Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
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Instructor Information
C. Renee Field crfield1@cougars.ccis.edu
Textbooks
Aaron, Jane E. The Little, Brown Compact Handbook. 7th Ed. New York: Pearson Education, 2009. ISBN 0-205-65163-1. Booth, Alison, J. Paul Hunter and Kelly J. Mays, Eds. The Norton Introduction to Literature. Portable Ed. New York: Norton, 2006. ISBN: 0-393-92856-X Textbooks for the course may be ordered from MBS Textbook Exchange. You can order online at http://direct.mbsbooks.com/columbia.htm (be sure to select Online Education rather than your home campus before selecting your class) by phone at 800-325-3252 For additional information about the bookstore, visit http://www.mbsbooks.com. Please note that the use of an eBook carries certain risks: information may be missing due to copyright restrictions, the book cannot be resold to MBS, and an eBook purchase cannot be refunded.
Course Overview
This is the class in which you will learn to research, using literature as a focus, and then use that research in a paper that will synthesize and analyze the work and the research information. You will read works from several different genres short stories, poetry, and plays. You will look at the literary work from several perspectives: When was it created and what does it reflect about that time? Who created the work and how is it reflective of what we know about the author? What did the work say to contemporary readers when it was published? What does it say to readers today? How does your own experience affect your reading of the work?
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You will learn new skills in critical analysis and writing and develop those you already have. Over the course of the eight weeks, you will write three short papers (2-5 pages) and one major research paper, which will be developed in incremental steps over several weeks.
Technology Requirements
Participation in this course will require the basic technology for all online classes at Columbia College: A computer with reliable Internet access, a web browser, Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Office or another word processor such as Open Office. You can find more details about standard technical requirements for our courses on our site. Describe any additional technology requirements unique to this class.
Course Objectives
The objective of this course is for students to learn the interrelated skills of engaged reading, analytical thinking, and argumentative writing that are essential to college level research through close engagement with literary texts.
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Grading
Grading Scale
GRADE A B C D F POINTS 900-1000 800-899 700-799 600-699 0-599 PERCENT 90-100 80-89 70-79 60-69 0-59
Grade Weights
ASSIGNMENT Discussions Papers Quizzes Midterm Final Total POINTS 150 650 60 40 100 1000 PERCENT 15% 65% 6% 4% 10% 100%
Columbia College Online Campus Discussion 16 Final Exam TOTAL 10 100 1000
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Assignment Overview
Readings and Virtual Tours should be completed prior to submitting written assignments or taking quizzes for the week. Discussion: Every week you will find discussion questions in the course to discuss your readings and the papers you are writing. You must post your original comments and respond to at least two other students in order to get full points. Your original posts should be submitted early enough that other students will have time to read and respond. Your original response must be posted to the discussion board by midnight on Wednesday of the assigned week; your responses to at least two classmates should be posted by midnight on Sunday of the assigned week. In Week 8, they are due Friday and Saturday, respectively. Papers: Of course, the heart of this course is about writing! You will write two shorter papers (3-5 pages) on short stories and poetry in weeks 2 and 4. For each paper, you will have the opportunity of posting a draft to the discussion board for peer review and feedback from other students before posting your paper to the dropbox for my review. You will also write a longer research paper (7-10 pages), which you will develop over the course of the session. Select a topic: By week 2, you will need to select the book you will be writing about and submit your topic to me. Mini-research paper: In week 2, you will write a short research paper (3-5 pages) that will help you get started with the longer paper due in week 7. You will look at historical influences on the book you have chosen to write about. This paper should include references to at least two outside sources. Library Research: During week 3, you will begin doing your library research online and workshop with other students in the class about your search strategies and findings through an online discussion. Annotated Bibliography: In week 5, you will submit your annotated bibliography of sources for your research paper so that I can provide you feedback on the sources selected, as well as your use of MLA style for documentation of your sources. Thesis and outline: You will submit your thesis statement and an outline of the key points in your paper in Week 6. The Final Paper will be due in Week 7. If you do very badly on one of the first four papers, you may rewrite it for a better grade. However, you should reformulate the paper rather than simply copy-edit the mechanical errors. You must substantially rewrite a part of the paper. Rewrites may earn a maximum of 90% of the points available. You may rewrite these papers at any point in the course, but you must communicate with me in advance about your plan to revise the paper. You may post the revised paper to the revisions dropbox. I will assess it and revise your grade. Quizzes should be completed by Sunday at midnight. The purpose of quizzes is to help assess your comprehension of the handbook and your reading, so please use your books as resources when taking the quizzes. Exams will be given the fourth week and the eighth week. The exams will include questions about grammar as well as questions about the readings. You will be presented with sentences and asked to identify their structure and asked to correct any mechanical errors (spelling and grammar). The questions about your readings will be multiple-choice.
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Course Schedule
Week 1 Introductions; Short Stories
Readings Grammar and Style: Read Section 58 in The Little Brown Handbook. Another good resource for MLA style is at Purdues online writing lab, http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ Plagiarism: Visit these online resources to read about plagiarism, academic honesty, and intellectual property. You will discuss these readings in Discussion 2. Required reading: Purdue OWL. Avoiding Plagiarism. The Online Writing Lab at Purdue. September 18, 2007. Purdue University Writing Lab. March 4, 2008 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/ http://www.plagiarism.org/ Short Stories: In The Norton Introduction to Literature, read Poe, The Cask of Amontillado p. 108 Melville, Bartleby the Scrivener, p. 133 Pick at least one other story in the collection to read. You will write your first essay about this freechoice reading next week. It will be easier for you to say something original and individualistic if you are not repeating what everyone else says in the discussion area. Literary Analysis: in the Little Brown Handbook, read pages 383-391. Discussion Assignments Discussion 1: Introductions. Introduce yourself in the Introduction discussion, giving us enough information about you that you become a real person to us. Where do you live? What degree are you pursuing? How far along are you in your educational program? Kids? Pets? What was the last book you read for fun? What is your favorite book? Post your introduction by Wednesday. Read as many of your colleagues posts as possible. By Sunday, respond to at least two postings. Discussion 2: Plagiarism. Do some reading, listening and thinking about plagiarism, using the resources listed above. Then in the discussion, define your understanding of plagiarism and respond to at least two other postings. Discussion 3: Point of View. Our first two short stories, Poes Cask of Amontillado and Melvilles Bartleby the Scrivener are told from the first person point of view. How does that influence the telling of the story? Are the narrators limited in their points of view or omniscient (all knowing)? Both are somewhat confessional stories. Do you think the narrators limit how much they are telling us? If so, why? How might these stories differ if they were told from a different point of view? Paper 1: Short Story Analysis: 3-5 pages, due next Wednesday night. This is not due until Wednesday night of the second week. However, you need to start it this week and get it submitted by this weekend so you can get some feedback before it is due. Choose one of the extra stories you have read in our text. Do not choose one of the stories we discussed and posted answers about. Write an analysis of the story, looking at the role of the characters, the settings, and the voice of the storyteller. This is a critical analysis, not simply a retelling of the story. By critical, we do not mean finding fault. We mean looking very closely at the story, looking at the details as well as the big picture. You
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should form a thesis statement that asserts your own perspective on the story. Focus on one thing about the story, such as the setting or one of the characters or the narrative point of view. Give examples from the story to support your thesis statement. As long as you deal with what is in the story and dont take anything away from it or add anything to it, your perspective will be valued (even if I totally disagree with it.) Dont forget to cite the story in the Works Cited page following your essay. Heres a link to some information on writing about literature at Purdues Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/4/17/. If you want to see an example of a Literary Analysis go to these pages in the textbooks: Little, Brown Handbook: 390-391 Norton Intro. To Literature: 53-56 As soon as you write it, post it in the Writers Workshop discussion so you can get some feedback from other students about it. Copy and paste it in the message, rather than include it as an attachment, as you are more likely to get a response that way. When you respond to two other students essays, you are to respond using "I" statements: "I don't understand why . . ." or "I really liked the part about . . . ." Respond to the papers with a paragraph discussing your reaction to the paper and any suggestions you might have about improving it. By next Wednesday, revise your paper, based on your peers comments, and post it in the dropbox. Research Paper: Begin to search for a book that you will use as the focus of your research paper in this course. There is a list of previously approved, suggested works of fiction and non-fiction in the Course Content. Its called Suggestions for Research Project. The work must be one that has been found to be worthy of literary criticism. It is best to NOT select something too recent (published within the past 5-10 years), because it will be difficult to find sufficient references to cite in your paper. You must submit the title and author to me by the next week so I can approve it before you start your research. I dont want you to try to research something that will not lend itself to this project. Quiz 1 Your quiz for this week and next will be on MLA citations, Section 58, pp. 404-460 in the handbook.
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Wallpaper) make use of images that are symbolic of something larger? What symbols do they use? How do they convey a greater meaning to their stories? What differences do you see in the way Hawthorne and Gilman make use of symbols? Why? Research Paper: Submit the author, title, and a short synopsis of the book you want to use as your research focus to the appropriate discussion by Tuesday. The synopsis is only necessary if you use a book other than one that is on the suggested list. Paper 2: Historical Perspectives on Literature. 3-5 pages. Due Wednesday night of Week Three. Begin your first mini-research historical/sociological perspective paper. This paper will focus on the historical context of the writing or publishing of this book. This should be the same book you have chosen for your research paper. What was happening in the world at that time which might have influenced the writing of the book? How does the book reflect the time in which it was published? The focus of the paper must be the book, with the research helping other readers to understand it in the context of the time. Use two outside sources in addition to your primary source to support your paper. Post your draft in the discussion area for peer review by Wednesday night; then critique two other papers. If you get feedback from other students, take it into consideration as you revise your paper to submit to the dropbox. This paper will be due next Wednesday by midnight. Your first mini-research paper must be submitted with your name, my name, course number, and section number at the top of the left hand side of the paper. Under that should be the title of your paper, centered, in both upper and lower case letters. See your handbook for rules on capitalizing titles. You should also have a header on each page with your last name and page number. In your paper, you should be using MLA in-text citations. Again, use your handbook for this style. (Section 58) On a separate page at the end of your paper, you should have a Works Cited page. This should contain both your book and the two sources you used in the paper. Twenty percent of this paper will be based on citations and format, with the rest of the grade reflecting the quality of writing and analysis in your paper. If you have problems trying to figure out a citation pattern, go to http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ to see further information. Quiz 2: MLA style documentation, Section 58 in your handbook.
Week 3 Poetry
Readings Norton Reader: Heaney, Mid-Term Break, p. 406 Sexton, The Fury of Overshoes, p. 407 Roethke, My Papas Waltz, p. 470 Browning, My Last Duchess, p. 574 Handbook. We are going to use the handbook as a resource from now on, but you need to know how sentences work. We will be paying attention to the sentence patterns of simple, compound, complex, and compound/complex sentences. You may want to review Part 4 (sections 21-37). This should be familiar to you, but if you have problems, keep referring to it. A Note on How to Read Poetry Read the poems aloud, stopping at commas and periods, not ends of lines. Listen to what they say, how they sound, and how they are formed. Look at the rhyme scheme of the poems. Read the notes about the poems. You must help create the poem in your reading.
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There are two rules which must not be broken in reading poetry. 1. You may not add anything to the poem that is not there. You might think you know what the speaker might be like, but you must deal with what is actually in the poem, not with what you think should be there. 2. You may not take anything out of the poem in your reading. For example, if you focus on the images of the teddy bear and thumb in The Fury of Overshoes and read it as an idyllic reflection on the comfort and innocence of childhood, you will be taking the fury out of the poem. That type of reading is in error. We must consider carefully what the words, phrases, and structure say on a literal and symbolic meaning
Discussion Assignment Discussion 6: Unpacking Meaning in Poetry. What is the tone of the poet in each of these four poems? How does it influence their telling of the stories behind each of the poems? Discussion 7: Library Research. Go to the Library Resources link on the first page in eservices (it is under Online Course Access and CC Homepage). Access at least two of the databases such as JSTOR, Project Muse, EBSCO, Blooms or Twayne Author's Series. Search by the title of the book you have chosen and the author's name. There are many sources available to our students through this link. You, of course, may also use other library resources from other university libraries. Find what is out there that will make your paper unique. It is much easier with so much available online through the library. I cannot accept Wikipedia, amazon.com, novelguide, Spark Notes, bookrags, Yahoo answers, Cliff Notes, or other such sources for your writing. You may not use such sources when so much other source information is available. For online sources, look for the author and the organization that is publishing the site. One general rule of thumb is that if you cannot find an author for the source, it is probably not a reliable source. Report on your experiences so we can learn from one another. What search strategies and databases provided you the best results? How do you track and organize the articles you find? Paper 3: Poetry Analysis. 3-5 pages, due next Wednesday night Choose a poem from our text OTHER THAN the ones assigned and write a reaction to the poem, telling not only what you see in the poem (the explication), but also how the poem makes you feel, what it says to you about life and the human condition. Do not choose one of the poems we discussed and posted answers about. Post this under the Poetry analysis discussion. Read what some of the others have to say, and respond to two of them. By Wednesday night, post the revised essay in the dropbox for Essay Three. See a sample poetry analysis here: Little, Brown Handbook Section 56 (Please note this essay uses outside sources; yours will NOT.) There is also a sample poetry analysis in the Week 3 Content section. Quiz 3 Your quiz this week will be on identifying sentence patterns: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. The second part of it will be on correct usage. Section 24 in the Handbook has information on the sentence patterns. There is also a lecture in the content area about it. The correct usage has to do with punctuating these sentences.
Columbia College Online Campus Frost, The Road not Taken, p. 584 Discussion Assignments
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Discussion 8: Imagery, Metaphor, and Symbols. Choose one of the poems you have read this week and discuss the images in it. How do the images surprise you? How do they work on a literal as well as a metaphoric level? Discussion 9: Poetry party. Choose a poem from all that are in this text. Analyze it by telling your classmates what there is about this poem that speaks to you. Why would you recommend it to others? Midterm evaluation. Post your comments what you think should be different in our course. What would benefit you that we have not yet covered? Paper 4: Annotated Bibliography: eight entries. Due next Wednesday night Begin compiling a list of possible sources you will use for your final paper. Obviously, you wont know at this point what exact sources you will use in the final paper. This list should have at least eight sources in it. This will give both of us a chance to see that you are using valid sources, that you are citing them correctly, and that you understand the difference between valid and invalid sources. The idea of this assignment is to make sure that you are citing correctly for the final paper. By your final research paper, I want you to be concentrating on saying something individualistic and worthwhile about the text you have chosen. The bibliography is not due until the fifth week, but you may want to get started on the assignment this week. Midterm Exam The mid-term will be an objective test online. The first part will be on citations and the second part on identifying sentence patterns.
Week 5 Drama
Reading: Glaspell, Trifles, p. 653 Discussion Assignments Discussion 10: Dramatic Irony. In Glaspells play, what is it that the men see as trifles? What significance do the women find in these items? What importance do they have in the story? Discussion 11: Character. Perhaps the most important character in this play never appears on stage. How would you describe her? What clues to her character do you see in the play? Annotated Bibliography: due Wednesday night. You must have eight sources, with an annotation for each source, giving a summary of the source, the type of information you will be using from it, the reason why you think this is valid, and an example of an in-text parenthetical reference of the source. In other words, how you would cite it in the paper if you did decide to use it. Your annotated bibliography entries should be in MLA format, so I can check it and give you feedback on it. These may or may not be sources you will use in the final draft; consider it a working document. Quiz 4 This is another quiz on the Works Cited page. Now that you have had some feedback on it, see what you have learned and what you still need to get clear.
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work?) You may want to look at the influence of the book. (What changed as a result of its publication?) Anything that you have in your second paper may be used in this paper, as long as it is relevant to the points you are making. Your final research paper should include at least seven sources being used in your text. The paper will be graded on content, conventions, usage of in-text citations, and appropriate tone and language. The Works Cited page will be graded at the same time, and will be used to check the in-text citations. The Works Cited page should be part of your research paper document, not a separate file. Be prepared to send me the title page of the sources you used. If you used an electronic source, print it off and keep it until you know that I wont require it. Post the copy to be graded in the dropbox. Course Evaluation Before next Wednesday evening go to the evaluation site from your eServices announcements page and do the evaluation for this course. I take these evaluations very seriously, as do the administrators of this division of the College. Please give me your best feedback so I can continue to improve this course. The results are anonymous and given to me after the class is over, so I have no way of knowing who wrote what. Quiz 6 This quiz is on identifying independent and dependent clauses. It is a continuation of last weeks material. Most of you should have this down by now.
Course Policies
Student Conduct
All Columbia College students, whether enrolled in a land-based or online course, are responsible for behaving in a manner consistent with Columbia College's Code of Student Conduct and Ethics Code for Computer Users. Students violating these codes will be referred to the Campus Life Office for possible disciplinary action. The Code for Student Conduct and the Ethics Code for Computer Users can be found in the Columbia College Student Handbook. The Handbook is available online; you can also obtain a copy by calling the Campus Life Office at 573-875-7400. The teacher maintains the right to manage a positive learning environment and all students must adhere to the conventions of online etiquette.
Plagiarism
Your grade will be based in large part on the originality of your ideas and your written presentation of these ideas. Presenting the words, ideas, or expression of another in any form as your own is
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plagiarism. Students who fail to properly give credit for information contained in their written work (papers, journals, exams, etc.) are violating the intellectual property rights of the original author. For proper citation of the original authors, you should reference the appropriate publication manual for your degree program or course (APA, MLA, etc.). Violations are taken seriously in higher education and may result in a failing grade on the assignment, a grade of "F" for the course, or dismissal from the College. Collaboration conducted between students without prior permission from the instructor is considered plagiarism and will be treated as such. Spouses and roommates taking the same course should be particularly careful. All required papers may be submitted for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers may be included in the Turnitin.com reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. This service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com site.
Non-Discrimination
There will be no discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, ideology, political affiliation, veteran status, age, physical handicap, or marital status.
ADA Accommodations
Students with documented disabilities who may need academic services for this course are required to register with the Coordinator for Disability Services at (573) 875-7626. Until the student has been cleared through the disability services office, accommodations do not have to be granted. If you are a student who has a documented disability, it is important for you to read the entire syllabus before enrolling in the course. The structure or the content of the course may make an accommodation not feasible.
Online Participation
You are expected to read the assigned texts and participate in the discussions and other course activities each week. Assignments should be posted by the due dates stated on the grading schedule in your syllabus. If an emergency arises that prevents you from participating in class, please let your instructor know as soon as possible.
Attendance Policy
Attendance will be counted as having posted a course assignment during that week of the session. A class week is defined as the period of time between Monday and Sunday (except for Week 8, when the week and the course will end on Saturday at midnight). The course and system deadlines are all based on the Central Time Zone. If you must be out of touch for a week, please let me know so I will not think you have dropped the course.
Cougar E-mail
All students are provided a CougarMail account when they enroll in classes at Columbia College. You are responsible for monitoring e-mail from that account for important messages from the College and from your instructor. You may forward your Cougar e-mail account to another account; however, the College cannot be held responsible for breaches in security or service interruptions with other e-mail providers. Students should use e-mail for private messages to the instructor and other students. The class discussions are for public messages so the class members can each see what others have to say about any given topic and respond.
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Course Evaluation
You will have an opportunity to evaluate the course near the end of the session. Course evaluations will open on Monday of the Week 7 and remain open until 5 pm Wednesday of the Week 8. You will be able to access the link from your eServices page. Be assured that the evaluations are anonymous and that your instructor will not be able to see them until after final grades are submitted.
Additional Resources
Orientation for New Students
This course is offered online, using course management software provided by Desire2Learn and Columbia College. The Student Manual provides details about taking an online course at Columbia College. You may also want to visit the course demonstration to view a sample course before this one opens.
Technical Support
If you have problems accessing the course or posting your assignments, contact your instructor, the Columbia College Helpdesk, or the D2L Helpdesk for assistance. Contact information is also available within the online course environment. CCHelpDesk@ccis.edu 800-231-2391 ex. 4357 helpdesk@desire2learn.com 877-325-7778
Tutoring
Columbia College offers free online tutoring for students enrolled in Math and English courses. SMARTHINKING is the tutoring service used by the college. SMARTHINKING provides real-time online tutoring and homework help for Math and English courses up to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can access live tutorials in writing and math, as well as a full range of study resources, including writing manuals, sample problems, and study skills manuals. You can access the service from wherever you have a connection to the Internet. I encourage you to take advantage of this free service provided by the college.
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To access SMARTHINKING: 1. Login to the course. 2. Click the Go to SMARTHINKING Tutoring Services link located on the right side of the screen. 3. Click the Click Here to Create Your Account! button. IMPORTANT: You will be asked to create a username and password the first time you attempt to access Smarthinking. This account is separate from your Columbia College eServices username and password.