Policy Statement

English Literature III
Dr. Ramirez

Course Policy Statement
Attendance

Attendance is taken each meeting and is part of the required coursework. Participation--possible only through preparation and regular attendance--constitutes a major part of your grade.
If you are late, you are interrupting the class. Please organize your schedule so that you arrive on time.
Given unforeseen events, you may find yourself unable to attend class. You are allowed three absences without grade reduction; use them wisely. I don't inquire why you are absent, so you needn't tell me. That means that any problems with your work, car, family, health, personal life, or with the weather are not my concern; three absences will cover emergencies without jeopardizing your grade. If you have any more than three, then you should rethink the logic of taking or staying in this course. Please remember that it is your responsibility to obtain notes and assignments and to catch up on any reading. You may only make up one response or presentation and must do so within a week of your absence. If you miss two responses, the second one will be given a zero.
Failure to email your overview at least two days in advance and to present on your assigned day will lower your presentation grade by one letter. Please do not email your presentation late and expect instant feedback. You must submit it two days in advance.
Continued attendance in this course constitutes acceptance of the syllabus and course policies.

Coursework and Conduct

Course participation: Participation is required. Because we are tackling a broad subject, we need to use our time strategically. Please bring the relevant texts, view films out of class when necessary, take notes, and be prepared for presentations, responses, and discussion.
Conduct: Please address me in person and in email as Dr. Ramirez or Professor Ramirez. Be respectful: Turn off cell phones and beepers; do not eat food or nap in class.
No sharing of texts; buy your own or use the library copies. Please write in your texts or use post-its--this will help you retain information. I also sometimes check marginalia. Failure to bring materials to class lowers your credibility as a student and may, accordingly, lower your participation grade.
For each class, expect to spend about 3 hours in preparation for discussion and for success in your written work. If you read slowly, allow more time. Because this course deals with historical events and movements, it is a good idea to read difficult assignments twice--once for the general idea, and once for your own analysis.
In writing outside assignments, be prepared to spend hours using a computer.
Reading Responses: Two Reading Responses plus a midterm are designed to gauge your involvement with the texts and your understanding of British Literature. Preparation for these responses includes reading, participating in discussion, and attending to the debates or questions of student presentations. Indeed, many times I will choose a passage that comes from your presentation overviews, so it is wise to keep these and review them and to correct them if there are any misreadings.

As literature is designed to reveal hidden meanings, causes, and relationships rather than to recall mere events, the reading responses will encourage you to interpret the literature. As such, plot rehearsal will not get you very far. Instead, for each answer, you will want to see if you have addressed the question, "Why?" This may seem rather basic, but asking yourself "why" pushes you to analyze things, to seek out connections, to hypothesize about character motivations and cultural context.

Active Reading: Active Reading means, among other things, writing in your books. Your use of active reading is the core of understanding, and full engagement with the texts will certainly enhance your grade. The basic techniques involve:

1) Using the margins to take notes, ask questions, draw diagrams.

2) Underlining important or striking passages.

3) Boxing new terms, characters, or repetition of ideas.

4) Summarizing your response to the work at the end of the text.

5) Jotting down words or references you need to research.

Be aware that the material includes references to foreign writers and cultures. It is your responsibility as an active reader to look up maps using references such as the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) and the Encyclopedia Britannica (both on line). Also feel free to ask questions.

Notebooks: Please use a notebook devoted to this class. Classes will sometimes begin with ten to twenty minutes of writing in your notebooks about the given reading. This time is exclusively for focusing thoughts and for expressing them before class discussion. Include the following (neatly organized) sections: Unit I, Unit II, Unit III, In-class writing, Presentation and Essay Final Ideas.
Oral Presentations: Each student will prepare an 7-8 minute oral presentation based on an analysis of a given text or section of a text. The presentation has five stages:

1) Sign up for a date and subject.

2) Create a written overview of your presentation.

3) Email me the overview at least two days before your presentation. Make any changes I require.

4) Present your ideas in class on the assigned date and bring a copy of your overview for everyone. Do not leave your presentastion for the last minute and make sure that you make enough quality copies for the class.

5) Submit to me two copies of your presentation overview: one for a grade, one for my record.

6) You will be graded on delivery, analysis, and preparation.

7) Failure to present on your chosen date will reduce your participation grade by a letter.

Technology: We will frequently use technology in this course as a means of communication.

1) You are required to check your email everyday. You may also be asked to submit work electronically.

2) Failure to check your email and failure to consult with the syllabus may adversely affect your participation grade (syllabus changes are posted on the web).

Grading
The final grade will be determined by:

Daily class participation 30%

(attendance record, your contributions to class discussion, note taking, writing in your text, email communication, and presentation--all of these shape your credibility as a student)

Reading Responses (two plus a midterm response; additional ones may be added) 40%

Responses are generally assigned after the completion of each text. If I sense that people are not reading, I will give additional quizzes without any notice. You may make up a maximum of 1 response during the term. Responses not made up within a week will earn a zero and therefore seriously affect the final grade. If you miss two responses, the second one will be given a zero.

Four-Five page Essay Final and any other writing assignments 30%
There is no extra credit
Make up work must be completed one week after absence. No exceptions.
Panic policy: you must wait two days before asking me about a grade. This will give you time to consider your answers. Once you have formulated a reasonable argument based on logic, you may certainly ask about your grade.

Scholastic Responsibility

Plagiarizing (submitting work that is not your own or failing to document other people's analyses or using their words) or any other form of scholastic dishonesty (cheating--either using someone else's answers or allowing someone to cheat off of your work) will result in a zero in the assignment and possible failure of the course. I report all such cases to my Department Chair and, if necessary, to the Dean.
Plagiarism happens frequently when students are not prepared, when they are confused or rushed, or when they assume that the professor will not know. But this is a poor assumption.
Make sure that you have plenty of time to complete assignments. And please see me during office hours or email me if you have any questions.
Document any outside sources, and be sure to distinguish between quotation, paraphrasing, and outright plagiarism. If you have questions about using a source, use A Writer’s Reference.

Format of Work

Use A Writer's Reference to revise and proofread your work. More specifically, I will expect you to use literary present tense and active verbs, and to attend to any compositional problems that surface in your writing.

Word process your work with a computer; use a spell check in all written communication. You are required to have your own disk, to save your work, and to print it out upon request. Hand-written and ill prepared submissions are not acceptable and will be returned with a zero.
Double space all hard copies; use 12 point, Times New Roman font, and 1 inch margins all around.
Use the Modern Language Association Style to document outside sources in a works cited. This work cited should include any references to web pages.
Include the following information on all work:

Your Name

The Date and Assignment

Dr. Ramirez, California State University, San Bernardino

English Literature III

It is essential that you make constant back-ups of your work. Misplacing or losing files can be frustrating and it does happen with frequency. Moreover, computers freeze and power outages are a possibility. However, file problems or any other kind of computer and printing problems will not excuse late work. Print drafts as a safety measure and save a copy on a NEW disk.

Special Needs
If you have special needs or concerns, please see me at the beginning of the quarter. These concerns might include, but are not limited to, learning disabilities; sight or hearing problems; dyslexia. Personal issues should be directed to me during office hours or via email.
Please see me or write to me about any problems that arise during the term.

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© Luz Elena Ramirez 2002