LIT1000 Online Syllabus (Huseby Summer 2019 ) PDF

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LIT 1000: IIntroduction ntroduction to LLiteratu iteratu iterature re

Email: [email protected] (please do not use the Canvas messaging application) Office: AC1 Rm. 354 (BBC) Please reach out to me!

Professor: Dr. Amy Kahrmann Huseby Office Hours: By appointment

Table of Contents

What’ What’ss this course about?

What Texts to Buy

2

Time to Spend on Course

2

Expectations of this Course

2

How to Succeed in Class

3

How Your Progress is Evaluated

4

Late Work and Course Changes

5

Academic Integrity

6-7

Additional Resources

7

Course Schedule

8-11

What is literature, and what is it for? How do its special uses of language—its imagery, genre and form, line and meter, plot and characterization, voice and diction, metaphors, and other tropes and figures—help it to do its work? Our goals in this course are to explore and engage with these questions in order to understand what aspects make works literary, how literature affects readers, and how we can engage with the different perspectives literature offers and develop our own interpretations of literature.

By the end of this course, you w will ill be able to: 1. Identify key literary concepts across a variety of media 2. Interpret complex works using textual evidence 3. Evaluate how a text reflects and constructs different perspectives 4. Explain how being able to analyze literature matters, and matters to you

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What text do you hav have e to buy?

FIU Norton Introduction to Literature

W. W. Norton

Amy Huseby, general editor

ISBN: 978-0-393-67302-9

Kelly J. Mays, editor

EXPECTATIONS OF THIS COURSE This is an online course, which means most (if not all) of the course work will be conducted online. Expectations for performance in an online course are the same for a traditional course. In fact, online courses require a higher degree of self-motivation, self-discipline, and technology skills which can make these courses more demanding for some students. You will have to read and write every day of this six-week course. Even though this is a 1000-level course, that does not mean you will spend less time completing work for this course. Instead, it means that the content you will learn is foundational for an exploration and understanding of literature and literary criticism. Expectations: This is an intensive class that covers in the space of six weeks the analysis and discussions and writing typically encountered over a fifteen-week semester.. As a result, yo you u should be prepared to inv invest est a significant amount of time on a daily basis in re reading ading and writing (typically (typically,, 7-12 hours per week). Completing the readings is crucial for your assimilation of the literary-historical contexts and interpretive approaches we’ll be exploring. As you read, you should print out and annotate your texts with points of interest, noteworthy observations, and interpretive questions. Keep a notebook nearby in which to record your observations, along with key points made by me and (in discussions) your classmates. Schedule and Rec Recommended ommended Pace: As a participant in an online course, it’s primarily your responsibility to determine when to do the readings and complete the required work by the deadlines I have set. Turning in work before a deadline is great if that works better for your own schedule. The class is designed around the expectation that you will be completing approximately one unit per week, and these expectations shape due dates for the Discussion Forum, Close Reading, and Essay Assignments (see the schedule below). I have not assigned reading or due dates on weekends, but it would be wise of you to continue reading and working on assignments over the weekend to make use of that time. You must log into the class and work on it daily. Study T Techniques: echniques:

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Review each Module’s schedule and create a calendar for yourself that lists all the due dates, whether that calendar is a series of digital reminders, phone reminders, or a paper calendar posted somewhere you will see it regularly. Use it to help you keep on track. Assignments are due almost every day during the week. Use the weekends to read ahead, but also plan to read or work on some assignments every day. Look ahead to the next Module as you finish the current one so that you are aware of what to do next. Create a reading notebook for yourself. This might be printed copies of the shorter readings that you can annotate, plus blank sheets of paper to take notes on the longer readings. In this notebook, write down your observations, analyses, and questions about our readings. Note specific themes that emerge in relation to travel in each of our texts. As you complete more of the reading, consider which of these themes reemerge, and whether they change upon their repeat appearances. PROFESSIONALISM AND P PARTICIP ARTICIP ARTICIPA ATION POLICIES

How will you succeed in thi thiss course? Useful techniques tto o enhance your class participation skills:

1) The best route to success is to develop the habit of reading and writing a litt little le bit each day day. Reading ahead and taking notes are strongly recommended. Our duty with what we read is to interpret, objectively, the most meaningful and valuable points in the text, and to then compare and evaluate differing interpretations to formulate an analytical payoff for the text. 2) Be prepared to offer evidence from your reading, to think with others by offering substantive ideas in discussion, and to develop your writing. 3) Participation is key to your learning. This includes reading the syllabus and rubrics fully fully. Everyone contributes to the success of this course. Engaging in discussions online fully will ensure comprehension and learning by all in class. 4) Approach this course prepared to think critically and caref careful ul ully ly about difficult problems. Argument is not about fighting over what you “know” is right. Rather, argumentation is a way to illuminate important ideas that we have in common, to challenge received wisdom, and to rethink a world view.

 write down comment or question about the week’s reading for each discussion sessions  use your classmates preferred names and pronouns  identify suggestions for things you would like to discuss in your discussion posts (e.g., confusing passages, key words)  read ahead so that you give yourself plenty of time to respond in the discussion boards  read the rubric for each assignment carefully; be sure that you understand all of the components on which an assignment is assessed  ask questions if anything is unclear  turn work in on time

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ENVIRONMENT OF MUTUAL RESPECT RESPECT:: I emphasize and require an environment of mu mutual tual respect in our course interactions with each other. To help build an environment of mutual respec respect: t: approach all discussions in this course with a positive attitude, respect for your class-mates and our discussions, a sincere desire to understand, and a willingness to work towards common goals.  While we might address controversial, and occasionally even uncomfortable, subject matter, it is crucial that we speak to one another respectfully and endeavor to listen attentively to the ideas of others.  Reading carefully and responding thoughtfully to the work of others is an active form of learning, not passive reception. Ask questions and offer claims that show you are engaging with your classmate’s ideas and the texts under discussion.

How will you and I ev evaluate aluate your progress? Grading for this course is designed around your passing a combination of assignments that demonstrate that you have acquired the skills this course emphasizes: 

Quizzes focus on your ability to identify key literary terms and concepts;

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Close Reading & Research exercises emphasize your ability to interpret complex works and the perspectives they offer, and describe other peoples’ perspectives on the work;

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Responses are where you apply key literary concepts and explain how they contribute to the interpretation of works that matter to you, from film to TV episodes to short stories, novels, and poems.

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Class participation will ask you to engage in all these activities, analyzing and articulating your analyses with and to classmates.

Grades ar are e based on the following:

Paper 1; 15.00%

Final Paper or project; 35.00%

Participation, Discussion Posts, Short Assignments; 25.00% Paper 2 or Final Paper / Project Proposal; 25.00%

Grading Scheme:

Top Range

Bottom Range

Out of 10 pts.

Out of 20 pts.

A

100

93

9.3-10

19-20

A-

92

90

9.2-9

18

B+

89

87

8.9-8.7

17.5

B

86

83

8.5

17

B-

82

80

8.2-8

16

C

79

71

7.9-7.1

15

D

70

51

5.1-7

13-14

F

50

0...