English 275

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Syllabus
URLs of Note

ENGLISH 275: INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY STUDIES

Fall 2002  Monday 6-9:30 p.m.  204 AH/210 AH

Course Home page:  http://krypton.mankato.msus.edu/~susanna/english_2751.htm   

NOTE:  Our first class meeting is on the evening of Monday, August 26, 2002.  Each person enrolled in the course by that date is expected to attend all but one class session during the semester unless prior arrangements have been made with me  for an additional absence. On occasion, class might not meet (or might meet in an abbreviated form) because special "work-in-progress" time has been scheduled.  The syllabus (click on URL at left) is subject to revision as necessary throughout the semester.  If you have questions, please call the instructor at 389-5503 or leave a message with the departmental secretary at 507-389-2117.  You can also send me an e-mail message:   suzanne.bunkers@mnsu.edu 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Welcome to Introduction to Literary Studies! This course is designed to offer instruction and experience in learning and practicing techniques of critical reading and analytical writing. This course is designed to be taken after English 101 has been completed and before 300- and 400-level literature courses have been taken. Because a basic grasp of English is a prerequisite for English 275, sentence structure, usage, and punctuation will not be taught in this course. As in other English courses, all written work in this course will be evaluated in the areas of content, organization, style, and mechanics. This course will emphasize strategies for the critical analysis of literature within relevant historical and cultural contexts. Each participant will be evaluated on attendance, participation, timely completion of all reading assignments and written work, contributions to class presentations, and successful completion of final examination. Because this course requires extensive reading and meets only one evening per week, regular attendance and participation are vital to one’s success in the course.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:   Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama.  Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia.  2nd Compact Edition, published in 2000.

A.  COURSE OBJECTIVES:

1. Read, comprehend, and interpret a variety of literary works.  2. Appreciate each work of literature in its historical and cultural contexts and alongside other literary works.  3. Discuss, analyze, and evaluate individual works of literature with other course participants and the instructor.  4. Polish critical analysis, writing, and documentation skills, as reflected in successful completion of writing assignments, research assignments, and final examination.  5. Develop expertise in working in the academic computer center, doing research on the world wide web, writing critical analysis essays, and documenting written and electronic sources.

B.  COURSE EXPECTATIONS:

Each participant is expected to have college-level critical reading and writing skills, attend class regularly, and contact me, either by e-mail or by phone, if he or she needs to be absent during a particular class period and make up any work missed. Each person may be absent from one class meeting without penalty; however, chronic absences will result in a failing grade. Participants are expected to listen reflectively and respectfully to one another’s and the instructor’s comments during class sessions and to contribute to class discussions. Participants are responsible for their own active learning in this course; that means completing all written assignments and examinations on time and in accordance with MLA guidelines. In return, each participant can expect that I will be prepared for class and will share information based on my study of literature over the past twenty-eight years. Course participants can also expect that I will prepare and provide information about written assignments, assessments, and examinations in a timely and efficient fashion and that I will evaluate all written work fairly and stringently. Finally, participants can expect that I will be available, via e-mail or during individually scheduled conferences, to discuss aspects of course requirements throughout the term.

C.  COURSE ASSESSMENT COMPONENTS:

1. Attendance and participation: 25%    2. Writing assignments (e-mail and hard copy): 50%    3. Final comprehensive examination: 25%.    NOTE: If you have special needs, please talk with me soon so that we can make appropriate arrangements.

D.  ENGLISH 275 WRITING ASSIGNMENTS:

1. Diagnostic Essay.  2. Summary/Precis Essay.  3. Explication/Close Reading of Poem.  4. Critical Analysis/Researched and Documented Essay. 5. Mid-term and end-of-term self-assessments.   6. Weekly e-mail to class members and instructor.

Details of each writing assignment will be explained in class. All essays are to be typed or word-processed according to MLA Style. Essays 1, 2, and 3 are to be two double-spaced, typed pages each. Essay 4 is to be five to six double-spaced typed pages. All writing assignments are due at the beginning of class on the dates specified by instructor.  You will have a revision option on Essays 2 and 3. Self-assessments and course evaluations will be completed on dates specified by instructor.

E.  ENGLISH 275 FINAL TAKE-HOME EXAMINATION:

There will be one examination in this course: a comprehensive take-home examination which you will have a week to complete. You can choose to do an individual exam or a collaborative exam with another class member. The examination will feature a number of short-answer and essay questions; you will select several to which you will respond in typed, double-spaced answers. Each class member will generate and contribute questions to the exam. I will type the exam, which will be handed out at our last class meeting of the semester.

F.  INSTRUCTOR’S POLICY ON ABSENCES AND MAKE-UP WORK:

I expect you to be fully present during each class meeting; at the same time, I recognize that emergencies do arise. Please contact me ahead of time if you need to miss a class meeting. Note that I don’t do make-up lectures, nor do I give out my lecture notes.  Only under extenuating circumstances will late make-up work be accepted. I expect each course participant to miss no more than one week's class meeting (unless divine providence intervenes in the form of a blizzard or some other phenomenon). Work-in-progress time will be scheduled into the course. If you have any questions throughout the semester, please contact me at suzanne.bunkers@mnsu.edu   or leave a phone message for me at the English Department office: 507-389-2117.

To return to the MSU English Department home page, click on:  http://www.mankato.msus.edu/dept/english

To return to the MSU home page, click on:  www.mnsu.edu/supersite/