Course Description

Please reproduce the course description exactly as written in the Bulletin:

English 200: Understanding Literature 3 hrs. 3 cts. Close reading of a wide variety of literature from different periods and places, with emphasis both on developing personal response to literature and on understanding literary genres. Preq: ENG 125.

Course Section

Designate a specific section such as MN3, PQ2.

Time and Place of Course Meetings

Provide room numbers, days, and times courses meet.

Contact Information

Provide office location, phone number, email address, and office hours.

Required Texts

List book titles, and indicate where students can purchase, borrow, copy, and/or download. To emphasize the importance of modeling proper citation, please adhere to MLA format when listing required texts on your syllabus.

The current required text for English 200 is:

Stanford, Judith. Responding to Literature. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005.

Bases of Final Grade

Provide breakdown of specific assignments by percentages. i.e. Paper 1: 15%.  *Note: Formal writing assignments (not including low stakes or daily writing) should count toward at least 60% of the final grade.

Attendance Policy

The Department of English has adopted a common attendance policy for multiple section courses (English 125, English 200, and Writing 300).  Your syllabus should include the following statement:

Success in this class depends on regular and punctual attendance. The English Department's policy for multiple section courses such as this one is:

Then include the applicable policy based on the number of days per week your class meets:

For classes that meet twice a week use this wording:

• Students in classes that meet twice a week may miss no more than five (5) sessions.
• Six (6) absences are grounds for failure.
• Missing 15 minutes of class—arriving late, departing early, or leaving during class-- counts as half an absence.

For classes that meet once a week use this wording:

• Students in classes that meet once a week may miss no more than two (2) sessions.
• Three (3) absences are grounds for failure.
• Missing 15 minutes of class—arriving late, departing early, or leaving during class-- counts as half an absence.

Plagiarism Statement

Provide definition of and policy regarding plagiarism: i.e. Deliberately submitting someone else's work as your own is a serious offense that will result in an F for the course. For more information about plagiarism, see The York College Bulletin 2011-2012, “Definitions and Examples of Academic Dishonesty” (41), and Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab resource, “Avoiding Plagiarism.”

Learning Objectives (please list ALL of the objectives as they appear below)

• Ability to relate literature to the human experience.
• Awareness and appreciation of the various genres of literature.
• Confidence in their ability to talk and write analytically and critically about literature.
• Fluency in the language of literary analysis (point of view, irony, figurative language, plot, character, setting, etc.).
• Competence in using the conventions of academic writing.

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Printable Version

Sample Syllabus

 Department of English                                          Professor X

York College/CUNY                                                      Office:

Spring 2011                                                                  E-mail:

Section E M 12-1:50 PM; W 1-1:50 PM                   Office Hours:

Room: AC 2B03

COURSE OUTLINE: English 200

Course Description:

English 200: Close reading of a wide variety of literature from different periods and places, with emphasis both on developing personal response to literature and on understanding literary genres. 3 hours; 3 credits. Prerequisite: English 125.

Learning Objectives:

Over the course of the semester students will demonstrate through discussions, presentations, and writing assignments increased:

• Ability to relate literature to the human experience.
• Awareness and appreciation of the various genres of literature.
• Confidence in their ability to talk and write analytically and critically about literature.
• Fluency in the language of literary analysis (point of view, irony, figurative language, plot, character, setting, etc.).
• Competence in using the conventions of academic writing.

Required texts (available in the College Bookstore):

• Stanford, Judith A. Responding to Literature. 5th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006.
• Hacker, Diana. The Bedford Handbook. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010.
• A collegiate-level dictionary.

Reading Assignments

We will be reading a variety of texts over the course of the semester including poems, plays, short stories, and essays.  Please make sure you have read the material carefully BEFORE coming to class. Try to make time to read the shorter, denser works more than once.  Remember to annotate as you read and to look up unfamiliar or key words.  The better prepared you are, the more enriching the class discussion will be. 

Presentations

Each of you will be responsible for making two presentations: one with a small group, the other as an individual.  These presentations will be assigned throughout the semester. Group presentations will focus on presenting a key aspect of one of the works under discussion; individual presentations will focus on key terms.

Writing Assignments

In addition to informal in-class writing assignments, there will be three kinds of graded assignments: weekly response papers, formal papers, and the final exam.

·      Weekly responses focus on the assigned reading for the week. The questions you are asked to write on are listed in the syllabus. Each response must cite 2-3 passages from the reading.  These citations should be documented in MLA format.  The responses must be 250-300 words (not including the quoted passages.)  These assignments will be graded on a scale of 1 to 10. Please remember that the responses should answer the specific question I have asked.  You may not use outside sources to write your responses—the purpose of these responses is to explore your ideas and interpretations, not to restate someone else’s thoughts. 

·      There will be 2 formal papers, each 750-1000 words (3-4 pages).  For each of these papers, you will write a draft and receive feedback from me and from your peers before you submit the final version for a grade.

·      Final Exam

Assignments                                    Percentage of final grade

Weekly Responses (10)                       40%

Formal Paper #1                                20%

Formal Paper #2                                20%

Final Exam                                       10%

Presentations                                     10%

Grading Practices

When grading assignments, I place equal weight on both what you write and how you write it.  As a general rule of thumb, this is how I assign grades:

A (9-10) papers contain original thought and fluent writing.  They make the assignment their own.

B (8) papers show a strong grasp of the assignment and are clearly written, with only a few minor errors.

C (7) papers have a handle on the major requirements of the assignment, but may be shaky on the finer points; they may also display more frequent errors than a B paper would. 

D (6) papers struggle to meet these requirements and/or display grammatical problems.

F (5 or below) papers fail to meet the main requirements of the assignment or are plagiarized.

Plagiarism

In our work this semester we will be focusing on your readings and responses to literature.  Your written responses must be your own work.  As you will have learned in English 125, using the ideas and words of another person without acknowledging that debt is plagiarism.  It is important to understand that in academic life, plagiarism is completely unacceptable.  Deliberate plagiarism on any assignment, major or minor, will result in a grade of F for the course. 

Preparation of written work

All assignments and papers (except in-class writing) must be prepared using a word processor, following the standard MLA format.  All work must be prepared and proofread by you personally. While you are permitted to show your work to others and receive editorial suggestions, you may not have someone else proofread your paper for you.  In other words, while you may work with a tutor, classmates, or others, to help you identify problems, but you must be responsible for fixing those problems yourself.

Attendance

Success in this class depends on regular and punctual attendance. The English Department's policy for multiple section courses such as this one is:

·      Students in classes that meet twice a week may miss no more than five (5) sessions.

·      Six (6) absences are grounds for failure.

·      Missing 15 minutes of class—arriving late, departing early, or leaving during class-- counts as half an absence.

Late Work

All assignments are due at the beginning of class, which means you should arrive with your paper in hand. If you are absent, drop the paper in my mailbox in the English Department (2A16). Please remember that it is crucial to the process to complete assignments on time; for example, if you do not have your paper draft on the day it is due, you will not be able to participate productively in the peer-review process.  Late papers will be penalized; response papers that are more than one class session late will not be accepted. 

Classroom Etiquette

Please respect your classmates and govern yourself in the classroom as you would in a professional setting.

• Turn off all cell phones.
• Do not bring food into the classroom.
• Do not wander in and out of the classroom.

Writing Center (1C18)

Tutors in the center are available to assist you with developing your writing and your writing skills.  You are encouraged to visit the Writing Center early in the semester.  Don’t wait until a paper is due!  The Writing Center offers scheduled tutoring, where you can meet with the same tutor each week. For more information, stop by or call the Center (ext. 2494).

E-mail

One of the best ways to get in touch with me is via the e-mail address on the first page of the syllabus.  Please note, however, that I do not accept e-mailed copies of assignments.  All final drafts of assignments must be submitted in hard copy.  Please make sure you have activated your York College e-mail address in order to correspond with me. 

Detailed Course Outline

PART I: Identities and Misconceptions

Mon, 1/31             In-class: Introductions and Diagnostic; MLA paper format review.

Homework: Read “An Introduction to Poetry” (65-70); “We wear the mask” Paul Laurence Dunbar (463); “in the inner city” Lucille Clifton (464)

Wed, 2/2            In-class: Discuss Dunbar, Clifton.

                        Homework: Read “Sonny’s Blues” James Baldwin (412-37)

Response Paper 1: Why is playing music so important to Sonny?

(Remember to quote 2-3 specific passages in your response and to cite those quotations in MLA format.)

Mon, 2/7            Due: Response Paper 1

In-class: Discuss Baldwin.

Homework: Read Act I of “A Doll’s House” Henrik Ibsen (608-31).

Wed, 2/9            In-class: Discuss Act I.

                        Homework: Read “A Doll’s House,” Act II (631-48).

Response Paper 2: Nora seems to be planning to ask Dr. Rank for a favor in the middle of this act.  What do you think that favor is?  Why does she change her mind before asking him? 

Mon, 2/14            Due: Response Paper 2

                        In-class: Discuss Act II.

Homework: Read “A Doll’s House,” Act III (648-64).

Wed, 2/16            In-class: Discuss Act III.

Homework: Read “Those Winter Sundays” Robert Hayden (741); “My Papa’s Waltz,” Theodore Roethke (733); “The Youngest Daughter” Cathy Song (469-70). 

Response Paper 3: Chose two of the poems. Compare and contrast their images and ideas about the relationship between parents and children. 

Mon, 2/21            President’s Day—No school

Wed, 2/23            Due: Response Paper 3

                        In-class: Discuss Hayden, Roethke, Song.

Homework: Read “My Son, My Executioner” Donald Hall (738); “The Possessive” Sharon Olds (736); “Metaphors” Sylvia Plath (737);

Mon, 2/28             In-class: Discuss Hall, Olds, Plath.

                        Homework: Read “Who’s Irish?” Gish Jen (724-32).

Response Paper 4: What are the main differences between the ways the narrator and her daughter think children should be raised?  Why do you think the narrator and her daughter have such different ideas?

Wed, 3/2            Due: Response Paper 4

In-class: Discuss Jen.

Homework: Read “Ozymandias” Percy Bysshe Shelley (962-63); “The Second Coming” William Butler Yeats (963-64); “Dulce et Decorum Est” Wilfred Owen (966-967); “The Colonel” Carolyn Forché (971-72).

PART II: War and Mortality

Mon, 3/7             In-class: Discuss Shelley, Yeats, Owen, and Forché. Assign Paper #1.

Homework: Read “The Things They Carried” Tim O’Brien (934-48).

Response Paper 5: How would you categorize the kinds of things the men “carry”?  Are they all the same kinds of things?  Contrast the lists for two of the men.  What do those differences show you about their characters?

Wed, 3/9            Due: Response Paper 5

Discuss O’Brien.

Homework: Work on Paper #1 Draft.

Mon, 3/14              Due: Paper #1 Draft

In-class: Finish O’Brien; peer-review of Paper #1.

Homework: Read “Antigone” Sophocles, Act One (978-88).

Wed, 3/16            In-class: Discuss “Antigone.”

                        Homework: Complete “Antigone” (988-1010).

Mon, 3/21             In-class: Discuss “Antigone”; in-class writing of Response Paper #6.

Homework: Review “Antigone”; begin revisions for Paper #1.

Wed, 3/23            In-class: Complete discussion of “Antigone.”

Homework: Complete revisions for Paper #1; Read “Death, be not proud” John Donne (1186); “I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—“ Emily Dickinson (1188); “The Bustle in a House” Emily Dickinson (1188); “Buffalo Bill’s” e. e. cummings (1191); “Night Funeral in Harlem” Langston Hughes (1192-93).

Mon, 3/28              Due: Paper #1 Final

In-class: Discuss Donne, Dickinson, cummings, Hughes.

Homework: Read “The Black Cat” Edgar Allen Poe (1154-61).

Wed, 3/30            In-class: Discuss Poe.

Homework: Read “The Management of Grief” Bharati Mukherjee (948-61).

Response Paper 7: Why do you think Shaila Bhave gets out of the car? Why doesn’t she give Judith Templeton an explanation?

Mon, 4/4:            Due: Response Paper 7

In-class: Discuss Mukherjee.

Homework: Read “On the Fear of Death” Elizabeth Kubler-Ross (1223-29).

Wed, 4/6:            In-class: Discuss Kubler-Ross.

Homework: Read “Araby” James Joyce (206-10).

Response Paper 8:  Why is it so important for the narrator to go to the bazaar?  Why do you think he comes away so dissatisfied?

Part III: Love and Seduction

Mon, 4/11            Due: Response Paper 8

In-class: Discuss Joyce; Assign Paper #2

Homework: Read “To me he seems like a god” Sappho (591-92); “a chinese banquet” Kitty Tsui (606-7); “Wild Nights—Wild Nights!” Emily Dickinson (1242).

Wed, 4/13            In-class: Discuss Sappho, Tsui, and Dickinson.

                        Homework: Complete Draft of Paper #2.

Mon, 4/17            Spring Break

Wed, 4/19            Spring Break

Mon, 4/25            Spring Break

Wed, 4/27            Due: Rough Draft Paper #2

                        In-class: Peer Review.

Homework: Read “To His Coy Mistress” Andrew Marvell (595-96); “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” Christopher Marlowe (598-99); “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” Sir Walter Raleigh (599-600).

Mon, 5/2              In-class: Discuss Marvell, Marlowe, Raleigh; in-class writing of Response Paper #9.

Homework: “Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds” William Shakespeare (592); “The Sun Rising” John Donne (593-94).

Wed, 5/4              In-class: Discuss Shakespeare and Donne.

Homework: Begin revisions for Paper #2; Read “The Birthmark.” Nathaniel Hawthorne (1034-46).

Mon, 5/9            In-class: Discuss Hawthorne.

                        Homework: Complete Paper #2.

Wed, 5/11            Due: Paper #2 Final

In-class: Continue Hawthorne discussion.

Homework: Read “Second-Hand Man” Rita Dove (585-90).

Mon, 5/16            In-class: Discuss Dove.

Homework: Read “Marrying Absurd” Joan Didion (683-85).

Response Paper 10: Didion writes that Las Vegas is “merchandising ‘niceness,’ the facsimile of proper ritual” (685).  What do you think she means by this?

Wed, 5/18             Due: Response Paper 10

In-class: Discuss Didion; discuss preparing for the exam.

Mon, 5/23            Final Exam 12:30-2:30.