Syllabus for ENG 210-06

Approaches to Literature: Multicultural

(Ed Ma1one)


Missouri Western State College
Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism

Fall 2001

Course Title: ENG 210 Approaches to Literature
Topic: Multicultural Literature
Meeting Time and Place: 2:00-3:20 T Th, JGM 119 CAI Lab
Teacher: Ed Ma1one
Office and Phone: SS/C 222 P, ext. 5815
Office Hours: 3:30-6:00 p.m. T Th & by appt. MWF


Textbooks

Shawn Wong, Asian American Literature, 1996
Gerald Vizenor, Native American Literature, 1995
Nicholas Kanellos, Hispanic American Literature, 199
Al Young, African American Literature, 1996

Assignments and Grading

I will offer 1000 points for the semester: 450 for postings and portfolio; 300 for reading quizzes, exercises, etc.; 100 for a midterm exam; 100 for a final exam; and 50 for meaningful participation in class discussions.

Quizzes
Our main activity in this course will be reading. You will be expected to read all of the assigned literature and all of the listserve postings. To ensure your close reading, I will quiz you frequently over the literature. Each quiz or exercise will be worth 20 points, for a total of 300 points. Your quiz scores will constitute 30 percent of your grade in the course.

Postings
You will be expected to contribute four postings to the English 210 discussion list. Each posting should be between 250 and 500 words. (a) Three of your postings should be original comments on assigned readings. (b) One of your postings should be a response to a classmates' posting. Send your posting from your email account to multi@griffon.mwsc.edu. Worth 100 points each, for a total of 400 points, the listserv contributions will constitute 40 percent of your final grade. The portfolio is worth an additional 50 points.

Participation
Contributions to class discussion will count heavily in your favor. Because the success of this course depends primarily on discussion and not lecture, it is essential that you come to class everytime, on time, ready to talk about what you have read. During class, I may call on you to say something meaningufl about the assignment for that day--something about its good points, bad points, structure, etc. Not only will you receive a participation grade for the course (50 points possible), but the quantity and quality of your contributions may also boost your final grade (at my discretion) by as many as two percentage points.

Exam
The midterm and final exams will be worth 100 points each. We will discuss the format and content of the exams later in the semester.

Absences

Please come to class as often as possible. More than three unexcused absences will adversely affect your grade in the course. For the college's policy statement governing student attendance, see section IV.B of the MWSC Policy Guide.

Late or Make-Up Work

Quizzes and exercises cannot be made up for any reason (even if you have a valid excuse for missing class). However, I will drop your three lowest scores at the end of the semester. Your score on a late posting will be lowered by five percent points for each day it is late.

Cheating and Plagiarism

Please do not cheat in any way. Please do not submit a posting that in whole or part has been written by someone else. For the college's policy statement governing academic honesty, see section II.A of the MWSC Policy Guide. Intentional cheating or plagiarism will result in an F on the assignment in question. A second offense will result in a failing grade for the course.

Students with Special Needs

Any student in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so that we can discuss class requirements.

Calendar

T 8/21 Introduction to Course
Th 8/23 Wong, pp. 1 - 12, 15-20, 26-44

T 8/28 Wong, pp. 134-146, 157-170
Th 8/30 Wong, pp. 202-214, 246-60

T 9/04 Wong, pp. 261-272, 280-287
Th 9/06 Wong, pp. 317-322, 363-68

T 9/11 Wong, pp. 380-86, 391-400; posting #1 due
Th 9/13 Wong, pp. 403-449

T 9/18 Vizenor, pp. 1-15, 32-44, 94-102
Th 9/20 Vizenor, pp. 129-141, 165-174

T 9/25 Vizenor, pp. 189-192, 206-225
Th 9/27 Vizenor, pp. 270-282

T 10/02 Vizenor, pp. 283-296; posting #2 due
Th 10/04 Vizenor, pp. 299-336

T 10/09 Mid-Term Exam
Th 10/11 Kanellos, pp. 1-8, 11-13, 34-52

T 10/16 Kanellos, pp. 79-96, 147-58
Th 10/18 Kanellos, pp. 159-187

T 10/23 Kanellos, pp. 197-204, 230-233; posting #3 due
Th 10/25 Kanellos, pp. 260-262, 277-82, 286-289

T 10/30 Kanellos, pp. 293-322
Th 11/01 Young, pp. 1-11, 17-20, 39-46

T 11/06 Young, pp. 47-55, 115-125
Th 11/08 Young, pp. 158-183, 250-253

T 11/13 Young, pp. 209-225, 285-297; posting #4 due
Th 11/15 Young, pp. 322-328

T 11/20 Young, pp. 388-392, 415-416
Th 11/22 Thanksgiving vacation

T 11/27 Young, pp. 500-502; portfolio due
Th 11/29 Young, pp. 507-535

M-Sa 12/03-08 Final Exams