Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences
ENG
220-01 Introduction to Reading Texts
Class
meets
Fall 2006
Instructor Information
Dr. Karen U. Fulton, Professor
Tel: 271-4317(work) 1-660-582-8830 (home)
E-mail: fulton@missouriwestern.edu
Office: Eder Hall 222-H
Office Hours: 10-12 and
Final Examination
Tuesday,
December 12,
Required Texts
Gardner,Janet E, Beverly Lawn, Jack Ridl, and Peter Schakel. Literature: A Portable Anthology.
Gibaldi,
Joseph. MLA Handbook, 6th
edition.
Other Required Supplies
Access to word processor with spell-checker; all written work must be word-processed.
Access to Internet for postings on O/P-drive and research.
A 3-ring binder (spine
no greater than 1/2") for submission of end of semester portfolio.
English 220 objectives
English 220 fulfills Category IV General Studies requirements. All English 210 (and 220) sections provide practice in reading poetry, prose fiction, and drama. Objectives are listed on http://www.mwsc.edu/~engdept/genstud.html.
Upon completion of English 210 [or 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 encountered
4. Understand the different ways in which literary theme may be treated in literature.
Means: 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.
Attendance
In order to improve student learning as well as to achieve compliance with federal financial aid policies, Western has a mandatory attendance policy for all 100-level classes and 200-level for Fall 2007.
Sanctioned absences are those in which the student is serving as a representative of the college. All non-sanctioned absences will be recorded. The maximum number of unexcused absences allowed for this class before the midterm report, October 18, is 3. Thus, when you have 4 unexcused absences you will be reported to the Registrar’s Office, who will automatically withdraw you from this class. The Financial Aid Office will reduce financial aid as appropriate.
Academic Honesty Policy
Academic Honesty is required in all academic endeavors. Violations of academic honesty include any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for another’s work, falsifying documents or academic records, or any other fraudulent activity. Violations of academic honesty may result in a failing grade on the assignment, failure for the course, or expulsion from the University. When a student’s grade has been affected, violations of academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or designated representative on the Academic Honesty Violation Report Forms.
Please see the 2006-2007 Student Handbook and Calendar on page 21 for specifics activities identified as violations of this policy and the student due process procedure. This handbook is also available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf
Student Disability Policy
Students who have a disability that might prevent their maximum performance in the class should make this known to the instructor immediately so that provisions may be made for any assistance needed.
Grading Policies
Mid-term grades
Since no grades are in place at mid-term, the mid-term grade will be a means of the instructor communicating with you your status in the class. If you receive anything other than the commonly agreed upon grade, you owe it to yourself to find out why.
Final grade
The grade for this class will be
determined on the basis of a portfolio. This portfolio will consist of at least
two finished and revised pieces of writing (in addition to the self-reflective
essay). One piece must have begun as a class assignment and be designated the
class demonstration paper. The final for this class Tuesday, December 12 at
Portfolio
During the first two weeks of class, more detailed portfolio specifications will be placed on the O/P drive of handed out and previous portfolios will be brought to class. You will self-grade your own portfolio when you submit it. I will meet with you individually to grade the portfolio and we will audio-tape that conference. You then have the option of revising and resubmitting the portfolio.
You have only one opportunity to resubmit a portfolio.
Minimal Passing Standards for the Course
In order to pass (grade of "D") the class the student must complete all major written assignments; submit a self-graded portfolio on the due date; not have more than 6 absences for the semester; attend the scheduled portfolio conference; and participate in the final session.
Failure to complete any one of these results in failure for the course.
Learning Activities and Projects
Fastwriting (freewriting)
Classes will frequently begin with a short fastwriting in response to the literature assigned for that day. Bruce Ballenger defines this technique as encouraging us to think through writing rather than before writing. "Basically you just write down whatever come into your head, not worrying about whether you're being eloquent, grammatical, or even very smart." (Curious Researcher 1).
Word Processing
In order to facilitate publishing, all drafts of papers (including the summaries of the oral reports) must be word-processed.
Deadline for oral reports
It is your responsibility to have material by deadlines assigned. No provisions are made to incorporate missed oral reports later in the semester. It is vital you are ready to speak on the day assigned.
Deadline for written work
Papers are scheduled so I can do three readings of your work and return a response to you at the next class period if at all possible. The first paper will be discussed with you in an audio-taped conference. If the work does not come in at the time assigned, it may not be returned to you until the end of the semester. Credit will not be given until the instructor has commented on the work.
Feedback Mode
Letter grades are not given on the major writing assignments. Instead feedback is given by way of an audiotape containing my spoken response to your paper, written comments on your paper, and a rough ranking (by thirds) of your paper in comparison to the other papers submitted on the assignment. These indicators are not convertible to letter grades. I welcome conferences with anyone who has questions about the paper, the tape, or how the paper might fit into the final portfolio.
Minimal Standards for Projects
Any project will be returned unread and with no credit if required materials are not submitted and correct word-processing, formatting, and spell checking have not been completed.
Oral Presentation
Beginning the second week of class, one or two students will be designated to make an oral presentation, relevant to what we are studying that day. The student may access the web on the computer and use the AV system in the classroom to make the presentation. At our third meeting, you will choose an index card containing the date and subject of your presentation.
Written Publication
After we finish the Hamlet paper, you will revise and reformat your creative piece to be included in a booklet of Hamlet writings from the class. Format will be available on the O/P drive.
Calendar
This is a rough estimation of what we will be working on at any given time. When we begin each section (as in the case of Poetry), you will receive a much more detailed calendar of which texts we will be reading.
Section 1
August 29-September 28 Poetry,
first paper due
October 3-October 26 Hamlet,
second paper due
October 31-November 9 Fiction
Portfolio due
On November 21, we will not have class. I will be meeting with you each individually to grade your portfolio.
November 28-December 7 Continue with fiction
December 7 is the last day to resubmit a portfolio.
Final exam is Tuesday, December
12 and 11:30 am