Course Objectives for English 101

Trinity Valley Communi= ty College

Syllabus for English 1= 302: Composition and Literature = ;

Instructor: Dr. Joe Mills, Professor of English

Office: = Athens. Academic Building Room 229. Phone Number: Athens, 903 675-6318=

e-mail address: = jmills@tvcc.edu = Website: http://www.tvcc.edu/faculty/jmi= lls

Office Hours: <= /span>Athens: Call for appointment

Course Description

This is a 3-hour lower level, undergradua= te course that is a continuation of English 1301 with emphasis on the study and criti= cal evaluation of modern literature, primarily from American writers of fiction, poetry, and drama. The course will begin with a series of short stories that the student will read and critically evaluate and follow with poetry and drama.

Participants will write compositions and = essay test answers about literature. You will use writings and readings (primarily from the textbook) to investigate issues that are significant to your development as a writer and reader in an academic context. You will develop techniques that will help you in assessing audience expectations; reading critically; engaging in debate to explore ideas of others; and honing you skills at discovery, cultivation, and reflection of the writing processes. = Your writing should demonstrate a degree of mastery of Edited American English (EAE).

Course prerequisites:= English 1301

Required Text= s

The Bedford Introduct= ion to Literature, Michael Meyer, 8^th Edition, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. Purchase textbook at the TVCC bookstore.

Recommended T= exts

Please keep with you a copy of any grammar book s= imilar to A Writer’s Reference, = Fifth Edition, which you used in English 1301.&n= bsp; In addition, it would be wise to make a thesaurus and dictionary available for reference.

Course Object= ives

At the end of this course, class particip= ants will be able to:

Formulate a statement of what short stories, poet= ry, and drama are all about.

Recognize the difference between commercial and l= iterary fiction.

Discuss other elements of a story such as plot; characterization; theme; point of view; symbol, allegory, and fantasy; and humor and irony.

Understand the importance of specifying audience = and purpose;

Demonstrate the ability to read and understand co= urse materials;

Understand and apply basic principles of critical thinking (such as the analysis and synthesis of ideas from various sources)= in the development of exposition and argument;

Develop written assignments which demonstrate com= petency in Edited American English as expected in the local and national communitie= s, to include the conventions of grammar, spelling, coherence, appearance, patterns of development, introductions, and conclusions, and

Show competency in producing a well written resea= rch paper.

Required Work= and Grades

Your grade in this course will be based o= n the average of all tests, various assignments, research paper, and effort.&n= bsp; Your course grade will be based upon, plus my perception of progress made by you during the course.

Research Pape= r

You must write a major research paper, wh= ich is a requirement of the course. = You cannot earn a C, B, or an A in this course unless you complete and submit a research paper in addition to the other required work.

You must select a topic early in the seme= ster to provide time for completion before the semester ends. Further instructions will be given= . We will discuss this early in the semester. Refer to your textbook for further instructions on how to go about researching and writing this paper. One of the first things you must do is choose a topic. After you have chosen a topic, go = to a library or Learning Resource Center (LRC) and find resource material on the subject. An important resource person in the LRC is the Reference Librarian, who can be of great help in t= his matter. Write down all of the information about the resource material.&n= bsp; The Research Paper must be = five pages long with at least three correctly documented resources. No encyclopedia (including Wikiped= ia) references will count as legitimate resources. Each of the resources must be discreet. Biographical essays= on authors are taboo. An automat= ic grade of D will be assigned to research papers written on the life of an author.

Late Papers

Occasionally, life throws complications o= ur way, but deadlines are important. Points will be deducted for late papers. Again, extraordinary circumstances might excuse a late assignment, but these are rare. To avoid turning in late papers, don’t wait until the deadl= ine to start working on your assignment. If you work steadily on your assignmen= ts, you will write better and you will avoid being late.

MLA Style Man= ual

The MLA handbook on style will be our sou= rce for proper documentation for this course.&= nbsp; You may rely on the initial chapter, Writing about Literature, for the basic information about writing your research paper. The use of documentati= on should be sufficient for you to adequately document your paper.