SUNY Fredonia
Division of Arts and Humanities
ENGL 106: The English Major--An Introduction
Spring 2006
Section 1: Thompson E-124, TTh 11-12:20
Office: Fenton 279; MWF 9-12, TTh 9-11, and by appointment; 673-3125
E-mail: simon@fredonia.edu
Web Page: www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/
Blackboard Site: blackboard.fredonia.edu
About the Course Web Pages
This web site is designed to help you get as much out of this course as possible--you can use it to find out how your work will be assessed, what assignments are due and when, how to use the course Blackboard site, what books are on reserve for your use in Reed Library, and how to use the world-wide web for research, among other things. Please get in the habit of checking back to these pages to keep track of changes to the syllabus and advice on assignments, as well as to surf the ever-expanding list of links to interesting web pages related to the course. And please contact me anytime (see above for my coordinates) if you have ideas about how to improve these pages or the course as a whole.
Course Description/Goals
An introduction to the English major (not English Adolescence Education major) for new majors--first-years, transfers, and students who have just declared the 323 major. This 1.5-credit seminar introduces students to the goals, requirements, structure, components, and content of the English major at SUNY Fredonia. It is designed to open the many different fields of English studies to new majors and to help students develop a context for the courses they may have already have taken and will be taking throughout their career as English majors at Fredonia. We will consider such questions as: What does it mean to study English in the twenty-first century? How does the study of English at Fredonia relate to the world today? Why does the study of language, literacy, and literature matter so much today? How is English studies interdisciplinary? Why are there so many ways of studying literature? How has literature changed through the ages and across cultures? What are the reasons for the requirements of the English major at Fredonia?
This section of ENGL 106 is a pilot; we will be piloting further sections in Fall 2006 to help us determine whether to make this course a requirement of the major. We will be co-authoring this syllabus as the half-semester goes on, so consider everything on it as a proposal that you can make suggestions for modifying.
II. Rationale
In ENGL 106, as in most courses offered by the English Department, the goals of the professional programs are integrated with specific course and CCC goals. Achieving these goals (described in Section IV below) will require us to foster academic skills and intellectual habits of reading closely and carefully, thinking critically and creatively, listening actively and attentively, speaking thoughtfully and concisely, and writing clearly and analytically--skills and habits useful to everyone, but of particular importance to future teachers.
Texts. There are four books in the bookstore for you to purchase:
IV. Course Objectives and Outcomes
ENGL 106 is designed to prepare students for their future endeavors as English majors and beyond. Students will develop an understanding of the history, purposes, and domains of the discipline of English studies and of the current goals, requirements, structure, components, and content of the English major at SUNY Fredonia. To achieve these goals, students will
V. Instructional Methods and Activities
The methods used in the classroom will include lecture, in-class writing, guided discovery, open discussion, various kinds of cooperative group work, and other discussion-oriented activities.
VI. Evaluation and Grade Assignment
A. Methods
Preparation/Participation (20%). Regular attendance and thoughtful participation are crucial to your enjoyment of and success in this course. If there is absolutely no way for you to avoid missing a class, please contact me ahead of time or soon after your absence, preferably by email. More important than showing up on time, of course, is coming to class prepared and focused. I expect you to read what has been assigned for a given date at least once (and preferably more than that!) by the time we begin to discuss it in class, and to familiarize yourself with and think about the discussion questions posted on the course Blackboard site (described below in Section VIIIB). This is a discussion rather than a lecture course, after all; although I will provide some context for and interpretations of our reading, the bulk of class time will be spent in discussions. Since it's difficult to make good contributions to discussions about a literary or critical work if you haven't read it carefully or thought about it extensively, how well you budget your time outside of class will to a large degree determine how well you do in this class in general and how well you do on this portion of your course grade in particular. In addition to in-class attendance, attendance at the campus events listed on the tentative class schedule below (see Section VIII) is also required; credit will be given for such attendance only after you have posted to a discussion on the course Blackboard site (see below).
Your grade for this segment of the course will be based on a combination of your attendance and your preparation/participation in class and on the course Blackboard site. As there are no exams in this course, think of my evaluation of your preparation/participation as a different but equally important method of assessing your overall performance and improvement in the course. The quality of your reading responses will be factored into this grade. Due to the reliance on attendance of preparation and participation, more than one unexcused absence will hurt your preparation/participation grade and each non-emergency absence after the second will lower your final course grade by one grade (e.g., with three such absences a B+ will become a C+; with five, it will become a D+).
Reading Responses (20%). Detailed instructions for subscribing to and using the course Blackboard site (www.blackboard.fredonia.edu) are given below (see Section VIIIB) and will be discussed in class. We will be using the Blackboard site to prepare for and extend class discussions. Students must submit a certain number of reading responses over the course of the semester (no more than 1 RR/week will be counted toward the semester's total, so don't wait till the last week of the semester to do this); you can get credit for doing a reading response in a given week by a) submitting to the reading response discussion forum a total of three discussion questions on upcoming readings in time for people to read them by early morning T or Th, AND b) replying to at least one discussion question in a thoughtful mini-essay on the same discussion forum by the end of that week. Advice on generating reading responses can be found on the course web site at http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/engl106s06/rr.htm.
Your grade for this segment of the course will be determined by the number of on-time, passing reading responses you post to the course Blackboard site. Since there are eight weeks when reading responses are due in the semester, and since you are allowed three missed weeks without penalty, 5 or more reading responses=A; 4=B; 3=C, 2=D; 1 or 0=F. The quality of your reading responses will be factored into your preparation/participation grade (see above).
Annotated Bibliographies (30%). I provide detailed information on the two annotated bibliographies you will do this half-semester on the course web site at http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/engl106s06/ab.htm.
Final Reflection (30%). I provide detailed information on the five-to-seven-page final reflection on the course web site at http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/engl106s06/fp.htm.
B. Grading. All work during the semester will be graded on a letter basis (A=outstanding, B=good, C=average, D=bad, F=awful) and converted into a number for purposes of calculating final grades. I use the following conversion system (the number in parentheses is the "typical" or "normal" conversion, but any number in the range may be assigned to a given letter grade):
A+=97-100 (98); A=93-96.99 (95); A-=90-92.99 (91); B+=87-89.99 (88); B=83-86.99 (85); B-=80-82.99 (81); C+=77-79.99 (78); C=73-76.99 (75); C-=70-72.99 (71); D+=67-69.99 (68); D=63-66.99 (65); D-=60-62.99 (61); F=0-59.99 (55)
Your final grade is determined by converting the weighted numerical average of the above assignments into a letter grade, according to the above scale.
C. Portfolio. English majors should be aware of the English department's guidelines for ongoing portfolio submissions.
VII. Bibliography. The following works and others may be found on reserve at the circulation desk in Reed Library (click here for the reserves list):
A. Contemporary References
B. Classic References
C. Key Journals
VIII. Course Schedule and Policies
A. Tentative Course Schedule. The following course schedule is subject to revision--please refer here regularly for updates to this schedule, notes on the texts, and suggestions for further reading. Please recall that you need to submit 5 reading responses to earn an A for that segment of your final grade (see Section VI).
The Goals of the Major
Th 1/19 in class: introduction; set-up; read and discuss "A Text of 'Ode on a Grecian Urn'" (Keesey 485-487) in light of "Author and Authorship," "Ode," "Text and Writing (Ecriture)," and "Textual Criticism" entries (Abrams and Harpham 15-18, 206-207, 324-328)
F 1/20 begin reading Jeanette Winterson, The Passion at your own pace (plan to have it finished and perhaps even reread by 3/1)
T 1/24 READING WEEK. before class: reread materials from first day of class as well as read, consider doing discussion questions on, and bring to class Fredonia English department mission statement, goals list, and "What Will a Fredonia English Major Help You Prepare For?", along with "Preface" and "General Introduction" (Keesey xi-xiii, 1-8) and "Criticism" (Abrams and Harpham 50-53); in class: discuss relations between these readings; brainstorm their implications for our own reading; consider what they suggest about the significance/stakes of the English major
Th 1/26 before class: read Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper" (Keesey 531-538) and consider doing discussion questions on it; in class: discuss Gilman's story in light of Tuesday's class (how did you prepare for this class? what modes of reading did you gravitate toward? how did your reading for this class compare with reading you do on your own?), in terms of your approach to annotating the text and taking notes, and in terms of passages and patterns that caught your attention; after class: consider responding to a discussion question in light of this week's discussions on the course Blackboard site
T 1/31 WRITING WEEK. before class: reread John Keats, "Ode on a Grecian Urn," and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper"; choose one or more modes of reading and use Keesey (introduction[s], theory essay[s], application essay[s]) and Abrams/Harpham (definitions) to find out more about it/them; reflect on the relationship between reading and writing; consider posting discussion questions; in class: discuss the kinds of writing you have done in English courses and expect to do based on your reading for today; why write about literature?; write in-class essay in which you perform a close reading of a specific passage from the Keats poem or Gilman story; pair up with a partner, compare what you wrote, and report to the class on similarities and differences and implications
W 2/1 Black History Month begins; attend at least two events over the course of the month that you feel best connect with the course and discuss on course Blackboard site
Th 2/2 before class: choose specific application essay from Keesey on either the Keats poem or Gilman short story that you had a strong reaction to, and be prepared to present your response to it (what is its key argument? how does it support it? how well does it support it? what do you most like and/or dislike about it? how does it compare to the kinds of writing you've done in the major?); consider doing discussion questions on it, as well; in class: continue discussing close readings and relation to other writing you have done in previous English courses; presentations and discussion; after class: consider responding to a discussion question in light of this week's discussions on the course Blackboard site
T 2/7 CRITICAL THINKING/RESEARCH WEEK. before class: read Herman Melville, "Benito Cereno" (Keesey 489-529); come to class prepared to discuss your reactions to the story; consider doing discussion questions on it or any aspect of critical thinking or research; in class: discussion of "Benito Cereno" and critical thinking; after class: begin researching the goals/mission statements of other English departments, using a good web search engine like google; supplement this research with an examination of works listed in the bibliography that also discuss the goals/functions of English departments; look for interesting and divergent models being used or proposed and reflect on which you would want to be part of; all this work will be distilled into your first annotated bibliography
Th 2/9 before class: read at least one application essay from Keesey on "Benito Cereno" and consider what kind of research went into producing it; read Joseph Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers 2-25 (sections 1.1-1.5); use literature-related search tools in the library's research and reference database page (see links page for easy link) to find bibliographical entries for three essays on "Benito Cereno" that have come out in the past five years and post them on the Blackboard site; consider doing discussion questions on your reading and research; in class: mid-course survey; demonstration of literature-related research tools; analysis of research on "Benito Cereno" by critics in Keesey and comparison to your own reactions to the text; discussion of purpose and value of discovering critical and contextual sources on literary texts; after class: consider responding to a discussion question in light of this week's discussions on the course Blackboard site
The Structure of the Major
T 2/14 REQUIREMENTS WEEK. before class: review the requirements of the English (323) major at Fredonia and the English department course offerings in the Undergraduate Catalog 2005-2007 (bring to class); read "Intertextual Criticism: Literature as Context" (Keesey 265-278, esp. 270-272) and Ted Steinberg, "A World Literature Core" (available in the Course Documents area of the course Blackboard site); consider doing discussion questions on any aspect of the requirements or readings; in class: discussion of requirements and rationales for them, particularly of our world literature core (205/207/209/211)
Th 2/16 before class: read "Historical Criticism I: Author as Context" (Keesey 9-16, esp. 12); consider doing discussion questions on any aspect of the requirements or readings; in class: discussion of relation between world literature core, author/period classes, and criticism/seminar courses; after class: consider responding to a discussion question in light of this week's discussions on the course Blackboard site; attend at least one production of The Vagina Monologues at the Williams Center Multipurpose Room at 7 pm on 2/16, 2/17, and 2/18 ($4 for students) and discuss on course Blackboard site
F 2/17 Fredonia production of The Glass Menagerie begins today (and ends 2/25); attend at least one production if you didn't attend The Vagina Monologues and discuss on course Blackboard site
M 2/20 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY I posted to Blackboard site by 8 pm
T 2/21 COMPONENTS WEEK. before class: read "Periods of American Literature," "Periods of English Literature," and "Theories and Movements in Recent Criticism" entries (Abrams and Harpham 214-219, 219-226, 328-329); consider doing discussion questions on any aspect of the components or readings; in class: discussion of period, author, and criticism courses
Th 2/23 before class: in class: discussion of other kinds of courses offered by the English department at Fredonia; after class: consider responding to a discussion question in light of this week's discussions on the course Blackboard site
M 2/20 revision to ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY I posted to Blackboard site by 8 pm (grade replaces original's grade)
T 2/28 CONTENT WEEK. before class: read "Canon of Literature," "Humanism," and "Feminist Criticism" entries (Abrams and Harpham 29-32, 123-126, 93-99); consider doing discussion questions on any aspect of the content of English courses or readings; in class: discussion of kinds of readings and assignments you can expect in future courses in the major in the context of broader debates over what English majors should be reading and doing
Th 3/2 before class: plan to have finished Jeanette Winterson, The Passion by this class; in class: discuss Jeanette Winterson, The Passion in light of its relation to Fredonia English department goals and structures and broader debates about the discipline; after class: consider responding to a discussion question in light of this week's discussions on the course Blackboard site
Entering the Major
T 3/7 INTEGRATIONS WEEK. before class: reread passages of Jeanette Winterson, The Passion, that you feel help us bring the class together (and particularly answer the first three questions in the course description) and be ready to present them informally in class; in class: presentations on passages and broader discussion of Jeanette Winterson, The Passion; guest appearance by Robert Marzec, English, SUNY Fredonia
Th 3/9 before class: reread passages of Jeanette Winterson, The Passion, that you feel help us rethink things we thought we agreed on last class and be ready to present them in class and discuss how and why they encouraged you to reexamine our earlier consensus; in class: final presentations and end of face-to-face discussions of Jeanette Winterson, The Passion; course evaluations; after class: consider responding to a discussion question in light of this week's discussions on the course Blackboard site; Fredonia production of The Yellow Wallpaper begins today (and ends 3/10); attend at least one production if you didn't attend The Vagina Monologues or The Glass Menagerie and discuss on course Blackboard site
M 3/13 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY II posted to Blackboard site by 8 pm
Th 3/16 3:30-8:45 pm: attend as much of the Fredonia conference "Being Human: Taking the Humanities Beyond the Classroom" as possible, discuss on course Blackboard site, and use for final reflection
F 3/17 9 am-4:30 pm: attend as much of the Fredonia conference "Being Human: Taking the Humanities Beyond the Classroom" as possible, discuss on course Blackboard site, and use for final reflection
F 4/7 FINAL REFLECTION DUE
B. Class Policies
1. Attendance. As stated in Section VI above, barring emergencies each absence after the second will lower your final course grade by one grade. Be aware that absences due to emergencies are the only absences that will not be counted toward your total for the semester. Emergencies include but are not limited to death in the family, hospitalization or serious illness, natural disasters, and snow days; scheduled and unavoidable school-sponsored events (games, meets, performances, etc.) are also counted as emergencies for the purpose of this attendance policy. Besides emergencies, the only other absences that won't affect your participation/preparation grade are excused absences. Please notify the instructor over email, in advance if possible and, if not, as soon after the absence as possible, if you wish an absence to be considered as an emergency or excused absence; the decision will be made at the instructor's discretion.
2. Course Blackboard Site. You must enroll in the course Blackboard site by the beginning of the second week of class and use it throughout the semester. To do this, use a web browser to get to blackboard.fredonia.edu. Login using your network password. Then search for ENGL 106-01 (or English Major) and click on the enroll tab. This will send an enrollment request to me and I will enroll you. You should receive a confirmation message within 24 hours of completing your part of the enrollment process. Please familiarize yourself with the college's "Computer and Network Usage Policy" (Undergraduate Catalog 2005-2007, pp. 216-221) and check with me first before posting something to the Blackboard site that is not directly related to the course.
3. Late Assignments. Only students who ask for an extension at least two days before the due date of any written project will be granted an extension. For everyone else, late work is penalized by a grade off per day late.
4. Plagiarism and Academic Integrity. To plagiarize is "to steal and pass off as one's own the ideas or words of another" (Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary). SUNY Fredonia strongly condemns plagiarism and takes severe action against those who plagiarize. Disciplinary action may extend to suspension from privileges or expulsion from college. Please familiarize yourself with the college's "Academic Integrity Policy" (Undergraduate Catalog 2005-2007, pp. 212-215, see also p. 199) and check with your instructor if you have any questions about it.
5. Cell Phones. Please turn them off before you enter the class. If you forget and it rings, I'll be holding it the rest of the class.
ENGL 106: The English Major--An Introduction, Spring 2006
Created: 1/19/06 10:55 am
Last modified: 4/3/06 12:45 pm
Webmaster: Bruce Simon, Associate Professor of English, SUNY Fredonia