ENG211CC - American Writers I - DL (C. Casson) information page

Eng 211 : American Writers 1
Holyoke Community College
Spring 2010 : Jan 25th – May 12th
On-Line

Professor: Caryl Casson
Email: ccasson@hcc.edu
Office: DON 366
Office hours: by appointment

CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
This course may focus chronologically on such American writers as Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, Whitman, and Dickinson; or, it may be organized thematically on topics such as Puritan religious tradition (Bradford, Edwards, Hawthorne, Dickinson); attitudes toward the natural world (Cooper, Thoreau, Emerson); dissonant voices (Stowe, Thoreau, Twain, Whitman, Jacobs); or liberation and limitation (Jefferson, Douglas, Jacobs, Melville). Prerequisite: ENG 102

TEXTS AND MATERIALS:

American Literature: Volume I (with MyLiteratureLab) Ed. William E Cain. Pearson Longman: New York, 2004.

NB. American Literature: Volume I COMES WITH AN ON-LINE SUPPLEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER. THIS SUPPLEMENT IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE CLASS; THEREFORE, TO BE SURE YOU GET A SUPPLEMENT THAT IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE HCC ON-LINE SYSTEM, YOU SHOULD BUY YOUR TEXTBOOK FROM THE HCC BOOKSTORE.
NB. I reserve the right to withdraw from the class students who fail to buy the books and/or join my class within MyLiteratureLab in a timely manner.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
This class offers students the chance to become familiar with some of the greatest writers of American Literature, from its beginnings to 1865. Works studied will be given an historical context, allowing students an understand their relevance, not only during the time in which they were written, but also to today’s America.

PROCEDURE:
The class meets on–line, but your syllabus is designed as if we meet three times a week. You should log into WebCT very regularly—at least three days per week, but ideally every day—failure to do so may result in your being withdrawn from the class. You should also carefully read and think about the texts assigned for that day’s class. In place of class meetings, your readings will be supplemented with internet lectures and other on-line resources and the class will engage in discussion of the texts via the discussion board on WebCT. Over the semester you will be assigned comprehension quizzes, regular short writing exercises, two papers, and a final.

EVALUATION AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Short Writing Assignments & Discussion Board Postings 50%
These take the place of being in class and they will be assigned every week. For each reading that you do, you will be asked to briefly answer questions on MyLiteratureLab or WebCT or contribute to discussion via the discussion board on WebCT or any combination of these. Answers should be written in a document and then pasted into the appropriate space for the answer. Doing this will provide you with a back up of your answers should anything go wrong with the HCC or the publisher's computer systems. I require class members to take a look at the discussions whenever they log on to WebCT. I will be posting regularly to the discussion board and I expect students to respond to ALL my postings. I also expect students to post their own thoughts and to respond to at least two of the postings of their classmates per discussion board – you cannot really have a discussion with only one person talking. Your contributions to the discussion board should not all be done at one time; you are expected to take part in the discussion as it unfolds during the week. The discussion board will help us become a community, so use it accordingly. In addition to responding to the prompts I give you, you can use the discussions to clear up difficulties with the texts, you can talk about passages that seem particularly interesting, you can mention connections you see between readings, you can respond to the posts of other students, or you can use the discussion to talk about the literature in just about any way that is relevant. The important thing is that you participate. Your comments don’t have to be groundbreaking—they just have to show that you are making an effort to learn about this literature we read this semester.

Quizzes 20%: The quizzes will be on basic comprehension of the texts studied. Doing them will ensure that you fully understand what you have been reading.

Papers 20%: There will be two short papers assigned during the semester. Papers must be written in MLA style.

Final Exam 10%: This will be taken on-line during the exam period

ABSENCE AND TARDY POLICIES:
As we don’t meet in person, I measure your attendance by your participation in class discussions, email communications, and timely completion of assignments; you need to participate regularly to pass English 211. The readings and assignments are on a strict schedule; although you can read ahead to suit your own timetable, you must participate according to the syllabus and the weekly learning modules on WebCT. I expect you to log on to WebCT regularly – at least three times a week. If you are going to be without internet access at anytime during the class, it is your responsibility to contact me to see how you can keep up.
NB. If you fail to keep up with the schedule, I reserve the right to drop you from the class. (AW for course grade.)

WITHDRAWAL:
Sometimes students need to withdraw from an online course. If that should become necessary, please complete the withdrawal form found at http://webtide.hccdl.org

COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR PROFESSOR:
You can communicate with me and with your classmates via the Eng 211 General Discussion on the WebCT Discussion Board. You can also communicate with me privately via the WebCT email. I will check my emails regularly during the week (Monday-Friday, 8am- 10pm). If, during these hours, I do not respond to you within 24 hours, it means I did not receive your email, so please resend it. Please note that I also expect you to respond to my emails within this time period. Failure to do so will be counted as an absence from the class. If the WebCT system is down, you can also reach me via my regular HCC email, but, because I get so many emails on this system, it is far better that you stick to the WebCT if at all possible. Please put your name and Eng 211 in the titles of all HCC emails, and please note that I will not be checking my emails over the weekend. You can also email me to schedule an actual meeting in my office.

ACADEMIC HONESTY:
Plagiarism is when you include words or ideas of other people in your work without properly acknowledging their source. It is your responsibility to credit your sources. Plagiarism will earn an F grade for the work in question and might also result in your being reported to the Dean of Students.

The full text of the Academic Integrity Policy and the additional Online Policy can be found at http://webtide.hccdl.org

TUTORING SERVICES: HCC offers free online tutoring for all HCC students in writing classes. This service is free and available 24 hours a day to all HCC students. Either go to: http://etutoring.org/ and follow the login directions, or go to http://webtide.hccdl.org/ and click on the E-tutoring link, or click on the link on the Eng 211 homepage.

DISABILITY SERVICES: HCC is committed to full inclusion of all students. Students who, by nature of a documented disability, require classroom, equipment, testing or assignment accommodations should contact the Office for Students with Disabilities at 552-2417 to request accommodations before the start of the semester. Your immediate attention to these arrangements is necessary to assure a positive learning experience.


	Eng 211 : American Writers 1 Eng 211 : American Writers 1 Holyoke Community College Spring 2010 : Jan 25th – May 12th On-Line Professor: Caryl Casson Email: ccasson@hcc.edu Office: DON 366 Office hours: by appointment CATALOG DESCRIPTION: This course may focus chronologically on such American writers as Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, Whitman, and Dickinson; or, it may be organized thematically on topics such as Puritan religious tradition (Bradford, Edwards, Hawthorne, Dickinson); attitudes toward the natural world (Cooper, Thoreau, Emerson); dissonant voices (Stowe, Thoreau, Twain, Whitman, Jacobs); or liberation and limitation (Jefferson, Douglas, Jacobs, Melville). Prerequisite: ENG 102 TEXTS AND MATERIALS: American Literature: Volume I (with MyLiteratureLab) Ed. William E Cain. Pearson Longman: New York, 2004. NB. American Literature: Volume I COMES WITH AN ON-LINE SUPPLEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER. THIS SUPPLEMENT IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE CLASS; THEREFORE, TO BE SURE YOU GET A SUPPLEMENT THAT IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE HCC ON-LINE SYSTEM, YOU SHOULD BUY YOUR TEXTBOOK FROM THE HCC BOOKSTORE. NB. I reserve the right to withdraw from the class students who fail to buy the books and/or join my class within MyLiteratureLab in a timely manner. COURSE OBJECTIVES: This class offers students the chance to become familiar with some of the greatest writers of American Literature, from its beginnings to 1865. Works studied will be given an historical context, allowing students an understand their relevance, not only during the time in which they were written, but also to today’s America. PROCEDURE: The class meets on–line, but your syllabus is designed as if we meet three times a week. You should log into WebCT very regularly—at least three days per week, but ideally every day—failure to do so may result in your being withdrawn from the class. You should also carefully read and think about the texts assigned for that day’s class. In place of class meetings, your readings will be supplemented with internet lectures and other on-line resources and the class will engage in discussion of the texts via the discussion board on WebCT. Over the semester you will be assigned comprehension quizzes, regular short writing exercises, two papers, and a final. EVALUATION AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Short Writing Assignments & Discussion Board Postings 50% These take the place of being in class and they will be assigned every week. For each reading that you do, you will be asked to briefly answer questions on MyLiteratureLab or WebCT or contribute to discussion via the discussion board on WebCT or any combination of these. Answers should be written in a document and then pasted into the appropriate space for the answer. Doing this will provide you with a back up of your answers should anything go wrong with the HCC or the publisher's computer systems. I require class members to take a look at the discussions whenever they log on to WebCT. I will be posting regularly to the discussion board and I expect students to respond to ALL my postings. I also expect students to post their own thoughts and to respond to at least two of the postings of their classmates per discussion board – you cannot really have a discussion with only one person talking. Your contributions to the discussion board should not all be done at one time; you are expected to take part in the discussion as it unfolds during the week. The discussion board will help us become a community, so use it accordingly. In addition to responding to the prompts I give you, you can use the discussions to clear up difficulties with the texts, you can talk about passages that seem particularly interesting, you can mention connections you see between readings, you can respond to the posts of other students, or you can use the discussion to talk about the literature in just about any way that is relevant. The important thing is that you participate. Your comments don’t have to be groundbreaking—they just have to show that you are making an effort to learn about this literature we read this semester. Quizzes 20%: The quizzes will be on basic comprehension of the texts studied. Doing them will ensure that you fully understand what you have been reading. Papers 20%: There will be two short papers assigned during the semester. Papers must be written in MLA style. Final Exam 10%: This will be taken on-line during the exam period ABSENCE AND TARDY POLICIES: As we don’t meet in person, I measure your attendance by your participation in class discussions, email communications, and timely completion of assignments; you need to participate regularly to pass English 211. The readings and assignments are on a strict schedule; although you can read ahead to suit your own timetable, you must participate according to the syllabus and the weekly learning modules on WebCT. I expect you to log on to WebCT regularly – at least three times a week. If you are going to be without internet access at anytime during the class, it is your responsibility to contact me to see how you can keep up. NB. If you fail to keep up with the schedule, I reserve the right to drop you from the class. (AW for course grade.) WITHDRAWAL: Sometimes students need to withdraw from an online course. If that should become necessary, please complete the withdrawal form found at http://webtide.hccdl.org COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR PROFESSOR: You can communicate with me and with your classmates via the Eng 211 General Discussion on the WebCT Discussion Board. You can also communicate with me privately via the WebCT email. I will check my emails regularly during the week (Monday-Friday, 8am- 10pm). If, during these hours, I do not respond to you within 24 hours, it means I did not receive your email, so please resend it. Please note that I also expect you to respond to my emails within this time period. Failure to do so will be counted as an absence from the class. If the WebCT system is down, you can also reach me via my regular HCC email, but, because I get so many emails on this system, it is far better that you stick to the WebCT if at all possible. Please put your name and Eng 211 in the titles of all HCC emails, and please note that I will not be checking my emails over the weekend. You can also email me to schedule an actual meeting in my office. ACADEMIC HONESTY: Plagiarism is when you include words or ideas of other people in your work without properly acknowledging their source. It is your responsibility to credit your sources. Plagiarism will earn an F grade for the work in question and might also result in your being reported to the Dean of Students. The full text of the Academic Integrity Policy and the additional Online Policy can be found at http://webtide.hccdl.org TUTORING SERVICES: HCC offers free online tutoring for all HCC students in writing classes. This service is free and available 24 hours a day to all HCC students. Either go to: http://etutoring.org/ and follow the login directions, or go to http://webtide.hccdl.org/ and click on the E-tutoring link, or click on the link on the Eng 211 homepage. DISABILITY SERVICES: HCC is committed to full inclusion of all students. Students who, by nature of a documented disability, require classroom, equipment, testing or assignment accommodations should contact the Office for Students with Disabilities at 552-2417 to request accommodations before the start of the semester. Your immediate attention to these arrangements is necessary to assure a positive learning experience.