ENGL 1023: Composition 2 (3 Credit Hours)
Instructor: Laine Perez
Office: M154C
Class Time and Place: MWF – 1:00-1:50
E-mail: lperez@northark.edu
Office hours: MW (9-11, 2-4); TR (9:30-11); F (9-11)
Course Description:
This course builds on the skills students have developed in ENGL 1013 and helps refine and
develop more complex writing skills, so that students can become even stronger and more
confident writers. In this course students will learn further reading, writing, and critical thinking
skills by exploring and writing about various literary genres including prose fiction, drama, and
poetry. Accordingly, students will learn to identify literary genres, identify and list literary
conventions, and write well-developed essays about various works of literature. At the end of
the semester, students will be asked to prepare and write a research paper using a longer literary
work; this novel will be both a springboard and a major source for this project.
The classes will be conducted primarily in a discussion-type format in which I will introduce the
work, its history, and its central themes and then ask for your impressions and ideas on particular
topics. As this class will be primarily in discussion format, I will expect you to be tolerant and
respectful of others’ opinions. I will also expect you to participate in class discussion to the best
of your ability.
Prerequisite and Course Rationale:
Prerequisite: A minimum of “C” in ENGL 1013
Rationale: ENGL 1023 is a general education requirement that helps students apply critical
thinking skills across disciplines, communicate clearly in written and oral formats, and explore
and analyze complex issues arising from discussion of literary texts
Required Texts:
1. Roberts, Edgar V. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing 9th Ed. Upper
New York: Longman, 2009.
2. Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writers. 6th Ed. Boston: Bedford, 2009.
3. Anderson, M.T. Feed. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2002.
Required and Recommended Course Resources:
Required: You must always bring your book(s) to class. You also must have access to a
computer and the internet since all essays must be word-processed and turned in electronically.
Recommended: If you have difficulty with the course, please go to the Writing Center for free
tutoring. Please go to the Writing Center when you are beginning to have problems. The earlier
you go, the easier it will be to help you.
Coursework
Course Requirements:
To pass this course you must complete every reading assignment on time. You will also be
required to keep a reading journal in which you will write a 500 word response once every week
(due on Mondays). For the first few weeks, you will be offered a prompt that you can use to
guide your response. As the semester goes on, however, you will be afforded more freedom in
your responses. I will take up these journals every Monday.
You will also write five short papers—two over short stories, one over drama, and two over
poetry. At the end of the semester, you will write a 6-10 page research paper over the novel
Feed. You will use this novel as a source for this paper, and you will also be required to use
three other sources in this paper. You will also be given reading quizzes and other brief writing
assignments.
Grading Policy
Evaluation:
Students will be evaluated on completion of reading and writing assignments (including essays
and journal entries), quizzes, and classroom attendance:




Five essays (100 points each) and research paper (200 points)
Quizzes, readings, homework assignments
Reading journals
Attendance
70%
10%
15%
5%
All assignments are due by the beginning of class whether turned in electronically (see below) or
otherwise. If you will not be in class the day an assignment is due, you must contact me ahead of
time to make alternate arrangements. I also reserve the right to penalize late work. You will be
penalized 1 letter grade for every day that the paper is late. No exceptions.
Your four short essays and one research paper will be submitted electronically on turnitin.com
and are due at 1 pm on the due date.
Letter Grade Scale:
A
B
C
D
F
=
=
=
=
=
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
59 and below
Attendance/Participation
Students are expected to attend all class meetings. Do not forget that absences can affect your
grade! If you miss more than 15% of the class, the instructor has the prerogative to assign an F
for the course.
Tardiness can also affect your grade. Two tardies will count as one absence. You will be
considered tardy if you are not in class when I call roll. If you are more than 15 minutes late for
class, you will be counted absent for the day. Also, if you sleep in class, you will be counted
absent for that day.
Make sure that your cell phone is off before class begins. I do not want to see your phone during
class. I do not want to hear your phone during class. I do not want to see you texting during
class. If I catch you texting, I will count you absent for that day.
If you must withdraw from the course, you are responsible for doing so. I am not permitted to
drop you from the class.
The English faculty makes no distinction between an excused and an unexcused absence. It is
your responsibility to find out what you missed in the event of an absence; the fact that you
missed the previous class is not an excuse for showing up unprepared for the next class.
Academic Integrity
North Arkansas College has a strong commitment to academic achievement which is supported
by a strict but fair policy to protect academic integrity. This policy regards academic fraud and
dishonesty and disciplinary offenses requiring disciplinary actions. Any student who engages in
such offenses (as here defined) will be subject to one or more courses of action as determined by
the instructor, and in some cases, by the Division Chairperson or Program Director, and Vice
President of Learning, and the Institutional Standards and Appeals Committee as well.
Academic fraud and dishonesty are defined as follows:
Cheating: Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study
aids in any academic exercise.
Test-Tampering: Intentionally gaining access to restricted test booklets, banks, questions, or
answers before a test is given, or tampering with questions or answers after a test is taken
Plagiarism: Intentionally or knowingly representing the words and ideas of another as one’s own
in any academic exercise. If you use materials from a secondary source—even when you
paraphrase from a secondary source—make sure that you give the author credit and use
quotation marks to indicate a direct quotation.
Facilitating Academic Dishonesty: Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help
another commit an act of academic dishonesty.
Disability Services
North Arkansas College complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities who need special
accommodations should make their requests in the following way: (1) talk to the instructor after
class or during office hours about their disability or special need related to classroom work;
and/or (2) contact Special Services in Room M149 and ask to speak to Kim Brecklein.
Student Responsibilities
1. Read the college catalog and all materials you receive during registration. These
materials will tell you what the college expects from you
2. Read the daily schedule for each class. You are responsible for completing all essays and
readings BEFORE coming to class so that you can understand the lecture and participate
in discussions.
3. Please check your Northark email daily. I will use email to notify you of significant
changes to the schedule.
4. Attend all class meetings. If you must miss a class, make an appointment to meet with
me and discuss what you should do.
5. Treat others with respect. Part of the college experience is being exposed to people with
ideas different from yours. Listen to others’ ideas, do not interrupt their comments, and
evaluate their ideas on their own merit.
6. Make sure that you have all the materials you need for class including pen/pencil, paper,
books, etc.
7. Learn to take good notes. Write down ideas rather than word-for-word statements by the
instructor.
Schedule of Readings and Major Assignments
Notes: The following calendar may change depending on class needs. I will inform you of any
changes in class. The paper due dates, however, will NOT change.
Week One
8/19 Introduction, Class Overview, Syllabus, In-Class Writing
8/21
Read: Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” (6-13) AND “Reading and Responding in a
Computer File or Notebook” (13-18)
Class Activity: Discuss Walker Story; Discuss Reading Journals
8/23
Read: “The Process of Reading, Responding to, and Writing About Literature” (19-31)
Class Activity: Discuss Writing About Literature; In-Class Writing
Unit I: Short Stories
Week Two
8/26 Read: Stephen Crane’s “The Blue Hotel” (228-245)
Class Activity: Background on Crane Story; Begin Discussion of Crane Story
Take-Home Assignment: Essay Prompt #1
8/28
Class Activity: Continue Discussion of Crane Story; Discuss Essay Prompt #1
8/30
Read: “The Process of Reading, Responding to, and Writing About Literature” (32-38)
Class Activity: In-Class Thesis Workshop
Take-Home Assignment: Working Thesis Statement
Week Three
9/2
LABOR DAY
Due: Working Thesis Statement
**Remember to post your working thesis statement online so that you can receive my
comments.**
9/4
Read: “The Process of Reading, Responding to, and Writing About Literature” (38-50)
Class Activity: In-Class Mapping; Discuss Using Evidence from a Story to Support Your
Claims
Take-Home Assignment: Individual Maps for Essay #1
9/6
Class Activity: Discuss/Workshop Individual Maps
Take-Home Assignment: Essay #1 Draft Due
Week Four
9/9
Class Activity: Editing and Revising Workshop
Due: Essay #1 Draft
**Make sure to have this draft with you in class! If you don’t have your draft, you will
not be able or allowed to participate in today’s class.**
9/11
Class Activity: Grammar and Citation Workshop
Due: Essay #1
9/13
Read: Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson” (462-466)
Class Activity: Begin Discussion of Bambara Story
Take-Home Assignment: Essay #2 Prompt
Week Five
9/16 Class Activity: Finish Discussion of Bambara Story; Discuss Essay #2 Prompt
Take-Home Assignment: Working Thesis Statement for Essay #2
9/18
Class Activity: Discussion of Introductory Paragraphs
Take-Home Assignment: Introductory Paragraph
Due: Working Thesis Statement for Essay #2
9/20
Class Activity: Discussion of Conclusions
Take-Home Assignment: Map of Essay #2
Due: Introductory Paragraph
Week Six
9/23 Class Activity: Discuss and Workshop Maps of Essay #2
9/25
Read: “A Short Guide to Using Quotations” (56-60)
Class Activity: Discuss Using Quotations; Quotations Worksheet
Take-Home Assignment: Essay #2
9/27
Class Activity: Grammar Workshop
Due: Essay #2
Unit II: Poetry
Week Seven
9/30 Read: “How to Read a Poem” (647-649) AND Walt Whitman “Facing West From
California’s Shores” (816)
Class Activity: Discuss How to Read Poetry; Close Reading of Whitman Poem
10/2
Read: Walt Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing” (1216)
Class Activity: Discuss Whitman Poem
10/4
Read: Allen Ginsberg’s “A Supermarket in California” (948-49)
Class Activity: Discuss Ginsberg Poem
Take-Home Assignment: Comparison/Contrast Paragraph
Week Eight
10/7 Read: Langston Hughes’s “Let America Be America Again” (1107-09)
Class Activity: Discuss Hughes Poem
Due: Comparison/Contrast Paragraph
10/9
Read: Sherman Alexie’s “On the Amtrak from Boston to New York City” (716-717)
Class Activity: Discuss Alexie Poem
10/11 Read: Louise Erdrich’s “Indian Boarding School: The Runaways” (762)
Class Activity: Discuss Erdrich Poem
Take-Home Assignment: Response Paragraph/Journal Assignment
Week Nine
10/14 Read: Tino Villanueva’s “Day-Long Day” (1209)
Class Activity: Discuss Villanueva Poem
Take-Home Assignment: Essay #3 Prompt
Due: Response Paragraph
10/16 Class Activity: Discuss Essay #3 Prompt; Brainstorm Essay #3 Prompt
Take-Home Assignment: Working Thesis Statement
10/18 Class Activity: Discuss Thesis Statements; Work on Essay #3 Maps
Take-Home Assignment: Essay #3 Maps
Due: Working Thesis Statement
Week Ten
10/21 Class Activity: Workshop Essay #3 Maps
Take-Home Assignment: Essay #3
10/23 Class Activity: Grammar Workshop
Due: Essay #3
Unit III: Drama
10/25 Read: Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie (1649-1669)
Class Activity: Begin Discussion of Williams Play
Week Eleven
10/28 Read: Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie (1669-1683)
Class Activity: Continue Discussion of Williams Play
10/30 Read: Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie (1683-1698)
Class Activity: Finish Discussion of Williams Play
11/1
Class Activity: Watch and Discuss Select Scenes from The Glass Menagerie
Take-Home Assignment: Essay #4 Prompt; Working Thesis Statement and Map for
Essay #4
Week Twelve
11/4 Class Activity: Watch and Discuss Select Scenes from The Glass Menagerie; Discuss
Essay #4 Prompt
Due: Working Thesis Statement and Map for Essay #4
11/6
Class Activity: Individual Workshop—Thesis Statements and Maps
Take-Home Assignment: Essay #4
11/8
Class Activity: Introduction to Research; Discuss Research Paper Prompt
Due: Essay #4
Week Thirteen
11/11 Read: M.T. Anderson’s Feed (1-108)
Class Activity: Begin Discussion of Anderson’s Feed
11/13 Read: M.T. Anderson’s Feed (109-203)
Class Activity: Continue Discussion of Anderson’s Feed
11/15 Read: M.T. Anderson’s Feed (207-300)
Class Activity: Finish Discussion of Anderson’s Feed
Week Fourteen
11/18 Read: “Writing a Research Essay on Fiction” (608-624)
Class Activity: Discuss Research; Brainstorm Ideas for Research Paper
Take-Home Assignment: Topic and Working Thesis Statement for Research Paper
11/20 Read: “Strategies for Organizing Ideas in Your Research Essay” (630-639)
Discuss: Sample Paper
Due: Topic/Working Thesis Statement for Research Paper
11/22 Class Activity: Evaluating Sources Worksheet
Take-Home Assignment: Annotated Bibliography and Map for Research Paper
Week Fifteen
11/25 Thanksgiving Break!
11/27 Thanksgiving Break!
11/29 Thanksgiving Break!
Week Sixteen
12/2 Read: “Documenting Your Work” (624-629)
Class Activity: Documentation/Plagiarism Worksheets
Take-Home Assignment: Draft of Research Paper
Due: Annotated Bibliography and Map of Research Paper
12/4
Class Activity: Editing and Revising Workshop
Due: Research Paper Draft
**Make sure to have this draft with you in class! If you don’t have your draft, you will
not be able or allowed to participate in today’s class.**
12/6
Class Activity: Class Wrap-Up
Due: Research Paper