Let us have an agreement on certain issues:
• First, never let yourself fall behind. Most students need a minimum of 10 hours per week to
complete the required work. Schedule your coursework early in the week so you can add more
time if needed without falling behind. .
• Second, always work completely through the modules and keep taking notes as if you were in a
traditional lecture. The difference is, your online text and websites are your content resources
rather than your teacher.
• Third, consult me when you need further clarification or explanation. I'm your guide through
this course. I'm here to help as a facilitator rather than an information dispenser – you are really
immersed in a learning environment when you take this course. Although email is your primary
contact mode, you have other ways of finding me in emergencies
• Fourth, use the Discussion Board to converse with your classmates about the course, problems,
and life in general. Remember, you are not alone in this course – you have other classmates
learning with you in our virtual learning environment. Also, check for announcements from me –
this is the place where I will post messages to the entire class.
• Below this introduction is the course information You may have seen this information already,
but it is worth repeating. Please read this information carefully as well.
If you have not done so already, study the entire course and send an email to me using the Web
CT mail system responding to the above items.
ENGL 255 DL World Literature 1
Spring 2011
Instructor: Dr. Joaquin Rolón
jrolon@ocean.edu
Office: 225 Russell Building (732) 255-0400 Ext. 4312
Office Hours: M, TH 11:00 - 12:15pm -- T, F 2:00 – 3:00pm
 If you fail to contact me, please contact the department #0375
Course description: This course offers an opportunity for students to read, research, and respond
to a variety of literary forms from western and non-western cultures from ancient times to the
renaissance.
Course objectives: The objectives of this course are:
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To understand the main literary features of different cultures from earlier times
To explore ways different cultures use literature to reach different goals.
To accommodate what we read to our human experiences enriching our global perspective.
To discover universal themes and issues extending beyond time and culture.
To learn how applying literary theories may deepen our analytical responses to literature.
To give us the opportunity to read, think, and write about world literature.
To effectively research literature from multiple perspectives.
To practice research methods on earlier literary works in our critical thinking and writing.
Text: A Reading Package and websites available online.
Course requirements: The course is divided to 7 modules: Each module serves the assignments
and readings for 2 weeks: Each module contains readings, writing assignments, discussion
activities, and multimedia links. You are required to read and finish the assignments. I expect you
to post a series of discussion points every week. I will give 3 quizzes throughout the semester. In
addition to the quizzes, I am asking you to research an author/culture and write a 3 page report on
your findings. Lastly, you will write a final essay researching some of the works we will be
covering (prose fiction, drama, and poetry). The research essay should be five pages long.
Grading:
Participation: 20 points.
Each week you will post notes on the readings. Online participation is crucial. Also, you
have 5 module assignments each of which counts as part of the participation grade.
3 Quizzes: 30 points (in total).
You will be asked a series of short questions about the works and the ways that they may be
read.
Project: 20 points.
You will research an author and his/her culture. Write a report on your findings. Post the
report for the entire class for peer feedback.
Paper: 30 points.
The paper should be typed, double-spaced, MLA style, and submitted as a file attachment to
me. When you use secondary sources, you must document and integrate them
appropriately. I look for a good thesis, coherent arguments, and your own voice.
Virtual Attendance is important, as is participation. I expect all of you to post your input each
week.
Check the announcements at least twice a week.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated: I refer you to the OCC policy.
Campus Resources and Services: There is tutoring available in the Writing Center for all
subject areas, not just English courses, and in the Mathematics Tutoring Center. In addition,
Student Success Seminars are scheduled each week and are posted on the college website under
"Campus Resources and Services." More information on college services can be found by using
the A-Z index on the college website.
Accommodation: If there is any student in this class who has special needs because of learning
disabilities or other kinds of disabilities, please feel free to come and discuss this with me or a
staff member in the Center for Academic Excellence.
Assignments by Week
Week 1
Introduction- Orientation
Week 2
The Ancient World: Theogony & The Bible
Gilgamesh
Week 3
The Two Brothers
Aesop’s Fables
http://www.aesopfables.com/aesop1.html
Antigone
http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html
Week 4
The Early East: Fairy tales
http://www.darsie.net/talesofwonder/
The Life of Buddha, Confucius
Week 5
The seasons Quiz 1
The Tales of Genji& Heike, Kasa, Prose by Women
Week 6
Week 7
Medieval Europe: Saint Augustine
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/augustine.html
Boethius
,
Marie De France, De Troy
Renard the fox, De Rojas
Week 8
Early Middle East: Arabian nights
http://www.northern.edu/hastingw/arabnights.htm
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/burt1k1/index.htm
Week 9
Ibn Hazm, Al Ghazali
Saadi, Ubayd Izakani Quiz 2
Week 10
Africa: Ibonia
http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/timelines/htimeline.htm
Week 11
The oral epics of Ghana& Askia Culture& Author report due
Week 12
Early Modern Europe: Machiavelli, Castiglione, Rabelais
Week 13
Saint Theresa, Shakespeare, Donne
Week 14
Early American: Columbus, De La Casas
Quiz 3
Week 15
The Navajo creation story Papers due. Mapping the literary world. Project
presentations.
Subject: Course Learning Activities
The course is divided into Modules. In each module, there are several
sections. The assignments and discussions can be found in these sections.
Modules
Each module covers two weeks of readings. It will have the readings,
background information, handouts, and the assignments both pre-reading and
post reading.
Student-led Discussions:
In every module you will lead a Discussion. This is the way we cover the
content of the readings. For each week, you will ask a "critical thinking"
question about some topic in the reading or discuss it. Other students will
respond to your question, and you will then reply back to those responses. In
addition you will answer some of the questions posed by other students, and
they are required to reply to your answers. You are encouraged to keep up
these "virtual discussions" as long as they are productive. The idea here is for
each student to lead one discussion with the other students about some
important and/or controversial issue introduced in each chapter, and
participate in a few others. Your final grade is determined by your
participation in these discussions. I will grade these discussions, but I will not
be a participant unless it is necessary. If the discussion you are leading gets off
track, I will interfere to refocus it. You are also responsible for maintaining
the quality of the discussion threads you lead. Every posting to a discussion
should add something substantive to that discussion. Let me be clear: you
must “author” or “start” a discussion thread in order to get credit for
that discussion; it is NOT enough to simply reply to someone else’s
thread!!
Quiz: You will be asked a series of short questions about the works and the
ways that they may be read. Your answers should be brief and to the point
using examples from the readings
Library search and Internet-based Research Paper : Three weeks before it is
due, I will give you the guidelines for the final paper. The paper should be
typed, double-spaced, MLA style, and submitted as a file attachment in the
assignment section When you use secondary sources, you must document and
integrate them appropriately. I look for a good thesis, coherent arguments, and
your own voice.
On-Line Office Hours
I will be available checking your emails through the week, not the weekend.
________________________________________
Subject: How Your Grade is Determined
So...how will you be evaluated?
Grading Scale: Here are the cutoffs for course grades:
A=100-90
B+=87, B=83, B-=80
C+=77, C=73, C-=70
D+=67, D=63, D-=60
F=0-59
Note: The "earned" grade of "F" is treated mathematically as a "30". Missing
grades, such as discussions with no participation, are treated as a "0".
COURSE INFO. DOCUMENT 23
Attendance Policy: OCC has the following attendance policy: A faculty
member may perform an administrative withdrawal for a student who has
missed 10% of the required logons in a course.
How to succeed in this course!
1. Expect to spend about 15-20 hours per module on this course!
2. I expect you to log-on a minimum of four times per module, and contribute
to the discussions each time you log-on. Each time you logon you should
participate in the discussion threads you are leading and at least 3 additional
discussion threads in each chapter. If you do not post at least one document,
no log-on is recorded, and no credit is given for attendance. For attendance
purposes, make sure you post every time you log on to the course.
3. Make sure your major Paper meets the all of the requirements.
4. Important - post your discussion questions in the Student-led discussion
sections as soon as possible once the module is open.
5. Do a good job of maintaining quality in the discussions you lead. Lead by
example and by command! In other words, use good grammar, not 'Internet
Slang'. If other students are not participating in your discussion threads, find
out why and do something about it.
6. Make frequent high quality contributions to the Student-led discussions. It
is probable that if you are an active participant in the discussions lead by other
students, they will actively participate in yours.
Note: Submissions to a Student-led discussion after the module end date are
welcome, but they are not included in the evaluation of your course activities.
________________________________________
Discussion Rubric:
Each discussion post is graded according to the following rubric.
Points
Interpretation
Grading criteria
10
Excellent (A)
The comment is accurate, original, relevant, teaches us something new, and is
well written.Ten point comments add substantial teaching presence to the
course, and stimulate additional thought about the issue under discussion.
9
Above Average (B)
The comment lacks at least one of the above qualities, but is above average in
quality. A nine point comment makes a significant contribution to our
understanding of the issue being discussed.
7
Average (C)
The comment lacks two or three of the required qualities. Comments which
are based upon personal opinion or personal experience often fall within this
category.
6
Minimal (D)
The comment presents little or no new information. However, one point
comments may provide important social presence and contribute to a collegial
atmosphere .
0
Unacceptable (F)
The comment adds no value to the discussion.
________________________________________
Remember!! - There are several discussions in each Module. Each discussion
is graded separately. This means that for a module having sections A & B
discussions, you must earn at least 31 points in each discussion in order to get
all "A"s. For example, if you earn 6 points in one discussion, 24 in another,
and 35 in a third, your grades for those discussions will be "D", "C", and "A".
________________________________________
Subject: Instructor's Expectations
This is a regular college course. I expect the same commitment to time and
quality as I do in the classroom. The big difference is that Internet study is
student-centered rather than teacher centered. This means that you are
responsible for your own learning and success. If you are highly motivated,
logon and participate at least 4 times in each module, and produce a high
quality paper - you will be successful. However, if you logon sporadically,
participate minimally, or submit poor work - you will not. Online higher
education is aimed at independent learners. If you require the structure of a
classroom, this method will not suit you.
We will complete the entire readings! If you do not read the work in advance
of the discussions, your lack of knowledge will be obvious to me and to the
other students. It is not uncommon in these courses for students to provide
strong, public criticism of other students who "waste their time" with illinformed posts.
I expect the successful student will spend an average of about 15-20 hours per
module on this course. Although that may seem like a lot - remember this: A
traditional classroom-based course requires 45 hours of "seat time" plus 2-3
hours outside of class for each hour in class. It adds up to around 150 total
hours.
Subject: 255 DL Course Schedule
Print this document and keep it by your computer.
WEEK Mon.
1:
Jan. 24
-Sun.
Jan. 30
Week 1 Orientation
WEEK Mon.
2:
Jan. 31
-Sun.
Module 1 Week 2: The Ancient World: Theogony& The Bible
Gilgamesh http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/eog/index.htm
Feb. 6
Week 3: The Two Brothers , Aesop’s Fables
WEEK Mon.
3:
Feb. 7 - http://www.aesopfables.com/aesop1.html
Antigone http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html
Sun.
Feb. 13
Module 2 Week 4: The Early East: Fairy tales
WEEK Mon.
4:
Feb. 14 http://www.darsie.net/talesofwonder/
The Life of Buddha, Confucius
- Sun.
Feb. 20
Week 5: The seasons Quiz 1
WEEK Mon.
5:
Feb. 21 The Tales of Genji& Heike, Kasa, Prose by Women
- Sun.
Feb. 27
Module 3 Week 6: Medieval Europe: Saint Augustine
WEEK Mon.
6:
Feb. 28 http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/augustine.html Boethius
http://www.mythfolklore.net/2003frametales/weeks/week05/index.htm
- Sun.
Mar. 6
Week 7: Marie De France, De Troy, Renard the fox, De Rojas
WEEK Mon.
7:
Mar. 7 Sun.
Mar. 13
Module 4 Week 8: Arabian nights
WEEK Mon.
8:
Mar. 21 http://www.northern.edu/hastingw/arabnights.htm
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/burt1k1/index.htm
- Sun.
Mar. 27
Week 9: Ibn Hazm, Al Ghazali, Saadi, Ubayd Izakani Quiz 2
WEEK Mon.
9:
Mar. 28
- Sun.
Apr. 3
WEEK Mon.
10:
Apr. 4Sun.
Apr. 10
Module 5 Week 10: Africa: Ibonia
http://web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/timelines/htimeline.htm
WEEK Mon.
11:
Apr.
11Sun.
Apr. 17
Week 11: The oral epics of Ghana& Askia Culture& Author report due
WEEK Mon.
12:
Apr. 18
-Sun.
Apr. 24
Module 6 Week 12: Early Modern Europe: Machiavelli, Castiglione,
Rabelais
WEEK Mon.
13:
Apr. 25
- Sun.
May 1
Week 13: Saint Theresa, Shakespeare, Donne
WEEK Mon.
14:
May 2 Sun.
May 8
Module 7 Week 14: Early American: Columbus, De La Casas
Quiz 3
Week 15: The Navajo creation story
WEEK Mon.
15:
May 9 –
Mon.
Final Paper due.
May 16
Note: Submissions to a module after the module end date are welcome, but will not be included
in the evaluation of your course activities.
________________________________________
Announcements
I will post frequent announcements in the announcement section. I may change the
announcement every week. You are responsible for checking in the announcements every time
you log in. ________________________________________
Subject: The Professor's Role in this Class
I would like you to know exactly what my role is in this course:
• Answering questions and addressing concerns: I will check your emails and discussions nearly
every day (sometimes twice a day!) and make it a point to get back to you immediately with the
answers to your questions. If I do not answer your question promptly, let me know.
• Monitoring and Evaluating the Discussions: I attempt to read and evaluate every discussion
comment made by every student every day. I post occasionally, but I cannot respond to each
comment, and indeed I have found that to be a hindrance to open discussion among students.
• Evaluating Written Assignments: The major written assignment in this course is the Final
Paper. I will grade your Final Paper after all papers have been submitted.
Subject: Plagiarism
"AVOIDING PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism occurs when one steals or uses the ideas or writings of another and presents these
writings or ideas as his or her own.
Some examples of plagiarism:
Buying a paper from a research service or term paper mill.
Turning in another student's work with or without that student's knowledge.
Turning in a paper a peer has written for you.
Copying a paper from a source (text or web) without proper acknowledgment.
Copying materials from a source, supplying proper documentation, but leaving out quotation
marks.
Paraphrasing materials from a source without appropriate documentation.
Turning in a paper from a "free term paper" website. "
I refer you to OCC policy #5180.
In this course, the penalty for plagiarism is as follows:
1. First offense - the student receives the grade of "0" for the assignment.
2. Second offense - the student receives an "F" in the course.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email me, I will reply as soon as I can.
We will have a great semester….. Looking forward to it.
Joaquin
Now let us start!
Log into Web CT - navigate course – read my announcements posted on the course Bulletin
Board. Complete Course Introduction. Become comfortable with all aspects of the course,
especially the Bulletin Board and our Email
First Week:
Orientation Module
Meet Your Classmates is a chance for you to introduce yourself to the class and where you can
go to meet the others that are in this course. Your profile will help us get to know each other and
begin to build a sense of class community, so please feel free to personalize your profile and add
a link to your favorite web site, or attach a digital image of yourself.
Please post some information about yourself so we can know something about one another!
Let me tell you a little about myself:
I am a full-time Assistant Professor in the School of Language and Arts of Ocean County
College. I received my doctorate in English Education from Rutgers University. As a teacher, I
have taught all types of courses, including “The Short Novel” and “African-American
Literature.” My teaching career started in 1997. Before OCC, I taught at Mercer County
Community College and Burlington County College. I lived in Puerto Rico for ten years and was
designated as an ESL student when I first began my US education. I am proof that with hard
work and perseverance, anything is possible.
Please address me as Joaquin as I do not like labels.
DISCLAIMER: Individual faculty members may make reasonable changes to this course
outline exclusive of course requirements, course calendar and grading procedures.
All individuals should not assume that anything received, sent or stored in this course or in any
course is private. Students' written work, assignments and test results may be used anonymously
for college assessment purposes. Course content, support materials and communications
(including chats, discussions, emails and any other forms of communication) may be used for
quality assurance purposes by authorized college administrators.
IMPORTANT NOTES: Ocean Cruiser is the official email communication for students at
OCC (firstname_lastname@occ.mailcruiser.com) Failure to pay for this course may result in
your being dropped for non-payment.