Evaluation
- Essays - Research
Essay -
Computer Access - Companion
Site
1) Regular attendance
is expected. You have four "free" absences (the equivalent
of two weeks). For each absence above 4, you may expect that your
grade for class participation will drop by 50 points. To avoid this
decrease in your class participation grade, your absences over four
per term must fit the "valid" excuses listed in Policy Statement
22 and you must provide acceptable documentation.
2) Reading
assignments must be read carefully before the class period for
which they are assigned. There is a lot of reading for this course.
Do not take the course if you are not willing to commit to the
reading schedule. I will give a number of quizzes throughout the
semester. Points from the quizzes will count towards the point total
of the semester. (See below for an explanation of course evaluation.)
3) Class participation
is mandatory. A participation grade will be assigned for constructive
participation and will count towards the point total of the semester.
(See below for an explanation of course evaluation.)
I will ask you to leave the classroom if your cell phone or pager
goes off. Make sure that you turn off such devices before class.
Group discussion is central
to this class. I will also ask you to leave the room if you indulge
in private conversations.
4) All regular assignments
(exams and papers) must be completed to pass the course. Late assignments
will not be accepted, nor will there be an opportunity for make-up
examinations (unless your lateness or absence results from a documented,
valid absence).
Evaluation
The course will be evaluated
on a "points" system.
There is a total of 500 points from the assignments this semester.
The writing for the course will be worth 250 points total (see below
for exact sub-totals).
The mid-term examination will also be worth 50 points.
The final examination will be worth 100 points.
Class participation will be worth 100 points.
Quizzes will be given weight as the semester proceeds.
Essays
This is a writing-intensive
course. There will be one formal essay, involving research, of 8-10
pages (150 points); two shorter critical essays (25 points each);
and a number of less formal venues for writing, including a Web board
and critical response essays to be sent by e-mail to the instructor
(50 points total).
All matters of writing,
documentation, and presentation should follow the rules of MLA papers
laid out in Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual (3rd edition). Papers
that deviate will - at my discretion - either be turned back ungraded
for revision or will have points deducted for each major problem of
writing, documentation, or presentation.
If you used a different style
manual/writing handbook in your first-year English class, you are
welcome to rely upon it, as long as you produce essays that are in
accordance with MLA style and with the principles of standard written
English. See me if you have any questions.
Research
Essay
The assignment for the 8-10
page paper will ask you to select a work (or works) by an author included
in the anthology but not included on my syllabus for the class. Make
an argument for the inclusion of the author you select to a future syllabus.
Your argument will need to make reference to:
a) literary history
b) a body of criticism on the work
c) other works we have read in the class
d) your aesthetic analysis of the piece
In the process of doing research
and writing the essay, you will learn how to use the MLA Bibliography;
the Oxford English Dictionary; and other bibliographic references.
You will also read, summarize, and critique scholarly articles on
literature and incorporate your analysis into your own argument.
You will be graded on the
quality of your research and the strength of your argument. I pledge
that I will alter the syllabus the next time I teach the class in
the way suggested by the single best response.
Computer
Access
British
Literature II - English 3022.4
requires access to a computer lab on campus running recent Macintosh
or IBM compatible computers. (You may, of course, choose to access the
site from home or somewhere else on campus.)
For purposes of accessibility,
a text version of all of the course's pages will be made available through
a link on the home page.
All LSU students are assigned
an e-mail address upon registration.
I will assume that you use this account. If there is a reason why
you cannot use your official LSU account, please
e-mail me immediately. You will use your e-mail account to submit
written assignments to me, and I will use it to provide information
to you directly while the course is going on.
I will be using the "Semester
Book" component of the PAWS system for class communications,
the Web board, and the posting of grades.
Companion
Site
Throughout the semester,
students should also use the online elements of the course, reading
the passages from the text, composing short assignments (to be submitted
by e-mail), and participating in interactive elements, including a Web
board and chat.
You will be held accountable
for all assigned readings in the Anthology for all essays,
quizzes, and examinations.
There is a navigational bar
at the top of each lesson page.
At any point students can
quickly access information about the author and British history from
the navigational bar. (This information has been taken, for the most
part, from The Longman Anthology and presented online for your convenience.)
Clicking on any category creates a pop-up window that can be moved or
resized. The lesson's main page remains on screen so that your focus
can remain upon the lesson.
