The information posted on this site addresses the syllabus information required by Texas House Bill 2504.  The syllabus handed out in class will contain more information than is noted here, including the class withdrawal policy, class participation requirements, scholastic dishonesty, and other important information.  The entire syllabus is posted on the Blackboard site for this course. And, the entire syllabus will be handed out in class.

[Thank you to Theresa (Terry Stewart) Mouchayleh for the wording of this disclaimer.]

Prerequisites

Enrollment in any literature course requires credit for both ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302 or their equivalents. The grade in ENGL 1302 must be at least “C.”

If I request it, you must send me physical evidence of equivalents by the 5^th class day. Make sure your name appears legibly. Evidence can be an official grade sheet with your name on it or a transcript. Have these delivered to my mailbox (Wendy Lym, EVC; scanned and sent to me as a pdf via email; or dropped outside my door in EVC 9414).

Class Structure

Classes will combine readings, online lecture notes, exams, writing, and viewing film. The short lectures will help you expand your understanding of the works, engage with the material, and share some critical insights. In addition, you will complete 6 Reading Notes, a Prose Exam, a Poetry Exam, a Drama Exam, and a Novel and Film Analytical Research Paper.

Blackboard

All course materials appear in folders on Blackboard. These folders include: Orientation, Course Documents (Policy Statement and Course Schedule with Assignments), Electronic Resources, Prose, Poetry, Drama, and Novel/Film.  You must submit all workusing Blackboard.Please complete the Blackboard Orientation provided by ACC if you are unfamiliar with this application. I also use Blackboard for class announcements, sample exam answers, changes to the syllabus, etc. You will log into Blackboard in the Testing Centers to take your exams.

Email

Blackboard relies on your ACC email. Please ensure that you regularly check that email address or have it forwarded to another account. This enables efficient communication in the event that I need to get in touch with you.

Course Requirements

Reading Notes—Students perform best when they have read effectively. I want to give you credit for that preparation. Quizzes stress me out, so I do not use them. For every text that we read you should take notes on your reading. Some days you will have reading notes for 2 or 3 works. I will assess Reading Notes for 6 texts, but you may choose the texts. IF YOU WANT TO DO WELL ON THE EXAMS, DO READING NOTES FOR EACH AND EVERY TEXT WE READ.

I will grade notes for thoughtful completion; I am not concerned with your grammar—just be thorough. Please do not download notes from online sites; these are neither helpful nor legitimate and doing so will cause you to earn 0 points. I am not interested in having you do ANY research on these texts before doing your Reading Notes. Reading Notes are there to reflect your own responses to the readings. It’s OK to have questions or to make interpretive errors in Reading Notes. You will not lose points for mistakes. You will lose points if you are not thorough and reflective.

You can find a template for Reading Notes in the Prose, Poetry, and Drama Folders.

Exams—Exams will be given on each of the major literary forms—prose, poetry, and drama. Exams will be offered in all ACC Testing Centers during the days specified. You will need to bring your ACC ID card and Blackboard log-in to the Testing Center. The exams will be completed on a computer. Please see more detailed information about Testing Center Policies and Exam Preparation in the Resources Folder of Blackboard. There are no make-ups offered for the exams.

Novel/Film Analytical Research Paper—The Novel/Film analysis is a 4-6 page research paper. Please see the Novel/Film Folder for more detailed information. The paper must be word-processed in 12-point font. Margins should be 1-1.25” all the way around the page. Double space. Use MLA citation styles.

Late Assignments

I do not accept late Reading Notes, exams, or papers. If you do not complete your work on time, you will receive a 0 for the assignment.

Extra Credit

I do not assign extra credit—not even if you only need 1 more point to get the grade that you desire. I already drop your lowest Reading Notes grade. Please do not ask for extra credit. Thank you.

Grades

You will earn points for each assignment you complete.

• Reading Notes, 20 points each (I count the 5 highest Reading Notes and drop the lowest), maximum 100 points
• Exams, 100 points each
• Novel and Film Analytical Research Paper, 100 points

Grade

A = 450-500 points

B = 400-449 points

C= 350-399 points

D= 300-349 points

F = 0-290 points

Scholastic Dishonesty

Acts prohibited by the College for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work.  Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research, or self-expression.  Academic work is defined as, but not limited to, tests and quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations; and homework.

Please see the Handbook for additional information. Should I detect scholastic dishonesty, I will give you an F in the class. Cheating during an exam is grounds for immediate failure of the class in addition to college disciplinary procedures.

I wish that I did not have to include this in my syllabus, but I must. If I catch plagiarism—even a single sentence—in your work, you may instantly fail the course. This also applies to Reading Notes—cheating is cheating. If you use online study sites, including Wikipedia and enotes, to enhance your understanding of a text, you are at serious risk for unintentionally plagiarizing because plagiarism includes taking another person’s ideas and making them your own without citing the source. Even unintentional plagiarism will be penalized.

Students with Disabilities

Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities.  Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes.  Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester. 

Student Freedom of Expression

Each student is strongly encouraged to participate in class.  In any classroom situation that includes discussion and critical thinking, there are bound to be many differing viewpoints.  These differences enhance the learning experience and create an atmosphere where students and instructors alike will be encouraged to think and learn.  On sensitive and volatile topics, students may sometimes disagree not only with each other but also with the instructor.  It is expected that faculty and students will respect the views of others when expressed in classroom discussions.

Withdrawal Policy

The Texas State Legislature passed a bill stating that students who first enroll in public colleges and universities beginning in fall 2007 and thereafter may not withdraw from more than six classes during their undergraduate college career. See ACC Student Handbook for further information.

Texts and Supplies

The Bedford Introduction to Literature, 9^th edition

Twelfth Nightby Wm. Shakespeare(available at most book stores—any copy will do—or online at http://shakespeare.mit.edu/twelfth_night/index.html)

Electronic Readings, provided on Blackboard

Oneof the following novels and the film that accompanies it:

• The Heart of Darknessby Joseph Conrad/ Apocalypse Now
• Like Water for Chocolate*by Laura Esquivel Atwood/ Amelie

PROSE UNIT

POETRY UNIT

DRAMA UNIT

NOVEL/FILM UNIT

Readings and assignments will include poetry (17th century, romantic, modern, and postmodern), prose (short fiction, speeches, newspaper articles, and essays or nonfiction from Western and Eastern literary traditions), drama (classical, Shakespeare, and contemporary), and a contemporary novel paired with a film.

• English 2342, Introduction to Literature Iis a study of the main genres of literature:  poetry, drama, and prose.  It thus involves selected readings, arranged by types.

   

  Course Objectives

  • To provide a working knowledge of the characteristics of each literary genre;
  • To develop analytical skills and critical thinking through reading, discussion, and written assignments; 
  • To broaden your intercultural reading experience;
  • To deepen your awareness of the universal human concerns that are the basis for literary works;
  • To stimulate a greater appreciation of language as an artistic medium and of the aesthetic principles that shape literary works;
  • To understand literature as an expression of human values within an historical and social context.