Dr.
Robinson
King
Hall, Room 1
Phone: 391.4950 or 4949
e-mail:
brobinson@abac.edu
ENGLISH
2131: SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE
COURSE
POLICIES
Prerequisite:
successful completion of ENGL 1102. If
you have not passed ENGL 1102, you must drop this course immediately.
GUIDING
PREMISE: Studying literature promotes ways of thinking
that help readers analyze other parts of life.
While the current climate for multicultural and ethnic studies is
meritorious, American students need to be fully aware also of their native
literature and heritage, especially as they relate to world culture and are a
part of it. International students ought
to have some sense of the interaction of American literature and heritage. As students read, think, and study some of
the hallmark documents of American history and literature, they will begin to
refine a definition of American and
consider various sources which historically have shaped that definition.
COURSE
GOALS
LITERATURE:
COURSE OUTCOMES
Students
who successfully complete this course will be able to
ADDITIONAL GOALS FOR THIS COURSE
(Robinson’s addendum)
ABAC
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Courses
at
Whenever
a student is absent, whether for official or personal reasons, the student must assume responsibility and provide notice to the instructor, preferably in advance,
for making arrangements for any assignments and class work missed because of
the absence. However, final approval for make up work remains with the
individual instructor.
A
student who stops attending class without officially withdrawing from the
course is subject to this attendance policy and will receive a grade of “F” for
the course.
At
the beginning of each semester, instructors will explain clearly to their students specific attendance requirements (including
possible penalties). Additionally, they will publish the attendance policy on
their syllabi and web-sites.
A student penalized for excessive absences may
appeal through the grade appeal process, as stated in ABAC’s college catalog
and student handbook.
SPECIFIC TO THIS
CLASS: Attendance is mandatory.
Missing more than four classes will result in failure of the course. Excused absences will consist of the
following and require documentation:
jail, hospitalization of yourself or your minor child, jury duty, or
institution sanctioned events. If you must be absent, it is your responsibility to find out
what you missed on the day you return to class.
Tardiness—If you arrive after
I call roll, you are absent. If you
leave more than ten minutes early (regardless of the reason), you are absent
for the class.
TEXT
Baym
et al. The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 7th ed.
Vols. A & B.
The
Norton Anthology is cognizant of
recent scholarship, and it represents a broadened canon in addition to the more
traditional texts.
EXPECTATIONS
·
The
elements for success in this class include tenacity, commitment, thought,
reflection, organizational skill, and flexibility, all of which can be
learned. Like all learning, these skills
are acquired through practice and repetition.
·
Class
sessions will combine lecture, discussion, and debate. I always encourage questions in class.
·
I
consider reading assigned texts to be the very minimum of course
requirements. I expect that you will
show your intellectual engagement with the material in your class
contributions, both written and spoken.
Written work that demonstrates only recitation of plot summary or,
conversely, simple acquisition of classroom conversation is unacceptable.
·
All
final drafts of out-of-class essays/examinations must be word processed. Multiple drafts are the norm in all
assignments.
QUIZZES
I
intend to give 12 quizzes during the term.
If you take all 12, you will drop the two lowest grades; if you take 11,
you will drop the lowest grade. The
point is that you will end up with 10 grades at the end of the term. Quizzes will cover assigned reading for the
day and will begin promptly at 11:00; we
will not wait for late arrivers to finish a quiz. At the appropriate point for all students who
arrive on time, I will darken the screen that projects the quiz.
Please
be aware that some writings may require several readings before you consider
that you have mastered the text. You are
responsible for reading the headnotes to each
work. Questions on the quizzes will
include information from headnotes.
NOTETAKING
Our
class time will consist primarily of guided discussion of the texts you have
read, but the nature of a survey course also requires a good bit of lecture for
background information, historical contexts, and so forth. Please be aware that you are accountable for
all information that comes through lecture or discussion. I do
not put lecture notes on the web.
You need to begin taking notes immediately so that you will be prepared
when the time comes to study for exams.
FORMAL
ESSAYS
Purpose: The purpose of the essays is to allow
you to move beyond the confines of class discussion and to think creatively and
independently about some of the concepts and ideas under discussion. Also they allow you to think about yourself
and your culture in light of the historical values and ideals that emerge from
the beginning of settlement in the
WORD PROCESSING
REQUIREMENTS
All out-of-class
essays must be word processed. You may use any word processing program with
which you are familiar. MS Word is loaded on the campus computers, so you
should consider using an MS Word compatible program. NOTE: Inability to interface with a campus computer, having an
incompatible program or file, or a faulty/damaged computer disc is not an
acceptable excuse for not turning in a paper on time. You should backup and
save all drafts of all essays as
separate files in at least two places. Your hard drive on the computer is
one acceptable place, but you should also save them to a disc or thumb drive.
ASSISTANCE
If you feel that
you require extra assistance to meet the standards of effective writing,
including but not limited to, grammar, mechanics, and Standard English usage,
several options are available. The college provides a
Audience: Let’s face it; you’re writing for me. That being said, think of your target
audience as a fellow class member, in other words, another sophomore who has
similar study and writing experiences and who has some background knowledge of
the issues under consideration, but who is not as informed on your point of
view toward the material as you are.
Quality of
Written Expression: Those of you who know me already know that I
can be quite draconian about this issue.
The simple fact is, you can’t present yourself
as educated without making an effort to be clear in your written expression, as
well as being a careful editor. Nothing
destroys the authority of an author more than howlers like misspelled words,
wrong use of certain forms (there, their), incomplete sentences, fractured syntax,
etc. Sloppy prose tells your reader
right away you don’t care enough about your paper to make sure it makes sense
and is readable. Since the essays are
formal exercises, you should write formally, meaning cut out the slang,
colloquialism, flippancy, passive voice, and contractions. Consider this analogy: Most of you wouldn’t
go to a job interview in the pajamas you went to bed in last night and expect
to do well in the interview. Giving me a paper of rambling thoughts chock-full
of errors is the equivalent. Though some
would like to ignore the fact, this class is still an English class and I am
still an English teacher. So we will
continue to work on improving your writing throughout the semester.
LATE
PAPERS
Deadlines
are an unpleasant fact of life. I do not accept late work, without any warning it will be late. I understand that on the rarest of occasions
unforeseen circumstances may require you to ask for an extension, and I will
grant an extension in cases involving hospitalization or something equally
serious and documented. I will give
such an extension in writing only (e-mail or on paper) and you must present it
when you turn in the paper past the deadline.
PLAGIARISM
I
divide plagiarism into 2 categories. One
is the garden variety felony; the other is a capital offense. In other words, both are serious scholarly
crimes, and I (a hanging judge, jury, and executioner) will deal with them
severely. The less serious of the two is
unintended plagiarism. This crime comes about when you didn’t realize you
plagiarized. For example, you might
include an actual quotation in the body of the essay without quotation marks or
a source attribution. You may simply
have forgotten or didn’t realize you were supposed to provide quotation marks. Even
unintended plagiarism can cause you to fail the essay. Intended
plagiarism is when you try to pass off another’s work as your own (including
drafts you retrieve from the trashcan or another computer in the labs);
plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, passing off old essays, downloading
something from a paper-for-fee from the internet without proper attribution,
copying verbatim from a book or article or other source without proper
attribution. I am familiar with the
various forms of plagiarism and have absolutely no tolerance for it. If you submit such work, you will receive a
zero on the paper and very likely fail the class. You also risk great humiliation and permanent
damage to your academic and professional reputation. Rest assured, I’ve
seen every form of creative plagiarism.
Plagiarism,
intentional or unintentional, is a failing offense. You are morally, professionally, and legally
responsible for acknowledging all sources consulted for research purposes.
MIDTERM ADVISORY GRADES
Midterm Advisory Grades will be reported on Banner Web to any
student who has a “C,” “D,” or “F” in any class. The number of class absences will be posted
for all students. Advisory grades are
not entered on the student’s permanent record.
Students should note that these grades are advisory and will not
necessarily reflect the final grade earned in a course. These grades are intended to provide students
with information in order to improve their performance in the second half of
the semester.
Students are responsible for checking Banner Web when grades and
absences have been reported. Students
who receive grades should meet with their instructors to develop plans for
success in the second half of the semester.
Students should also take advantage of study groups and plan for ongoing
conferences with instructors in order to monitor their progress. ABAC provides free tutorial assistance for
most courses through the Academic Achievement Center (AAC); in addition to
other academic support activities, students should work with their instructors
to establish tutoring in the AAC.
CLASS
PARTICIPATION
I
assume you will participate fully in classroom activities. I expect you to be prepared, to discuss
assigned readings, and to confer with me periodically during the class. I design classes to add to, not to teach, the
text material.
The key to success in
this course is preparedness. Read
the assignments; take notes on your reading and make notes within your text;
come to class with questions; come prepared to participate in lively and
interesting discussion; take notes in class.
Often reading pieces just once, especially poems, is not enough, which
is why notes within your text and in addition to your text are so important. Since
reading and thinking are integrated skills, be sure to think about the
implications of what you are reading and read for both meaning and
interpretation.
CLASSROOM
ETIQUETTE
We
are all adults. I expect all of us
(myself included) to act in a mature and respectful manner to one another. I should not need to explain this issue any
further. Students do not leave until I
have dismissed class. Please, turn all
cell phones and pagers or face embarrassment.
EXAMINATIONS
You
will write 3 essay examinations. I will
provide instruction in writing essay examinations.
GRADES
Quizzes 15%
Identity
Essay 20%
Exam
1 15%
Exam
2 15%
Identity project 20%
Final
examination 15%
Grading scale: A ( 90-100), B (80 - 89), C (70 - 79), D
(65 - 69), F (64 - below)
End Drop/Add
period: 18 August
Mid-term
deadline for withdrawal w/o academic penalty: 6 October
Final Exam: 7 December 10:15-12:15
Logging in to WebCT Vista
1. From ABAC’s Home page http://www.abac.edu
2. If you do not know your Username for WebCT Vista,
a.
Go
to Banner Web [link] from ABAC’s Home page
b.
Look
up you New Student ID [link]
c.
Enter
the information
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Return
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3. WebCT Vista (link)
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6. Selected Course (course link) You will only have one ENGL 2122 option
8/13/10