ENGLISH 104-06 SPRING 2003 (McIver 140)
Instructor: Litasha Dennis
Office: McIver 137
Office Phone: 334-5867
Office Hours: TR:
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Literature and Society by Pamela J. Annas and Robert C. Rosen
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
COURSE DESCRIPTION
English 104 is a course designed to introduce students to the art of reading, interpreting, and appreciating literature from a foundational perspective. This course will engage students in discussions of literature from all genres, specifically poetry, short stories, nonfiction, novels, and drama.
COURSE GOALS
At the completion of this course, the student will be able to:
· Identify and understand varied characteristics of literature
· Apply techniques of literary analysis to texts
· Use literary study to develop skills in careful reading and clear writing
· Demonstrate understanding of the diverse social and historical contexts in which literary texts have been written and interpreted
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Mid-Term Exam 20%
Critical Paper 20%
Critical Analysis 20%
Final Exam 20%
Participation 20%
This course will use the standard, 10-point grading scale. A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79, D=60-69, and F=50 and below.
The critical papers written for this class will give students the opportunity to engage with a literary work of their choice in order to analyze it from their own perspectives. Students will also have the opportunity to step outside their own viewpoints to investigate what literary critics are saying about a particular work.
The mid-term and final exams will test students’ knowledge of literary terms, identification of significant passages and interpretation of those passages, and essay writing on a chosen question.
The papers written outside of class should be typewritten, either on a typewriter or a computer. Make use of campus labs, and follow MLA format for all specifications. Papers should be double spaced with one-inch margins all around using size 12 font. Using an unusually large font size or type, or trying to increase the margins or spacing is unacceptable as well as unprofessional. These papers should also have minimal grammatical and/or mechanical mistakes.
LATE PAPER POLICY: Late papers will not be accepted. Papers are due by the end of class time. If you choose to put an assignment in my mailbox because of an inability to turn it in in person, it must still be there before or during the allotted time of the class—not after. In the event of a real emergency, i.e. one with verifiable documentation, arrangements may be possible. Computer or printer problems are not excuses.
PLAGIARISM POLICY: Plagiarism will not be tolerated nor accepted. If you use the words, ideas, etc. of someone else, you must give him credit. If there are questions concerning documentation, then you should either consult a handbook or ask me. Any paper with plagiarism will receive a “0.”
ATTENDANCE POLICY: This class will follow a set policy; absence from more than 25% of the course will result in failure. For a class meeting 2 times a week, this is roughly 4 periods- the 5th is failure. I will note that because participation is important, your presence is necessary. If you do not attend class, then you cannot participate. If you are in class unprepared, then you cannot participate. In other words, the room should be filled with ALERT minds, not just bodies. I will take attendance daily. If you are not here when I get to your name, you are absent. If you come in afterwards, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to let me know after class that you were present. You should be mindful that excessive tardiness WILL NOT work in your favor. Finally, an absence will not excuse you from your work. It is YOUR responsibility to get notes from a classmate or to turn in any assignment that may be due. There is NO DISTINCTION between an excused and unexcused absence.
If at any point you should have comments, questions, or concerns, please feel free to either call or come by my office.
Schedule
(subject to change at instructor’s discretion)
January
14 Introduction to course.
16 Group work
21 Discussion. HW: Read “We Wear the Mask,” “If We Must Die,” and “Frederick Douglass”
23 Discussion. HW: Read “Lineage,” “Beautiful Black Women,” and “For My People”
28 Discussion. HW:
Read “The Bean Eaters,” “Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note,” and “The
30 Discussion. HW: Read “We Real Cool,” and “
February
4 Discussion. HW: Prepare for poetry presentations.
6 Poetry Presentations. HW: Read pgs. 1380-1389.
11 Discussion. HW: Read pgs. 565, 1347.
13 Discussion. HW: Read “The Negro Artist and the
18 Discussion. HW: Read pgs. 60, 74.
20 Discussion. HW: Read pgs. 628, 634.
25 Discussion. HW: Read pgs. 320, 1331.
27 Discussion.
March
4 Exam Review
6 Mid-Term Exam
SPRING BREAK. HW: Read the first 50 pages or so of Twain.
18-27 Read 50 pages of Twain for each class.
April
1-3 Continue reading Twain in 50 page increments. HW: Read first 50 pages or so of Hurston.
8 Discussion. Critical Paper Due. HW: Read next 50 pages of Hurston.
10 Discussion. HW: Read final pages of Hurston.
15 Finish Hurston.
17 Meet in library.
22 Critical Analysis Due. HW: Read Acts 1-3 of A Raisin in the Sun
24 Discussion. HW: Read Acts 4-5 of Raisin
29 Discussion
May
1 Exam Review. Course Evaluations.
?? Final Exam