Syllabus: 
Instructor: 
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Texts:		 English 740 (Biography)
Maner
Winter 2007
MW 4:10-5:50
021 Millett
441 Millett
MW 11:00-12:00 and other times by appointment
martin.maner@wright.edu
Boswell, James.  The Life of Samuel Johnson.  London: Penguin, 1979.
Gibaldi, Joseph.  MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.  6th ed.  New York: MLA, 2003.
Malcolm, Janet.  The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes.  New York: Vintage-Random, 1994.
Strachey, Lytton.  Eminent Victorians.  London: Penguin, 1986.
Additional e-texts are listed below.
DATE TOPIC READING
Wed
1/3		 Introduction
Explore http://www.wright.edu/~martin.maner/splinks.htm		  
Mon
1/8		 The Silent Woman Malcolm 3-66
Wed
1/10		 The Silent Woman Malcolm 69-143
Mon
1/15		 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Wright State University is closed for the holiday.		  
Wed
1/17		 The Silent Woman Malcolm 147-213
Mon
1/22		 The Silent Woman
Last day to drop a class without the grade of "W"		  
Wed
1/24		 M. H. Abrams and the canons of biographical criticism Handout
Mon
1/29		 John Locke and the canons of biographical evidence Handout
Wed
1/31		 Biographical sketch due (1000 words)  
Mon
2/5		 Johnson's Life of Savage [abridged]
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Texts/savage-abridged.html		 Read text at web address; print out text for in-class discussion.
Wed
2/7		 Johnson's Life of Pope [abridged]
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Texts/pope-abr.html		 Read text at web address; print out text for in-class discussion.
Mon
2/12		 Johnson's Life of Pope [abridged]  
Wed
2/14		 Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson [abridged] Boswell 7-89
Mon
2/19		 Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson [abridged]
Last day to drop a class with the grade of "W"

Boswell 93-154
Wed
2/21		 Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson  [abridged] Boswell 157-260
Mon
2/26		 Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson  [abridged] Boswell 263-342
Wed
2/28		 "Cardinal Manning" Strachey vii-131
Mon
3/5		 "Florence Nightingale" Strachey 133-203
Wed
3/7		 "Dr. Arnold" Strachey 207-42
Mon
3/12		 "The End of General Gordon"
Term paper due		 Strachey 243-351
Fri
3/16		 Final Exam
5:45-7:45 PM (Note that the final exam occurs during a different time slot!)		  
Evaluation    
  Quizzes (drop lowest) 30%
  Biographical sketch 15%
  Term paper 25%
  Attendance and participation 5%
  Final exam 25%
Computing Course Grades
Course grades are computed by multiplying weighted percentages times the numerical value of letter grades, using the following equivalents: A = 4.0,  A- = 3.8,  B+ = 3.2, and so on.
Attendance
Attendance at every class meeting is required.  If you must miss a class, please do not ask me whether you "missed anything important."  This question implies that on some days, nothing but trivial and unimportant material is presented.  Please do not ask me to go over the material you missed; it is your responsibility to review such material with a classmate.  The 5% of course credit for attendance will be graded as follows: 0-1 absence=A; 2 absences=B; 3 absences=C; 4 absences=D.  After five recorded absences, which may include days that you arrived late but failed to have me correct the attendance record, you will receive an automatic F for the entire course.  I take attendance at the beginning of the hour. If you arrive late, your attendance will not be recorded unless you see me after class to have me mark you as present. Late arrivals can affect your course grade, particularly in marginal cases.  Repeated late arrivals will lower your attendance and participation grade; each set of two late arrivals equals  one absence.  If something or someone is frequently going to prevent your arriving on time, you should see me at once and tell me about it.
Assistance on Papers
I am happy to meet with you individually for assistance, but administrative work may force me to miss office hours occasionally.  Making an appointment a day ahead of time is always advisable.
CLASS POLICIES
1.  Avoid late arrivals, please; they are disruptive and distracting.. If you arrive late on the day of a pop quiz, I will not delay the class by allowing you to start late. Arriving late means that you missed the quiz but may take the scheduled make-up. Repeated late arrivals will lower your course grade.  (Two late arrivals equals one absence in the attendance grading scale.)
2.  Absence during the first two class meetings of the quarter means that you may be dropped from the course.
3.  After five recorded absences, which may include days that you arrived late but failed to have me correct the attendance record (see policy #8, below), you will receive an automatic F for the course.
4.  Please do not offer excuses for absences. There is no such thing as an "excused absence" in this course, because I assume that students will miss class only for good reasons. All absences are figured according to the scale given under "Evaluation" (above). If you wish to be evaluated according to a different attendance policy, or if you know that you must miss class on specific dates, I will work out an attendance policy just for you as long as you arrange that policy during the first two days of classes.  After the first two days of classes, please do not give me any excuses for absences unless you provide documentation to show that a genuine emergency has taken place--such as a subpoena for a court appearance or a funeral notice for a family member with documentation to show your relationship to the deceased. 
5. No make-up quizzes will be given except on the one make-up day indicated above. The midterm and final examination will be given only once. There will be no make-ups.
6.  I normally do not grant "I" grades. If you miss an assignment, your grade will be computed on the basis of the work you completed, with the missing assignment counted as zero.
7.  Please do not ask me what you missed.  You are responsible for making arrangements with a classmate to supply you with information about classes you missed.  If questions remain, see me.
8.  I take attendance at the beginning of the hour. If you arrive late, your attendance will not be recorded unless you see me after class to have me mark you as present. Absences and late arrivals can affect your course grade, particularly in marginal cases.  Each set of two late arrivals counts as one absence.
9.  Online reading assignments are listed under the "Topic" heading instead of the "Readings" heading. They should be completed by the days indicated.  Plan your work ahead of time and download the online assignments in advance, because if you wait until the due date, you may find that the web page is temporarily out of order or that internet resources are otherwise unavailable for some reason.  Quiz and exam items may be drawn from the online readings, and "my computer service was down last night" will not be considered a valid excuse.  Also, not having a computer or online account at home is not an excuse for missing these assignments, since computer facilities are abundantly available on campus.
10.  Due to the continuing decline of courtesy in American life, it is necessary to mention some things that should normally go without saying.  a) It is rude to e-mail someone anonymously, using only a screen name.   b) It is rude to leave voice mail messages without identifying yourself.   ("I am a student in your morning class" is not adequate self-identification.)  c) It is rude to bring a beeping watch, or cell phone, or other digital device to class without turning it off first.  d) It is rude to bring a child to class with you, especially if you have not asked for the instructor's permission.
11.  My office is 441 Millett, telephone 775-2639.  You may leave messages for me with the department secretaries at 775-3136.  Another convenient way to have individual conferences is via e-mail.  My e-mail address is listed at the top of the syllabus.  I check my account daily.  Note, too, that this syllabus is posted on the Web at the address listed below, under "Resources.".
RESOURCES
Online Syllabuses:
http://www.wright.edu/cola/Dept/eng/maner/maner.htm
Links to Resources in Literature and the Humanities:
http://www.wright.edu/cola/Dept/eng/lit_links.htm
E-Mail Links:
         Martin Maner
         Charlotte Droll (Humanities Reference Librarian)