MENG 6610 Literature and the Media
Requirements
ATTENDANCE: I expect regular and punctual attendance, which will enable you to make sustained contributions to our discussions and make our seminar into a community of learners. If you miss more than 1 class (the equal of three 50-minute day class periods), please drop the course this semester and enroll at another time. There are no "excused absences."
WEEKLY RESPONSE PAPERS: I will ask you to write 6 self-directed response papers (of about 400-500 words) to the assigned reading, to which you should add at least two (=2) substantive discussion-oriented questions. I will collect these responses as a hard copy at the end of each class, so that you can use your WRP/questions during class discussion. Please note that you cannot "hand them in" electronically. Bottom line: WRPs are not essays, but a space of exploration and experimentation. Please take risks!
TALK & CLASS FACILITATION: Since this seminar is meant to be a networked community of learners, you will--above and beyond regular class contributions--need to present your research and thinking (or work in progress) on a particular author or related project. Your talk, of about 20 minutes, should serve as a point of departure for further discussion, which you then facilitate, and must be accompanied by a typed handout that you distribute in the class period before your report. The handout should not exceed two pages (one sheet, front and back) and contain the following information:
| title of presentation/name of presenter text(s) you expect your fellow students to study |
a summary of your major ideas and observations the sources/web sites you have consulted |
A sign-up sheet for these presentations is posted on my door. To enhance your learning (and, let's be honest, to kill two birds with one stone, different as these birds may be), I encourage you to consider building upon your oral report for your final research essay. Use the class as a testing ground for your ideas! Here is a Sample Handout
RESEARCH ESSAY: You are required to write a 12-15+ page essay that should engage
some of the major critical statements relating to the writer(s)/themes of your choice. You may, of course, also
write a longer paper if you wish. . . . . Message: let's talk!
Here is a
Sample Essay
Your final grade will be made up as follows:
| Regular and Sustained Participation — 20% Oral Presentation — 20% |
WRP — 30% Final Essay — 30% |
Please note that you will have to fulfill all of these requirements to pass the class.
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.
Any student requiring accommodations or services due to a disability should contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in room 181 of the Student Services Center (phone 626-6413). SSD can also arrange to provide course materials (including this syllabus) in alternative formats if necessary.