Division of Arts/Humanities Department of English
Prof. Frank Masiello email: fmasiello@citytech.cuny.edu
ENG 1101 Composition I
Fall 2022 Online Tues/Thurs 8:00 a.m. to 9:40 a.m.
Course Description
English Composition I is a three-credit, general education course with an emphasis on expository/analytic writing, with a greater focus on critical thinking and writing in response to the class readings. Students will learn to evaluate and respond to the ideas that they encounter within the selections. The course will aim to develop students’ writing skills, essential for the production of persuasive, well-supported essays. A research paper is required for this course.
Student Learning Goals: As a result of meeting the requirements in this course, you will be able to
- use critical reading skills to understand and evaluate literary texts; to summarize works of literature; and to explain how literary elements interact to convey meaning.
- Write academic and personal responses to works of literature using appropriate literary terminology.
- Argue the validity of your interpretation of a work of literature.
- Use quotations and paraphrases from primary and secondary sources in your writing and document them following MLA style.
- Revise your essay to achieve unity and coherence.
- Edit and proofread your writing for clarity and correctness.
Course Content
As a student in this course, you can expect to do read, write, and think.
You can expect to read many short, literary texts and to write about these texts. This class will continue to prepare you for the work that you will do in this or any other college.
Whether you take a math, economics, or your major department courses, you will have to read and understand the course material.
Effective reading skills are essential to success in college. In addition, many college professors will require you to write a research paper of one sort or another.
Composition I will help you develop the skills that you will need to write term papers for this and for other college courses.
Please do not think about this course in isolation; instead, think about how your experience here can help make you a better student.
Required Materials:
Notebook and flashdrive (you MUST get into the habit of saving your word-processed writing).
NEVER DELETE AN ESSAY UNTIL THE FINAL GRADE IS GIVEN AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER!
Course Requirements
You will be required to do the following:
Write at a variety of multi-paragraph, academic and/or personal essays of at least 500 words.
Read, interpret, and analyze numerous literary works from the class readings.
Conduct independent research and write a 4-page research paper, using MLA style.
Submit papers that adhere to MLA manuscript requirements and which demonstrate effective proofreading and editing.
Participate in class discussions and other in-class activities necessary to produce quality expository prose.
Attend class regularly. Several absences will lower your grade.
Grading Policy
Your final grade will be computed in the following way: essays, 55%; research paper, 20%; and classwork and discussion posts, 25%.
Attendance Policy
Poor attendance will affect your grade.
If you are absent excessively, you can expect to fail the course.
Research Assignment Fall 2022
Compare and contrast one of the following novels to its corresponding film version:
Books to films suggested readings
PLEASE NOTE: Film titles must be underlined or italicized.
American Psycho by Brett Ellis
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Blade Runner by Philip K. Dick
Carrie by Stephen King (1976 film version only)
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
The Collector by John Fowles (1965 version only)
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Emma by Jane Austen
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (numerous film versions)
The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Green Mile by Stephen King
Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling (any in the series)
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkein
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (any in the series)
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (sometimes referred to as a “non-fiction novel”)
Interview with the Vampire by Ann Rice
It by Stephen King
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
Midnight Cowboy by James Leo Herlihy
Mildred Pierce by James. M. Cain
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
Psycho by Robert Bloch (1960 film version only)
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkein or any of The Lord of the Rings books
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby, Jr.
The Shining by Stephen King
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (any in the series)
Watchmen by Alan Moore (graphic novel)
The World According to Garp by John Irving
___________________________________________________________________________________
If you have a novel to film combination that you would like to consider, please ask me. PLEASE DO NOT READ ANYTHING NOT ON THIS LIST WITHOUT GETTING IT APPROVED FIRST! THIS IS AN ASSIGNMENT TO READ A NOVEL, no other text item is acceptable, no plays, no video games.
You are looking for similarities and differences. Also, why were changes made from book to film?
You must include six secondary sources, book reviews and film reviews that helped you form your opinions, plus the novel and the film (primary sources) for a total of eight sources.
YOU MUST FIND PROFESSIONAL CRITICS’ REVIEWS, NOT JUST FANS AND BLOGGERS.
Examples and detailed directions will be posted on OpenLab.
Try to relate the works to the themes we will be covering this semester: youth, gender, genre, etc. The books and films should also be included in your Works Cited, which must be done in MLA style.
The finished paper should be approximately 1500 words (that is four pages with double spacing, 12-point font) and is due two days before our last class meeting.
Worksheets, readings, and essay topics will be sent and posted on OpenLab gradually.
New York City College of Technology Policy on Academic Integrity
Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. The complete text of the College policy on Academic Integrity may be found in the catalog. In other words, DO NOT PLAGIARIZE.
Accessibility Statement
City Tech is committed to supporting the educational goals of enrolled students with disabilities in the areas of enrollment, academic advisement, tutoring, assistive technologies and testing accommodations. If you have or think you may have a disability, you may be eligible for reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments as provided under applicable federal, state and city laws. You may also request services for temporary conditions or medical issues under certain circumstances. If you have questions about your eligibility or would like to seek accommodation services or academic adjustments, please contact the Center for Student Accessibility at 300 Jay Street room L-237, 718 260 5143 or http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/accessibility/.
