Dr. Ken Rosenauer
Syllabus
Spring 2001
Purpose
Approaches to Literature (ENG 210) is a sophomore-level literature course that introduces you to excellent works of literature selected to follow a theme or genre - in this case, the literature of the American South. The course is designed to develop your ability to read, evaluate, and respond to this literature through oral discussion and written reports. English 210 fulfills Category IV General Studies requirements. All English 210 sections provide practice in reading poetry, prose fiction, and drama.
Goals
Upon satisfactory completion of this course you should be able to:
Means
To reach these goals, the student is expected to:
Literary Reports
You will be required to complete three literary reports during the term, the first worth 50 points and the other two worth 300 points each. All must be typed, double spaced, with these desktop publishing settings: font - New Century Schoolbook or comparable, size - 12 pt., leading (spacing) - 24 pt., margins - 1 inch all around.
The 50-point paper is a 2- to 3-page response to Gone with the Wind, in which you detail how the film has helped you understand The South by relating it to several of the themes we discuss at the beginning of the semester.
You may select any of the following for your two 300-point reports (make sure we have finished discussing the chosen work first), but each assignment, running 4 to 6 pages, may be done only once:
Class Participation
All of you are expected to be fully prepared to discuss each work in class. This will require a thorough understanding of the readings and a willingness to offer your perspectives. Each of you will keep a tally sheet for each class period, wherein you will track the number of contributions you make to discussions as well as a brief reference to those contributions. Participation is worth 100 points.
Reading Journal
You will be expected to keep an extensive notebook of your personal insights and notes gathered during and following your reading of each work and in-class notes of lectures and discussions. While textbook marginal notations are commonplace, those will not be graded. Due at final exam period and graded for completeness, the journal must be clearly marked and will be worth 50 points.
Examination
One 200-point examination will be given at the end of the term, covering the works we have studied and our class discussions. At the beginning of the semester, you will receive the list of sample questions similar to those you will find on the final exam.
Attendance
Very simply, you are expected to be in class each day we meet. Unexcused absences will be reflected in class participation and reading journal grades. Also, late assignments are not accepted.
Grades
Points will be earned for the following items:
The letter grade equivalents are:
Office Hours/Phones/E-mail
Office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., and by appointment. My office is in JGM 309N until sometime in February; after that it will be in SS/C 208-E.
Office Phone: 271-4323, Home Phone: 387-8213. Leave messages if I am not available to answer the phone; that's why I've got the answering machines.
E-mail: My e-mail address is klr9015@griffon.mwsc.edu. You are welcome to write me about questions or concerns you may have about the course. My class Website is located at www.missouriwestern.edu/~klr9015/rosenauer_main.html.
Academic Honesty
You are expected to do your own reading and writing for this course. Submitting someone else's work (including plagiarism through misleading documentation) will earn a zero for the assignment grade. Serious infractions may be turned over to the dean of students for disciplinary action.
Disabled Students
If you are disabled, whether the disability is apparent or not, and concerned that your disability may interfere with your completion of course requirements above, please notify me during the first week of classes so that we might discuss appropriate alternatives.
Dr. Ken Rosenauer
Course Outline
Spring 2001
JANUARY
19 (F) Discuss the history of The South
22 (M) Discuss your paragraphs on the history of The South
24 (W) Discuss short stories, poetry, and plays
26 (F) Begin viewing Gone with the Wind
29 (M) Continue viewing Gone with the Wind
31 (W) Continue viewing Gone with the Wind
FEBRUARY
2 (F) Continue viewing Gone with the Wind
5 (M) Finish viewing Gone with the Wind
Assignment: Write a response to the film Gone with the Wind, explaining
how it has helped you to better understand The South by relating it to several
of the themes we discussed at the beginning of the semester (2-3 typed pages,
worth 50 points). Due Feb. 14
7 (W) Wrap-up discussion of Gone with the Wind
9 (F) Samuel Davies, 64; "How Great, How Terrible That God," 65; "Welcome to Earth, Great Son of God," 66
12 (M) Edgar Allan Poe, 163; "Sonnet To Science," 171; "Sonnet Silence," 172
14 (W) Henry Timrod, 310; "Charleston," 311; "The Unknown Dead," handout
16 (F) Sidney Lanier, 497; "Song of the Chattahoochee," 505; "The Marshes of Glynn," 506
19 (M) Presidents Day; no classes
21 (W) G.W. Cable, 509; "Jean-ah Poquelin," 509
23 (F) Continue discussing "Jean-ah Poquelin"
26 (M) Discuss literary reports
28 (W) Kate Chopin,534; "Desiree's Baby," 535
MARCH
2 (F) Continue discussing "Desiree"
Assignment: Prepare one of the following prewriting materials to bring to
the literary report in-class work session on March 5:
· thesis statement and supporting argument for critical analysis
or personal relationship to character.
· kernal passage for sequel or alternate ending.
· rough stanza of poetry or a page of script for cross-medium.
· sample passage of modernized parody of poem, short story, or play.
5 (M) In-class work session
7 (W) Allen Tate, 597; "Ode to the Confederate Dead," 597
9 (F) Caroline Gordon, 644; "Old Red," 645
12-16 Spring Break
19 (M) Continue discussing "Old Red"
21 (W) Katherine Anne Porter, 669; "Rope," 669
23 (F) Continue discussing "Rope"
26 (M) Robert Penn Warren, 692; "Blackberry Winter," 693
28 (W) Continue discussing "Blackberry"
30 (F) Carson McCullers, 795; "A Tree·A Rock·A Cloud," 795
APRIL
2 (M) Continue discussing "A Tree·A Rock·A Cloud,"
4 (W) LITERARY REPORT ONE DUE
Small-group readings of papers
6 (F) Eudora Welty, 807; "A Worn Path," 807
9 (M) Continue discussing "Path"
11 (W) Tennessee Williams, 816; Portrait of a Madonna, 816
13 (F) Continue discussing Portrait
16 (M) Flannery O'Connor, 935; "Revelation," 942
18 (W) Continue discussing "Revelation"
20 (F) James Still, 1134; "Farm,"1135; "Pattern for Death," 1135; "When the Dulcimers Are Gone," 1135
23 (M) Maya Angelou, 1180; "On the Pulse of
Morning," 1180
A.R. Ammons, 1181; "Periphery," 1182; "Clarity,"
1183
25 (W) Ernest J. Gaines, 1350; "The Sky Is Gray," 1350
27 (F) Continue discussing "The Sky"
30 (M) LITERARY REPORT TWO DUE
In-class review of final exam questions
MAY
2 (W) Study day NO CLASSES
3-9 Final Exam Week
This page was last updated Jan. 2, 2001