English 251 Syllabus

Prerequisites:

English 111 or division approval.

Required Texts:

To facilitate class discussion and research, please acquire the exact editions that I ordered for the class.

To facilitate class discussion and research, please acquire the exact editions that I ordered for the class.

• Abrahams, Roger D. African Folktales.
• Aligheri, Dante. The Divine Comedy.
• Armitage, Stephen, Trans.  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
• Erdoes. American Indian Myths and Legends.
• Homer. The Odyssey.
• Mitchell, Stephen, Trans.  Gilgamesh.
• Moliere. Tartuffe.
• Sophocles. Oedipus Tyrranus.

Drop Dates:

Last Day to Drop a Class with a Refund: TH September 6

Last Day to Withdraw with a Grade of W:  W October 24

Alerts and Emails:

E2Campus Alerts: All students should sign up for e2campus alerts so that they will be informed via text message when all classes are cancelled (due, for example, to snow) or when a campus emergency arises.

Email Communications: Due to legal restrictions, I may only respond to emails sent via your CVCC email address.  I cannot respond to academic questions via facebook or to those sent via a personal email address.  When you send me your email, please use your cvcc email address. I will also use this email address for all academic email communications I send to you. Please check your email regularly.

Blackboard:  I will use Blackboard to post your syllabi, daily assignment schedule, key announcements (particularly in the event of class cancellation or changes in assignments or assignment due dates).  I will not necessarily post your grades to Blackboard because I believe one of the skills you should learn in college is how to keep account of your grade and progress in the class.  I will send an email to your CVCC address regarding any updates or announcements on Blackboard.

Course Blog:  All handouts on how to write the essay, assignment, assignment schedules, syllabi, and other course materials are available on the course blog together with research sources, MLA help, and a host of other materials.  If you lose this syllabus and the course blog address, you can simply google my name to find it.

Student Accessibility Services: If you have a documented physical, mental, or learning disability and you need reasonable accommodations to help you achieve success, please contact Student Accessibility Services, in the Counseling Center, Amherst Hall room 2103, phone - 434.832.7299, fax – 434.832.6699 or email ADA@centralvirginia.edu. To best provide the accommodation you need, make this request as soon as possible.

Title IX Statement: Central Virginia Community College’s policy fully complies with all Title IX requirements. This policy prohibits discrimination, harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and retaliation, and sets procedures by which such allegations shall be filed, investigated, and resolved.

Inquiries concerning Title IX can be referred to Amherst Hall, room 2117 or phone - 434.832.7804 or email - TitleIX@centralvirginia.edu.

You may also contact Campus Police in Amherst Hall, room 2605 (Student Center) or by calling 434.832.7700.

Additional information may be found on the college web site.

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Course Goals and Objectives:

• Students will learn to analyze literary texts composed within and across a variety of periods or genres.
• Students will demonstrate an awareness of how literary texts inform and are informed by socio-political, economic, cultural, historical, and biographical factors.
• Students will learn to recognize important literary trends, noting key distinctions and continuities among literary texts.
• Students will compose a formal essay which demonstrates their knowledge and understanding of the literature covered in the course 

Class Policies:

Cell/Smart Phone and Tablet Etiquette:

Social media and smartphone addiction are serious problems that it is not my responsibility to treat; however, I will not allow the class to suffer from this pervasive addiciton.  So, to put it simply: Never use your smartphone, laptop, tablet, cell phone, or similar devices in class without my explicit permission. This includes leaving your phone on your desk or in your lap, (face down or not).  If you cannot leave your phone alone for an hour, you might want to conside why that is, but that’s up to you. 

Nevertheless, if I see you texting, tweeting, snapchatting, instagramming, facebooking, surfing the web, taking selfies (yes, that happens), etc. in class  I will ask you to leave the class, and you will be counted absent for that day.

Attendance:

All excused absences must be accompanied by timely, appropriate, written documentation. More than three unexcused absences per semester will adversely affect your grade as follows

• 1-3 absences   =          no penalty
• 4 absences       =          -10 points from final grade
• 5 absences       =          -20 points in final grade  
• 6 absences       =          -30 points in final grade
• 7 absences       =          failure of class

What constitutes an excused absence is fairly straight-forward:

• Documented doctor appointments
• Documented court appointments
• Funeral attendance
• Documented military service 

Missing (20 percent) for any reason (excused or unexcused) results in failure of the course

Tardiness:

For safety reasons, and to deter tardiness, after the roll has been called, I will lock the door to the class, and late students will be counted absent and not admitted to the class.

Late Work:

• All work is due at the beginning of class or prior to class.
• No late work is accepted without an excused absence in which case it is due on or before the beginning of the class immediately following your absence.

Notes on Preparing for the Class Discussion, Discussion Questions, Papers, and Exam: 

• Underline, highlight, and otherwise mark and comment in the margins of your text.  You cannot sell these books back for much money, so write in them, put in sticky notes, bend back pages; it will help a great deal when it comes time to compose your final paper and discuss the text in class.

Some Guidelines For Discussion:

·        In order to promote open and lively discussion, it is absolutely essential that everyone read the assigned texts in their entirety by the due date.

·        Underline, highlight, and otherwise mark and comment in the margins and body of your texts; write in them, put in sticky notes, bend back pages; it will help a great deal when it comes time to compose your final paper and discuss the text in class.

·        As this is a discussion-based course, failure to participate in discussion regularly will adversely affect your final score in the class. I will subtract as much as a letter grade (10 points) from your final grade at my discretion if you do no participate actively

Trigger Warning:

·        This class will discuss adult themes of sexuality and violence as well as controversial theological, political, economic, racial, and philosophical positions.  Basically, the class is Rated R.

·        Because some opinion or subject offends you, does not mean we will not discuss it. Because you disagree with an established fact, does not mean your factually inaccurate opinion must be accepted or given credence.  Academic discourse requires the rational, fact based, free inquiry into any subject, no matter how controversial.  With that said, we will at all times afford the utmost respect for the fact-based opinions expressed by each individual in the class, and we will treat adult topics with due decorum. Maintaining rational discourse and an open mind will facilitate the exchange of ideas and the ability of each of us, myself included, to learn from one another.

Reading Quizzes (300 point):

I will give one quiz worth fourty (40) points for each of the seven selected readings on the day we begin discussion of a text.  These quizzes will be fill-in-the-blank style, not “multiple guess” or matching (otherwise known as “25% chance you’ll get the answer right by luck quizzes”).  If you comlete each of the quizzes, you will be given the remaining twenty (20) of the possible three hundred (300) points as extra credit.

The purpose of the reading quizzes is not to check that you have learned something from class discussion or lecture or that you paid attention to what I asked you to pay attention to in advance of reading the text.  They are not SOL type tests about which I will drill you for weeks, then expect you to supply the answers I have trained you to repeat.  Frankly, the purpose of these quizzes is to require you to do something high school has too often failed to prepare you to do: to read with attention to detail; that is, their intent is to police your reading and make sure you read the text in its entirety and with attention.

To that end, I will prepare quizzes that cover the entire book, and I will create them after reading Schmoop, Gradesaver, Sparknotes, Bookrags, wikipedia, etc.  Thus, the quizzes will be (lamentably) based on recall and not on interpretation of the text, and they will cover material that should be memorable if you read the text carefully and completely, but they will not cover material addressed in any of the online summaries and sites on the text, and we will not discuss what is to be on the quiz in advance.

Together with the final essay, these are the most significant segment of your grade. So, if you don’t read, you will not likely pass the class.

Session Leaders/MLA 200 Points (140 Points Presentation + 60 Points for MLA):

For each text we study, I will choose a group of students to lead discussion.  Each member of this group will pick one of the following areas to research for each text:

·        Historical period in which the text was written: Tell me the quirky interesting facts, as well as the new ideas, recreational activities, media, fashion, sports, art, science, technologies, and theories that came from the era.  Do not use a timeline or series of dates for events that happened.  Describe the period as you would describe our own historical time.

·        Biographical information about the author: (Do not provide time lines or lists of dates here.  Tell us the story of the author’s life; that is, tell us anything interesting about the author and how that biographical information may have shaped his or her work).  Give us the good, the bad, and the ugly about the author: like it is an expose on E! as much as a biography on PBS.

·        Literary analysis of the text: (In other words, what trained critics have discovered about how we can or should read the text, not reviews (it was good/I liked it or It was bad/I hated it).  I’m looking for a summary of one professional interpretation of the text.  In short: you must summarize the argument of one serious academic article on the text we are discussing. See me if you have difficulty finding such an article, but start with Project Muse or JSTOR (available at the CVCC library page) or use the electronic card cataloge at our library.

·        Literary movement to which the text belongs: (See me for help in identifying the literary period of your text.)  Literary period include: the Victorian, Romantic, Renaissance, American Renaissance, fin de siecle, Medieval, Modern, etc…..Tell your audience about the traits of that period, the common themes, concerns, artistic techniques, etc…tie in music and art here as well.

On the first day we discuss a text, the session leaders will present their information to the class. The presentation should last the entire class period and contain the following components:

·        Individual oral presentations of the subject matter researched (these should last about five minutes each)

·        A typed handout from each member of the group (put your MLA header on it), outlining the information presented

·        The bibliographic sources used, listed in correct MLA, Works Cited page, style. If the MLA is incorrect you will lose sixty (60) points.

·        One copy of each handout for every member of the class.  (I will copy these handouts for you if you submit them to me in a reasonable period prior to class time.) If you show up to class without copies ready to distribute on time, you will lose sixty (60) points.

·        An activity to stir the class’s imagination, entertain us, and test out knowledge of the material you present. 

·        A few lines explaining the contribution of each member of your group (who helped, who did not, and so on).

o   Note: Make sure you work together on this activity and have it ready to go prior to class; last minute figuring out of presentation details in class--deciding who goes first, honing rules of the activity, or other signs of being ill prepared--will negatively affect your grade.

o   Note: No two groups may use the same activity.  I.e.  If one group uses a scavanger hunt, a jeopardy game with prizes, or a skit with costumes, no subsequent group may do so.

o   Note: I have seen all manner of presentations. Here are some ideas: dramatic readings, enactments of scenes with props, group videos, thematic cake decorating, collages, craft projects, song-writing activities, paper bag or sock puppet shows, scavenger hunts, charades/pictionary based games, etc…

Your grade will depend on your attendance on the assignment date, the depth, accuracy, and enthusiasm of your research and presentation, the availability of handouts for each member of the class on the assignment date (60 points), the report of your peers on your contribution, and your use of correct MLA documentation style (60 points).

One Researched Final Paper (300 points):

A formal seminar paper will be due on the last day of class. This essay must:

• Be a minimum of nine and a maximum of twelve complete pages in length,
• Pursue a thesis approved by and in consultation with me via email or in my office,
• Analyze at least two of the texts, drawing connections between them,
• Not merely summarize the texts,
• Make and defend an argument on how the texts should be read/understood (i.e. it should make an analysis of the texts and provide a clear, arguable thesis about how they should be read),
• Use many pertinent quotations from the text to support key point,
• Use correct MLA format,
• Be carefully edited for grammar and style (Poff’s Pet Peeves),
• Quote from at least five reputable, scholarly secondary sources in addition to the two primary sources.
• Draw the five required outside sources from JSTOR, Project Muse, Literature Resource Center, or a Physical Book written or edited by a scholar about the text, its author, a literary theory or school, or the literary period of the text.
• Include a preliminary, annotated bibliography of the five secondary sources by a due date in advance of the final paper.  (See Daily Assignment Schedule).  The annotated bibliography must list the five secondary sources in MLA style and include a few sentences summarizing each source.

The Midterm Exam (200 points):

The midterm exam will be a comprehensive, open book, open notes, take home essay test of approximately two hours in length, in which you answer one of several questions which I provide you covering the texts we have discussed to that point.

Grading:

There are a maximum of 1000 points available in the class.  At the end of the semester, I will simply total all the points you have accumulated to determine your final grade.  A standard college grading scale will be used to determine your letter grade.

          A = 900-1000

          B = 800-899

          C = 700-799

          D = 600-699

            F = 599 and below

The breakdown of points for each assignment is as follows:

          Quizzes:                                  300 points

          Presentation:                          200 points

          Researched Paper:                  300 points

          Midterm Exam:                       200 points

Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty:

Cheating has become so commonplace and accepted, that I have literally had students tell me they cheat and think it is acceptable to do so.  Academic dishonesty is clearly a serious problem, and the English department at CVCC has decided to combat the problem vigorously.  In spite of what you are learning at every level of our society, the point of college is not merely to secure a high grade, pass an “unnecessary” class, or obtain the credentials necessary for a desired job, but to receive an education and to learn how to think and know better; cheating undermines that educational purpose. 

As a result, in this course, any assignment that contains verifiable instances of plagiarism or academic dishonesty will automatically receive a grade of zero (0) and will not be eligible for any type of revision, rewrite, ‘do over,’ or ‘make up’. 

A definition of plagiarism and its repercussion is available in the student handbook; however, here are some specifics:

Academic Dishonesty Includes, But is Not Limited To):

·     Copying an essay (online or otherwise) or any portion of an assignment written by another and submitting it as your own work,

·     Allowing someone else to complete your assignment for free or for pay and representing their work as your own,

·        Submitting written work on a reading assignment without actually having read the assignment,

·        Submitting your own work from another class without the explicit, written permission of both instructors,

·        “Copying” someone else’s answers on a test or quiz,

·        Paying for or otherwise acquiring or giving to others test questions in advance of a test or quiz,

·        Using an outside source without acknowledging it and citing it properly in MLA style.

To ensure you understand and follow the rules to prevent academic dishonesty, you must print and sign the honor statement on an additional sheet submitted with your final essay, presentation, and midterm exam.  The statement may be downloaded/printed from the link on my webpage.

Plagiarism is a serious offense and can result in a failing grade for the assignment, a failing grade for the course, or expulsion from CVCC.

This Syllabus and the Attached Daily Assignment Schedule Are Subject to Change at My Discretion

Daily Assignment Schedule

Date	What We Will Do In Class	Homework for Next Class	What’s Due This Day
August T 21 “Let’s start at the very beginning….”	Writing Diagnostic: Song Analysis/Discussion Getting to Know You: Cards Introductions: Begin Limericks/Ads/Songs	None	None
R 23	Introductions Completed Handout: Syllabus Group Work: Syllabus Review/ Presentation begun	Read: The Epic of  Gilgamesh	None
T 28	Syllabus and Syllabus Review  Presentation Completed In Class Analysis: "Ozymandias"	Read: The Epic of  Gilgamesh	None
R 30	Choose Which Text You Prefer to Serve as Session Leader For In Class Analysis: "Ozymandias" Handouts: The Literary Essay, The Literary Thesis and Essay, MLA Style and Poff’s Pet Peeves	Session Leaders: Prepare Presentation on Gilgamesh Read: Epic of Gilgamesh	None
September T 4	Presentation on Gilgamesh	Read: Oedipus Tyrannus	1st Quiz on Gilgamesh Presentation on Gilgamesh
R 6	Discussion: Gilgamesh	Read: Oedipus Tyrannus	None
T 11	Discussion: Gilgamesh	Read: Oedipus Tyrannus	None
R 13	Discussion: Gilgamesh	Group 2: Prepare Presentation on Oedipus Tyrannus Read: Oedipus Tyrannus	None
T 18	Presentation on Oedipus Tyrannus	Read: Odyssey	2nd Quiz on Oedipus Tyrannus Presentation on Oedipus Tyrannus
R 20	Discussion: Oedipus Tyrannus	Read: Odyssey	None
T 25	Discussion:  Oedipus Tyrannus	Read: Odyssey	None
R 27	Discussion: Oedipus Tyrannus	Read: Odyssey Prepare Presentation on The Odyssey	None
October T 1	Presentation on The Odyssey	Read: Dante’s Inferno	3rd Quiz on Odyssey Presentation on The Odyssey
R 3	Discussion: Odyssey	Read: Dante’s Inferno	None
T 9	Discussion: Odyssey Midterm Exam Distributed	Read: Dante’s Inferno	None
R 11	Discussion: Odyssey	Read: Dante’s Inferno Compose 4th set of 3 DQ on Oedipus	None
T 16     Class Will...	…Not  Meet	Read:  Dante’s Inferno	Class Will Not Meet
R 18	Research Day or Finish Discussion of The Odyssey as needed	Read: Dante’s Inferno Prepare Presentation on Dante’s Inferno   Compose: Midterm Exam	Midterm Exam Due
T 23	Presentation on Dante’s Inferno	Read: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight	Quiz 4 on Dante’s Inferno Presentation on Dante’s Inferno
R 25	Discussion: Dante’s Inferno	Read: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight	None
T 30 HAPPY HALLOWEEN	Discussion: Dante’s Inferno	Read: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight	None
November R 1	Discussion:  Dante’s Inferno	Read: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight	None
T 6	Presentation on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight	Read: Tartuffe	5th Quiz on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Presentation on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
R 8	Discussion:  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight	Read: Tartuffe	None
T 13	Discussion: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight	Read: Tartuffe Read: Tartuffe	None
R 15	Discussion:  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight	Read: Tartuffe Prepare Presentation on Tartuffe	None
T 20	Presentation on Tartuffe	Read: Selected American Indian Myth and Legends and Selected African Folktales	6th Quiz on Tartuffe Presentation on Tartuffe
R 22 HAPPY  THANKSGIVING	CLASS	WILL NOT Read: Selected American Indian Myth and Legends and Selected African Folktales	MEET
T 27	Discussion: Tartuffe	Read: Selected American Indian Myth and Legends and Selected African Folktales	None
R 29	Discussion: Tartuffe	Read: Selected American Indian Myth and Legends and Selected African Folktales Compose: Literary essay on two texts	None
December T 4	Discussion: Selected American Indian Myth and Legends and Selected African Folktales	Compose: Literary essay on two texts Compose: Final Exam Response	7th Quiz on Selected American Indian Myth and Legends and Selected African Folktales
R 6 “So long farewell, auf weidersehen goodbye…”	Discussion: Selected American Indian Myth and Legends and Selected African Folktales A few last words…	None	Literary essay on Two Texts

Honor Statement

·        I have read any required text(s) for this assignment in its (their) entirety prior to composing this written assignment.

·        I have composed the assignment myself and acknowledged all outside sources, whether summarized, quoted, or paraphrased, by using MLA style citations.

·        I have not submitted this work for another course either current or in the past.

·        I have neither used anyone else’s work nor allowed anyone to use mine. 

·        I am aware that turning in a written assignment I have not written or composing an assignment about a text I have not read constitutes academic dishonesty (cheating) and I am aware of the potential reprecussions of plagiarism.

Signed:  __________________________(Your Name)