Novels and Tales News
Hey, everyone. Welcome to the course. (Our first order of business is to come up with a cool name for me to call you all. Any suggestions?) I'll be putting announcements on this page having to do with course requirements, changes in these web pages, and other matters. Between this page and the main page, you should get a good sense of what's new and upcoming in the course. So I recommend checking out both those pages every time you visit the course web site--at least once a week.
12/17/02
A quick note on procedures for turning in and getting back your final projects. I've put envelopes outside my office door (Fenton 240) for this class, so you can drop your final project off there or in my mailbox in Fenton 277, any time between now and the end of the day Friday. I write comments only on the final projects of people who ask for them, so if you want comments from me, you have several options: (1) attach a self-addressed envelope to your final project when you turn it in; (2) write the phrase "comments wanted" on the first page by the staple; or (3) drop me a line over email saying you want comments. If you take any option but the first one, you can pick up your final projects from me during my office hours in the spring semester. (The same goes for people who don't want comments.)
12/13/02
Just wanted to let you all know my schedule for the rest of the semester. If you have any questions about any aspect of the course, drop me a line or drop by. Good luck in the home stretch!
12/9/02
I've made some revisions to the final project assignment sheet to clarify questions people have raised with me in class, over email, and in conferences. Please check it out when you get a chance and let me know if anything about the assignment is unclear.
12/6/02
Please note the change to the syllabus on the main page of the course web site--our final class meeting will be Monday, December 16, at 10:30 am in our regular classroom.
I'll be having extended office hours Tuesdays and Thursdays next week, as well as Wednesday after 4:30, for those who want to meet with me to discuss their progress on their final projects and get feedback from me before the peer review session. Please email me for an appointment.
12/3/02
Hey all, I've radically expanded the links page for you to use when researching for your final projects.
11/13/02
I've put up a draft of the assignment sheet for the final project. Check it out ASAP!
I'm having extra office hours on Thursday (10 am - noon) for any who want to meet with me to discuss any aspect of the course, including the final project.
11/11/02
I'll be having extended office hours this week. I'll be on campus from 11:30-5 on Tuesday and from 10-11 am on Thursday. Anyone who wants to meet with me on either of those days can make an appointment--I'm willing to meet with anyone at any time on Thursday, not just during the time listed.
10/22/02
I have to cancel my Friday office hours this week because of a conference I am attending in Albany. As a result I'm adding new office hours on W: 1-3, 4:30-6. As always I'm available by appointment on Thursday.
10/14/02
I have to cancel one hour of my office hours today--from 2-3 pm--because I am speaking at the English department's Open House for prospective students and their families during that time. My apologies!
10/9/02
Thanks to sharp-eyed Lindsay Erickson and others for pointing out that the titles of the Allende and Borowski stories are incorrect on the original course syllabus. I've corrected them on the main page and will not penalize people who used the syllabus titles on Part I of the exam. OK, will strive to have your papers and exams ready for you by Monday. On to Cervantes after the break! Have a good one.
10/2/02
Hey all, the link to the options for Part III of the mid-term exam--the take-home component worth roughly 45% of your grade on the test--can be found by scrolling to the bottom of the mid-term exam page. I recommend reading this page carefully before skipping ahead to the link--it contains important advice on how to prepare for this exam (if you haven't already been studying it carefully since 9/19, when it first appeared on the course web site). If you have any questions about the take-home options for Part III, please email them to me or bring them up in class on Monday. Because I'll be out of town from 9:30 Thursday through 6 pm Saturday (giving a lecture at the University of Rochester and participating in my union's delegate assembly), I won't be able to respond to your questions until the weekend. So check out both the overview/advice page and the page that gives a preview of the exam itself along with the take-home options for Part III, and see you Monday!
9/24/02
I've made one small but important change to the critical essay assignment sheet--please be sure to turn in your first draft, as well as your partner's comments and your response to them, along with your final draft of the critical essay, on Monday.
I've also created a new page, on the peer review workshop, that gives an overview of the preparation, process, and purposes of the workshop we'll be doing in class Friday. Please read it before coming to class and ask any questions it raises but doesn't answer. Wednesday's class and office hours are your last chances to get direct commentary from me on any aspect of the critical essay and peer review workshop. I'll be in and out of town from Thursday through Sunday, with only sporadic access to email.
9/20/02
I handed out copies of Isabel Allende's story that we'll be reading for next Wednesday in class today. If you missed class and want to get a copy of the story before next Monday's class, please stop by my office between 1 and 3 today. Thanks.
9/19/02
OK, now the page that gives the overview of the mid-term exam is up and running. Please check it out and come to the next few classes with questions about it. Thanks!
9/18/02
OK, I surrender. I've gotten a pretty good draft of both the critical essay assignment sheet and advice page on requirements and expectations of the assignment up and running on the course web site. But there's no way I can get the mid-term exam page done tonight. Sorry!
9/11/02
I've updated the links page to include more information on individual writers and texts, and put links on the main page that take you from the author's name straight to the links devoted to him or her.
9/10/02
As of this evening, the reading response advice page is up and running. Definitely check it out before submitting your next reading response. And if you have any suggestions for improving this page (including items to add to the lists of dos and don'ts), please email them to me. Thanks. I've also updated the listserv fundamentals page to give additional troubleshooting advice. If you're having problems sending or receiving messages to the list--or if you're one of the two stragglers who hasn't yet subscribed to the list (sorry, y'all, but you brought that one on yourselves!)--this is the page to check out immediately.
Next on the agenda is the assignment sheet for the critical essay, but since my dad is going to appear on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" tonight in a little over an hour, I won't be finishing it tonight. See you all in class tomorrow!
9/3/02
As of this afternoon, this page, the links page, and the listserv instructions and troubleshooting page are up and running. If you've been having any trouble signing up for or posting messages to the listserv, the last one is the page to check out!
8/30/02
As of this afternoon, the main page is up and running. Look for more to come on-line soon.
ENGL 209: Novels and Tales, Fall 2002
Created: 9/3/02 4:16 pm
Last modified: 12/17/02 12:42 pm