What is culture? Prison? Haven? Home?

English 101: Communicating in Writing, Reading and Speaking

Instructor: Leola Solis
Semester: Winter 2013
Email: [email protected]
Office: MCK 103
Office Hours: By appointment email me or see me after class to schedule an appointment.

Throughout the ages, as a result of people grouping

together to live in one place, a common language is usually
created; rules, behaviors, traditions, religions, etc., are
carefully nurtured and allowed to grow to create cultures
and societies that define these civilizations. As we move
through the world outside of our culture how much of an
influence does our upbringing have on the choices we make in
our life? Are we puppets on a string or masters of our own
fate? How much of our actions are controlled by our culture
and society?
Throughout the semester we will
discuss this concept of culture, and
analyze how it affects the choices that
we make. Hopefully, as we delve into
the readings chosen for their relevance
to this particular theme, we will come
to understand what makes up our
identity.
Our discussions will be focused on the
theme of culture as it pertains to: men
and women, husband and wife, young
and old, modern and traditional, race
and ethnicity, religion and education,
etc., and the influences it has on every
decision we make in our life.

Required Text:
Abcarian, Richard, and Marvin Klotz, eds. Literature: The Human Experience Reading and Writing. 8th or
9th ed.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2004.
You will also be given handouts in class throughout the semester.

Course Goal:
Strengthening critical awareness through the development of effective writing, speaking, and literary
reading skills. Focus on composition, speech, and literature. Beginning research.

Course Objectives & Requirements:

This course will introduce students to college-level critical inquiry through literature (mostly poetry, short
fiction, and essays). As students speak, read, write, and do research about the content, these activities will
facilitate intellectual engagement
beyond their high school experiences
through meaningful interaction with ideas and texts,
introducing students to the rigorous analysis, interpretation, synthesis, and critique that
should be central to their general education.
By the end of ENG 101, students should:
In their writing:
focus on purpose by asserting a thesis in their writing.
develop thesis by providing an organized series of paragraphs that present relevant
evidence
write in Standard American English sentences.
maintain appropriate tone and diction for academic writing.
In their reading:
learn how to read different kinds of texts (such as personal essays, poetry, and fiction).
learn the basic literary terms of classification and analysis
understand the literal meaning of the text.
understand that texts also have contextual meanings.
identify figurative and symbolic meanings of texts.
In their research:
research a topic using library sources.
understand plagiarism and know how to avoid it.
select and integrate information and quotes from sources into writing.
provide basic documentation for source uses.
In their thinking:
interpret thematic meaning or meaning beyond the literal meaning of a text.
provide evidence to support that interpretation.
present and defend that interpretation others in the class, orally and in writing groups.

General Policies:
Your work is always due on the assigned date (in print and on paper), at the beginning of
class regardless of attendance. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what
you missed that day. If you miss two weeks of class, you will be sent to counseling. 20%
will be deducted from all late assignments. If you plagiarize on any assignment, you will
receive a 0 grade for that assignment, and your name will be sent to the Honor Code
office.
Grades:
Percentage Grade:
94-100% A
90-93% A86-89% B+

71-74% C
68-70% C64-67% D+

82-85% B
79-81% B75-78% C+

60-63% D
59-62% D58%
F

Triad Memos (4)

Formal Out-of-class Essays (4)
Response Papers (4+)
Speeches/Debates
Research Paper
- Includes all research assignments
Final Essay Exam

20%
20%
10%
10%
20%
20%

Triads:
Step One:
In-class writing assignments: There will be 4 in-class writing assignments during the semester, which will
be timed (30 minutes each), and not graded; however, these writing assignments will be used as a tool to
assess your writing ability.
Step Two:
Peer-review workshop: After your in-class writing assignments have been returned to you, you will work
with a partner in a peer-review workshop.
Step Three:
Reading Writing Center Triads:
Your third step is a three-part assignment to be completed in the RWC (look at the image below). On your
in-class essay papers I will list your writing weaknesses. You will focus on these areas in the RWC by
using 3 resources that the RWC has to offer to improve your weak areas; for example, tutors, micro-labs,
workshops, worksheets, etc.

Step Four:
Memo: After you have completed the assignments above you will send me a memo (in essay format)
stating what it is you have learned and whether you feel there was any improvement. More will be
discussed on this subject later in the semester (sample memo on Canvas).

Formal Essays:
There are 4 out-of-class essays scheduled this semester. You will be given a choice of topics relating to the
section of literature being studied at the time. Each essay must be 2-3 pages, double-spaced, with an
original title and thesis. Each out-of-class essay needs to be submitted through turnitin to receive a grade.
You should visit the Reading Writing Center before you turn in your final draft. Each essay is worth 20
points. The rubric is online on Canvas.
Modal Essay can be found on pages 47-50 of your textbook.

Response Papers:
During the semester you will be asked to write response papers on the readings discussed. The response
paper must be one page, typed, and single-spaced. Check on Blackboard for the sample responses. Each
paper will be worth 10 points.

Speeches:
Each of you will give one formal 57 minute speech during the semester. For your speech you will pick an
author from the list provided. Include in your speech a brief history of the author and his accomplishments,
but focus mainly on the themes that he chose to write on and how his life history contributed to those
themes. You will present your speech on the day that we read that authors work, if you miss the speech day
you will lose 20% of your speech grade. The total possible score for your speech will be 100 points.
Topic
Relates to the class
Content
Well developed
Preparation
Handout:
Video
PowerPoint
Overhead
Etc.
Overall
Eye contact
Fluency
Spizarinktum

20 points
40 points
30 points

10 points

Research paper:
The subject of your research paper will be discussed during the semester. You may write on any theme
discussed in class. You will need to submit a proposal, with a thesis and an outline, on the assigned day. If
you dont turn in a research paper you will receive an F in the class. 20% will be deducted for turning in
this assignment late. The research paper is due on the day of the final in paper form and through turnitin. If
you dont turn it in through turnitin you will not get a grade for this assignment.
Research Paper Requirements:
Remember, you need at least 4 sources (you can have more) and have at least 3 sources of different types
(book, interview, journal, etc).
Modal Research Paper pg. 61-70 (another sample is on Blackboard)
The research:
topic proposal (thesis, outline)
library worksheet
writing workshops *4

20
20
20 each

The final research paper: 100 points

The grading of your research paper is as follows:
Content (50)
Conventions and Style (30)
works cited page
10
in-text citation
10
style
5
MLA format
5
(double spacing, long and short quotes, margin, paragraph length)
Grammar & mechanics (5)
Organization (15)
thesis statement
5
topic sentences
5

framing quotes
5
Final Essay Exam:
Your final will be an essay. This will be worth 100 points and will be graded on Command of Topic (30),
Argument Development (30), Conventions and Style (20), Control of Mechanics (20). If you miss the final
you will receive an F in the class. If you decide to use the computer for your final, you will need to submit
a paper copy and upload it to turnitin.
Other Resources:
Reading/Writing Center. Located in MCK 199, the Reading/Writing Center provides helpful tutoring in
writing, reading, analyzing poetry, and other related activities. It also provides computer access and
printing and a "Reading-Level" Library, categorizing holdings by relative difficulty. Students are allowed
to schedule two 30-minute tutorials a week, but are welcome to walk in anytime to meet with a tutor if the
tutor is free.
Plagiarism:
The university catalog defines plagiarism as:
Submitting as ones own any academic assignment that is the work of someone else.
Claiming as ones own the language, ideas, or structure of another, either by failing to cite the
source of quoted or paraphrased passages or by failing to distinguish clearly between ones own
language and the language of a cited source through the proper use of quotation marks.
Submitting the same paper or report in more than one course.
My Policies:
Plagiarism is reason to fail the class.
Intentional plagiarism is reason for suspension.
Plagiarized papers are failed papers.
Preventing Sexual Harassment
Title IX of the education amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an
educational program or activity that receives Federal funds, including Federal loans and grants. Title IX
also covers student-to-student sexual harassment. If you encounter unlawful sexual harassment or genderbased discrimination, please contact the Human Resource Services at 780-8875 (24 hours).
Students With Disabilities
Brigham Young University-Hawaii is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere, which
reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability that may impair
your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the Students with Special Needs
Coordinator, Leilani Auna at 293-3518. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all
students who have qualified documented disabilities. If you need assistance or if you feel you have been
unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established
grievance policy and procedures. You should contact the Human Resource Services at 780-8875.
Academic Honesty
BYUH students should seek to be totally honest in their dealings with others. They should complete their
own work and be evaluated based upon that work. They should avoid academic dishonesty and misconduct
in all its form, including plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, cheating and other academic misconduct.
(See university catalog for complete policy)
Final Exams
The final exam schedule can be found on the BYUH website. Click on Academics and you will find the
schedule under Schedules and Calendars.
The BYU-Hawaii Final Examination Policy, listed on p. 55 of the university catalog states:
Students must plan travel, family visits, etc., in a way that will not interfere with their final exams. Less
expensive airfares, more convenient travel arrangements, family events or activities, and any other nonemergency reasons are not considered justification for early or late final exams. Exceptions to this policy
are as follows and should be submitted in writing to the Dean of the college or school as soon as possible:
A BYUH sponsored activity, which takes an individual or a team away from the campus at the time an
examination is scheduled;

 Emergency situations that are beyond the students control.

List of authors:
Flannery OConner
Edith Wharton
William Blake
William Faulkner
Alice Walker
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Langston Hughes

Judith Ortiz Cofer

William Shakespeare
D. H. Lawrence
Dylan Thomas
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Robert Frost

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Liam OFlaherty
Wakako Yamauchi
Brent Staples
Stevie Smith
Randall Jarrel

Possible Research Topics:

Some of the works in this course focus on intergenerational tensions within a culture. Compare such
tensions in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily, and Alice Walkers Everyday Use.
The struggle of women to achieve equality is the subject of many works in this course. Examine some of
the feminist works in this course. What, if any, common threads do you find running through them, either
in content or in the use of literary devices?
Homer in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily, Prufrock in T.S. Eliots The Love Song of J. Alfred
Prufrock, are, in some sense, cultural outsiders. Compare their positions in the dominant culture, the
resulting conflicts or tensions, and the strategies they employ in dealing with their status.
Mary E. Wilkins Freemans The Revolt of Mother, and Wakako Yamauchis And the Soul Shall Dance
addresses certain culturally determined behavior patterns among women. Describe the behavior depicted in
these short stories. How do the authors feel about the behavior? What devices reveal the authors attitudes?
Define the social tradition that produced the women in these poems. Either defend that tradition as crucial
to the social order, or offer a cultural variation that would give women a different social role.
In a number of these works, a single individual rebels against society and suffers defeat or death. Are these
works therefore pessimistic and despairing? If not, what is the purpose of the rebellions, and why do the
authors choose to bring their characters to such ends? Compare two works from this section that offer
support for the idea that a single individual can have a decisive effect on society.

Out-of-class Essay Topics:

Out-of-class Essay 1 Analyze Not Waving But Drowning by Stevie Smith using the explication
method on page 47 of your textbook.
Out-of-class Essay 2 Analyze the conflict in any one of the readings we have already discussed in class.
Was the conflict resolved? Is the resolution satisfying?
Out-of-class Essay 3 Topic: Pick a favorite section from any of the works we have discussed in class and
analyze the writing style of the author. Style includes the use of figurative language, description, rhyme,
personification, and so forth. Look at the language to see how it is constructed and what makes it
pleasurable to read. Don't focus on the meaning, and don't testify about the truthfulness of concepts shared.
Step 1 - choose a favorite section
Step 2 - Write the quoted piece (cited according to MLA format rules) at the top of your paper
Step 3 - Write your analysis (no outside help)
Step 4 - Turn in the assignment in class.
Out-of-class Essay 4 Choose two works we have studied in class. Analyze how each work affected you
differently then isolate and discuss the elements responsible for your response.