Approaches to Literature: Counterculture Literature

Required Materials:

Active Missouri Western E-Mail account and Internet Access

Texts: Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama, 8^th Edition

By X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia

Supporting Texts:

-Ishmael, By Daniel Quinn -1984, By George Orwell

-Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury -Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out, Timothy Leary

-Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited, By Aldous Huxley

General Requirements for English 210: Approaches to Literature can be found at:

http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/eng210.asp

Policy Regarding Students with Disabilities

Any student participating in this course who has a disability that may require special consideration is strongly encouraged to make an appointment with me as soon as possible so that special consideration might be given in making accommodations for said disability.

Policy Regarding Attendance

As this is an Internet arranged course, the attendance policy will reflect this. Our “in-class” discussions will be conducted via email (between you and myself as well as between your classmates). You will be expected to participate in all online listserv discussions, complete all written assignments, and keep up with all assigned readings. Each assignment missed will be negatively reflected in your final grade assessment. It is expected that you will check your email and compose a response to online discussions an average minimum of three (3) responses per week, complete all reading and writing assignments, and be prepared for all discussions by way of being current on all reading assignments. I reserve the right to give any student not meeting the minimum requirements for this course a grade of “F”.

Policy Regarding Academic Honesty

Students are expected to read and familiarize themselves with the Policy on Academic Honesty as found on page 28 of the Student Handbook. This policy is to be strictly adhered to by all students participating in this course. In the event of a breach of this procedure, the student will receive a grade of “F” for the assignment and I will recommend disciplinary action be taken, up to and including immediate dismissal from the course.

Policy Regarding Measurement and Assessment of Student Work

A B C D F

90-100 80-89 70-79 60-69 >-60

Grade Breakdown by Assignment

Assignments (vocabulary 10%, essays 40%): 50%

Listserv Participation: 50%

Listserv

A listserv is basically a program that allows for the rapid dissemination of information to a group of people by way of a software solution. I have entered each student’s information (email address and full name). Our primary mode of communication will be conducted via this listserv. It will act as our “in-class” time period. Posts should be of approximately 250 words each. Keep in mind, many of your posts may be shorter or even much more lengthy depending on the situation. This is a guideline. As well as length, I am also looking for quality of posts. Don’t just respond to me; respond to all of your classmates as you would if you were sitting in a real classroom rather than in the comfort of your homes by way of a virtual classroom.

Listserv Address:

There are a couple of different ways to access the listserv. Each message posted to the listserv is sent to each student via email. You can simply read your email and respond in that way. To send a message to the listserv, you would address your email (in the “To:” box) as follows: eng21040@list.mwsc.edu

If you find it necessary to look back over previous posts, you can log into Lyris, the program that runs the listserv. This is the URL address directly to the login page:

http://list.mwsc.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=eng21040&text_mode=&lang=english

Or, if this address is too long, you can access it by following the URL address list.mwsc.edu – follow the links labeled “English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism”, “Department of English and Foreign Languages Lists”, and finally “eng21040”. This method will also take you to the login screen for our class listserv. You can post and send messages from this program just as you would if you sent email to eng21040@list.mwsc.edu. I would suggest that you bookmark this page on your computer once you have visited it.

In order to log on, you must type in your complete email address (ex. mcelwee@missouriwestern.edu). Your password is not set so when you log on initially, you will need to make sure you set a password for yourself.

In addition there may be available a course web page which may include access to WebCT. WebCT contains a module for chatting in real time and we may make use of this during the course. I will keep you informed as this develops. The web page will serve as a repository for information found throughout this course. I will make the address available in a listserv email as soon as it is available.

Disclaimer

We live in a world filled with chaos and as such, I reserve the right to modify, as needed, any aspect of this course as is warranted and necessary throughout the term of this semester. I try to make all accommodations that I can to adapt the course to the needs of the students.

Contract

This syllabus is of a contractual nature. Remaining a part of this course is an agreement by you to all of the stipulations put forth in this syllabus. If you have a problem with any of the policies put forth in this syllabus, consideration should be given to dropping this course.

David R. McElwee

Assistant Professor, English