Eugenio María de Hostos Community College
English Department
Spring 2024
English 111: Literature and Composition
ENG 111-716A
Professor Aaron Botwick
abotwick@gmail.com
Room B-506
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:30-6:45pm
Prerequisite
Successful completion of ENG 110 or equivalent.
Course Description
English 111, the second semester of freshman composition and a foundational writing course, will introduce you to techniques for close reading of literary texts. This course develops your critical thinking skills through the study of literary elements such as plot, character, setting, point of view, symbolism, and irony. Additionally, you will learn the Modern Language Association (MLA) system of parenthetical citation and how to incorporate quotations into their analysis of literary texts; you will also complete a research assignment by consulting both print and online sources. You will be able to interpret and write critically about each of the three major genres: fiction, poetry, and drama.
A Note on Course Sequence—English 110 and English 111
English 110 and English 111 make up the Writing Composition sequence at Hostos Community College. English 110, “Expository Writing,” teaches you to “respond critically, in writing, to a variety of texts integrating your own ideas with those presented in the readings.” In English 111, you will apply these critical skills to works of literature in the form of literary analysis and close reading. You will continue to develop your summarizing, paraphrasing, quoting, citation, and critical thinking skills.
Course Objectives
In this course, you will become familiar with three of the major genres of literature (fiction, poetry, and drama) and read and write critically about one or more of these forms. By the end of this course, you are expected to:
identify literary elements such as plot, character, point of view, setting, imagery, irony, tone, and symbols when analyzing stories, poems, and plays;
interpret a literary text and support that interpretation with evidence gained from close reading;
write clearly and coherently in varied academic formats;
synthesize ideas from disparate authors and texts;
analyze literary texts and evaluate critical interpretations;
write at least twelve pages (approximately 3000 words) of analytical writing, such as close reading, literary analysis, and/or literary interpretation;
demonstrate research skills such as asking fruitful research questions, evaluating the credibility of sources, using keyword searches in academic databases, and citing sources ethically;
discover the pleasure (and frustration) of reading these texts.
Office Hours
My office hours (B-522) are Mondays-Thursdays, 4:30-5:30pm.
Textbooks and Materials
There are no required books for this course. All readings will be posted under Course Content on Blackboard.
Blackboard Support
If you are experiencing problems with Blackboard, please contact the Office of Educational Technology (Room C-559) at (718) 319-7915 or EdTech@hostos.cuny.edu.
Grading
Here is the breakdown of your final grade:
Participation: 10 percent
Reflection Essay: 10 percent
Close Reading Essay: 20 percent
Research Essay: 25 percent
New Scene: 20 percent
Final Exam: 15 percent
Guidelines for each assignment will be posted on Blackboard and emailed to the class.
Grading Scale: 93-100 = A; 90-92 = A-; 87-89 = B+; 83-86 = B; 80-82 = B-; 77-79 = C+; 70-76 = C; 60-69 = D; <60 = F
D: Though a D is a passing grade at Hostos, four-year colleges will not give you credit for a course in which you received a D. You can retake the course for a higher grade, but this may not be covered by your financial aid.
F: An F is a failing grade. You can retake the course for a higher grade, but this may not be covered by your financial aid. Furthermore, you can lose your financial aid if you fail too many courses.
INC (Incomplete): This grade indicates that the objectives of a course have not been completed for good and sufficient reasons and that there is a reasonable expectation that the student can, in fact, successfully complete the requirements of the course. For an instructor to grant INC, the student must have met the instructor's attendance requirements in the course, completed most of the coursework, and have a passing semester average. If this is not the case, the student should receive an F. An INC should not be given to a student for excessive absences.
WU (Withdrawal Unofficial): This grade is given due to excessive absences signifying that the course was not completed, but the student attended at least one session (F).
Participation
This is a discussion-based course, not a lecture-based one. Participation is crucial to class success. That being said, I understand that many students feel uncomfortable with participation. In a poll for the National Institutes of Mental Health, seventy-five percent of Americans ranked public speaking as their number one fear—over death. So, if you find yourself unable to regularly contribute to class discussion, you can earn your participation credit by coming to office hours, by emailing me your thoughts after class, and by making sure you arrive on time and engage in active listening.
There will also be no toleration of racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, or ableist language. Granted, we all have gaps in knowledge and experience and the purpose of a college education is in part to assist each other in filling in those gaps. Therefore, I encourage respectful debate when your peers or I have said something hurtful, insensitive, or ignorant
Attendance
You are expected to attend all class meetings.
Attendance is necessary because we are all social learners, and we all learn both by explaining our ideas to others and by listening to others explain their ideas. I am sure many of you would be able to pass the assigned work despite numerous absences, but you would be missing this key advantage of an in-person education.
Writing Requirements
You can find the assignment guidelines for your essays under Course Content on Blackboard.
I ask that you email all essays to abotwick@gmail.com by 11:59pm. If you are having trouble completing an essay, please email me or speak to me during office hours; so long as you do so ahead of time, we will be able to arrange an alternate deadline.
All work should be typed in Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Please use Times New Roman, double-spaced, size twelve font with one-inch margins. Formatting should conform to MLA guidelines. Include your name, the date, and my name in the top, right-hand corner of the document.
I am a strong believer that writing is rewriting; no one produces polished prose on the first draft. Thus, if you submit an essay on time, you are welcome to continue revising it throughout the semester for a higher grade.
Academic Integrity
You are responsible for understanding and following the college policies on academic integrity, including cheating and plagiarism, which can be found in the Hostos College Catalog or on the Hostos website. Plagiarism is the act of presenting another person’s ideas or words as your own.
I am here to help you become a better writer, which is not possible if I am not reading your writing. If you are unsure that you will be able to turn in satisfactory work—or if you believe you will not be able to make a deadline—please reach out to me as early as possible; we can always make alternate arrangements when a problem is addressed before the deadline.
Americans with Disabilities Act Statement
As required by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, reasonable accommodations are provided to ensure equal opportunity for students with verified disabilities.
If you have a disability that requires accommodations, or if you feel you would benefit from accommodations such as extra time on exams and help with assignments, contact the Accessibility Resource Center (D101-L) at (718) 518-4454 or ARC@hostos.cuny.edu.
If you are already registered with the ARC and have a letter from them verifying that you are a qualified student with a disability, please present the letter to me as soon as possible. I will work with you and the ARC to plan and implement appropriate accommodations.
The Writing Center @ Hostos
Take advantage of the Writing Center (C-596A), where tutors offer help at any stage of the writing process. As a former writing tutor, I have seen that students who bring drafts to the Writing Center tend to receive higher grades on their assignments.
Call (929) 324-0333, email writingcenterhostos@gmail.com, or register online at https://commons.hostos.cuny.edu/writingcenter to schedule a remote, one-hour session.
Carlos E. González Counseling Center
The Counseling Center (C-330) offers free, private counseling in a supportive environment. You are welcome to focus on academic and career issues, family problems, or other matters of importance.
Call (718) 518-4461 or e-mail infocounseling@hostos.cuny.edu.
One Stop
If you are experiencing trauma such as hunger, homelessness, health problems, or family-related issues, visit the One Stop (D Building first floor intake), call at (718) 518-4141, or e-mail Madeline Cruz at mcruz@hostos.cuny.edu.
Benefits include food stamps, Medicaid, housing, public assistance, social security, disability Supplementary Security Income, school lunch, transportation, mental health care, domestic violence services, foster care placement, food vouchers, debt solution, credit report, financial planning, maintaining small businesses, free tax preparation, legal advice, and much more.
Health and Wellness Center
For non-emergency medical assistance on campus, questions about immunization requirements, or healthy living programming, visit the Health and Wellness Center (A-334C) or call them at (718) 518-6542.
Services include first aid emergency treatment, blood pressure screening, free Condoms and sanitary napkins, and state mandated vaccinations on COVID-19, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR).
Classmate Contacts
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Reading and Assignment Schedule
Thursday, January 25: Edna St. Vincent Millay, “First Fig” (1920)
Tuesday, January 30: Jhumpa Lahiri, “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” (1999)
Thursday, February 1 : Dorothy Parker, “One Perfect Rose” and “Unfortunate Coincidence” (1926)
Sunday, February 4: Reflection essay due
Tuesday, February 6: Federico García Lorca, The House of Bernarda Alba (1945), Act One
Thursday, February 8: García Lorca, The House of Bernarda Alba, Act Two
Tuesday, February 13: García Lorca, The House of Bernarda Alba, Act Three
Thursday, February 15: Don McGregor and Rich Buckler, Jungle Action #6 (1972)
Sunday, February 18: First draft of close reading essay due
Tuesday, February 20: Karyn Kusama, Girlfight (2000)
Thursday, February 22: Classes follow a Monday schedule
Tuesday, February 27: Kusama, Girlfight (cont’d)
Thursday, February 29: Edgar Allan Poe, “The Cask of Amontillado” (1846)
Sunday, March 3: Final draft of close reading essay due
Tuesday, March 5: William Carlos Williams, “Danse Russe” (1916) and “This Is Just to Say” (1934)
Thursday, March 7: Chikamatsu Monzaemon, The Love Suicides at Sonezaki (1703), Scenes 1-2
Tuesday, March 12: Chikamatsu, The Love Suicides at Sonezaki, Scene 3
Thursday, March 14: Charles Schultz, Peanuts; Bill Waterson, Calvin and Hobbes; Gary Larson, The Far Side; Matt Groening, Life Is Hell; Ray Billingsley, Curtis; Lalo Alcaraz, La Cucaracha; Alison Bechdel, Dykes to Watch Out For; Aaron McGruder, The Boondocks
Sunday, March 17: Subject of research essay due
Tuesday, March 19: Alfred Hitchcock, Strangers on a Train (1951)
Thursday, March 21: Hitchcock, Strangers on a Train (cont’d)
Tuesday, March 26: Ted Chiang, “Story of Your Life” (1998), pp.91-119
Thursday, March 28: Chiang, “Story of Your Life,” pp.119-147
Sunday, March 31: First draft of research essay due
Tuesday, April 2: Gwendolyn Brooks, “The Bean Eaters” and “We Real Cool” (1960)
Thursday, April 4: Jocelyn Bioh, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding (2023), Scenes 1-3
Tuesday, April 9: Bioh, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Scenes 4-6
Thursday, April 11: Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá, Daytripper #1 (2010)
Sunday, April 14: Final draft of research essay due
Tuesday, April 16: Student Choice (film)
Thursday, April 18: Student Choice, cont’d
Tuesday, April 23: Spring break
Thursday, April 25: Spring break
Tuesday, April 30: Spring break
Thursday, May 2: Writing workshop and check-in
Tuesday, May 7: Final exam prep
Thursday, May 9: Practice exam
Sunday, May 12: New scene due
Tuesday, May 14: Course feedback