Syllabus

Page history last edited by Abigail Heiniger 10 years, 5 months ago

Welcome to English 1223: World Masterpieces After 1700

Colliding Cultures: Writing Ourselves Into the World

Syllabus World Literature II.pdf

Syllabus

T/Th 4:20-5:35

27 August – 13 December 2014 (Fall 2014)

Classroom: Science Building S218

Course Wiki: http://worldmasterpiecesltu.pbworks.com

Instructor: Dr. Abigail Heiniger

Office: S 209B

Office Hours: T/Th 9:45-10:45, 12:30-1:44, 3:20-4:15

Contact information:

e-mail: aheiniger@ltu.edu

phone: (248) 204.3524

Registration Information

Last day to ADD course is 3 September 2014.

Last day to WITHDRAW from course with full tuition is 9 September 2014.

Last day to WITHDRAW from course is 18 November 2014.

Course Description

This course prepares students for critical reading, and writing about literature in college classes. The main goals of the course are (1) to introduce students to the five main genres of modern fiction: poetry, drama, short story, novel and graphic novel; (2) to have students engage in the close reading of fiction; and (3) to teach students to articulate their analysis of fiction through writing.

To achieve these goals, the course places considerable emphasis upon the relationship between reading, writing, and the arts. Visual thinking, literary analysis, and close reading skills will be practiced individually in daily responses, discussed in class weekly, and utilized in a final paper.

This course will organize reading, visual media, and writing assignments around the theme of the “literary quest.” The epic quest was one of the earliest literary genres. Regardless of the object of the quest, the epic was used to explore the nature of humanity. This semester, we will create our own definition for the term “quest.” We will analyze the evolving quest of literature since 1700 and examine the ways we continue to write ourselves into the world.

Section Description and Course Goals

More specifically, our class will take up the above objectives on three levels:

We will engage the critical and theoretical aspects of fiction in five group projects in which students will introduce a genre to the class.
The pragmatic process of close reading and literary analysis (how to write about fiction) will be accomplished through the final paper and through assigned journals.

As a college-level course, it is expected that students will adhere to the mechanics of composition (grammar, sentence structure, arrangement, etc.).
The final paper will utilize the close reading and literary analysis skill that students learn throughout the year along. It will also have a research element - students will be expected to consult three or more scholarly secondary sources for their final paper (which will be revised and edited during the course of the semester).

Finally, overarching comprehension of material and writing-on-demand skills will be measured in three exams throughout the course of the semester.

The bulk of your final grades will be based on the group project, daily responses, the three exams, and the final paper.

Texts and Supplies

Required: Mary Shelly Frankenstein

Required: Ibsen Four Major Plays

Required: Virginia Woolf Mrs. Dalloway

Required: Gabriel Garcia Marquez Love in the Time of Cholera

Required: Ngugi Wa Thiong'o A Grain of Wheat

Required: Spiegelman Maus I & II

Required: Copies of short fiction included on wiki

Required: A Lawrence Technical University e-mail address you check regularly

Required: A course wiki account: http://worldmasterpiecesltu.pbworks.com.

All required texts are available at the bookstore on campus.

Assignments

· Journals (due before class - worth 100 pts)
· Exam I (TBA - 100 pts)
· Exam II (TBA - 100 pts)
· Exam III (TBA - 200 pts)
· Final Paper - (TBA - 300pts)
· Group Project (individually determined - 100pts)
· Participation (individually determined - 100pts)

Percentage of Total Grade:

· Journals - 10% of total grade
· Final Paper - 30% of total grade
· Exams - 40% of total grade
· Group Project - 10% of total grade
· Participation - 10% of total grade

All written work is to adhere to MLA guidelines (available online on the course wiki).

All Assignments and due dates listed on the Assignments page of the class wiki.

Exams

The majority of the final grade depends upon the three exams. Attendance on exam dates is mandatory; exams cannot be made up except in the case of a university-accepted excused absence.

Journals and Final Paper

Journals

Journals should be between 150 - 300 words. The purpose of journals is to develop the final research paper. Journals are due before class on the dates assigned.

Journal One: post three texts to you are considering for your final paper. Include links to text summaries.
Journal Two: post an art work that you relates to the course theme (literary quest). Summarize the art work you have chosen.
Journal Three: Choose one of the elements of visual rhetoric to analyze the art work you have chosen in a paragraph. Do not summarize (you did that for the last journal)
Journal Four: identify the topic you are considering for the final paper.
Journal Five: List of three scholarly secondary text on topic/text (post to roster page).
Journal Six: Working Thesis.
Journal Seven: Do two paragraphs of analysis on one of your texts.

Final Paper:

For the final paper (8 - 12pp), students will do a close reading of one or more of the texts read in class. The text must be paired with an artifact that students locate on one of the Making of American or Detroit Institute of Arts or Victoria and Albert databases. Students must develop a thesis guide their analysis and close reading based on the course theme of literary quests. This thesis will also be supported with research from at least three outside sources (including two scholarly, secondary source). Students will work on and revise this paper throughout the semester. Specific guidelines and due dates can be found on Assignments and (and here).The final paper should rely PRIMARILY upon your close reading and analysis of the primary texts, but you should also support your thesis with secondary research from at least three scholarly sources, including cultural context for the texts you are analyzing. The paper must be 8 - 12 pages long (MLA style - 12 point, Times New Roman, Double Spaced). The page length does not include the Work Cited Page.

The scaffolded development of the final paper will be made through journals for this course.

Rough Draft - TBA

◦ Conferences (sign up here)

◦ Rough drafts will be discussed in conferences.

Final Draft - TBA

Grading

All essays will be graded according to the HSSC Guidelines for Writing Papers. The HSSC Banned Error List is also used in grading. These documents can be found on the HSSC website: http://www.ltu.edu/arts_sciences/humanities_ss_comm/writing_tools.asp

Breakdown of grades (from the LTU UG catalog:

A 4.0

A- 3.7

B+ 3.3

B 3.0

B- 2.7

C+ 2.3

C 2.0

C- 1.7

D+ 1.3

D 1.0

D- 0.7

F 0.0

WF 0.0 (failure due to non-attendance)

Although individual projects in this course have specific grading guidelines and specific rubrics posted to the class wiki, the general rubric for grades in our course is as follows:

Late Work

I do not accept late work - for your writing to receive credit it must be posted in the appropriate space by the deadline, otherwise I will comment on it, but it will not receive credit.

Attendance

As this is a discussion and workshop-driven class, attendance of all participants is particularly important. You are allowed three unexcused absences; subsequent absences will result in a reduction of your final grade by 5% for each unexcused absence. You are also encouraged to make use of office hours.

Please be on time and prepared to learn. In respect for your classmates and professor, once the attendance sheet is passed, you may not sign in and receive credit for attending. You are welcome to stay and listen to the lecture and participate, but it will be marked as an absence. Leaving early without prior permission will also count as an absence.

Excused absences require a note from a doctor or LTU (for athletic or academic activities).

N.B. Attendance and participation in class, conferences, and rough draft workshops comprises 10% of the final grade.

Sharing Student Work

LLT 1223 is a collaborative course, as such we will be sharing our writing throughout the semester as a means to helping each other become better writers and thinkers. To better facilitate this process, I will be using selections of your work during class as examples. If you would prefer that I not use your work, please let me know.

Rough Draft Workshops and Conferences

We will have conferences and a rough draft workshop in preparation for the Final Paper. Failure to participate in the rough draft workshop or attend the conference for this project (by absence OR by failing to complete your rough draft and/or participate in the peer critique of others' drafts) will result in a 10% deduction in the grade of final draft of the Final Paper.

Media Policy

I encourage you to use your laptops, computers and Internet connections to search out information relevant to class during class. However, browsing unrelated to the class (as well as other media use - texting, IMing, etc.) will be grounds for expulsion from the course. Please do not allow cell phones or other electronic devices to interrupt class. Please refrain from texting. Repeated interruptions will be held accountable as one unexcused absence.

Academic Dishonesty

Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of ideas and information from sources without proper citation and documentation (e.g., copying from texts or pasting from websites without quoting, and not providing a complete list of Works Cited). Students are required to sign a plagiarism statement, declaring all work is original.

The English Department requires students to sign an Honors Pledge for every paper, stating that their paper is their own work. Instructors are required to report all instances of plagiarism to the Department of English. In this course, the first instance of plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the entire assignment. Any subsequent infringements will result in a failure of the course.

To prevent and detect plagiarism in this course, all major assignments will be submitted to SafeAssign on Blackboard.

See the LTU Policy on Academic Dishonesty (linked on the syllabus wiki page) for more information (go to LTU website if the link will not load).

Incomplete Policy

I generally do not allow “Incompletes,” it is the responsibility of students to complete all work in a timely fashion; failure to do so will be reflected in the student’s grade unless that student withdraws from the course. Exceptions to this policy are rare and will be decided on a case-by-case basis. If you decide to leave the course, be sure to withdraw within the allotted time. Failure to do so will demand a failing grade at the semester’s end.

Resources:

The Writing Center

The Writing Center provides tutoring consultations free of charge for students at Lawrence Technical University. Undergraduate students in General Education courses, including composition courses, receive priority for tutoring appointments. The Writing Center serves as a resource for writers, providing tutoring sessions on the range of activities in the writing process – considering the audience, analyzing the assignment or genre, brainstorming, researching, writing drafts, revising, editing, and preparing documentation. The Writing Center is not an editing or proofreading service; rather students are guided as they engage collaboratively in the process of academic writing, from developing an idea to correctly citing sources. For more information, please consult the Writing Center website.

Technology Services

This course is heavily technology and web based. Much of the course content will be covered on this wiki and all of your work will be submitted through your wiki or via "Safe Assign" on Blackboard. As such, competency and comfort with these technologies is absolutely vital to success in this course. If you need help with this, ask for it.

The Office of Educational Accessibility Services

If you feel that you may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability, please feel free to contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. Additionally, the Disabilities Services office coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Visit the LTU website for more details: http://www.ltu.edu/student_affairs/disability.asp.

Academic Achievement Center: http://www.ltu.edu/aac/about_us.asp

Syllabus Contract

After reading this syllabus, please go to the Syllabus Contract Page (linked to the syllabus page on the wiki). If you agree to the terms and conditions of this syllabus, print out and sign the text from this page and bring it into class by Thursday, 4 September 2014.