English 204 Great Books: Literature
Section 01, Fall 2003
301 Millett Hall
031 Paul Laurence Dunbar Library (
Phone: 775-2155
E-mail: joe.law@wright.edu
Office Hours: 8:30-9:50 MW
and by appointment
Note: Because my responsibilities as Director of the
This syllabus and the policies outlined here are
also available through the English department web page: http://www.cola.wright.edu/Dept/ENG/syllab.htm
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale.
Euripides. Medea.
Trans. Rex Warner.
O'Connor, Flannery. Complete
Stories.
Pushkin, Alexander. The
Queen of Spades and Other Stories. Trans. T. Keane.
Shakespeare, William. Measure
for Measure. Minneola:
Voltaire. Candide. Minneola:
NOTE: Any edition of these works will be suitable for the class—just be sure any other collection of O’Connor or Pushkin stories includes all those assigned. If the book store in the Student Union or across the street does not have a copy of one or more of the books, check area libraries, used book stores, and the Internet. I have included the ISN to help you locate any books you need.
COURSE
DESCRIPTION:
English
204 (Great Books: Literature) introduces selected masterpieces of poetry,
drama, and fiction from the Western literary tradition from the Greeks to the
twentieth century, viewed in their historical context and read for their
enduring interest. In addition to discussing their reading in class, students
will take unannounced reading quizzes, write brief responses to their readings,
write two slightly longer papers (three to four pages), and take a final exam.
These assignments are described in more detail elsewhere in this syllabus.
The General Education (GE) program is designed to promote
intellectual growth, cultivate critical examination and informed understanding,
encourage breadth and flexibility of perspective, and provide students an
opportunity to develop skills and knowledge that will form the basis for their
life-long learning. Accordingly, the GE program has been planned to help
students
sharpen critical thinking, problem solving, and
communication skills;
learn about the aesthetic, ethical, moral, social, and
cultural dimensions of human experience needed for participation in the human
community;
increase knowledge and understanding of the past,
of the world in which we live, and of how both past and present have an impact
on the future.
English
204 can be used to satisfy either
Area IV (Human Expression) or Area
VI (College Component) requirements.
Area IV Learning Objectives:
Area IV courses will help students develop an intellectual and
aesthetic appreciation of significant artistic works and/or importantliterary,
religious, and philosophical texts. Students will explore how such works
express both personal vision and cultural concerns. They will also examine the
specific means writers, composers, and creative and performing artists adopt to
communicate with their audience. In these courses students will
recognize and critically discuss significant
creative, philosophical, and religious works;
understand the complex blend of personal
vision, social-cultural background, ethical values, and aesthetic judgment in
such works;
discuss the diverse means of communication in
such works.
Area VI Learning Objectives:
English 204 may be used as an Area VI course. These classes link General Education more closely with study in the major, thereby making more apparent the applicability and transferability of general competencies to specialized study. These courses are designed to help students
communicate with non-specialists as well as
individuals who are in the student’s major and allied fields;
understand important relationships and
interdependencies between the student’s major and other academic
disciplines, world events, or life endeavors.
ENG 204 and Writing Across the Curriculum:
English 204 is a designated writing intensive (WI) course in the
GE portion of the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) program, which has three
principal goals:
to use writing to explore and better understand
course content.
to give students opportunities to improve
their writing skills.
to introduce students to the different ways
writing is used in different fields of study.
POLICIES
AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Course Grade: All GE classes are graded A-F. The course
grade will be determined as follows: papers, 30%; reading responses, 30%; reading
quizzes, 30%; final exam, 10%. Grading standards for the finished papers are
included with this syllabus, as are guidelines for the reading responses. Grading
criteria for reading responses differ considerably from grading criteria for
papers.
Attendance: Attendance and participation are expected of all
students. Much of the work in the course will be carried out in class
discussion. Missing a class means that you cannot benefit from the comments of
other students and that other students cannot benefit from yours. Missed
quizzes and reading responses may not be made up; however, I will drop at least
one reading response grade and one quiz grade, so missing one of each of these
assignments will not adversely affect your grade.
Tardiness: Class will begin as scheduled. Late arrivals disrupt
class, so please be on time. Students who arrive late will not receive
additional time to complete any activities already begun, such as a reading quiz.
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of class; if you are late, it is your
responsibility to see that my record is corrected that same class period.
Editing skills: Since this is
a literature class, I will not be teaching grammar per se; however,
it will affect grades on assignments. It is the responsibility of all students
to proofread and edit their own work before it is submitted. Any student who
does not exhibit proficiency in writing throughout the semester should not
expect to pass the course.
Paper format: All assignments written out of class
(including reading responses) must be typed (or processed) on 8 1/2 by 11" white paper
with 1" margins on all
sides. All papers should be double spaced. Your name, my name, the course
number and section number, and the date should appear in the top left corner of
the first page above the centered title. All pages (including the first) should
be numbered as illustrated on the sample first page attached
at the end of this syllabus.
Academic honesty: All work
submitted must be your own, with outside sources properly acknowledged.
Academic dishonesty includes copying another's work, turning in someone else's
work as your own, allowing a tutor to write part or all of your paper, or
allowing someone else to use your work in this same manner. If you are unsure
about your work in this matter, talk to me before you submit the paper,
not after.
Special accommodations: If you are registered with the Office
of Disability Services (ODS) and need course adaptations or accommodations
because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share
with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be
evacuated, please see me as soon as possible. We should make adjustments at the
beginning of the course.
University Writing Center: Writing Consultants in the
Writing Center (031 Library) are available to assist you as you work on your
papers. Be sure to take a copy of your assignment with you when you go. The
Writing Center also has a cluster of networked computers available for student
use. (Some word processing instruction and assistance are also provided.) The
service is free to all WSU students. To get more information about hours and
the services provided, call 775-4186.
All readings should be completed by the date they
are scheduled for class discussion.
(RR) = Typed/printed response to
reading due at the beginning of class
FINAL
EXAM
Do not make travel plans without taking this exam into
account!
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING
I
will provide a specific prompt I want you to respond to. If all goes as I
hope, you may be able to use one of these responses as the starting point
for the slightly longer papers you will be asked to write. Each response should
be between 100 and 200 words long. (The text on the sample page at the end
of this syllabus is 156 words long.)
Grading: Each response will be worth
10 points. As long as the entry is typed, is on topic, responds to all parts
of the prompt, is free from factual error, and meets the minimum length requirement,
you will automatically receive 7 points. The other 3 points will be given
on the basis of content and presentation. I'll be as generous as I can with
those points--the writing doesn't need to be polished, but edit out major
sentence errors (fragments, comma splices, run-ons) and run a spell check.
A response that is not typed will receive no more than five points. At the
end of the quarter I will drop the lowest grade in this category.