This course is an experimental course in the new Speaking Across the Curriculum program at UNCG. In this speaking-intensive ENG 104 course, we will be experimenting with new ideas and activities designed to not only facilitate your understanding of and appreciation for literature, but also to improve your ability to engage with and talk coherently about that literature. Your input and participation in this course will be vital to the development of other SAC courses at UNCG.

The goals for this course are numerous. First, this course will introduce you to various forms and genres of literature from a range of historical periods. Second, it will assist you in understanding and appreciating a variety of literary works. Third, it will give you the skills necessary to write and speak coherently about a work of literature. Fourth, it will demonstrate how an individuals standpoint dramatically affects engagement with and comprehension of a literary work. In particular, we will focus on the importance of gender, both the authors and the readers, in generating meaning and reaction to literature.

My expectations for students in this course are relatively simple: I expect students to read and engage with the assigned literary works, take comprehensive notes, participate in discussions both in class and on the listserv, and complete all assignments. There is no attendance policy for this course, but keep in mind that participation will be a factor in your final grade, and it is very difficult to participate if you are not in class. Also, there is no way to make up in-class writing or speaking assignments, and I do not accept late work for any reason. In addition, if you are absent from class, you are responsible for getting in any required work to me beforehand, obtaining notes from that days discussion, and finding out (from your peers, not me) what work will be due in subsequent classes. I do not accept absence from class as an excuse for missing work or being unprepared.

The assignments for this course will be many and varied. The writing assignments include critical questions, brief reading responses, a short research paper, and in-class reading quizzes. The speaking assignments include reading declamation, discussion leading, individual monologues, group presentations and a group oral mid-term exam. I will discuss these assignments in more depth as the semester progresses.

The readings for this course will include a variety of poems, plays, novels and short stories. The following books are available at the campus bookstore:

• 101 Great American Poems by the American Poetry and Literary Project (Dover)
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Dover)
• The Awakening by Kate Chopin (Dover)
• Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (Dover)
• The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (Dover)
• Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories by Carson McCullers (Bantam)
• Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger (Little, Brown)
• Twelfth Night, or What You Will by William Shakespeare (New Folger Library)
• Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (Dover)

These editions are the cheapest versions available, some only costing $1 and the most expensive being $6 (I managed to keep the total costs of these works under $25 pre-tax). Many of these books are no doubt available at used-book stores, but keep in mind that pagination and wording may not be exactly the same in other versions of these texts. In addition to these books, there will be several works placed on regular reserve and e-reserve that you will need to copy or print out.

Classroom etiquette is extremely important for this course (and, really, for all your courses). We will have several small and large group discussions, as well as individual and group presentations. It is extremely rude to carry on another conversation while someone else is talking, whether it is me or one of your classmates. If you cant possibly pay attention, you should leave, and I reserve the right to ask students to leave the class at any time. Coming to class unprepared is also a lapse in etiquette. If you cant adequately participate in the work for that day, I will ask you to leave.

Also, I have an ethical responsibility for the well-being of the students in my class: mental, emotional and physical. Therefore, I will not tolerate verbal or physical intimidation of any kind from any student directed at anyone in this class, including slurs directed at someones race, class, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or political views. Anyone displaying rude or aggressive behavior will be asked to leave, and I may not allow disruptive students back into the class.

One final note: I encourage you to conference with me whenever you feel like it. If you need to speak with me, it is best to make an appointment, come by my office during my office hours or send me an email. I truly enjoy spending time with my students and dont feel inconvenienced at all when they need a bit of my time. Students often put off speaking to a professor about a problem until it is too late to do anything about itso dont be afraid to talk to me.