Instructor: Cameron Golden
Office Hours: M 1:30-3, T 2-3:30
Office: 01E Petty
Phone: x3294 (the best time to call me will be during office hours; otherwise, please e-mail me)
E-mail: cgpass@triad.rr.com

Course objectives: This class will give you an overview of the major genres of literature: fiction, poetry, and drama. We will read a wide variety of authors from different backgrounds and traditions while discussing the defining characteristics of each genre. We will also emphasize the connections between the different works we read, and you will be able to discuss the major themes, forms and content of the works we study. The major goals of this class will be for you to develop your analytical skills, grow more confident in your abilities to draw thematic and formal connections, and also for you to develop an appreciation of literature.

Texts: Roberts and Jacobs. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Compact ed.

On-line version of Heart of Darkness:

http://www.georgetown.edu/irvinemj/english016/conrad/heart.of.darkness.txt

Policies: This course cannot succeed without your involvement; regular attendance and participation will be critical to your success in this class. You may miss 3 classes with no penalty, however, after the third absence your grade will begin to drop by one letter grade per missed class. If you miss 6 classes (the equivalent of two weeks of class), you will be dropped from the class.

A few other policies that will help our class run smoother . . .

--Please be on time, lateness is rude and distracting

--I will distribute an attendance sheet at the beginning of each class period; if you do come in late, it will be your responsibility to sign the attendance sheet

--No late papers will be accepted; if you anticipate a problem, please see me in advance

Grades: Your grade will be calculated according to the following percentages:

Test #1 (Fiction) 15% Daily Grade 15%

Test #2 (Poetry) 15% Journal 20%

Test #3 15% Final Exam 20%

Tests: Each of the unit tests will be a combination of short answer, identifications, and essays. They will test your understanding of terminology, knowledge of individual works, and ability to draw connections between works.

Journal: Each Monday (unless otherwise announced) I will ask you to turn in one (typed, double-spaced) page that you have written about one of the works we have read. I will grade them according to the following scale: check plus (excellent), check (satisfactory), or check minus (unsatisfactory). Hopefully, this weekly exercise will help you prepare for the tests and allow you to develop your own ideas about the works we are studying. No late papers will be accepted.

Daily Grade: I will be assessing your performance on a daily basis, therefore it is imperative that you come to class with the assignment completed, prepared to ask and answer questions. I will give occasional quizzes, informal in-class writing assignments, as well as group workhow you approach these exercises and activities and your performance on them will be part of your daily grade.