Department of English, Foreign Languages, and
Journalism
English 210
Winter 2007
Cynthia
Bartels
Office
Hours: 8:30-11:00 TR and by appointment
SSC
222N
816-271-5812
Required Texts:
The Beat Reader ed. Ann Charters
Player Piano-L. Vonnegut
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest -K. Kesey
How I Became Hettie Jones—Hettie Jones
All My Pretty Ones—Anne Sexton
Readings for Writers: Lit of the 50’s and 60’s (Custom reader)
Journal
with removable paper
Storage
disk
Recommended:
Anne Sexton: Self Portrait in Letters Ed. Sexton and Ames
We
will use our texts in class; be sure to bring the appropriate one daily.
ENG
210, a sophomore general studies course, introduces students to different
literary genres. The theme of our section is the Culture and Values of the 1950’s
and early 1960’s. We will read, listen to, and view a variety of artifacts from
this era in effort to both understand the cultural milieu which produced these
artifacts and to interpret them as artistic works.
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%
Project
presentation -10%
Project
paper (final) -10%
Exams-60%
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.
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.
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 questions that we have been
covering in class. 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.
The
MWSC Policy Guide states “each instructor will determine and make known
to the class the requirement for attendance” (45). 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. 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. 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
I
reserve the right to refuse any late work. Presentations must be made on their
pre-scheduled date. No exams may be made up unless arrangements are made prior
to the exam. Make up exams are more difficult. If more than one student needs
to make up an exam, I will schedule a make up exam time. I expect everyone to
attend this make up exam time, or forfeit taking the exam and receive a zero.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is claiming another’s words, writing structure, images,
or ideas as your own. This includes anything
found on the internet. 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
read carefully the statement on plagiarism on the departmental website. Please
note that any material in power points or papers MUST be properly documented
and acknowledged; otherwise it is plagiarism and the work will receive an “F”.
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.