English 102 Syllabus

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Objectives:  

1. To make the pleasure and wisdom of literature available to you, largely by showing you that literature contains no “hidden meanings,” rather that the meaning is what you, the reader, develop as you engage the work.
2. To help you develop your writing as both a tool of discovery as well as a tool of communication, one that you can use outside the study of literature.
3. To introduce you to both the lexicon and conventions of the three genres, short fiction, poetry, and drama.

Texts:   

1. Kennedy, X. J. and Dana Gioia.  Literature:  an Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama.  9^th Ed.  New York:  Longman, 2005.
2. A good dictionary

Requirements:

This course consists of three units:  the short story, poetry, and drama.  There will be a midterm, which will cover short fiction, and a final, which will cover poetry and drama.  Also, you will write three analytic papers outside of class, each one considering two pieces of literature, comparing and contrasting what you consider important features of both.  If you so choose, one of the three papers can be a creative work of your own – a short story, or a collection of a minimum of three poems, or a scene from a play.  All papers are to be typed and should abide by formal, M.L.A. manuscript conventions.  A late paper will fall one grade for each class missed, and no work will be accepted after the last day of the semester.  In addition, you will develop a Response Journal – a collection of written responses, each from a half to two pages long – to readings from the text and, if you like, to a live production of a play and a poetry reading.

Grades: 

 The A.S.C.:  

Although there is no requirement that you do assignments in the Writing Center, you might want to take advantage of the Academic Support Center.  Just as professional writers consult their editors and agents about their work, students at all levels of ability will find it useful to seek the advice of tutors in the ASC.

Plagiarism:  

In every writing course, plagiarism is a serious concern for both teachers and students, and the practice is as welcome in a writing class as kidnapping is in a class on childbirth. See your Cerritos College Catalogue for a discussion of academic honesty.

Grading

Criteria

 

A:  An "A" paper commands attention because of its insightful development and mature style.  It presents a cogent discussion of its subject and employs well-chosen examples and persuasive reasoning.  It shows that the writer can choose words aptly, use sophisticated sentences effectively, and observe the conventions of written English. 

B:  A "B" paper is clearly competent. It presents a thoughtful discussion of its subject, and it uses appropriate examples and sensible reasoning.  A "B" paper typically has a less fluent and complex style than an "A" paper but does show that the writer can usually choose words accurately, vary sentences effectively, and observe the conventions of written English. 

C:  A "C" paper is satisfactory, sometimes marginally so.  It presents an adequate discussion of its subject and elaborates with sufficient examples and acceptable reasoning. Just as these examples and this reasoning will ordinarily be less developed than those in "B" papers, so will the "C" paper's style be less effective. Nevertheless, a "C" paper shows that its writer can usually choose words of sufficient precision, control sentences of reasonable variety, and observe the conventions of written English.

D:  A "D" paper is unsatisfactory in one or more of the following ways.  It may discuss its subject illogically; it may lack coherent structure or elaboration with examples; it may reflect an incomplete understanding of the subject. Its prose is usually characterized by at least one of the following: frequently imprecise word choice; little sentence variety; occasional major errors in grammar and usage, or frequent minor errors.

F:  The qualitative "F" paper shows serious weaknesses, ordinarily of several kinds. It frequently presents a simplistic, inappropriate, or incoherent discussion of the topic, one that may suggest some significant misunderstanding of its subject. Its prose is usually characterized by at least one of the following: simplistic or inaccurate word choice, monotonous or fragmented sentence structure; many repeated errors in grammar and usage.  The quantitative "F" fails to arrive.