ENGL 5300
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND METHODS OF RESEARCH
SYLLABUS[1] FALL 2015
Online
"Literature is an eloquent artistic document, infinitely varied, of mankind’s journey:
the autobiography of the race's soul.” The Art of Literary Research, Altick & Fenstermaker
GENERAL INFORMATION
COURSE INSTRUCTOR: Karen Sloan, Ph.D.
ASST. INSTRUCTOR & PROF. LIBRARIAN Vandy Dubre
DR. SLOAN’S OFFICE: Bus 247
OFFICE PHONE: 903-566-7460
DEPT. CONTACT: Ms. MaryEllen Holland, Lit/Lang Office 903-566-7373
EMAILS:
OFFICE HOURS: by appointment (face-to-face, phone, Zoom)
required textS (specified publisher and edition required)
Graff, Gerald. “They Say, I Say”: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. Norton. 3rd edition.
ISBN 978-0393935844
Harner, James. Literary Research Guide. Electronic edition. MLA, 2014. Must be purchased online
http://www.mla.org/store/CID25/PID474
Mark Twain. No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger. Mark Twain. U of California Press, 2011.
ISBN 9780520270008
Modern Languages Association. MLA Style Manual & Guide to Scholarly Publishing[2]. Modern Languages Association. 3rd edition. Hardcover. ISBN 9780873522977
Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide. 3rd ed. Taylor & Francis.
ISBN 9780415506755.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
Booth The Craft of Research, 3rd. ed.
Williams Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace, 11th ed.
Handbooks a general handbook to literature such as Harmon’s and,, once you have narrowed
major area of interest, a subject-specific handbook such as those in the Oxford ,
OED The Oxford English Dictionary has an unequaled reputation among dictionaries, equally valuable for looking up the contemporary definition of a word and for tracing a word’s origins and changing connotations. As a UT-Tyler student, you can access the OED from the Muntz Library Databases.
COURSE CATALOG DESCRIPTION
Study of bibliographical sources and techniques of literary scholarship. 3 credit hours. Prerequisites: B.A. with English major or minor, or permission of department chair.
COURSE FORMAT
ENGL 5300 is an online course with instructor and peer interactions conducted primarily via Blackboard. Online courses require students to be especially diligent in reading and following instructional materials, keeping up with assignments, complying with due dates and times, and taking initiative when problems with communication arise.
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WITH BLACKBOARD
All technical problems associated with Blackboard, the Internet, or university resources, including
passwords and user IDs, must be directed to . The course instructor has neither the expertise nor the necessary permissions to provide technical support.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
This is an online course that meets on a regular basis for 16 weeks; it is not a self-paced course. Weekly modules open at 12:00 am each Monday, with weekly assignments due no later than 11:59 pm the following Sunday.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
By the end of this course, the successful student will be able to
· conduct thorough, independent, discriminating scholarly research
· become familiar with several documentation styles and demonstrate mastery of M.L.A. style in citing texts that pose bibliographic challenges
· adhere to grammatical and rhetorical conventions as explained in the MLA Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing
· gain proficiency in both responding and contributing to scholarly conversations
· utilize graduate-level critical thinking and scholarly writing in a variety of situations—e.g., evaluating journal articles, tracing a critical reception, compiling an annotated bibliography, conducting discriminating research, and/or writing book reviews
· discuss historical trends and practices in both textual and literary criticism from early 20th century to the present, using appropriate terminology
· apply key principles of textual criticism to primary and secondary texts
· apply key principles of at least two schools of contemporary literary criticism to primary texts
ASSIGNMENT PERCENTAGES
Bibliographic Projects 40%
Literary Analysis 20%
Daily (worksheets, quizzes, forums) 20%
Proficiency Tests* 20%
*No midterm or final examination in this course
GRADE REPRESENTATIONS IN THIS COURSE
A 90-100 demonstrates exceptional competence—“A” students take initiative for their learning; produce impeccable (or nearly so) scholarship; go beyond the stated requirements for assignments; contribute significantly to the quality of the class; miss no more than two scheduled seminars; and demonstrate a thorough understanding of concepts related to the course subject matter.
B 80-89 demonstrates competence—“B” students take initiative for their learning; produce sound scholarship; satisfactorily meet all course objectives; contribute regularly to the quality of the class; miss no more than two scheduled seminars; and demonstrate a good understanding of concepts related to the course subject matter.
C 70-79 demonstrates minimal competence—“C” students successfully complete all major assignments although they may have an occasional late submission; meet all course objectives at least marginally; participate regularly in class activities; miss no more than three scheduled seminars; and demonstrate an acceptable understanding of the most important concepts related to the course.
D not an option in this course
F < 70 demonstrates incompetence—“F” students fall into one or more of the following categories: incomplete or unsubmitted major assignment(s); deficits in understanding and application of key concepts; marginal or no contributions to the quality of the class; difficulties with verbal or written communication.
PARTICIPATION
Preparedness, initiative, engagement (with group and with class), adherence to due dates, and positive attitude are considered prerequisites to academic success and do not, in and of themselves, raise a student’s final average. Whether or not these areas result in a reduction of the student’s final average is at the sole discretion of the instructor.
COMMUNICATION
Students are encouraged to contact one of the instructors whenever they have questions or concerns pertaining to the course. Email is generally the best way to initiate contact. This semester’s instructors are Vandy Dubre and Karen Sloan
An email is generally the best way to initiate a meeting. Students may request a phone call, Zoom conference, or face to face meeting if they are within driving distance of the campus.
TEAM-BASED LEARNING
Each student is randomly assigned to a Study Cohort composed of approximately 5 class members. This class fosters a spirit of collaboration within a larger framework of individual responsibility. Further guidelines pertaining to group interactions are located on Blackboard via HOME BASE.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Substandard language skills will adversely affect a student’s final average and can result in failure of the course.
ASSIGNMENTS/DUE DATES
Because scholarly research requires a significant time investment and
this is a task-intensive course, submitting work when it’s due is imperative. Students with legitimate reasons for failing to meet deadlines on major projects and tests should contact the instructor as soon as possible (preferably in advance); daily work cannot be submitted late for a grade. Any major assignment submitted between one and seven days past its due date loses one full letter grade; submissions later than one week will not be accepted without written verification of extenuating circumstances.
TIME ZONE
Time designations in this course are based on US Central Time,
with Daylight Savings Time observed. Students in other time zones
or countries are expected to plan accordingly.
CLASS FORUM POSTINGS
In this class, the Class Forum (Blackboard calls it Discussion Board) is used primarily to post assignments to be shared with one’s classmates. The instructor opens forums and provides instructions for participation. All postings must clearly address the assigned topic.
Postings must meet academic and professional standards. Abuses in forms of bullying and/or discriminatory comments pertaining to gender, sex, race, ethnicity or any other cultural distinction are not allowed and will be reported to university authorities if the instructor's intervention does not result in immediate changes of a participant’s behavior.
Independent postings (postings with no required response from classmates) are due by 11:59 PM Sunday. For interactive postings ( those requiring a response from classmates), an initiating post is due by 11:59 PM Friday, with responses due no later than 11:59 PM Sunday. Late postings do not receive credit.
CLASS SCHEDULE
At the beginning of the semester, students will receive a class calendar providing an overview of major activities and their due dates. Assignments that fall under the category of “Daily” will be announced in the weekly modules.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR ASSIGNMENTS
Instructions that pertain to ongoing assignments are in Folders posted under the HOME BASE link on Blackboard where students should find clearly labeled folders that contain documents pertaining to each assignment.
SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS
The HOME BASE link on Blackboard has instructions for formatting and submitting assignments. When the written instructions do not fit the parameters of an assignment, students should take the initiative to make logical accommodations. If additional information is needed, the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing contains standard practices for the discipline of English.
UNIVERSITY POLICIES & PROCEDURES
Students Rights and Responsibilities
To know and understand the policies that affect your rights and responsibilities as a student at UT Tyler, please follow this link: http://www.uttyler.edu/wellness/StudentRightsandResponsibilities.html
Grade Replacement/Forgiveness and Census Date Policies
Students repeating a course for grade forgiveness (grade replacement) must file a Grade Replacement Contract with the Enrollment Services Center (ADM 230) on or before the Census Date of the semester in which the course will be repeated. Grade Replacement Contracts are available in the Enrollment Services Center or at http://www.uttyler.edu/registrar. Each semester’s Census Date can be found on the Contract itself, on the Academic Calendar, or in the information pamphlets published each semester by the Office of the Registrar.
Failure to file a Grade Replacement Contract will result in both the original and repeated grade being used to calculate your overall grade point average. Undergraduates are eligible to exercise grade replacement for only three course repeats during their career at UT Tyler; graduates are eligible for two grade replacements. Full policy details are printed on each Grade Replacement Contract.
The Census Date is the deadline for many forms and enrollment actions that students need to be aware of. These include:
· Submitting Grade Replacement Contracts, Transient Forms, requests to withhold directory information, approvals for taking courses as Audit, Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit.
· Receiving 100% refunds for partial withdrawals. (There is no refund for these after the Census Date)
· Schedule adjustments (section changes, adding a new class, dropping without a “W” grade)
· Being reinstated or re-enrolled in classes after being dropped for non-payment
· Completing the process for tuition exemptions or waivers through Financial Aid
State-Mandated Course Drop Policy
Texas law prohibits a student who began college for the first time in Fall 2007 or thereafter from dropping more than six courses during their entire undergraduate career. This includes courses dropped at another 2-year or 4-year Texas public college or university. For purposes of this rule, a dropped course is any course that is dropped after the census date (See Academic Calendar for the specific date).
Exceptions to the 6-drop rule may be found in the catalog. Petitions for exemptions must be submitted to the Enrollment Services Center and must be accompanied by documentation of the extenuating circumstance. Please contact the Enrollment Services Center if you have any questions.
Academic Honesty
AtTheUniversityofTexasatTyler,studentsandfacultyareresponsibleformaintaininganenvironmentthatencourages academic integrity. Students and faculty members are required to report an observed or suspected case of academic dishonesty immediately to the faculty member in charge of the assignment.
Sincethevalueofan academic degree depends on the absolute integrity of theworkdone by the student pursuing the degree, it is imperative that a student maintain a high standard of individual honor in scholastic work. Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, and collusion.
"Cheating"includes, but is not limited to,
· Copyingfromthepaperofanotherstudent;
· Engaginginwritten,oral,oranyother means of communication with
another student; or giving aid to, or seeking aid from, another student when not permitted by the instructor;
· Usingunauthorized materialduringanexaminationor whencompleting
anassignment;
· Takingorattemptingtotakeanexaminationforanotherstudent,or
allowing another student to take an examination for oneself;
· Using,obtaining,orattemptingtoobtain,byanymeans,all or any
partofanunadministered examination or work assignment.
"Plagiarism"includes
· theunacknowledgedincorporationoftheworkofanotherpersonin work that a student offers for credit.
"Collusion"includes
· theunauthorizedcollaborationwithanotherpersoninpreparingwritten work that a student offers for credit.
Disability Services
In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) the University offers accommodations to students with learning, physical and/or psychiatric disabilities. If you have a disability, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, PTSD or ADHD, or you have a history of modifications or accommodations in a previous educational environment you are encouraged to contact the Student Accessibility and Resources office and schedule an interview with the Accessibility Case Manager/ADA Coordinator, Cynthia Lowery Staples. If you are unsure if the above criteria apply to you, but have questions or concerns please contact the SAR office. For more information or to set up an appointment please visit the SAR office located in the University Center, Room 3150 or call 903.566.7079. You may also send an email to
Student Absence due to Religious Observance
Students who anticipate being absent from class due to a religious observance are requested to inform the instructor of such absences by the second class meeting of the semester.
Student Absence for University-Sponsored Events and Activities
If you intend to be absent for a university-sponsored event or activity, you (or the event sponsor) must notify the instructor at least two weeks prior to the date of the planned absence. At that time the instructor will set a date and time when make-up assignments will be completed.
Social Security and FERPA Statement
It is the policy of The University of Texas at Tyler to protect the confidential nature of social security numbers. The University has changed its computer programming so that all students have an identification number. The electronic transmission of grades (e.g., via e-mail) risks violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act; grades will not be transmitted electronically.