Introduction to the writing, theory and research practiced by academic
scholars in literary studies. Includes study of academic standards,
professional secondary source materials, and research resources.
Required of all majors and minors. This course fulfills the JWO
requirements for both literature and writing majors.
In this course you
will write literary criticism and conduct literary research, but
you will also be introduced to the various types of critical
approaches that are current in the field. Along the way,
you will learn about some of the tools literary scholars use to
conduct research.
We will split the course into two
sections. In the first part, you will learn about the major
critical theories and have the chance to try your hand at writing
papers using those theories. In the second part, you will become
a theorist, yourself, exploring the inner workings of literature and
addressing some of the major theoretical issues facing readers of
literature.
Course Goals
I have five main goals for this
course:
- You will learn about the current
major critical theories.
- You will theorize about literature
and the process of reading it.
- You will improve your ability to
write about literature, consciously employing critical theories and
conducting your own theoretical explorations.
- You will learn about research
methodologies in literary studies and conduct your own research
project.
- You will improve your critical
reading and writing abilities.
Educational Philosophy
Composition scholars and theorists
have spent the past thirty years developing guidelines for effective
writing courses:
- Students learn to write by writing
frequently—utilizing a variety of types of writing, all of which
does not need to be “graded” in the traditional sense—and by working
in a language-rich environment that includes writing, reading,
speaking and listening;
- Students learn a great deal by
working together, in prewriting, writing, and in revision;
- Students should have opportunity
to revise their writing and should receive feedback from their peers
and instructor.
Attendance
This is not an independent study, nor
is it a lecture course. In this class, you will be learning from one
another, so your regular attendance is vital. For this reason, the
following attendance rules will be enforced:
|
Classes Missed |
Effect |
| 0 Classes |
Your participation grade will be
raised ten points. |
| 1 Class |
Your participation grade will be
raised five points. |
| 2-3 Classes |
No effect |
| 4-6 Classes |
Your participation grade will be
lowered ten points. |
| 7-8 Classes |
Your participation grade will be
lowered to zero. |
| 9+ Classes |
Your final letter grade will be
lowered one letter grade. Further absences may result in your
being asked to withdraw from the course. |
Absences due to illness or official
college business (sporting events, field trips, Ed. Camp, etc.) are
naturally excused and do not count toward the total classes missed.
Absences due to illness should be explained via phone call or email
prior to your return to the classroom (or via a note upon your
return), and absences due to scheduled college events should be
explained before the absence occurs.
Grading
Your final grade will be based on the
following elements:
|
Item Graded |
Points |
| Three Short Papers |
75 |
| Revised Paper |
50 |
| Final Paper |
150 |
| Unit Tests |
75 |
| Final Examination |
100 |
| Participation |
50 |
|
Total Points |
500 |
Participation
At the end of the semester, you will be asked to help me evaluate
your participation in the course. I will ask you to rate yourself on a
scale of 0-10, based on the following items:
- Attendance
- Timely completion of Reading Assignments & Miscellaneous
Out-of-Class Writing Assignments
- Participation in Class Discussions
- Participation in Pair or Group Work
- Participation in In-Class Writing & Peer Evaluation Sessions
I will review your self-evaluations and adjust them to reflect my
own observations of your participation. The resulting score will
largely determine your participation grade in the course. The
remaining points will be based on your work in our writing
conferences.
Computers
This is a computer-enhanced section
of English 291, which means that all of the writing you produce this
semester (with the exception of some of the shorter, informal writing
assignments) must be completed on a computer using Microsoft Word. In addition, you will be using the Internet to access course
files and to submit some of your written work.
Since so much of your work this semester will have to be done on a
computer, an "attendance" requirement specific to this section of
English 291 is computer time. Unless you own a computer equipped with
Word or have private access to one, this means that you can expect to
spend from 5 to 9 hours or more outside of class each week in the
computer lab. (The exact number of hours will depend largely on your
personal keyboarding proficiency.)
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is stealing the ideas and/or the words of another person
and representing them as your own. It is one of the worst forms of
cheating, and it carries heavy penalties in this course and in any
course at Heidelberg College. Cases of plagiarism will be handled as
per the College’s academic honesty policies.
There are three types of plagiarism:
- word-for-word copying of another’s work without adequate
documentation,
- paraphrasing another person’s work without citing the source,
and
- borrowing someone else’s ideas without acknowledgement.
The best way to avoid trouble with plagiarism is to ask your
instructor (me) if you have any doubts about the originality of your
work before you hand it in. It only takes a minute to ask, and it will
save you a great deal of grief in the long run.
|
Special Note: |
| All work completed for this course
must be original to this course. That is, you may not submit
work for this course that you have completed for other courses,
and vice versa. |
Please see the resources
section for more on plagiarism and documenting sources. |
|
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