Prof. Elizabeth Hegwood /

Prof. Elizabeth Hegwood / ehegwood@gru.edu / 706-667-4429 / Allgood E245 / T-R 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
ENGLISH 1102 - COMPOSITION TWO SPRING 2014
NATURAL CAUSES: NATURE WRITING AND NARRATIVE
T-R 11:30-12:45 UH 223 & UH 242
Required Materials:
 Rules for Writers, Diana Hacker ed.
 The Norton Book of Nature Writing (College Edition), Robert Finch and John Elder eds.
 Various handouts posted by the instructor onto D2L
Course Description:
As twenty-first century human beings, we are made increasingly aware of our effect on local and
global environments. In this class, we will use different genres to explore not only that issue, but also the
extent to which our natural environments in turn shape who we are -- both as individuals and as a
species. To what extent does our immersion in or avoidance of “the great outdoors” affect our value
systems and identities? As we take a look at the crossroads where ecology meets story, we’ll examine
both scientific and artistic perspectives. Texts will include The Norton Anthology of Nature Writing,
various short stories and poems, selections from The Best American Science and Nature Writing series,
and two or more films. Major writing assignments will include reading/viewing responses, an analysis
paper, and a research paper. Other homework assignments may also be assigned. ENG 1101
prerequisite.
Course Goals and Objectives:
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Finding and evaluating sources. By the end of College Composition II, students should be able
to locate, evaluate, and organize research material collected from electronic sources, including
scholarly library databases; other official databases (e.g., federal government databases); and
informal electronic networks and internet sources.
Contextual awareness. By the end of College Composition II, students should be able to
demonstrate awareness of historical, cultural, and/or literary context when responding to texts.
Use of sources. By the end of College Composition II, students should be able to summarize,
paraphrase, synthesize, and directly quote from a variety of appropriate sources, integrating
them effectively into their writing.
Academic honesty. By the end of College Composition II, students should be able to use sources
ethically, avoiding plagiarism.
Argument. By the end of College Composition II, students should be able to articulate and
support an argument while addressing possible counterarguments and objections.
Style. By the end of College Composition II, students should be able to write in a style and tone
appropriate to the subject, purpose, and audience of their writing projects.
Conventions. By the end of College Composition II, students should be able to demonstrate
control over the conventions of academic writing, including but not limited to appropriate
grammar, punctuation, and documentation format.
Prof. Elizabeth Hegwood / ehegwood@gru.edu / 706-667-4429 / Allgood E245 / T-R 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Course Requirements:
 Assigned readings in the textbook and other homework assignments
 Your work in a Final Portfolio collected at the end of the semester
 Process writing projects with a combined final draft length totaling 3200 words (approximately
12 pages double-spaced) or more. This will be achieved through an analysis paper with a 4 page
minimum due near the midterm date and a research paper due toward the end of the semester
with an 8-page minimum.
 At least 6 reading/viewing responses throughout the semester of at least 250 words apiece in
length. You will choose the best 3-4 for inclusion in your portfolio.
 Class Participation: You must come to class prepared and ready to contribute substantially to
class discussion, group work, etc.
Teaching Philosophy: This class will be taught in an interactive, discussion-based manner, so that
students learn as much from each other’s ideas as they do from the instructor and the texts.
Expectations:
 Follow the syllabus posted on D2L. If the schedule changes, I will upload a revised schedule. I
will let you know if that happens, but you should always check before the next class meeting.
 Check your GRU email account regularly as I frequently use email as a means of class
communication.
 If, in class, we are discussing a handout posted to D2L, print out that handout prior to coming to
class.
 Don’t take out your phones, tablets, laptops, etc., unless you have a written accommodation from
the Office of Testing and Disabilities that allows you to do so.
 Arrive on time.
 Contribute to the class discussions.
 Take notes.
 Turn in your work on the day it is due at the beginning of class. There are no exceptions to this,
save for an unforeseen catastrophic, verifiable event. (See “Late Work Policy” below.)
 Come to class. (See “Attendance Policy” below.)
Essays must be typewritten and stapled before you turn them in. Essays must (obviously) be about the
assigned topic. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation all count.
Essays will be written in 12 pt. Times New Roman in MLA format and will include MLA-style
citations and Works Cited pages. If an essay assignment calls for 5 pages, this does not mean 4 and ½
pages. Any essay with less than the full count will drop a full-letter grade. Page-length may seem
unnecessary and arbitrary, but it is a requirement which asks that you fully consider the text that you’re
reading, rather than giving a cursory, skin-deep analysis of it.
Late Work Policy:
Late reading/viewing responses, homework, and classwork will not be accepted. Final copies of
major essays may be turned in late for a grade penalty. Turning in an assignment more than fifteen
minutes after the start of class is the first automatic letter grade deduction. Every late day thereafter is an
additional automatic letter grade deduction.
Hard copies of all assignments are required. Electronic copies of major essay final drafts will also
be emailed to the instructor on the day that they are due.
Prof. Elizabeth Hegwood / ehegwood@gru.edu / 706-667-4429 / Allgood E245 / T-R 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Attendance Policy:
Attendance is required. Class workshops require that you have copies of your papers for your
classmates, and if you do not bring the copies you are supposed to have, you will be asked to leave and
counted absent. All absences count toward your absence total. If you miss class on the day we are
viewing a film, it is your responsibility to somehow obtain a copy of that film to watch. I will not provide
one for you. Likewise, if you miss a class discussion or notes, it is your responsibility to get those from a
classmate.
According to university policy, you can be automatically withdrawn from the course if you
miss—for any reason—more than 10% of class meetings. We have forty-eight scheduled hours of class, so
you can be withdrawn if you miss as few as five class meetings. To be counted as present for an hour you
must be present for at least 80% of that hour.
If you miss five class meetings, I will withdraw you, and I will not warn you in advance. You are
responsible for keeping track of your absences. A withdrawal before mid-term will result in a grade of
“W”; after the mid-term the grade will be a “WF” unless there is a medical reason for your missing class.
It is your responsibility to inform me of medical emergencies and to provide verifiable documentation.
Grades will be calculated as follows:
 Reading responses/homework/classwork: 20%
 Analysis paper: 30%
 Research paper: 40%
 Participation: 10%
Grade Scale:
 90-100: A
 80-89: B
 70-79: C
 60-69: D
 0-60: F
Plagiarism will result in automatic failure of this course. Plagiarism is the act of using language and
ideas from other sources in your writing and claiming them as your own. This includes lifting material
from published sources (cutting and pasting) or buying or copying material off the Internet. Work
generated for a class other than this one or that you wrote for a former class may not be turned in for
credit in this class. See your student handbook for policies on Academic Honesty.
All final drafts of essays must include, at the top of the first page, your acknowledgment that you
are in compliance with university Academic Honesty and plagiarism policies (see section below). You
must include this statement to have your essay graded:
"I have read, understand, and am in compliance with the Academic Honesty policy. In particular, I have
not committed any kind of plagiarism. There are no unattributed direct or indirect quotations or
paraphrases from printed materials, websites, other students' papers, or any other sources in my essay."
Essays without this statement will receive zero points.
If you plagiarize, you will fail the course, and you may be subject to further sanctions under
the Code of Student Conduct. Plagiarism can ruin your academic career. Don't do it.
Prof. Elizabeth Hegwood / ehegwood@gru.edu / 706-667-4429 / Allgood E245 / T-R 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Resources:
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The Writing Center is a free program available to all student writers. It offers one-on-one help
with any kind of writing project, at any stage in the writing process. In addition to the tutorial
service it provides, The Writing Center also houses resources such as reference guides. You can
get information about the Writing Center from their website
(www.aug.edu/writing_center/writing_center.htm).
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The Supplemental Instruction Program (SIP) is a peer-to-peer tutoring program that matches
peer tutors with students needing extra academic support in a particular course. SIP is free for
GRU students who qualify for the services either based on grades or participation in the prematriculation program. Please contact Mrs. Adrienne Dill at adharris@gru.edu to see if you
qualify for SIP and to be matched with a peer tutor.
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Reese Library offers a number of services – including one-on-one sessions with a research
librarian who will guide you through your research process. Visit the Reese Library page at
www.gru.edu/library.
Accommodations for Students With Special Needs: If you think you have a disability that qualifies
under the Americans with Disabilities Act and requires accommodations, you should contact the Office
of Testing and Disabilities for information on appropriate policies and procedures at Tel. 706-737-1469;
Fax. 706-729-2298; tds@aug.edu.
By taking this course, you accept the amount and type of work assigned in this syllabus.
Tentative Schedule (subject to change):
1/7: Course Introduction
1/9: Discussion: Nature, Observation, and Identity
1/14: Hawthorne
1/16: Emerson
DUE: Reading response
1/21: Thoreau
1/23: Thoreau
DUE: Reading response
1/28: Darwin
1/30: Hasselstrom
DUE: Reading response
2/4: Williams & Brox
2/6: Silko
DUE: Reading response
2/11: Film viewing
2/13: Film discussion.
DUE: Viewing response
Prof. Elizabeth Hegwood / ehegwood@gru.edu / 706-667-4429 / Allgood E245 / T-R 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
2/18: Abram
2/20: Discuss analysis paper assignment
2/25: Writing Day
2/27: DUE: Analysis paper rough draft
3/3: Last day to withdraw without penalty (This is a Monday).
3/4: Deming
DUE: Reading response
3/6: McPhee
DUE: Analysis paper final draft
3/11: Berry
3/13: Dillard
DUE: Reading response
3/18: Ackerman
3/20: Wallace
DUE: Reading response
3/25: Sanders
3/27: Hogan
DUE: Reading response
4/1: Discuss research paper assignment
4/3: Meloy & Lopez
DUE: Reading response
4/8: No class – spring break
4/10: No class – spring break
4/15: McKibben
DUE: Research paper rough draft
4/17: Hiestand
DUE: Reading response
4/22: Film viewing
4/24: Film discussion
DUE: Viewing response
4/29: GRU Reading Day
FINAL EXAM MEETING: TBA
DUE: Portfolios and research paper final drafts