English 2131: American Lit 1 - Syllabus for Spring 2013
Rachel Scoggins, Academic 102 -
Website: http:// gordonstate.edu /PT_Faculty/rscoggins/
Office Hours: M/W 1:15–2:45; by appt.
Required Text: Norton Anthology of American Literature. Package 1: Volumes A and B. 7th ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2007.
Course Description: A survey of American literature from the colonial age to the mid-nineteenth century.
Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in ENGL 1101
Course Objectives: Upon completion of ENGL 2131, American Literature I, the student will have:
1. gained awareness of major writers and literary periods in the canon of American Literature.
2. demonstrated competence in literary analysis.
3. demonstrated an understanding of fundamental literary and critical terminology.
4. developed an awareness of aesthetic experiences as a dimension of life by demonstrating competence in literary studies.
Course Components - Assessment & Evaluation
■Participation Grade: Attendance, Class participation 15%
■Quizzes 10%
■Exam One 15%
■ Exam Two 20%
■ Literary analysis 20%
■ Final 20%
The Literary Analysis Essay: This 5 to 7 page essay will examine a dominant theme within a particular literary work of your choice. You will get further instructions early in the semester.
Prerequisites, Policies & Etc.
A. Computer Access I communicate with my classes regularly via e-mail; You will need to check your Gordon email for messages and handouts from me. If you do not have a computer at home, you will need to plan your schedule so that you can often use one on campus. Unless previously approved by me, I accept no work via email.
B. Absences Regular class attendance is your obligation.
After the third absence for any reason (illness, sports, family emergency, funeral, off-campus events, etc.), your professor reserves the right to lower a student’s final grade by one full letter grade for each subsequent absence (e.g. if a student has four absences and a final grade of a B, that student’s grade will be lowered to a C). A student who misses five or more classes will receive, at best, a C for a final grade. A student who has six or more unexcused absences will be given an F or WF for the course. Being late to class three times equals one absence.
Please be advised that you are responsible for all information, changes, and requirements discussed in class, whether or not you are present. This isn’t high school, so do not e-mail me and ask if “we did anything important”; if you miss a class, talk with at least one classmate.
C. Make Ups Exams cannot be made up. If a student misses an exam for any reason, that student will receive a “0” for the missed exam.
Daily reading quizzes will be given. I will drop the 3 lowest quiz grades – this includes zeroes for absences or a low grade. You keep up with how many you’ve missed. Don’t ask me.
Your professor reserves the right to deduct a full letter grade for each class that an assignment (such as the research paper) is late.
It is your responsibility to keep track of your reading assignment and exam dates and to hand material in on time. All due dates are stated on the class schedule of assignments.
Lastly, computer malfunctions of any sort are not a valid excuse to hand in a paper late. You are responsible for backing-up your work regularly and keeping your computer and media in proper working order.
D. Plagarism The penalty for plagiarism in any aspect of written work is a failing grade for the course (GC Academic Catalog pp. 218-219). Don’t plagiarize – your own work, even if it isn’t great, is better than copying someone else’s work.
Cheating in any form, including plagiarism, is a serious academic offense. Plagiarism is the passing off of someone else’s ideas and/or words as your own. If you have questions about what constitutes plagiarism, ask now. Any instance of plagiarism, including single phrases and single sentences, will earn a zero for an assignment, will lower your class participation grade, and could lead to an F for the course; furthermore, the highest grade that any student who is caught plagiarizing in any form can expect to receive for a final grade is a C. All plagiarized papers will automatically be submitted to the Office of the Dean for disciplinary review, which could lead to the offending student’s suspension or expulsion from Gordon College.
To prevent plagiarism all students will be required to submit the full text of their final paper to turnitin.com. Final papers that are not submitted to turnitin.com will not be graded.
E. Numerical equivalents Here are the numerical equivalents for grades: A 90-100; B 80-89; C 70-79; D 60-69; F 59 and below, at my discretion and/or with Chair input.
F. Special Accommodations If you receive academic accommodations, please give me the paper work from Mrs. Kristina Henderson, Student Counselor. Her office is on the second floor of the Student Center (678/359-5585 678/359-5585 ).
Papers
The A paper is rare (90-100 points). It is of outstanding quality in all, or almost all, respects. The paper is free of grammatical errors. It presents a clear, organized, and well-supported thesis. The essay is well focused, and all paragraphs clearly work toward furthering the main point. Examples and ideas are well elaborated and rooted in concrete detail without being redundant. The body of the piece is well organized with smooth transitions. The paragraphs build on each other such that thoughts are developed from the beginning of the essay to the end. The prose is clear, mature and engaging; sentences evince by precise word choice, syntax, and grammar. With few exceptions, there is substantial revision from beginning to end.
The B paper (80-89 points) is a successful representation of the writer’s thoughts. This essay shows readers that the writer knows how to construct an argument (including an introduction, topic sentences that reflect the main idea of the paragraph, and a conclusion). Furthermore, the essay is clearly organized with a well-developed thesis. However, this essay could be improved by further emphasis on revision and editing. Some grammar flaws sneak through, but don’t seriously undermine reader comprehension. Language and word choice throughout may be bland and uninspired. The essay may be "choppy," needing smoother transitions or better organization. There may be a flaw in an otherwise coherent, persuasive argument.
The C paper (70-79 points) needs substantial revision. It usually exhibits problems in organization, development, and style, but offers sufficient content to make a single, fairly basic point. Serious grammar flaws may stall the flow of reading. Oftentimes, the paper is underworked, having not been put through the series of vigorous revisions that are necessary components of A and B papers. Revision may be needed on one of these major areas: purpose/point, focus, organization, topic choice, analysis. The purpose or thesis may be obvious, unoriginal, or inadequate to the assignment. The focus may be so broad that the essay merely skims the surface of the assignment without going into anything in any depth.
The D paper (60-69) is almost always profoundly lacking in content and/or evidence of standard American English writing skills. Any paper that contains five or more serious spelling, grammatical, mechanical, or stylistic errors will automatically receive a D or lower. Further, ideas and organization may be suggested but are seriously underdeveloped. Sometimes the flaws in this paper are so numerous and compacted that single sources of error are difficult to isolate and analyze. Often, this paper is significantly short of required length or word count. This essay has serious and consistent problems. Such problems may include: little or no sense of writing purpose; lack of logical organization (points lack unity or connection to one main point); inconsistent use/failure to use appropriate evidence; and/or failure to maintain a respectable prose style.
The F paper (59 and below) is oftentimes a work characterized by a lack of care or effort. It is under-done in every sense of the term. Other times, however, this paper may exhibit characteristics of the higher grade paper, even A-level, but is undermined by grammar and mechanical flaws so numerous and serious that no skilled assessor of college-level writing can give it a pass. This essay is unacceptable because: it contains plagiarized material; it shows a complete misunderstanding of the material with which it deals; its prose style fails to meet the basic communication requirements of standard written English.
My rules
I expect each of you to act as an adult in a learning setting. Specifically, I expect the following:
· Respect. Respect me, others, and the learning environment. This class is heavily discussion based – that means that although you may disagree (which is fine), you will treat each other with respect.
· This is class, not social hour. That means do your talking, texting, other homework, etc at another time.
· Turn off all cell phones before class begins. Using cell phones in class – this includes texting – will negatively affect your grade.
· Come to class on time – tardiness just disrupts me and your classmates. You signed up for this time slot – that means you have contracted to come to class at this time. If you do come in late (because sometimes it does happen), come in quietly. If you come in loud and disruptive, you will be asked to leave.
· Do the readings and writings. You are not going to get a passing grade (and certainly not an A or B) by sitting in the seat every day doing nothing. Plan ahead and do your readings if you want to succeed.
· Do not put up your materials before I dismiss class. It is disruptive and extremely rude. Class is from 3:00-4:15, not 4:10 or even 4:14. I will not keep you beyond our class time, but every minute is important and will be used.
· Please recycle! There are bins for white paper and cans/bottles on the hall. Instead of dropping waste in the trashcan, recycle! Do something good every day
Tentative schedule (Schedule is subject to change)
M: 1/7 / Introduction, beginning lecture – colonization and indigenous peoplesNA Creation stories: The Iroquois Creation Story, 17-21
Pima Stories: The Story of the Creation, 22-24
W: 1/9 / European Colonization: (skim bios/intros for important info)
Columbus, 31-35
Las Casas, 35-39
Cabeza de Vaca, 40-48
M: 1/14 / Early American Colonies:
Lecture
Harriot, A Brief… 49-55
J. Smith, General History 57-66
W: 1/16 / Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation 114-116; 120-123; 126; 136
M: 1/21 / MLK Day: No class
W: 1/23 / Film day, introduction of author research paper
M: 1/28 / Captivity Narratives:
Rowlandson, Captivity 236-238, 1st remove, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 8th, 13th, 14th, 19th
Dustan, Capitivity 344-353
W: 1/30 / The Great Awakening, Early Christianity, Puritans:
Lecture
Taylor, From Meditations: Prologue (p. 269) , 8 (p. 270)
Edwards, Letter 417-425; Sinners 425
M: 2/4 / Salem Witch Trials
Mather, Wonders 308-313
W: 2/6 / Exam review
M: 2/11 / Exam #1
W: 2/13 / Age of Reason, Revolution, Expansion
Lecture
NA Conflict and Contact: Pontiac, 438-440; Occom, 440-443; Jefferson, 443-445; Franklin, 468-472
Franklin, Wealth 451-457
M: 2/18 / Adams, Letters 618-625
Paine, Common Sense 630-637; The Crisis 637-634 (skim this one); Age of Reason, 643-644
W: 2/20 / AOR cont.
M: 2/25 / Female poets
Bradstreet, 188-189; 205-206; 207-208; 212-213
Wheatley, “On Being” 752
W: 2/27 / Slave narrative
Equiano, ch. 1&2 675-686
M: 3/4 / Exam review
W: 3/6 / Exam #2
M: 3/11-15 / Spring Break: No class
M: 3/18 / NA Resistance: Black Hawk, 1253-1257; Boudinot, 1263-1268
Apess, 1051-1058
W: 3/20 / Cooper, Last of the Mohicans 1002-1009, film
M: 3/25 / Film cont.
W: 3/27 / Irving, Sleepy Hollow, 965-985
Hawthorne, “The Minister’s Black Veil”
Longfellow, “Evangeline”
M: 4/1 / Paper day
W: 4/3 / Transcendentalism
Emerson, Self-Reliance 1163-1180; “Each and All” 1244; Whitman, 1251
M: 4/8 / Thoreau, Resistance, 1857-1865; Walden, 1872-1882
W: 4/10 / Poe, “The Raven”; “Annabel Lee”; “The Masque of the Red Death”; “The Tell-Tale Heart”
M: 4/15 / Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Vol 1 1698-1758
W: 4/17 / Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Vol 2 1758-1792
M: 4/22 / Douglass, Bondage ch. 1 2129-2133
Truth, Speech 1695-1696
W: 4/24 / Whitman, Song of Myself, 1-7
Dickinson, “I cannot dance” 2573; “I died for Beauty”, “I dwell in Possibility” 2576
M: 4/29 / Final review
W: 5/1 / Final, 12:30-2:30