English 1020

College Composition II
Fall 2019
MWF 10:45-11:40, Chemung 228
Dr. Christine E. Atkins
Email: catkins@corning-cc.edu
Office: Chemung 201 O
Phone: 962-9310
Office Hours: MWF 10-10:45, MWF 2-2:30, T/TH 12-12:30 and by Appointment

“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal
longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.”

― F. Scott Fitzgerald

--“The question of any novel is really trying to answer is this, Is life worth living?”
--Nicholson Baker

Required Texts: Textbooks are required and must be brought to every class! If you do not have the
textbook you may be considered absent for the day.

 Atkins English 1020 Reading Packet (Available for purchase in campus bookstore.)

 Maus II: A Survivor’s Tale—And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman (ISBN 978-0-679-
72977-8)

Please note: Copies of all texts are available in the Learning Commons and on Reserve at the
Library Circulation Desk.

Course Description:
Writing course designed to advance critical and analytical abilities begun in English 1010. Students will
write literary analysis essays on works of fiction, poetry, and drama. (3 credit hours)

Course Requirements:

Essay #1 Explication 5%
Essay #2 Theme 15%
Essay #3 Compare/Contrast 20%
Essay #4 Capstone Essay 25%
Homework Response Papers 15%
Participation/Attendance 20%
Homework Writing Assignments:

Homework Writing Assignments should be around 1- ½ pages Typed and Double-Spaced. Use 2-3
short quotes in each Homework Paper. For an example of what these papers should look like please
turn to the last page of this syllabus!

Although these papers are informal they count as much as an essay (15%) and will help you prepare for
class discussions. I will grade these assignments out of 10 possible points. As I assess your response
papers, I look for depth of thought and look to see if you offer specific examples and quotes from the
text. HW papers may be re-written for a higher grade.

Formal Essays:
All formal essays must be typed. No exceptions.

Workshop Days/Rough Drafts:

For every formal written assignment, we will have one or two days to workshop rough drafts. Students
MUST have a rough draft for admission to class on these days. Failure to produce a rough draft will
result in an absence for the day and reduced points on your grade for the essay.

Using the Learning Commons

As you work on the assignments for this class, I strongly encourage you to use the resources and
tutoring the Corning Community College Learning Commons provides. There, you can meet with
professional tutors, peer tutors, or faculty and receive one-to-one or small group feedback on your
work, at any stage in your learning process. In this exchange, you’ll get a new perspective on your ideas
and gain some helpful strategies to improve your understanding and your work. All students, no matter
how skilled, can benefit from the response of a knowledgeable, thoughtful, and engaged reader/tutor.

For more information, call the Learning Commons of your choice (Main Campus 962-9454 or Elmira 936-
5515), email learningcommons@corning-cc.edu, or just stop by L111 in the Arthur A. Houghton Library
or U111 in the Elmira Center. Their webpage is found under the Student Tab of MyCCC and contains
additional resources.

Grading Standards:
An “A” is an exceptional paper. It represents the highest standard of
achievement.
A “B” indicates a good paper. Except for some weakness that prevents the
paper from being described as a model, it is still significantly better than
the ordinary effort.
A “C” is an average paper. It represents competence, what is
minimally expected of the student in the course.
A grade of “D” indicates substandard work.
F indicates unacceptable work.

How to Be an “A” Student:

 Always come to class!!!!
  Keep the hard copy of the syllabus I distribute on the first day of class.
 Always do the assigned reading and writing.
 Underline/highlight your assigned readings.
 Keep a planner where you jot down assignments for all of your classes.
 Contribute to class discussion at least once a day.
 Ask questions of your professor and of your peers.
 Turn in writing assignments on time.
 Challenge ideas you don’t agree with.
 Write multiple drafts of your formal essays and revise as often as possible.
 Visit your professor at least once during office hours.
 Communication is key. If you are absent, are confused about an assignment or grade,
are excited by something we have read, please tell me!
 Attend extra-credit cultural events on campus.
 Be confident! Every student can pass English 1020 if they commit to coming to class,
completing the assignments, getting involved in class discussions, and writing multiple
drafts of their essays, especially in consultation with their professor and the Learning
Commons tutors!

Late Assignments:
Essays are due on the day of the deadline. If you miss a deadline, you are
still responsible for the work even though you may receive no credit for it. You will have one week to
turn in the assignment; failure to do so may result in failure or withdrawal from the class. Keep in
mind that even if you are absent on a deadline day, the assignment is still due and will suffer grade
penalties unless you call or email me beforehand. Please note: even if you email me your paper to show
me it is done, you also need to give me a hard copy of the essay.

Rewrites:
No more than two essays may be rewritten for a higher grade. In-class essays
do not apply. Rewrites must be submitted by Friday of the second to last week of classes.

Attendance Policy: Try to save your absences for true emergencies. If you miss a class you need to let
me know via email or phone. Check with me or a classmate to get the proper assignment for the next
class. In conjunction with institutional policy, if a student is absent from
the equivalent of six hours of any one course the student will 1) be
dropped from the course or, 2) if the date for dropping without penalty has
passed, the student will receive a grade of “F.” If you miss a week of
class prior to the official withdrawal period, you are giving me permission
to drop you from the class regardless of your performance. Moreover, if you miss more than six
classes you are giving me permission to fail you from this course.

Student Withdrawal Policy / Last Day to Drop [Required information for all course syllabi]
If for any reason a student must withdraw from this course, it is the student’s responsibility to
do so by submitting an online drop form through MyCCC. A grade of “W” will be assigned if the
withdrawal occurs before , the official drop date for this course, and a grade of “F” thereafter.
If a student simply stops attending rather than officially withdrawing, he or she will receive a
grade of “F” for the course. The instructor may drop a student for non-attendance. The last day
to drop with a “W” is October 20th.
Plagiarism:
The principles of integrity, respect and ethical behavior are long standing traditions at CCC. It is
expected that all students will recognize these values and adhere to all aspects of student conduct and
academic honesty inside and outside of the classroom. Plagiarism occurs when a person presents
another’s ideas, information, words, artwork, films, music, graphs, data or statistics as if they were his or
her own creation. Plagiarism is a form of theft and is cheating. When a person copies material from a
published source, such as a periodical, encyclopedia, or book, or downloads a passage from an Internet
source and presents that information without proper documentation (reference or quotation) in a paper
or project, then that person has committed plagiarism. Even if the content or wording is slightly
changed, a little plagiarism is still plagiarism. If a violation of this policy has occurred, the instructor will
conduct an investigation. The result of this investigation may be a failing grade on the assignment,
failing grade for the course, or expulsion from the class and/or the College.

Zero Cell Phone/Laptop/Texting Policy:

 Penalty for texting, touching or looking at phone during class: student agrees to forfeit phone
for the rest of semester by placing it on professor’s desk at the beginning of each class.

 Penalty for phone ringing or vibrating= ½ absence

 Please note: I reserve the right to drop students who willfully ignore the cell phone policy.

Extra Credit Opportunities:

Throughout the semester I will announce extra-credit opportunities involving on-campus cultural
events. The maximum number of points allowed is 3. Extra credit points will be added to your final
grade. Please note: If you attend an extra-credit event please write and submit a few sentences about
your experience so I can record your extra points.

Extra-Credit for Office Hours Visit: If you stop by my office to discuss a writing assignment, revision, or
assigned text or just to chat I will give you one extra credit point. My office is located in the Classroom
Building (C 201 P) and my office hours are listed on the door. Hope to see you there!

Accessibility Services:
Students with differing learning, physical, or psychological disabilities who wish to receive
accommodations for this course must contact the Office of Accessibility Services in Room C100 in the
Classroom Building on the Spencer Hill Campus at 607-962-9262) or at sds@corning-cc.edu. Students
are required to self-identify by making a formal request for services, and to provide current
documentation that reflects the nature of the disability. Reasonable accommodations in the classroom
will be provided for students with appropriately documented disabilities. Confidentiality will be
maintained at all times.

Class Cancellation/Inclement Weather:

Class cancellations by the instructor will be posted via an announcement sent directly to your student
email account. Cancellations due to inclement weather will be posted on the CCC website and the main
page of MyCCC. It is the student’s responsibility to check these sources on a regular basis.

Late Arrivals:
Students who are late more than two days will be given a full absence.

Pretend we’re on a bus you can’t get off of…

Class meets for a short time. Please arrive on time. If you need to go to the bathroom, make an
important phone call, etc., please do so before class. Getting up to leave in the middle of class or for any
reason is extremely disruptive, distracting, and disrespectful. There is no sleeping on the bus. Please
refrain from packing up early. Repeat offenses will result in an absence.

Schedule

(Reading and Writing Assignments are Due on the day they are listed!)

August

Mon 8/19 Syllabus

Wed 8/21 Introductions, Tips for English 1020 Writers (Reading Packet)
Fri 8/23 Maus II—Read Chapter 1: Mauzschwitz for discussion in class

Mon 8/26 Maus II—Read Chapter 2: Auschwitz (Time Flies) HW Paper Due: Examine pages 41-46
and answer the following questions: . Why do you think Artie has "shrunk-down" to
child size? Why is he wearing a mouse mask? How is he feeling about the success of
Maus I? Artie's therapist, Pavel, says: "You think it's admirable to survive. Does that
mean it's not admirable to not survive?"-What does he mean by this? Do you agree with
him?

Wed 8/28 Maus II—Read Chapter 3: And Here My Troubles Began (In -Class Writing)
Fri 8/30 Maus II—Read Chapter 4--Saved

Mon 9/2 NO CLASSES—LABOR DAY

Wed 9/4 Maus II—Finish Discussing Book, Multimedia Presentation, Essay #1 RD Due
Fri 9/6 Maus II Extra Day if needed! Essay #1 Explication Due

Mon 9/9 “Trigger Warnings” (Reading Packet 173)

(read in class), Elements of Fiction

September 10, 7-8:30 p.m. An Evening with Art Spiegelman, Corning Museum of Glass (Free Tickets
for All C.C.C. Students with Valid I.D.

Wed 9/11 Elements of Fiction (5), Read: “Samuel” (238)

Fri 9/13 Read: “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor (128) Reading Quiz

Mon 9/16 Read and Discuss in Class: Poetry Study Sheet: Line Breaks/Imagery (7)

Wed 9/18 Read and Discuss in Class: Poetry Study Sheet: Sound, Meter, Rhyme (11)

Fri 9/20 Rough Drafts: Essay #2 Due (Workshop Day)

Mon 9/23 Final Drafts Essay #2 Due, Read and Discuss (In-Class) : “Leap” by Brian Doyle (83),
“The Names” by Billy Collins (85)

Wed 9/25 Read: “I Saw You Walking” by Deborah Garrison (87) “Photograph from September 11”
by Wislawa Szymborska (88), Two Poems by Phillip Levine (295-296)

Fri 9/27 Read: “Drown” by Junot Diaz (187) Homework Paper Due: The narrator has two
sexual encounters with his friend Beto. What they tell us about the narrator’s
sexuality, if anything? How does sexuality affect the relationship between Beto and
the narrator? In the end, what kind of relationship do Beto and the narrator have?

Mon 9/30 Read: The Lady with the Toy Dog” by Anton Chekhov (89) Quiz

Wed 10/2 Read: “Yasmin”/from How Does it Feel to Be a Problem?” (Reading Packet 39)
Homework Paper Due-- If you’d been on the bus with Yasmin, would you have
defended the woman with the baby? How could that situation have been handled
better?

Fri 10/4 Read: “Powder” by Tobias Wolff (234)

Mon 10/7 Read: Read: The Rediscovery of North American by Barry Lopez (77)
Homework Paper Due: As a young child in elementary school, what were you taught
about the “discovery” of America? How does Lopez’s account differ from or support
what you learned?

Wed 10/9 Read: “Dear White America”, Danez Smith (253-255), Mayda Del Valle , “Descendency”
(In-class viewing, and p. 177)

Fri 10/11 Read: “The Veldt” (221)

Homework Paper Due: Describe the relationship between the parents George and Lydia
and their children Peter and Wendy.

NO CLASSES OCTOBER 14-20—FALL BREAK

Mon 10/21 Poetry, Read: Emily Dickinson Poems “Some Keep the Sabbath,” “The Brain is Wider,” I
Heard a Fly Buzz” (249-251) In-Class Writing

Wed 10/23 Rough Drafts Essay #3 (Workshop Day)

Fri 10/25 Final Drafts Essay #3 Due, Read: “Moving Camp Too Far” (271), “How to Write the
Great American Indian Novel”(259), “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes (265)

Mon 10/28 Read: “All Girls Must Be Everything” by Tina Fey (156),
“Barbie Doll” by Marge Pierce (274) and “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid (273)

Wed 10/30 Read: “Greasy Lake” (213) HW: Listen to Bruce Springsteen’s Song “Spirit in the Night”
and look at the lyrics. Come to class prepared to draw connections between the song
and the story. (no writing assignment)

Fri 11/1 Read: “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien (279)

Mon 11/4 Read: “How to Tell a True War Story” by Tim O’Brien (240)

Wed 11/6 Read: “Redeployment” by Phil Klay (158)

Fri 11/8 Rough Drafts: Essay #3 Due

Mon 11/11 Final Drafts: Essay #3 Due, Film

Wed 11/13 Film

Fri 11/15 Read: “The Sky is Gray” (15) HW Paper Due: What examples of segregation/Jim
Crow Laws can you find in this story? Of the family’s poverty/economic situation?

Mon 11/18 Read: “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver (108) Reading Quiz

Wed 11/20 Essay #4 Capstone Introductions and Thesis Statements Due

Fri 11/22 Essay #4 Rough Drafts Due

NO CLASSES NOVEMBER 25-30—THANKSGIVING BREAK

Mon 12/2 Essay #4 Rough Drafts Due

Wed 12/4 Conference Day

Fri 12/6 LAST DAY OF CLASSES – Final Essay #4 Capstone Due !!

A Good Man is Hard to Find Summary

It's time for a family trip of some kind, and there's a disagreement in the family about where to go.
Bailey wants to take his family, (i.e., his wife, baby, and two kids, John Wesley and June Star), to Florida.
His mother, called simply "the grandmother," doesn't want to go there. To make her case, she mentions
that there's a dangerous criminal named The Misfit on the loose, and that he's headed that way.

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” (Actual text)

The grandmother didn't want to go to Florida. She wanted to visit some of her connections in east
Tennessee and she was seizing at every chance to change Bailey's mind. Bailey was the son she lived
with, her only boy. He was sitting on the edge of his chair at the table, bent over the orange sports
section of the Journal. "Now look here, Bailey," she said, "see here, read this," and she stood with one
hand on her thin hip and the other rattling the newspaper at his bald head. "Here this fellow that calls
himself The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida and you read here what it
says he did to these people. Just you read it. I wouldn't take my children in any direction with a criminal
like that aloose in it. I couldn't answer to my conscience if I did."
Bailey didn't look up from his reading so she wheeled around then and faced the children's mother, a
young woman in slacks, whose face was as broad and innocent as a cabbage and was tied around with a
green head-kerchief that had two points on the top like rabbit's ears. She was sitting on the sofa,
feeding the baby his apricots out of a jar. "The children have been to Florida before," the old lady said.
"You all ought to take them somewhere else for a change so they would see different parts of the world
and be broad. They never have been to east Tennessee."
The children's mother didn't seem to hear her but the eight-year-old boy, John Wesley, a stocky child
with glasses, said, "If you don't want to go to Florida, why dontcha stay at home?" He and the little girl,
June Star, were reading the funny papers on the floor.
"She wouldn't stay at home to be queen for a day," June Star said without raising her yellow head.
"Yes and what would you do if this fellow, The Misfit, caught you?" the grandmother asked.
"I'd smack his face," John Wesley said.
"She wouldn't stay at home for a million bucks," June Star said. "Afraid she'd miss something. She has to
go everywhere we go."
"All right, Miss," the grandmother said. "Just re- member that the next time you want me to curl your
hair."
June Star said her hair was naturally curly.
Student Name Here
English 1020
Dr. Atkins
Sample Response Paper “Cathedral”

In the first five paragraphs of Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral,” the narrator comes across as

jealous, narrow-minded, and judgmental. In the first paragraph of the story he reveals that his wife’s

blind friend is coming to his house for the night for a visit. According to the narrator, his wife worked for

the blind man in Seattle ten years ago. When thinking about the blind man’s arrival the narrator states,

“I wasn’t enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew” (713). This passage reveals immediately

that the narrator is not open to meeting new people and doesn’t really want this man in his house. He

continues to clarify why he is reluctant to host the blind man by clarifying, “his being blind bothered

me…in the movies the blind moved slowly and never laughed…a blind man in my house was not

something I looked forward to” (713). This comment by the narrator illustrates just how narrow-minded

and judgmental he is. Even though he admits his ideas about blind people are informed and limited by

what he has seen in the movies, he doesn’t seem willing to change those ideas by actually getting to

know this man as an individual rather than a stereotype. Even though this is only the first paragraph of

the story, as a reader I’m already inclined not to like him as a person.

Another characteristic of the narrator that emerges in these first few paragraphs of the story is

his jealousy. It’s clear from many things that he says that he is threatened by his wife’s relationship with

the blind man and may even think they were romantically involved. For example, he recalls that on the

last day his wife worked for the blind man he asked to touch her face. His wife later wrote a poem about

this experience but he says he “didn’t think much of the poem” probably because he was afraid that this

gesture of face touching meant there was a romantic connection between them. Overall the first five

paragraphs of this story reveal the narrator to be a very close-minded, jealous, judgmental guy who is

also not very likeable.