SYLLABUS
English 203: Introduction to Literature
Fall 2011 • Department of English
Instructor: Adrienne Foreman
Office: 222A
Office Hours: Tues 1:00, Wedn 3:00
E-mail: AForeman@tamu.edu
COURSE STRUCTURE
As the cyclical nature of texts both reflecting and creating culture is of vital importance, in this
section of 203 we will look at literature by topic and secondarily cover literary genres, terms,
spaces, and timelines.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
English 203 is an Inquiry-based (I) course offered by the department of English that provides an
introduction to literary study on the undergraduate level. “I” courses endeavor to promote
learning through inquiry—that is, to shape the undergraduate educational experience around
student-initiated investigations into topics relevant to each discipline studied. In English 203,
you will be initiated into beginning-level literary study from the perspective of a practitioner of
English as a discipline.
In English, our definition of “inquiry” is bound to ways of reading and writing. It requires a
certain base of knowledge about genres and periods of literature as a starting point, and then
relies on theory and close reading to form and investigate questions about texts. Furthermore,
inquiry in English as a discipline means inquiring into what others have said about a text or topic
in order to make a contribution to a body of knowledge—to join in a conversation about or
discourse on a subject that is important to literary study. The purpose is to further knowledge
about literature and the products of society.
As a sophomore-level I-course, English 203 will introduce you to the tools used for inquiry in
English Literary Studies—many of which will readily transfer to your other college-level
courses, contributing to your overall success as a student at Texas A&M University. The
essential ingredients for inquiry in English Literary Studies are
 Critical thinking,
 Ability to analyze texts and to apply ideas or concepts to texts,
 Ability to conduct and incorporate research in support of an argumentative thesis, and
 Ability to address the critical conversation in the context of an original argument.
INQUIRY-BASED STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Reading, writing, research and dialogue are the tools of inquiry in English. All of the
assignments you complete in this class will guide you toward the fulfillment of certain inquirybased learning outcomes. In this class, you will
 Respond critically to a work of literature or scholarship, including situating a work of
literature within a specific context;
 Engage with themes and ideas found in literature through writing and class discussions;
 Participate in an in-class scholarly dialogue;
 Practice writing as an activity for inquiry, reflection, and learning;
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Formulate a viable research question and a text-based argument derived from that
question;
Demonstrate knowledge of models of research that facilitate investigation into scholarly
discourse on a literary topic;
Recognize, critically analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and document primary and secondary
sources, including print and electronic sources;
Demonstrate personal integrity by practicing scholastic honesty, academic integrity, and
the ethics of communication;
Demonstrate competency in grammar, diction, and usage, and
Participate in a scholarly community.
As an introduction to the essential ingredients for inquiry in English, English 203 will require
you to do several of the following activities:
 Complete a minimum of three major writing assignments totaling at least 20 pages;
 Complete an assignment sequence leading to the development of critical, writing and
research skills.
 Formulate original research questions;
 Engage in regular critical textual analysis;
 Read, summarize, and respond to scholarly arguments;
 Formulate class discussion questions;
 Apply one or more critical perspective(s) to a literary text;
 Participate in collaborative learning;
 Present the results of original research or original critical analysis to your peers;
 Consider societal and cultural questions represented in literary texts.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
 Prerequisite: English 104 (While students have multiple options for meeting this
requirement, expect students are expected to have the skills listed under student learning
outcomes on the English 104 standard syllabus). Good composition skills are expected.
 Attendance is required.
 Formal papers include a minimum of 20 pages of formal writing completed outside of
class. You must complete all required work in the sequence outlined on this syllabus to
receive a passing grade.
 Reading assignments and peer review require critical reading and editing.
 Daily writing will be a part of your course. You are expected to participate in
collaborative activities and class discussion, and to write during or after every class.
TEXTS
 A. Foreman’s Mercury Reader
 Hamlet, Ed. Robert S. Miola,
Norton Edition
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Fables: V. I, Legends in Exile
Motherless Brooklyn by
Jonatham Lethem
MATERIALS: Please also have a notebook to be turned in every two weeks and check
tamu email account daily.
Standard ENGL 203 Syllabus developed by Nicole DuPlessis for the Writing Programs Office, 2008
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GRADE DETERMINATION
Essay 1: Critical Analysis
20%
Essay 2: Media/Theory
20%
Essay 3: Close Reading/Interpretive 20%
SCHEDULE OF DUE DATES
Essay 1
Essay 2
Essay 3
Journals: Daily ?’s or Paragraphs
In Class Writing/Participation
Quizzes
10%
15%
15%
Note that dates are subject to change.
Oct. 3
Nov. 1
Dec. 6
GRADING SCALE
F: 0-59, D: 60-69, C: 70-79, B: 80-89, A: 90-100
(C) = Critical Essays I will hand out or email before due date. (P) = poetry that we will read in class
together and analyze.
WEEK ONE
Introduction
[T] Syllabus;
[Th] Shitty First Drafts (317), The Joy and Enthusiasm of Reading
(323), Writing is My Passion (326), beware: do not read this poem (P)
WEEK TWO
Race - Intro and [T] The Lone Ranger & Tonto... (1), How to Tame...(9), Race Talk (C)
Plot
[Th] I’m a Banana & Proud of it (23), We Talk, You Listen (41),
WEEK THREE
Race - Language [T] Straightening Our Hair (52), What Does “Nigger” Mean? (83), The
Monkey Garden (77),
[Th] No Name Woman (63), Borderlands (P), Let America be America
Again (P), Asia America Where Have You Gone (P),
WEEK FOUR
Gender -Symbol [T, Th] Motherless Brooklyn, Performing Masculinity Intro (C),
WEEK FIVE
Gender - Novel
[T, Th] Motherless Brooklyn,
[Th] The Female Body (121), The Gender Blur (127), Girl (137),
WEEK SIX
War - Poetry
[T] This Way for the Gas...(151), Waste Lands & Critical [ESSAY 1]
[Th] There Will Come Soft Rains (171). Videotape (179), War Profit
Litany (P), To World War 2 (P),
WEEK SEVEN
Sexuality - Play [T, Th] Hamlet, Freud’s The Oedipus Complex (141),
WEEK EIGHT
Sexuality - POV [T, Th] Hamlet, The Flea (P),
WEEK NINE
Class - Character [T] Dover Beach, (P) Dover Bitch (P),
[T, Th] Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead,
WEEK TEN
Class - Theme
[T] Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead,
[Th] Address to the Prisoners in the… (28), A Modest Proposal (110),
WEEK ELEVEN Future - Sci-Fi
[T] Doctor Who Ep., Arcturus (P), Locksley Hall (P), [Essay 2],
[Th] Rappaccini’s Daughter (221), Into the Electr…(210), Johhny
Mnemonic (Online),
WEEK TWELVE Myth & Ritual
[T] Fables,
- Graphic Novel [Th] The Myth of Sisyphus (251), Balthazar’s Marvelous Afternoon
(275), Hearing Voices (293),
WEEK
Myth &
[T] Snow White (284), The Lottery (299), Science Fiction and
THIRTEEN
ThksGiv
Literature Myth (C)
WEEK
Myth - Theory
[T] The Star (256), The New Myths (309), The Motive for Metaphor
FOURTEEN
(264)
[Th]
Standard ENGL 203 Syllabus developed by Nicole DuPlessis for the Writing Programs Office, 2008
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WEEK FIFTEEN
Final Week
Wrap Up and [Essay 3]
Standard ENGL 203 Syllabus developed by Nicole DuPlessis for the Writing Programs Office, 2008
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COURSE POLICIES: TEXAS A&M AND THE WRITING PROGRAMS OFFICE
Attendance:
According to TAMU Student Rule #7, students are expected to attend class and to complete all
assignments. You must complete all required work in the sequence outlined above to pass.
You are expected to meet class according to the times published in the schedule of classes. To
have credit for attendance, students must provide evidence to substantiate their late arrival.
Authorized Absences:
According to TAMU Student Rules, students are expected to attend class and to complete all
assignments. You are responsible for providing evidence to substantiate “authorized absences.”
In cases of injury or illness less than three days, you must submit confirmation of your visit to a
health care professional affirming the date and time of visit. In cases of injury or illness three
days or more, you must submit a medical confirmation note that includes the date and time of the
illness and a medical professional’s confirmation of needed absence.
If you know in advance that you will miss a class, you are responsible for informing your
instructor. Attendance will be taken and the number of absences will be entered on the final
roster. Excessive unexcused absences (more than three) will be reported to your college advising
office and the policy concerning these unexcused absences will be announced during the first
week of classes. For excessive excused absences (three weeks or more), I will recommend that
you see your academic advisor to review the option outlined in TAMU Student Rule 7.6.
Academic Integrity & The Aggie Honor Code
The Honor Code, based on the long-standing affirmation that An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or
steal or tolerate those who do, is fundamental to the value of the A&M experience. Know the
Code. Aggie Code of Honor “An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do.”
See <http://www.tamu.edu.aggiehonor/>.
Scholastic Dishonesty:
As specified in TAMU Student Rule #20.4.1., any apparent scholastic dishonesty (e.g.,
plagiarism) will be promptly reported to the Aggie Honor System Office. You are responsible
for understanding how to use sources in an ethical fashion, as well as the difference between
quotation and paraphrase. If you have questions about using and documenting sources, please
consult your Writer’s Handbook or ask your instructor. Papers that fail to attribute sources
properly will receive a grade of 0 and will be reported to the Aggie Honor System Office. Visit
the website <http://www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor> for more information.
It is your responsibility to know the Aggie Honor Code and to understand what constitutes
scholastic dishonesty and to avoid it all costs. Anything (homework, quizzes, daily work, papers)
that appears to be a violation of thisCode will be reported to the Aggie Honor System Office.
Recycled Papers
You may not turn in assignments submitted for credit in other courses. If you were enrolled in
English 203 and Q-dropped or withdrew, you may not turn in assignments written for your
Standard ENGL 203 Syllabus developed by Nicole DuPlessis for the Writing Programs Office, 2008
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previous section. No credit will be given for any assignment that is recycled from another course
or section.
Classroom Behavior
Disruptive classroom behavior is 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.” TAMU Student Rule 21 explicitly prohibits disruptive behavior. Disruptive behavior
includes use of phones for calls, messages, gaming, pictures, etc. Your phone must be silenced
at all times. If you are going to bring your laptop to class you can only use it for taking notes or
research. There will be no messaging, facebooking, tweeting, blogging, shopping, etc.
Assumptions and or discrimination based on race, creed, national origin, citizenship status,
socio-economic status, religious practices, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age,
or disability will not be tolerated in this class in either verbal or written form.
Email and Fax
Your instructor is not permitted to discuss grades on e-mail or the phone. Unless otherwise
specified, assignments attached to e-mail messages will not be accepted if you have not
submitted a hard copy of the assignment. The English Department does not accept faxed papers.
Final Exam
I reserve the option of asking the class meet at the final exam time for a short in-class writing
assignment, quiz, or other course-related activities. The Registrar’s Office publishes dates for
final exams. See <http://www.tamu.edu/admissions/records/> for the exam schedule.
Grades
Grades are not negotiable. Your final course grade will be based on your work in the course. If
you are concerned about a grade, see your instructor during office hours.
Handouts
The handouts used in this course are copyrighted. “Handouts,” include all materials generated
for this class, which include but are not limited to exams, quizzes, syllabi, in-class materials,
sample papers, and peer critique sheets. Because these materials are copyrighted, you do not
have the right to copy handouts, unless your instructor expressly grants permission.
Incompletes
In order to qualify for an incomplete, the student must have completed at least 60% of the course
work. See Student Rules for more information.
Late Papers
You are required to submit assignments to me in class and electronically on due dates listed on
this syllabus. Late submission of assignments (major or minor) will result in a deduction of 10
per cent of the total points per day. Papers submitted outside of class (for example, left under the
door or left in the wrong office) will receive a grade of zero if they are lost, and will have points
deducted for late submission if they are late.
Standard ENGL 203 Syllabus developed by Nicole DuPlessis for the Writing Programs Office, 2008
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Mid-Semester Grades
Grades reported at mid-semester will be based on at least one writing assignment, homework,
quizzes, and in-class assignments. This is not 50% of your grade.
Paper Format
Unless otherwise specified, essays should be typed, double-spaced on bond paper, according to
MLA referencing guidelines. More information on MLA can be found in your handbook.
Peer Review Makeup
Writing classes function on the basis of community; therefore, the entire class’ experience
depends upon the participation of each person. If you come to class on peer workshop days
without a completed draft, you will not be prepared to participate in peer review and will not
receive the benefit of peer editing, which is mandatory and difficult to make up outside of class.
For your drafts to be eligible for grading, arrange for peer feedback with your group members
outside of class time. Peer review done by students who are not in your section is unacceptable.
Turnitin.com
Turnitin is an Internet-based service that allows students and instructors to check papers for
plagiarism. The program checks papers against online sources and a database that includes
books, journals, and online paper-selling services. The program sends a report to your instructor,
highlighting passages that appear in other sources. If you’ve done your own work, the instructor
will be the only person with access to your paper. You maintain the intellectual property rights
to your work. Additional info about Turnitin is available: <http://itsinfo.tamu.edu/turnitin/>
English 1302 (for ENGL 203)
If you have taken English 1302 through a community college in Texas or completed dual credit
for English through a Texas high school, check with your academic advisor to be sure you are
properly enrolled. The Texas Common Course Numbering System makes English 1302 an
equivalent for TAMU English 203, regardless of course content. If you have credit for English
1302, you are repeating the course if you stay in English 203. To date, the Registrar has not let
the department substitute English 203 for any other courses after students learn they have
unknowingly repeated the course.
The University Writing Center (UWC)
The UWC offers undergraduate students one-on-one help at any stage of the writing process.
Located on the second floor of the Sterling C. Evans Library, the UWC also offers online
assistance and computer based lessons. See their web page <
http://www.writingcenter.tamu.edu/> for details and hours of operation.
“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
for Students with Disabilities in Cain Hall, B118, or call 845-1637.”
Standard ENGL 203 Syllabus developed by Nicole DuPlessis for the Writing Programs Office, 2008