MISSOURI WESTERN STATE COLLEGE

Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Department of English/Foreign Languages/Journalism

Summer 2001 Syllabus

ENGLISH 220-16 INTRODUCTION TO READING TEXTS

Time: 10:30 – 1:20 MTWTH

Place: JGM 106

INSTRUCTOR: DR. ELIZABETH SAWIN

Office: SSC 215 A

Office Hours: 9:30 –10:30 MTWTH

Phone: 271-4274 [Give name, date of call, and telephone number

s-l-o-w-l-y on the answering machine]

E-mail: sawin@griffon.mwsc.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is about the ways in which we construct meaning when we read texts.

Its major goal is for you to become aware of your own interpretive processes and

to expand the repertoire of strategies you bring to the reading of poetry, fiction, and

drama. Proficient readers use appropriate schema, visualize and create mental images

while reading, ask questions, determine what is important in texts, monitor their

comprehension, draw inferences, and synthesize. Your increased skill in using these

metacognitive strategies will be as important to us as your knowledge of the formal

features of poetry, fiction, and drama.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Nims, John Frederick and David Mason. Western Wind: An Introduction to Poetry, 4^th edition.

Boston: McGraw Hill, 2000.

Kennedy, X.J. and Dana Gioia. An Introduction to Fiction, 7^th edition. New York: Longman, 1999.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS:

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 5^th edition.

New York: The Modern LanguageAssociation of America, 1999.

Harmon, William, Clarence Hugh Holman, and William Flint Thrall.

A Handbook to Literature, 8^th edition. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999.

Keene, Ellin Oliver and Susan Zimmerman. Mosaic of Thought: Teaching Comprehension

in a Reader’s Workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1997.

COURSE OBJECTIVES AND METHODS:

English 220 fulfills Category IV General Studies requirements.

Upon completion of English 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 that are encountered and provide a context 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.

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.

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

Two high-density 3.5-inch computer discs with carrying case.

Access to a word-processing program that has spell checking.

MLA Guidelines in a reliable form.

REQUIRED ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING POLICY:

Paper on Poetry 80 points 20%

Midterm on Poetry and Fiction 80 points 20%

Paper on Fiction 80 points 20%

Final Exam 80 points 20%

In-class work 80 points 20%

400 points 100%

GRADES will be assigned with the following percentages based on total points awarded in the course:

ACADEMIC HONESTY:

You are expected to do your own reading and writing in this course. Any student who

submits someone else's work as his or her own will receive no credit (0 points) for that

assignment. A second infraction will earn an "F" in the course.

ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Regular and punctual attendance is expected because each 3-hour class this summer represents

ONE WEEK of instruction. All (or part) of up to one class can be missed without penalty.

With the second class absence, you must provide formal written documentation explaining why

you were absent or you will receive a 5% reduction in grade from your semester total. All

absences beyond the second will also result in an additional 5% reduction. I reserve the right

to waive the penalty for highly unusual (and fully documented) extenuating circumstances,

though I accept no obligation to do so. You are responsible for obtaining assignments, notes,

and handouts from a responsible classmate if you do miss class. Work done in class obviously

cannot be made up. (We can’t recreate a discussion.)

DISABLED STUDENT POLICY:

If you have a recognized disability that requires special consideration, please make an

appointment to see me during the first week of classes so that we can discuss course

requirements and what accommodations are necessary.

MAKE-UP POLICY:

There will be no make-up opportunities for points for in-class writing or

unannounced quizzes based on out-of-class reading assignments.

LATE PAPERS:

When a final draft of a paper is DUE, you MUST hand it in on the due date at the beginning

of the hour. We have to be very efficient this summer and get our work done.

REQUIRED FORMATTING for out-of-class copy:

Use regular white paper in a printer that provides a clear, dark black copy.

Use Times New Roman or a comparable font.

Type size: 10 or 12 pt.

Leave one-inch margins on all sides.

Paragraph indent: ½ inch.

Center the title.

Number each page (bottom right).

Double space working drafts BUT for final copies:

Single-space within paragraphs.

Double-space between paragraphs.

Identify yourself in the upper, right-hand corner:

Elizabeth Sawin

Analyzing Poetry

June 28, 2001

Welcome to English 220.