2111 Syllabus, Spring 2009

ENGL 2111.45 ONLINE

SPRING 2009

World Literature Dr. Gerald Lucas

Course Overview

Course Orientation: Tuesday, 1/13/09, WRC-111, 8:15-10:45pm

Textbook

Computer

Our study of World Literature this semester will use the Norton Anthology of World Literature, Volume A, edited by Sarah Lawall. The text will be supplemented with additional, online readings.

Since this is an online course, you must have access to a newer computer with a reliable Internet access. As a part of this requirement, your computer should have a current web browser, like Safari or Firefox, and Adobe Acrobat in-

ONLINE CONSIDERATIONS So, you're thinking about taking an online literature or composition course? Please read the following carefully before committing to a very challenging course. The first meeting of this course is mandatory; if you miss it for any reason, your final grade will suffer by one letter and you will find it very difficult to get

We will focus on textual studies of the major genres of this period, epic and tragedy, how those genres influenced later literary works, and how they portray “humanist” issues throughout the Greek and Roman national literary traditions. ENGL 2111 will show the continued relevance of just why ancient works are still paramount to knowing ourselves as “humans.” Major works covered will include Gilgamesh, the Iliad, the Odyssey, and works by Sophocles, Euripides, and Ovid. Since any survey course has much more literature than one semesterlong class can cover, we will attempt to cover only a couple works in detail, rather than many works only cursorily.

started in the course on your own. After this first meeting, we will not meet in a classroom again. All evaluation, discussion, and lecture will take place online. Part of the orientation will be getting an account on LitMUSE. If for any reason you miss this meeting, all the information may be found there: .

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ENGL 2111.45 ONLINE

SPRING 2009

COURSE INTRODUCTION (CONT.) stalled. There are computers available for open-use on campus, but you should not rely on these. The work for this course is too much for you to accomplish in the ARC.

LitMUSE You are required to have an account on LitMUSE (see http://litmuse.net/), the server that will support all of your work in this class. You should login to the server at least once a day to receive any announcements or changes that are made to the class. This sever contains all the information presented in this document. It also houses resources that go far beyond this syllabus. I would recommend that you spend some time familiarizing yourself with these. They are designed to help you help yourself to produce stellar work both in this class and those you will subsequently attempt.

ONLINE CONSIDERATIONS CONTINUED

Motivation

Time You may believe that because this course is offered online, that it will not require as much time as a traditional classroom course. Well, you should plan on spending at least twice the amount of time working on your own to make up for what you would not receive from class discussions and lecture. This includes doing extra secondary research, something you may not be used to doing.

Since you will be required to budget your time, you must also be self-motivated. You will not have the benefit of having a professor's presence compelling you to do your work each week; you will have to take on the responsibility. The reality of this is more difficult than it may seem. Procrastination will put you behind and make it very difficult for you to recover.

ENGL 1102), you should not begin with this one. Literature courses benefit from in-class discussion; many find the literature challenging, so without the benefit of a professor's in-class guidance, many find the challenge too difficult.

The bottom line is that online literature courses are challenging, which unfortunately produces high attrition rate because many students are just not ready for them. I do not want to discourage anyone from taking it, and I'm Course Work willing to discuss this further with If you have not successfully anyone during my office hours or completed an online course beby appointment. However, I ask fore, I recommend that you do not that you consider this carefully; do begin with this one. If you have not sign up for the class with the not successfully completed a expectation that it will be easy. If college-level literature course beanything, it is more difficult than fore (like making at least a B in taking the course in-class.

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ENGL 2111.45 ONLINE COURSE POLICIES

SPRING 2009 restating an idea in an entirely new form that is original in both sentence structure and word choice. Quotations and paraphrases must be cited to avoid plagiarism.

WEEKLY PROCEDURE

Every week will follow a similar procedure for your work and Your work represents you. reading. Be sure you keep up with Therefore, I expect everything the syllabus and turn your work in you turn into me to exemplify the If you use ideas or information regularly and on-time. All of your very best of your professional self. coursework will be done on the Please proofread all writing before that are not common knowledge, you must cite a source. LitMUSE Moodle server. submission.

Assignments

Deadlines Late work is not acceptable and will receive a zero. Technical, computer malfunctions are not acceptable excuses for late work. Weekly work is always due Tuesday at noon.

Email The best and quickest way of contacting me is via email. Only use the email address that I provided on this document for class business: <[email protected]>.

Grades Letter grades are based upon a traditional ten-point scale. If you would like to know your official grade, you should see me during my office hours or make an appointment.

Plagiarism Any time you use ideas that are not your own — be they paraphrased or copied verbatim — in anything that you write, you must supply a citation in an identifiable citation method, e.g., MLA, Chicago, etc. Willful plagiarism will result in automatic failure of this class and will be submitted to the Dean for further potential consequences. Remember two things:

Unsure as to what to cite, Primary Reading when to cite, and how to cite? Each week you will have asCheck your handbook for the best signed reading that you should information. complete before doing anything else. As you read, take thorough The professor reserves the reading notes; be sure you are faright to use Turn It In, a plagiamiliar with the plot, characters, rism prevention service, to evaluand major concerns of the text. ate any written work submitted for this course. As directed by the Reading Quiz professor, students are expected to After finishing your reading, submit or have their assignments you should take a brief reading submitted through the service in quiz. These quizzes will test you order to meet requirements for on the facts of the text, like charthis course. The papers may be acters, plot details, and other obretained by the service for the sole vious aspects of the narrative. purpose of checking for plagiaThese are just to test your literal rized content in future student knowledge of the text(s). There submissions. will not always be a quiz assigned.

Special Needs

Any student who has special needs should contact Ann E. Loyd at the Counseling and Career Center (478-471-2714) and fill out the appropriate paperwork. The student should then see me with the documentation so that the necessary accommodations can be made.

Technology Competency

Computer competency is an integral skill in any discipline. Students should be familiar with the general uses of a computer, parIf you use the language of your ticularly using a web browser. Students should be willing to put source, you must quote it exactly, enclose it in quotation marks, and forth the effort to learn what they cite the source using MLA citation need to in order to succeed in the course. Please see me for addistyle in all my courses. A paraphrase employs source material by tional assistance when necessary.

Secondary Reading Since you do not have the benefit of class lecture, I will assign additional reading for you to do each week that concerns the primary text. This criticism will give you background information and assist you in getting your head around the various interpretations of the text.

Forum Discussion Finally, you should put what you learned together into a forum discussion with your classmates. Your total word count for the forum should add up to a minimum of 350 words, including threads started and responded to. Each forum discussion will be worth 10 or 20 points. Each post

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ENGL 2111.45 ONLINE (whether beginning a thread or responding to one) is only worth a maximum of 5 points. Therefore, you should make at least two strong posts or comments (or more) to assure that you earn the maximum credit. Finally, as a bonus, consider making an account on eNotes and posting a question to be answered in their public forums. See “Forum” under Requirements below.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

SPRING 2009

Writing To get you thinking more critically about the major works, you are required to respond to class readings in writing both formally and informally. All writing should be thoughtful, refer to specific portions of the text, use the critical vocabulary, and cite correctly using MLA citation method. Forum

For all of the major works we study in this class, you are required to respond informally in writing. These responses will be posted in an online forum on LitMUSE, so the entire class can benefit from reading your thoughts. The forum will also give you a chance to respond to others’ ideas. Your writing in the forum should total at least 350 words per week.

Your forum entries and reThere are three major responses should address three quirements for World Literature 2, things: the primary text, the seceach of which must be successfully ondary texts, and your interpretacompleted to pass the course. As- tions of the the former two. The signments are weighed on a point best forums use specific textual system, depending on their impor- evidence, cite secondary texts, and tance. For example, a reading quiz give original, thoughtful considmight have 10 points while the eration to these texts. Just repeatfinal exam might have 200. ing the critics or summarizing the plot will not earn you an A. Final Exam A final cumulative exam will Daily Work be given that will test your knowlRegular class attendance, quesedge of the subject matter (texts, tion posing, and active participalecture material, and vocabulary), tion in classroom discussions are your ability to synthesize this ma- required. Participation, effort, and terial, and your creativity in going attitude will count significantly in beyond the discussion and lecture this course. Quizzes, other class materials. The final exam will inactivities, and homework assignclude vocabulary, identification, ments not explicitly outlined and interpretation. All exam above will be considered daily grades will be based upon objecwork. tive knowledge of the material, thoroughness, depth of insight, precision, and originality.

Reading Summary This is a tentative reading schedule summary. Please see the course web site for specific assignments. Do not rely on this overview for your reading; consult LitMUSE regularly. Week 1: 1/13/09 Orientation and account creation Weeks 2 & 3: 1/20 & 1/27 The Epic of Gilgamesh Weeks 4 & 5: 2/3 & 2/10 Homer: The Iliad Weeks 6, 7 & 8: 2/17, 24 & 3/3 Homer: The Odyssey Weeks 10 & 11: 3/17 & 3/24 Sophocles: Oedipus Rex Week 12 & 13: 3/31 & 4/7 Euripides: Medea Week 9: 4/14 Virgil: The Aeneid Week 14: 4/21 Ovid: The Metamorphoses Week 15: 4/28 Catch up Exam Week Final due by noon, 5/5

This sy(abus was last updated on Wednesday, January 14, 2009.

Dr. Gerald Lucas ASSIST PROF OF ENGLISH Office: H/SS-117 on the Main Campus. To contact him, please use email: <[email protected]>. Please email if you have any questions.

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