Missouri Western State College Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences Department of English, Foreign Languages and Journalism ENG 210: Approaches to Literature Fall 2002, Section 40 Murder and More

Instructor: Dr. Donaher
Office: Eder Hall 222 L (aka SS/C 222 L)
Office Hours: T and Th 11:30-12:30; 2:00-3:00, and by appointment
Phone: 816-271-5964
Email: donaher@missouriwestern.edu

Course Philosophy and Objectives

Commit a crime and the earth is made of glass. There is no such thing as concealment.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Merely state your evidence, and the reader will mislead himself.

--John Dickson Carr

• learn about the primary characteristics of a variety of mystery genres
• read a variety of mysteries and some critical works about the mystery and its authors
• discuss and write about the mystery as a literary form
• craft their own mystery stories

Required Materials

Texts:

• Christie, Agatha. The Mousetrap and Other Plays. New York: Signet, 2000.
• Craig, Patricia. The Oxford Book of English Detective Stories. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
• Hammett, . The Maltese Falcon. New York: Vintage Books/Random House, 1992.
• Hillerman, Tony and Rosemary Herbert. The Oxford Book of American Detective Stories. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
• McCrumb, Sharyn. Missing Susan. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991.
• Perry, Anne. The Cater Street Hangman. New York: Fawcett Crest, 1980.
• Rinehart, Mary Roberts. The Circular Staircase. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1997.

• A Student E-mail Account at MWSC.
• Internet access
• Be able to complete the assignments in a timely manner. Assignments are due every Tuesday, at noon CST, and no late work is accepted, except as outlined in the Course Policies.
• For word processing, you must use Microsoft Word, or another compatible program. Compatibility means that files converted from some other program to MSWord retain their original format and layout and conform to MLA manuscript guidelines.
• Two computer disks for revising, saving, and backing up your work.
• A binder notebook for holding hard copies of your writings and copies of materials gathered and received.
• A hole punch, so that articles and other materials may be inserted into your notebook.
• Stamina and Good Humor.
• To get started, read over the Syllabus and the linked Getting Started Instructions.

Weekly Responses

Each week you will do a number of response activities. Some involve answering questions about the readings; others involve synthesizing information learned and sharing your findings with others via a short response on WebBoard, an online bulletin board.

Author Reports will have two parts: in the first section, you will give basic biographical information about your writer and the writer's contribution to the field of crime literature, and in the second section, you will analyze the literary, cultural, and social importance of the writer's work, especially in terms of the story or novel being read in class. This analysis will include placing the writer within the context of a particular mystery genre.

You will craft a flash mystery story that uses some of the techniques of the mystery examined in class. Most likely the story will incorporate a "twist" ending since such stories tend not to utilize as many of the elements of the classic mystery, but instead concentrates on a surprising ending. Thus, it might not have a traditional detective or "who-done-it" format. Your mystery could also take the form of a character or an atmosphere sketch.

The final paper for this course will be a meaningful interpretation and analysis of a literary and/or mystery characteristic in one to three related readings done for the class. A literary analysis attempts to examine the parts and details of a work in order to explain their function and effects; thus, an analysis involves a close reading of the text for the ways in which an author uses or plays with literary constructs and/or conventions. You may use up to two outside sources (but no more than two) to help provide additional evidence for your own interpretation; however, the majority (85%) of your paper should be your analysis and interpretation supported by details drawn from a close reading of the text(s).

This paper will be evaluated on a number of criteria, including how well it demonstrates your ability to appreciate literature generally, to recognize the major characteristics of the mystery genre analyzed, to understand the different ways in which literary constructs and/or conventions may be treated in literature, and to write about literature with assurance.

The Final Exam will be available online during the final exam period. Instructions and a practice exam will be available after midterm.To study effectively for the exam, keep copies of all your Response Assignments, as well as teacher emails and online reading materials.

Saving Work

Students should save all their work, both graded and ungraded, for this class--from short responses and writings to final papers. There may be occasions when work needs to be re-submitted or grades verified. Back up disk copies should be made religiously at the end of each day's work, and if possible, make a current print copy as well.

All work for this course must be word processed and submitted in the format specified by the assignment. Be sure to follow submission guidelines provided with each assignment carefully in order to receive full credit for your submissions.

Learning is a cumulative process and each assignment in this course is designed to build on the last assignment; therefore late work disrupts this important aspect of the learning process. Except for the three papers, no late work will be accepted under any circumstances. Late papers will not be discounted if turned in within 24 hours of the due date.  After 24 hours, papers will be discounted one letter grade for each additional 24 hours late (including weekends and holidays).  All work must be turned in by noon CST, the last class day, Tuesday, December 3, 2002 prior to the final exam period.

. . . it is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.

-- Herman Melville

 Plagiarism is literally the stealing of others' words and ideas and using them as your own. Make every effort to give credit where credit is due, and if you are not sure of "how"--ASK. Students are responsible for proving that all work turned in for grading is their own original work. Plagiarism is a serious offense and, therefore, will receive harsh punishment. Work with evidence of plagiarism will receive a zero. Continued plagiarism will result in failure of the course.  Don't think that you won't be caught; writing style is distinctive and verifiable.

Students are expected to be courteous and respectful in all of their exchanges with the instructor and other students. Because this course is conducted without face-to-face encounters, one should be particularly careful to note how tone, rhetoric, and language all contribute to the overall impression of one's communications.

Any student in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities should contact me by the end of the first week so that we can discuss class requirements.

You must have daily access to a computer with internet capability in order to do well in this course. For this course, you must use your MWSC email account for all correspondence and assignment submission.

Most students can set up their email accounts via the MWSC homepage. Go to: http://www.missouriwestern.edu and click on the Web Mail link for more information.

As with all college courses, a steady devotion to duty is expected. The readings and assignments are exactly the same as those given in my on campus version of this course, and you are expected to devote the same amount of time to completing the course requirements that you would be required to devote were the class held on campus. This means that you will have three hours of course activities in lieu of three hours of traditional classroom time and that you will have up to nine hours of homework per week. On the average, however, you can expect to spend about an hour per day (7 hours per week) completing course activities and requirements.

Unlike a traditional on campus course, however, you do have greater flexibility in determining how you will distribute your weekly workload. While assignments are due each week by Tuesday, at noon, Central Standard Time, you can choose to complete your work over several short work sessions or over fewer, longer work sessions. Keep in mind, though, that you cannot hope to do well if you wait until the last minute to complete the week's work--you may miscalculate how long it will actually take you to do the work or you may have computer problems that interfere with the completion of your duties. Remember: no late work is accepted under any circumstances, so anticipate that there will be occasional glitches, whether personal or technical, and strive to turn in your work a little ahead of the Tuesday deadlines.

Over the course of the semester, students will read a variety of mystery genres and critical work about the mystery, as well as view several films. In addition to the readings and films, students will complete weekly response assignments, research and write an author report, craft a mystery story, write a formal interpretative essay, and take a final exam. In order to pass the course, you must complete the three formal writings and take the exam. In addition, the quality of your work, the percentage of the work that you complete, and your efforts at participation will determine your final grade.

Your Final Grade Distribution is as follows:

• Weekly Response Assigments = 20%
• Author Report = 10%
• Original Mystery Story = 20%
• Formal Interpretative Essay = 20%
• Final Exam = 20%

Some Final Thoughts

This syllabus is a contract; by remaining in the course you acknowledge your acceptance of its stipulations. If the policies and expectations are unclear, then you should email or speak with me immediately. If they are clear but unacceptable to you, then you should drop the course.

Life is unpredictable--at least for the most part. I recognize that at times your outside life may interfere with your classroom life. It is up to you to set your priorities and to realize that "doing it all" is not always possible or even desirable. If you are feeling stressed about all you have to accomplish, remember that sometimes you can do poorly without it effecting your grade unduly. If, however, what should be an occasional problem completing your work becomes a chronic problem, email, call, or come see me. If I understand what is going on in your life, I can more easily help you achieve your goals.