Insructor’s Handbook: Policy And Procedures, Syllabus, Terms and Defintions

SAMPLE EH 200: Approaches to Literature: Policies and Procedures

Instructor’s Contact Information:

 Name:

Phone:

E-mail:

Blog:

Office:

 Office Hours:

 Course Description:

• Building upon EH 123 and 124, this course introduces you to the study of literature and the fundamentals of literary research through an investigation of the worlds of work and play.

• You will investigate works of American literature for the purpose of determining how social standing bears on various conceptions of professionalism.

• This writing intensive course will lead you to a culturally sensitive understanding of the so-called “real world.” It will also lead you to an awareness of how your expectations of the workforce may or may not be validated by your anticipated career paths.

Intended Outcomes:

Students who complete EH 200 with a grade of C or higher should be able to: 

• Identify and analyze the concept of professionalism as it is associated with themes of work and play in twentieth- and twenty-first century American literature. They should be able to evaluate these themes against their current expectations of the modern work-force.

• Use narrative rhetoric to express their social and professional aspirations, and also as a means for describing the social and professional aspirations of co-workers and employers. Narrative rhetoric refers to all the major class concepts discussed in this course.

•  Demonstrate familiarity with the writing process: the student can create, develop, and complete a mid-length research document with minimal external assistance, including peer review, and achieve a grade of C or higher.

•  Construct a formal oral presentation appropriate for an entry-level professional position.

• Demonstrate the capacity to make firm correlations between social issues as they are addressed in relevant literature and contemporary cultural concerns that bear on the student’s anticipated program of study

Required Texts:

• The Haves and Have-Nots. Ed. Barbara Solomon. New York: Signet, 1999. 

• Carrie, Stephen King.

Required Technology:

• FirstClass email account. 

• I will only accept and respond to e-mails sent through FC, for virus protection reasons.  I will also only respond to e-mails that are written in a professional manner.

Other required materials:

• A Three-ring binder. Bring this to class each day.

• A notebook in which you will keep your in-class journal entries. Bring this to class each day with a blue or black pen along with your copy of the book.  

• I will take up journals periodically and check them.  I will periodically check your books to see whether you have annotated in them.  Make them your own: write in them, draw in them, underline passages. This is actually a required part of the course.

Attendance Policy (derived from pg 27 in the Catalog):

• Every student is expected to attend all scheduled class sessions, including final exams.  There are no excused absences. For a MWF class, you can miss 5 classes. The sixth absence is an automatic X grade.

• Two tardy arrivals will count as one absence

• Please note:  Absences do not constitute a withdrawal.  Students formally withdraw from classes only by submitting a Course Withdrawal Form available from the Registrar’s Office or in the Registrar Conference in First Class.

Cell Phone and Lap Top and Ipad Policy:

•  All cell phones must be turned off (NOT on vibrate or any other “stealth” feature. O-f-f. ) and be placed on the desk and not be tampered with during the class. Failure to adhere to this policy will result in your dismissal for the day, and you will be recorded as absent for that class.

• Electronic devices of any sort — computers and the like — are only to be in class and turned on when I indicate.  They will not be present in this class.

 Professional Appearance:

• No hats or coats will be worn in class

• No hoodies are to be worn in class

• You are to come to class dressed professionally at least twice a week. Dress as you would for a job interview.

• Soda and food is not allowed in class.

Your compliance with these standards will go towards your engagement grade.

Snow Days and Sick Days:

• Class will be canceled if the university is closed or I am otherwise prevented from attending.  If class is canceled because I cannot be here, you will be notified through your first class e-mail.

Turning in Work:

• Papers are due in person at the beginning of class on the day specified.  They must meet all the requirements listed on the writing prompt, including those of length and format. All papers must be accompanied by previous drafts.

• There is no “late work” in this class because work that is not turned in on time will not be accepted. If you are absent, it is still your responsibility to e-mail me the required work.

Grading:

•  Formal Essays = 50% (précis, guided argument, literary argument)

•  Other Writing Assignments = 15%

• Engagement/short form presentations = 15%*

• Final Oral Presentation = 10%

•  Final Exam = 10 %

*Generally, you need to be attempting to answer at least three questions per hour to get full engagement credit. 

Grading Policies:

•  All assignments will be graded on a standard letter-grade scale. Only the final draft of the major essays will receive a grade.

• The student must complete all assignments to pass the course.

• All papers must be typed.

• An act of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will result in an F for the course grade.

• Students MUST contact the Professor prior to the due date of an assignment if they have any problems with the assignment.

Students with Disabilities:

• Husson University makes every attempt to reasonably accommodate those who request accommodations and provide evidence of a disability.  Such efforts accord with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. In order to request disability-related services at Husson students must self-identify to Dean Wilson-Barker, and provide appropriate and up-to-date documentation to verify their disability or special needs.  After the accommodations have been approved by Dean Wilson-Barker, in order to obtain them, the student must notify the instructor by providing the accommodation plan. Depending upon the nature of the request, the instructor may then coordinate with Dean Wilson-Barker to fulfill the plan.  If you have any questions regarding reasonable accommodations or need to request disability-related services, please contact Dean Wilson-Barker in the Dean of Students Office in Peabody Hall room 208, or call (207) 992-1934, or e-mail wilsonbarkers@husson.edu.

Academic Honesty:

• Students and faculty in colleges and universities seek new knowledge and insights. There is so much to learn and know that we must build on the work of each other.  Academic integrity is essential to that building process.  We rely on each other, therefore, to specify what we know, how we know it, or where we found it.  Underlying this reliance is an obligation to be honest, forthright, and civil in all dealings with fellow student, staff, and faculty.  Behavior inconsistent with these obligations in the context of this course will not be tolerated.

• Cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, collusion, and assaultive, demeaning or disruptive behavior are all examples of behavior that fall below the norms of academic integrity.  A student who engages in any such behavior will be immediately dismissed with a failing grade from the course. Such behavior will also result in additional penalties, including suspension or dismissal from the student’s program, School, or the University.

• If I determine that a violation of academic integrity has occurred, I will record the finding in a report and meet with the student to discuss the findings and proposed sanctions.  The student may appeal the findings to the Dean of Science and Humanities within 10 business days of the scheduled meeting with the instructor.  Uncontested sanctions or those supported by the Dean will become a matter of record on the student’s file and be retained for the duration of the student’s attendance at Husson

 Written Work Preparation:

Students’ papers should meet the following guidelines:

• ALL work should be typed

• Font size should be 12

• Margins should be 1” (do not justify the right margin)Text should all be double spaced

• First page should include students’ name and assignment identification

•  Citations to material must be in MLA Style

Grading System:

The system of evaluating a student’s achievement at Husson is by letter grade with the following percentage equivalents:

 

A                     95-100

A-                    90-94

B+                   87-89

B                     83-86

B-                    80-82

C+                   77-79

C                     73-76

C-                    70-72

D+                   67-69

D                     63-66

D-                    60-62

F                      Below 60

 

Other grades you may encounter include:

E          Exited without withdrawing (student disappeared from class during first four weeks of semester)

WW     Withdrew before midterm (no grade is given)

WP      Withdrew Passing

WF      Withdrew Failing

X         Credit Denied for Excessive Absences

WA     Administrative Withdrawal

I           Incomplete

Q         Audit

 

General Education: 

• This course is part of the General Education program at Husson University.  Participation in General Education is required of all students because of the lifelong lessons and appreciation developed through these courses.  In addition, the greater academic community promotes, and employers value, the learning outcomes and skills obtained from General Education.  Instructors and advisors throughout Husson University collaborate to foster an understanding and appreciation of General Education.

 

This course will draw on much that you have learned in General Education courses.  Specifically, you will, among other things, be asked to do the following:

• read materials with comprehension,

• write clearly

• cite sources in accord with the MLA-style sheet,

• document all uses of material you did not invent yourself,

• present material orally so that it is clear and comprehensible,

• contribute to small-group and team work projects,

• think critically about all material received or presented through methods including historical and analytic,

• employ evidence-based reasoning,

• carry out studies in accord with generally accepted scientific or social-scientific methods,

• demonstrate an understanding of the psychology of audiences for your work,

• employ quantitative methods when appropriate (mathematical and statistical),

• demonstrate an understanding of cultures other than your own and a sensitivity to the views of people different from you, and at all times behave like the professional you aspire to be.

FERPA:

• Your academic work and integrity is protected under law by FERPA. As a result, I can and will ONLY discuss your work and progression in private with you, and will not discuss any of your relevant academic information without anyone else other than university officials, unless you get a FERPA waver for the person or persons you want me to talk to. This is to protect your privacy. If you have further questions on this matter, please do not hesitate to ask.

 

Sample Syllabus

 

Eh 200 Sample Syllabus

This document may change at any point during the semester. I will notify you of such changes.

*Please note: A minute-by-minute guide with video supplementation is offered – not mandated – to help with your planning, if you should need it. It is at this site: eh200.wordpress.com. There are certainly alternative paths to the core ideas in the class, and I’d love to hear your plans as they develop!

Unit One: World of Play

Week One: The Work of Play: Introductions: Story One: Play, Income, Class, Lower Income

 

August            29

September       31

September       2

 

Week Two: Précis, Setting, Boredom

 

September       7

September        9

 

Week Three: Précis 2nd Draft, Story Two, Tone, Abstract Thinking

 

September       12

September       14

September       16

 

 

Week Four: Précis Final Draft, Story Three

 

September       19

September       21

September       23

 

Unit Two: The World of Work

 

Week Five: Guided Argument – Ground Work, Story Four, Plot

 

September       26

September       28

September       30

 

Week Six: Guided Argument Draft, Work, Professionalism

 

October           3

October           5

October           7

 

Week Seven: Guided Argument 2^nd Draft, The American Dream

 

October           12

October           14

 

Week Eight: Guided Argument 3^rd Draft, Social Issues

 

October           17

October           19

October           21 Mid-Term Exam

 

Week Nine: Adjustment Week

 

October           24

October           26

October           28

 

Unit Three: Literary Analysis

 

Week Ten Literary Argument – Ground Work, Research

 

October           31

November       2

November       4

 

Week Eleven: Literary Argument 1^st Draft

 

November       7

November       9

November       11

 

Week Twelve: Literary Argument 2^rd Draft

 

November       14

November       16

November       18

 

 

 

Week Thirteen: Literary Argument Final Draft

 

November       21

 

Week Fourteen: Formal Presentations

 

November 28

November 30

December 2

 

Week Fifteen: Formal Presentations

 

December 5

December 7

December 9

 

Week Sixteen

 

December 12

Finals TBA

 

 

 

Index: Core Concepts

Core concepts are an extremely important part of this course. The following definitions are offered as guides, not ironclad requirements, for class discussions. I have found them to be productive in the past, and hope you will, or that you will find better terms you will share with your classes and with me.

When introducing a term to the class, I find it very useful to begin with a journal entry that gets the students to explain what they know about the concept. I then get them to share their definitions in groups, and then have them present these definitions to the class. Only after all this has occurred do I then present a specific definition – such as those listed below – to organize class conversations. The important thing is to stick to the definition you settle on. It must be something that will be a useful guide for class conversations and for student papers.

Play: Activities undertaken for amusement.

Income: An individual’s financial means with respect to the financial means of other people within a given community or region.  (There are lower-, middle, and upper- divisions).

Lower-Income: Generally, to lack the financial means to choose the materials one uses to meet basic needs: clothing, shelter, food, etc.

Class: An individual’s behavior with respect to the social standards of his or her community or region. (There are lower-, middle-, and upper-divisions).

Colloquial language: language that is characteristic of or only appropriate for casual, ordinary, familiar, and/or informal written or spoken conversation, rather than for formal speech or professional writing

Setting: The geographic and social situation within which action occurs.

Boredom:  The inability to demonstrate your desired level of “class” within a given “setting.”

Plot: The series of events in a story that are linked by causal relationships.  It is not a summary.

Abstract Thinking: Thinking characterized by the ability to use several concepts to make and understand arguments. The ability to understand the properties shared by a variety of specific items or events.

Tone: An emotional quality or aspect of a literary work. The way the story makes you “feel.”

Work: activities undertaken to maintain or advance a social position.

Professional: Someone who adheres to a specific set of ethical standards that privilege the interests of an occupation over the interests of the worker.

Workforce: An abstract concept that refers to all the individuals contributing to a nation’s economy at any one time.

The American Dream: The desire to grow and develop as an individual by expanding your awareness of social and economic possibilities as they exist within an American context.

 

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