English 102: College Reading and Composition II 

FALL 2021

(3 units; UC, CSU)

 

Instructor: Aurora Reynoso   

Office: Faculty Offices 2607                                                                

Office Hours: Monday through Thursday from 2:00 to 3:30 pm,  and by appointment. I will conduct office hours through email and conferences.  If you email me on the days and times indicated, I will respond during the office hour.  If you want to speak to me directly, we will set an appointment time for a conference held on Canvas.  Email me first to set up the appointment. 

Email:  I welcome you to contact me by using the Inbox icon on Canvas to send me a message.  

Required Texts and Materials: All the readings for this course are provided for you, either as pages in Canvas or through links that will take you to the relevant online location.   The advantage is that you will not have to incur the additional costs of a textbook or anthology.  The disadvantage is that you don't automatically get a printed version of the work.  Reading the work on the page is actually a critical element of understanding and responding to a work of literature.  A printed copy provides a convenient way for you to underline important lines you may later quote and it also allows you to jot down your thoughts and questions as your read.  Therefore, you should have access to a good printer and be sure to print out each one of the assigned texts.  For longer works, such as the plays, I recommend buying an inexpensive paperback edition, if you want to save on ink. 

Course Description

English 102 explores the art of literature, including literary genres, vocabulary, and traditions.  Students will read representative works of fiction, poetry, and drama in order to engage in class discussions and compose essays in which they critically examine those literary works.

Course Goals

• Analyze literature of various historical periods in order to develop critical thinking, reading, and writing skills.
• Evaluate rhetorical and thematic elements of poetry, fiction and drama by composing essay with clear thesis statements and specific, relevant supporting evidence.
• Assess and follow MLA research and documentation guidelines.

Course Requirements

• 3 Essays                              150 Points (50 points each)
• 3 Outlines                             30 Points (10 points each)
• 5 Reading Journals            100 Points (20 points each)
• 10 Discussions                     50 Points ( 5 points each)
• 1 Quiz                                      5 Points
• Final Exam                            65 Points

                        Total Possible: 400 points

Course Grading

Final grading will be based on points earned and on the following scale:

• 90% to 100% (more than 360 points) =      A
• 80% to 89% (320 points to 359 points) =  B
• 70% to 79% (280 points to 319 points) =  C
• 60% to 69% (240 points to 279 points) =  D
• 59% and below (less than 240 points)    =  F

Course Schedule

Please keep in mind that the course schedule and course content are subject to change.  Because circumstances, both inside and outside of class, can change, I reserve the right to modify, supplement, and make alterations as the course needs arise.  For the latest, most accurate information consult the English 102 Modules.

 

WEEK ONE (8/30)

• Getting Started with Online Learning
• Introduction to English 102
• Elements of Poetry: Speaker and Voice
  • "A Certain Lady" by Dorothy Parker
  • "We Real Cool," by Gwendolyn Brooks
• Due Friday 9/3: DISCUSSION 1: Introductions
• Due Friday 9/3: Quiz 1: Getting Started

 

WEEK TWO (9/6)

• Elements of Poetry: Situation and Setting
  • "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvel
  • "The Flea" by John Donne 

• Elements of Poetry: Theme and Tone
  • "Wild Nights" by Emily Dickinson
  • "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou

Due Friday 9/10: POETRY JOURNAL 1 

 

WEEK THREE (9/13)

• Elements of Poetry: Language and Diction
  • "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke
  • "To a Daughter Leaving Home" by Linda Pastan
• Elements of Poetry: Imagery
  • "Facing It" by Yusef Komunyakaa
  • "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen
  • "La Migra" by Pat Mora
• Elements of Poetry: Figurative Language
  • "That time of year thou mayst in me behold" by William Shakespeare
  • "After great pain a formal feeling comes--" by Emily Dickinson
• Due Sunday 9/19: DISCUSSION 2

 

WEEK FOUR (9/20)

• Element of Poetry: Rhyme and Meter
  • "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost
• Elements of Poetry: Alliteration, Assonance, Consonance, Onomatopoeia
  • "The Word Plum" by Helen Chasin
• Elements of Poetry: Symbol
  • "The Vacuum" by Howard Nemerov
  • "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
• Topics for Essay 1
• Due Sunday 9/26: POETRY JOURNAL 2 

WEEK FIVE (9/27)

• Outline for Essay 1 Due
• Elements of Fiction: Plot
  • "The Shroud
  • "A & P" by John Updike
• Due Sunday 10/3: DISCUSSION 3

WEEK SIX (10/4)

• Elements of Fiction: Character
  • "Good People" by David Foster Wallace
• Due Friday 10/8: DISCUSSION 4
• Due Sunday 10/10: ESSAY 1 

WEEK SEVEN (10/11)

• Elements of Fiction: Narrative and Point of View
  
  • "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway
  • "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Alan Poe
• Due Sunday 10/17 DISCUSSION 5
• Due Sunday 10/17: FICTION JOURNAL 1 

WEEK EIGHT (10/18)

• Elements of Fiction: Setting
  • "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Gilman Perkins
  • "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates
• Topics for Essay 2
• Due Friday 10/22: DISCUSSION 6

 

WEEK NINE (10/25)

• Outline for Essay 2 Due
• Elements of Fiction: Theme
  • "The Lady with the Dog" by Anton Chekhov 
  • "Araby" by James Joyce
  • "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin
• Due Sunday: 10/24: FICTION JOURNAL 2 

WEEK TEN (11/1)

• Elements of Drama: Drama vs. Fiction  
• Elements of Drama: Plot and Character
  
  • Trifles by Susan Glaspell
• Due Friday 11/5: DISCUSSION 7
• Due Sunday 11/7: ESSAY 2

WEEK ELEVEN (11/8)

• Elements of Drama: Historical Contexts
  
  • A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen 
• Topics for Essay 3
• Due Sunday 11/14: DISCUSSION 8

WEEK TWELVE (11/15)

• A Doll's House (Continued)
• Outline for Essay 3 Due
• Due Sunday 11/21: DISCUSSION 9

WEEK THIRTEEN (11/22)

• Elements of Drama: Cultural Contexts
  • The Importance of Being Ernest  by Oscar Wilde
• Due Monday (11/29): DRAMA JOURNAL

WEEK FOURTEEN (11/29)

• The Importance of Being Ernest (Continued)
• Due Friday 12/3: DISCUSSION 10
• Due Sunday 11/5: ESSAY 3

WEEK FIFTEEN (12/6)

• Review for Final Exam

 

Attendance

 Students who miss the equivalent of one week of course meetings prior to Census Date WILL be excluded from the course.  After Census date, students may be dropped due to lack of participation, attendance and/or progress.   The last day to drop without a grade of "W"' is September 12.  The last day to drop with a grade of "W" is November 21.  

Please keep in mind the “three strikes” rule.   You have three chances to pass a course.  Withdrawing after the census counts as a strike.  Receiving a D or F in the class also counts as a strike.  Similarly, enrolling in the course but then discontinuing attendance will also result in a strike. 

Modules 

All course activities have been organized into modules.  The best way to stay on track and succeed in this class is to go through the module items in the order they are provided.   Module items include informational pages on specific topics, discussions, assignments, and other essential documents.  Skipping any item in the module can easily lead to confusion or completing an assignment incorrectly.  This in turn will lead to a loss of points on the course work you submit.   Save yourself time and trouble by going through module items in order.   Modules will be made available on a sequential basis in small groups.  This means that at the beginning of the semester you will see the first two or three modules, and you'll have a chance to work through them before the next group of modules is posted.  To see a timeline of the entire course, see the course schedule above.    

Assignment Due Dates

Another important step in succeeding in English 102 is to keep track of assignment due dates. Course assignments and Discussions have due dates, so be sure to get started on assignments as early as you can.   

Late Assignments: If for any reason you are not able to turn in an assignment on time, you will have two additional days to complete the work and submit.  Late assignments will see a point reduction of 20% of the possible points.  For example, a ten point assignment will see a reduction of 2 points.  If you earn 8 points out of 10 on the assignment, there will be a reduction of 2 points.  8 points earned, minus 2 point loss, equals 6 points. The final score: 6 out of 10 points.  But if you turn in your work on time, you won't have to worry about any of this!

Late Discussions: Because discussions are dependent on interactions among students, they need to occur in a timely manner.  Therefore, no late discussion posts will be accepted.  My suggestion: when you have a discussion, jump right in and do it first. 

Let Me Know: We are living in challenging times.  If you have an emergency situation, email me through the Inbox and we'll find a solution together.

 

Academic Honesty

According to the WPA, "plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else's language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source."   Other kinds of plagiarism can include copying another student's class assignment, exam, or essay.  Because Pierce College values academic integrity, any instance of plagiarism will result in academic sanctions, which may include: zero points for the essay, assignment, or exam; suspension from class; your name reported to the Dean of Student services.  Sanctions can also include failing the course and a permanent expulsion from all campuses in the LACCD.  (See the college catalogue for a fuller statement of this policy.)

Honest academic work helps you build your skills and raise your confidence. Plagiarism, on the other hand, prevents you from getting the practice you need in writing. It also keeps you from learning how to think independently and creatively.  If you find yourself having difficulties in writing an essay or responding to an assignment, please contact me, so we can work together in finding a solution. 

 

Rules of Conduct

The writing process requires the development and sharing of ideas.  For this reason, it is crucial for all students to express themselves and to read the expressions of others in a respectful manner.   Because we are doing online academic work we should observe the rules of polite online communication.  Please review Online Etiquette on a regular basis to keep the guidelines in mind.

 

Special Services

Students needing special accommodations should contact both, the Special Services office and the instructor as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. All information will remain confidential. See  Special Services (Links to an external site.) web page, or call 818-719-6430.  You can also email the office at: special_services@piercecollege.edu. The Web pages, video presentations, and class materials in this course are accessible to students with disabilities.