Long Beach City College – Spring 2007

English 2:  Introduction to Literature/Composition

Section 30538

 

           

Instructor:  Dr. Karen Rose Class room:  P121

          Office:  P103                               Class time:  MW 1:30-3 PM

          Phone:  562-938-4099                 Course web site:  www.skidandkaren.com

          E-mail:  krose@lbcc.edu                                 

Office hours:  Mondays 9-11:30 AM, Tuesdays 12-1 PM, Wednesdays 11-11:30 AM, Thursdays 12-1 PM

                                                           

 

Course Description

The goal of this course is to introduce you to the literary genres of the short story, poetry, drama, and the novel.  You will learn the conventions of each genre and how to analyze each work using common literary terms.  Ideally, you will become a more perceptive reader as well as a clearer writer.  I hope this course captures your imagination and inspires you to read more literature.

 

Prerequisite

You must have successfully completed English 1 prior to enrolling in English 2.

 

Textbooks

  • Kennedy, X.J.  Literature:  An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, 9th edition.
  • Fitzgerald, F. Scott.  The Great Gatsby.
  • Boyle, T.C.  The Tortilla Curtain.

 

Course Requirements

Two essays – Your essays will be 4-5 pages in length, typed, double-spaced with one-inch margins.  I will provide you with essay topics at least two weeks before the final essay is due.

Midterm and Final Exam – You will be expected to define the literary terms we have discussed in class, recognize and write about passages from the reading selections, and respond to short essay questions.

Quizzes – I will give unannounced quizzes on the reading assignments to encourage you to keep up with the reading. 

Group and class discussions – Your participation in group activities and class discussions is vital to the success of this class.  Your contributions will make our class more interesting, and we will all benefit from different points of view.  It is essential that you complete the reading assignments before coming to class.

 

Grading

Your final grade for the course will be determined as follows:

Essay #1                 200 points

Essay #2                 200 points

Midterm                  200 points

Final                       200 points

Quizzes                   100 points

Class participation      75 points

Attendance              25 points (less 5 points per absence)

                             __________

TOTAL                    1000 points

 

 

Grading Scale

A = 1000 – 900 points

B = 899 – 800 points

C = 799 – 700 points

D = 699 – 600 points

F = 599 or less points

 

Attendance

I will take attendance at the beginning of class.  I expect you to arrive on time, bring your textbook to class, and be prepared to participate in class discussions and activities.  Your failure to fulfill these expectations will adversely affect your grade.  Please make note of the following:

·         In accordance with LBCC policy, if you are absent in excess of 20% of total class hours or for two consecutive weeks, you will be dropped from the class.

·         If you arrive after attendance is taken, you are tardy.  Three tardies count as one absence.

·         In-class work missed during an absence cannot be made up. 

 

Late essays

Fifteen points will be deducted for each day your essay is late (including weekends).  When an essay is due, it must be handed in at the beginning of the class or it will be considered late. 

 

Missed quizzes

Make-up quizzes are not allowed.  If you are absent on the day of a quiz, or if you arrive to class late and miss a quiz, you will receive a grade of zero for that quiz.    

 

Classroom conduct

Treat your classmates as you would want them to treat you!  When somebody is talking, pay attention and listen to what he or she has to say, even if you disagree with what is being said.  You have the right to speak up and present your viewpoint, but personal insults are not acceptable.  Treating one another with respect will make our class more fun. 

 

Cell phones and text messaging

The first time your phone rings or I find that you are sending text messages during class, you will receive a warning.  After that, I will deduct 15 points each time. 

 

Plagiarism

The MLA Handbook defines plagiarism as “the act of using another person’s ideas or expressions in your writing without acknowledging the source.”  This includes buying papers and copying/pasting content from the Internet.  If you are not sure you understand what constitutes plagiarism or you have any questions about how to acknowledge another’s work, please ask me.  Be aware that LBCC regulations require that all instances of plagiarism be reported to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.  If I learn that you have plagiarized, you will receive a zero on the assignment, and I will contact Dr. John Fylpaa.  Please be careful to cite other people’s words and ideas that you incorporate – by way of quotation, paraphrase, and summary – into your essays. 

 

Resources

Take advantage of the resources available to help you develop your writing skills and succeed in this class:

 

·         Me -- I am dedicated to helping each of you achieve your academic goals.  If you feel that you need extra assistance, please come to my office hours or schedule an appointment to meet with me.  I will be happy to help you. 

 

·         Writing and Reading Center -- The WRC is located at L149 on the LAC campus and GG129 on the PCC campus.  You can receive FREE walk-in writing assistance from an English instructor or tutor.  If you would like more specialized individual instruction, you can enroll in a half-unit course.  For more information, please ask me, call the Writing and Reading Center at 938-4520, or visit the web site:  http://engl.lbcc.edu/

 

·         Computer Labs -- The English Department Computer Lab is located in P111 and is available to all students currently enrolled in an English course.  The Open Access Computer Lab is located in the south wing of the 2nd floor of the Library Building (L208).  It is free to use the computers (PC and Mac) for word processing or to access the Internet.  Printing costs 10¢ per page. 

 

·         Our class web site -- On our web site you will find the syllabus, assignments, and links to many web sites that I think you will find helpful.  Please visit http://www.skidandkaren.com.  Click on “Karen’s English Students”

 

 

 

Course Schedule and Assignments

Note:  This schedule is subject to change.  If we need to spend more time

on any of the topics listed below, we will make adjustments.

 

 

 

Monday

Wednesday


Week 1
Jan. 15 & 17


Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

 

No Classes     

 

 

Course overview
Interviews and introductions

 


Week 2
Jan. 22 & 24

 

 

Plot & the Short Story (12-15)

·          J. & W. Grimm, “Godfather Death” (9-12)

·          John Updike, “A & P” (15-20)

 

 

Point of View (23-28)

·          William Faulkner, “A Rose for Emily” (29-36)

·          Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” (571-583)

 


Week 3
Jan. 29 & 31
 

 

Character (91-94)

·          Alice Walker, “Everyday Use” (102-109)

·          Raymond Carver, “Cathedral” (109-120

 

·          John Cheever, “The Five-Forty-Eight” (528-539)

Setting (124-126)

·          Kate Chopin, “The Storm” (127-131)

 


Week 4

Feb. 5 & 7

 

·          T.C. Boyle, “Greasy Lake” (143-151)

Tone & Style (170-174)

·          Ernest Hemingway, “A Clean, Well-lighted Place” (174-178)

·          Guy de Maupassant, “The Necklace” (193-200)

 

 

·          Flannery O’Connor, “Good Country People” (416-430)

·          William Faulkner, “Barn Burning” (178-191)


Week 5

Feb. 12 & 14

 

Theme (212-214)

·          Kurt Vonnegut, “Harrison Bergeron” (242-247)

Symbol (251-253)

·          Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery” (262-269)

 

 

·          Edgar Allan Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart” (382-385)

·          Ursula K. LeGuin, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” (273-277)

Writing About a Story (2130-2142)

Overview of essay #1 assignment

 

 


Week 6

Feb. 19 & 21
 

 

Presidents’ Day – No Classes

 

 

 

Reading a Poem (701-703)

·          William Butler Yeats, “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” (703)

Lyric Poetry (706)

·          Anonymous, “Western Wind” (1141)

·          D.H. Lawrence, “Piano” (706)

·          Adrienne Rich, “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” (707)

 


Week 7
Feb. 26 & 28

 

Narrative Poetry (708)

·          Robert Frost, “‘̀Out, Out—’” (710)

Dramatic Poetry (711)

·          Robert Browning, “My Last Duchess” (712-713)

Tone (717)

·          Theodore Roethke, “My Papa’s Waltz” (718)

·          Countee Cullen, “For a Lady I Know” (719)

 

 

·          Weldon Kees, “For My Daughter” (723)

·          Robert Frost, “Fire and Ice” (784)

The Person in the Poem (723)

·          Natasha Trethewey, “White Lies” (724)

·          Wilfred Owen, “Dulce ed Decorum Est” (742)

 


Week 8

March 5 & 7
 

 

·          Sylvia Plath, “Daddy” (1222-1224)

·          William Carlos Williams, “The Red Wheelbarrow” (731)

 

Imagery (790-791)

·          Ezra Pound, “In a Station of the Metro” (790)

·          Taniguchi Buson, “The Piercing Chill I Feel” (790)

·          Chana Block, “Tired Sex” (802)

·          Billy Collins, “Embrace” (805)

 

 

·          Marilyn Nelson, “A Strange Beautiful Woman” (1215)

·          Stevie Smith, “Not Waving But Drowning” (806)

·          Robert Phillips, “Running on Empty” (1221)

Metaphor & Simile (817-808)

·          Sylvia Plath, “Metaphors” (820)

 


Week 9
March 12 & 14

 

·          Margaret Atwood, “You Fit into Me” (828)

·          Langston Hughes, “Harlem” (1124)

·          Langston Hughes, “Song for a Dark Girl” (1120)

Form (908 & 917)

·          William Shakespeare, “That Time of Year . . . “ (1138)

 

 

·          Kim Addonizio, “First Poem For You” (920)

·          Dylan Thomas, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” (927)

Symbol (955-6)

·          Robert Frost, “Mending Wall” (1176-1177)

·          Francisco X. Alarcón, “The X in My Name (1010)

 


Week 10

March 19 & 21
 

 

Review for Midterm Exam

 

Essay #1 Due

 

Midterm Exam


Week 11

March 26 & 28

 


Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman

Act I (1897-1930)


Flex Day – No Classes     

 


Week 12

April 2 & 4


Death of a Salesman

Act II & Requiem (1930-1969)

 

 

 

Arthur Miller, “Tragedy and the Common Man” (1969-1972)

 

 

April 9-13

 

 

Spring Break


Week 13

April 16 & 18
 

 

Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie Scene I – Scene II (1973-1982)


The Glass Menagerie

Scene III-Scene IV (1982-1992)


Week 14
April 23 & 25


The Glass Menagerie

Scene V – Scene VII (1992-2022)

 

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Chapters I-III (1-64)

 
Week 15

April 30 & May 2

 

The Great Gatsby,

Chapters IV-VII (65-153)

 


 The Great Gatsby

Chapters VIII-IX (154-189)

 

 


Week 16
May 7 & 9

 


T. C. Boyle, The Tortilla Curtain

Part 1 (1-142)


The Tortilla Curtain

Part 2 (145-257)