Course Expectations Attendance and Participation (20%)
This is a discussion course where your attendance and participation in class are vital to your success and that of the group.
Attendance: You are expected to attend every class. Do not sign up for this course if you have a conflict with another class, recitation, sports commitment, or job. If you must miss class because of a medical or family emergency, you should notify me of the fact by phone, e-mail, or in person by the time of the class. Any unexcused absence deducts a percentage point from your final grade: two latenesses count as one absence. Repeated absences will lead to a formal warning and can affect your grade and status in the class.
Class Participation: This class is designed to challenge oral communication as well as writing skills. Be prepared to contribute to class discussion, not only by speaking but also by listening and responding well to others. Every student is expected to contribute to class discussion by submitting a weekly comment or question to the class website forum or to me by email. These will provide starting points for group discussion.
In-Class Report (10%): Each student will prepare and deliver a 10-15 minute in-class report on one day's reading. This report should include research, drawing on materials from print and online sources (1-3 of each) and presenting a bibliography. It should also raise questions and offer ideas for class discussion. You will submit an outline, bibliography, and any supporting materials and will be graded on your content and also on your delivery and ability to generate class discussion.
Written Work (70%)
Essays (10%, 20%, 20%): Essays are due at the beginning of class on the day assigned. You must hand in something, even if you do not consider it your very best, in order to receive credit for the assignment. Late essays (with an extension from me) will receive credit, as long as they come in by the following class. After that they will drop a full grade for each day late.
Revision (20%): Students must revise one of the two longer papers (other revisions are optional). You may choose which essay you would like to revise, but you must submit the revision by the due date. Revisions are a separate assignment from essays and get their own grade.
Format: Essays must be typed or word-processed, double-spaced, and adequately margined, should include a title, and need to observe the conventions of grammar and spelling.
Use of Sources / Plagiarism: Use of old course essays or notes, Cliff's Notes, essays posted on websites, or other sources without correct attribution constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism - the use of words, ideas, or efforts of others without acknowledgment - is a serious academic offense and will be brought to the attention of the Committee on Discipline. In this course you will practice research skills and learn responsible uses of information. The essays, however, are critical readings of literary texts, representing your own thinking and developing your own arguments.
Tutorials and Conferences: Each student will meet with the course tutor to go over drafts for essays and revisions; these meetings will be scheduled at the beginning of the term. Students will also meet with the instructor at least once during the term to discuss essays and writing. Other conferences are strongly encouraged, and you may also consult the Writing Center.
Exam (10%)
There will be a three-hour final exam in the course.
Films
Screenings take place once a week. Attendance is required.
Essays
For all your essays, be sure to focus your reading, preferably on a single character, scene, or even passage in the work(s), and to support your point with a close reading of the text. Do not generalize. Make sure your essay has a thesis, a point against which someone might argue, using the evidence of the text.