Introduction
Welcome
to English 355: Earlier 19th Century American Texts. Here
is a syllabus for the course;
you are responsible for the information therein, so read it over carefully
and print out a hardcopy.
In this multimode course, you will be responsible for completing multiple reading and writing assignments within the context of ten modules. This is the first module. We will meet in person once a week, usually on Wednesdays. During the time reserved for the other day, I will be available for office hours; mainly you will be expected to use this time to respond to and comment on readings in an online discussion forum.
This course is run by way of my
own website in conjunction with Wright State University's
distance learning program WebCT.
If you have never used the program before, make sure you complete this WebCT Tutorial.
Feel free to contact me with questions or concerns via WebCT. I always answer within 24 hours.
The index page will operate as your primary resource for the course. You may access
this page via www.wright.edu/~david.wilson or via WebCT by clicking the Main folder.
All
major and minor assignments should be submitted to me via WebCT on their respective due dates and times. Go to the Assignments folder and upload your work accordingly. All assignments
must be composed and submitted on MS-Word as .doc or .docx files. Assignments submitted otherwise (e.g. as .wps or .rtf files) will not receive credit.
Major
assignments will receive letter grades. Minor assignments will receive
one of three marks:
2 denotes
work that is complete and follows directions. 1 denotes
work that is only partially complete or diverges from the directions. 0 denotes work that is illegible or, in most cases,
simply not turned in.
I will provide detailed feedback on all major assignments (i.e. minithemes) that you are required to turn in. MS-Word allows me to type comments in the margin of your documents. When I am finished, I save the documents with my comments, grade them, and upload them to you via WebCT. If, for some reason, you do not receive feedback from me on a major assignment, email me and let me know; very likely I forgot to upload the feedback.
A
Frequently Asked Questions forum is available on WebCT.
This is a peer-response space where you may post questions about assignments,
due dates, etc. Participation points will be given for both questions
and answers. Please refer to this forum before referring to me. If none
of your peers are able to answer your question, I will of course do
so.
We
have one paperback text for this course, The Norton
Anthology of American Literature: Volume B (1820-1865).
Due dates and times for assignments
will always be clearly posted at the end of each module and on WebCT.
Reading
& Comprehension
Read the introduction to The Norton Anthology of American Literature, "American Literature: 1820-1865" (929).
Assignments
Summary: Summarize "American Literature: 1820-1865" (929), discussing its dominant themes and figures. Cite at least 8 major authors of the period and explain their influence. 500 words. DUE DATE: Monday, Sept. 14, 9 a.m.
Discussion #1: As the introduction to the The Norton Anthology of American Literature states, REFORM and CONFLICT were two central themes of the American Renaissance. From your perspective, discuss the positive and negative aspects of these themes on WebCT's discussion forum. This is the first of many discussions we will have about our readings throughout the quarter. For this posting, you are encouraged to respond to your peers, but it is not mandatory, as it will be in some other discussions. 250-500 words. DUE DATE: Monday, Sept. 14, 9 a.m.
