ENC 1102

COURSE SYLLABUS

Instructor: Alejandro Salinas

Department: Communication, Arts, & Philosophy
Room Number: 1371
Office Hours: M: T: W:

Th: F: S:

Telephone: (305)237-6358
E-mail: asalinas@mdc.edu

Course Description:
One of the main purposes of this course is help you gain a stronger appreciation for literature. We
will learn basic techniques of literary analysis by examining a wide range of works. In the
process, we will try to see that literature is much more than just busywork for school. It can teach
you about both the world and yourself, sometimes even showing you things in a way that will
make you want to change them. It can take you to worlds distant from your own, filled with
people extraordinary and common, good and bad, and always magically real--at least in the good
stuff. When it comes down to it, literature can be one of the main sources of pleasure in your life.
I hope that one of the semester's most important lessons is simply that great books, movies and
music can be a lot of fun.

This course is about learning to experience literature richly, but just as much, it is about learning
to write more effectively. It is a continuation of the English Composition I course you have
already taken. You will spend much of your time writing responses to the works we read. The
goal is to let you practice building arguments. You will take a stand on what you think a work
"means," supporting it through evidence from the text and, eventually, outside sources. The
analytical principles you will apply to literature represent a valuable tool in any field that you will
use it throughout your academic career.

A final major theme of this course is research: learning to find it and to integrate it in your own
writing to make your storytelling and argument-building more powerful.

Course Texts:
All our readings will come from handouts and internet links, but I recommend that you get a
handbook that covers research and grammar. If you don’t have one, I recommend Hacker
(listed below), which is available at the bookstore. Note that you can also purchase an online
version for a little less. If you’re interested in the online version or aren’t sure if the handbook
you have is acceptable, please see me.
• Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writers, 5th Ed. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004
• (Can purchase online version at dianahacker.com/bedhandbook)

Assignments:
You'll be required to write fouressays. Length requirements will range from two to eightpages.
For some of your essays, you'll have peer workshops, in which you'll get into groups, exchange
essays, and offer each other comments on how you can improve them. Using this feedback,
you'll have a chance to revise your essay and turn it in again. The second time around, I'll assign
a grade. In addition, you will write three in-class essays, including a final exam.
Besides writing essays, you'll also be required to complete several shorter assignments. If you do
an adequate job on an assignment, showing that you’ve put some time and thought into it, you
will receive a check (√), worth 10 points toward your final grade. If you do a less than adequate
job, you will receive either a check minus (√-), worth 5 points, or a zero. Among the most
common shorter assignments are informal respomnses.Youmay talk about a personal experience
the reading called to mind, you may agree or disagree with a position being taken, or you may
comment on points about style or structure that you noticed in the writing. Really, you can talk
about anything, as long as you're coherent and thoughtful. In addition, you may have some
announced quizzes and in-class group activities. Although the essays make up much of your final
grade, the quizzes, activities and responses will be averaged together to make up another big part,
so don't neglect them.

Service Learning:
Please note that this course has a service-learning component. You will participate in an fifteen-
hour service-learning project that will account for 15% of the semester's grade, and which will be
the subject of some of our writing and class discussion. This semester we will work as tutors and
mentors with children, mostly low-income, in community centers near our campus. You will also
have the option of helping restore plant and maintain gardens in urban areas. The interactions we
have with people through service-learning give us a powerful context for understanding the
psychology and social problems like poverty and racism. Service-learning is one of the most
exciting and challenging aspects of the course. Keep in mind, though, that it is not volunteer
work. It is not extra work. Service-learning is one of the many tools we’re using to learn the
course content, and it is mandatory.

Grading Criteria:
Diagnostic essay 20%
Character analysis 15%
Movie analysis (group project) 20%
Research paper 25%
HW & Other assignments 20%

94-100% = A
84-90% = B
74-80% = C
64-70% = D
50-60% = F

Attendance and Make-Ups:

• Regular attendance and class participation are an integral part of a satisfactory grade.
They are also the determining factor in “borderline” averages. If you are between an “A”
and a “B,” for example, strong participation will bump you up while a lack of
participation will bump you down.
• If you are absent three consecutive classes, the instructor may drop you from the class.
• Journals, homework and in-class exercises can not be made up. All essays submitted late,
whether first or final draft, will be penalized by half a letter. After one class period, they
will not be accepted.
• A documented emergency will be dealt with on an individual basis.

Drops: If students are unable to continue in the course, they must notify the instructor. It is their
responsibility to fill out an official withdrawal form with the registrar’s office. If they do not
officially withdraw, they may receive an F in the course.
Policies:
• Plagiarism means producing a work that is fully or partly someone else’s and claming it
as your own. Plagiarized work will receive an “F.” You also risk facing disciplinary
action from the college.
• I will hand your papers back to you to keep; it is your responsibility to hold on to them.
• Academic Integrity: You are expected to adhere to the policies of academic integrity as
outlined in the Students' Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. Violation of the policies
will result in disciplinary action also outlined in the handbook.
• All students must come to class prepared with their own books and materials. In the
interest of fairness to all students who desire a classroom environment conducive to
learning, no students will be allowed to share books. If students come to class without
their own books, they must not infringe upon the rights of those who come prepared.
• Beepers and cellular phones must be turned off prior to class.

See online calendar for schedule