Literature of the American South
Syllabus
€ First Four-Week Session
Dr. Kenneth L. Rosenauer
Textbook_____________________________________________________________________
The textbook required for this course is Voices
of the American South,
edited by Suzanne Disheroon-Green. It should be available at both the campus
bookstore and Passport Books, located across Mitchell Avenue from the campus.
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 and
analyzing poetry, prose fiction, and drama.
Goals ________________________________________________________________________
Upon satisfactory completion of this
course you 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 which are encountered
(4)
Understand the different ways in which literary theme may treated in literature
Means________________________________________________________________________
To reach these goals, you are 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.
Literary
Reports_______________________________________________________________
You will be required to complete three literary reports during the term, one
worth 50 points and the other two worth 300 points each. All must be typed,
double spaced, with these desktop publishing settings: font — Times Roman or comparable,
size — 12 pt., double spaced, margins — 1 inch all around.
The 50-point paper is a 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 at least four 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). Each report,
running no less than 4 and no more than 7 pages, may be done only once:
€ Personal
critical analysis of a single
work we have studied.
€ Analytical
essay in which you argue for your own personal relationship to a character,
explaining clearly what characteristics you each have in common and how those
influence how you and the character act in similar circumstances or how
it is you respect/admire the character and why.
€ Sequel
or alternate ending to a short story we have
studied, which includes AT LEAST one full page that explains the impact of your
sequel or alternate ending vs. our reading of the first story.
€ Cross-medium
poem written on a short story or play we have studied, which includes AT
LEAST one full page that explains the impact of your poem vs. our reading of
the first story/play.
€ Cross-medium
play written on a short story or poem we have studied, which includes AT
LEAST one full page that explains the impact of your play vs. our reading of
the first story/poem.
€ Modernized
parody of a poem, short story, or play we have studied, which includes AT
LEAST one full page that explains the impact of your parody vs. our reading of
the first story/poem/play.
Class Participation_____________________________________________________________
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 Questions_____________________________________________________________
You will receive a list of
reading questions for most of your assignments. Those are graded Credit/-20
points penalty and are due at the beginning of each class meeting. The penalty
points will be deducted from the other points you earn for the term.
Notebook_____________________________________________________________________
You are expected to keep a detailed
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 just
prior to the 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 a list of questions from which the final exam will be taken.
Attendance____________________________________________________________________
Very
simply, you are expected to be in class each day we meet. During summer, each
class day is equivalent to a full week of regular semesters. Unexcused absences
will be reflected in class participation and notebook grades. Also, late
assignments are not accepted without an excuse I consider valid.
Grades_______________________________________________________________________
Points
will be earned for the following items:
Three reports................................................... 650 points
Class participation........................................... 100
points
Reading journal................................................. 50 points
One exam...................................................... 200 points
TOTAL......................................................... 1000
points
The letter grade equivalents are:
A 90-100% 900-1000
points D 60-69% 600-699
points
B 80-
89% 800-899
points F Below
60% Below
600 points
C 70-
79% 700-799
points
Office Hours/Phones/E-mail______________________________________________________
Office hours are immediately following
the class and by appointment. My office is in Eder 222E.
Office Phone: 271-4323, Home Phone:
387-8213. Leave messages if I am not available to answer the phone;
that¹s why I¹ve got the answering machines.
E-mail: My e-mail address is <rosenauer@mwsc.edu>. You are
welcome to write me about questions or concerns you may have about the course.
My Web site is located at <http://www.mwsc.edu /rosenauer_main.html>.
There you will find pertinent course materials, including copies of the
syllabus, course outline, and final exam questions.
Academic Honesty______________________________________________________________
You are expected to do your own reading
and writing for this course. IMPORTANT:
All forms of cheating, including plagiarism — submitting someone
else¹s written work as your own — will earn an F for the course.
Disabilities____________________________________________________________________
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 two days of classes so that we might discuss appropriate alternatives.
For a Microsoft Word version of this file, click HERE.