Faculty Syllabus
ENGL-1302 English Composition II
Thomas Dowe
Credit Spring 2026
Section(s)
ENGL-1302-019 (16500)
LEC TuTh 1:30pm - 2:50pm RGC RG10 1326.00
ENGL-1302-105 (16557)
LEC MW 3:00pm - 4:20pm RRC RRC8 8211.00
Course Requirements
REQUIRED TEXTS/MATERIALS
This is a “Zero Textbook Class” (ZTC), but there will be a lot of material available in Blackboard. I also provide paper handouts, because I am a strong believer in the mind–body benefits of marking up readings. I will do my best to make my class notes as complete as possible and post them after class. Most of the readings will be fiction, with some poetry, but there may be some short non-fiction selections as well.
In order to develop your skill and fluency as a writer, please go to a dollar store near you and buy at least one basic, no-frills composition book (wide or narrow ruled) for use during class. Please write your name both on the front and inside the front cover. I will hand out and collect these comp books at various points when we all write longhand during class. Please also buy a 1-1/2” three ring binder for storing all the handouts. Three or four paper folders will also work for storing handouts, if you are unable to buy a binder.
I also provide a “Little Library” of books on writing and creativity to class. You may check these books out for one week at a time. Please return them in the same condition you find them.
While not required, you may want to find a copy of the MLA Handbook (8th edition) to have on your bookshelf. They are under $10 on eBay or at Half Price Books, and it is a good investment. The most current edition is the 9th, but it is more expensive. You can also bookmark the MLA Style Center website.
Readings
Typically, there will be stories and poetry from the following countries, at minimum: Japan, China, India, Iran, Russia, Turkey, Czechia, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Algeria, Colombia, and Brazil. Also included among the readings are lyrics from popular songs, literary criticism, and occasionally homilies from various world religions.
Course Subjects
The course will cover fiction and poetry from all over the world, as well as a unit on visual literacy with respect to film, television, art, comics, and design.
Students should be aware that this instructor will address a number of topics within Liberal Arts at ACC, including Anthropology, Art History, Geography History, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology. There are also planned examinations of elements of Photography, Design, and Radio–Television–Film. Exposure to many disciplines is the heart of a good education.
Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives
The course is carefully planned to help you succeed in improving your writing and thinking across many dimensions. The course begins with an introduction to some theoretical concepts from literary formalism (“Art as a Machine”) and cultural studies (“Texts and Contexts: Encoding/Decoding”). The first unit deals primarily with visual and auditory media, including paintings, sculpture, photographs, comics, industrial design, movies, television, film, popular music, and mixed-media installations. The primary focus of this first unit is early 20th-century modernism, but includes artifacts created as late as 2011.
After this first unit, students are asked to write either a credo (a statement of their existing belief system with respect to works of art and literature) or a manifesto (a declaration of principles and beliefs about a desired future direction of works of art and literature).
There are four additional writing assignments, one each about poetry, fiction, and literary criticism, as well as a semester reflection.
Office Hours
F 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Zoom
NOTEPublished: 01/30/2026 21:50:53