Updated Syllabus March 31

and practice scholastic honesty, academic integrity, and the ethics of communi-cation.

Description

Exploration of literature by genre and/or theme; literary

analysis and interpretation; in-

tensive writing about literature.

Prerequisite

English 104 or its equivalent

Prerequisite Skills

Appropriate thesis

Documentation of sources

Familiarity with MLA format

Student Learning

Outcomes

In this course, because of fo-

cused discussions in class, close reading, and extensive writing,

students will learn to:

read and interpret litera-ture critically and analyti-cally;

recognize major literary genres;

identify the conventions of literary discourse that gov-ern how readers construct literary meaning;

identify, synthesize, and document primary and secondary sources;

develop written arguments that build upon research relating to and interpreta-tion of literary texts;

demonstrate competency in grammar, diction, and usage;

Course Overview

Course Theme

This course is organized

around the idea of identity,

focusing on three factors that

shape identity:

Family (Past)

Personal Actions (Present)

Intended Legacy (anticipated future)

Each unit is organized around

one of these themes, with

literature relevant to that

theme . These selections are

drawn from numerous peri-

ods. In each unit, students

will engage with literature

from several of the following

genres:

Novel

Short story

Poetry

Creative Nonfiction

Poetic Prose

Drama

Film

Theresa Rodriguez

Habbestad

[email protected]

LAAH 458

Office Hours:

TR 4:00-5:00

and

by appointment

Writing about Literature English 203.511

Spring 2014

Tuesday & Thursday 5:30-6:45 PM

LAAH 264

SYLLABUS SECTIONS

Course Overview 1

Course Procedures

General 2

Grading scale 2-3

Textbooks

Readings and Due Dates’

January 3

February

March

April

End of the Semester

mailto:[email protected]

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

A large portion of this course will involve discussing challenging texts, writing in

response to those texts, and responding to other students' writing. With that in mind, students are expected to show respect for everyone in their classroom community. This means that ideas

and/or personal information shared during class activities (in person or online) is privi-leged information.

Furthermore, students are expected to show respect for the ideas and opinions of others (in person or online) using a tone of civil discourse. As a guiding principle, re-member to behave in a manner reflecting the fact that you are disagreeing with ideas and not with people.

In the spirit of a respectful classroom envi-ronment, this course will be conducted in accordance with the Americans with Disa-bilities Act (ADA), “a federal anti-

discrimination statute that provides com-prehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning envi-ronment that provides for reasonable ac-commodation of their disabilities.

If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact Disability Services, in Cain Hall, Room B118, or call 845-1637. For additional information visit http://disability.tamu.edu.”

Should you require accommodations for this course (whether or not you have filed with Disability Services), please discuss the mat-ter with the instructor, in order to ensure that you have the opportunity to fully engage with the classroom community, this course, and with this

material.

Class Discussion 10%

Each day that we have class discus-

sion, there will be a total of 20 points

possible. Those points will be award-

ed based on the following criteria:

Attendance 10 pts

Engagement (being awake and

attentive, not doing other things,

etc.) 5 pts

Any contributions to the discus-

sion, either oral (in class) or via

twitter (using the hashtag

#En203511 by 7:00PM following

class discussions). 5 pts

Major Writ. Assign. 10%

This category will consist of the fol-

lowing grades for each unit:

Unit Argumentative paper first

draft

30 pts

Unit Argumentative paper revised

draft

15 pts

as well as

Final Argumentative paper first

draft

30 pts

Final Argumentative paper revised

draft

15 pts

Course Procedures

Grades Distribution

Page 2 Writing about Literature

Grades for this course will be weighted, with each assignment falling into one of nine categories. Most categories will consist

of several grades.

Paper Consultations 10%

Consultations will be

worth 30 points each, for

a total of 180 points.

Your paper consultations

should include:

3 paper conferences

(1 each unit) with the

instructor.

2 in person writing

center visits at the

University Writing

Center.

1 online writing cen-

ter appointment with

the University Writ-

ing Center.

Other Activities 15%

Assignments, such as

homework or class activi-

ties, which do not fall into

any other category will

fall into this grade catego-

ry.

Discussion Facilitation 5%

Students will be responsi-

ble for an informal facili-

tation of a preselected

reading/author. This will

include brief biographical

information about the

author (time and place in

which they lived, any

noteworthy events in

their life, and any infor-

mation that is relevant

for the text we’ve read

for class) and 3-5 open-

ended discussion ques-

tions to begin and/or ex-

tend the discussion of

that text. Students will

select readings to facili-

tate during the second

week of the course.

One session of a con-

ference on campus

hosted by a depart-

ment in the College

of Liberal Arts

Brazos Valley Reads

event.

All other events must be

approved by the instruc-

tor.

Online Activities 15%

This category includes all

wholly online activities,

such as discussion posts,

blog posts, and responses

to each of the above.

Outside Lecture 5%

This assignment will in-

volve attending a 1-2

hour lecture/scholarly

event on a literary or

humanities related topic.

Following the lecture/

event, students must

write a 1 1/2 - 2 page

response to the event,

briefly summarizing the

content of the lecture

and reflecting on the lec-

ture and/or its relevance

to this course. Events

that students may attend

for this assignment in-

clude:

any lecture, confer-

ence, or work-in-

progress presentation

(given by faculty or

grad students)

through the

Glasscock Humanities

Center,

Portfolio 20%

An online compilation of

first drafts and final drafts

for each of the following:

2 unit papers

Personal reflection

(revisiting first assign-

ment)

Final research paper

Multimodal project 10%

The final project for this

course, due the last day

of finals week, is an indi-

vidual or group (up to 3

members) project, com-

municating either a theme

evident in multiple texts

or a skill developed dur-

ing this course. The grade

for this category will in-

clude both an approved

proposal and the final

product of this project.

Grade Distribution (continued)

Page 3

Caption describing

picture or graphic.

Should an assignment be turned in

late, the grade for the assignment

will be reduced by 10% for

each day past the due date. For ex-

ample, if an assignment is due on Tuesday and is turned in on Thurs-day, there will be a 20% grade deduc-

tion.

For all of these assignments, students are expected to abide by the Aggie Code of Conduct, which states that

“An Aggie does not lie, cheat or

steal, or tolerate those who do.”

The grade scale for this course will

be, as follows:

A = 90-100

B = 80-89

C = 70-79

D = 60-69

F = <60

Students are required to have the

day’s assigned reading accessible during class meetings.

Most of the course readings are avail-

able on the course’s ecampus site;

however, there are three novels that

students will need. There is no re-

quired edition of any of these novels,

but recommended editions are availa-

ble in the MSC Bookstore:

Kindred by Octavia Butler

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Hunger Games by Suzanne

Collins

Other recommended resources in-

clude:

Writing handbook (eg. Writer’s

Reference by Diane Hacker and

Nancy Sommers)

Editions of An Ideal Husband and

Macbeth available in the MSC

bookstore.

Students must also check their TAMU

email account several times every

week.

Additional Grade Policies

Textbooks & Materials


Thursday, January 16

Theme: Legacy Inherited from Family

Readings

“Heritage”

Linda Hogan

“Grandmother”

Grace Cavalieri

“Everyday Use”

Alice Walker

“Enter the Serpent”

Gloria Anzaldúa

Assignments Due

Student contract

Pre-course reflection

Readings

First half of Kindred

“The Fight” ch. 6- Epilogue


Theme: Family history

Assignments Due

Sign up for discussion

facilitation

January

Readings

First half of Kindred

Prologue- “The Fight” ch. 5

Assignments Due

None

Tuesday, January 21

Theme: Family history

Page 5

Unit 1: Family (Past)

https://ecampusprod.tamu.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/uploadAssignment?content_id=_488698_1&course_id=_18098_1&assign_group_id=&mode=cpview

https://ecampusprod.tamu.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContentEditable.jsp?content_id=_484017_1&course_id=_18098_1&mode=reset

Tuesday, January 28

Theme: Research

Readings

None

Library Research

Instruction

Assignments Due

Discussion Post (by

11:59 PM Monday)

Readings

“Papa, Who Wakes Up Early in the Dark”

By Sandra Cisneros

“Inspired Eccentricity” By bell hooks

Tuesday, February 4

Theme: Reflecting on

Family

Writing instruction topic: Developing literary thesis

Assignments Due

Blog post (by 11:59

PM Monday)

Readings

“Daddy” by Sylvia Plath

“forgiving my father’ By Lucille Clifton

“Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid

“The Machinist, Teaching

his Daughter to Play the Piano” by B.H. Fairchild

Assignments Due

Response to another

person’s discussion

post


Theme: Generational dis-sonance


Inside Story Headline

Unit 1 continued

Thursday, February 6 Theme: Transcendence of

family

Readings

Secrets & Lies Film available online

Assignments Due

Response to another

person’s blog post

Unit 2 Personal Actions (Present)

Tuesday, February 11

Theme: Character,

actions, and repercussions

Page 7

Thursday, February 13

Theme: Ramifications of

our Actions for Others (constructing women’s place in society and the

role of class)

Readings

“I Stand Here Ironing” By Tillie Olsen

“Novella” by Adrienne Rich

“The Making of a Slut” By Naomi Wolf

Assignments Due

Unit 1 paper due

(Friday by 11:59 pm)

February Assignments Due

Sign up for

conference

Readings

An Ideal Husband


Theme: Ramifications of

our actions in community

(responding to race)

Readings

“The Kind of Light that

Shines on Texas”

By Reginald McKnight

“For the white person who wants to be my

friend”

By Pat Parker

Assignments Due

Discussion Post (by

11:59 PM Monday)

Readings

Frankenstein


Theme: Character, actions, and repercussions

Assignments Due

Blog post (by 11:59

PM Monday)


Theme: —



Unit 2 continued

Readings

No regular class meet-ing, Individual confer-

ences with TH

Assignments Due

Response to another

person’s discussion

post


Theme: Character, actions, and repercussions

Readings

Frankenstein

Assignments Due

Response to another


Page 9

Tuesday, March 4

Theme: Ramifications of our actions in community

(shaping our relationships and our perspectives)

Thursday, March 6

Theme: —

Readings

No regular class meet-

ing, UWC visits

Assignments Due

Unit 2 paper due


March Assignments Due

Sign up for

Conference

2 Peer Reviews

Readings

Crash Film Available online

Tuesday, March 18

Theme: Actions and the

future

Guest Lecture with Amber

Dunai

Readings

Selections from Beowulf

Assignments Due

Readings


ences with TH

Tuesday, March 25

Theme: —

Assignments Due

Thursday, March 20

Theme: Immediate legacy

Multimodal Projects


Unit 3 Intended Legacy (Future)

Readings

Discussion of first two themes

Assignments Due

Thursday, March 27

Theme:

Readings

“The Story of an Hour” By Kate Chopin

“Mourning Picture” By Adrienne Rich

“Annabelle Leigh” By Edgar Allen Poe

Assignments Due

Revised Unit 1 paper


Page 11

Tuesday, April 1

Theme: Fate vs. Actions in our Legacy

Thursday, April 3

Theme: Fate vs. Actions in our Legacy

Readings

Macbeth Act 3-5

Assignments Due Response to an-

other person’s

discussion post

Revised Unit 2

paper (Friday by

11:59 pm)

2 Peer Reviews to

Unit 1 Revised

Papers

April Assignments Due

Discussion Post (by

11:59 PM Monday)

Unit 2 Conferences

Readings

Macbeth Act 1-2

Tuesday, April 8

Theme: Society’s Legacy

Readings

The Hunger Games Ch. 1-14

Assignments Due

Blog post (by 11:59

PM Monday)

Sign up for

Conference #3

Readings

Creative Nonfiction

From Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own

Tuesday, April 15

Theme:

Assignments Due

Final paper proposal

Thursday, April 10

Theme: Society’s Legacy



Unit 3 continued

Readings

The Hunger Games Ch. 15-27

Assignments Due

Response to another


2 Peer Reviews to

Unit 2 Revised Papers

Unit 3 paper


Thursday, April 17

Theme: —

Readings


ences with TH

Assignments Due

Revised Unit 3 paper


Page 13

Tuesday, April 22

Theme: Final Paper and Final Portfolio

Readings

Film: The Village

Assignments Due

Multimodal Project

Proposal due

(by 11:59 PM Monday)

2 Peer Reviews to

Unit 3 Revised Papers

Thursday, April 24

Theme: Portfolio

Readings

Discussion of Unit 3 theme

Assignments Due

Final paper



End of Semester Items

Sundayday, April 27

Theme: —-

Assignments Due

2 Peer Reviews of Final Paper

Wednesday, April 30

Theme: —-

Assignments Due

Portfolio

Wednesday, May 7

3:30-5:30 (or by appointment)

Theme: —-

Assignments Due

Multimodal Project

Tuesday, April 29

Theme: —-

Assignments Due

Writing Center Visits due

Thursday, May 1

Theme: —-

Assignments Due

Outside Lecture Response

Documents

Updated Syllabus March 31