Course Requirements: Your work in
this course will be focused on diligence in effort (34%), excellence in
performance (51%), and reflection on your learning (15%).
Your polished work and your reflection on your learning will be compiled
in a portfolio which
will be submitted December 9, 2003 and graded as indicated below (* indicates
component of portfolio):
| Diligence | Performance | Reflection | |
| Reader's Response | 50 | 25* | |
| Quizzes | 25 | ||
| Discussion Quantity | 20* | ||
| Discussion Quality | 5* | ||
| Examination | 75 | ||
| Explication of Poem of the Day | 25 | 50* | |
| Great Gatsby Essay | 15 | 50* | |
| Reflection on Learning | 50* | ||
| Projection of Learning beyond the course | 10* | ||
| Totals | 135 | 205 | 60 |
| *Portfolio Points: 210 | |||
| Semester Total Points: 400 |
Grading Scale:
372-400 A
Outstanding, rich, and provocative work
360-371 A-
348-359 B+
332-347 B
Very good work—moments of insight and/or grace
320-331 B-
308-319 C+
292-307 C
Satisfactory work, but lacking insight and/or grace
280-291 C-
268-279 D+
252-267 D
Meets basic requirements, but falls short of expectations
240-251 D-
0-239 F
Fails to meet minimum standards on a significant portion of the
relevant criteria
Quizzes:
Purpose: These pop quizzes are designed
to check reading comprehension and mastery of literary studies vocabulary
as well as diligence in preparation for class discussion.
Format: Quizzes will be multiple choice,
matching, true-false, short answer, or brief essays. Because these
quizzes function to keep preparation and participation on course, quizzes
may NOT be made up if they are missed. Excessive absences will therefore
affect this area of course requirements.
Evaluation: Your quiz grade will be determined
as the percentage (using the highest score in the class as 100%) of correct
answers you provide for a maximum total of 50
25 points toward your diligence
grade.
Discussion Participation:
Purpose: An important part of an education
is the process of claiming a voice within a community of learning.
Students who participate actively in discussions gain immediate feedback
on their thoughts and contributions to discussion. The combination
of immediacy of feedback and consistency of participation with reflection
on that feedback contributes a great deal to learning. Many students find
that their favorite classes are the ones that are most vibrant with student
contributions.
Format: We will have numerous occasions
for discussion as a class, in small groups, outside of class, and in fishbowl
format. Fishbowl Discussions: Each student will sign
up for three or four class sessions designated as Fishbowl days for which
a little extra preparation will be expected. On your assigned day,
you will be involved in a 20-45 minute group fishbowl discussion which
will focus our inquiry into the subject. In a fishbowl discussion,
the outer circle of the class will listen and learn (and, of course, take
notes) as the four inner circle fishbowl participants discuss questions
and issues in response to the texts. Three extra chairs will be available
for students and the instructor in the outer circle to get involved in
the inner circle discussion temporarily. When you leave the last
of the three chairs and no one rises to take your place, you must tap someone
on the shoulder to replace you. Similarly, if all of the chairs are
full and someone from the class has been occupying one of these chairs
for some time, you may tap him or her and take his or her place.
Your feedback for the fishbowl will be based on five types of discussion
preparation and participation: 1) developing a thoughtful array of
topics, questions, and supported points in a one page of questions and
notes that you prepare in advance and use to aid your participation (to
be submitted at the end of the discussion period), 2) offering significant
contributions in response to questions, 3) providing leadership in moving
from topic to topic and offering original questions, 4) making worthwhile
connections among points made and picking up on/taking issue with others’
responses, 5) citing specific evidence—such as a passage from the text—to
support assertions.
Evaluation: You will be asked to comment
and provide evidence on both the quantity (20 points) and quality (5 points)
of your discussion participation at the mid-semester point and as a part
of your portfolio. Use the following guidelines (note that a certain amount
of quantity is required in order to demonstrate quality):
Quantity of Participation:
| 19-20 points | Engages actively and regularly (at least every other class period) in discussions in large group, small group, fishbowl, outside of class, AND on the on-line discussion forum. Attends class regularly (fewer than five absences) and listens actively. |
| 16-18 points | Engages actively and regularly (at least every third class period) in at least three of the areas providing discussion opportunity ( large group, small group, fishbowl, outside of class, and on the on-line discussion forum). Regular class attendance (fewer than five absences) and listens actively. |
| 13-15 points | Engages actively but less frequently (at least every fifth class period) in at least two of the areas providing discussion opportunity ( large group, small group, fishbowl, outside of class, and on the on-line discussion forum). Regular class attendance (fewer than five absences) and listens actively. |
| 10-12 points | Engages actively but less frequently (at least every fifth class period) in at least one of the areas providing discussion opportunity ( large group, small group, fishbowl, outside of class, and on the on-line discussion forum). Regular class attendance (fewer than five absences) and listens actively. |
| 5-9 points | Engages infrequently in discussion, but attends class regularly (fewer than five absences) and listens actively. |
| 0-4 points | Infrequent contributions and more than five absences. |
Quality of Participation:
| 5 points | Meets criteria for at least 16 quantity points and uses every discussion opportunity to further the learning goals of the class. Evidence includes recap of at least four original insights that moved, empowered, or enlightened the class. |
| 4 points | Meets criteria for at least 16 quantity points and uses every discussion opportunity to further the learning goals of the class. Evidence includes recap of at least two original insights that moved, empowered, or enlightened the class. |
| 3 points | Meets criteria for at least 13 quantity points and uses every discussion opportunity to further the learning goals of the class. Evidence includes recap of at least two insights that moved, empowered, or enlightened the class. |
| 2 points | Meets criteria for at least 10 quantity points and uses every discussion opportunity to further the learning goals of the class. Evidence includes recap of at least two insights that moved, empowered, or enlightened some members of the class. |
| 1 point | Meets criteria for at least 10 quantity points and uses every discussion opportunity to further the learning goals of the class. Evidence includes recap of at least two insights that moved, empowered, or enlightened at least one other member of the class. |
| 0 points | Infrequency of contributions and/or attendance diminishes the quality of participation in furthering the learning goals of the class. |
Two Examinations
Purpose: The purpose of the examinations
is to offer you the opportunity to demonstrate your proficiency in and
understanding of the vocabulary of literary studies with an emphasis on
the formal elements of various genres of literature, the issues of global
literary study today, and the basics of critical reading strategies.
Format: The first examination will be a take-home
essay examination emphasizing the issues and works studied in the first half of
the course. The final examination will be
administered during the final examination period and will emphasize the Asian
American Plays studied in the last couple of weeks as well as issues discussed
throughout the semester.
Evaluation: 2 @ 75 points possible.
Explication
of Poem of the Day Assignment
Purpose: This assignment is intended to
provide you with an opportunity to engage in the process of developing an analysis
of a poem studied in class.
Format: There are two parts to this assignment:
1) First, you will sign up to lead the class through a discussion of one of the "poems of the day" from among those assigned on the syllabus for your day (poems will come from the Unsettling America anthology or from Connie Wanek's work). On your appointed day you will either lead the class in a discussion of the poem or invite the class to critique your own draft of an explication of that poem. You may also try some combination of the two.
2)
Write a formal explication of the poem you led the class in discussing earlier
in the semester. The assignment will be included
in your course portfolio.
Evaluation: 1) The presentation will be evaluated
for how well you engage the poem and the class with 25 points possible.
2) The explication essay as a part of the portfolio will be worth up to 50 points.
Essay Focusing on The
Great Gatsby within its critical context
Purpose: In
order to dig and delve more deeply into a work we will taking as a case study in
North American literary study, you will compose an two-part essay focused on
some limited aspect of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel in relation to its critical
contexts.
Format: The essay will be in
two parts. A draft of the first part is due for a class workshop on October 30.
For this part you are to select one aspect of the novel (an issue, theme,
stylistic choice, symbol, etc.) and develop an interpretation of the novel in a
thesis-driven 3-4 page essay. Be sure that you develop an argument—in other
words, be sure your essay is organized around your main points of analysis
rather than a summary of the story. You should be able to pose one
interpretative question to which your thesis statement is the answer. An
interpretative question, unlike a comprehension question, is a question that
requires thoughtful engagement with the text in order to arrive at answer.
Please do not use outside sources that focus on the novel for this part of the
paper. The second part (due in draft form on November 20th and
revised for inclusion in the portfolio November 25th) will be a
reevaluation of your original ideas in light of the critical approaches we study
in Lois Tyson’s book. As we read about the various critical schools, try to
identify where you share the assumptions of each approach and where your
original analysis intersects with a critical approach. Then to prepare yourself
to draft Part II, ask yourself, “1) which of the critical approaches does my
original interpretation espouse or most closely resemble? 2) which other one or
two approaches makes the most sense to me? And 3) how was my reading and
understanding of the novel both reinforced and also enhanced by considering the
different critical approaches?” For the last question, you will want to limit
your discussion to two schools of criticism. Write your second part as a
thesis-driven, well-organized essay incorporating your responses to the three
questions as a reevaluation of Part I rather than following a question and
answer format.
Evaluation: You will receive
a diligence in process and an excellence in product grade for the Essay:
1) The diligence in process grade (15
points possible) will be based on your timely completion of drafts for and
active participation in the two draft workshops (5 points for each workshop) and
for initial submission for instructor feedback (5). Should you miss either
workshop participation opportunity for any reason, you may obtain half credit (3
of 5 or 5 of 10) by having your paper critiqued at the Reading and Writing
Center.
2) The excellence in product grade
will be based on the two-part essay you include in your course portfolio (50
points possible). We will develop the evaluation criteria together as a
class.
Reflection on Learning Goals and Projection of Learning
Beyond this Class
Purpose: Research on learning indicates
that deep learning occurs when learners reflect on what they are learning,
how, and why.
Format: The portfolio will be framed first
by your reflection on what you learned in relation to each of your learning
goals, how you learned this, and why this goal is valuable for you to learn
and finally by your projection of further relevant goals and objectives
beyond this class.
Evaluation: The reflection (50) and projection
(10) components of the portfolio will be worth up to 60 points.
Attendance: Attendance is expected and required as a commitment to learning. Because all of the work for the course incorporates material from our class sessions, you will be expected to attend class whenever you are physically able and to figure out what you missed when you are not able to attend. Excessive absences will impact your grade particularly in the Discussion, Reader Response, and Quiz categories.
Academic Responsibility: Students are referred to the Academic Integrity Statement in the 2003-2004 College Catalog (23-30) which outlines the responsibilities of both faculty and students in upholding the principles of academic honesty and integrity.