COURSE SYLLABUS SUMMER 2008 ENGL 1B (004) Mon-Fri, 11:15-1:00, BTML 511

Your instructor: H. Costarides English Department, City College of San Francisco

Contacting me: Email is preferred: hcostari@ccsf.edu 452.7216 (voicemail only; I can't answer calls.)

Office: BTML 726 Office Hours: by appointment only in Summer; also available in ArtX 265 on Mondays 3p-6p

Required texts: Literature, Compact 5th edition. Gioa and Kennedy. San Francisco: Pearson/Longman, 2007.
Prentice Hall Reference Guide. 6th edition
Erasure. Percival Everett.

Grading: 70% papers (five out of class essays and several in class essays)
10% final exam
10% discussion questions
10% other assignments (quizzes, in class writings, and more)

Welcome to ENGLISH 1B: English 1B is an introduction to literature and a writing about literature course. (This is not a
creative writing course, in which you will write your own literary works. This is a reading and writing intensive course that
is especially challenging in the summer due to the compressed schedule. Considerable reading and homework, in
addition to the in class work is required for your success. English 1A or its equivalent required as a prerequisite for
enrollment.)

The course assumes no prior knowledge of literature or criticism, but does assume the skills of a 1A writer. Generally, we
will read and analyze significant literary texts, including historical and contemporary writers, as preparation for writing
literary analysis essays. Specifically, we will survey key examples of drama, poetry, fiction, and other genres, while
learning literary terms, research, and criticism. (Learning the vocabulary and concepts of literary analysis and criticism is
essential.) We also read and work with Erasure, our contemporary novel, as on-going project through out the term. Some
of the readings will contain strong language or other references that assume an adult, college audience. Ultimately,
closely reading and understanding the readings will be the first step in writing the major essays.

We will spend considerable time learning how to plan and write a literary analysis essay, support our arguments with
evidence, and conduct mandatory workshops to review our papers. In addition to the major papers, themselves,
preparatory assignments will also be assigned that correspond to steps in the writing process. We will read and discuss
carefully, brainstorm and organize our ideas, develop thesis and topic sentence outlines, draft, review, revise, and then
submit our final drafts, for our major essay assignments. Developing the essay as a multi-step project is the most
important part of maximizing your paper grade and your course grade.

Our textbook provides excellent support for literature students with essays and thoughts from the writers explaining their
writing, introductions to literary forms and writers, definitions of literary terms, writing tips for each genre, examples of
student literary writing, overviews and excerpts of professional criticism, and other resources that you should refer to
throughout the semester to help you maximize your learning. The textbook will be supplemented with additional
explication in discussion and handouts.

Important Dates: Fri JUL 4 No Class--Holiday

Thu JUL 24 Required In Class Essay Final Exam—Last Day

 Course Policies

Late papers: If a late paper or other assignment is not submitted within three business days after the due date, the grade
for that paper will become an F, unless an extension on that specific assignment has been approved by me in advance.
All papers should be ready to be submitted as paper copies at the beginning of class on the due date. Being late or
absent on paper due dates is discouraged. If your paper is not ready, just come to class anyway. Even though late
papers are subject to a one letter grade penalty and limited or no commentary, we can discuss your late paper in detail
during a conference. The last paper will not be accepted late. If you need an extension on an assignment, then you
should formally request one from me in advance via email, but keep in mind that over the summer term I usually don't give
extensions.

Submitting papers: Have assignments ready to hand in at the beginning of class on the due date to avoid having the
paper considered late. Unless an assignment states otherwise, please only personally submit papers (whether late or on
time) to me in class as paper copies. I do not accept papers or assignments sent by mail, email, fax, or by courier, ones
left at my office, or any other method, unless we have made specific arrangements in advance.

Essay formatting: All essays and out of class assignments should be word-processed and printed on standard, white 8.5
x11 paper in MLA format. Use this checklist as well as an MLA reference: before submitting papers:

 No title pages or report covers.

 First page heading includes 4 lines in top left corner: Line 1:Your name, 2:the course, 3:My name, 4:The due date.
 The fifth line of the first page is your original title for your paper centered in initial caps—no underline, bold, etc.
 The sixth line begins your first paragraph.
 Header, top right corner, and right justified on all pages but first is your last name, a space, and then just the page
number.
 Presentation quality printing: single sided printing, black font color, no liquid paper or handwritten corrections.
 Use 12-point font. Double Space all of the paper. One Inch Margins all round. Indent Paragraphs.
 Include Works Cited page for all written assignments.
 Text only—no diagrams, tables, charts, or art unless pre-approved by me, or required by the assignment.

Not meeting essay or MLA formatting requirements for an assignment may result in that assignment not accepted as a
valid submission, or a grade reduction. Please use the MLA reference guides of your textbooks to format your papers
properly, or an online reference, such as Cyberia's: http://www.ccsf.edu/Departments/English/cyberia/styleresearch.htm
or Purdue University's OWL lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/

Notes and vocabulary: You are expected to take notes during class and to follow our discussions within the text, while
marking and annotating what we discuss. You should look up terms and references from our readings that you do not
know and make a note of their definition, in order to fully understand the readings and our discussions. Expect pop
vocabulary or other quizzes.

Academic integrity: Plagiarism and academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade for an assignment, and may lead to
other consequences--including referral to the appropriate campus personnel--and an F course grade. It is your
responsibility to know how to avoid academic dishonesty and to consult with me if in doubt about a particular situation.
Academic dishonesty includes not only plagiarizing from other sources, but also having others write or edit papers on your
behalf. Please refer to the English Department Plagiarism handout distributed on the first day of class, and other
resources, such as your textbooks. Finally, you may be required to validate your paper or other assignment as plagiarism
free electronically as a precondition for its submission to be accepted and considered for a grade. Instructions and
requirements for doing so will be detailed in class and other handouts as needed.

Three absences max: Attendance for all classes, conferences, and other class activities, like the final, is mandatory. You
will not pass the course, regardless of your grades or participation, if you don't attend according to this policy. If you miss
more than three complete summer class sessions, or its equivalent in partial absences, your final course grade will be an
F, regardless of reasons for the absences. Being late or leaving early will result in a partial absence and will be added to
your total hours missed. If you miss more than three classes--you then have the option, as with any other class on your
schedule, to drop or withdraw according to the instructional calendar--but I make no guarantee that I will drop you or
withdraw you--if you stop attending. If you are absent during the add/drop period, you may be dropped from the course
and your spot given to someone else on the waiting list.
When you miss class: If you are absent from the class, even for just a few minutes, get notes and an update from your
classmates. Then, bring any leftover questions to me in person upon your return. When you are absent, please don't
email me with why you missed class or to ask me what you missed. Over the summer, we are meeting five days a week
so you will have lots of opportunity to communicate with me in person about these issues. (If you encounter an
extraordinarily serious emergency of some kind, of course, let me know if you feel like I need to know.)

Participation: Simply showing up for class is not enough to be counted as present. You must be an active participant. To
be counted as present, you must come to class prepared with textbooks, handouts, presentations, and other course
materials ready. You may be counted as absent when you do not have your course materials. If you are studying for
another class, or reconciling your calendar, or doing whatever besides our work at that moment, you will be counted as
absent. By attending the course, you agree to participate in good faith in all activities of the course, including group work
and discussions. If you do not participate, you will be counted as absent.

Conferences and tutoring encouraged: Please feel free to make appointments with me, or drop by for a brief chat in
Cyberia (Artx 265). If you are not able to attend a scheduled conference, please let me know in advance. To maximize
appointment time, please prepare your questions in advance and/or bring two copies of your current draft with you.

Tutors: In addition to my assistance with assignments, tutors and resources are available on campus at the The Writing
Lab, The Reading Lab, WSP, and Cyberia. (http://www.ccsf.edu/Departments/English/labpage)

Cyberia in ArtX265: Cyberia is the English department's computer lab with computer stations only for students enrolled in
English courses. Cyberia includes software that can help you with various phases of the writing process, and is a great
place to draft a paper. Cyberia's web page also includes many different resources for writers of all levels.
http://www.ccsf.edu/Departments/English/cyberia/

Web Resources: Reference material for writers that you should use to supplement your textbooks:

 Purdue's OWL site –comprehensive, but easy to use http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/679/01/

 And CCSF's Cyberia, the English department's computer lab in Artx 265
http://www.ccsf.edu/Departments/English/labpage/webresources.htm

 Wikipedia, though not always the most accurate source, and usually not a good source to cite in a paper, can be
real handy to search for references or terms you don't know from readings, or to get an idea where to find out
more about the topic you are researching. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Community guidelines:

1.) Do not bring visitors (including relatives) with you to class.

2.) No recording of the class.
3.) Turn off and put away all electronic devices, including laptops, cellphones, bluetooth, headphones,etc.
4.) If your phone repeatedly rings during class, or you insist on using your phone during class, you may be
counted as absent each time.
5.) Everyone will speak in turns as prompted and coordinated by me exclusively.
6.) We will maintain the etiquette of a college class; disruptive language or behavior will not be tolerated.

If you violate any of the community guidelines or disrupt the class: you may counted as absent, and/or you may be asked
to leave for the remainder of that class session, a discipline form may also be submitted, and other school personnel
contacted, depending on the circumstances.

DSPS: Please let me know of any accommodations or considerations that you may need. If you need course adaptations
or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need
special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible.
If you need accommodations, or other supportive services, please contact DSPS in the Rosenberg Library - R323 (415)
452-5481 Voice, (415) 452-5451 TDD, (415) 452-5565 FAX.
Email guidelines:

 You may be required to use email in this course to complete particular assignments.
 I will only acknowledge and reply to emails that contain your actual name that I recognize from the roll.
 Please include the class you are in and the issues you are emailing me about in the subject line.
 Do not email papers or assignments to me, unless this has been arranged in advance.
 In addition to other issues with email that occur occasionally, please keep in mind that the CCSF email system
occasionally blocks legitimate emails from students as spam.
 I usually don’t advise students on papers via email in great detail; please request a conference instead.
 Sometimes, I may have missed your message, or not had a chance to respond by the time class meets again. If
this happens, please talk to me right after class and follow up with me.

All assignments required: All major papers and assignments, including the exams, must be completed and submitted to
pass the course with a C or better. Once one major paper or major assignment has become an F due to lateness, your
course grade will also become an F, regardless of any other grades earned in the course. Special arrangements to make
up missed class work, quizzes, exams, or or other assignments is not guaranteed, especially during the summer term. If
you skip the final or the midterm your course grade will be an F, regardless of your other grades.

Changes to Syllabus: This syllabus is subject to change and supplement.