Courses

ENG 3323.50

American Fiction

Fall 2007

James Fenimore Cooper

Mark Twain	John Steinbeck	Leslie Marmon Silko	Toni Morrison	Saul Bellow

Course Name, Number, and Description:  ENG 4333.50.  Introduction to the Study of World Literature. The Texas Woman's University General Catalog 2007-2009 describes ENG 3323 in this way: "American Fiction.  American fiction from the eighteenth century to the present, with stress on major novels and short stories. Prerequisites: Nine hours of English.  Three lecture hours a week.  Credit: Three hours." 

Please note that this course has not been approved to fulfill the requirements of the core curriculum.  It is not a general education course. In most degree plans (such as the degree plans for the Bachelor of Arts in English and some degree plans for degrees in Education), it fulfills the requirement for an upper-level American literature course. 

Please note that this course is taught entirely asynchronously online.  If you have never taken a Blackboard course before or have questions about the format of the class, please contact me at rgreer@mail.twu.edu and arrange for an individual orientation with me during my office hours.  Please note also that there is no in-class final examination for the course, but I do require that you post a capstone final examination project (which includes a ten-page research paper that uses multiple sources) in the final examination week forum that I will provide on Blackboard.

Faculty Contact Information: Office Location, Phone, Hours:
Russell Greer, Ph.D.  Associate Professor.  Office: CFO 803.  E-mail: rgreer@twu.edu. Fax: (940) 898-2297 (English Department).  Office telephone: (940) 898-2346. Website: www.russellgreer.com

Most students find they can communicate with me quickly through the course itself online or by e-mail (rgreer@twu.edu).  In addition, I will host office hours by appointment in CFO 803 on Tuesdays from 9-1 p.m. and Wednesdays from noon to 4 p.m. throughout the fall 2007 semester unless otherwise indicated.  If I cannot hold regular office hours on a particular day or time, I will make an announcement on my web site.  I am typically not available in my office at other times, but I am available by phone and online.  You may also leave me a voice mail at (940) 898-2346.  I usually check for messages once a day (often in the evenings) and try to return calls promptly.

Please note that I am usually active and available throughout the week, but I reserve the weekends to be with my family.  Do not expect me to be available online on the weekends. 

Course Goals/Student Learning Outcomes:

Our primary course goal is to engage in the discourse of American fiction-- considering such questions as "what IS the tradition of American fiction" and "where has it led us today"?  You will demonstrate that engagement, as a student learning outcome, weekly in the daily assignments, in the required writing assignments and tests, and most importantly in the final capstone project.  If you have fully engaged in the a conversation about this subject, your work will go beyond summarizing the novels or memorizing facts; instead, you will have internalized the subject, showing an ability to comment, to critique and to analyze the required reading effectively.

List of textbooks and supplies:

Required (six novels and one secondary text; please purchase the edition listed for Adventures of Huckleberry Finn since I am assigning articles to read from that particular edition) 

Suggested: A Guide to MLA Documentation by Joseph Trimmer or an English handbook with MLA style information such as The Bedford Handbook by Diana Hacker.

Disability Statement:

”Texas Woman's University seeks to provide appropriate academic adjustments for all individuals with disabilities.  The University will comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and guidelines, specifically Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with respect to providing appropriate academic adjustments to afford equal educational opportunity.  It is the responsibility of the student to register with and provide medical verification and academic schedules to Disability Support Services (DSS) at the beginning of each semester and no later than the second week of school in a timely manner to arrange for appropriate academic adjustment.  For further information regarding Disability Support Services or to register for assistance, please )contact the office at 898-3835 (voice, 898-3830 (TDD)), or visit CFO 105” (Texas Woman’s University Office of Academic Affairs).

Grading Policy, Major Course Assignments and Examinations and Attendance:

1.  Capstone Final Examination Project: (1) Ten-Page Individual Research Paper; (2) Individual PowerPoint Presentation; (3) Annotated Bibliography; (4) Self Assessment Statement; and (5) Summary of Dialogues: 50% Due no later than 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, December 9, 2007 (the end of Week FIFTEEN) on the assigned forum and www.turnitin.com.  I will be giving you more specific information about this assignment frequently throughout the semester.  Please note that I will give you a grade for this project on your final feedback, but I ask you to meet with me face to face in my office during office hours after the semester for in-depth feedback if you desire it.  Note: I will be available for these optional conferences with you throughout spring 2008.  If you would like this feedback and cannot meet with me during spring 2008 (because, for example, you are graduating), I can try to meet with you during final examination week itself in December or immediately afterwards.  Please contact me at rgreer@twu.edu to make these arrangements after posting your capstone project.   

2.  Group PowerPoint 1% (Week FIVE)

3.  Individual Short Essay 2% (Week TEN)

4.  Group Annotated Bibliography 1% (Week TWELVE)

5.  Reading Tests: 6%.  Five online tests, one on each novel.  Ten or twenty questions each.  Each quiz is worth 1% of your final grade.

6.  Participation (Online Attendance): 40%. Credit is given for postings to the discussion questions, anything posted in your group’s forum for a particular week, special assignments, and the weekly summary.  Almost half of your grade will depend on your regular participation online.  You must post a minimum of TEN times a week on the discussion question forums (including the weekly summary) and in your groups, when applicable, and once before Wednesday of each week.  Some of these postings will be responses to the study questions; others will be preparation of group responses; others will be responses to your classmates.  If you do not post at least ten times in the assigned week, do not expect a good participation grade for that week.  I will give you a participation grade weekly, but I will announce them only five  times: in Week TWO, Week FOUR, Week SEVEN, Week THIRTEEN, and for your final grade in final exam week (FIFTEEN).  Your grade will be determined by (1) the amount of postings and (2)the quality of the postings (equally weighted).  I calculate participation for a week that begins on Monday and ends at midnight on the following Sunday.  Your postings do not need to be long (100-240 words for a primary answer to a discussion question is adequate, and responses can be shorter), but they DO need to advance the discussion helpfully. Postings only count in the week they are due; in other words you cannot “make up” late postings after the week is over.  Postings only count in the following places: (1) the discussion question forums; (2) the weekly summary forum; and (3) your group forum for the week in question (if applicable).  Note: Each week you will be asked to answer three discussion questions, one of which will may occasionally be a group question (after the first week) and/or a question about writing the research paper.  These discussion questions will allow you to earn participation credit and share ideas with your classmates.  At the end of the week you will also post a summary message and attach a Student Summary Form with your best ten postings pasted into the forum.  You may revised these postings for spelling, grammar, style, etc. but they should essentially be the same postings that you made in the forums. Please note that I will grade the postings you submit in your summaries carefully for spelling and grammar beginning in the first week, so proofread them carefully!  I will use your attached form to calculate your participation grade for the week. If you do not attach a summary form, you cannot get participation credit for the week.  Weeks THIRTEEN/FOURTEEN/FIFTEEN will count as just one week, so you only need to post a total of ten times for this combined period, but it will count 4% of your final grade instead of the typical 3%.

Miscellaneous

Midterm Conference: Please note that if you have a failing grade after you receive your feedback in Week SEVEN, I would like to meet with you in person in my office to discuss ways to improve your grade

Instruction

For each novel, you will find a study guide that will help you understand the literature, answer the discussion questions, or prepare for the research paper. These study guides may contain lecture notes written by me or assignments to read articles that you can access through the TWU library (on JSTOR). Others may be web page links.  Please note that I will routinely post a week's assignments, including the discussion questions, on either a Sunday or Monday. 

Student Participation Summary Form

You will post a summary to a forum provided after you have completed all your week's postings and attach a "student participation summary" form.  You can find this form under "Course Documents" and on this syllabus.  In this form, you will cut and paste your "top ten" postings from the week.  You may edit your postings for grammar and spelling (in fact you SHOULD edit them for grammar and spelling) but not for content (I will check occasionally to make sure that the they represent your actual work from the week).  I will use this summary form to assign your participation grade.  If you do not submit a summary form, you cannot get credit for the week's work even if you fully participated otherwise.

No Final Examination Required: In lieu of a final examination, you will be required to post a final capstone project and comment on the projects of your classmates during final examination week.  You must post your capstone project to www.turnitin.com and the assigned forum no later than 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, December 9, 2007 (the end of Week THIRTEEN/FOURTEEN/FIFTEEN).  I will be giving you more specific information about this assignment frequently throughout the semester.  Please note that I will give you a grade for this project on your final feedback, but I ask that you to meet with me face to face in my office during office hours after the semester for in-depth feedback if you desire it.  Note: I will be available for these optional conferences throughout spring 2008.  If you would like this feedback and cannot meet with me during the summer (because, for example, you are graduating), I can try to meet with you during final examination week or immediately after.

Academic Dishonesty:

“Honesty in completing assignments is essential to the mission of the university and to the development of the personal integrity of the student. Cheating, plagiarism, or other kinds of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result in appropriate sanctions that may include failing an assignment, failing the class, or being suspended or expelled.  Suspected cases in this course may be reported to Student Life. The specific disciplinary process for academic dishonesty is found in the TWU Student Handbook.  Tools to help you avoid plagiarism are available through the TWU Libraries’ “Quick Links” under “Research Help” (http://www.twu.edu/library/literacy/index.htm)” (This statement was authorized and mandated by the TWU Provost on November 10, 2005).

Plagiarism:
The following definition of plagiarism appears in Joseph F. Trimmer’s A Guide to MLA Documentation (Sixth Edition), published by Houghton Mifflin Company (2004): “Plagiarism is theft.  It is using someone else’s words or ideas without giving proper credit—or without giving any credit at all—to the writer of the original.  Whether plagiarism is intentional or unintentional, it is a serious offense…You can avoid plagiarism by taking notes carefully, by formulating and developing your own ideas and by using quotes responsibly to support, rather than replace, your own work” (25).  Note that I have used this quotation from a source and have given it full attribution.  You should do the same with your sources.  I strongly urge you to read the discussion of academic dishonesty that appears in Section Four of The Student Handbook and Planner 2007-2008 (pages 153-155).  I intend to follow TWU policy as outlined in this handbook exactly.  It defines plagiarism in this way: “Plagiarism occurs when a student obtains portions or elements of someone else's work, including materials prepared by another person or agency, and presents those ideas or words as her or his own academic work.  The intentional or unintentional use by paraphrase or direct quotation of the published work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement shall constitute plagiarism.  Students are responsible for following guidelines of the appropriate course or discipline (ie; MLA, APA)" (153).  In this course, we will use the Modern Language Association (MLA) format.  Penalties for first-time offenses include, at the instructor’s discretion, any of the following: (1) “Written reprimand”; (2) “Assignment of a lower grade on the test/paper/project in question, with an explanation from the instructor”; (3) “Assignment of a 0 on an assignment"; (4) “Assignment of a grade of F in the course" (154). A discussion of the more severe penalties for second offenses appears on pages 154-155.  If you have any questions about whether or not a practice constitutes plagiarism, please contact me before you turn in the assignment. 

To have the ability to teach courses online, we must protect the integrity of the course.  I am able to teach the course and not require an in-class final examination because I check student work on a plagiarism-checking website.  When you submit your group and individual essays to digital dropbox, you will also need to post it to www.turnitin.com; that website, in turn, will generate a report for me and to you.  I will give you instructions about how to do this on Blackboard.  If you have any questions as to whether or not you have used another person's work and not given proper credit, please see me before you submit the work or use www.turnitin.com to check your work BEFORE submitting it to me. You have that option with this program.  If you would prefer not to have your work checked by this plagiarism website, that is your right.  You would, however, need to make arrangements with me to write your capstone project under my supervision in my office during office hours.  If I cannot check your work with the plagiarism-checking website, you must do the work in my presence.

Tentative calendar of classes, assignments.

Please check here for the Academic Calendar for Fall 2007. Also, please note that this daily syllabus is for planning purposes only and is subject to change. Page numbers for assigned reading (when applicable) are provided.

Week ONE (27 August-2 September 2007)

Reading:

1.  The Spy by James Fenimore Cooper (pages 1-199).

2.  Study Guide for The Spy

3.  They Say/I Say: Preface (x-xviii), Introduction (1-14).

Assignments:

1.           Post your autobiography.

2.           Form learning teams by the end of Week ONE (if you have no preference, I will assign you to a group at the beginning of Week TWO).

3.           Answer three discussion questions, post weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Week TWO (3-9 September 2007)

Reading:

1.  The Spy by James Fenimore Cooper (pages 200-407).

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter One: "They Say: Starting with What Others Are Saying" (17-27).

Assignments:

1.  Answer discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

2.  Reading Test for The Spy (1%)

Note: I will return Week ONE grades and feedback this week.

Week THREE (10-16 September 2007)

Reading:

1.  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (pages 1-87)

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter TWO: "'Her Point Is': The Art of Summarizing" (28-38).

3.  No Study Guide assigned for Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; the three sections of essays on three controversies surrounding it will serve that purpose.

4.  "The Life of Samuel Clemons and the Reception of Huckleberry Finn" (pages 19-26); "A Portfolio of Illustrations from the 1885 Edition" (264-274); "Appendix: Writing About Critical Controversy" (542-547); "The Controversy over Race: Does Huckleberry Finn Combat or Reinforce Racist Attitudes?" (356-470).

Assignments:

1.  Answer discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Week FOUR (17-23 September 2007)

Reading:

1.  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (pages 87-166)

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter THREE: "'As He Himself Puts It': The Art of Quoting" (39-47).

3.  "The Controversy over Gender and Sexuality: Are Twain's Sexual Politics Progressive, Regressive, or Beside the Point?" (pages 471-541).

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Note: I will return feedback for weeks TWO and THREE this week.

Week FIVE (24-30 September 2007)

Reading:

1.    Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (pages 166-263)

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter FOUR: "'Yes/No/Okay, But': Three Ways to Respond" (51-63).

3.  "The Controversy Over the Ending: Did Mark Twain Sell Jim down the River?" (277-355).

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

2.  Reading Test for Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1%)

3.  Group PowerPoint due: 1%.  For this assignment, you will offer a critical perspective (as a group) on how to read and understand some aspect of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  You may use outside sources, but they are not required.  Your PowerPoint must have ten slides and a clear, strong thesis.  I will grade it primarily on the basis of its thesis.  Does it create an argument about how to read and understand some aspect of either work? 

Week SIX (1-7 October 2007)

Reading:

1.  The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (pages 1-152)

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter FIVE: "And Yet" (64-73).

3.  Study Guide for The Grapes of Wrath

Assignments:

1.  Answer all discussion questions, and complete all participation requirements.

Week SEVEN (8-14 October 2007)

Reading:

1.  The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (pages 153-324)

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter SIX: "'Skeptics May Object': Planting a Naysayer in Your Text" (74-87).

Assignments:

Answer all discussion questions, and complete all participation requirements.

Note: I will return feedback for weeks FOUR, FIVE, and SIX this week.

Week EIGHT (15-21 October 2007)

Reading:

1.  The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (pages 325-455)

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter SEVEN: "'So What?  Who Cares?': Saying Why It Matters" (88-97).

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post the weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

2.  Reading Test for The Grapes of Wrath (1%)

Week NINE (22-28 October 2007)

Reading:

1.  The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow (pages 1-257)

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter EIGHT: "'As A Result': Connecting the Parts" (101-114).

3.  Study Guide for The Adventures of Augie March

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Week TEN (29 October-4 November 2007)

Reading:

1.  The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow (pages 258-586)

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter NINE: "'Ain't So/Is Not': Academic Writing Doesn't Mean Setting Aside Your Own Voice" (115-122).

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

2.  Reading Test for The Adventures of Augie March (1%)

3.  Individual Short Essay due: 2%. Please write one critical essay of 3-5 pages on The Grapes of Wrath.  The essay should be typed, double-spaced, and conform to MLA guidelines.  For a topic, you may choose your own or expand one of the assigned discussion questions.  Your primary purpose in this essay is to suggest a strong thesis, an argument about how to understand the novel in its context.  I will grade the essay in terms of content, organization, style, diction, and grammar.  Four or more of these major errors will cause you to receive a “20” (F) on the assignment: comma splices, fused sentences, apostrophe errors, sentence fragments, or agreement errors.  Therefore, you should make sure during the semester that you understand and can avoid these errors.  If you have questions, please see me during my office hours or look at the information I have provided for you on Blackboard. 

Week ELEVEN (5-11 November 2007: Please note that I will be attending a conference in Turkey this week but will teach the class via the internet from Ankara)

Reading:

1.  The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (pages 1-93).

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter TEN: "In Other Words" (123-132).

3.  Study Guide for The Bluest Eye

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Week TWELVE (12-18 November 2007)

Reading:

1.  The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (pages 97-206)

Assignments:

1.  Group Annotated Bibliography due: 1% For this assignment, please read and discuss five articles or book chapters that are linked in some way that address one of the assigned authors or the genre.  You should briefly (1) summarize the article or chapter and (2) evaluate it.  Please use this format:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_annotatedbibEX.html

2.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

3.  Reading Quiz on The Bluest Eye (1%)

Week THIRTEEN/FOURTEEN/FIFTEEN (19-7 December2007): Please note that because of the holiday, I have collapsed Weeks 13-15 into one long week to allow you extra time to work on your capstone project.

Reading:

1. Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko (entire novel)

2.  Study Guide for Ceremony.

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Note: I will return feedback for Weeks SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN, ELEVEN, and TWELVE in Week THIRTEEN

2.  Please post your capstone final examination project no later than 11:59 p.m. on December 9, 2007 (the end of Week FIFTEEN) on the assigned forum and www.turnitin.com.  This capstone project will include: (1) the individual, ten-page research Paper; (2) the Individual PowerPoint Presentation; (3) an Individual Annotated Bibliography; (4) a Self Assessment Statement; and (5) a Summary of Dialogue: 50%.  I will provide more information about this project as the course progresses.

3.  Reading Quiz on Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko (1%)

Final Examination Week (8-14 December 2007)

Please comment on at least FIVE of your classmates' projects before 9 p.m. on Friday, 14 December (the official end of the final examination week). Failure to comment on five projects will result in a deduction of five points from your own final grade. When you have finished posting your comments, gather your best five and post them in the capstone forum labeled "Final Examination Capstone Comments." This dialogue functions in lieu of required attendance at an in-class final examination.

Note: I will return feedback for Weeks THIRTEEN, FOURTEEN, and FIFTEEN (as one week) and your final grade at the completion of final exam week or when you have posted all of your work for the week.  Please note that your final grade will not include comments on your capstone, but I urge you to plan to meet with me individually in spring 2008 to discuss your project.

Last updated: 13 December 2007