Course Syllabus

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English 111: Introduction to Literature

#1120, Summer 2018

Instructor: Cara Diaconoff      

E-mail: <cara.diaconoff@bellevuecollege.edu>

Phone: (425) 564-2341 (leave message)  

Office location: R230

Office Hours: Wed. 1-3 p.m. (Pacific) (online—email me to alert me that you would like to meet via Canvas Chat, ConexEd Cranium Café, or Skype)

Course Information

This course introduces the study of literature through the reading and discussion of short stories, poetry, and drama as well as a full-length graphic memoir and analytical responses to literary texts in writing and other media of the student’s choice. Most of the assigned works are by British and American authors; some are by authors from other countries and other languages in translation.

Course Outcomes

After completing this class, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate an increased level of comfort with the genres: poetry, drama, fiction.
  • Identify and use terminology specific to literature.
  • Recognize some major authors.
  • Read, analyze, and explicate complex literature at both the literal and inferential levels.
  • Develop a process of analyzing works of literature.
  • Use evidence from text to support a thesis.
  • Enjoy literature and appreciate unique characteristics of each genre.
  • Apply writing skills to analyzing literature.

How Outcomes Will be Met

Students will gain knowledge, explore ideas, and advance interpretive arguments through writing two critical essays of at least 1,000 words each, writing 200-word discussion posts in response to assigned readings, usually three times per week), taking a timed midterm exam, and completing a final exam in which they present a “mixtape” consisting of musical or speech soundtracks, pieces of creative writing, and/or pieces of visual art to illuminate a selected work or works from the course.

 

Grading

Essay 1 15%

Essay 2 20%

Midterm Exam 15%

Final Exam (“Mixtape”) 20%

Discussion Posts 30%

The College Grading Policy is explained in the current Course Catalog and can also be found at this link: Grading Policy

 

Books and Materials Required

Joseph Kelly, ed., The Seagull Book of Literature: Plays, Stories, Poems, 4th edition

Alison Bechdel, Fun Home

 

Help with Canvas

Students can find help with Canvas by following the link here: Student Canvas Help

 

Course Policies

 

Accessibility

The online elements of this course are designed to be welcoming to, accessible to, and usable by everyone, including students who are English-language learners, have a variety of learning styles, have disabilities, or are new to online learning. Be sure to let me know immediately if you encounter a required element or resource in the course that is not accessible to you. Also, let me know of changes I can make to the course so that it is more welcoming to, accessible to, or usable by students who take this course in the future.

Affirmation of Inclusion

Bellevue College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination.

We value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect.

Affirmation of Inclusion (https://www.bellevuecollege.edu/inclusion/)

Undocumented Students

Students who are undocumented citizens in the United States face special challenges, especially at the current political moment. Consideration will be given to any undocumented student, or student with immediate family members who are undocumented, who faces obstacles in completing their work or attending class because of stress or outside obligations related to the undocumented status. If you fall into either of these categories and are concerned about the potential effect on your performance in the course, please email me, come to my office hours, and/or make an appointment with me to discuss your situation. Anything you tell me will be held in confidence. Every student, no matter their status, is entitled to an equitable chance to learn and succeed in their courses.

Religious Holidays

Students who expect to miss classes, examinations, or any other assignments because of their religious observance should be provided with a reasonable alternative opportunity to complete such academic responsibilities. It is the obligation of students to provide faculty with reasonable notice of the dates of religious holidays on which they will be absent, preferably at the beginning of the term. Students who are absent on days of examinations or class assignments should be offered an opportunity to make up the work without penalty (if they have previously arranged to be absent), unless it can be demonstrated that a makeup opportunity would constitute an unreasonable burden on a member of the faculty. Should disagreement arise over what constitutes an unreasonable burden or any element of this policy, parties involved should consult the department chair or Dean.

Policy 2950 Accommodations for Reasons of Faith or Conscience

College Anti-Discrimination Statement

Bellevue College does not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity; creed; color; national origin; sex; marital status; sexual orientation; age; religion; genetic information; the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability; or veteran status in educational programs and activities which it operates. Bellevue College is prohibited from discriminating in such a manner by college policy and by state and federal law. All college personnel and persons, vendors, and organizations with whom the college does business are required to comply with applicable federal and state statutes and regulations designed to promote affirmative action and equal opportunity.

Find the statement online at the following link: Equal Opportunity

Spanish and Chinese versions of the anti-discrimation statement are available at Important Links.

Confidentiality and Mandatory Reporting

As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. It is my goal that you feel able to share information related to your life experiences in classroom discussions, in your written work, and in our one-on-one meetings. I will seek to keep information you share private to the greatest extent possible. However, I am required to share with the Title IX Coordinator any and all information regarding sexual assault and other forms of sexual misconduct (e.g. dating violence, domestic violence, stalking) that may have occurred on campus or that impacts someone on campus. Students may speak to someone confidentially by contacting the BC Counseling Center at (425) 564-2212. The Title IX Office can be contacted at 425-564-2641 and more information can be found at Title IX (http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/titleix/).

If you have any concerns, you may report them at this link: Report Concerns.

Arts & Humanities Division—Student Information

 See the following links for Arts & Humanities Division policies:

  1. Student Procedures & Expectations (revised 9/23/2016)
  2. Arts & Humanities Commitment to Student Growth and Development
  3. Arts & Humanities Division Organizational Chart

 PLEASE NOTE: If you have any questions regarding your class, for example, grade received, instructor issues, unfair work assignments, do the following in order. FIRST SPEAK TO:

  1. The instructor of the class
  2. The Department Chair
  3. The Division Dean

 Please read your Student Handbook before taking action on issues.

 

Attendance

In this asynchronous online course, roll call attendance is not taken as it is for face-to-face class meetings. Instead, twice- or thrice-weekly discussion posts will count for a larger proportion (30% total) of the course grade. Discussion posts will usually close for responses after their announced deadline has passed. Missing more than two of these is likely to negatively affect your final course grade.

 

Late Work

As indicated above, late discussion posts (except the initial self-introduction) cannot be accepted at all. Similarly, the final-exam/final-project submission deadline at the end of the quarter is firm, and no midterm exam can be taken late. In the case of the two critical essays, late essays may be lowered a quarter of a course grade for each day late.

 

Ethics

The worst academic offenses in the U.S. are cheating and plagiarism. For this class, that means:

  • Don’t turn in an assignment someone else wrote.
  • Don’t let someone else (your best friend, your mother, etc.) do a lot of rewriting or proofreading for you, although it’s certainly acceptable to get general feedback and more than acceptable—in fact, encouraged—to seek the help of tutors at the Academic Success Center. The basic guideline is that every sentence in the essay should have been composed by you and no one else.
  • Don’t copy phrases or sentences from books, articles, or the Internet into your papers. If I discover that you have copied phrases or sentences from another source, the paper could earn a 0 with no possibilities for revision. We’ll talk in class about how to use sources ethically.

This link provides a good, short summary of how to avoid plagiarism: Avoiding Plagiarism

 

This 22-minute video also provides a good overview of how to avoid trouble when using sources: From the college home page select SERVICES, then LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER, then DATABASES, then FILMS ON DEMAND. At their site, search by title for PLAGIARISM 2.0: ETHICS IN THE DIGITAL AGE.

 

Student Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity

Any act of academic dishonesty, including cheating, plagiarism (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source), and fabrication and inappropriate/disruptive classroom behavior are violations of the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue College. Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to, talking out of turn, arriving late or leaving early without a valid reason, allowing cell phones/pagers to ring, and inappropriate behavior toward the instructor or classmates. The instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of Conduct to the Dean of Student Success for investigation. Specific student rights, responsibilities, and appeal procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct at: Student Code

Important Links

See "Important Links” page online for more information about BC E-mail, access to MyBC, the Disability Resource Center (DRC), Public Safety, the Academic Calendar, the Academic Success Center, and more.

Disability Resource Center (DRC)

The Disability Resource Center serves students with disabilities.  A disability includes any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.  Common disabilities include physical, neurological (e.g. Autism, ADD), and mental health (e.g. depression, anxiety). If you are a student who has a disability or if you think you may need accommodations in order to have equal access to programs, activities, and services, please contact the DRC.

If you require assistance in an emergency, please meet with your individual instructors to develop a safety plan for while in class and contact the DRC to develop a safety plan for while you are elsewhere on campus.

If you are a student with a documented autism spectrum disorder, there is an additional access program available to you. Contact Autism Spectrum Navigators (ASN).  Email and phone number is on the web page. ASN is located in the Library Media Center in D125. 

The DRC office is located in building B132.  You can contact the DRC by stopping by B132, calling our desk at 425-564-2498, emailing drc@bellevuecollege.edu, and Deaf students can reach us by Skype (account name DRCatBC).  For more information about the services we offer, including our Initial Access Application, visit our website at www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc.

Final Exam Schedule

The final exam (“final mixtape”) will be due by the last day of classes: Thursday, August 16, by 11:59 p.m. (Pacific).

 

Course Calendar

All assigned reading will have an associated discussion post due. All work should be submitted on Canvas by 11:59 p.m. on the due date listed. Assigned stories, poems, and plays will come from the appropriate volume of The Seagull Book of Literature.

 

Week 1

Tues., July 3: Read instructor’s Announcement introducing the course and explaining the organizing principle of the assigned readings. Post a self-introduction in Discussions.

Fri., July 6: Read Seagull (Poems), “What Is Poetry?” (pp. xix-xlvi) and Seagull (Stories), “What Are Stories?” (pp. xi-xxvii). Discussion post due.   

 

Week 2

Mon., July 9: Read, in Poems, Li Po, “Ch’ang-Kan Village Song” (211); Ezra Pound, “The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter” (262); in Stories, Sarah Orne Jewett, “A White Heron” (226). Discussion post due.

Wed., July 11: In Poems, Sir Thomas Wyatt, “My Galley” and “They Flee from Me” (368-369); William Shakespeare, bio note and all sonnets (283-287); John Donne (83-88). Discussion post due.

Fri., July 13: In Poems: Elizabeth Barrett Browning, from Sonnets from the Portuguese (39-40); Robert Browning, “My Last Duchess” and “Love Among the Ruins” (40-45). Discussion post due.

 

Week 3

Mon., July 16: Read, “How Do You Write about Stories?” (Stories, xxvii-xliv) and “How Do You Write about Poems?” (Poems, xlvi-lxiii). Also read, in Stories, Katherine Anne Porter, “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” (409) and Stephen Crane, “The Open Boat” (111). In Poems, poems by Walt Whitman, 352-353. Discussion post due.

Wed., July 18: In Stories: James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues” (29) and Tillie Olsen, “I Stand Here Ironing” (391). In Poems: Robert Frost, “Mending Wall,” “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” “Design,” and “The Silken Tent” (118-125); Langston Hughes (168-171). Discussion post due.

Fri., July 20: In Stories: John Updike, “A&P” (472); Alice Munro, “Boys and Girls” (323); in Poems: Elizabeth Bishop (24-29); Wallace Stevens (321-326). Discussion post due.

Sun., July 22: Midterm exam due by 11:59 p.m.

 

Week 4

Mon., July 23: In Stories: Toni Cade Bambara, “The Lesson” (62); Toni Morrison, “Recitatif” (303); in Poems, Gwendolyn Brooks (36-39); Tracy K. Smith, “My God, It’s Full of Stars” (304-309). Discussion post due. Begin discussing final-exam projects.

Wed., July 25: In Poems: Anne Sexton, "Her Kind" (282-283); in Stories: Edgar Allan Poe, “The Cask of the Amontillado” (402); Franz Kafka, “A Hunger Artist” (243); Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery” (216). Discussion post due.

Fri., July 27: In Poems: William Blake (30-33); John Keats, “Ode to a Nightingale” and “Ode on a Grecian Urn” (184-188); Gerard Manley Hopkins (158-160); Emily Dickinson (79-83). Discussion post due.

Sun., July 29: Essay 1 due, 11:59 p.m.

 

Week 5

Mon., July 30: In Stories: Sherman Alexie, “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” (8); Leslie Marmon Silko, “Yellow Woman” (450); Karen Russell, “Vampires in the Lemon Grove” (419). Discussion post due.

Wed., Aug. 1:  Danez Smith (300-303); Bruce Springsteen, “The River” (316-318) (listen to the song at this link; Patricia Smith, “Buried” and “Katrina”: listen to podcast/audio versions at the following link: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/patricia-smith; Tupac Shakur, “Hail Mary” (YouTube link to both audio and lyrics). Discussion post due.

Fri., Aug. 3: In Plays, “What Is Drama?” (xi-lvi). Discussion post due.

 

Week 6

Mon., Aug. 6: In Plays, Wit (513-561). Discussion post due.

Wed., Aug. 8: Fun Home, Parts 1-3. Discussion post due.

Fri., Aug. 10: Fun Home, Parts 4-5.

Sun., Aug. 12: Essay 2 due by 11:59 p.m.

 

Week 7

Mon., Aug. 13: Fun Home, Parts 6-7. Discussion post due.

 

Final exam due on Canvas by Thursday, August 16, 11:59 p.m.

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due