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I. LECTURES |
The purpose of any lecture course is to convey a core of material to the whole
group. This core includes both the reading and the lectures. English 255 is
also a survey course, designed to introduce and synthesize material. We move
quickly, cover a great deal of ground, and build cumulatively. The course can
work for students who have studied American literature previously in high
school or college, and for students to whom the subject is new.
In my lectures
I offer various approaches to thinking about the readings. I synthesize the
work of many scholars, introduce general perspectives on the time periods and
authors, apply them to the assigned readings, and make connections among
authors and works. Students who have taken this course in the past say that
the “key to the course is the lectures” and that’s certainly my hope. But the
lectures make no sense without the readings, which they are designed to
illuminate. Both are necessary.
More
practically, you’ll be responsible for both lectures and readings on the hour
exam and final; the paper topics will also build from the foundation
established in this particular course.
Bottom line: to do well in this course, to benefit from it, and to enjoy it,
you should come to lectures and keep up with the reading.
| II. READINGS |
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The textbook is “Package I” of the sixth edition of the Norton Anthology of
American Literature. The package contains two books—literature to 1820
and literature 1820-1865. It’s best to do the assigned reading before the
lecture, so you’ll know what I’m talking about and will be able to assess what
you hear against what you’ve read. Many students also re-read the assignment
after the lecture. Some reading assignments are long, some difficult, some
both; it’s best not to fall behind. Students who fall behind in English 255
often have trouble catching up.
In every
lecture I try to refer to passages from the reading assignments; therefore I
strongly advise you to bring your book to class.
| III. DISCUSSION SECTIONS |
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The weekly discussion sections have three purposes. First, they review the
lectures and readings and help prepare you for the papers and tests. Second,
they provide an opportunity for students to talk to each other about the
material under the guidance of an experienced Teaching Assistant. Third, they
allow students to pursue topics of interest in depth.
Discussion
sections don’t work unless students come regularly, participate in the talk,
and get to know one another. THEREFORE, WE HAVE AN ATTENDANCE POLICY FOR THE
DISCUSSION SECTIONS. Anyone missing more than four discussion sections
without a bona fide medical excuse (i.e. evidence from a doctor that you were
unable to attend class—just going to the clinic during class hours is not
enough) will FAIL the course. This policy INCLUDES the first and last
discussion meetings (Aug. 30 and Dec. 13) and applies to everybody, including
those who may have joined the course late. (If this seems severe, remember
that there are just 15 meetings of the discussion section in the semester, one
of which is reserved for the hour exam.) Because non-medical emergencies can
arise at any time, it is unwise to skip discussion for minor reasons.
Students who start out by missing discussion sections often don’t make it
through the semester.
Usually, the session format will begin with a brief review of the material
covered during the week, with time for questions; then it will move on to a
more open discussion. Your TA may have prepared some questions to get talk
started; or you may be asked to work from your responses (see below); or the
class may break up into small groups; or the hour may evolve in some other
way. If you think about the lectures and readings ahead of time, and come to
class in an active mode, you’re likely to find discussion sections interesting
and worthwhile.
| IV. RESPONSES |
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To prepare for discussion—and to provide feedback to me, the lecturer—you
should write a response before each discussion section and bring it with you
to Friday class. Write as much as you want, but not less than a
several-sentence paragraph. The aim of this response is to connect your own
thinking with both reading and lectures, to bring things together in your
mind. The response should not critique the course or the lecture or the
lecturer; and it should not simply summarize the reading or the lecture. Just
repeating a lecture point or summarizing the reading is not enough; you should
put yourself into the picture. You should describe the lecture point, and you
should refer to something specific in the text as well. But you need to go
beyond this by developing your own idea, by going beyond the starting point.
And, you don’t have to agree with the lecture; figuring out the source of a
disagreement often produces good thinking. Specifically, develop one idea from
the week’s lectures that caught your attention by helping you understand—or
making you think more about—the reading; then go on to explain what you
understood, or what you thought.
These
responses won’t be graded and they won’t be returned EXCEPT that students who:
don’t turn them in; or write only a sentence or two; or write insultingly or
frivolously, will fail the exercise. Your TA will let you know if the
response isn’t at the level we expect. Every four response failures will
lower the final grade by a full letter. Also, for your help and interest, I’ll
post four or five responses every week on the course web site. The ones I
post won’t necessarily be the “best,” but they will all be quite satisfactory
and give you a sense of the range of views among your classmates. The
responses are posted anonymously; if you don’t want me to post your response,
please write this on the response and I’ll respect your wish.
The TAs will
collect your responses and pass them on to me. I read every one of them, and
although I won’t return them and I don’t comment on them, I always read them
with interest. They help me keep in touch, non-judgmentally (which is why I
don’t comment on them except in very unusual circumstances) with student
thinking about the material. I often adjust my lectures to take into account
student interests; or, if I see that I haven’t explained something clearly
enough, I can try again.
You need to write responses for every discussion section meeting except for
the day of the hour exam. This includes both the first (as a kind of warm-up
exercise) and the last Fridays of the semester.
There will be two papers, each with a minimum length of 1500 words (depending
on type size, margins, etc., this usually runs 5-7 pages). Papers may be
longer, but those below minimum length will be graded down. Because topics
are based on materials and approaches specific to this course, the papers will
not be open topics but will be selected by you from a set of around five
possibilities. Off-topic papers will fail; this is regrettable but necessary
in a large survey course.
I’ll
distribute a topics handout around two weeks before the paper is due. The due
dates are for the papers are Oct. 3 and Nov. 21. Your TAs will be ready to
confer with you while you’re working on your paper; there is no rewrite
option. Late papers will be graded down. A paper more than a week late
without a valid medical excuse will not be accepted; it will be counted the
same as if you didn’t turn it in at all. PLAGIARISM ON PAPERS—WHICH IS A FORM
OF CHEATING—IS GROUND FOR FAILING THE COURSE. If the web has made plagiarism
easy, it has made it even easier to identify plagiarism.
The Hour Exam
will be on Friday Oct. 24; you’ll take it in your discussion section. The
exam will include course material covered to that point. WE DON’T GIVE
MAKEUP EXAMS, SO MARK THIS DATE ON YOUR CALENDAR AS A MUST-GO-TO-CLASS DAY.
The final is
scheduled according to the all-campus calendar for Thursday, December 18, 1:30
– 4:30 P.M., in the lecture room, 100 Greg. The exam will be CUMULATIVE but
weighted towards material covered after the hour exam. ONLY A DEAN CAN EXCUSE
A STUDENT FROM TAKING THE FINAL EXAM.
As the dates
approach, I’ll talk more specifically about the exams, and I will distribute
handouts about their formats.
Handouts for papers and exams will be posted on the course web site at the
time they are distributed in class.
VI. GRADING
The TAs will grade the papers and exams of students in their sections and
compile the final grades. I spot-check the grading to ensure uniformity and
fairness of standards across the sections, but it is the TA who has ultimate
responsibility for individual decisions. Please discuss any and all grading
concerns with your TAs. If your TA wants me to assess a grading situation, I
will gladly do so; but I don’t accept student “end runs” around the TA.
The course grade will be calculated as follows: hour exam = 15%, each paper =
20%, the final = 25%, discussion sections including written responses and
participation = 20%. Improvement over the semester will count positively for
borderline grades. Remember policies for discussion attendance and missing or
below-minimum-level responses; we are serious about these policies.
VII. WEB
SITE
There’s a web
site for this course, but this is not a web-based course. The calendar, this
document, exam and paper handouts, brief outlines of the lectures (posted as
we go along), and some student responses will be available there. The site
also has some interesting graphics: author portraits, maps, illustrations.
