English 1102-H3:
Composition II

(CRN 10415)

MW 2-3:15p
English Bldg. 251

Dr. Robert W. Hill
Office: EB 117
Office Hours: MW 1-1:50p, by appointment, and frequently online
Telephone and voice mail: 770-423-6346
E-mails: rhill@kennesaw.edu AND rhill41@gmail.com (always send to both)
RWH’s Web Site: http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~rhill
KSU WebCT:
http://vista.kennesaw.edu
Nicenet.org (Class Key = 7Z88740E73):
http://www.nicenet.org

ACADEMIC HONESTY & CLASSROOM CONDUCT: Every KSU student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Student Code of Conduct, as published in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs. Section II of the Student Code of Conduct addresses the University’s policy on academic honesty, including provisions regarding plagiarism and cheating, unauthorized access to University materials, misrepresentation/falsification of University records or academic work, malicious removal, retention, or destruction of library materials, malicious/intentional misuse of computer facilities and/or services, and misuse of student identification cards.  Incidents of alleged academic misconduct will be handled through the established procedures of the University Judiciary Program, which includes either an “informal” resolution by a faculty member, perhaps resulting in a grade adjustment, or a formal hearing procedure, which may subject a student to the Code of Conduct’s minimum one-semester suspension requirement or worse. (Pertinent hyperlinks to more university information on this subject are readily visible on my main web page: http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~rhill).

KSU CATALOG DESCRIPTION: ENGL 1102. Composition II. 3-0-3. Prerequisite: ENGL 1101 (with C or better). Develops writing skills beyond the levels of proficiency required by ENGL 1101. Interpretation and evaluation are emphasized, and a variety of more advanced research methods are incorporated.

LINK TO DEPARTMENTAL GUIDELINES FOR ENGLISH 1101-1102

TEXTS:

President Bush’s 2007 State of the Union Address (online).

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: MLA, 2003. ISBN: 0-87352-986-3.

Morrison, Toni. Jazz. New York: Plume, 1992. ISBN: 0452269652.

Orlean, Susan, ed. Best American Essays of 2005. Boston: Houghton, 2005. ISBN: 0618357130.

Powers, Richard. The Echo Maker. New York: Farrar, 2006. ISBN-13: 978-0-374-14635.

An authoritative grammar/rhetoric handbook (approved by your professor).

Additional readings or viewings, often online.

COURSE GRADING:
Response writing
: Mostly online, ongoing, at least weekly, at a level that indicates your meaningful engagement with readings and ideas encountered in class and with the response writings of your classmates online, ongoing, etc. ("Online" means in contexts available to me and all your classmates: [1] http://vista.kennesaw.edu and [2] http://nicenet.org [Class Key = 7Z88740E73].) Responses are graded twice—as of 6 p.m. on February 28 and April 25—not to be graded as formal essays (spelling, grammar, etc.). Your responses must be serious, conscientious, not written all at once the day before grades are assigned, etc.: A or F—nothing in between. Averaged together, response writings are worth 1/12 of your grade.

Four 750-1000-word essays: Written with proper MLA or APA documentation and "Works Consulted" (see a current, authoritative handbook, your professor, and/or “The Documented Essay (Notes in Progress)” at http://ksumail.kennesaw.edu/~rhill/docessay.htm). Each one requires at least four cited sources, one of which must be an internet source; two others, books or journals. Each essay is worth 1/12 of your grade.

Portfolio comprised of your four original essays, thoughtfully revised and developed (1000-1200 words) in close consultation with your study groups, and a 750-word “cover essay” describing your processes of revision in creating the portfolio. Each essay is worth 1/12 of your grade.

Final examination: Group presentations and in-class, open-book essay, WEDNESDAY, May 2, 2-4 p.m. It's worth 1/6 of your grade.

SECOND-RUN-OF-THE-TERM SYLLABUS:
Reading assignments may be added, deleted, and/or the order rearranged. Readings and written assignments are to be completed by the dates indicated regardless of deviations in the schedule of class discussions. Nota bene: If you do not bring your texts to class, you will sometimes find yourself at serious disadvantage during certain classroom activities (as when I ask, "Where exactly do you see that in your book? what page is that on? which line is that?").

CLASS SCHEDULE:

MONDAY, January 8: Discuss intersections of thinking, reading, writing, and talking, as well as rhetorical and other authority. BAE Franzen 37 ff., Sacks 161 ff., Sedaris 195 ff.

WEDNESDAY, January 10:  BAE Atwan ix ff., Orlean xv ff., Barrett 9 ff., and Greif 62 ff.; discuss Essay.1.

MONDAY, January 15: Martin Luther King, Jr., birthday: NO KSU CLASSES.

[January 20, 1986 - First national King Holiday Observed. By this time 17 states had official King holidays. (1 Jan. 2007 http://www.thekingcenter.org/holiday/kho_chronology.html).]

WEDNESDAY, January 17: Have finished reading at least ½ of Morrison’s Jazz.

MONDAY, January 22: Have finished reading Morrison’s Jazz.

WEDNESDAY, January 24: Essay.1 due at end of class.

MONDAY, January 29:  Have read Powers through p. 274; discuss Essays.1.

WEDNESDAY, January 31: Have finished reading Powers’s The Echo Maker; discuss State of Union Address (bring your own copy).

MONDAY, February 5:

WEDNESDAY, February 7:

MONDAY; February 12: Think, read, write, and talk.

WEDNESDAY, February 14: Essay.2 due at end of class; have finished reading Orlean’s Best American Essays.

MONDAY, February 19: Discuss Lethem’s “The Ecstasy of  Influence” (Nicenet “Documents”)

WEDNESDAY, February 21: Discuss Essays.2; think, read, write, and talk.

MONDAY, February 26: Think, read, write, and talk.

WEDNESDAY, February 28: First grade for response writings as of 6 p.m., Feb. 28.

FRIDAY, March 2: Essay.3 due by noon today (1000-2000 words, any topic you choose, but you must begin with an anecdote—for a model, you’ll no doubt recall our detailed discussion [Feb. 19] of Lethem’s “The Ecstasy of Influence”); Last day to withdraw without academic penalty.

SPRING BREAK, MARCH 3-9, NO CLASSES.

MONDAY, March 19: Return and review Essay.3; Think, read, write, and talk.

WEDNESDAY, March 21: Essay.4 due at end of class (Analyze one essay from BAE imitating the style of a second essay from BAE; think, read, write, and talk.

MONDAY, March 26: Think, read, write, and talk.

WEDNESDAY, March 28: Think, read, write, and talk.

MONDAY, April 2: Think, read, write, and talk.

WEDNESDAY, April 4: Think, read, write, and talk.

MONDAY, April 9: Think, read, write, and talk.

WEDNESDAY, April 11: In-class work on cover essay for portfolio, which is due at end of class, April 18.

MONDAY, April 16: Discuss in-class work on cover essay from Monday.

WEDNESDAY, April 18: PORTFOLIOS DUE TODAY at beginning of class (2 p.m.) in both hard copy (stapled top left with no title page or folder) and e-copy (filename = lastname.p1, etc.). MLA format, with one cumulative Works Consulted to serve all your portfolio essays.

MONDAY, April 23: In-class preparation by study groups for final presentations on May 2.

WEDNESDAY, April 25: LAST DAY OF CLASS: Second grade for response writings as of 6 p.m., April 25.

WEDNESDAY, May 2: FINAL EXAMINATION, 2-4 p.m.

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COURSE EXPECTATIONS:
Be here. Read well. Think well. Listen well. Talk well. Write well.

Stay in close contact with the online syllabus for possible changes, as well as Nicenet and WebCT for your twice-weekly fifteen-minute response writings.

I expect students to take their work seriously, to come to class prepared and willing to participate, and to treat peers and their ideas with respect.

The nature of this course demands an ongoing engagement with the texts assigned and with the class activities surrounding them. You cannot slip behind in your reading or in the writing assignments and succeed in this class. You must make a commitment now—at the beginning of the term—to follow the schedule and to ask for help with anything you don't understand as soon as you know you're in trouble. I am available through e-mail, telephone, and our online programs (Nicenet and WebCT), as well as during office hours.

I'm always happy to help during the process for any writing assignment and to read drafts and make suggestions for revision. I do require that you come to me with specific questions about your essays (“Dr. Hill, would you read over this and see if it’s OK” won’t work.) But I cannot offer this help unless students allow time for it in their handling of individual assignments.

In addition to individual help from me, students may consult the Writing Center (English Building 242, telephone 770-423-6380). Well-trained tutors are available to assist you on MONDAY through THURSDAY = 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; FRIDAY = 9 a.m. to noon; SATURDAY =10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; SUNDAY = 1 to 5 p.m.

EVALUATION PROCEDURES:
Late work will not be accepted unless you make arrangements in advance with a legitimate excuse for turning in work after the announced deadline. In case of emergencies, it is your responsibility, immediately upon your return to class, to make arrangements about assignments you have missed. If you do not follow the procedure articulated here, you will receive a zero for all work not submitted on time. With email access, there are few good reasons, for example, to miss a class on Wednesday (half a week) and not contact me before, say, Sunday before your Monday class.

If you are, or intend to be, absent, I expect you to communicate with me immediately, through e-mail, Nicenet, and/or WebCT, to clarify your situation regarding missed work. There is no excuse for allowing absences to pass unexplained, and students who do so should not expect exceptions to be made for them at the end of the term.

ATTENDANCE POLICY: Any student who misses more than three classes during the semester may have his or her grade lowered. Missing more than four classes, excused or unexcused, will result in failure for the course. Obviously, I expect you—and you should expect yourself—to be in class and prepared unless you have a genuine emergency.

If you miss class for legitimate reason, I expect you to make that reason known to me immediately (see above under "Evaluation Procedures"). In addition, any student who is persistently tardy and/or who leaves class early will be counted absent.

CLASSROOM DECORUM: Turn off all electronic communication devices—cell phones, beepers, etc.—before entering the classroom (do not simply silence them).These devices are inappropriate and disruptive in the classroom setting unless we are all, as a group, working with them for class purposes. Do not talk or otherwise engage your peers during class except as part of the overall class discussion. Ideally (and I do know how much or little that’s worth), all students are to have their attention focused on the class activity throughout the scheduled meeting time.

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Return to R.W. Hill's KSU Home Page
http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~rhill
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[This page was created 9 January 2002; last revised, 19 February 2007.--RWH]