Welcome to the Course!

Welcome to the Spring 2021 semester, and to our Composition 2 course! As you have now realized, this class won't be on Blackboard, and will only slightly be on-line. Even though we only meet once a week, we'll cover a lot of territory in these classes, not only discussing the readings, but also doing a fair bit of writing in every class. However, all of your reading assignments, daily questions, and major assignments will be posted on this blog, as well as the videos I will occasionally make you watch and respond to. But more on that later...

For now, be sure to buy the three books for class: Stanton, Humans; Satrapi, Persepolis, and Martel, The Life of Pi. We'll be reading these books throughout the semester, starting with Humans, and all your responses and paper assignments will stem from them (so yes, you really need all three!). 

The syllabus is posted below, though I'll give you a hard copy in class next week. If you have any questions, e-mail me at jgrasso@ecok.edu. See you soon! 

English 1213: Freshman Composition II: Spring 2021, “True Stories”

Monday (or) Wednesday @ 9:00

Dr. Joshua Grasso / jgrasso@ecok.edu (X 430)

Office Hours: MWF 10-11 & 1-2; TR 12-12:30

Class Website: grassocomp2.blogspot.com (instead of Blackboard)

 From Stanton, Humans: “We emphasize with pain much more than joy. The moment we truly see ourselves in another person is when we realize that we've felt the exact same pain...Maybe pain is the most universal feeling. Maybe there is an invisible, connective thread that runs between the loneliness of an old man and the hunger of an impoverished child. Maybe pain isn't divisible. It's singular and searing. Maybe it sinks deeper into the psyche...Recognizing pain in another person is the primary driver of empathy. It's the beginning of compassion. And the more vividly the pain is expressed, the more clearly it's articulated, the more compassion it elicits.”

Required Texts:

• Stanton, Humans
• Satrapi, Persepolis
• Martel, The Life of Pi

Required Work:

• In-Class Participation: see below
• In-Class Writings: 25 pts.
• Blog Responses: 20 pts.
• Papers 1-2: 30 pts. (15 each)
• Paper 3: 25 pts.

In-Class Participation: Since we only meet once a week, coming to class is very important; this is our one chance to make difficult works ‘speak’ and to have wide-ranging discussions about the material. You are required to come to each class unless you are sick, have a verified case of COVID, or other concern (feel free to contact me). If you miss more than TWO classes for any unexcused reason, you’ll lose -10 pts. from your final grade (a letter grade, basically). So please keep me informed if things come up, and don’t hesitate to miss class if you’re sick or have a similar emergency.

In-Class Writings: We’ll have an in-class ‘quiz’ response whenever you come to class, to not only prove you’ve done the reading, but to jump-start our conversation. These are open-book, so please bring your book to class and feel free to use it. The quizzes are not trying to trick you, but will ideally showcase what you’ve learned and how you can use it to answer specific—and thoughtful—questions. You can miss (or fail) ONE quiz without penalty. After that you lose -5 pts. per quiz (so be careful!).

Blog Responses: Roughly once a week, you’ll also have a short lecture video to watch on the blog. At the end of this video, you’ll have a question to respond to as a “comment.” These are fairly simple but help supplement ideas about writing, argumentation, and the ‘big ideas’ of the course. Like the in-class writings, you can miss ONE without penalty. After that, you lose -5 pts. per missed response.

Papers 1-3: These are papers that ask you to respond to the ‘big ideas’ in the readings, and supplement them with your own ideas and outside research. I will give you each assignment 2 weeks in advance of a due date. Paper #3 is worth a bit more since it’s a much more substantial assignment. Additionally, you can revise all three papers for a higher grade based on my comments.

Late Work Policy: 1 day late, -10; 2 days late, -20.  Beyond that, you get a 0, no questions asked. 

THE FINE PRINT

1.       You must buy all the books for the course. Trying to use on-line summaries will doom you to vague, uninformed responses. If the goal of any class is to become more engaged with the material, reading the books is essential. Read and enjoy the material. :)

2.       If you miss class, check the blog to see if there are any new assignments or material. You can also e-mail me if the blog hasn’t been updated to be sure.

3.       When you e-mail work to me, check the attachments carefully. If I can’t open it (or it’s simply not attached) it doesn’t count. I will contact you if this happens, but the clock is ticking...if you turn in an e-mail without an attachment at 4:59 and the paper is due at 5, it might be late!

4.       If you have any kind of emergency, please contact me as soon as possible. If I know you’re going through something difficult, I can work with you and help you get the work. If you only tell me weeks or months later, it’s too late.

5.       The COVID situation can change our class dynamic at any time. If you’re confused by what’s going on or feel you can’t complete the work, etc., please contact me first. Let’s talk through it to make sure it’s not as bad (or as hard) as you think. I’m always available by e-mail and will respond within an hour or two at most (unless you e-mail me at one o’clock in the morning!).

6.       Academic Integrity link: https://www.ecok.edu/sites/default/files/siteContent/administration/academic-affairs/documents/AcademicIntegrityPolicy.pdf

ADA Statement: East Central University is committed to providing equal access to University programs and services for all students. Under university policy and federal and state laws, students with documented disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodations. If any member of the class has a documented disability requiring academic accommodations, he or she should report to the Office of Disability Services.  A student seeking reasonable accommodations originating from a documented disability must register with the Office of Disability Services so that said accommodations may be provided. Contact the Academic Affairs Office if any assistance is needed in this process.

General Education Statement “This course participates in the General Education Assessment Program for East Central University. During this course, students produce an artifact (e.g., assignment or answers to exam essay item(s)), which will be assessed outside of the course based on the student learning outcome(s) listed below. Student grades for the artifact are not dependent upon the results of the outside assessment." 

72-Hour Transition Statement: Should on-campus instruction be suspended for any reason, ECU’s face-to-face and blended courses will transition to online/virtual delivery within 72 hours.  Online courses will continue as scheduled.

Tentative Course Calendar:

 

WEEK ONE (Jan.11-15)

Discussion: Introduction to the Course

Reading Homework: Stanton, Humans: “Introduction,” pp.1-20

Blog Response #1

 

WEEK TWO (18-22)

Discussion: Humans, pp.1-20

Reading Homework: Humans, “The Approach” pp.23-175

Blog Response #2

 

WEEK THREE (25-29)

Discussion: Humans, pp.23-175

Reading Homework: Humans, “Randomness,” pp.177-275

Blog Response #3

 

WEEK FOUR (Feb.2-5) Paper #1 due Friday @ 5pm!

Discussion: Humans, pp.177-275

Reading Homework: Humans, “Struggle,” pp.277-347

No Blog Response: Work on Paper #1!

 

WEEK FIVE (8-12)

Discussion: Humans, pp.277-347

Reading Homework: Humans, “You Can’t Do This Here,” pp.349-437

Blog Response #4

 

WEEK SIX (15-19)

Discussion: Humans, pp.349-437

Reading Homework: None!

Blog Response #5

 

WEEK SEVEN (22-26) Paper #2 due Friday @ 5pm!

Discussion: Discuss Blog Response #5  

Reading Homework: Satrapi, Persepolis, Part 1

No Blog Response: Work on Paper #2!

 

WEEK EIGHT (Mar.2-5)

Discussion: Persepolis, Part 1

Reading Homework: Persepolis, Part 2

Blog Response #6

 

WEEK NINE (8-12)

Discussion: Persepolis, Part 2

Reading Homework: Start Reading Life of Pi for after Spring Break (Part One)

Blog Response #8

 

WEEK TEN (15-19): SPRING BREAK

Keep reading  Part One of Life of Pi

 

 

WEEK ELEVEN (22-26)

Discussion: Life of Pi, Part One (Chapters 1-36)

Reading Homework: Life of Pi, Chapters 37-53

Blog Response #9

 

WEEK TWELVE (29-Apr.2)

Discussion: Life of Pi, Chapters 37-53

Reading Homework: Life of Pi, Chapters 54-73 (for Week Fourteen)

Blog Response #9

 

WEEK THIRTEEN (5-9) Paper #3 due @ 5pm!

Discussion: Discuss Blog Response #9

Reading Homework: Keep Reading to Chapter 73

No Blog: Work on Paper #3!

 

WEEK FOURTEEN (12-16)

Discussion: Life of Pi, Chapters 54-73

Reading Homework: Life of Pi, Chapters 74-91

Blog Response #11

 

WEEK FIFTEEN (19-23)

Discussion: Life of Pi, Chapters 74-91

Reading Homework: Life of Pi, Chapters 92-100

Blog Response #12

 

WEEK SIXTEEN (26-30)

Discussion: Life of Pi, Chapters 92-100

Reading Homework: None!

No Blog: Work on Paper Revisions!

 

All Paper Revisions due by Wednesday May 5^th!