Introduction to Literature – LIT 2000- course ref # 291551 – Spring 2009

Professor Kinder

Kent Campus

 

Course and Instructor information:
Class meetings:   
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00 – 3:15, B208

Office hours:         You’re welcome to drop by, but it’s best to call to make sure I don’t have an appointment. These hours are posted on my office door and on my website.

Kent: B247            M: 12:20 – 2:20

T: 9:15 am – 12:15

W: 12:20 - 4:20 pm

R: 11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Web Page: www1.fccj.edu/jkinder

Contact phone:    office 381-3508

cell (nights and weekends) 545-1504 – Please do not text me on my cell phone.

E-mail: jkinder@fccj.org

Course Description: This course is designed to enhance personal appreciation of literature, hone critical thinking skills, and provide instruction in the MLA research paper. Introduction to Literature presents the major literary forms and their distinctive characteristics and conventions, principle literary themes, and different critical approaches. This introductory course prepares students for further literary study. This course includes reading, speaking and writing competencies. Prerequisite: C or higher in ENC 1101.

 

Texts:     Gardner. Literature: A Portable Anthology, Bedford St. Martins.

                Recommended: The Easy Writer or another reliable English handbook

 

Policies:
Attendance:  Students should have no more than two absences, since excessive absences can result in serious loss of momentum for a student, not to mention falling behind in class assignments After an absence, students are to come to class prepared with the last class assignment as well as those for the current class. Please keep me informed either via phone or email if you need to be absent, so that I know you have not stopped attending class. Email correspondence is not a substitute for presence in class.

I post copies of handouts in Blackboard. If you need one that you do not see posted, feel free to email me. However, please do not contact me asking me to provide notes or a summary of the class you missed.  It is always wise to form study groups so that classmates may keep each other informed during absences.

Tardies: I do not count tardies, as I would rather students show up late than not attend at all; however, please be considerate of those who arrived on time by entering and being seated quietly.

Persistent Absences: Students with several consecutive absences without contacting the instructor or those who fail to finish the course will receive a “FN” grade. Be aware that this may affect some financial aid situations. The deadline to drop the course with a “w” this term is Monday, March 16.

Advice to those responsible for school age children: County school district schedules and the college calendar rarely match exactly. Be alert for those days when children are off school and we are not; arrange childcare accordingly.

Electronic Devices:
Please keep cell phones stowed and on silent setting during class time. All other electronic devices should remain off. Laptops may be used for note taking or instruction related activities.

Submitting work:

Format: All student work completed outside of class is to be typed in 10-12 standard fonts and double-spaced.  Globally conscious students may reduce margins to save paper.

 

 

Submission procedure: In order to receive credit for their writing, students will digitally submit essays and final papers to turnitin.com first.

v  class ID: 2540442, password: kinder

For grading, students will turn it a hard copy with its turnitin.com submission receipt to Professor Kinder.

 

Digital submission: Some assignments will be available in Blackboard for digital submission. Hard copies are not necessary when submitted to Blackboard.  
However, while 100 point (or greater) assignments submitted to turnitin.com are counted as submitted according to their digital time stamp, I still require a hard copy of each paper delivered to me for grading; I do not download and print the papers for grading myself.  I will not grade hard copies submitted more than 7 days after the paper is due.

 

Academic Integrity: Writing by other authors will be treated with due respect and will be cited properly. Students who plagiarize will receive a 0 on the assignment with no option to rewrite. Students who plagiarize two assignments will fail the course. See FCCJ Code of Academic Integrity for additional college consequences that may also follow.

 

Late work: Late work is extremely disruptive to my grading and record keeping; therefore, my policies have little leeway.

*         All online work must be completed by the time the final paper for the essay mode is due. 

*         Papers are considered late and will receive a grade penalty if they are not submitted to me during the class period that it is due, even if you contact me about your absence. Work not received within one week of the deadline will not be accepted at all. At the end of the semester, all work must be submitted by the last day of class; it will not be accepted during exam week.

*         A rough draft will not receive more than half credit if the student does not present it during or before the class meeting in which it is due.

 

Expected grade values: subject to change as necessary (see grade tracker on last page for calculation method)

Exercises/ Homework: 20 pts

Genre analyses: 100 pts

Research assignments: 50 pts

Literary research paper (see below)*: 200 pts

Final exam grade – research paper corrections: 100 pts.

 

*students will research and write a critical paper about one of the following works:

 


Drama

Wit by Margaret Edson

Dinner with Friends by Donald Marguiles

A Soldier's Play by Charles Fuller

Proof by David Auburn

Novel

The Hours by Michael Cunningham

The Known World by Edward P. Jones

Empire Falls by Richard Russo

In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien


Academic Integrity: Plagiarism and other forms of cheating will be dealt with according to college rules and regulations. See FCCJ Code of Academic Integrity for other possible college procedures. Students will receive a 0 for plagiarized papers with no option to rewrite.

Late work: Late work is extremely disruptive to grading.  Work that is not submitted to me during the class period that it is due is late and will receive a grade penalty, even if you contact me about your absence. Work not received within one week of the deadline will not be accepted. At the end of the semester, all work must be submitted by the last day of class; it will not be accepted during exam week.

Digital submission: Papers submitted to turnitin.com are given credit for their time stamp. However, I still require a hard copy of each paper delivered to me for grading.  I will not grade hard copies submitted more than 7 days after the paper is due.

Electronic Devices: Please keep cell phones stowed and on silent setting during class time and remember to alert friends and family of your class schedule. Please avoid interrupting class by taking essential communications (either text messaging or phone calls) out in the hall. Laptops may be used for note taking or instruction related activities.


Course Assignments: Schedule subject to change when necessary. Changes will be announced and posted in Blackboard.

Date

Reading due

Work Due

Lesson planned

Jan 6

 

 

class procedures and syllabus discussion; initial literary interpretation

Jan 8

"A&P" 270

 

Close Reading & annotation; Summary vs Criticism

Jan 13

“The Red Convertible” 359

Literary Terms handout

Appendix 1 - 1265-1277

- Annotated short story

- “A & P” commentary due

Finding a Thesis; Using Quotations

Jan 15

"Where are you going, Where have you been?" 348

Appendix 2 – 1279-1303

- Annotated short story 2

- “Red Convertible” Quotation exercise due

Analysis & planning a response

Jan 20

"The White Heron" 50

Appendices 3 & 4 – 1318-1324

- “Where are you going?” analysis outline

Finding and reading criticism; types of criticism

Jan 22

 

- Prewriting for short story analysis

Sample literary papers; basic documentation; Integrating sources in writing,

Jan 27

 

- Short story analysis rough draft

Peer/ teacher conferences; Short fiction: Literary trends and eras, common themes, major authors

Jan 29

“Soldier’s Home”  - handout

-Submit title of work for research project

Short fiction: Literary trends and eras, common themes

Feb 3

 

-Short Story analysis due

Intro to poetry - Literary trends and eras, common themes & forms: narrative, sonnet

Sir Patrick Spens" 371
"One Day I wrote…" 375
"When I Consider" 395

Feb 5

“Sailing to Byzantium” 504
"I wandered lonely" 727
"A Noiseless Patient Spider" 486

 

Literary trends and eras, common themes & forms: scansion & meter, free verse

Feb 10

"in Just-" 533
"The Negro Speaks" 538
"Barbie Doll" 619
"The Girl Who Loved the Sky" 689

 

Modern verse techniques and themes

Feb 12

Appendix 5 – 1325-1330

- Poetry Analysis rough draft

Peer/ teacher conferences

“Convergence of the Twain” 491

Feb 17

The Piano Lesson – Act I 1191

- Bring in examples of modern cultural references – with “footnotes”

Reading drama: literary terms; Characterization, dialogue, themes; discuss thesis for drama analysis

Feb 19

The Piano Lesson – Act II 1226

- Poetry Analysis due

Intro to Drama: eras & development; tragedy & tragic hero

Feb 24

Appendix 6 1331-1337

Drama analysis rough draft

Peer/ teacher conferences; Discussing research project

Feb 26

Outside reading (novel or play) for research completed

Bring play or novel to class

Peer/ teacher conferences about outside reading; identify themes and research topics

Mar 3

 

Bring ideas for research

Locating sources – meet in computer classroom

Mar 5

Theme: War & Loyalty

"The Things They Carried" 332
"To Lucasta, Going to the Wars" 396

“Do Not weep Maiden” 506

- Drama analysis due

- Bring or post lyrics to song dealing with patriotism.

Class discussion

War & Loyalty: authors' techniques & purposes, eras

Group work – devise and prove thesis

 

Mar 10

 

Bring preliminary research

Research teams: research findings

Discuss thesis and development of drafts

Mar 12

Theme: War & Loyalty

Dulce et Decorum Est" 532

"Begotten of the Spleen" 622

 

 

 

Mar 17

 

Thesis/ Argument Plan due

Source copies due

Drafting and documentation

Mar 19

Theme: War & Loyalty

Modern lyrics  & video segments

 

 

Mar 24

Group 1: Rough draft conferences

Group 2: In class essay: War & Loyalty

Bring rough draft of research paper for revision or notes for in class essay

Rough draft conferences

- by appointment

Mar 26

Group 2: Rough draft conferences

Group 3: In class essay: War & Loyalty

Bring rough draft of research paper for revision or notes for in class essay

Rough draft conferences

- by appointment

Mar 31

 & Apr 2

Spring Break

Apr 7

Group 3: Rough draft conferences

Group 4: In class essay: War & Loyalty

Bring rough draft of research paper for revision or notes for in class essay

Rough draft conferences

- by appointment

Apr 9

Group 4: Rough draft conferences

Group 1: In class essay: War & Loyalty

Bring rough draft of research paper for revision or notes for in class essay

Rough draft conferences

- by appointment

Apr 14

View literary performance

 

Greek Drama: viewing Oedipus scenes

Shakespeare: viewing Hamlet scenes

Apr 16

View literary performance

Final Research Paper Due

 

Apr 21

Group presentations: literary performance

 

 

Apr 23

Group presentations: literary performance

 

Revisions returned

Apr 28

Final exam – paper revisions due by 2:30 pm



Grade Tracker: Use the chart below to keep track of your current grade standing.

Assignment

Assignments subject to change as deemed necessary during the semester.

Letter

Grade

Points Earned

Points Possible

Summary/ criticism:  “A & P” commentary

 

 

20

Using quotations exercise: “Red Convertible”

 

 

20

Analysis outline: “Where are you going?”

 

 

20

Short story analysis rd

 

 

20

Short story analysis

 

 

100

Poetry analysis rd

 

 

20

Cultural references – lyrics, skits, comics

 

 

20

Poetry analysis

 

 

100

Drama analysis rd

 

 

20

Drama analysis

 

 

100

War & Loyalty lyrics

 

 

20

War & Loyalty in class writing

 

 

50

Final analysis paper

 

 

100

Research novel/ play submission (on time)

 

 

10

Mar 10 group meeting prep

 

 

20

Thesis/ Argument plan

 

 

50

Source copies

 

 

50

Rough draft conference

 

 

50

Research paper – grade value (x2)

 

             

200

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Points

 

 

 

 

To calculate grade, divide points earned by points possible and multiply by 100.

 

Letter Grade conversion:

 

A+

100

 

B+

88

 

C+

78

 

D+

68

A

95

 

B

85

 

C

75

 

D

65

A-

90

 

B-

80

 

C-

70

 

D-

60