English 2220 Introduction to Fiction
Requirements
Generally, as specified in PPM 4.1, you
should expect to do 2 (=two) hours of work outside of
class for each regularly scheduled hour of class.
NOTEBOOK: I will ask you to respond in a notebook to the texts you have been assigned to study, sometimes by giving you queries ahead of time, other times by inviting you to come up with questions (and responses) on your own. These notebook responses will serve as a basis for our discussion and are thus due at the beginning of each class. These entries must be typewritten and should (in a reasonable font) be about 2 pages in length per week (= 500+ words). Make sure you include your name, the date and a title to indicate the assignment covered. I will reserve the right to call on you to read your entry or summarize it. Please be prepared! I will collect your notebooks at pre-announced times during the semester. Please note that you cannot submit them electronically.
Please also note that notebooks are not essays. They are evaluated on ideas and substance, not grammatical correctness or "form." Write genuinely and thoughtfully; I encourage you to take risks! Note as well that I will read all of your entries each time, but please indicate one entry or more (with a big * for example) to which you would like me to respond in detail. Here is a Student Sample Notebook (from a different class).
ESSAY: Toward the end of the semester, I will ask you to submit a more formal paper (of about 5-8 pages in length) that will allow you to demonstrate on a larger scale the interpretive skills you have developed in the class. This paper must be typewritten and double-spaced and, naturally, written in good English. You should also be prepared for some unannounced quizzes. Here are some lower-division/general education Student Sample Essays
ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION: In addition to these writing assignments, you will earn a grade for your attendance and participation in class. Teaching, in my view, is a collective enterprise, with all of us assuming shared responsibility for a productive learning climate. By not showing up (or not showing up on time) you deprive yourself of valuable class discussion, just as you deprive your classmates of your own insights—the centerpiece of our collaborative endeavor a.k.a. teaching and learning. You will be allowed 2 (= two) "freebies," which are intended to cover such emergencies as the day you were sick, going hunting, gambling in Las Vegas, or flying on the Space Shuttle . . . . You get the drift. If you have more than two absences, you jeopardize your good standing in the class and thus your final grade.
If you do have to miss class, please contact a peer -- not me -- to find out what we did and the homework for the next class period:
Name: ___________________ E-mail: _____________________ Phone number(s): _______________________
___________________ _____________________ _______________________
___________________ ______________________ _______________________
DISCUSSION PODS: Finally, I will ask you to get together in groups of 2-3 and take collective responsibility for conducting part of a class discussion about a certain portion of text (or film). You should come prepared to steer our attention in the directions you find most fruitful and rewarding. You should get together once or twice prior to the day you are "on" and have done some research and discussion on the text of your choice. For this occasion, you must also prepare a handout (one sheet, front & back) that includes useful insights/quotes, sources, web sites, question prompts, observations, images, and additional information relevant to our text/author. An "official" sign-up sheet for these assignments is posted on my door.
A FINAL EXAM that will allow you to demonstrate what you have learned this semester.
Your total evaluation will be made up as follows:
| Notebook (3 x 10%) | 30 % |
| Class participation | 20 % |
| Discussion pod | 15 % |
| Final Exam | 20 % |
| Concluding Essay | 15 % |
Please note that you will have to fulfill each of these requirements to pass this class and do well in it.
It is your responsibility to become familiar with the standards of academic integrity at WSU. Passing off someone else's work or ideas as your own is grounds for failure.