EN 222, Fall 2020
Professor: Bob Boon
Office: Cuples 425
Email: rboon@centralmethodist.edu
Office Hours: MWF 9-9:50 via Zoom. The English Dept. has decided to have a closed office space. Don’t just show up. https://centralmethodist.zoom.us/j/97762404092
COURSE INFORMATION
EN 222, C and G Intro to Literature
C meets Monday, and Zooms W and F
G meets Wednesday, and Zooms M and F
Fall 2020
Stedman 102, MWF 1-1:50 pm
CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION
EN222 Introduction to Literature. 3 hours. This course introduces students to the study of literature, developing essential skills in critical thinking, textual analysis, and composing in multiple modalities. Through an investigation of literary genres and/or movements, student will also explore a variety of cultural and/or historical contexts, expanding students’ engagement with, understanding of, and respect for the diverse human experience. Prerequisite: EN120 or EN110/111.
TEXTBOOK INFORMATION [all of these are required]
Kindred. Octavia E. Butler. Beacon Press, 2004. ISBN-10: 0807083690, ISBN-13: 978-0807083697
Days Without End. Sebastian Barry, Penguin Books, 2017. ISBN-10: 014311140X, ISBN-13: 978-0143111405
Kafka on the Shore. Haruki Murakami. Vintage, 2006. ISBN-10: 1400079276, ISBN-13: 978-1400079278
The Left Hand of Darkness. Ursula K. Le Guin. Ace, 2000. ISBN-10: 9780441007318, ISBN-13: 978-0441007318
Station 11. Emily St. John Mandel. Vintage, 2015. ISBN-10: 0804172447, ISBN-13: 978-0804172448
The Postman (1997). Directed by Kevin Costner. (Currently, you can rent this for $1.99 on Amazon Prime. Likely available in other places, too.)
Zoom link: https://centralmethodist.zoom.us/j/95090733887
Panopto link: https://centralmethodist.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Sessions/List.aspx?folderID=b7ef5a6b-3fb0-44da-9eb1-ac1b011d32b4
CMU MISSION STATEMENT
Central Methodist University prepares students to make a difference in the world by emphasizing academic and professional excellence, ethical leadership, and social responsibility.
CMU LEARNING OUTCOMES
Communication (articulate, multimodal, professional)
- Students are articulate, able to speak and write clearly and effectively.
- Students are multimodal, able to interpret and express ideas through multiple modes of communication.
- Students are professional, able to adapt to and interact with others in a confident, responsible, and engaged manner.
Curiosity (discover, analyze, create)
- Students can discover, explore, and seek solutions based on accumulated knowledge and current research.
- Students can analyze, evaluate, interpret, and summarize data.
- Students can create and innovate using critical thinking and collaborative skills.
Community (serve, respect, lead)
- Students will serve others and be ethical and informed citizens.
- Students will understand and respect diversity, including other’s viewpoints, positions, and beliefs
- Students will lead creatively and collaboratively to produce positive changes in the broader world.
STUDENTS REQUIRING SPECIAL ACCOMODATIONS
Central Methodist University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual preference, religion, sex, national origin, age, or federally defined disability/state defined handicap ("disability"). This includes but is not limited to recruitment and admission of students, educational programs, services, activities, financial aid, and scholarship programs. The University complies with all federal and state non-discrimination requirements. The Center for Learning & Teaching at Central Methodist University is committed to ensuring nondiscrimination and equal access to all programs, service, and activities for qualified students with a disability. It is the responsibility of any student who wishes to claim a disability and seek an accommodation to file official documentation confirming the disability and a completed Disability Services Student Information Form with the Center of Learning and Teaching prior to seeking any accommodation based on the disability.
GRIEVANCE POLICY
Central Methodist University has established a grievance policy and process designed to provide students and others with a process to resolve potential issues. This policy and process is established to provide persons with an avenue to file a written concern and to establish a process to track and implement changes as a result of said concern. For more detailed information, consult the CLAS catalog at: http://www.centralmethodist.edu/academics/catalog/clas-catalog/policies/index.php.
If an issue cannot be solved through consultation with the faculty or division chair, students can report an incident/issue within 30 days of the event via the online web form https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?CentralMethodistUniv&layout_id=3
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND ACADEMIC CONDUCT
ACADEMIC CONDUCT: Any student found guilty of academic misconduct on any assignment, quiz or exam in this class will earn a zero for that assignment, quiz or exam. Furthermore, that student will come under the auspices of the Academic Conduct Policy of CMU. It is the student's responsibility to review and understand the CMU Academic Conduct Policy. Plagiarism falls under this code. I have no sense of humor nor forgiveness for any plagiarism. At best, plagiarized work will receive a zero and be formally reported to the Provost. Plagiarized work cannot be done over. Severe or repeated episodes of plagiarism will likely guarantee an F in the course and may result in the offender being dropped from the course.
“Study Guides”: from the start, let me define a special type of conduct violation for this class. I do expect students to actually read the texts. I will consider any use of study guides or online summaries (such as Cliff notes, or Sparknotes or Shmoop or blog summaries or whatever…) to be a form of academic dishonesty—whether in papers, or to “just get an idea of what’s going on,” or last minute instead of reading—any use at all will be considered a form of academic dishonesty, and may be reported to the Provost as such.
Reading/class preparation: Yes, we actually are going to read all these books, and there are a number of projects and activities involved in this course. At a minimum, you should expect to do 2 hours of preparation for each class period, sometimes more! Plan ahead!
CLASS CONDUCT: In class, we need to be alert, civil and courteous to others. Partly this means being prepared for the day’s work; this also means staying reasonably focused on our activities. So, you shouldn’t be on Facebook or Snapchat or whatever other social media, not texting, not listening to music, not playing games, not watching sports during class. No earphones at any time. Don’t bring your phones out, especially not during group work. Use your iPads, but if you abuse the privilege, you may be asked to leave class and not return until we have a talk with your advisor.
Do be civil—we will discuss a number of controversial issues. You certainly don’t have to agree with everyone, or with me, but we do need to discuss issues, to argue productively, not insult or name-call. But you know these things.
WELLNESS AND SICKNESS POLICIES:
Wearing a face mask is about protecting others, our Central Methodist Community and the communities we work in. The primary purpose of wearing a face mask is to reduce the probability of virus spreading from the wearer (who may not know they are spreading the virus) into the environment and to others. The secondary purpose of the face covering is to reduce the likelihood that large droplets containing virus that are spread by others may enter the nose and mouth of the wearer. The use of a face mask does not replace the continued need to maintain physical distances from others, at least 6 feet, but instead augments physical distancing and helps us further reduce the likelihood of virus transmission. The complete CMU Face Mask Policy is available at: https://www.centralmethodist.edu/about/offices/human-resources/_docs/FaceCoveringPolicy.pdf
We do need to sanitize our class spaces as we leave. Please review the Safety Video, posted in the Announcements.
If you are ill, of course, do not come to class. Email me as soon as possible. · Being absent does not excuse you from turning in homework on myCMU on time. If there are extenuating circumstances, contact me within 24 hours of the missed deadline. It would be wise to complete and submit work as early as possible to avoid any emergency.
If you are in quarantine, accommodations will be determined in partnership with the Center for Learning and Teaching. These issues will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
As a responsible student, you should only miss classes if you are sick or displaying symptoms of COVID-19 or participating in a University Sanctioned Event. Missing class to finish homework or to take a friend to a doctor is not a wise choice.
Do be on time for class, whether we are meeting in person or via Zoom.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: I tend to make frequent use of the Announcements in myCMU. You are responsible for information and course materials in the Announcements.
CLASS CANCELLATION: If there is a weather emergency, please check the CMU website for school cancellation. If I have a personal emergency or illness, I will attempt to post that in the course Announcements.
MAKE-UP AND LATE WORK: We have a fairly tight schedule, and so a caution—late work will put you at many disadvantages throughout the course, not only in terms of grades. Not being prepared is more than a little rude to the group and class members who depend on your active contribution. So, I do reserve the right to penalize or refuse entirely any late work throughout the semester. Any make-up work must be done within one week of the original due date. Email me to make arrangements.
WRITING CENTER: Please take advantage of the Center throughout the semester. This extra attention to your writing can make a significant difference in what you learn about writing. Schedule appointments here: http://www.centralmethodist.edu/academics/english/writingcenter.php
GRADING
We will use the standard grading scale. In general, I do not round up any grade percentages, unless there is a compelling reason to do so.
100%-90% = A
89%-80% = B
79%-70% = C
69%-60% = D
59% or below = F
ASSIGNMENTS AND POINTS BREAKDOWN
DESCRIPTION OF MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS
Plagiarism exercise: Please go to this website, http://www.lib.usm.edu/plagiarism_tutorial/, which contains a plagiarism tutorial. Work through the exercises and take the test at the very end. Post that result in myCMU, in some form, screenshot, download, or even just your own statement that you completed the exercise.
Essay: Your Reading History: For this essay, please explore your experiences with reading. That is, talk about the different kinds of books and plays and poems (and other things) that you have read. Which were assigned? Which on your own? Which were painful? Which exciting? What do you hope to avoid? What do you look forward to reading? 3 pages, typed, double- spaced. A key here, which every English teacher is duty-bound to stress: Be specific!
Illuminations: These will be brief (5-8 minutes—perhaps a few minutes more if you have a short video to go with your information) reports on context or content related to the books we are reading. I’ll have a list for you shortly. Key for these is timeliness—we’ll need this info while we’re reading, not long afterward. As much as possible, I’d like you to do this presentation in class, in person.
Film project/presentations: This is a group project. I’ll ask you to choose a movie from a list, watch it, consult with your group, and present the movie and your ideas to the class. At least in my warped imagination, each of these movies will comment on the book that we are reading at the time. I’ve tried to schedule these in the middle of each book, so you might not totally see the relationship at the time. That’s ok. Your main goal is to give the class a clear feel for what’s going on in the film, so you do need to tell us who the characters are, where/when the story is set, what actually happens, and key themes or ideas. Aim for a 15-20 minute presentation. Do show a short clip or two from the film to illustrate a key idea (if at all possible, not a trailer). Each of you should also turn in an individual, 1-page overview of your ideas about this film. The very last presentation will have to be online through the discussion forum. If the world goes badly, this may happen earlier.
Responses: These are short, informal papers. These are not at all meant to be thesis-driven, 5-paragraph essays, and should equally not be simple summaries of what we have read. Instead, I’m looking for the ideas that the readings and discussions inspire. What connections do you make? What strange brainstorms thunder through your mental landscape? What serious issues in the world does a book or poem or film or presentation push you to think about? Things like that. 2 pages each, typed.
This is an assignment I wish we were doing, that my classes have done for several years:
Go see a performance! Please make plans to attend a live performance at the Little Theater, or another live event on campus, such as a poetry reading. Alt-plans, if you just can’t get there—I’ll give you some other choices at Stephens College and at MU. Or, you might go see a film at the True False Film Festival. After watching the performance, please write a one-page review of what you’ve seen.
Well, we can’t do this, since there really aren’t available performances. Instead, let’s do this: Go to the website Favorite Poem Project http://www.favoritepoem.org/ . From the website:
“The Favorite Poem Project is dedicated to celebrating, documenting and encouraging poetry’s role in our lives. Robert Pinsky, the 39th Poet Laureate of the United States, founded the Favorite Poem Project shortly after the Library of Congress appointed him to the post in 1997.”
Your task is to visit this site, find and watch three of the videos you like and write/report on these.
Inscape activity: I’ll hand out various editions of Inscape and ask everyone to read and report on at least one piece of writing in each (poem, story, drama). Please turn in a 1-page overview of what you find and your reaction and respond to others in the online discussion forum.
Reflection Essay: At the end of the semester, I’d like you to think back through your reading experiences in this class (and perhaps your movie experiences, as well). What have you learned? Has your history of reading shifted in any new direction? What has meant the most to you? 4 pages, typed, double-spaced
Online discussions: We will do a number of online discussions, in myCMU. Indeed, the last two novels will mostly be through such discussions. Occasionally, we will also do a section of an earlier novel this way, as well as reactions to other course materials. I’ll give exact instructions as I set up each discussion, but in general, I expect these to be actual discussions, in which you post some of your ideas and read and respond to other people. I’ll usually set a minimum for what you need to do to get a passing grade (which, by the way, is a D). Getting a great grade comes from better contributions to the whole class.
Reading Quizzes: Ok, I hate quizzes, and consider them a waste of my time. That said, I plan to conduct this as a discussion class, which only works if a sufficient number of people have read the material every day. So…I won’t surrender on this expectation that you read, consistently.
N. b., Paper format: all papers should be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point font. I prefer Times New Roman. Page lengths: when a paper assignment asks, for example, for 2 pages, that means two full pages; a partial second page will not get full credit. Do not upload or send me anything like a google link or a pdf text. Stick to Word.
Assessment of Student Learning:
Your final grade in the class will be largely determined from these activities:
Plagiarism exercise 5
Essay on Reading history 30
Favorite Poem exercise 20
Group poetry presentation 40
Illuminations 10
Responses (3 x 20 each) 60
Film project/presentation 40
Inscape 20
Reflection essay 50
Online discussions (numerous—usually 10 points each)
In-class writing/activities, as time permits. Points open-ended, and of course, these days. all this is subject to change, as needs or conditions dictate.
COURSE SCHEDULE: This schedule is subject to change or modification, though hopefully we will stay close to this outline. Readings should be done prior to class. When we are reading a section of any of our textbooks, please bring your book to that class. Outside readings will be given as copies in class, or as web links. Notice that I haven’t included the grammar chapters on the schedule. We will address grammar, depending on general class needs.
Week 1 (August 19, 21)
W. Course introduction
A poetry day // Sign up for Films and Illuminations
Week 2 (August 24-28)
Kindred, Prologue, The River, The Fire // Plagiarism exercise due
Kindred, The Fall // [several Illuminations…]
Kindred, The Fight, 108-48
Film presentation: The Color Purple (1985) [online discussion responses]
Film presentation: Django Unchained (2012) [online discussion responses]
Week 3 (August 31, September 2, 4)
Essay on Reading history due
Kindred, The Fight, 148-189, The Storm
Finish Kindred, The Rope, Epilogue // more poetry
more poetry
Week 4 (September 7-11)
more poetry // Sign up for Group poetry presentations
more poetry
Film: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999), [116 min.]
Week 5 (September 14-18)
Film: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Film: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Response paper 1 due
Film: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Days without End, Chapters 1-3 [online discussions]
Week 6 (September 21-25)
Days without End, Chapters 4-7
W and F, if the pandemic cooperates, I’ll be out of town. See paddlemo.org
Days without End, Chapters 8-13 [online discussions]
Week 7 (September 28-30, October 2)
Film presentation: Brokeback Mountain (2005) [online discussion responses]
Days without End, Chapters 14-17
Days without End, Chapters 18-20
Film presentation: Dances with Wolves (1990)
Finish Days without End, Chapters 21-end // Poetry presentations
Week 8 (October 12-16)
Poetry presentations
Poetry presentations // Begin Kafka on the Shore, The Boy Named Crow and Chapters 1-7 [online discussions]
Poetry presentations // Film: Dead Poet’s Society (1989) [128 min.]
Week 9 (October 19-23)
Film: Dead Poet’s Society // Kafka on the Shore, Chapters 8-15 [online discussions]
Film: Dead Poet’s Society
Response paper 2 due
Film: Dead Poet’s Society // Kafka on the Shore, Chapters 16-21 [online discussions]
Week 10 (October 26-30)
Kafka on the Shore, Chapters 22-25 // Film presentation: Donnie Darko (2001) [online discussion responses]
Kafka on the Shore, Chapters 26-31
Kafka on the Shore, Chapters 32-38 [online discussions] // Film presentation: What Dreams May Come (1998) [online discussion responses]
Week 11 (November 2-6)
Kafka on the Shore, Chapters 39-end //
The Left Hand of Darkness, Chapters 1-2 [online discussions]
The Left Hand of Darkness, Chapters 6-8
The Left Hand of Darkness, Chapters 9-11 // Film presentation: Boy Erased (2018) [online discussion responses]
Week 12 (November 9-13)
The Left Hand of Darkness, Chapters 12-15
The Left Hand of Darkness, Chapters 16-18
Inscape day //
Week 13 (November 16-20)
Finish The Left Hand of Darkness
Begin Station 11
Response paper 3 due // tba…
Thanksgiving Break
Week 14 (November 30, December 2-4)
Station 11 [online discussions]
Film: The Postman (1997) [whole class film. Watch this and go to the online discussions]
Film presentation: The Reckoning (2003) [Wm. Defoe] [online discussion responses]
Reflection essay due