MYSTERYHORROR Course Syllabus

Two RiversHigh School: Fall Semester 2012

Course Description: Mystery Horror is an English elective class that focuses on exploring literature from these two genres. Mystery and horror stories have many commonalities that link them together, such as slow, unfolding plots that are packed with exciting moments; suspense and tension that are built through key character and plot details; and basic story frames that explore our fears and uncertainties while also teaching us about what we value in our society. We explore popular classics such as Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstein and noir detective stories. We will also dive into popular retellings of those tales and contemporary horror and mystery stories (think Stephen King, the rise of Zombies, CSI and Unsolved Mysteries).

Contact Information: I am Mr. Otte and I will be your instructor for all things mysterious and horrific. You can reach me at:

WEB PAGE: This can be accessed by going to the high school web page, clicking on “Staff Directory” link in the left hand column and pulling up my profile (there is a link labeled “web page” in my profile)

E-MAIL:

WORK PHONE:920-793-2291 EXT 5327

FACEBOOK:Find me on facebook by searching for Jeremy Otte and then choosing the profile with the Raider Logo (I keep a separate personal facebook page outside of school). If I have enough students interested, I will also create a facebook page for our class. With this I can send you homework assignments, real time updates, homework help and suggestions—I can also then directly chat with any student struggling with a specific assignment. I will only do this, however, if you are interested. I understand that Facebook is your world and that you would perhaps NOT like a teacher invading that world.

CELL PHONE:920-_ _ _ - _ _ _ _ If a student would greatly benefit from the ability to text me for homework or maybe even “life” help, I will provide that student with my number. But that student must first prove to me that I can trust them with such a personal piece of my life—not all students are responsible with my phone number (go figure, right!).

In order to help you, I am always available to go over any subject during the following times:

  • Before school with an appointment (so that I know to be here early)
  • After school with an appointment (so I don’t have 3 or 4 students waiting at once)
  • During 5th or 8th hours, which are my open hours
  • OR during lunch with an appointment (again, so I don’t have many different students at once)

I am also trying to make our course completely on-line functioning, which means all lessons, homework assignments, projects, essays and discussions should be posted on-line for your convenience. I will also have many discussions, overviews, websites and tools available through my web page to help you succeed. We will be using the MOODLE website quite frequently, so you can also use that as a tool to contact me or other students for help and/or feedback.

Assignment Procedure:

All assignments are due at the beginning of the hour of the assigned due date. All assignments should be submitted electronically. If paper copies are turned in, they should go in the bin in the front of the room labeled “Mystery/Horror”. This means they must be e-mailed or printed before you come to class!!!!

Grading Policy;

In my eyes, you should all be A or B students; therefore, I will do everything in my power to help you reach that goal. For some of you, this means I am here to guide you through the reading or writing objectives. For others, this means I am going to put more pressure on you to stretch your abilities and to develop your own understanding and skill. Fair is not equal, so being “smart” does not mean this is an “easy” class and struggling in English does not mean you will be a “failure”.

This course uses the traditional grading scale:

A = 90-100

B = 80-89.99

C = 70-79.99

D = 60-69.99

F = 59.99 and below

I will not accept missing assignments, which means you must turn in all major assignments and projects to earn course credit. If you fail to complete any assignment, you will receive a course incomplete until that assignment is satisfactorily completed (think C or better).

Along with that, any assignment or project that is not “passable” (meaning meets basic Junior level requirements) will have to be revised and resubmitted to receive credit. If you earn anything below a C, I will most likely have you revise the assignment until it is at grade level acceptance.

If you are paying attention, you should realize that this class technically will have no D’s on major assignments. They will either be C-‘s or Need to Be Revised. The only way to earn a D in the course is by struggling on reading assessments and in-class on-demands or quizzes. If you do struggle in those areas, you can always schedule one-on-one time with me to revise your work and to improve your skills.

Attendance Policy: As Juniors and Seniors, one of your main goals should be to prepare for life outside of the safety of these schools walls. My attendance policy, therefore, will mirror the work world. If you are going to miss class, I need a post on moodle or an e-mail to my teacher account that tells me you will be out. I also will require you to view and print any materials that you miss for class.

If you are not able to contact me with e-mail or on moodle, then I would appreciate it if you speak to me when you return and explain why you were unable to get a hold of me or why you were unable to check up on what we have covered during your absence.

If you have an anticipated absence, you must have all work complete the day you return (unless you conference with me and set up a “Completion Plan”). If you have an unexpected absence, then you will have two days to make up what has been missed. In extreme cases, I will set up “negotiations” with any students who misses a large chunk of class, but only if the student deserves the break and an extension. Truancy can not be considered an unexpected absence—that will always be considered an anticipated absence as you individually planned on not being here!

OK—enough of the policy and the overview. Let me talk directly to you. I am super-excited for this class and I am thrilled that you chose to be here. Many of you may be disappointed to have me as your teacher, but please know that I am going to do everything in my power to make class engaging and relevant to your own life. If you absolutely hate reading horror or mystery stories, then perhaps this is not the class for you. If you simply hate reading and writing, then all I ask is that you set your lazy trait aside for a semester and at least come in to class willing to give it a chance.

The only way this course will be enjoyable and successful is if you complete the reading that is assigned. If only half the class does the reading, then only half the class will have the opportunity to do something with what they have read. Obviously, the other half will say that the story is “lame” and that this class “sucks” and that reading is a waste of time. I appreciate that you feel that way, but I simply can not accept that mentality. If reading were not so important, our entire nation would not be so extremely focused on reading success right now.

If you do think a story is lame, please at least try to finish it so that you can provide your thoughts and understanding to class topics. I promise to try to pick great stories, and I promise that there will be moments where you are totally engaged and enthused—I just ask that you bear with me during those moments when you feel like quitting or not following through. Together we can make this a great class; alone we will make it a very long and very dull semester.

Mr. Jeremy J. Otte III

(but really not the third, I just like how it looks)

COURSE BREAKDOWN

I HAVE BROKEN THIS COURSE INTO FOUR “BLOCKS” THAT REPRESENT A GROWING BODY OF SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE THAT WE WILL BE EXPLORING THIS SEMESTER. OUR GOAL IS TO GET THROUGH THE BLOCKS QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY SO WE CAN GET TO MORE POPULAR AND STUDENT CENTERED WORK TOWARD THE END OF THE SEMESTER.

BLOCK ONE = “FOUNDATIONS”

In this block, we will look at the building blocks of the Mystery/Horror genre of literature.

Main Focus =

  1. Reading Complex text for Personal understanding
  2. Using relevant text details to explain inference, analysis, and personal response
  3. Utilizing explanatory writing to define and explore the genre

Major Assignments =

  1. A personalized “Text Response Journal” that will be done electronically and that will consist of “seed” ideas, on-line and group discussions, Journal and Text response logs, and personal reflection.
  2. Independent Film Evaluation Assignment—You will present your analysis to the class of your own chosen film. Your analysis will focus on deconstructing the plot, character reflection, and personal critique.
  3. Class guided film analysis—We will be breaking down a film in class to begin to appreciate how the stories in this genre unfold and how they build those suspense and dramatic qualities.
  4. Definition Essay—at the end of this block, you must craft an essay that clearly defines the genre (either horror or mystery) by using text examples and explanations to build your working definition.

Possible Texts =

  • Sherlock Holmes Stories: “Hound of the Baskervilles” and “The Speckled Band”
  • Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Tell-tale Heart”
  • Dracula, Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde overviews and summaries
  • Selected film scene explorations (you will be allowed to help provide these clips as long as they remain school appropriate)
  • Selected articles that will help us explore the building blocks and nature of these genres.
  • Selected short stories from Stephen King

BLOCK TWO = “NOVEL ADAPTATIONS”

In this block, we will explore the story of Frankenstein and we will dive into how this story has been told in many different ways over the years. To help do this, we will also be turning to other stories that have been told in various ways in order to practice appreciating and recognizing how themes are developed across many different literary formats.

Main Focus =

  1. Identifying themes in literature and connecting themes across multiple texts
  2. Reading for complex, objective understanding (objective = knowing the main points)
  3. Reading for personal understanding and critique (personal = providing judgment and response)
  4. Connecting historical background to literature

Major Assignments =

  1. goodreads.com personal profile posting. You must identify 5 novels/stories you would be interested in exploring based upon the goodreads reader reviews.
  2. Objective Summary writing—you will be creating objective summaries in response to class assigned reading and one article of relevance you track down on your own.
  3. Film Representations Journal—as we view various scenes of popular stories, you must record ways in which the story has been accurately represented and ways in which the story has been morphed or adapted. In order to do this, you must first truly understand the story we are covering in its entirety!!!
  4. Novel Exploration—we will be reading Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein adaptation and discussing the direction he (the author) took this classic tale. You will be creating a Literary Analysis Essay that explains how Koontz chose to adapt this story…
  5. Independent Short Story Theme exploration—you will be creating a response (think brief essay or personal explanation) that explains how a theme is present in a short story you have individually read and analyzed.

Possible Texts =

  • Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Book One: Prodigal Son
  • Washington Irving’s “Sleepy Hollow” and various presentations
  • Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” and background research and connections
  • Stephen King or H. P. Lovecraft selected short story

BLOCK THREE = “AUTHOR PROFILES”

Main Focus =

  1. Using MLA research and documentation skills
  2. Connecting gathered information to content understanding (how does what I research help inform what we are discussing as a class…)
  3. Writing to clearly convey information and personal understanding
  4. Analyzing story structure and author choice

Major Assignments =

  1. Class Guided Novel Analysis—Character Traits, Plot Development and Author Craft
  2. Film Evaluation—a critique of how well a film represents the class guided text
  3. Author Profile research project—you will be choosing one famous mystery or horror writer and will be conducting guided research into that author’s personal and professional life

Possible Texts =

  • Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon
  • Humphrey Bogart film The Maltese Falcon
  • Dashiell Hammett background and research paper example

BLOCK FOUR = “INDEPENDENT INQUIRY”

Main Focus =

  1. Creating narrative experience and craft—you (yes, you) will become the author of a mystery or horror short story…
  2. Researching a topic for personal understanding
  3. Writing to organize information and topics
  4. Reading to understand historical event, including impact and significance

Major Assignments =

  1. Class Guided Exploration: The Truth Behind the Texax Chainsaw Massacre
  2. Independent Research project—digging into a “true” horror story or a modern day mystery
  3. Narrative creation—you become the author and create a brief (1-2 page) or very detailed (go nuts?!) horror or mystery story that clearly attempts character, plot and craft choices studied throughout the semester.

ONE LAST NOTE

If you are a fan of any stories and you would like to cover them in class (because they are good, because you already read them, because they are short, etc.) please let me know ASAP so I can track them down and make them a part of this course. I am struggling to find strong, interesting horror and mystery stories from the last few years because they all seem to be created by amateurs. You have the chance to be in complete control of what you read; I just need you to bring them in so the rest of us can enjoy them! (Sorry, but Twilight not allowed!)