Overview and Objectives:
The aim of this course is to increase your understanding and appreciation of literature. The course will cover the three main genres of literature: poetry, prose fiction and drama. The telecourse material will introduce you to different interpretations and ways of approaching literature. Class discussion will take place online. By reading and discussing representative works in each genre, we will explore the ways in which literature expresses the human experience.
Required Texts:
Materials:
Class Meetings:
This class will have three required meetings: orientation, the midterm exam, and the final exam. We will not meet as a class again, but we will participate together in an ongoing online discussion on Pipeline. (Pipeline will also be used for posting announcement, essay instructions, etc.)
Class Participation:
Because we will not meet in person for discussion, I will arrange for online discussions using Pipeline. These message board discussions make it possible for us to interact without all of us ever having to be in the same room at the same time. You must post at least 50 words a week. 100-200 some weeks will be better. You must post at least once a week for at least 10 weeks. Your posts are informal (I don't care about spelling or grammar) and will be evaluated on quality of thought and attention to what others are saying. I want you to ask interesting questions about the reading and also to answer some of the questions raised by me or your peers. Questions about procedures, grades, etc.should not be included on the discussion board. Please address such questions privately to me.The way I will grade participation is that you will get a weekly grade (worth 1% of your final grade). Each student must have at least 10 of such weekly grades. If you participate more than 10 weeks, the lower grades will drop out of your average. (So, if you participate 12 weeks, the two lowest grades will drop.) I will also assign 5% as an overall participation grade which will take into account your work in the class as a whole. (Usually this grade is the same as your class average before the final, but often I use it to give extra points to students who have shown improvement and/or to penalize students for late work, etc.)
Lectures:
This class is centered on the Literary Visions Telecourse. Check Telecourse Broadcast Schedule for days and times of broadcast. You may also view the videotapes in the LRC or rent them from the Telecourse Office.
In addition, I will post explanations and reviews on Pipeline which will supplement the reading and viewing and help you focus your studying. (Addendum: If it continues to be difficult to post to Pipeline, my comments will be sent to the listserv that I will form. Check also the 2030 Announcements page.)
Required Work:
This class involves a lot of reading and writing. Please plan your week so that you have time to do all the reading and can participate intelligently in online discussions.
Reading and writing assignments and deadlines are posted on the Schedule of
Assignments which
may also be reached through the Pipeline page [ if it is ever fixed so
that I can edit the links].
ESSAYS
You will write three essays for this class. Each essay will be 500-800 words long. I will post instructions for each essay at least three weeks in advance. Typically you will have a choice among topics. These are not reports but will require that you develop an idea about one or more work of literature. I will be looking for clarity of thought and expression. Plan ahead so that you have time to write and revise your essays.
[You will find links to specific essay assignments on the Class Links page and on Pipeline when possible.]Essays will be graded according
to Content (40%) Organization/Clarity of Purpose (20%) Mechanics
(20%) and Style (20%)
SeeSchedule
of Assignments for
deadlines.
Final drafts of essays will be accepted only in hard copy.
|
Academic Honesty Please note that all writing for this class must be your own work, that you must use quotation marks and cite sources when using words that are not your own, that even when you use your own words, you must cite the source(s) of your data or ideas, that you must include an accurate list of work cited, and that insufficient paraphrasing is a form of plagiarism. Depending on the circumstances, the penalty for academic dishonesty in this class will range from failing the assignment to being forced to withdraw from the course with a failing grade. In all instances where I discover academic dishonesty, I will first try to discuss the matter with the student and, after I've heard the student's side, I will decide on appropriate action. Usually such action will include reporting the incident to Judicial Affairs with a recommendation for action. For a detailed explanation of what constitutes academic dishonesty, click here. |
EXAMS
There will be a midterm and a final exam. Each exam will last approximately 1½ - 2 hours. The exam will combine objective questions (matching, multiple choice, true-false, identification, definitions, etc.) and discussion (essay) questions. The exams will test whether you have been keeping up with the reading, the telecourse and the class discussions.
Because of past problems, I will not be allowing any off-site exam make-ups. (If you cannot make it to MTSU campus twice during the semester, this isn't the course for you.)
Grades:
I will average grades on
the following scale:
| 93 - 100 A | 83 - 87 B | 73 - 77 C | 63 - 67 D |
| 88 - 92 B+ | 78 - 82 C+ | 68 - 72 D+ | 0 - 62 F |
I do not normally give "minus" grades, but in cases where a student has worked hard and is on the borderline, I may give a B- instead of a C+ or a C- instead of a D+. If you do not want to get a "minus" grade under such circumstances, please let me know.
Weights:
To get a good grade in this class you must fulfill all course requirements in a timely fashion according to the standards for this course. Planning ahead and coming to me for help when you need it is your best guarantee of success. There will be no extra credit.
Please note that this is a demanding class. If family or work commitments will make it difficult for you to do your best work and keep up with the Pipeline discussions maybe this is not the semester for you to be enrolled.
For departmental
standards and guidelines click
here.
| NOTE: If you are a scholarship and/or financial aid recipient, it is your responsibility to keep up with and fulfill the requirements to keep your award. These requirements often include not only a particular GPA but a minimum number of credit hours. Check with Financial Aid Office for more information. |
Special Needs:
Students with certified disabilities must let me know as early as possible if they have special needs.It is the student's responsibility to discuss special needs with me ahead of time. It is the student's responsibility to remind me, before every scheduled exam, that I must send over his/her exam to DSS by a certain date. (In most cases, it will not be possible for the special needs student to take the exam before the rest of the class.)
I will need documentation from the Director of Disabled Student Services, explaining the nature of the disability and identifying the kind(s) of accommodations necessary.How to Contact Your Teacher:
The best way is e-mail.