Bellevue College Syllabus

Spring 2012

English 219 linked with English 101, 271, or 272

Items 1080 (219/101), 1180 (219/271) or 1194 (219/272)

World Literature: European Literature

English Composition

10 credits

Instructor: Dr. Gordon Leighton

E-mail: gleighto@bellevuecollege.edu

Phone: 425-564-6168

Office location: R230E

Office Hours: daily 9:30-10:20 and by appointment

Welcome!

This course will use readings from the most famous literature in the Western tradition as a basis for papers that will demonstrate your college writing skills. You will get an overview of important time periods and a chance to read works that are often quoted in the media. The works are varied and surprising—there’s something here for everyone! I should warn everyone that literature has always dealt openly with sex and violence, and the readings for this course are no exception—they deal with disturbing topics like death, rape, incest, abuse, etc. I have chosen the anthology published by Norton, a popular and widely respected publisher that has been in business for many decades. The selections are chosen because they represent the time period, not because of any political or religious agenda.

Course Information

Course Outcomes

English 219:

Demonstrate an awareness of a selected region, culture or ethnic group's history, philosophy, and culture as reflected in the literature.
Demonstrate an awareness of varying points of view within this culture, including women and other minority voices whenever possible
Identify major themes and ideas
Recognize how style relates to content in various writers’ works
Apply the analytical process to literary works
Apply writing skills to analyzing literature

English 101:

Demonstrate various invention practices: brainstorming, free writing; outlining, journaling
Demonstrate ability to write in various modes: personal narrative, expository,
analytical, descriptive, argument
Demonstrate the phases of writing: draft, revision, final copy
Explore sources of writing: reading, thinking, analyzing, discussion
Create a thesis statement that suggests the focus of the paper; does not point out the
obvious, and is written as a sentence.
Develop and include enough details and examples to support the identified thesis and
reinforce focus
Demonstrate various patterns of organization and
use the organization pattern that suits your identified purpose & audience.
Illustrate the concept of Audience in your writing.
Artfully combine Audience, Purpose, and Tone in compositions written in and outside of class
Write in a vocabulary appropriate to your subject and identified audience.
Begin and conclude a paper effectively.
Show effective control of mechanics: paragraphing, punctuation, spelling.
Differentiate between key ideas and supporting details in reading
Locate the thesis statement in reading assignments
Practice good group skills: how to give useful feedback, and how to make use of
feedback you receive

English 271-2:

Identify implicitly and/or explicitly one’s intentions as a writer.
Define implicitly and/or explicitly the audience for a particular piece of writing.
Apply appropriate style, tone and format to the writer’s purpose and audience.
Use rhetorical formats conventional to expository writing.
Demonstrate objectivity toward one’s own writing.
Demonstrate practical uses/applications for expository writing beyond the college classroom.

How Outcomes will be met

Students are expected to meet the class outcomes with participation in class discussions and improving performance on papers, exams, and in-class writings.

Grading

Class will be graded as follows:

Papers 1-4 15% each

Final Exam 10%

Participation 30%

No late papers! Grades will be lowered one grade per calendar day for lateness, and papers will fail by default after five days. Turnitin stamps the date of receipt, and I will go by that. Papers must be in proper form.

Participation

Participation is a key element of any course. Please note that excessive absence will result in a grade of “F,” no matter what you have been receiving for grades on the work you have completed.

This portion of the grade is necessarily subjective. I will start with a base grade calculated from attendance alone, and then adjust up or down from there:

1-3 absences A range

4-6 absences B range

7-9 absences C range

10 absences D

over 10 absences F for the course, not just for participation

If, for any reason, I decide not to fail you if you go over ten absences, the participation portion of the course will be “F.” Please do not give me any excuses for absence. I will always assume that you are absent for a very good reason. But remember that in the end, an absence equals an outcome of zero. If you know in advance that you cannot come to class regularly, it is best you drop early and sign up for an online course, which may better suit your schedule.

Some factors that enable me to give a higher grade than the base:

good quality comments in class
use of office hours/ Writing Lab/other support when needed
good note-taking
excellent in-class work not formally graded (quizzes, in-class writing, etc.)
attendance at all writing groups with substantial drafts

Some factors that cause lowering of the base grade:

disruptive behavior* in class, especially phones**, entrances and exits during class time, talking, use of earphones, use of computers for non-class work, other behaviors mentioned in the Arts and Humanities guidelines. “Professionalism in the Classroom,” posted on the class website, also outlines class expectations.
late arrival or early departure
poor/no note-taking
doing other homework in my class
missed writing groups or short, insubstantial drafts

*If disruptive behavior occurs and continues after I speak to you, expect to be sent to talk with the Dean of Students, who may place you on academic probation or take other steps to remove you from the class.

**I regularly receive comments that ringing phones annoy and distract my students. Please disable all phones or other communication devices in my class. If you have a genuine emergency (impending birth or death in the family, for example) see me in advance, and we can make arrangements for you to be accessible.

Paper Evaluation

Papers will be graded on content, organization and editing as follows:

Content

Content should be accurate, developed in relation to other ideas in the paper, and sufficient to fulfill the assignment. Short papers will be downgraded in content.

Readers should get a sense of major and minor points of support. Main ideas should be identified and well supported. Major evidence for the central idea should be clearly presented. Evidence contrary to the central idea should likewise be acknowledged and processed.

All ideas taken from sources should be introduced and documented appropriately.

Organization

Paragraphs should be well developed around a clear idea. Main ideas of paragraphs should follow one another in a pattern made apparent to readers with appropriate transitional words and phrases. Overall pattern should be appropriate and logical for the purpose of the paper.

Sentence and paragraph transitions should be clearly signaled.

Editing

Errors marked on previous papers should not recur. The 20 common errors should not occur. Sophistication of structure and punctuation should be appropriate for college-level content.

In general, editing should not adversely affect the paper’s readability or the author’s credibility.

Explanation of Grades

Papers are graded on a 4-point scale (see below) with regard to content, organization, and editing. I then average the three scores for the final paper grade.

Example:

Content 4

Organization 3

Editing 2

Final Paper Grade 3 (This would be a grade of “B.”)

The 4-Point Scale (same as the scale used to calculate GPA)

4.0 A

3.7 A-

3.3 B+

3.0 B

2.7 B-

2.3 C+

2.0 C

1.7 C-

1.0 D

0 F

Late work policy: Papers will be downgraded one letter grade per calendar day of lateness; papers will not be accepted after four days and will receive a grade of F without possibility of rewrite.

Format for Papers

1. Papers should be at least the following length:

for 071-2-3-4 and 092/3 500 words (2 pages)

for 101 500-750 words (2-3 pages)

for 271-2 750-1000 (3-4 pages)

2. Use a 12 pt standard font, double-space, and write full pages. No handwritten work.

3. Document all sources. Remember that summary and paraphrasing must be documented. BC subscribes to a plagiarism detection service and your instructor routinely checks papers for originality. If you have questions about plagiarism, go back to the Writing Lab handout http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml

for further explanation.

4. If you use quotations, be sure to introduce them so your reader will know who is speaking. You also need to make sure your reader understands the point you are making with the quotation and how it relates to the main idea of your paper. Generally speaking, you should avoid quotations until you get to the 101 level and then use them only if absolutely necessary.

5. Make sure your name, your course number (for example, ENGL 101), and the assignment number (for example, Paper #3) appear on the first page in the upper right-hand corner. There is no need for a title page. If you leave lots of space on the first page, make sure you fulfill the word length requirement by adding another page.

6. Your paper should have a title that reflects the main idea.

7. Please avoid formulas that force a predetermined form to drive your content (5-paragraph essays or the Jane Schaffer Method, for example). Your content and main ideas should determine the structure of your presentation.

8. All papers will be submitted through Turnitin.com—directions will be given in class.

Books and Materials Required

The Norton Anthology of Literature, 5^th Continental edition

Classroom Learning Atmosphere

Instructor’s Expectation

I will communicate with students via campus email accounts and cannot be responsible if you don’t check your college account regularly. I suggest you forward that account to the one you prefer so that you won’t miss anything important. Please also check the MyBC page frequently for announcements. When you communicate with me, please use your BC account, as outside messages may go to junk and get lost. I will respond to emails within 2 business days.

Please remember that informing me via phone or email that a paper will be late does not constitute an extension of the deadline.

Affirmation of Inclusion

Bellevue College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination.

We value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect.

Division Statements

These links are a part of the syllabus and should be read carefully:

http://bellevuecollege.edu/artshum/policy.html

http://bellevuecollege.edu/artshum/AHGdlns-StdntGrwth.htm

http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml

Student Code

“Cheating, stealing and plagiarizing (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source) and inappropriate/disruptive classroom behavior are violations of the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue College. Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to: talking out of turn, arriving late or leaving early without a valid reason, allowing cell phones/pagers to ring, and inappropriate behavior toward the instructor or classmates. The instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of Conduct to the Vice President of Student Services for possible probation or suspension from Bellevue College. Specific student rights, responsibilities and appeal procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct, available in the office of the Vice President of Student Services.” The Student Code, Policy 2050, in its entirety is located at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/policies/2/2050_Student_Code.asp

Papers will be turned in via Turnitin.com, which runs an originality chack on each paper. Plagiarized papers will receive a grade of “F” without possibility of rewrite. All instances of plagiarism are reported to the Dean, who may take further disciplinary action. Be sure to read this important part of the syllabus, which explains how to avoid plagiarism: : http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml

Please note that using a previously written paper from another course, even if it is your own, is considered plagiarism. Your objective is to learn by writing, and you fail to meet that objective if you simply recycle an old paper.

Important Links

Bellevue College E-mail and access to MyBC

All students registered for classes at Bellevue College are entitled to a network and e-mail account. Your student network account can be used to access your student e-mail, log in to computers in labs and classrooms, connect to the BC wireless network and log in to MyBC. To create your account, go to: https://bellevuecollege.edu/sam .

BC offers a wide variety of computer and learning labs to enhance learning and student success. Find current campus locations for all student labs by visiting the Computing Services website.

All email to me should be from your BC account. I will not be responsible for responding to messages sent from outside the college network.

Disability Resource Center (DRC)

The Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array of learning challenges and disabilities. If you are a student who has a disability or learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen someone for treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to be successful in college, please contact us as soon as possible.

If you are a person who requires assistance in case of an emergency situation, such as a fire, earthquake, etc, please meet with your individual instructors to develop a safety plan within the first week of the quarter.

The DRC office is located in B 132 or you can call our reception desk at 425.564.2498. Deaf students can reach us by video phone at 425-440-2025 or by TTY at 425-564-4110. . . Please visit our website for application information into our program and other helpful links at www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc

Public Safety

The Bellevue College (BC) Public Safety Department’s well trained and courteous non-commissioned staff provides personal safety, security, crime prevention, preliminary investigations, and other services to the campus community, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Their phone number is 425.564.2400. The Public Safety website is your one-stop resource for campus emergency preparedness information, campus closure announcements and critical information in the event of an emergency. Public Safety is located in K100 and on the web at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/publicsafety/

Final Exam Schedule

Final exam is Wednesday, June 13 at 9:30-11:20 in the classroom. Please note earlier time and plan accordingly.

Course Calendar

Page numbers are from the Norton anthology unless otherwise indicated. Please check the site frequently for any important announcements I may need to make. Calendar is tentative and subject to changes I may make in class.

April 2012
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
	2 Introduction and syllabus	3 Old Testament 1-26	4 Homer 172-246	5 Greek Theater intro and film	6 Writing Groups film and explanation
	9 Sophocles 306-358	10 Film: Lysistrata	11 Aristophanes 394-431	12 Ovid 547-567	13 Writing Groups #1
	16 Euripedes 358-394	17 Plato 455-459 Film: Cave	18 New Testament 582-588 Film	19 Petronius 595-616	20 Paper #1 due Dante 752-766; 766-787
	23 Dante 907-911; 924-935; 937-958	24 Boccaccio 960-985	25 De Navarre 1074-1096	26 Machiavelli 1057-1074	27 Writing Groups #2
	30 Film: School for Scandal

May 2012
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
		1 Rabelais 1096-1124	2 Cervantes 1176-1254	3 Rousseau 1628-1640	4 Paper #2 due Films on Romanticism
	7 Goethe 1640-1680	8 Pushkin 1773-1797	9 Flaubert 1817-1845	10 Midquarter Conferences in my office R230E	11 Writing Groups #3
	14 Dostoyevsky 1845-1852	15 Tolstoy 1939-1989	16 Pirandello 2143-2200 Film	17 Discuss Pirandello	18 Paper #3 due Films: Beckett
	21 Kafka 2298-2341	22 Brecht 2353-2421	23 Brecht continued	24 Lorca 2421-2433	25 Writing Groups #4
	28 HOLIDAY	29 Camus 2433-2449	30 Beckett 2464-2501	31 Beckett film Rockaby

June 2012
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
					1 Paper #4 due Film: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
	4 In-class writing on film; Group work on final	5 Robbe-Grillet 2575-2583	6 Film: Pinter	7 Film: MASTER HAROLD… and the boys	8 Chekov: “The Kiss” http://www.classicreader.com/book/2039/1/
	11 Final Exam prep in groups	12 Final Conferences in my office	13 Final Exam 9:30-11:20

Let’s have some fun!

We’ll start with some really old stuff that still has great influence today and then move through a quick tour of the European tradition in literature. It will be a great ride! If you ever get discouraged or feel overwhelmed, please remember I am on your side. Use my office hours to ask for any help you need.