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Participation 100 points possible
You can earn points for each class you attend and participate in. Come to class prepared by reading the selections, and take an active role in discussions and presentations. Attendance is taken on a daily basis though names will not be called after the first few weeks.
Quizzes 100 points possible
There will be two quizzes on the novel you will read for the course. Each quiz will be worth 50 points. You can prepare for these quizzes by reading the novel closely and thinking about the literary elements involved.
Essays 250 points possible (5 x 50)
The five essay assignments are worth 50 points apiece; these are graded on both length and substance. The minimum length requirement for a passing grade is three full pages of handwritten work or two and one half pages of typewritten. You can bring a three-inch by five-inch index card with notes or an outline to use for the in-class essays. Your topic should be clear to the reader from the first few sentences of your paper. But to help me keep track, please write the essay topic, page number, and topic number at the top of the first page.
For the content, you can choose the topics for the essays. Avoid summarizing the work; instead, engage in an interpretation. Rather than tell the reader what happened in the piece of literature you are discussing, concentrate on why the events happened. Or consider how a character has been developed in the work. Each of the works in the textbook is followed by a series of Study Questions to generate ideas for your interpretation. These questions may be helpful in providing some direction for your comments on a specific work. You can frame your essay topic around one of the study questions. Another suggestion is to base your essays on the many topics provided in the Writing About the Reading section at the end of each chapter. The topics are classified as personal essays and narratives, imitations and parodies, argumentative papers, analytical prose, comparison-contrast papers and research papers. Since this class focuses on essay writing, let's not use the topics under imitations. Keep to the other categories, and try experimenting with different categories when selecting your topics. For example, do not write more than one personal narrative. In summary, you can create your own essay topic, you can devise one around the Study Questions, or you can choose a topic from the Writing About Reading sections.
You should also learn about specific vocabulary found in literary analysis by studying the Glossary from pages 969 to 974. In each chapter, you are encouraged to read the Afterword for the editors' remarks concerning literary terminology and conventional methods of interpretation.
Four of the essays will be written in class: two for Chapters 1-4 and two for Chapters 5-9. The remaining essay will be written outside of class. The out-of-class essay will be on Richard Dokey's short story "Sánchez" and Branimir Ciric's literary critique "The Story of Juan Sánchez." Dokey's story is in our textbook, and Ciric's critique is in Delta Winds, 2002. You can access the online site of Delta Winds at the following address: http://www.deltacollege.edu/org/deltawinds.
The out-of-class essay is expected to be a more polished work since you will have the time and resources for revision and editing. In the out-of-class essay, you are required to include direct quotes from Ciric's analysis of the short story. Read the sample Student Writing essays in the textbook for ideas on how to approach these assignments.
MLA Documentation 50 points possible
You can earn points by using the Modern Language Association (MLA) style of documentation in your essays. With each of your essays, you will receive a second grade based on how well you keep to the MLA style. A typed works cited page is to accompany each of your essays. You can finish the works cited page before coming to class and hand it in with your essay. For the first two essays, the works cited page will be worth ten points. You will not be graded on in-text citations for the first two in-class essays. For the third and fourth essays, the works cited page will be worth five points, and the in-text citations will be worth five points. For the out-of-class essay, you will be graded on in-text citations and on the work cited page.
Our textbook is an anthology, so be sure that you follow the specific guidelines for citing an anthology in your works cited page. With in-text citations, be sure you follow the specifics regarding quoting and documenting. Be aware that situations determine how to document correctly. You can find information on MLA documentation through a link provided on my faculty web page. To get to my faculty web page, go to Delta College's website (www.deltacollege.edu), click on Faculty, and then click on Faculty/Staff Personal Web Pages. Click on my name and then English 1B. You can find links at the bottom of the page. Or for MLA information, you can use a grammar handbook; a very clear handbook is Diana Hacker's A Pocket Style Manual, available at the bookstore.
Midterms 200 points possible (2 x 100)
The first in-class midterm will focus on Chapters 1-3. Be familiar with each selection discussed in class and with the introduction and afterword to each chapter. You will be required to show an understanding of the terminology discussed in the afterword and defined in the glossary at the end of the text. You will also have a matching section in which you identify works discussed in class by matching excerpts to the titles provided. In the essay section, you will have to answer one of three essay questions based on works presented to the class. Students will be expected to write essays that clearly and effectively interpret specific literary works. The essays will be graded on content and form. The second in-class midterm will use the same format and will cover Chapters 4-6.
Research Paper 200 points possible
The typed research paper should consist of a title page, six pages of double-spaced writing and a works cited page. Only papers written in the MLA form of documentation will be accepted. Be sure to use one-inch margins and double-spaced type. Next, hand in all drafts of the paper. If you write on a computer, then make hard copies of your paper at stages throughout the process. In addition to the drafts, hand in photocopies of pages from sources which you quote or paraphrase. Please highlight the photocopy for areas you quote and paraphrase in your paper.
As with other work, the research paper will be evaluated on form and content; however, with research assignments, accuracy in presentation becomes an even greater factor in determining the grade. Adhering to a more formal and objective style of writing and following the MLA recommendations will lead you in the right direction for this paper. You should include both paraphrase and quotes in your paper; also, use a minimum of four sources, at least three of which must be written. We will review the guidelines that discuss in detail the format of the research paper.
For information on how to document various sources in the MLA style, look to the research and documentation sections of English textbooks or resource manuals. A clear resource is A Pocket Style Manual by Diana Hacker and published by Bedford Books.
In past semesters, students have focused their research papers on novels by particular authors who live or have lived in California or have written about California. There are many notable regional authors who can provide us insight through their writings. Over the past few years, we have concentrated on one novelist for the duration of the semester. Students have studied works by John Steinbeck, Maxine Hong Kingston, Leonard Gardner, Gail Tsukiyama, Ernest Gaines, and Amy Tan. For this academic year, our featured artists will be William Saroyan in the fall 2005 semester and Bharati Mukherjee in the spring 2006 semester.
For your research paper topics in the fall 2005 semester, concentrate on William Saroyan. Before you decide on a topic, read one of the following novels by Saroyan: The Human Comedy, The Adventures of Wesley Jackson, Rock Wagram, The Laughing Matter, Boys and Girls Together, or One Day in the Afternoon. Then, choose a topic related to the novel as literature. You might decide to focus on characters in the novel, the plot of the novel, the writing style of the author, the setting of the novel, or themes found in the novel. Just choose one element for the research paper. You want to research and form a more educated opinion about the topic and to share that information with others through your research paper. The research paper differs from the essay topics in that you have to read literary critiques and reviews of the novel before you write your paper. The key is to find what reviewers have written about your topic. Your research paper relies on outside sources and the views of experts in the field. You should be able to find many online sources concerning Saroyan’s novels, but, even so, be prepared to spend time in the library locating reviews from the year the novel was first published. Valuable resources for reviews are Contemporary Literary Criticism, Contemporary Authors, 20th Century American Literature, and Modern Fiction Studies. It is a good idea to get started on your research early so you can get the books out of the library before they are all checked out. If you use online sources, verify that the sources are from knowledgeable authorities. Do not use chat room responses as your sources. Please feel free to see me if you are having trouble getting started on this or any other assignment.
Final Exam 100 points possible
The final examination will consist of essay questions on the oral reports given by students in the final days of the semester. The oral reports will be on the research papers written on the novels by the featured author of the semester.
Extra Credit
There will be no extra credit assignments throughout the course.
General Information
When writing these papers, assume that the reader has more than a passing familiarity with the work, making any summarizing of the selection unnecessary. To maintain a clear and consistent focus, you might consider, as mentioned earlier with the essays, keeping to only one work and one aspect of the work. Some students have compared works of similar themes, and others have analyzed the character development in different stories. Read the samples of Student Writing in the text to understand how to present your ideas in writing.
Regardless of how you approach the assignment, be sure to always return to the main source (the short story, the poem, the play) to test and verify that your interpretation is a valid one. Specific references to a work can substantiate any claims made, so including a few quotes with accurate documentation might help.
If you have questions about how to begin reading and writing about literature, read Writing About Literature, pages 929-959. Also, study the Student Writing samples at the end of each chapter and in this booklet. If you locate in our textbook a short story, play, or poem that we did not discuss in class but you would prefer to use in your paper, please let me know before you begin writing.
Before you hand in your papers, check for organization, focused paragraphs, smooth transitions, clear support and development of ideas, examples, sentence variety, and accurate use of punctuation, spelling, and grammar. Also, hand in all drafts in order to get full credit for your work.
In your writing assignments, use a more formal, academic writing style. Avoid using idioms and slang (e.g. "It was a cool story"); instead, be creative and original with your words. Also, when possible, replace two or three word verbs with a more concise one word verb (e.g. "He figured out" becomes "He realized"; "He thought about" becomes "He considered"). Try using some of the verbs listed on the Specific Verb handout to add some precise word choice to your writing.
Late Papers
Try to complete your essays and papers by the deadlines indicated in class and on the syllabus so that you do not fall too far behind in your schoolwork in case personal emergencies occur. Please remember that I have to be fair to others in the class and so late work will be penalized. Also, I probably will not have enough time to write comments on assignments handed in late. If you leave a paper in my mailbox at the Administration Building, then for security reasons make a copy for your files. I strongly recommend that you do not leave a copy of your work on my office door.
Course Educational Objectives:
All of the students who successfully complete the course work for English 1B will have satisfied the English composition requirements for transfer to California State Universities and most private universities. Students will have been introduced to three genres of literature: short story, poetry, and drama. Students will be familiar with how to read literary works for an appreciation of literary elements, such as voice, plot, themes, symbolism, character, and others. Students will also have completed a research paper on a topic related to literaure.
Explanation of Grading Criteria:
Participation 10%
Quizzes 10%
Essays 25%
Midterm: Chs. 1-3 10%
Midterm: Chs. 4-6 10%
MLA Documentation 5%
Research Paper 20%
Final Exam 10%
Attendance: According to school policy, a student may be dropped for missing one of the first three class sessions. A student may also be dropped for missing six classes during the term. The thirteenth week of the semester is the last week for withdrawing from this class with a "W." Students who do not pass this course and who have not dropped this course before this date will receive an "F." It is the student's, not the teacher's, responsibility to complete the paperwork by the above deadline.
Click the links below to view sites associated with literature and research writing.
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