Syllabus for English l02-B (MWF)
Composition and Literature
Spring 2008

Instructor:	Dr. Little
Office:	232 Belk Hall
Telephone:	(864) 379-8849
Email:	little@erskine.edu
Office Hours:	11:00 AM to 12 PM on MWF
	1:30-4:30 PM on TuTh
Required Texts:	The Bedford Introduction to Literature, 8th edition, ed.  Michael Meyer
	The Bedford Handbook for Writers, ed.  Diana Hacker
	Online: A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources, ed. Andrew Harnack and Eugene Kleppinger
	A college level dictionary
Recommended Web sites:	On-line Writing Lab Voice of the Shuttle

Catalog Description:

English 102 has as its purpose the development of written and oral communication skills through the study of selected literary works and the writing of analytic and descriptive essays about them, as well as through class discussion.  The course emphasizes the learning of a basic critical vocabulary, the introduction of research tools and skills, and the exercise of value judgments.

Course Goals:

The chief course goals are for the student to learn to appreciate intelligently the three major genres of literature and to write critical essays about selected works of fiction, poetry, and drama.  These works will be drawn from English, American, continental, non-Western, and minority literature.  An additional goal is the student's learning how to write a research paper. To achieve the desired goals, emphasis in study will be placed on the principles of critical analysis and the research paper.

Grading:

Grades will be based on class attendance, participation, and study questions (10%), three essays (40%), two hourly exams (20%),  one research assignment (20%), and one oral report (10%).

Grade Scale:

A=100-90, B=89-80, C=79-70, D=69-60, F=50

Jan. 30	Introduction to the Course
Feb. 1	Read in The Bedford Introduction to Literature "Introduction" and Ch. 1: "Reading Fiction" and Ch. 2: "Writing about Fiction."   Read only the introduction in each chapter and the selected works listed on the syllabus.  Answer designated study questions under "Considerations for Critical Thinking and Writing." Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" Van Der Zee's "From A Secret Sorrow" Godwin's "A Sorrowful Woman" (#3, 4, 9, 10, 11)
Feb. 4	Ch. 3: Plot Faulkners's "A Rose for Emily" (#2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) Read Ch. 51 : "Critical Strategies for Reading" during this week.
Feb. 6	Ch. 4: Character Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener" (#1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) Read Ch. 52: "Reading and Writing" during this week.
Feb. 8	Peer Review of Essay #1
Feb. 11	Introduction to Literary Research at McCain Library--John Kennerly.  Meet in the lobby of McCain Library. Stage 1 of Research Paper: Choosing Topics, Locating Materials, and Taking Notes Bedford Anthology: Ch. 53: The Literary Research Paper ; Bedford Handbook: Part X: Researched Writing—p. 527
Feb. 13	Ch 5: Setting Hemingway's' "Soldier's Home" (#1, 6, 7, 8, 10) Essay #1 Due (Written out of class)
Feb. 15	Ch. 6: Point of View
Feb. 18	Ch. 7: Symbolism Colette's "The Hand" (#3, 4, 5) Ellison's "Battle Royal" (#2, 3, 4, 5)
Feb. 20	Ch. 8: Theme Mansfield's "Miss Brill" (#2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) Gilb's "Love in L.A."  (#3, 6, 7, 8, 10)
	Ch. 9: Style, Tone, and Irony Carver's "Popular Mechanics" (#3-8) Boyle's "Carnal Knowledge" (#1-5) –p. 565
Feb. 22	Ch. 21: Reading Poetry Responsively Bishop's "The Fish" (#1) Li Ho's "A Beautiful Girl Combs Her Hair" (#2, 3)—p. 815
Feb. 25	Ch. 22: Writing about Poetry Ch. 23: Word Choice, Word Order, and Tone Herrick's "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" (#1, 2, 3) Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress" (#2, 3, 4)  Wilbur's "A Late Aubade" (#2, 3) Hardy's "The Convergence of the Twain" (#2, 3) Slavitt's "Titanic" (#1) Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn" (#3) Stage 2 of Research Paper: Notecards Due
Feb 27	Ch. 23 continued
Feb. 29	Ch 24: Images Arnold's "Dover Beach" (#1-5) Blake's "London" (#1 ) Keats' "To Autumn" (#1-5)
Mar. 3	Ch. 25: Figures of Speech Wordsworth's "London, 1802" (#1-2) Whitman's "A Noiseless Patient Spider" (#1-2) Donne's "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" (#1-2) Ch. 26: Symbol, Allegory, and Irony Browning's "My Last Duchess" (# 1-3) pp. 797-825 Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper" (#1-4)
Mar. 5	Ch. 26 continued
Mar. 7	Essay #2 Due (Written in class)
Mar. 10	Ch. 27: Sounds Dickinson's "A Bird came down the Walk--" Kinnell's "Blackberry Eating" (1-3) Hopkins' "God's Grandeur" Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale" pp. 826-855 (#1-8) Ch. 28: Patterns of Rhythm Housman's "When I was one-and-twenty" (#1-2) Blake's "The Lamb" (#1) Blake's "The Tyger" (#1-5)
Mar. 12	Ch. 29: Poetic Forms Housman's "Loveliest of trees, the cherry now" Keats" "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer" (#1-2 ) Wordsworth's "The World is Too Much with Us" (#1-2) Shakespeare's "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" (#1-2) Peacock's "Desire" (#1, 3 ) Thomas" "Do not go gentle into that good night" (#1, 2, 4) Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind" (#1-4) Stage 3 of Research Paper: Outline Due
Mar. 14	Ch. 29 continued
Mar. 17	Mid-term Exam
Mar. 19	Ch. 29 continued Stage 4 of Research Paper: Writing and Documenting Bedford Handbook: Ch. 54-59, especially Ch. 57
	Spring Break
Mar. 31	Ch. 43: Reading Drama Ch. 44: Writing about Drama Part #1 of Research Paper's Rough Draft due.
Apr. 2	Ch. 45: A Study of Sophocles Sophocles' Oedipus the King (#1-2) Part #2 of Research Paper's Rough Draft due. Peer Review
Apr. 4	Oedipus continued (#3-4) Part #3 of Research Paper's Rough Draft due. Peer Review
Apr. 7	Oedipus continued (#5-6) Research Paper Bibliography Due
Apr. 9	Oedipus continued (#7-8) Research Paper Due
Apr. 11	Oedipus continued (#9-10) Video of Oedipus Rex.
Apr. 14	Ch. 46: A Study of William Shakespeare Shakespeare's Hamlet (#1-2)
Apr. 16	Hamlet continued (#3-4)
Apr. 18	Hamlet continued (#5-6)
Apr. 21	Hamlet continued (#7-8)
Apr. 23	Hamlet continued (#9-12)
Apr. 25	Peer Review of Essay #4
Apr. 28	Essay #3  Due (Written out of class) Video of Hamlet
Apr. 30	Ch. 47: Modern Drama Ibsen's A Doll House (#1-4)
May 2	A Doll House continued (#5-8)
May 5	A Doll House continued (#9-12) Video of A Doll House
May 7	Video of A Doll House
Final Exam

Policies
I.	Attendance
	A. Attendance and participation in class discussions are requirements of the course.  If you have a legitimate absence, you are still responsible for the material discussed in class and for written assignments missed.
	B. Students will be limited to three unexcused absences.  Six or more absences, whether excused or not, will result in either a reduction of a student's final grade by one letter or failure of the course.
II.	Study Questions: "Considerations for Critical Thinking and Writing" in Bedford
	For each written homework assignment, put your name in the upper right - hand corner.  Put the date the assignment is due under your name.  Put the date the assignment is turned in below the first date.  When several pages of homework are due, staple them together in the upper left - hand corner. Note: No written homework will be accepted after the due date without penalty unless you have a legitimate absence which has been excused by the Dean of Students and the instructor.  Be prepared to hand in homework at the beginning of the class period on the assigned day.  Be prepared to discuss your answers in class. After daily assignments are returned to you, keep them in a loose-leaf notebook to create a journal.
III.	Essays
	A. Blue books will be provided for in-class papers.  Put your name, the title of the course, and the date on the front of the blue book. Put the title of your essay on the first line of the first page.  Skip two lines and begin your first paragraph. Write on every other line and both sides of the page.  Fold your outline (if you have been asked to bring one to class) and put it at the back of the blue book.
	B. An essay written outside of class must have an outline as well as two to three typed pages of text.  See The Bedford Handbook (especially pp. 667-697) for stylistic requirements.
	C. Late Assignments: A student has one week beyond the due date to turn in a late assignment.  If an absence is not excused, his or her grade will be reduced by one letter.  For each week after the first one following a missed assignment, the student's grade will be reduced by one letter.  The number of extensions may be limited at the instructor's discretion.
	D. All written assignments must be handed in for a student to be eligible to pass the course.
IV.	No incomplete will be given unless there is an extreme situation about which the student has consulted the instructor.
V.	Apart from the Supplemental Instruction Program, there must be no outside help in preparing written assignments.