posted: 11/18/2007
revised: 1/23/2008
|
Spring 2008 (session A) |
Ted Morrissey (CV) |
ENGLISH 230-70—INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN AUTHORS (3
Credit Hours)
I. Course Description: English 230 Introduction to Women Authors is a course
with a select focus on significant women authors. The course examines common
literary characteristics and the human experience described by nineteenth,
twentieth, and twenty-first century English-speaking authors. A student must
earn a grade of “C” or better to receive credit toward graduation.
Prerequisite: English 111 with a grade of “C” or better. BU LITR
281. IAI H3 911D; IAI EGL 920.
II. Textbooks:
Jackson, Shelley. Patchwork
Girl. CD-ROM.
(This CD-ROM must be
installed on an individual computer. It
is not a difficult operation, but do not be caught off guard by this fact at
the end of the session. Make sure you have
access to a compatible computer—plan ahead.)
Rattiner, Susan L.,
ed. Great
Poems by American Women: An Anthology.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 1818 [1831 edition]. Ed. Candace Ward.
Ward, Candace, ed. Great
Short Stories by American Women.
Available at SCI's Bookstore.
Note: I will go
over much of this syllabus in class but not every word. It is your responsibility to read the entire
syllabus and ask questions if you do not understand any part of it. Being familiar with the contents of the
syllabus will enhance your performance in this course.
III. SCI Mission
Statement: The
mission of
IV. Goals, objectives
and outcomes:
A. Goals:
1. To understand and
articulate the difference between “feminine” issues and
“feminist” issues.
2. To gain a sense of the chronology and evolution of issues which have been
especially significant to women authors, especially in the
3. To become familiar with key women authors, both living and dead.
4. To make connections between various “texts,” including but not
limited to print and film.
5. To become familiar with using various critical models (e.g., feminist
theory, Marxist theory, queer theory, postmodern theory) to analyze texts.
6. To develop analytical expression in both writing and oral presentation.
B. Common Student
Learning Objectives:
CK-1 Content Knowledge
(Lifelong learning): Know and apply the central concepts of the subject matter
CK-1 Content Knowledge (Lifelong learning): Use current research to support
assumptions and beliefs
CS-1 Communication Skills (Lifelong learning and leadership): Communicate
effectively in oral and written forms
PS-2 Problem-Solving Skills (Lifelong learning and leadership):Seek information
and develop an in-depth knowledge base, grounded in research
SR-2 Social Responsibility (Service and Leadership): Make ethical and informed
decisions
SP-1 Self-Direction and Personal Growth (Lifelong learning): Develop a sense of
intellectual curiosity
GP-1 Global Perspectives (Diversity): Recognize the importance of diversity of
opinion, abilities and cultures.
C. Course Based Student
Learning Objectives: Students who have successfully completed ENGLISH 230 will
be able to . . .
1. Explore together and
individually the visions and values, the norms and the human experiences
embodied in the works of women authors. (CK-1, SR-1, SR-2, GP-1, SP-1)
2. Develop an insight into female and male roles in society as defined by
cultures and as demonstrated in fiction from the viewpoint of women authors.
(CK-1, SR-1, SR-2, GP-1)
3. Examine various techniques used by authors to create meaning in texts.
(CK-1)
4. Develop the ability to listen to others' opinions, and to communicate one's
own opinion in class discussions, written work, and presentations. (CK-1, CS-1,
SR-3, GP-1, SP-1)
5. Develop the power of reflection and the ability to formulate questions in
response to literature and critical articles about the literature. (PS-1, PS-3)
6. Develop the ability to make critical judgments in response to literature and
to support those judgments through analysis. (CK-1, CK-2, CS-1, PS-1, SR-1).
SCI’s
SCI’s Resource Director: Joanna Tweedy: jtweedy@sci.edu
V. Teaching
Methodology:
The classroom is
considered a discourse community in which students collaborate in the learning
process. Students will be involved in peer work, group discussions, pre- and
rewriting activities, and projects. There will be intervention in students'
writing process, and response to student writing, by both the instructor and
other students. To be successful, students must come to class prepared, which
means having all reading and writing assignments done before they are due.
VI. Course
Requirements:
Attendance: As in every
other class, absences will negatively affect your grade. To avoid class
disruption, students must be seated by 6:00. Arriving between 6:00 and 6:05
will be considered a “late” (three lates equal one-half hour
absence); between 6:05 and 6:30, one-half hour absence; between 6:30 and 7:00,
one hour absence; etc. Missing an entire class session equals 4.0 hours. If you attend only part of the class session,
you run the risk of being counted absent for the entire session at the
instructor’s discretion. Missing six hours is an automatic F, regardless of
a student's current grade.
Your goal should be to
attend all classes and to have an absence only when it is a true emergency. If
you know you are going to be absent (or late), you should contact me as early
as possible. This will not “excuse” the absence, but it is
considered the appropriate behavior in college. College is like a job in this
respect: If you were going to miss work, you presumably would call your
supervisor in advance—you would not simply fail to come to work, then
wander in the next time you were scheduled (if so, you would not be scheduled a
next time).
Behavior: Be attentive to
the instructor and your classmates. Private conversations and jokes are rude
and disruptive. Turn off your cell phone too.
Work:
1. Completion of all
assigned readings and writings according to given deadlines.
2. In-class and out-of-class assignments.
3. Participation in peer activities, sharing of written work, and group
discussions.
4. Active involvement in mechanics of all writing projects.
5. Conferences regarding writing assignments as needed.
6. Final project.
VII. Evaluation
Criteria:
There are numerous
required activities for this course, and not all of them will be graded. Work
(generally described as “homework”) that does not receive a
numerical score, may be given one of three grades: A check mark indicates an
assignment was completed in an acceptable and timely manner; a plus signifies
that an assignment was completed with special thoroughness and accuracy; and a
minus signifies that an effort was substandard. Each check is worth one point;
a plus 1.5 points, and a minus .5; the total will be multiplied by an appropriate
number determined by the instructor to establish a homework grade.
Note that there will be
frequent reading quizzes, and these grades will be counted as homework even
though they are completed in class, because you did the reading “at
home.” Also note that you must be
in class at the time the quiz is given; you cannot make up a missed quiz, even
if you attend class on the same evening that the quiz was given. That is, if you arrive after the quiz has
been collected, you will have to take a zero for that homework grade. Students
are expected to complete all assignments, graded or not.
Points will be deducted
for issues of misspelling and nonstandard mechanics according to the SCI English/Speech Department Guidelines for the
Evaluation of Formal Composition (unless the departures from
standard written practice are knowingly done for creative or rhetorical
effect).
Late
papers will not be accepted, and each will be scored as a zero. Assignments are due
even if you are not physically in class.
If you do not turn in the First Critical Paper on time, you may turn it
in by the due date for the optional revision; however, you will not be able to
improve the grade you receive for this “revised” draft; also, this
draft must be submitted to Blackboard’s
SafeAssign as if it were turned in on time in the first place.
Plagiarism—presenting
the ideas or words of another as if they are one’s own—is literary
dishonesty and will not be tolerated. Nor will others forms of academic
dishonesty be tolerated. If the instructor deems that the plagiarism is a
willful attempt to cheat, the student will receive a zero for the paper with no
opportunity to revise, and the SCI administration will be notified.
Midsemester grades will
be based on work completed and graded at that time.
Final Grade will be based
on a percentage of the total score: A- to A+ = 90 to 100%; B- to B+ = 80 to
89%; C- to C+ = 70 to 79%; D- to D+ = 60 to 69%. Note that plus and minus will
be affixed to the letter grade as deemed appropriate by the instructor based on
various factors, including attendance, work ethic, attitude, and overall
participation.
Incomplete
grades: According to the SCI catalog, students requesting an incomplete grade
for a class must have completed at least 75% of the course work. Students
must make a request to me in writing no later than one week before final exams
explaining in detail why they cannot finish the remainder of the coursework.
Acceptable reasons are student illness requiring bed rest or
hospitalization, major family crisis, or circumstances beyond the
student’s control. I will only issue an incomplete grade at my
discretion.
Directions for Written
Work:
Keep all assignments,
formal and informal, prewriting, revisions, and final drafts until final grades
are received.
Out-of-class Paper
Requirements:
Each paper must be . . .
1. Typed (printed) in
12-point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced.
2. Presented in MLA style and format (see A
Writer's Reference (from ENG 111 or 112)), or another printed or
online MLA source, like the following:
http://www.library.ilstu.edu/assets/pdf/handouts/mlaprint.pdf
(print sources)
http://www.mlb.ilstu.edu/ressubj/subject/intrnt/mla.htm
(electronic & online sources)
3. Three to five pages in length (not including required Works Cited page) and
represent a “completed” paper.
4. Submitted to Blackboard’s
SafeAssign feature.
Three Keys to Success:
* Attend all classes and
be on time.
* Turn in all assignments on time.
* Ask for help when you need it.
One or More of the
Following Will Lead to Failure:
* Miss class and/or
consistently be late.
* Fail to turn in assignments or to turn them in on time.
* Not asking for help when you need it.
VIII. Weekly
Assignments:
(Note: Syllabus is subject to change).
|
Week 1 January
9 Foundational
Issues |
Before
the first session, read: Note: It is imperative that you purchase the
texts for this course; however, if you aren’t able to get them prior to
the first class, the Woolf
and Bradstreet
readings are available on line – I’ve linked their names. Course Introduction /
Reflection on readings / Discussion /
Quick Response |
|
Week 2 January
16 Bridging
18th & 19th Centuries |
Read: *
“Author’s Introduction” (M. Shelley v-x) Reflection
on readings / Discussion / Quick Response |
|
Week 3 January
23 Bridging
18th & 19th Centuries, cont’d |
Read:
Reflection
on reading / Discussion / Quick Response Prewriting
for first critical paper: Feminist
issues in Frankenstein |
|
Week 4 January
30 Bridging
18th & 19th Centuries, cont’d |
First
Critical Paper Due: Feminist issues in Frankenstein (400 pts.) – make sure to also
upload your paper to Blackboard
(requirement) Read: *
“‘So Spake Our General Mother’: A Portrait of Mary Shelley
as a Young Novelist” (handout from the instructor or Link) * Film:
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
(2:03)
Reflection
on readings & film / Discussion /
Quick Response |
|
Week 5 February
6 19th-
& 20th-Century Influential Authors |
Read: Reflection on reading /
Discussion / Quick Response |
|
Week 6 February
13 19th-
& 20th-Century Influential Authors, cont’d |
Read: Reflection on readings / Discussion / Quick Response |
|
Week 7 February
20 Bridging
20th & 21st Centuries |
Revision
of Frankenstein Paper Due (optional) Read: Reflection on readings
/ Discussion / Quick Response Prewriting for second
paper: Modern issues |
|
Week 8 February
27 Reflection
on Women Authors & Significant Issues |
Second
Critical Paper Due: Modern issues (400 pts.) – make sure to also
upload your paper to Blackboard
(requirement) In-class Final Project Due: Intertextuality (200 pts.) |
Grades:
First Paper 400 pts.
Second Paper 400 pts.
Final Project & Presentation 200 pts.
“Homework” 100 pts.
Total 1,100 pts.
IX. Americans with Disabilities Act (
X. Assessment:
Assessment will be an on-going part of the course. In
addition to providing feedback on essays and homework assignments, the
instructor will ask that you complete a Quick Response form
at the conclusion of each class period. Your responses may be shared with the
class if the instructor determines that it would be useful to do so.
Instructor assessment:
You are invited to visit RateMyProfessor.com,
and give your instructor an informal evaluation. This is purely for the instructor's
own use; your rating has no bearing on his employment with the college; nor
will it affect your grade since it is completely anonymous.
XI. Illinois Articulation Initiative: ENG 230 has been approved by the Illinois
Articulation Initiative as meeting the criteria stipulated for H3
911D Literature and Gender; and EGL 920
Women’s Literature.