English 2230 Syllabus

Anoka Ramsey Community College -- Coon Rapids Campus
English 2230: American Literature I
Fall 2005 / Section 01

Professor: Scott Stankey
Office: Humanities 131
Phone: (763) 433-1396
Fax: (763) 433-1521
Email: scott.stankey@anokaramsey.edu
Website: http://webs.anokaramsey.edu/stankey/Eng2230

Office Hours:

M, W, TH, F / 9:00-9:50 a.m.
M / 2:00-2:50 p.m.
Other times by appointment

Class Meetings:

Section 01 / 1:00-1:50 p.m. / M, W, F / H 122

Textbooks and Materials:

The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 6th edition, 2002, Package 1 (Volumes A and B)
Student I.D. / Library Card
A class notebook or loose-leaf paper and a two-pocket folder
A college-level dictionary

Course Description:

This course focuses on American literature from its beginnings (c.a. 1600) to approximately 1865. Readings may include autobiographies, journals, sermons, and essays, as well as poetry and fiction. Students will gain a sense of the historical and cultural significance of the literature and will analyze, interpret, and evaluate the literary works. In addition, we will focus on critical reading and discussion, and on the elements of literature. Furthermore, to satisfy the writing-intensive requirements at other institutions (should you wish to transfer this course), we will spend some time studying how to write about literature, and we will draft, receive feedback, revise, edit, and proofread one critical essay. Finally, please note that this course now satisfies goals 6 and 7 of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.

Course Objectives:

Read, discuss, analyze, interpret, and evaluate selected works of American literature from its beginnings to approximately 1865.

Understand how the selected works of American literature studied reflect the characteristics and values of the people and times in which they were written.

Recognize the important historical events and socio-political movements in the United States from the 1600s to the 1860s.

Recognize race, ethnic group, gender, and class differences in the United States and how these have reshaped the "traditional" American literature canon.

Understand the literary characteristics and trends of the Colonial Period, the Age of Reason and Revolution (the Enlightenment), and the Romantic Period.

Place selected American authors within one or more literary periods.

Recognize how writers who have been considered to be "minority" or "diverse" both resist and fit into the commonly accepted literary periods and appreciate what these writers contribute to the American literature canon.

Understand the literary meanings of such concepts as Puritanism, Nature, Reason, Deism, Classicism, Gothic, Romanticism, and Transcendentalism.

Appreciate the ways in which American literature helps us understand ourselves, other people, and the world around us.

Analyze and discuss specific works of American literature using appropriate literary terminology to describe the technical elements of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and drama.

Select and apply a critical approach (such as historical criticism, biographical criticism, reader-response criticism, feminist criticism, psychoanalytic criticism, etc.) to analyze, interpret, and evaluate selected works of American literature.

Read selected works of American literature and present, through activities such as group discussion, journals, response papers, critical essays, reviews, and examinations, a personal interpretation and evaluation of the selected works of literature.

Course Requirements:

Preparation for all class meetings: Complete all assigned readings before each class session. The reading load will vary depending on the literary genre, but a general guideline might be 4-6 poems or 20-30 pages of prose per class session. Bring your text and notebook with you to every class.
Attendance at all class sessions: Each class session will be primarily devoted to discussing the assigned literature. If you do not attend, you cannot learn from and participate in the class discussions. Therefore, if you miss more than six (6) class meetings, the participation portion of your final grade will be lowered one letter (e.g. B to C); if you miss more than twelve (12) class meetings, for any reason, the participation portion of your final grade will be an "F."
Participation in all class discussions: This is not a lecture course; instead, we will use small groups and/or class discussions during each class session. In addition, the class will be more meaningful and enjoyable if we all actively participate in discussions. Participation does include active listening and note taking, but it also means contributing to group work and class discussions. Be prepared and willing to share your ideas, opinions, and questions with the rest of us. Both the quality and quantity of your participation will be considered.
Completion of weekly, unannounced reading quizzes and other informal exercises: Quizzes will normally include 10 identification or short-answer questions. Informal exercises may include in-class writings, small-group projects, and take-home responses. Quizzes and in-class exercises cannot be made up if you are absent or arrive late; in addition, you may not come to class, take a quiz, and then leave early.
Completion of three (3) in-class essay exams: A typical exam consists of an objective, matching section (authors, descriptions, quotations, terms, etc.) and a subjective, essay section (several shorter-essay questions and/or one or two longer-essay questions). More information will be provided in class before each exam.
Completion of one (1) critical essay: The essay will be 3-5 pages long, word-processed and double-spaced. More details will be provided on the assignment handouts and sample papers will be provided. A rough draft, a peer review, and a final draft are all required; if your rough draft is not ready or if you do not attend the peer review, the essay grade will be lowered one full letter (e.g. B to C).

Course Evaluation:

Participation in Class Discussions = 15%
Quizzes and Exercises = 20%
In-Class Essay Exams = 45% (15% each)
Critical Essay = 20%

A.R.C.C. Grading System:

A = Superior achievement
B = Above average achievement
C = Average achievement
D = Below average achievement
F = Inadequate achievement

Grading Scale for Quizzes and Exams:

A = 100% - 93%
A- = 92% - 90%
B+ = 89% - 88%
B = 87% - 83%
B- = 82% - 80%
C+ = 79% - 78%
C = 77% - 73%
C- = 72% - 70%
D+ = 69% - 68%
D = 67% - 63%
D- = 62% - 60%
F = 59% and below

Participation Grading Criteria:

A	Person is obviously prepared for each class discussion, has carefully read all material prior to class, offers thoughtful and insightful comments and questions, and encourages class discussion (but does not dominate discussions).
B	Person is obviously prepared for each class discussion, has carefully read all material prior to class, and offers appropriate comments and questions voluntarily.
C	Person is prepared for each class discussion, has read all material prior to class, and offers an occasional comment relating to discussion or responds only when called upon. (Perfect attendance and preparation but no voluntary participation.)
D	Person is occasionally unprepared for class discussion, has not read all material prior to class, doesn't enter class discussion, and/or sometimes disrupts or discourages discussion or group work.
F	Person is rarely prepared for class discussion, offers nothing, and is often disruptive or discourages discussion or group work.

Essay and Essay-Exam Evaluation:

An evaluation sheet will be included with the essay assignment, so you will know exactly how the essay will be graded. An evaluation sheet for the essay exams will be distributed before the first exam.

Other Policies and Information

Attendance: If you arrive late to class, you will be considered absent and may not be allowed to take a quiz or participate in an in-class activity. Please notify me immediately if you must miss class due to a medical emergency or a family crisis; we can then keep you current with the class or determine if an incomplete is warranted. If you must miss a class where an exam or the peer review is scheduled, or when the paper is due, please notify me before class if possible, otherwise, as soon after class as possible -- documentation will be required in such circumstances to avoid a reduction in your grade.

Absences for Religious Observance: Anoka Ramsey Community College permits absences from class for participation in religious observances. Students who plan to miss class for sincerely held religious beliefs are required to (1) inform me of anticipated absences at the beginning of the semester (within the first two weeks), (2) meet with me to reschedule any missed quizzes, in-class essays, labs, paper due dates, or examinations, and (3) obtain class notes from other students. I am required to assist you in obtaining course materials and assignments distributed during class sessions you miss and to make arrangements for taking missed examinations.

Incompletes: Incompletes will only be granted to students who have a documented medical or family emergency in the last two weeks of the semester. These students must have completed all the other work for the course with an average grade of "C" or better, must not have more than six (6) absences, and must demonstrate the ability and willingness to complete the work before the third week of the following semester or summer session.

Accessibility: My goal is for our classroom and course work to be equally accessible to everyone. I have designed the class flexibly to accommodate different learning styles and approaches. I am also eager to make reasonable accommodations to guarantee persons with disabilities access to class sessions, the course materials, and the activities of the class. Let me know as soon as possible if you have a disability for which accommodations will be requested. If you need further information about disabilities and possible accommodations, contact Scott Bay, Director of Access Services, at 763-422-3459, at scott.bay@anokaramsey.edu, or stop by C255.

Class Disruptions: Any disruptive behavior -- including arriving late, packing up or leaving early, having private conversations, eating, sleeping, receiving cell phone calls, bringing friends/siblings/children to class, etc. -- adversely affects the teaching and learning in this class, is disrespectful to everyone in class, and will be handled first on an individual basis; if the disruptive behavior continues or if it is very serious, I will contact the Dean of Educational Services -- see the Code of Student Conduct in the Student Handbook.

Plagiarism: In addition to buying or accepting a paper or having someone write a paper for you, plagiarism includes but is not limited to (1) failing to cite quotations and borrowed ideas from any outside sources, even if the borrowed ideas are in your own words, (2) failing to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks, and (3) failing to put summaries and paraphrases into your own words. (This definition of plagiarism was derived from Diana Hacker's Rules for Writers, 5th edition, Boston: Bedford-St. Martin's, 2004.) Presenting another person’s ideas or writing as your own without clear, accurate, and complete citation and documentation will result in an "F" for that assignment and notification of the Dean of Educational Services -- see the Code of Student Conduct in the Student Handbook.

Paper Format: All rough drafts should be word-processed and double-spaced; all final drafts should be word-processed, double-spaced, and must conform to the formatting directions given in class, including instructions for in-text and end-of-text MLA citation and documentation conventions.

Late Work: Dates for the exams, the peer review, and the paper are listed on the course schedule. The peer review cannot be rescheduled or made up. Late final drafts will receive very few written comments and the grade will be lowered one letter; after one week, the grade will be an "F." An exam can be rescheduled only under extraordinary circumstances and must be arranged before the exam; an exam not rescheduled prior to the exam will be penalized one letter grade. All exams and the paper must be completed to pass the course. No late work will be accepted during finals week.

Record Keeping: Please make back-up copies of all your work, and keep all quizzes, responses, exams and papers returned to you. If questions about grades arise, you will need to produce the original documents. In addition, keep track of all your notes and other materials for each exam and the paper; if questions about plagiarism arise, you will need to prove you did your own writing.

Conferences: Please see me during my office hours or schedule an appointment with me if you have questions or problems at any time during the semester.

Academic Support Center: The Academic Support Center (ASC), located on the second floor of the College Services (CS) building, offers free, trained writing tutors who work with student writers at any stage in the writing process to improve their writing. Please meet with a writing tutor early in the term so that you can discover how helpful the tutors can be to you.

Credit and Workload Expectations: For undergraduate courses, one credit is defined as equivalent to an average of three hours of learning effort per week (over a full semester) necessary for an average student to achieve an average grade in the course. For example, a student taking a three-credit course that meets for three hours a week should expect to spend an additional six hours a week on coursework outside the classroom.

Pass / No Credit Option: Students may elect to take this course on a "Pass / No Credit" basis instead of receiving a traditional letter grade. An average of "C" or higher on all of the required work for the course would be considered a "passing" (P) grade. If you desire to take the "Pass / No Credit" option, you must request it in writing before Tuesday, November 1, 2005. Once you elect this option, you may not switch back to the letter grade option later in the semester. Think carefully about the issues surrounding this option, including transferring the course to another institution, before making a final decision.

NOTE: The course syllabus and schedule are subject to change, and changes will be announced in class. You are responsible for any changes in deadlines or assignments announced during any class you miss.