINAL EXAM
NVCC Last Day of Examinations