English 1B-30
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English 1B-30
Off-line Distance Learning Syllabus
OVERVIEW
Hello and welcome! This course is designed to develop advanced critical thinking,
and uses sophisticated literary texts and argumentative writing assignments to hone this
crucial skill. The course is arranged by literary genre. We will spend one month studying
fiction, three weeks analyzing poetry, five weeks understanding and critiquing drama, and the
final month working expressly with critical theory as it pertains to the other three genres.
Although the bulk of your grade comes from the four original essays you will
compose, much of the understanding of the texts and development of skills you will need to
exhibit in passing work will come from your study and re-reading of the texts and my written
lectures. To encourage this process and guide your study towards each of the four major
essays, I have created short weekly writing assignments called weeklies. Additionally, you
will take two proctored exams. The first of these, the midterm, comes after we have
completed fiction and poetry. The final exam will be on drama and critical theory.
In addition to the rental text from the bookstore and Voltaire’s Candide, you will be
provided with photocopied books of required reading called Action Packs. The Action
Packs contain my own lectures on the readings and skills, required readings photocopied for
your use, detailed explanations of the assignments and their grading criteria, and study topics
to help you prepare effectively for the midterm and final. Each Action Pack includes course
materials for a month and center around the genre of study for that month. You will receive
them in advance of that month.
The assignment list attached here will guide you through the readings and remind
you of deadlines. Out of fairness, all work for a given week is due on Saturday at 11:59
pm. To pace yourself, skim ahead on the assignment list and look beyond what is
immediately due in the Action Pack. The two longest works you will read are due at the end
of the first and third months: Voltaire’s Candide and Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Although you will
read other short stories and plays in months one and three, it is best to begin reading each of
these as early as possible, so that you will not feel rushed through a complex text upon
which you will be composing a challenging paper. Also, please understand that each of the
four major essays is due at the end of a three to five week period (however long we spend in
each genre). It is best to begin each of these as early as possible to give yourself ample time
for revision and editing.
GRADING
60 % Major Essays—These four assignments, collectively, weigh heaviest on your grade.
Do not miss even one of them. You will receive detailed grading criteria (rubrics) in your
Action Packs. Use these as a checklist before turning the essays in.
20 % Weeklies—Each week that an essay is not due, you will submit an informal, typed,
double-spaced response to the reading. There are specific questions in your Action Packs
that each must be addressed in weekly writing (those for the two months are included on the
attached assignment schedule). The purpose of these questions is to draw your attention to
important elements of the reading, thereby starting a written dialogue between you and me.
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Weeklies are due every Saturday by 11:59 pm, except in the four weeks that major essays are
due.
20 % Midterm and Final—Each proctored exam contains an objective identification
section (closed book) and a timed argumentative essay (open book and open note) about
texts we have read. There will be study tips for each in your Action Packs. The best way to
prepare for these exams is to read actively, take notes as you read, and be sure that you
understand what I expect of you in advance.
TEXTS
Roberts, Edgar V., and Henry E. Jacobs. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. 7th
Edition. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2004.
ISBN #0-13-048584-5
(This primary text is a rental and is available at the TC bookstore).
Voltaire. Candide. Any edition will suffice, provided your translation is in English.
(purchase text at TC bookstore, any major bookstore, or online).
CONTACT ME
Phone:
(661) 763-7724
Email:
gdyer@taft.org
Address:
Professor Geoffrey Dyer
Taft College
29 Emmons Park Drive
Taft, CA 93268
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday from 12:00pm to 2:00pm
Wednesday from 5:00pm to 6:00pm
or by appointment
Office is:
T-12A (Back side of the technical arts building closest to the temporary
Library)
Since most of you are undertaking this course without the benefit of
classmates with whom to discuss the course content, you should contact
me as often as necessary. Do not hesitate or be scared. I encourage and
welcome all questions and comments. It’s a good idea to call during
office hours. If I do not answer, it is because I am meeting with a student.
Always leave your name, a call back number, and a quick mention of the
assignment you are calling to discuss. Email is fabulous as well.
SUBMISSION OF WORK
You may submit your weeklies and major essays in any one of three ways: by email,
in person, or through the postal service.
Email: This option is easiest for everyone, since weeklies and major essays must be
typed. If you Email your work to me, attach each assignment as a Word document or an rtf
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document. You still must double-space your assignment and adhere to MLA style. Make
sure to put your name in the subject line of the message, so that I understand
immediately who the work is from and whom to give points to!
In person: You may also hand deliver your assignments at the Learning Center. The
Learning Center is in the back of the Library. Ask for Mary Decker. If she is not there, look
for Dr. Hill or another Learning Center staff member. Do not leave work unattended on
someone’s desk or at the circulation desk. Be advised of the Learning Center’s hours this
semester:
Monday through Thursday 8:00am to 9:00pm
Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm
Closed Weekends
Mail: If you choose to use the postal service, all assignments must be postmarked
on or before the Saturday on which they are used. Mail them to my address (see above).
MLA FORMAT
Please type, double space, and set all work in MLA format. Font should be 12 point.
Margins on left and right must be one inch. All references to other writing or the ideas of
others must be properly documented. Any phrases used directly must be placed in quotes
and documented. If you have questions about internal documentation, refer to page 1900 of
Literature, The MLA Handbook, or ask me.
WHERE TO TAKE YOUR MIDTERM AND FINAL
If students reside in the area, the mid-term and final exams are expected to be
proctored in the Taft College Learning Center.
If the student lives out of the area, a proctor will be needed for exams. The student
must find an acceptable proctor and location. I must pre-approve the proctor prior to exam.
Acceptable sites include library, military education office, or school. Acceptable proctors
include a librarian, a military education officer, a teacher, or clergy member.
All proctor forms must be approved by the end of the second week of the course.
Proctors must have access to e-mail for correspondence with myself. Proctors will be sent
information in regards to the exams. If you use an approved proctor, you must provide
them with a stamped envelope addressed to me with which they will mail your exam. You
also are responsible for bringing any materials you will need for the exam (such as paper and
pens for pre-writing of essays and course material for open-book section). In order to
approve an outside proctor and schedule your exams, you also must follow the directions on
the Taft College Website, and fill out one of the forms for each exam. Here’s the link:
Procotor Identification link: http://www.taftcollege.edu/dl/proctor_procedures.htm
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES OR IRREGULAR PROCESSING PATTERNS
Students with disabilities or students who think they may have a learning disability
and who may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Student Support
Services (763-7841 or 763-7927) as soon as possible to better ensure that any reasonable
accommodations are emplaced in a timely manner.
PLAGIARISM
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All work must be original. If you use the ideas or words of someone else as your
own, you will receive and F and could be placed on academic probation. Consistency of
weeklies and proctored exams will give me a viable index of your writing and style.
Furthermore, instructors maintain an online database of all work turned in to check
assignments against. Don’t cheat. It’s just not worth it.
LIST OF READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Weeks 1 through 4: Fiction
Week 1 Work due Saturday, September 1st
Read 1-43 in Jacobs’ Literature
Study and understand premise and conclusion (in Action Pack)
Weekly 1: Part A
Carefully reread the highlighted passage on “Using Verb Tenses in
the Discussion of Literary Works” on page 29 of Literature. Then,
write a partial summary of Guy De Maupassant’s “The Necklace”
(beginning on page 4 of Literature). Your summary only needs to
refer to three crucial events in the plot. Be sure to use present tense
verbs when summarizing the action of the story.
Part B
Reread the highlighted passage on page 19 of Literature Called “The
Need to Present an Argument when Writing Essays about
Literature.” Write at least two paragraphs explaining how an
argumentative essay about literature differs from summary.
Week 2 Work due Saturday, September 8th
Read 47-62 (introduction and “ Neighbors”),
72-83 (“The Things They Carried”), and
86-90 (“Everyday Use”) in Jacobs’ Literature
Weekly 2
Part A
Consider the nature of verisimilitude, as explained of pages 49 and
50. Write a short passage briefly explaining how verisimilitude
Functions in “Neighbors,” “The Things They Carried,” and
“Everyday Use.” Refer to all three pieces. What effect does the
realism have on you as a reader?
Part B
Reread the passage “Symbolism and Allegory Show the Relevance of
Fiction to the Larger World” on page 57. Write about an object that
holds symbolic value in any of the three stories. How does the object
work to move the story along? What greater significance might the
object hold in the larger world beyond the story?
Week 3 Work due Saturday, September 15th
Read “Chronology,” Michael Wood’s “Introduction,” and the “Note on Names” in
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Action Pack 1.
Read Candide
Weekly 3
Part A
How is Voltaire’s Candide culturally contextualized? What sorts of
Things, based on the time-line and the text, were taking place in
France and the world when Voltaire wrote this scathing satire?
Part B
Considering the political state of France and what you know about
Voltaire, why do you think he wrote Candide?
Part C (optional)
In Michael Wood’s “Introduction,” he articulates an elegant
argument about the word “but” in Voltaire’s Candide. Based on your
own reading of Candide, how valid do you think Wood’s argument is?
How could the argument be critiqued, extended, or improved?
Week 4 Work due Saturday, September 24th
Complete argumentative essay on Voltaire’s Candide.
Refer to the assignment explanation and grading criteria in Action Pack.
Weeks 5 through 7: Poetry
Week 5 Work due Saturday, October 6th
Read 609-622 in Literature
(follow directions in Action Pack and begin selective reading for Essay)
Weekly 4
Part A
What experience do you have reading and writing about poetry? Is
Poetry more difficult to understand than fiction? Why? Less
enjoyable? What specific factors make poetry easy or difficult to
understand, and enjoyable or not enjoyable?
Part B
Reread “How to Read a Poem” on pages 615 and 616. Is this
information new to you? If so, how will it change your experience of
reading poetry? If it is not new, how have you used these strategies
in the past?
Week 6 Work due Saturday, October 13th
Read 634-649, in Literature
(continue developing poetry essay)
Weekly 5
Part A
Reread “Denotation and Connotation” on 641-642. Define both
terms (denotative and connotative). How does their use differ? Use
your own words to explain this—no direct quotes from the passage,
please.
Part B
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Briefly discuss the connotative implications of any word used in any
poem for the course. Do you think the poet was aware of the
connotations you draw? Are they effective, and do they match the
decorum of the poem?
Week 7 Work due Saturday, October 20th
Read 1019-1028 in Literature
Midterm
Essay on poetry due
Weeks 8 through 12: Drama
(Questions for weeklies in Action Packets for remainder of course)
Week 8 Work due Saturday, October 27th
Read 1163-1180, 1208-1215 in Literature
Weekly 6
Week 9 Work due Saturday, November 3rd
Read 1760-1809 in Literature
Weekly 7
Week 10 Work due Saturday, November 10th
Read 1302-1306, 1476-1483
Weekly 8
Week 11 Work due Saturday, November 17th
Read William Shakespeare’s Hamlet
Weekly 9
Week 12 Work due Saturday, November 24th
Read 1887-1913
Essay on Hamlet due
Weeks 13 through 17: Critical Theory
Week 13 Work due Saturday, December 1st
Read 1915-1920, 1865-1886 in Literature
Weekly 10
Week 14 Work due Saturday, December 8th
Read 1920-1926, 1028-1044
Weekly 11
Week 15 Work due Saturday, December 15th
Research and develop Researched Critical Essay
Weekly 12
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Week 16 Work due Saturday, December 22nd
Final Exam
Researched Critical Essay due
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