English 2235 Syllabus

Anoka Ramsey Community College -- Coon Rapids Campus
English 2235: American Literature Since 1865
Spring 2007 / Section 01

Professor: Scott Stankey
Office: Humanities 131
Phone: (763) 433-1396 (voice mail)
Fax: (763) 433-1521
Email: scott.stankey@anokaramsey.edu
Website: http://webs.anokaramsey.edu/stankey/Eng2235

Office Hours:

M, W, Th, F -- 10:00-10:50 a.m.
M, W -- 1:00-1:50 p.m.
Other times by appointment

Class Meetings:

Section 01 / 11:00-11:50 a.m. / M, W, F / H 121

Textbooks and Materials:

The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 6th edition, 2002, Package 2 (Volumes C, D, and E)
Real Karaoke People: poems and prose by Ed Bok Lee, 2005
Student I.D. / Library Card
Student MetNet E-mail Account and ARCC Network Access
A class notebook or loose-leaf paper
Two 2-pocket folders
A Flash/Jump/Thumb/USB Drive
A college-level dictionary
A stapler

Course Descriptions:

Please see the "official" course description and learner outcomes on the course home page. But more specifically, we will also focus on critical reading and discussion, and on the elements of literature. Furthermore, to satisfy the writing-intensive (WI) 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 (MnTC).
The ARCC English Division recommends successful completion of ENGL 1121 as a pre-requisite for this course. (However, if you have tested into ENGL 1121 or have successfully completed ENGL 0950, you should be just fine.)
For more information about the way class sessions are conducted, click here.

Course Requirements:

1.) 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.

2.) Attendance at all class sessions: While I know that legitimate reasons do occur for absences, please make every effort to attend our sessions. Each class session will be primarily devoted to discussing the assigned literature. If you do not attend, you cannot participate in and learn from the class discussions. If you must miss a class, due to a medical emergency or a family crisis, when a quiz or an exam is scheduled, or when a 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 allow for a make-up and to avoid a reduction in your grade. If you miss class, contact another student for notes and explanation of assignments, and check the website for extra copies of any handouts. If you have any questions about assignments or responsibilities, call, email, or come see me before the next class. Ultimately, attendance factors into determining grades, since your participation in discussions is a component of calculating your final grade.

3.) Participation in all class discussions: In addition to short lectures, we will use small groups and class discussions during each class session. Furthermore, 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. If you are naturally shy, then participate more actively in small groups and contribute to class discussions when more open-ended questions are asked. If you are naturally talkative, you will be more comfortable, but monitor yourself so that you allow time and room for others to contribute. Above all, everyone should be respectful of one another's contributions, even if you disagree; and if you agree, be sure to encourage or affirm one another. Both the quantity and quality of your participation will be considered.

4.) Completion of weekly, unannounced reading quizzes and other informal exercises: Quizzes will normally include identification and/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.

5.) Completion of three (3) in-class essay exams: Each exam will ask you to first identify, by author and title, selected passages taken from the literature studied for that exam. Then, you will select four (4) of those passages for your short essays. In each short essay, you will first analyze the specific passage on its own, and then you will explain how the passage relates to the larger work from which it was taken. There might also be a short-answer section covering literary terms covered while studying the literature for that exam. More information will be provided in class before each exam. 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 lowered one letter grade, and after one week the grade will be a zero ("F").

6.) Completion of two (2) critical essays: Both essays will be 3-4 pages and argumentative in nature. The first paper will deal with the "quality" of the "newer" fiction selections in Volume C. The second paper will ask you to evaluate Ed-Bok Lee's book in relation to the poetry and prose selections in Volumes D and E. More information will be provided later in separate assignment handouts. For each paper, you will write a rough draft, you will receive feedback on your draft through in-class peer reviews, and you will revise and edit your paper before submitting it for a grade. The rough draft should be word-processed and double-spaced; the final draft 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. If your first complete draft is not ready or if you do not attend a peer review, the essay grade will be lowered one full letter (e.g., B to C); in addition, the peer review cannot be rescheduled or made up and no excuses will be accepted -- including illnesses and computer/printer problems. Late final drafts will receive very few written comments and the grade will be lowered one full letter; after one week, the grade will be a zero ("F").

7.) Attendance at the Visiting Writer Sessions: Nicole Helget will be on campus on Wednesday, February 07, 2007, at 1:00 p.m. and at 2:00 p.m. in B 235 -- you can attend one of her sessions for "extra credit." Ed-Bok Lee will be on campus on Wednesday, April 25, 2007, at 11:00 a.m. and at 12:00 p.m. in B 235 -- you are required to attend the 11:00 a.m. session (since it is class time) and you can attend the 12:00 p.m. session for "extra credit." More details on the extra credit later.

Course Evaluation:

Participation = 10%
Quizzes = 15%
Exam 1 = 15%
Exam 2 = 15%
Exam 3 = 15%
Essay 1 = 15%
Essay 2 = 15%

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 Using Percentages:

A (11) = 100% - 93%
A- (10) = 92% - 90%
B+ (9) = 89% - 88%
B (8) = 87% - 83%
B- (7) = 82% - 80%
C+ (6) = 79% - 78%
C (5) = 77% - 73%
C- (4) = 72% - 70%
D+ (3) = 69% - 68%
D (2) = 67% - 63%
D- (1) = 62% - 60%
F (0) = 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/activities.
F	Person is rarely prepared for class discussion, offers nothing, is often disruptive or discourages discussion/activities.

Essay and Essay-Exam Evaluation:

A sample grading criteria sheet for the in-class exams is linked here.
A sample grading criteria sheet for the essays is linked here.
More specific details will be given before/after each exam and before each paper is due.

Other Policies and Information

Class Disruptions: Any disruptive behavior -- including arriving late, packing up early, leaving early, having private conversations, eating, sleeping, receiving cell phone calls or text messages, bringing friends/siblings/children/pets 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 from someone 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.

Record Keeping: Please make back-up copies of all your work, and keep all quizzes, responses, exams, papers, and other work 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 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.

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.

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 at the beginning of the semester (within the first two weeks) of anticipated absences, (2) meet with me to reschedule any missed quizzes, in-class essays, labs, peer reviews, 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 or making up peer review sessions.

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 763-433-1334, at scott.bay@anokaramsey.edu, or stop by C255.

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 tutor for an objective opinion, if you want more extensive help than I can reasonably provide during office hours, or if I am not available when you need help. (Of course, check my office hours and/or try to contact me by phone or email.)

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 April 1, 2007. 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; updates will also be posted on the website. You are responsible for any changes in deadlines or assignments announced during any class you miss.

Copyright � 2007 Scott R. Stankey
Last revised on 20 November 2009 by SRS
Please address comments to scott.stankey@anokaramsey.edu