This course will focus on seven elements of fiction: central idea, character, conflict, point of view, setting, language, and tone.  These elements will be incorporated into five to seven writing assignments, varying in length from 200-1000 words (for a minimum total of 2500 words) and using either a cumulative or single-element approach.  To qualify for the Departmental Exam, in at least one paper students must demonstrate their mastery of MLA style for documentation by using parenthetical documentation and providing a list of works cited that contains at least one source other than the primary source.

This course will use System I, from the Austin Community College

English Department's standardized master syllabus, as shown below.

System 1: Accept/Edit/Revise/Rewrite

All students in all sections must receive “Accepted” on the writing assignments to be eligible to receive a Test Permit for taking the Departmental Exam.  Additional assignments are required for the grades of "B" and "A."  Your instructor may also assign readings, quizzes, and other activities which affect your grade.  Your instructor will provide 1) a class activity schedule (calendar) with deadlines and 2) specific written guidelines for each assignment.

The Departmental Exam is required and must be accepted in order to earn a "C" in English 1302.

The final grade will be determined by the grade level students complete.  Each paper will be marked "ACCEPTED," "EDIT," "REVISE," or "REWRITE."   (Students may submit only one paper at a time:  when one is ACCEPTED, then a student may submit the next one.)  In addition, compliance with the instructor's point system for deadlines and activities may determine your eligibility for a grade of "B" or "A." 

ACCEPTED:   The paper fulfills the objectives of the assignment and is relatively free of grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. 

EDIT:   The paper fulfills the objectives of the assignment but contains  errors. You must avoid similar errors in subsequent papers in order to progress in the course. 

REVISE: The paper needs improvement in style, organization, or development. 

REWRITE: The paper does not fulfill the objectives of the assignment.

To earn a "B," a student must receive "ACCEPTED" on all work for a "C" plus receive "ACCEPTED" on one of the following papers.  Paper "B" will be evaluated "ACCEPTED" or "REWRITE" only.    Rewrite must be on a different story.

(1)  Write a well-developed analytical essay focusing on a single element of an assigned short story.  Minimum length:  1000 words

(2)  Write an evaluative essay (with clearly stated criteria) on an assigned story. 

Minimum length:  1000 words

(3)  Write an essay according to guidelines provided by your instructor. 

Minimum length:  1000 words

To earn an "A," a student must receive "ACCEPTED" on all work for both a "C" and a "B" plus receive "ACCEPTED" on one of the following papers.  Paper "A" will be evaluated "ACCEPTED" or "REWRITE" only.    Rewrite must be on a different story/different stories.

(1)  Write an analytical essay comparing/contrasting two short stories and following guidelines provided by your instructor.  Stress those elements of fiction most important to the central idea.  Minimum length:  1000 words

(2)  Following guidelines provided by your instructor, write a documented analytical paper based on an assigned short story.  Minimum length:  1000 words

Reading Assignments in Short Fiction (6^th ed.) for Comp II class, Fall 2010

Essay #1: central idea (implied theme or in some cases the “moral” of the story)

Essay #1 must include one MLA parenthetical note and a Works Cited page.

Tu 8-24-10--Introduction to the course; review syllabus.

Th 8-26-10—Preview Essay #1, central idea.

Tu 8-31-10—Guy de Maupassant: “The Necklace” p. 789

Th 9-2-10--Shirley Jackson: “The Lottery” p. 562 (See p. 1254 note on this story.)

Choose one of the two stories above for Essay #1 (due Thurs., 9-9-10).

Essay #2: characterization of the protagonist (the main character)

Tu 9-7-10--John Steinbeck: “Chrysanthemums” p. 1051

Th 9-9-10--Perri Klass: “Not a Good Girl” p. 675

Choose one of the two stories above for Essay #2 (due Thurs., 9-16-10).

Essay #3: conflicts (internal and external)

Tu  9-14-10--Jack London: “To Build a Fire” p. 735

Th 9-16-10--Ralph Ellison: “King of the Bingo Game” p. 383

Choose one of the two stories above for Essay #2 (due Thurs., 9-23-10).

Essay #4: point of view (type of narrator)

Tu 9-21-10--John Updike: “A & P” p. 1110

Th 9-23-10--Mary Gaitskill: “Tiny, Smiling Daddy,” p. 455

Choose one of the two stories above for Essay #4 (due Thurs., 9-30-10).

Essay #5: setting aspects (the effects of setting in the story)

Tu 9-28-10--William Faulkner: “Dry September” p. 395

Th 9-30-10--Frank O’Connor: “Guests of the Nation” p. 915

Choose one of the two stories above for Essay #5 (due Thurs., 10-7-10).

Essay #6: language aspects (including figures of speech, irony, and symbolism)

Tu 10-5-10--James Baldwin: “Sonny’s Blues” p. 84

Th 10-7-10--T. Coraghessan Boyle: “Greasy Lake” p. 144  

Choose one of the two stories above for Essay #6 (due Thurs., 10-14-10).

Essay #7: author’s implied tone (author’s apparent attitude)

Tu 10-12-10--Kate Chopin: “The Story of an Hour” p. 267

Th 10-14-10--Raymond Carver: “Cathedral” p. 160         

 Choose one of the two stories above for Essay #7 (due Thurs., 10-21-10).

Last day to withdraw is Thursday, 11-18-10. A first draft of Essay #5 must be in by this date. Write the Departmental Exam paper any day after Essay #7 is accepted. After the Departmental Exam is accepted, turn in B and A papers.

No additional essays are accepted after the last TuTh class meets on 12-8-10.

Austin Community College English 1302 Comp II class, Fall 2010

Essay #1: central idea (implied theme or in some cases the “moral” of the story)

Tu 8-24-10--Introduction to the course; review syllabus.

Th 8-26-10—Preview Essay #1, central idea.

Tu 8-31-10—Guy de Maupassant: “The Necklace” p. 789

Th 9-2-10--Shirley Jackson: “The Lottery” p. 562 (See p. 1254 note on this story.)

Essay #2: characterization of the protagonist (the main character

Tu 9-7-10--John Steinbeck: “Chrysanthemums” p. 1051

Th 9-9-10--Perri Klass: “Not a Good Girl” p. 675

Choose one of the two stories above for Essay #2 (due Thurs., 9-16-10).

Essay #3: conflicts (internal and external)

Tu  9-14-10--Jack London: “To Build a Fire” p. 735

Th 9-16-10--Ralph Ellison: “King of the Bingo Game” p. 383

Choose one of the two stories above for Essay #2 (due Thurs., 9-23-10).

Essay #4: point of view (type of narrator)

Tu 9-21-10--John Updike: “A & P” p. 1110

Th 9-23-10--Mary Gaitskill: “Tiny, Smiling Daddy,” p. 455

Choose one of the two stories above for Essay #4 (due Thurs., 9-30-10).

Essay #5: setting aspects (the effects of setting in the story)

Tu 9-28-10--William Faulkner: “Dry September” p. 395

Th 9-30-10--Frank O’Connor: “Guests of the Nation” p. 915

Choose one of the two stories above for Essay #5 (due Thurs., 10-7-10).

Essay #6: language aspects (including figures of speech, irony, and symbolism)

Tu 10-5-10--James Baldwin: “Sonny’s Blues” p. 84

Th 10-7-10--T. Coraghessan Boyle: “Greasy Lake” p. 144  

Choose one of the two stories above for Essay #6 (due Thurs., 10-14-10).

Essay #7: author’s implied tone (author’s apparent attitude)

Tu 10-12-10--Kate Chopin: “The Story of an Hour” p. 267

Th 10-14-10--Raymond Carver: “Cathedral” p. 160         

 Choose one of the two stories above for Essay #7 (due Thurs., 10-21-10).

Last day to withdraw is Thursday, 11-18-10. A first draft of Essay #5 must be in by this date. Write the Departmental Exam paper any day after Essay #7 is accepted. After the Departmental Exam is accepted, turn in B and A papers.

No additional essays are accepted after the last TuTh class meets on 12-8-10.

            ENGLISH 1302

COMPOSITION II COURSE SYLLABUS

Prerequisite

Enrollment in ENGL 1302 requires credit for ENGL 1301, or its equivalent, with at least a grade of “C.”  Instructor will verify.

Course Description

ENGLISH 1302 is a continuation of English 1301 with emphasis on analysis of readings in prose fiction.  Students will use literary elements to interpret short fiction.

Course Objectives

The goals of Composition II are to promote

•  Critical thinking, reading, and writing within an intercultural context;

•  Clear, coherent, confident, and effective communication;

•  Collaborative writing and learning;

•  Literary analysis.

Course Outcomes

Upon completion of English 1302, students should be able to

•  Think, read, and write critically;

•  Effectively use referential (interpretive/analytical) writing;

•  Critically analyze fiction;

•  Appreciate and understand how the elements of fiction work together.

Requirements

This course will focus on seven elements of fiction: central idea, character, conflict, point of view, setting, language, and tone.  These elements will be incorporated into five to seven writing assignments, varying in length from 200-1000 words (for a minimum total of 2500 words) and using either a cumulative or single-element approach.  To qualify for the Departmental Exam, in at least one paper students must demonstrate their mastery of MLA style for documentation by using parenthetical documentation and providing a list of works cited that contains at least one source other than the primary source.

The Departmental Exam

The Departmental Exam will be taken under supervision in the Testing Center.  Given a story to read, you will write a critical analysis of at least 750 words.  Your instructor will provide you more detailed instructions about the test, which will be evaluated "ACCEPTED" or "RETEST" only.  If you do not pass on the first try, you may retest twice.  Your essay must discuss all of the elements of fiction and must demonstrate the following: 

•  Coherence, analytical thinking, and an understanding of the story. 

•  Adherence to stylistic, grammatical, and mechanical conventions. 

Your instructor may establish deadlines by which you must complete a specific number of assignments or be subject to WITHDRAWAL from the course.  It is your responsibility to know whether your instructor will withdraw you if you cannot meet such deadlines. 

NOTE:  You must provide your instructor with a Composition II File Folder (available in the bookstores) for your papers.  Your instructor will keep your folders for one semester following your enrollment.  You are responsible for making copies of any papers you want to keep for your files.

Learning Lab Policy for “B” and “A” Papers

Departmental policy allows students to receive only very general assistance writing “B” and “A” papers in Composition I and II.  Examples of such assistance include pre-writing activities and review of writing principles and of grammar and documentation conventions in response to student questions.  In addition, individual faculty are free to prohibit students from seeking specific kinds of or any assistance on the “B” and “A” papers and may do so by sending a memo to the learning labs and by stipulating the restriction in class syllabi.

Scholastic Dishonesty

Acts prohibited by the College for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work.  Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research, or self-expression.  Academic work is defined as, but not limited to, tests and quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations; and homework.

Students with Disabilities

Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities.  Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes.  Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester.

Student Freedom of Expression

Each student is strongly encouraged to participate in class.  In any classroom situation that includes discussion and critical thinking, there are bound to be many differing viewpoints.  These differences enhance the learning experience and create an atmosphere where students and instructors alike will be encouraged to think and learn.  On sensitive and volatile topics, students may sometimes disagree not only with each other but also with the instructor.  It is expected that faculty and students will respect the views of others when expressed in classroom discussions.

Withdrawal Policy

The Texas State Legislature passed a bill stating that students who first enroll in public colleges and universities beginning in fall 2007 and thereafter may not withdraw from more than six classes during their undergraduate college career. See ACC Student Handbook for further information.