1. Required Texts and Materials (items 1-3 are available at the ASU bookstore)

1A. The following literature text-anthology: Roberts, Edgar V., and Henry E. Jacobs, eds. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Eighth Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice-Hall, 2007.  (ISBN: 0-13-173278-1). (Should the ASU bookstore run low, try to find used copies at the websites "www.amazon.com" or "www.half.com" -- without the quotation marks -- and be sure to use the correct ISBN number, as well as specifying the eighth edition.)  

1B. One of the following composition handbooks (if you used one of these in Engl. 1101 at ASU recently, then the book is considered a carry-over into Engl. 1102; otherwise, choose (a) from the following list): (a) Maimon, Elaine, Janice Peritz, Kathleen Yance, The New McGraw-Hill Handbook. McGraw-Hill, 2007. Or (b) Hairston, Maxine, John Ruszkiewicz, and Christy Friend. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers. 8th ed., Longman, 2007. Or (c)  Hacker, Diana, Nancy Sommers, Tom Jehn, Jane Rosenzweig. A Writer's Reference, 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007.

1C. A good hardcover collegiate dictionary that has 1500 or more full-sized pages, and 150,000 (or more) entries, such as (listed alphabetically by title) (b1) The American Heritage Dictionary, Third (or Fourth) College Edition; (b2) The Encarta World English Dictionary or Microsoft Encarta College Dictionary; (b3) The Oxford English Reference Dictionary (note that The Oxford American College Dictionary, first edition, is not recommended because too many of its entries lack the vital component, in all other collegiate dictionaries, of an etymology; however, The New Oxford American Dictionary, Second Edition, is acceptable); (b4) The Random House Webster's College Dictionary; (b5) Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language (essentially a reprint of the second edition of The [Unabridged] Random House Dictionary of the English Language); (b6) Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth (or Eleventh) Edition; (b7) Webster's New World Dictionary, Third College Edition or Fourth College Edition; or (b8) Webster's II: New Riverside College (or University) Dictionary. Generally, the more pages (with a smaller rather than a larger type size), the better; note that b5 is often sold in the sale racks of bookstores, costs what the other dictionaries cost, and has well over 2000 oversized pages, with three rather than two columns of information on a page. Discount department stores and discount office supply stores often sell one or more of these items at a discount. (Just to carry to class, a smaller paperback dictionary may be helpful, but is not sufficient; the best paperback dictionaries are the longest, having the most words [listed alphabetically by title]: The American Heritage Dictionary, Third Edition [950 pages]; Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary [987 pages]; Oxford American Dictionary [1089 pages]; The Scribner-Bantam English Dictionary, Revised Edition [1057 pages]. Note well that a paperback dictionary is not sufficient for college-level reading requirements. None of the paperbacks, for example, has the word callipygian, which easily might be encountered in college-level reading (such as the required nonfiction reading in Engl. 1101, your literature anthology in English 1102, or your literature anthology in Humanities 2001 and 2002); however, all the hardcover collegiate dictionaries have the word. So your collegiate dictionary test is whether the dictionary has the word callipygian, a word you will love and wonder how you ever got along without.

2. Required Internet Materials  All the following should be consulted online at my ASU website by clicking on "Engl. 1102 materials" - the website is "www.aug.edu/~nprinsky" (without the quotation marks) -- (2a) "Engl. 1102 Class Schedule"; (2b) "Prinsky's Eng. 1102 Pamphlet, Ch. 5"; (2c)"Directions for Out-of-Class Essays in This Class"; (2d) "Directions for and Explanation of the Documented Paper"; (2e) Notes and Questions on the Assignments in the Literature Textbook; (2f) Quizzes on the Assigned Reading Material (multiple-choice quizzes, to be taken out of class, due at the beginning of the first class session of the date that the reading material is due; there are quizzes on all assigned reading from the textbook)

3. Purposes of the Course

        The purposes of English 1102 are (1) to introduce the student to the major literary genres and develop in him or her the ability to read literature with insight and pleasure; (2) to teach him or her to write papers analyzing literary works; (3) to further improve his or her skills in composition; and (4) to teach him or her to do research and to organize the results into a coherent, properly documented paper.  Other components of the course are stated in the document "English 1102 Learning Outcomes" (including the subsections "Rhetorical Knowledge," "Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing," "Processes," "Extemporaneous Writing," and "Knowledge of Research Conventions and Style"), which is posted on my Engl. 1102 webpage.

4. Required Work

        An essential part of the work for this course is checking and downloading my various online or Internet materials, as well as checking your school e-mail. (If you prefer an alternative e-mail address, you need to e-mail me from that address, which I will then add to my e-mail addressbook.)

        From the textbook-anthology of literature, the student will be required to read several short stories, one very short play, and a variety of poems. The student will also be required to study and consult appropriate sections of the composition handbook on matters related to the literary readings, and possibly do appropriate exercises on the composition handbook material to remedy usage, grammatical, or punctuation mistakes, as well as use it to make corrections on essays.

        The student will be assigned a variety of in- and out-of-class writing assignments, with some writing done regularly throughout the course. Writing assignments will be graded on form as well as content; all essays must be typed or wordprocessed. To pass English 1102 with a C or better, the student must demonstrate an ability to write the extemporary or impromptu essay at the level required to exit English 1101 with a passing grade. Every student is also required to write one acceptable documented paper on a literary topic. The assigned documented paper topic in this class is an analysis of a poem, chosen by the student from an extensive list of poems I have culled from the required literature textbook-anthology, about which nothing or nearly nothing has been written, but about whose author or author's poetry books, five critical (secondary) sources, including one from a book and one from a periodical and one from online, can be found and used to help in the student's own analysis of the poem. (An online handout on the Prinsky Engl. 1102 webpage explains in detail and step by step how to do the documented paper for this class, and gives a list of the allowed textbook poems, one of which the student chooses.) At-home multiple-choice quizzes are posted for every chapter of the literature textbook, and these should be downloaded, taken (in pencil, on Scantron forms supplied), and turned in at the beginning of the class when the reading is due, as directed by the due dates on the Class Schedule. Be sure to download and study the Prinsky Notes and Questions on each assignment, as well. Bring these printouts to class and take notes on them, as well as in your notebook. 

5. Importance of Composition in the Course; Grades

        The student should keep in mind that the course title of English 1102 is "College Composition II" and that his or her grade will be based primarily on his or her ability to write clearly, effectively, and intelligently about the subject matter.

        Some students early in the course become unnecessarily anxious about literary terminology or literary analysis, forgetting that the most important emphasis is on correctness, precision, completeness, thoughtfulness, and some polish in students' writing. These should be first priority, while learning literary terminology and analysis should receive second priority.

        The course grade is calculated as the percentage earned by students from 725 points. (My grades are numerical; A = 100-90; B = 89-80; C = 79-70; D = 69-60; F = 59 and below.) In-class essay 1 (ICE1) is worth 100 points; ICE2 is worth 100 points; out-of-class essay 1 (OCE1) is worth 100 points; OCE2 is worth 100 points; the final exam (already explained at the end of the Class Schedule) is worth 100 points; the average from the downloadable out-of-class multiple-choice quizzes is worth 100 points; the documented paper is worth 125 points.  Optional extra-credit paper #2 (OCE4) is worth 50 points (all out-of-class essays or papers are explained on the Class Schedule and my Engl. 1102 webpage).  (The optional OCE on attending an ASU drama production is not available in summer session.) As an example, a student earning a 77 on ICE1 would thus acquire 77 points (.77 x 100).  Out-of-class papers (which like in-class essays) must be typed or wordprocessed, may be revised for a higher grade (the higher grade is the final grade), subject to my chapter on revisions in my pamphlet "Prinsky's Engl. 1102 Pamphlet," which basically declares that a revision means taking into account all of the instructor's comments on the out-of-class essay. Not adhering to this section and not completing a thorough revision, as explained in the section, may cause a revision not to count (though the revision could be tried again, this time taking into account all instructor comments). In-class essays may not be revised for a higher grade (just as Regents' Exam essays may not). Always save your papers and my e-mailed comments.  Important note: A satisfactory documented paper is a requirement to pass any section of Engl. 1102.

        All essay comments and grades (including final exam grades, revisions, etc.) are e-mailed to the student's ASU e-mail address (see the first paragraph of this section about potential alternate e-mail addresses.) As mentioned in 2c of section 2, above, all out-of-class essay assignments are explained on the Prinsky Engl. 1102 webpage; all reading and writing assignments are listed on the Class Schedule for this course (also found on the Prinsky Engl. 1102 webpage).

6. The Need for Regular Work on Writing Problems

        Students should start early with regular study of the composition handbook on material related to mistakes they have been told about in English 1101 and on the first essay in this class, and writing out relevant grammar and usage exercises in the composition handbook on those mistakes.

7. Attendance and Late Work

(a) Penalty for unexcused absence Excessive unexcused absence may cause withdrawal, as per the college catalog (that is, one-and-a-half week's worth of unexcused absences). Roll sheets will be distributed, and it is the student's responsibility to make sure the roll sheet has been signed. (b) Make-ups Make-ups are a great deal of trouble, so an absence on the day of an in-class essay will require a very good, verified excuse. (c) Don't cut class when a paper is due Do not cut class the day an out-of-class paper is due, since valuable material missed in the class session of that day discussing papers turned in will compound the problem of the paper being late. (d) Better late than never in attendance Tardiness on an occasional basis, not regularly, is not criminal in my class; I would rather a student enter the classroom, because of a missed alarm or car breakdown, a half hour late rather than miss class entirely. (e) Required note to explain an absence for a good reason If you have to be absent for some good reason (car trouble, illness, etc.), write me a brief letter, wordprocessed, signed, and dated, in correct business-letter format, discussed in the composition handbook (look up "letter[s] [correspondence], business" in the composition handbook index). This brief letter will serve two purposes: first, it will remind me later what the reasons were for your absence (necessary for an increasingly absent-minded professor), and second, it will give you further practice in writing (related to one of the main aims of a course entitled "College Composition II"). (f) Late work No make-ups for in-class papers or quizzes unless excused by written documentation or prior arrangement with me. Required out-of-class essays may not be turned in later than a week after the stated due date, unless excused by written documentation and prior arrangement with me. Quizzes go down one letter grade for every day of lateness. If, for a good reason (see section e), you can't physically turn in a quiz the day it is due, you should e-mail me the answers (e.g., 1-a, 2-d, 3-c, 4-b, etc.), clearly identifying which quiz the answers are for.  Then, later, the Scantron form can be turned in, with your e-mailed answers as a check that wholesale changes haven't been made. My e-mail address is "englishprofatasu@aim.com" (without the quotation marks).  (g) Class behavior Students should expect negative results for poor work habits and cooperation -- e.g., repeatedly not bringing the textbook to class, blatantly not opening the textbook or not following class discussion or lecture, persistently coming into class very tardily (more than ten minutes), continually chatting with a classmate (or passing notes or checking a cell phone).

8. We Can Work It Out (To Quote The Beatles); My E-mail Address and Office Hours

        Go over grammatical or personal problems with me. Stop by my office (Allgood Hall, E-238) or telephone me at the department (667-4431 or 737-1500) or e-mail me at (englishprofatasu@aim.com). You can always leave a message for me with one of the departmental secretaries or student assistants. Most problems can be worked out through e-mail. My office hours are  12 to 12:30 p.m. on Monday through Friday  (Also by appointment; but see the comment about e-mail earlier in this section.)

        Don't assume that all is lost because of grades or problems with the documented paper and just mysteriously stop attending or unexpectedly fail to show up for the final exam. Very probably we can work it out.

9. Review of this and other course pamphlets Since this General Syllabus contains a good deal of important information, it, like other such course materials, should be periodically reviewed. Every two weeks, review sections 1-8 of this document.