ENGL 130: Writing About Literature
Tu/Th, 9:15 AM – 10:30 AM – KY 173
Tu/Th, 10:45 AM – 12:00 PM – KY 244

Paul L. Hebert, Instructor
[email protected]
Office: KP 347
Office Hours: Tu/Th, 12:15 PM – 1:00 PM and by appointment

From the Catalog

ENGL 130 fulfills the College Writing 2 requirement and builds on the work of English 110 (College Writing 1), in order to teach the conventions of writing in the discipline of English. The course focuses on the study of Anglophone literature and how to engage in scholarly conversations about literature by using close reading of primary and secondary sources, conducting original research, and developing analytical arguments about literary texts in different genres.

Course Overview

It is said that love overcomes, laughter puts people in their places, and spells change the rules. Humor, magic, and love, then, often appear in stories as resistant to, or in conflict with, authority. Take for example Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In the first scene, star-crossed lovers Hermia and Lysander are prevented from marrying by draconian marriage laws and disapproving parents. After adventures—and the magic of fairies—the “power of love” convinces the duke to let them marry. The humor of MND encourages audiences to root for the lovers and, in essence, against routine law and order.

Examples abound in all the works we’ll read this semester. In Like Water for Chocolate, the protagonist, Tita, is unable to gain her mother’s permission to marry but her passions affect all those around her through the magic of her food. In the end, she gets her way. In Mama Day, magic surrounds an isolated African American community but also contrasts with the more mundane magic of falling in love with New York City.

In this course you’ll be introduced to the conventions of professional literary criticism and practice the work of literary scholars. You’ll hone your skills of close reading, careful research, and argumentation.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, you will have:

Course Website

https://130hebert2019.commons.gc.cuny.edu

The course website is always be the most accurate source for course materials, policies, and due dates. Check it often.

The Readings page is password protected because it contains copyrighted materials. The password: hebert

Readings

The texts listed below will be the primary sources for this class. Most materials will be available either in print or for download on the course site, however the two novels in bold must be purchased. Any edition (digital or print) is okay.

Esquivel, Laura. Like Water for Chocolate (1989)

Naylor, Gloria. Mama Day (1988)

Shakespeare, William. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1595) [provided by the instructor]

Assignments

Throughout this course you will do informal discussion board posts, in-class writing assignments, and three formal essays. For homework due dates, see the Schedule page.

Essays

You will draft, revise, and edit three professional essays in this course. These essays must include a title and adhere to MLA style guidelines for format and citations. Works Cited pages do not count toward page requirements. Rough drafts and professional drafts must be printed, stapled, and ready to turn in at the beginning of the class on which they are due.

Essay I: Close Reading

Analyze a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream by identifying a key theme in the scene and describing how that theme is portrayed. Your essay must be at least four pages.

Essay II: Reading in Context

Analyze Like Water for Chocolate by comparing it to two other works you’ve read by identifying a common theme or method. Your essay must be at least five pages.

Essay III: Joining the Scholarly Conversation

Construct and defend an original thesis that links two of the texts from this course. You essay must be at least 6 pages and incorporate the ideas of at least two scholars to defend your thesis.

Annotated Bibliography

In preparation for your final essay, you will prepare a one-page annotated bibliography with at least six sources related to two of the texts we’ve read in class.

Discussion Board

You will occasionally be required to post online responses. These are informal writing assignments and should generally be around 150 words. The discussion board is an opportunity to explore the texts and ideas that emerge during in-class discussion and at-home reading. You should feel free to ask questions, test arguments, and use colloquial language. The discussion board allows links and media, so it’s also a place to share resources and express ideas differently than in class. One purpose of these assignments is to share ideas, too, so while they can look and sound “like you,” they should also be understandable.

Please note that your online posts are public. You should not post private information. You are welcome to use a pseudonym when posting—witty literary names are welcome—as long as you make sure the instructor knows what it is. If you have any concerns about these posts, speak to the instructor.

Grading

A syllabus is a contract between students and instructors. You might agree, for instance, to do all the homework on time in exchange for an “A” grade and comments to help you improve your writing. Most often, though, the contract is one-sided: instructors define what is expected of students and students passively agree by staying in the course. It doesn’t have to be that way, though.

As a class, we will create grading contracts that help us create our version of an idea classroom, defining expectations for both students and instructors. Like contracts in the “real world,” these will be negotiable and we will collectively negotiate the terms of it in the first two weeks of classes. This process will culminate in each student choosing a grade contract corresponding to the grade the student hopes to receive in the course. If you agree to the “B” contract, for example, you are promising to do all of the expected tasks for that grade. If during the course of the semester you find that the terms of the contract no longer seem agreeable to you, then either as a class or individually you can work to renegotiate the terms.

Finalized Contract

General Student Responsibilities:

• Helping to create a space where people feel welcomed and encouraged to participate. This includes not interrupting, insulting or disrespecting others in class;
• Contacting the instructor before leaving early or being absent (except in emergencies, when the instructor should be contacted as soon as possible);
• Emailing homework/essays to instructor by noon on due dates, if absent;
• Using technology in ways that are helpful to class discussion and learning;
• Cleaning up after any food or drink.

For a grade of A (excellent) students will:

• Produce essays of at least “A”-level quality;
• Turn in all homework on time;
• Participate in all classroom activities, with the exception that one (1) day of unexcused non-participation is okay;
• Be late to class unexcused no more than once (1);
• Sustain effort and investment on each draft of all papers;
• Give thoughtful feedback and worked faithfully with your group on collaborative tasks (e.g., sharing papers, commenting on drafts, peer editing, discussion boards, answering peer questions);
• Copy-edit final revisions of main assignments until they conform to the conventions of edited, professional English.

For a grade of B (good) students will:

• Produce essays of at least “B”-level quality;
• Turn in all homework on time, with the exception that one (1) unexcused missing or late assignment is okay;
• Participate in all classroom activities, with the exception that two (2) days of unexcused non-participation is okay;
• Be late to class unexcused no more than twice (2);
• Sustain effort and investment on each draft of all papers;
• Give thoughtful feedback and worked faithfully with your group on collaborative tasks (e.g., sharing papers, commenting on drafts, peer editing, discussion boards, answering peer questions);
• Copy-edit final revisions of main assignments until they conform to the conventions of edited, professional English.

For a grade of C (average) students will:

• Produce essays of at least “C”-level quality;
• Turn in all homework on time, with the exception that two (2) unexcused missing or late assignment is okay;
• Participate in all classroom activities, with the exception that three (3) days of unexcused non-participation is okay;
• Be late to class unexcused no more than three times (3);
• Sustain effort and investment on each draft of all papers;
• Give thoughtful feedback and worked faithfully with your group on collaborative tasks (e.g., sharing papers, commenting on drafts, peer editing, discussion boards, answering peer questions);
• Copy-edit final revisions of main assignments until they conform to the conventions of edited, professional English.

Instructor’s Responsibilities

• Returning assignments in a timely manner (by the following week, unless it’s a revision).
• Respond to student questions outside of class in a timely manner (within 24 hours or 48 on the weekend)
• Provide thorough feedback for improvement on written work
• Treat students with respect and grade according to the agreed policies
• Teach required essay genres, as well as the other genres we decide on as a class.
• Teach classes on time and only once.

Notes

1. Arriving more than five minutes after class begins is considered late.
2. Participation includes listening actively and responding thoughtfully and respectfully to everyone in the classroom. It includes volunteering to read, answer questions, offer opinions, and helpfully cooperating during group work. It also includes taking notes and annotations.

Writing Expectations

A-level

Exceeds many expectations for college-level writing and encourages the reader to engage with the author’s argument. The reader appreciates the author’s style and clarity.

• Professional format (MLA); descriptive title; relatively free of mechanical errors; varied use of sentence structure for positive impact
• Central idea is clearly defined and well developed; essay has clear purpose; demonstrates thorough knowledge of the text
• Demonstrates close reading and analysis by using abundant meaningful evidence; examples that are vivid and specific
• Logically organized, cohesive, easily followed; effective transitions;
• Tone is clear, consistent, and appropriate for the intended audience

B-level

Meets expectations for college level writing and generally does not impede the reader from engaging with the author’s argument.

• Paper has logical structure with some ambiguities or irrelevances; easily followed; basic transitions;
• Standard format; uses complex sentences with few mechanical errors
• Vocabulary is varied, subject-specific and appropriate; writer’s tone emerges and is generally appropriate for the audience;
• Central idea and purpose are generally clear throughout the essay;
• Evidence of critical careful thought and analysis; relevant supporting examples.

C-level

Meets some expectations for college level writing but the reader can be distracted from the argument.

• There is some level of organization though digressions, ambiguities, irrelevances are distracting; Paper is difficult to follow with some ineffective transitions;
• Inconsistent format; use of compound sentences; distracting mechanics;
• Vocabulary is used correctly though sentences may be simple; infrequently uses subject-specific language correctly; writer’s tone exhibits some level of audience sensitivity;
• The central idea is expressed although it may be too broad, overly general, or vague; some sense of purpose is maintained throughout the essay; some evidence of careful critical thought; some evidence is offered although it is often general.

Plagiarism

According to the Random House Dictionary, plagiarism is “an act of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of that author’s work as one’s own, as by not crediting the original author.” One example of plagiarism is copying a passage, word-for-word, from a source and using it in your writing without quotation marks or citation. Another example is lifting a passage from a source and changing a few of the words to make it sound more “like you.” If you plagiarize, you risk losing credit on the assignment and failing the course. If you’re unsure whether language you are using in your paper is someone else’s, quote it or cite it to be safe.

Plagiarism is considered professional misconduct because scholars who plagiarize call into question their originality, integrity and knowledge. You get ahead in the professional literary world by presenting unique arguments, so relying too much on the words and ideas of others hurts your ability to get ahead. Being caught plagiarizing also makes readers skeptical of all your work, not just the essay in which you plagiarized.

Writing Center

Located in Kiely Hall 229, the writing tutors are trained to help you revise your writing at various stages. Slots fill up quickly, so you may want to make an appointment at least one week prior to when an assignment is due. You can also get online help by visiting their website at http://qcpages.qc.edu/qcwsw.

Note About Special Accommodation

If you have a learning, sensory, or physical reason for special accommodation in this class, contact the Office of Special Services in 171 Kiely Hall at 718-997-5870.