Springfield College in Illinois

posted: 5/30/06
revised: 12/4/06 (due to cancelled class 11/30/06)

Fall 2006 (session F)
Room D105
Thursday, 6 to 10 p.m.
tmorrissey@sci.edu
morrissey@wcusd15.org

Ted Morrissey (CV)
"Office": D105
5:45, after class or by appointment
H: 496-3012 (not after 9 p.m.)
W: 566-3361 (daytime, Williamsville HS)

ENGLISH 228-70 - STUDIES IN AMERICAN LITERATURE 2 (3 Credit Hours)

I. Course Description: English 228 Studies in American Literature 2 is a select reading of principal American post-Civil War writers. The survey examines common literary characteristics and human experiences described in the literature of American realism and later movements. Prerequisite: ENG 111 with a grade of C or better. IAI H3 914.

II. Textbooks:

Cain, William. E. American Literature. Vol. 2. New York: Penguin Academics, 2004.

DeLillo, Don. White Noise. 1985. New York: Penguin, 1999.

Available at SCI's Bookstore.

III. SCI Mission Statement: The mission of Springfield College in Illinois is to provide students the best liberal arts education in the Ursuline tradition of a nurturing faith-based environment. We prepare students for a life of learning, leadership and service in a diverse world.

IV. Goals, objectives and outcomes:

A. Goals:

1. To understand the chronology and evolution of American literature from the end of the nineteenth century into the twenty-first century.
2. To understand significant themes and patterns associated with writings by American authors.
3. To become familiar with key American authors.
4. To make connections between various "texts," including but not limited to print and film.
5. 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).

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. 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).

You are responsible for making multiple copies to share with the instructor and your classmates when the syllabus requires it; and, by the same token, if you are absent on a day when you are to distribute your work, it is your responsibility to get the copies to your instructor and your classmates. Failure to do so will result in your receiving a zero for the assignment. If providing multiple copies of your work is a problem, speak to me in advance (NOT the evening they are to be distributed).

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, including posting responses to the turnitin.com discussion board.
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; 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. 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 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.

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.  It is my policy that 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.

On the first out-of-class literary analysis, students may earn back all points deducted for errors by making the appropriate corrections and submitting the revised story along with the previous draft within one week of its being returned to the student.

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 turnitin.com
Class ID: 1534067
Enrollment Password: english22870

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. All page numbers refer to American Literature, except those specific to White Noise in weeks 4, 5, 6, and 7)

October 19
End of the 19th Century

Before the first session, read the following:
* Letter to the Reader: Literary Realism in America (3-21)
* "Chicamauga" (A. Bierce 71-76)
* "The Pupil" (H. James 77-117)
* "The Other Two" (E. Wharton 219-37)

Course Introduction / Reflection on readings / Discussion / Quick Response

October 26
Modern American Literature

Read before class:
* Letter to the Reader: America at the Turn of the Century: The Modern Age Begins (297-324)
* "Paul's Case" (W. Cather 335-54)
* "The Road Not Taken" (R. Frost 390, 399)
* "Birches" (399)
* "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (403)
* "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" (E. Hemingway 643-71)
* Also, submit response to selected Discussion Question to turnitin.com discussion board.

Reflection on readings / Discussion / Quick Response

November 2
Literature after 1945

Read before class:
* Letter to the Reader: American Literature Since 1945, Cold War to Contemporary (729-61)
* "A Worn Path" (E. Welty 762-70)
* "Recitatif" (T. Morrison 941-59)
* "Homage to the Empress of the Blues" et al. (R. Hayden 1304-1307)
* "Drowning with Others" et al. (J. Dickey 1343-48)
* Also, submit response to selected Discussion Question to turnitin.com discussion board.

Reflection on readings / Discussion / Quick Response

Prewriting for First Critical Paper: Issues in American Literature, Post-Civil War to Post-World War II

November 9
Literature after 1945 / Postmodernism

First Critical Paper Due: Issues in American Literature, Post-Civil War to Post-World War II (400 points)

Read before class:
* White Noise (D. DeLillo 1-53)

In class:
Film: Capote (1:54)

Reflection on readings & film / Discussion / Quick Response

November 16
Postmodernism

Read before class:
* White Noise (54-156)
* Also, submit response to selected Discussion Question to turnitin.com discussion board.

Reflection on reading / Discussion / Quick Response

(No Class Nov. 23 – Thanksgiving break)
November 30

Postmodernism

Read before class:
* White Noise (159-244)
* Also, submit response to selected Discussion Question to turnitin.com discussion board.

Reflection on reading & film / Discussion / Quick Response
Prewriting for Second Critical Paper: Issues in White Noise
This session cancelled due to weather.  See revised sessions for Dec. 7 & 8.

December 7
Postmodernism

Revision of First Critical Paper Due (optional)

Read before class:
* White Noise (159-310 (end))
* Also, submit response to selected Discussion Question (see Nov. 30 cancelled session) to turnitin.com discussion board.

In class:
Film: American History X (1:59) – first half of film

Reflection on readings & film / Discussion / Quick Response

December 8 (Friday)
Retrospective

Second Critical Paper Due: Issues in White Noise (400 points)

In class:
Film: American History X (1:59) – conclusion of film

Reflection on readings & film / Discussion

In-class Final Project & Presentation Due: Tracing a Theme through Intertextuality (200 pts.) – this project will be very informal – worry about your paper, not this presentation.  If you’ve read the material this session, this project will take care of itself during class.

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 (ADA):

Springfield College in Illinois provides individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in educational programs, activities and services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodations to participate in college-sponsored programs, activities, and services or to meet course requirements should contact the Director of the Resource Center as early as possible.

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 228 has been approved by the Illinois Articulation Initiative as meeting the criteria stipulated for H3 915: Survey of American Literature II (3 semester credits)
This is a continuation of Survey of American Literature I. See the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum (iTransfer Gen. Ed.) number H3 914. (H3 914: Survey of American Literature I (3 semester credits) Development of literature of the United States from its beginnings to the present through analysis of representative texts.)