English 200b Syllabus

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Prof. Jim Garrett
Office: E & T A608
Office Hours: Monday 4:15-5:30, Tuesday 2:30-4:15, and by appt.
Phone:  (323) 343-4163
Email: jgarret@calstatela.edu  
Course web site: http://www.calstatela.edu/jgarret/200b

Objective The main objective of the course is to provide each student with a basic understanding of the major developments and major figures in British literary history from its Anglo-Saxon beginnings to the year 1700. In addition, we will work on becoming better readers, writers and thinkers through frequent discussions, examinations, presentations and writing tasks. Ultimately our goal is to work on improving our ability to think critically about texts (in whatever form we encounter them) and to communicate clearly our ideas.  Each of us must consider the acts of reading and writing as ways of making the world, of making it cohere or come apart, of inscribing it with purpose and meaning.

Course Requirements There is much reading and writing in this class. You will need to be diligent about planning ahead and completing your tasks on time. Listed below are the required assignments for this course:

1. A three page literary analysis. (15% of course grade)

2. A four page literary analysis. (25% of course grade)

3. Two reading responses (short 1-2 page essays). (10% of course grade)

4. A midterm (short answer identification questions and an in-class essay). (50 points—15% of course grade)

5. A final exam (short answer identification questions, one textual analysis, and one essay question). (25% of course grade)

6. Attendance and participation (discussion, oral close reading, pop quizzes (if any), in‑class writing, presentations). (10% of course grade)

Please note that all assignments (the readings, the essays, the responses, and the exams) are required.  You must satisfactorily complete all assignments to pass the course.

Textbooks

The following texts are required for this class:

Abrams, et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Major Authors, Volume 1. Seventh Edition. New York: Norton.

Shakespeare, William. Henry V. New York: Folger Library Collection.

The following text is recommended for this class:

Gibaldi, Joseph. The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. Sixth Edition. New York : MLA.

Policies

Grading Policy: The distribution of points for the individual assignments in this course is listed in "Course Requirements" above. For the quarter, 250 points are possible. Course grades are based on standard percentages (i.e. 90% and greater is some version of an A, 80%-89% is some version of a B and so on). Plus and minus grades are used in the class.

Cell Phones and Pagers: Please turn off all cell phones, pagers, portable radios, televisions, computers, MP3/CD/Disc/Mini-disc players, and any other electronic communication and/or entertainment devices before coming to class.

Contacting the Instructor: Email is the most effective way of communicating with me outside of class and my office hours. However, be reasonable. If you email me at 2:00 AM, the morning before a paper is due, don't expect a response.

Attendance: Regular and prompt attendance is essential. Arriving late to class is rude and disruptive and will not be tolerated. If you cannot arrive to class on time you should consider taking classes at times more suited to your schedule. Regardless of the reason, failure to attend class or arriving late to class will affect your final quarter grade.

Please read the assigned texts before class. Often I will offer some guidelines about future reading assignments in class. For example, I might tell you to focus on a particular text for the next class meeting. If you are absent, you are responsible for getting the assignment from a classmate.

Written Assignments: Please note the following carefully when preparing your written assignments for this class:

• Written assignments must be typed following standard formatting practices for college writing—use a readable type style (12 point type), indent paragraphs, double space between lines, and use one inch margins. Any style guide will contain information on formatting your written assignments for submission.

• Before handing in written assignments, edit and proofread your work carefully.

• Do not use plastic covers or report folders or title pages on your written assignments. Each assignment, though, should have your name, the course number, the date, and my name on separate lines (double-spaced) in the upper left corner of the first page. If the paper has a title, center it on the first page, after the above information.

• Use page numbers and place them in the upper right corner of the page. If you are uncertain how to have word processing software generate the correct page number in the header of your document, ask someone in one of the labs.

• MLA format and style conventions should be followed for all written assignments (essays and responses). For more information on MLA format and style conventions, see The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, the appropriate section of a recent (published after 2000) writer’s handbook, or one of the many reputable online sources.

• Late papers are not accepted. The assignment due dates are distributed on the first day of class, and the assignments are made available often weeks before they are due.

Academic Dishonesty/Cheating: Collaborating with others is encouraged when you are planning your papers, reviewing each other’s work, preparing for presentations or for exams. Study or reading groups can be effective ways to study and learn. However, when you write your papers, the text needs to be your own.

• You must carefully observe the standard rules for acknowledging the sources of words and ideas. If you make use of a phrase or a quote or if you paraphrase another writer’s words or ideas, you must acknowledge the source of these words or ideas telling us the source of these materials. APA and MLA style differ on the exact format of this attribution, but the simple version is the name of the author and the page number (if appropriate) in parentheses at the end of the sentence containing the use of the source material. If you fail to acknowledge properly the source of your text, you will receive a zero on the assignment and be reported to the Student Disciplinary Officer.

• If you plagiarize or otherwise misrepresent the source of your work, you will receive a zero on the assignment and be reported to the Student Disciplinary Officer.