Dr. Karen U. Fulton, Professor
Tel: 816-271-4317 (work) 1-660-582-8830 (home)
e-mail: fulton@griffon.mwsc.edu
Office: 208K SS/C Building
Office Hours: 9:30-11, 2-3:30 M 10-11 WF
DiYanni, Robert. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama and the
Essay, 4th edition. Boston: McGraw Hill, 1998
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writing and Research. New
York: MLA, 1998.
Harmon, William and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature, 7th
edition. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1996.
Stull, English on the Internet. As specified in class.
English 220 fulfills Category IV General Studies requirements. All English 210 (and 220)sections provide practice in reading poetry, prose fiction, and drama.
Objectives: Upon completion of English 210[ this 220] a student should be able to:
1. Recognize the major characteristics of literary genres;
2. Discuss literature, orally and in writing, with assurance;
3. Appreciate literary works which are encountered and provide a context and subtext for those works;
4. Understand the different ways in which literary theme may be treated in literature.
5. Think critically and present that thinking by written and oral responses to the literature.
6. Analyze literary genres and works.
Means: To reach these goals, the student is expected to:
1. Read poetry, fiction, and drama
2. Investigate various methods of approaching and understanding literature
3. Write papers, including themes and essay examinations
4. Read a variety of literary works in which a chosen theme is dominant.
We will use these means to:
1. Improve student skills for analyzing literary genres and works.
2. Increase students' critical thinking abilities through the use of written and oral responses to the literature.
3. Develop students' ability to read texts closely and carefully.
4. Enable students to become self-directed interpreters of, writers about and interactive participants in the literature by means of portfolio construction.
It is expected that all students will produce their own work. Student work which does not meet this criterion will be assessed under the penalties in the Student Handbook.
Attendance is required in this class and is taken on a regular (though not daily basis). The portfolio/course grade will be lowered by excessive absences, failure to prepare for class, or lack of class participation. I consider three class absences reasonable. More than six recorded absences will result in failure for the course.
A student who does not attend and participate in the final session (May 10, 2000 at 11:30am) will receive an F for the class.
It is the responsibility of the student to make known to the instructor any disability which might prevent maximum performance in the course (a hearing loss, for example). The instructor and the student will then work out procedures to accommodate the student.
Mid-term grades.
Because no grades are in place at mid-term (the portfolio is not due until later), a base grade of B will be given at mid-term. Deductions or additions to that grade will be made on the basis of attendance, class participation, completion of work assigned, etc.
Final grades.
Your grade will be determined on the basis of the portfolio you turn in April 14, 2000.
This portfolio should be an integative experience for you focusing on a theme you have explored. You should begin to shape a porfolio theme as soon as possible. Early in the class, I will arrange a short individual meeting to discuss possible portfolio topics and themes.
After the theme (focus) for your portfolio is in place, individual projects and papers in the class may be shaped to fit that theme. If at all possible, you will want to revise class papers for portfolio inclusion although only one class project is required. The designated project from the class must be scholarly (rather than creative) in nature.
Each portfolio must begin with a self-reflective persuasive cover essay. The sre shapes a framework of the portfolio, discusses issues raised in the portfolio, and unifies the portfolio. It must be in reader-based (rather than writer-based) prose. We will discuss the difference in class; however, a nutshell definition would be that the sre is written with the audience in mind and is not a detailing of "how I put together my portfolio."
During the week of April 17-21, 2000, I will meet individually to discuss the portfolio and the grade it has earned for the class. You have the option of revising and resubmitting the portfolio on or before May 1 (the last day of classes). Please note that each student has only one opportunity to resubmit.
Guidelines and a tentative scoring rubric for the portfolio will be given to you early in the semester. The week prior to portfolio submission, we will make minimal adjustments in the scoring rubric for the class.
In order to pass (a grade of D) the class, the student will
During the semester, you will submit three papers for instructor response. Specifications for the individual projects will be distributed during the second week of class.
Due Date: February 11, 2000
Due Date: March 3, 2000
Due Date: March 31, 2000
Projects are scheduled so I can do three readings of your work and return the work to you at the next class period. If you do not meet the due date, I do not guarantee the return of the paper to you in a timely fashion.
No letter grades are given on these projects. Instead feedback is given in three ways:
- an audio-tape contains my spoken comments on your paper,
- a GUT score,
- a ranking of portfolio ready, portfolio potential, or portfolio questionable.
These indicators are not convertible to letter grades. I give very few PR's and PQ's and a great many PP's on most pieces of writing. I encourage an instructor conference if the paper receives a portfolio questionable designation. I welcome conferences with anyone who has questions about the paper, the tape, or how the paper might fit into the final portfolio.
In order to make my taped and written comments useful to you, we will consider and revise each response criteria on the day the paper is due.
In order for a paper to receive credit in the gradebook and a response tape from the instructor, it must
- be correctly word-processed, edited, and/or spell checked;
- be accompanied by a clean, cased audiotape.
The poetry project and the Hamlet project will be gathered together in hard copy and published in two books; each member of this class will receive one copy of the works. Publishing guidelines will be given to you when the first project is returned to you. You will have an opportunity to revise after you have heard my comments.
We will begin most classes with a 5 minute-freewriting or "fastwriting." These are used to warm up. The writing will focus on the reading assignment and will be done in response to specific questions about the assigned reading. After we complete the freewritings, we will share our ideas so be prepared to have others in the class respond to your writing.
In order to facilitate publishing, drafts must be submitted in correctly word processed copy.
It is your responsibility to have material ready (i.e. proofread, spell-checked, edited, etc.) by deadlines assigned.
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