Course Prerequisite: ENGL 104.

Since English 104 is a prerequisite for this course, you are expected to be competent in all grammar and writing areas that the introductory course covers. I will work with you on this, but not in detail, and not in class. If you have trouble with basic writing problems, SEE ME ASAP.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

• Your syllabus (bring to class every day!)
• Barnet, Sylvan et al. Literature for Composition: Essays, Fiction, Poetry and Drama. Fifth Ed. New York: Longman, 2000.
• Haldeman, Joe. The Forever War. New York: Avon Books, Rpt. 1997. (Make sure you get this version!)
• Corrigan, Timothy. A Short Guide to Writing About Film. Third Edition. New York: Longman, 1998.
• Murphy, Susan. The Aggie Critic. Edina: Burgess International Group. 1998.
• Join Class Listserv at: http://www-english.tamu.edu/pers/grad/wells/listserv.htm
• Student Contract at: http://www-english.tamu.edu/pers/grad/wells/contract.htm

Recommended Texts:

Any grammar handbook, especially recommended is The Longman Handbook.

Any collegiate dictionary.

Course Description and Policies

You may wonder why you should take a literature course-- what is the point of discussing books, poems, short stories and drama anyway, especially if you are not going to be an English major? In fact, this course is structured around the assumption that most of you will not take another English course in college. I do not expect you to be literary critics-- yet. But, by the time you leave this course, you will have a basic understanding of how to critically examine texts of many kinds -- you will be a literary critic! What is most important for you to realize is that texts, and contexts, are a part of EVERYONE's lives-- not just the English major. Even if you don't consider yourself a reader, you should know how to look with a careful eye at the world around you. P.T. Barnum once said "there's a sucker born every minute." One of the best ways to ensure that you do not become a sucker is to use your brain-- which is what we will be doing in this course.

We will write a lot in this course. You will turn in a reading journal every day-- some of them are relatively informal but are REQUIRED. It's easy to make a decent grade in this course if you TRY and do all the work. To make a good grade, you must try harder-- but it is very possible.

Skills that we will cover in this course are:

• reading, responding to, and critically interpreting a wide range of literary works;
• gaining an understanding of the major literary genres as well as a sense of the way that content, form, and context combine to construct literary meaning;
• practicing literary research at the introductory level;
• presenting coherent literary analysis, supporting your argument through quotations and examples from primary, and in some cases, secondary texts; and,
• honing your critical thinking and writing skills.

POLICIES:

TALK TO ME: This is the most important element of this course-- if you have trouble with any of the assignments, or you are falling behind, or you miss class, talk to me before it becomes a serious problem. I cannot help you if you come to me on the day of the final, after you've been having trouble all semester. I also will not come to you, first. You have the responsibility of making sure I know what's going on-- few problems are insurmountable if you try-- but I will not make the first effort. Talk to me, before it's too late to fix it.

Reading Assignments: You are responsible for having the assignments READ COMPLETELY the day that your syllabus lists them. We will discuss the reading in class, the day it is listed. If you have not read your assignment you will not be considered prepared for class, and may be asked to leave.

Reading Material: Some of the readings and films for this course contain scenes of violence, consensual sex, sexual assault and/or the use of expletives. We are all adults here, so I expect you to react to these scenes in a mature way and to understand that they serve important thematic functions and are not gratuitous.

Homework/In Class Work: Homework may include exercises, both written and otherwise, short writing assignments (from essays to other types of writing), journal entries, and possibly other work that will develop writing skills. You should expect to write every day. You are expected to participate in collaborative activities, class discussions, and listen to the occasional lecture. Realize that the work I give you is not to keep you busy-- it really will help you learn to become a better writer. Trust me on this one, please.

Journals: Every day, I will assign a topic for you to write your daily journal on; which you will turn in at the beginning of class. The journal writing is a semi-formal assignment-- it does not have to be as polished as an essay, but must be well-considered and proofread. Formal elements of style & grammar should also be followed-- all must be typed. Check the daily reading schedule for your assignment-- each day's journal is listed as "Writing" and generally consists of answering specific chapter questions; however, other assignments are possible.

Essays: You will write three major essays during this class, the Film Review, the Explication/Close Reading and the Critical Research paper. Writing is a major component of the course so you should expect to do well edited, revised and grammatically correct work on each essay. You will receive a prompt for each essay several weeks before it is due-- if you follow the prompt carefully you should do fine. The essay component of this class is worth 75% of your final grade.

Film Critique & Oral Report: The film critique and oral report is a special assignment. You are required to read and use the required text A Short Guide to Writing About Film for this assignment; although we will not specifically discuss the text in class, it is expected that you will have read it for your critique. The critique will need to be much, much more than mere plot synopsis (in fact, plot synopsis will get you the lowest grade). You will choose the film that you will review and based on that film, you will have a different due date. You will give the class a maximum of five minutes oral report on the film's important critical issues. You will receive more details about this assignment in class, but it is not a "blow off" paper-- I expect you to do serious critical thinking.

Attendance: According to TAMU Student Rules, students are expected to attend class and complete all assignments. You are responsible for providing evidence to substantiate "authorized" absences. If you know in advance that you will have to miss a class, you are responsible for informing me. I will take attendance and enter the number of absences on the final roster. Don't think that because I am not calling out names and asking for a "here" that I do not know when you're absent. I have my ways. Attendance includes late arrival-- after three tardies, you will begin to be counted absent. You are allowed two unexplained absences before you will begin losing points on the 5 % attendance grade.

Deadlines: Late papers and assignments cause conflict in everyone's schedule. Unless you discuss problems that may cause you to turn in late assignments with me, preferably ahead of deadline, your paper grade may be dropped by up to 10 points for every day you are late. Obviously, you want to turn in your assignments when they are due. YOU CANNOT PASS THIS CLASS WITHOUT COMPLETING ALL OF YOUR ASSIGNMENTS IN A TIMELY MANNER. Do not come to me the day before the last day of class, having been in class for two days in the beginning of the semester and then disappearing and expect me to help you out. It won't happen in this lifetime.

Presenting others' work as your own-- Plagiarism policy. As specified in TAMU Student Rules, any apparent scholastic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism) will be promptly reported to the proper authorities and will result in a grade of "F" for the course and a letter of reprimand in your file. Any assignment that does not appear to be deliberate plagiarism but fails to include proper and clear attribution of sources or direct quotation will receive a grade of Zero.

The handouts in this course are copyrighted. Before you make "copies" of anything that is handed out in this classroom you must speak to me first.

Incomplete policy: You should not assume that you may "take an incomplete" in this course. TAMU Student Rules provides guidelines for assigning a grade of "I." Requests for incompletes should be addressed to Dr. Joanna Gibson, Coordinator of Writing Programs. Your college advising office will be contacted to verify your reasons for requesting a grade of "I". Requests will be considered only if a student has completed 50% or more of the course work. I repeat, if you "disappear" from my class at midterm, and then show up the day before grades are due requesting an "I" YOU WILL NOT get one. You will, instead, receive the grade you have earned: an "F." This is non-negotiable. I will sympathize with the problems that made you stop attending class but I will not be able to do any more than recommend you retake the course.

Classroom Behavior: Disruptive classroom behavior, defined as anything that would interfere with "an instructor's ability to conduct the class" or "the ability of other students to profit from the instructional program" is explicitly prohibited. You will be given a warning, and if behavior continues, you will be asked to leave. Please do not push me on this one-- I will not tolerate class disruption.

Paper Formats: All essays should be typed (high quality printing and paper required), double spaced, according to MLA guidelines for paper formatting. Journals should also be typed, and double spaced, unless this is a very difficult process for you (this negotiation should be made in advance, though-- see me if you'll have trouble typing journals).

Office Hours: My office hours are your scheduled time to speak to me about questions you have concerning class policies, things you didn't understand in class discussion of the readings, your "works-in-progress," personal problems that you need to bring up, etcetera. I'm there for every office hour and encourage your taking advantage of this scheduled time to talk to me.

NOTE: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Department of Student Life Services, Students with Disabilities in Room 126 of the Koldus Building, or call 845-1637.

If you have any questions about this course, general writing requirements, or general advising questions, contact the Writing Programs Office in the English Department.