Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
English 210
Fall 2006
Cynthia Bartels
Office Hours:
SSC222N
816-271-5812
Required Texts:
Sula - Toni Morrison
Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston
African-American Women’s Literature (AAWL)-ed. Valerie Lee
Handouts
Journal with removable paper
Storage disk/space
Optional:
Modernism and the
Blues, Legacies, and Black Feminism – Angela Davis
We will use our texts in class; be sure to bring the appropriate one daily.
Course Description
ENG 210, a sophomore general studies course, introduces students to different literary genres. The theme of our section is Afro-American Women’s Literature and Culture, and so this course will strive to increase your understanding of this subject, to understand both its unique characteristics and those that it shares with other cultures, and to increase your understanding of race, gender, and class and their influences on our world. We will read, listen to, and view a variety of artifacts from this genre in effort to both understand the cultural milieu which produced these artifacts and to interpret them as artistic works.
We will begin by discussing some characteristics of Afro-American literature and music. The class will be conducted in a seminar type format. We will spend a lot of time forming and attempting to answer questions. Some of the questions we will explore throughout the semester are:
As a class, we will shape our answers together. Your notes from class should reflect the emphasis on these questions. I encourage students to share with the class any relevant observations or experiences pertinent to our exploration. I will not supply all this information to the class, nor are there necessarily definitive answers, but our goal is to work throughout the semester to discover and suggest possible answers.
Grading Criteria
Grades will come from the following. Point values are approximate, and I reserve the right to alter some assignments.
Quizzes and journal assignments-10%
Participation and attendance-10%
Final presentations and paper (due at final) total-20%
Exams-60%
Journals and Quizzes
We will keep a reading journal for everything we read; sometimes I will ask you to prepare specific journal responses. We will use these as a springboard for class discussion, and they also are good practices for the exams. In addition, particularly when I sense people are not reading or understanding the material, I will give short reading quizzes, which may include journal type responses.
What is Participation?
Your participation grade will include several things and will be assessed at the end of the semester. Just showing up or even reading material does not mean you are participating. Nor does constant talking constitute participation; one might talk constantly and actually detract from the others’ participation and learning. I expect that you participate in such a way that contributes to the course and is worthwhile for everyone. To achieve this kind of participation, you need to read the material well; it is impossible to show quality participation otherwise. Participating also means trying to answer questions, challenge positions, and offer thoughtful and valid opinions. I suggest you come to class with one or two points or questions each day, even when not assigned to do so. Don’t just show up.
Participation also means you should be present for, attentive to, and responsive to your peers’ presentations at the end of the term.
Exams
We’ll have three exams. Exams are essay type. I may select passages from our readings for you to comment on or ask you to discuss the questions that are listed above as they relate to what we have been reading. You should therefore take notes that go beyond facts and that record the nature of our discussions and related issues. The exams also may include some short answer questions. Since the exams don’t test just reading comprehension, it will be very difficult to do well on the exams if you are not in class.
Attendance
The new MWSU Attendance Policy states that students must attend class, and that students who miss more than five classes before October 18 will be dropped administratively from the course. Beyond this policy, I am not here to police your whereabouts, but if you are not present, you will miss a lot. You also receive a grade for participation (defined above), which evaluates your total participation performance, not just your presence. Obviously if you are not here, you cannot participate. This is a sophomore level class in which we will be doing a variety of activities and conducting enlightening discussions, most of which cannot be found elsewhere or reproduced. In addition, exams draw heavily from class work, and I often make announcements or assignments in class; thus you cannot know these things if you are not here. In short, if you’re not here, it is your responsibility to know what you missed and suffer any consequences.
Late and Missing Work
and Exams
I reserve the right to refuse any late work. I will collect journal entries ONCE; if you do not hand them in on time, I cannot accept them.
All exams must be taken on the designated date UNLESS arrangements are made BEFOREHAND. All presentations must be given on your assigned day.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is claiming another’s words, writing structure, images, or ideas as your own. This includes anything found on the internet. There will be no need to research anything in this class until the final paper. Plagiarism and cheating of any kind will not be tolerated and may result in your failing the assignment or the course or being suspended or dismissed from the college. Please note carefully the statement on plagiarism on the departmental website, found at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/plagiarism.asp
My Responsibilities
1. Guide class discussions and student inquiries.
2. Provide background for better understanding.
3. Make sure you understand the material.
4. Create an environment which promotes your own inquiry and learning.
5. Challenge you to think and do your best work.
Your Responsibilities
1. Come to class regularly and on time.
2. Be Consistently prepared.
3. Gather any information you miss (Etiquette: Do not ask the teacher if you “missed anything.” Gather information from classmates and ask the teacher relevant questions after you have educated yourself the best manner you can. Do not expect the teacher to track you down for missed work)
4. Do your best work and be honest.
Classroom Behavior
I expect you to respect everyone in this class. Part of learning is exploring ideas. No doubt some people will have ideas different than yours. One of our goals is to learn to understand and respect other’s ideas. Remain open-minded; you may even change your own ideas. Understanding and developing ideas is a natural outcome of the reading and writing, and therefore of this class, and thus I consider these an accomplishment and evidence that you are becoming an educated and mature individual, which is good for your grade.
I also expect you to behave respectfully in class. This means: be on time, do not interrupt, walk in front of anyone who is talking, or leave your seat or the room while class is in session unless it is an emergency. It also means that you turn off cell phones before you enter the classroom, and that you leave them off until you have exited the classroom.
Students with Disabilities
Any student in this course who has a disability that
requires different contexts for either evaluation or expression should contact
me in the first few weeks of the course so that those needs can be considered.