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Engl&111 – Introduction to Literature
Theme: Transformation
Instructor: Christy Scheuer
Course Time and Location: Online
Office and Office Hours: IB 2306 D
Tuesday and Thursday, 12-2:30 p.m.
E-mail: Christina.scheuer@seattlecolleges.edu
Instructor Phone: 206-934-4538
Course Website: http://canvas.northseattle.edu/
He, too, has been changed in his turn,
Transformed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born. — William Butler Yeats, “Easter 1916”
“Poetry’s not window cleaning. It breaks the glass.” – Chase Twichell
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The theme of our course is "Transformations," and we'll be reading many texts in which
characters have to grapple with sudden—and sometimes even magical—changes that
occur in their lives. These changes will alter the way they view themselves and the way
they see the world, and their transformations will also challenge us, as readers, to see the
world in new ways.
In this class, you will develop your ability to read and discuss multiple literary forms,
including short stories, novels, poetry, and drama. We will focus on the form of the text
(how it is constructed) as well as the content or subject matter. We will also discuss literary
devises such as narrative structure and figurative language, and we'll talk about how to
read literature through the "lens" of different forms of literary theory.
I also view this course as a "literature appreciation course." I hope that it will encourage
you to enjoy the reading process and that it will show you the pleasure that can found in
many different forms of literature and art. I hope that this course will be enlightening and
useful and rigorous, yes, but also engaging and fun.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Diaz, Junot. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Reprint ed. New York: Riverhead Trade,
2008. Print.
Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Trans. Susan Bernofsky. New York: W.W. Norton, 2014.
Print.
Russell, Karen. Vampires in the Lemon Grove. New York: Vintage, 2014. Print.
Shakespeare, William. Much Ado about Nothing (Folger Shakespeare Library). New York:
Washington Square, 2004. Print
All other readings for this class will be found online on our Canvas page.
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Course Objectives
1. To read critically in order to analyze, discuss, evaluate and respond to texts.
2. To write in order to discover the meanings in the texts of others.
3. To write in order to discover one’s own ideas in relation to the texts of others.
4. To expand your understanding of, appreciation of, and confidence in reading
literature of different genres.
5. To introduce you to elements and devices in literature, such as metaphor, irony,
character, symbol, rhythm, ambiguity, patterns of juxtaposition, and so forth.
6. To develop your abilities to articulate what literature offers in understanding the
world and their own lives more fully.
7. To develop your abilities to read more deeply, to articulate their analyses of
literature, to support those interpretations through the literature itself, and to
interpret the works more deeply as a whole.
8. To introduce you to a range of critical approaches to literature.
DEVELOPING A COMMUNITY OF READERS AND WRITERS
Students come to this class with a broad range of educational, writing, and personal
experiences. This diversity enhances our class by expanding the range of viewpoints
expressed and providing us with new ideas to discuss in class. It is very important that
you are respectful of every student’s work and opinions so that the classroom is an
environment in which everyone feels welcome.
Please communicate with me at any time regarding any concerns or questions you have
about the course. I’m here to help you, and I enjoy talking to students!
A SUCCESSFUL ONLINE STUDENT
• Has basic proficiency with the Internet and with sending and receiving e-mail and
file attachments.
• Is a self-motivated learner who takes initiative and responsibility for his or her own
work.
• Is disciplined about time management and can prioritize his or her own workload.
• Is able to allocate time his or her schedule for the workload and time commitment of
an online course.
• Is a responsible and accountable group member, providing timely and thoughtful
feedback.
• Keeps the peer group and the instructor closely informed if situations arise that
prevent the student from keeping up with the course workload.
USING CANVAS/TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES:
We will be using Canvas as our online courseware. To access our online course, go to
http://canvas.northseattle.edu/. Your username is your complete 9-digit NSCC student
ID number and your password is the first six letters of your last name. For example, if
your student ID number is 955-55-4411 and your last name is Petunia, then your
username would be 955554411 and your password would be petuni. If you have
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trouble logging on, please check the Distance Learning office's troubleshooting
information at http://www.virtualcollege.org/resource/technicalhelp_index.htm. If you
can't solve the problem that way, contact the Distance Learning office help desk: 206
934.3738 or email them at North.eLearning@seattlecolleges.edu.
COURSE POLICIES:
• Log in regularly. The importance of logging in and “attending” online multiple times
a week cannot be overemphasized. You will have regular online discussions of
course readings that require you to post to your assigned forums and respond to
your classmates. You will participate in online writing groups and have to provide
comments to your peers in a fairly quick turnaround of 1-2 days. Plan to log in 4-5
days a week and to check your Canvas email each work day (Monday-Friday), and I
will do the same.
•
Save your work. It is your responsibility to keep an extra copy of all assignments
that you turn in. I would also recommend typing Discussion Posts and other
homework assignments in your word processor and then cutting and pasting them
into Canvas. If you do so, you won’t lose your work if the internet goes down or
Canvas glitches.
•
Submit your work on time. Assignments are due at 11:59 p.m. PST on the day
assigned, unless otherwise noted. For each assignment you need to turn in there is a
specific due date/time.
•
Make sure to schedule at least 15 hours a week to do your reading and homework
and “attend” class. Since this is a 5 credit class, you will be expected to do about 10
hours of additional work outside of class (15 hours total).
•
You need to be on top of things and give yourself time in case there is a problem. If
you do not turn your assignment in on time, you will receive 0 points on that
assignment. If the server is ever down, the IT people contact me. If this happens, I
will understand; however, other than a server crash, no other computer excuses will
be accepted. Since technology glitches can occur, you will complete an “Emergency
Plan” at the beginning of the quarter in which you will discuss how you will handle
technological problems such as a computer or internet failure.
•
The only assignment that will be accepted late is the major essay assignment.
However, for each day that the essay is late, you will lose 10% of your points. (This
is equivalent to losing one letter grade per day.)
•
Drafts, revisions, and peer review are required for the final paper (Essay 1).
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GRADES
Your grade will be based on a variety of assignments, including discussion posts,
quizzes, a formal paper, and a final exam.
Final Essay/Project
150 points
Proposal
10 points
Introduction and Outline
10 points
Full Rough Draft
10 points
Peer Review
20 points
Final Exam (Open between 6/16-6/19)
120 points
Discussion Posts (Best 12 of 13 x 25 points)
300 points
Quizzes
Syllabus Quiz
15 points
Poetry (Style and Form)
15 points
_________________________________________________________________________________
Total:
650 points
INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS:
Discussion Posts:
We will be discussing the readings for each week online in the Canvas discussion
boards. The purpose of the discussion forums is to engage sustained, thoughtful
reading of the texts and to encourage all of you to exchange ideas with one another.
These discussion posts will be a way for you to communicate with one another and
work through your ideas about the reading. Therefore, I will act as a guide during
these posts rather than a judge or facilitator. This means that I will often write you
notes when I grade the discussion posts, but I will rarely contribute to the
conversation itself.
All discussion posts are due by 11:59 p.m. Additional information on the
expectations for Discussion Posts can be found at “How to Write a Discussion Post”
in the “Course Handouts and Resources” (link on the front page of our Canvas site).
Scoring Rubric for Discussion Posts
Original Post
Point Sentence and Explanation/Analysis
Use of Textual Evidence
Style and Mechanics
15 points
5 points
5 points
5 points
Responses
5 points x 2
____________________________________________________________________________
Total
25 points
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Essay:
In this course, you will be required to write one full-length mini research essay or
creative project. For this essay/project, you will be required to write a rough draft and
to engage in the peer review and revision process. As we read, take notes on themes or
ideas that echo throughout multiple texts so that you’ll be prepared to write the
proposal and essay.
Exam:
You will have a Final exam in this course, and this exam will ask you to identify
passages of texts that we have read and analyze these passages in a series of short essay
questions.
The final exam will be cumulative, and it will also include a longer essay question.
Grade Availability:
After your assignment submissions have been graded, your scores will automatically
appear in the Grades Tab on the Canvas home page.
Grading criteria are as follows:
94-100: A (3.9 -4.0) 74-76: C
(1.9-2.1)
90-93: A- (3.5-3.8) 70-73: C-
(1.5-1.8)
87-89: B+ (3.2-3.4) 67-69: D+
(1.2-1.4)
84-86: B
(1.0-1.1)
(2.9-3.1) 65-66: D
80-83: B- (2.5-2.8) 64 or below: F (0.0)
77-79: C+ (2.2-2.4)
ATTENDANCE AND CLASS PARTICIPATION
Since this is a small, discussion-based course, your regular attendance (logging on,
posting to discussion posts, and responding to your classmates) is imperative. Please let
me know as soon as possible if chronic health problems, a personal emergency, or
extraordinary circumstances threaten to interfere with your attendance so that we can
discuss the best course of action.
Please approach every Discussion Post ready to discuss the assigned reading for that
day. This means that you will have read the assignment carefully and identified any
passages that you would like to discuss—this can include passages that you loved and
those that confused and annoyed you.
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RESOURCES
Accessibility and Disability Services: My goal is to make the online classroom as
accessible as possible to all students. If you require any disability-related
accommodations, please contact me by e-mail, phone, or in person. I would also
recommend contacting disability services. There website can be found here:
https://northseattle.edu/disability-services. To make an appointment, contact the
Disability Services office by phone at (206) 527-3697, TTY at (206) 526-0079 modem,
or e-mail at ds@sccd.ctc.edu.
The Page One Writing Center: Need feedback on your writing? Visit the Page One
Writing Center bottom floor of the new blue building to get help during every stage of
the writing process from brainstorming and outlining through the final polishing phase.
You'll find more information at https://northseattle.edu/tutoring/page-one-writingcenter.
The Women’s Center: Located in College Center Room 2345C (2nd floor, north end of
the College Center), 934-3696. https://northseattle.edu/womens-center
The Women’s Center provides confidential, safe, and inclusive services, including
referral for housing, health care, child care, domestic violence, family planning,
counseling, and LGBTQ support, among other resources. The center also sponsors
programs and events to raise awareness about gender-based issues.
Library: The library is a phenomenal resource to use if you have questions about
research or sources—or really questions about anything. You can find useful
information at https://library.northseattle.edu/
E-MAIL
E-mail is usually the most effective way to get a hold of me. Please e-mail me at any time
with any questions that you may have about the course.
I expect both your e-mails and your discussion posts to be written in clear and
communicative prose and proofread for mistakes.
A NOTE ON (AND AGAINST) PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is the intentional use of someone else’s words or ideas without giving that
person credit. This includes submitting someone else’s essay in its entirety or in parts
as your own, using any words, phrasing, and/or ideas from a source (this includes the
Internet) without proper citation, having someone else write your paper or assisting so
much that the phrasing and ideas are no longer your own, and re-submitting an essay
previously written for another class. Plagiarism is absolutely prohibited and may result
in receiving a “0” on the paper and/or discipline on the part of the college
administration.
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COURSE SCHEDULE
Abbreviations for the Texts:
Vampires in the Lemon Grove, Karen Russell
Much Ado about Nothing, William Shakespeare
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz
(VLG)
(MAN)
(BWLOW)
All reading assignments must be completed before their due date on the calendar. For
example, if you are asked to Read VLG (1-51, 83-133, 203-243) by 4/21, you will need to
finish reading those specific pages of Vampires in the Lemon Grove and take notes on them
in order to complete that day’s assignment (DP5). The volume of reading will vary
throughout the quarter, so I highly recommend reading ahead to plan for days on
which the reading load is heavier. (For example, you will need to read quite a bit for
4/21, and it will probably take a little while to adjust to the Shakespearian Language in
Much Ado about Nothing.)
Please go to the Course Modules (found on the left hand sidebar in Canvas) to find
additional instructions and links to the assignments.
Week
1
Tuesday
4/7
DP 1 (Introductions)
Syllabus Quiz
2
4/14
Finish Metamorphosis and read the
“Introduction”
DP 3 (Social Analysis)
Respond to two DP 2 posts
4/21
Read VLG (1-51, 83-133, 203-243)
DP 5 (Zooming In and Out)
Respond to two DP 4 posts
3
4
5
4/28
Lecture 4 (Figurative Language)
Read poems in 4/28 folder (Course
Resources and Handouts)
DP 7 (Metaphors and Similes)
Respond to two DP 6 posts
5/5
Read poems in 5/5 folder
DP 8
Thursday
4/9
Watch Lecture 1
Read Metamorphosis (page 21-51
pages)
DP 2 (Imitation Metamorphosis)
Respond to two DP 1 posts
4/16
Read “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”
Lecture 2 (Short Story Form)
DP 4
Respond to two DP 3 posts
4/23
Lecture 3 (Marxist Crit.)
DP 6 (Reading VLG through a Lens)
Respond to two DP 5 posts
4/30
Read poems in the 4/30 folder
Quiz on Poetic Style and Form
Respond to two DP 7 posts
5/7
Read MAN (Acts 1-2)
Respond to two DP 8 posts
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5/12
Read MAN (Acts 3-4)
DP 9
7
5/19
Watch a film version of MAN
DP 11 (Scene Analysis)
Respond to two DP 10 posts
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5/26
Read BWL (1-75)
Lecture 6 (New Historicism)
5/28
Read BWL (75-201)
DP 12
9
6/2
Finish BWL
DP 13 (I will drop your lowest DP
grade. If you are satisfied with all of
your other DP grades, DP 13 is
optional. )
Respond to two DP 12 posts
6/9
Essay 1 Peer Review due
6/4
Essay 1 rough draft due
Respond to two DP 13 posts
6/16
Final Essay due
6/18
Final Exam (Take between 6/16 at 8
a.m. and 6/19 at 11:59 p.m.)
10
11
5/14
Read MAN (Act 5)
Lecture 5 (Feminist Theory)
DP 10 (Reading MAN through a lens)
Respond to two DP 9 posts
5/21
Essay Proposal due
Respond to two DP 11 posts
6/11
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