ENG 210 Approaches to Literature

From Civil War to Civil Rights: Literature of the American South

Syllabus

 

 

Textbook____________________________________________________________________ t

The textbook required for this course is Voices of the American South, edited by Suzanne Disheroon-Green. You must have this book! It should be available at the campus bookstore or from online bookstores. Please have the text by the second class meeting. Talk with me if you’re having trouble locating it.

 

 

Purpose _____________________________________________________________________ t

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 _______________________________________________________________________ t

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 that are encountered

            (4) Understand the different ways in which literary theme may treated in literature

 

 

Means______________________________________________________________________ t

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______________________________________________________________ t

You will be required to complete three literary reports during the term, one worth 100 points and the other two worth 250 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 100-point paper is a three-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 250-point reports (make sure we have finished discussing the chosen work first). Each report, running no less than five full pages and no more than seven full pages, may be done only once:

•  Critical analysis of a single work we have studied. This is the traditional paper in which you argue in support of a specific thesis about the work using evidence from the work and your understanding of various points of literary analysis (character, structure, symbolism, language, theme, and so on).

•  Personal 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 concludes with AT LEAST one full page that explains the impact of your sequel or alternate ending vs. our reading of the original story.

•  Cross-medium poem written on a short story or play we have studied, which concludes with AT LEAST one full page that explains the impact of your poem vs. our reading of the original story/play.

•  Cross-medium play written on a short story or poem we have studied, which concludes with AT LEAST one full page that explains the impact of your play vs. our reading of the original story/poem.

•  Modernized parody of a poem, short story, or play we have studied, which concludes with AT LEAST one full page that explains the impact of your parody vs. our reading of the original story/poem/play.

 

 

Class Participation____________________________________________________________ t

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. Understand that each of you is entitled to you opinion about what you read, so long as you support what you say with evidence from the work itself. 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.

 

 

Notebook____________________________________________________________________ t

You are expected to keep a detailed notebook of your personal insights and answers to study questions for each work — completed at home — as well as in-class notes of our discussions. While marginal notations in your textbook may be handy and are commonplace, those will not be graded. Due just before the final exam period and graded for completeness, the journal must be clearly marked home notes and in-class notes and will be worth 100 points.

 

 

Examination__________________________________________________________________ t

A 200-point final examination will be given, covering the works we have studied and our class discussions. A list of possible questions for the final exam is on the O-Drive.

 

 

 

Attendance___________________________________________________________________ t

         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- and 200-level courses. You will be given an excused absence when acting as an official representative of the university, provided you give prior written verification from the faculty/staff supervisor of the event.

All other absences will be deemed unexcused. The maximum number of unexcused absences allowed for this class before the midterm report on Oct. 17 is five (5). Thus, when you have six 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.

FAIR WARNING: THIS WILL BE THE POLICY I FOLLOW FOR THIS CLASS.

Late assignments are not accepted without a reason I consider valid. Moreover, it is your responsibility to check on material covered during your absence, including assignments for the next class you attend.

         I expect you to submit assignments in person at the beginning of the class period that the work is due. Assignments submitted by a classmate, dropped off at my office or in my mailbox, or submitted electronically without a valid written excuse included will not be accepted.

 

 

Grades______________________________________________________________________ t

Points will be earned for the following items:

GWTW Report.................................................. 100 points

Literary Report One.......................................... 250 points

Literary Report Two.......................................... 250 points

Class participation............................................. 100 points

Notebook......................................................... 100 points

Final exam......................................................... 200 points

TOTAL.......................................................... 1,000 points

 

The letter grade equivalents will follow a 10-percent spread.

 

 

Office Hours/Phones/E-mail_____________________________________________________ t

      Office hours are MW 10-12, T 9-11, F 10-11 Other times 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; that’s why I’ve got the answering machines.

E-mail:  My e-mail address is <rosenauer@missouriwestern.edu>. You are welcome to write me about questions or concerns you may have about the course. My Web site is located at <http:// staff.missouriwestern.edu/~rosenauer/rosenauer_main.html>. There you will find pertinent course materials, including copies of this syllabus, course outline, and previous final exam questions. Finally, many of the materials I use in class are located on the O-Drive. Ask if you don’t know how to access that.

 

 

Academic Honesty____________________________________________________________ t

      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 in 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 2007-08 Student Handbook and Calendar for specific 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.

 

 

Disabilities___________________________________________________________________ t

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.