English
1010: Introduction to Literature
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English 1010.004 Introduction to Literature Fall 2008 C 113 W, 6-9 |
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Instructor:
Perrello Office: L195K Phone:
209-667-3274 Email: tperrello@csustan.edu Office hours: MW
10-11; 1-2 and by appointment |
Course Description: We’ll do what people in universities have been doing for centuries: reading and witnessing the artistic creations of fellow human beings, analyzing them, delighting in their use of language, and debating the issues that inevitably arise from art. Our investigation is organized by genre—poetry, drama, fiction—and you will learn basic literary concepts related to genre that you will then use as intellectual tools in reading and analyzing texts. You will demonstrate the quality of your analyses by completing frequent writing assignments, presenting material to the class, and joining class discussions generally.
Why you want this course:
- You can finally work past the trauma of high school English classes.
- It may be your last chance to master this key field of subtle literacy.
- Literature cultivates sensitivity and sensibility. How much of that is in circulation these days?
Course Objectives
- Gaining factual knowledge by reading several different authors writing a variety of works
- Learning some of the fundamental principles of reading literature with understanding; practicing some basic analysis of literature
- Developing skills working with others as a member of a group
- Gaining a broader understanding and appreciation of literature of various kinds
Required Texts
Beowulf: A Verse Translation.
Trans. Seamus Heaney. Ed. Daniel
Donaghue.
W.W. Norton & Company, 2002.
The Compact
Matheson, Richard.
I Am Legend.
Grade Breakdown
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Reflective essay: 3 out of class essays: Mid Term Exam: Final Exam: Class Participation: |
15% 40% 15% 20% 10% |
We will use the optional plus minus system for grades. Letter grades correspond to numerical values in accordance with the chart below.
|
A |
A- |
B+ |
B |
B- |
C+ |
C |
C- |
D+ |
D |
D- |
F |
|
100-92 |
91-90 |
89-88 |
87-82 |
81-80 |
79-78 |
77-72 |
71-70 |
69-68 |
67-62 |
61-60 |
< 60 |
Please note: I will not allow you to go Credit/No Credit after census day (10-1); Also, I will not sign a withdrawal form after week 10.
To see my grading standards for written work, click here.
Explanation of Course Content
Reflective Essay: This will be assigned and written in the first week of class. Using Sherman Alexie’s essay, “Superman and Me,” as a starting point, you will produce a personal literacy timeline and accompanying essay. I will give further details in class; this assignment will give me an idea of your reading history, and it will help you clarify your own ideas about literary study. To access a copy of the assignment, click here or find the link below on the Daily Schedule of Classes.
Out of Class Essays: One of the unique features of this class is the “literature circle.” Twice, you’ll be asked to gather in groups and work on a collection of poems or short stories. Your group will analyze the works and then present them to the class. Then, each individual will submit an essay based on the experience. On another occasion, you will watch an adaptation of a play, poem, or novel on the syllabus and write a screening report. Each of these assignments will be detailed in a handout. Together, these three written assignments will be worth 40% of your grade.
Exams: Exams in this class may take many forms, depending on the works we cover, the progress we make, etc. Exams may be any combination of identification, short-answer, matching column, essay, and so forth. You will be responsible for all of the material on the syllabus and everything covered and discussed in class. I will also identify terms for you to know that are important to literary study (most of these can be found in the glossary and other appendices in your textbook).
Class Participation: An average participation grade indicates that you are present, prompt, and prepared for class. A superior grade in this area indicates that you offer constructive, thoughtful feedback and respect others and their opinions. Serious participation in group and class projects, effort, and classroom demeanor also play a part in your participation grade. Note that an above average grade in this area is not automatic; you must earn a good participation grade through honest effort and serious input. Your base participation grade will be an 80% (B-) and will be augmented or reduced based on your standing as a citizen in this learning community (courteous vocalization of opinions or information, willingness to participate, timeliness, preparedness, wakefulness, and so on). If you are shy or otherwise unwilling or unable to offer feedback in class, explain your difficulties to me and offer feedback during my office hours.
Closely tied to the concept of class participation is classroom decorum: what is appropriate behavior in a college classroom? For starters, each student must be completely prepared with all assigned reading and must undertake an active, responsible role in all classroom activities. The score you receive for class participation is not awarded simply for attendance. Each student must earn it by contributing to the exchange of ideas upon which every successful course depends. Here are some behavioral guidelines: don’t talk disruptively, especially when others are talking. Have your textbook with you every class, and have it on your desk and opened to the relevant pages. Don’t read the paper or do work for other courses in class. Falling asleep in class is the height of rudeness. Don’t behave as if I’m on television and I can’t see or hear you. Also, turn off and put away all cell phones and PDAs before class begins. I don’t want you texting or fooling with any sort of technology during class time. This includes laptops.
Rules and Regulations
Attendance
and Tardiness: You
should attend every class meeting. I will take attendance during the
first five minutes of class each day. Anyone not present during roll will
be marked absent. If you are late and miss roll, it is up to you to see
that I correct the roll that same day; failure to do so means the absence is
permanent. If tardiness becomes excessive, I reserve the right to treat a
tardy as an absence. Each student is allowed one absence without
penalty. For each subsequent absence, 4 percentage points will be
deducted from your final semester grade. Further, you are responsible for
keeping up with the syllabus during any absence. Finally, if your
absences exceed 4, you will fail this course. I value your presence in
class, so please come.
Late
Work: For the purposes
of this class, late means late. All work is due at the beginning of class
on the due date. Missing class or coming late on the day an assignment is
due in no way excuses you from submitting work on time. I will not accept
late work without having given prior permission. Please make every attempt to contact me if
something goes wrong, and the sooner the better—preferably, I’d like to know
about any problems a day in advance. I
will be unsympathetic to your cause if you show up on the day something is due
and offer a lame excuse like “my printer isn’t working.” Uncle Teakus will croak in the blink of an
eye. Valley criminals will steal your
Honda. Your significant other will ditch
you out of the blue. They will do this
to you on paper-due-eve. Be prepared for
life’s cruel breaking curveballs by having your work done ahead of time so that
you can at least email me a copy of your project from wherever you are. Not
getting an assignment in at all means that you did not fully meet the
requirements of the course (big F).
Getting it in late (within 24 hours) means that you at least met
criteria minimally (little F factored in).
Academic Honesty: You are responsible for knowing what plagiarism is and avoiding it. This, and any other form of cheating, such as downloading or buying papers off of the internet, having someone else write a paper for you, having Gertrude, who happens to be your mother-in-law and a graduate student at UC Davis, “edit” your essay for you, etc., can’t be tolerated in college. Copying from another person’s test paper or other forms of cheating on in-class written assignments are just as egregious. Your integrity, as well as that of the entire academic community, is at stake. Please make sure all work is original, individual, and done specifically for this class. The English Department’s policy on plagiarism is as follows:
Academic honesty is an important principle to ensure that all authors, including students, are acknowledged for their original expressions of ideas.
Instructors have a responsibility to demonstrate to students in their courses the difference in acceptable and unacceptable use of others’ work. Students have a responsibility to ask their instructor for guidance whenever they are uncertain about fair use of someone else’s work.
Students, in submitting work, certify that the work is their own original work except that all information garnered from others whether quoted, summarized, or paraphrased has been appropriately cited. Dishonesty by failing to acknowledge the work of others constitutes plagiarism and is a serious offense. Normally, the penalty for plagiarism is failure in the course. More serious penalties may also be invoked.*
In cases of plagiarism instructors should also submit the Student Discipline: Academic Dishonesty Incident Report Form to the Coordinator of Student Discipline for tracking or for disciplinary investigation. http://www.csustan.edu/english/dept/AcademicDishonestyIncident.pdf
Click on the URL below to read the text of the above policy: http://www.csustan.edu/english/dept/plagiarism.html in their syllabi.
*Title 5, California Code of Regulations, Section 41301 notes that students may be “expelled, suspended, placed on probation, or given a lesser sanction for one or more of the following causes which must be campus related: 1. Cheating or plagiarism in connection with an academic program at a campus. . . .” (see Appendix F of the current CSU, Stanislaus catalog).
Failure of the course will be the penalty for first time offenders. You may be subject to expulsion from the university for repeated offenses.
Students with special needs: Students who require
extra help, space, or time to complete assignments should speak to me as soon
as possible.
Schedule of
September
9-10: Introductions; Alexie, “Superman and Me”; assign and begin Literacy Timeline and Reflective essay
9-17: Introduction to poetry; Beowulf; Literacy Timeline and Reflective Essay Due
9-24: finish Beowulf; poetry: “The Red Wheelbarrow” (808); “My Papa’s Waltz” (769); “The Secretary Chant” (570); “Those Winter Sundays” (571); “The Fish” (581); “L(A” (585); “She Being Brand” 627); “Root Cellar” (663); “The Bull Moose” (717); “The Chimney Sweeper” (723)
October
10-1: poetry: Sonnets (776-780); “God’s Grandeur (738); “The Windhover” (1023); “That Time of Year…” (1030); “Ozymandias” (1031); poetry circles
10-8: poetry presentations
10-15: Introduction to Drama; Shakespeare, Othello; Poetry Write-up Due
10-22: Finish Othello;
Wilson, Fences
10-29: Mid-Term Exam
November
11-5: Introduction to Fiction; Boyle, “Carnal Knowledge” (466); Flannery O’Connor Stories (367-406); “Popular Mechanics” (288)
11-12: Fiction Circles
11-19: Fiction Presentations; I Am Legend (Parts 1 and 2)
11-26: I Am Legend (Parts
3 and 4); Fiction
Write-up Due
December
12-3: Last Day of
Class; Screening Report Due; Final Exam