English 105.04: Introduction to Narrative Fall 2016, Online

English 105.04: Introduction to Narrative Fall 2016, Online

Barney, John. Literary Kraken. Digital image. John Barney Bom. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Aug. 2015.

Instructor: Ms. Elysia Balavage

Email:

Office: MHRA 3210G;mailbox MHRA 3317

Virtual Office Hours:Tuesdays 10:00-12:00EST by email and Canvas Chat. I will answer emails within 48 hours of receipt between normal business hours (9:00AM-5:00PM EST, Monday-Friday excluding holidays). See “Communication with Me” below for further explanation.

Class Time: Online, asynchronous. Week begins on Monday and ends on Sunday at 11:59PM EST.

Required Texts: (available at the University Bookstore)

Browning, Abigail and Melissa Ridley Elmes. Lenses: Perspectives on Literature. Plymouth: Hayden-McNeil, 2015. Print. (ISBN: 9780738070070)

The bulk of this course’s readings are available on Canvas

Course Description:

Welcome to Intro to Narrative! Though we’ll consider more complex definitions throughout the semester, the term “narrative” can be loosely defined as “a written or spoken account of connected events.” In this course, we’ll read and discuss works in the literary genres of short story, poetry, andnovel, and investigate the different ways that narrative is applied—from a clearly defined narrative presence, to a more complicated presence, to instances where narrative presence is difficult to pin down, and a text’s events could not seem more disconnected.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this course, students should be able to meet each of the following Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) (revised 2015):

1. Demonstrate orally, in writing, or by some other means a fundamental ability to use some of the techniques and/or methods of literary analysis. (LG1, LG3)

2. Identify and/or describe some of the various social, historical, cultural, and/or theoretical contexts in which literary texts have been written and interpreted. (LG3)

Those SLOs labeled (LG3) relate to UNCG’s Learning Goal #3 for General Education, which says students will “Describe, interpret, and evaluate the ideas, events, and expressive traditions that have shaped collective and individual human experience through inquiry and analysis in the diverse disciplines of the humanities, religions, languages, histories, and the arts.” (

Those SLOs labeled (LG1) relate to UNCG’s Learning Goal #1 for General Education. This is the ability to “think critically, communicate effectively, and develop appropriate fundamental skills in quantitative and information literacies.” (

Grades:

UNCG defines an A as excellent; a B as good; a C as average; a D as lowest passing grade; and an F as failure. In adherence to this scale, you should understand that a C means you successfully met the requirements of the course, not that the requirements were unsuccessfully met, which would be indicated by either a D or an F. Likewise, an A or B indicate that you met and exceeded course requirements. Please consult the UNCG Undergraduate Bulletin for more information:

The following is the grade scale that will be used to evaluate student assignments in this course:

100-94 = A (4.0) 86-84 = B (3.0) 77-75 = C (2.0) 65 and below = F (0.0)

93-90 = A- (3.7) 83-81 = B- (2.7) 74-72 = C-(1.7)

89-87 = B+ (3.3) 80-78 = C+ (2.3) 71-66 = D (1.0)

I will post your grades to Canvas so that you can keep track of your performance in the course throughout the semester. Please let me know if you find any inputting errors. In keeping with FERPA guidelines, I will not discuss your grades in discussion boards or any type of public forum, including in depth via email. If you have a question about a grade, make an appointment with me via Canvas Chat. Additionally, I request that you wait at least 24 hours after receiving a graded assignment to discuss it with me. This will give you ample time to read and process my feedback, and to compose yourself before discussing your grade.

NOTE: The final course grade will not be posted unless student has completed the online course evaluation.

Assignments:

Below, you’ll find a brief description of each formal assignment; more detailed assignment sheets and rubrics will be available on Canvas.

Participation: SLOs 1-2 (25%)

Participation grades will be comprised of how well you engage with course discussions. Participation means actively engaging in discussions and participating (by replying) to your classmates’ work.

Discussion Posts (20%): There will be weekly discussion posts during the semester that correspond to the each week’s assigned readings. Each post is worth 10 points and is collectively worth 20% of your final grade. Each discussion post is designed be our class discussion for the week and provides multiple ways for students with different learning styles to participate. They should demonstrate that a student has read the material, thought about it, and it should include evidence (quotations from the texts) to support a student’s point, and be approximately 150 words in length.

I will grade these posts on a 10-point scale. (Examples are below; scores between these point values will also be entered.)

10-Outstanding post demonstrating not only that a student has read and annotated the text, but also that he or she has spent time thinking about and revising the response. It will contain unusual insight and depth and will make excellent use of evidence from the text. It will be clearly organized and contain no usage or grammar errors.

8-Satisfactory post demonstrating that a student has read and annotated the text. It will demonstrate critical thinking and revision but may be less original and/or superficial than an outstanding post. It will contain some relevant evidence from the text but may not clearly explain the connections between quotations and the student’s larger argument.

6-Unsatisfactory post demonstrating that a student has not read or thought carefully about the text. It will include no textual evidence or will include only textual evidence (ie summary) without clear analysis.

0-Nonexisting or late post. If a student fails to enter a post by the specified time, the grade will be 0%

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Discussion Responses (5%): Conversations do not happen if no one responds to a statement. So in addition to posting your response to the prompt, you are expected to respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts. Each response will be worth 5 points (so 10 points per week)and should be approximately 50 words long. Grading will be similar to the above examples for discussion posts.

A response of “Yup, I agree” does not result in a productive conversation. If a classmate made a similar point to what you wanted to write about, you should push and explore the topic further. This can be done by pointing out other places in the text that the issue comes up or other ways the text perhaps contradicts the issue.

Scholarly Source Review: SLOs 1-2 (15%)

Through using the library’s databases, you will select a scholarly source that examines one of the texts we’ve discussed in class and write a 1-2 page (250-500 word) review of its major arguments. It might be prudent to select a source that you’ll be incorporating into your analytical essay.

Midterm Exam: SLOs 1-2 (25%)

This timed exam will be administered via Canvas and will include multiple choice questions, short answer, and one essay question. More information will be provided closer to the exam date.

Analytical Essay: SLOs 1-2 (35%)

On the date indicated in the Course Schedule, you will turn in a 1250 wordanalytical essay that places two of the texts we’ve read this semester in conversation with each other. You have some freedom with this. For example, you can investigate how your selected text use irony similarly/differently. Remember to use substantial examples from the text!Furthermore, you should incorporate one relevant, scholarly source into your paper that enhance your argument.

Course Policies:

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is founded upon and encompasses the following five values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Violations include, for example, cheating, plagiarism, misuse of academic resources, falsification, and facilitating academic dishonesty. If knowledge is to be gained and properly evaluated, it must be pursued under conditions free from dishonesty. Deceit and misrepresentations are incompatible with the fundamental activity of this academic institution and shall not be tolerated” (from UNCG’s Academic Integrity Policy). To ensure that you understand the university’s policy on academic integrity, review the guidelines and list of violations at I expect you to abide by the Academic Integrity Policy. Incidents of cheating and plagiarism are reported to the Dean of Students and sanctions are aligned with the policies at

In addition, you must always properly document any use of another’s words, ideas, images, or research both in the text and in a Works Cited/Bibliography. Failure to properly document is a form of plagiarism and may earn a zero on an assignment.

If I suspect a student of plagiarism, I must take action. In addition to having a one-on-one conference with the student, the following is a list of potential penalties for students caught plagiarizing:

1st Offence: A grade reduction OR rewrite of the assignment

2nd Offence: A grade of “zero” on the assignment

3rd Offence: Failure of the course

Accommodations

Students with documentation of special needs should arrange to see me about accommodations as soon as possible. If you believe you could benefit from such accommodations, you must first register with the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services ( on campus before such accommodations can be made. The office is located on the second floor of the Elliott University Center (EUC) in Suite 215, and the office is open 8am to 5pm, Monday - Friday. Telephone: 334-5440; e-mail: .

Attendance

Attendance is difficult to assess in an online course. However, the basics still apply: you are expected to attend and be prepared for every scheduled week of class. This means having read the assignments, posting to the discussion board, responding to your classmates, participating in peer review, and having any required written work completed as instructed. Obviously, if you do not log into Canvas and complete the weekly discussion post or discussion responses, then you did not participate and will be counted as absent. If you must be absent, understand that it is your responsibility to check the course’s site to inquire about the day’s work, changes to the calendar, and/or homework assignments. You can easily contact a classmate via the Email tool in Canvas.

As per the English department’s attendance policy, for classes meeting three times a week, students are allowed a maximum of three absences without a grade penalty. For every absence beyond those allowed, students will be penalized one-half letter grade. Students who miss six classes on a three-day schedule will fail the course.

For an online course this means that one week’s worth of non-participation (as defined above) counts as three absences. Therefore, you can miss one week with no penalty. After you’ve missed two total weeks of class, you will fail the course.

This attendance policy does not differentiate between "excused" and "unexcused" absences; thus, it is the student's responsibility to plan for absences within the policy concerning program fieldtrips, athletic events, work-related absences, advising sessions, minor illnesses, family and/or friend events, etc.

You are, by state law, allowed two excused absences due to religious holidays, which do not count toward your total allowed two absences (or, not completing responses to 2 of your peer’s discussion board posts). If you plan to miss class because of your faith,you must notify me in writing at least 48 hours in advance of your absence, and be prepared to provide documentation. See the following link for a fuller description of this policy:

If you have extenuating circumstances such as a death in the family, chronic illness/injury requiring prolonged medical treatment, prolonged psychological issues, etc., then you should immediately contact the Dean of Students Office for advocacy ( You can use that department email () and provide your name, your UNCG ID number, a telephone number that you can be reached, and a general description of why you would like to meet with a staff member. If your situation is urgent, you may opt for a walk-in appointment (Monday – Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm EST), and the staff will connect you with the appropriate person as soon as possible. The Dean of Students office is located on the second floor of the Elliott University Center (EUC).

Class Etiquette and Behavior Tied to This Course

Respect for others and their ideas is expected in this course. Therefore, disruptive and disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated, and action to deter it will be taken. The UNCG Disruptive Behavior Policy describes words and deeds as follows:

“Disruptive is behavior which the UNCG regards as speech or action which 1) is disrespectful, offensive, and/or threatening, 2) impedes or interferes with the learning activities of other students, 3) impedes the delivery of university services, and/or 4) has a negative impact in any learning environment. Disruptive behavior includes physically, verbally or psychologically harassing, threatening, or acting abusively toward an instructor, staff member, or toward other students in any activity authorized by the University. Disruptive behavior also includes any other behavior covered by the Student Conduct Code.” For the entire policy, go to

The standard of respect that you all are expected to adhere to includes, but is not limited to, being courteous and open-minded during discussion board posts. This will be the main activity during which you will you be interacting with one another, and it is thus important that you treat these conversations as professional meetings. Trolling of any form is completely unacceptable, and I have no tolerance for it. Just because you are behind a keyboard and screen does not give you license to mistreat and disrespect anyone—be it your instructor or your classmates. While you have every right to oppose other people's ideas and it is often beneficial to express and discuss disagreements pertaining to academic study, there is a difference between civil disagreement and hostility. Bottom line: be nice; be professional; be respectful.

Although students with disciplinary problems tend to be few and far between at the college level, if behavioral disruptions persists throughout the semester, the student in question will be asked to refrain from participating in discussion boards, peer reviews, etc., and will lose points for those assignments accordingly. Types of disruptive behavior can include any form of disrespectful comment or action directed toward me, another student, or the subject matter we are studying.

I reserve the right to interpret inappropriate behaviors as I see fit and address them accordingly. Repeated infractions of any kind will be reported to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action. I adhere to the Dean of Students’ policies regarding disruptive behavior in the classroom, which is outlined above.

Assignment Submission

All assignments will be due on Canvas on the weeks outlined on the Course Schedule. Since our weeks end on Sundays at 11:59PM EST, all assignments for that given week, including final drafts of papers and projects, must be completed by that time. Discussion posts will be completed via Canvas’s Discussion Board feature and papers will be uploaded via the appropriate assignment dropbox. Please no not email me your assignments.

Late Work

You may always turn in work early, but I do not accept late work. Assignments are due on the days and at the times indicated on the course schedule.

Because this is an online class, Internet access is a must. If you experience lack of Internet service at your home or usual working venue (such as a workplace), it is your responsibility to find service. Keep in mind that UNCG's campus can facilitate you, as well as public libraries, and many coffee shops and fast food restaurants. Given the many options you have for accessing the Internet in today’s technological world, this is not an excuse for missing a due date.

One last time: I do not accept late work. Extensions will only be granted in the most extenuating circumstances—that is, only at the recommendation of the Dean of Students in the case of a death in the family, prolonged mental or physical health issue, natural disaster, etc.

Citation and Format:

All papers must be typed, double-spaced, and written in Times New Roman 12 pt. font. When documenting sources, please use MLA citation format; I’ve uploaded resources on Canvas to help you with this. Please include a header, title, and page numbers on all assignments you turn in. Furthermore, be sure that you save your papers as .doc, .docx, or .pdf files so they may be easily uploaded to Canvas’s assignment dropboxes.

Communication with Me

If you need to contact me, please do so via UNCG email, not discussion posts, Canvas’s comments feature, etc. I’ll respond to emails within 48 hours between normal business hours, 9:00AM-5:00PM, Monday-Friday, excluding holidays. If your inquiry is time sensitive or assignment related, plan ahead and be sure to email me within or before that time frame. Do not expect a response from me if you email me the night before an assignment is due. Furthermore, if you have not received a response from me in the allotted time, treat it as though I did not receive the email and contact me again. Please note that I’ll send emails (class announcements, reminders, etc.) to your UNCG accounts, so be sure to check them regularly. Furthermore, if you’d like to set up a conference with me during my virtual office hours via Canvas Chat, please email me for an appointment.