Policy Statement

World Literature II Policy Statement
Attendance

Attendance is taken each meeting and is part of the required coursework. Your preparation for class and regular attendance constitute a major part of your grade.
Please organize your schedule so that you arrive on time. If you are late, you are interrupting the class. Students who arrive late will be marked absent.
If your last name begins with A-M, please sit to your far right; N-Z, please sit on your far left. This makes taking attendance easier for everyone because of the size of the lecture hall. Also, your name is less likely to be marked absent if you sit where you are assigned.
You are allowed three absences without penalty; please plan your term accordingly. Three absences should cover problems with your work, car, family, health, personal life, the weather, or whatever else might happen during the quarter. Please note that you will lose 5 points of participation for every class you miss beyond three. Please remember that it is your responsibility to obtain notes and assignments from your peers and to catch up on any reading. You may only make up one response and must do so within a week of your absence. If you miss two assignments, the second one will be given a zero.
Continued attendance in this course constitutes acceptance of the syllabus and course policies.

Coursework and Conduct

Course participation: Attendance is required. Because we are tackling a broad subject, we need to use our time strategically. Please bring the relevant texts, take notes, and be prepared for lecture and for discussion.
Conduct: Please turn off cell phones and beepers. Also, please do not eat food or nap in class as this is distracting behavior.
Please write in your texts or use post-its--this will help you retain information.
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.
Responses: Reading Responses are designed to gauge your involvement with the texts and your understanding of World Literature. · Preparation for these responses includes reading and participating in the class discussion.
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. Three great references for you to use are The Oxford English Dictionary , The Literature Resource Center, and the Encyclopedia Britannica. These databases are available through the library website on campus; at home, you can log into the library with your Coyote ID and your last name as the password. These resources will be helpful if you're unsure of a word, place, or phrase in the text or if you are curious about an author's background. Also feel free to ask questions. Please do not use Cliff Notes (and the like) as these often contain erroneous information.

Notebooks: Please use a notebook devoted to this class. Classes will begin with ten to twenty minutes of writing in your notebooks about the assigned reading. This time is exclusively for focusing your thoughts and for expressing them in writing before class discussion. I reserve the right to check the in-class writing entries.

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

1) Please check your email. 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 10%

[attendance record (100 points), note taking, writing in your text, preparation for class]

Reading Responses 60%

Responses are generally assigned after the completion of each text. If I sense that people are not reading, I will randomly assign additional responses. 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.

1 Essay, 2-3 pages and any other assignments 30%
There is no extra credit except for attendance in the discussion sections (counts toward participation). If you cannot attend these sessions, then you can post your input through email. This will count toward your participation.
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 and to check the text. Once you have formulated a reasonable argument IN WRITING (one page minimum) and based on logic, you may certainly ask about your grade.

A=Outstanding work, 0-1 compositional issues, sophisticated insight that goes above and beyond expectation, follows directions and format
B=Good work 2-4 compositional issues, accurate analysis; follows directions and format
C=Fair work; 4 or more compositional issues, mostly accurate analysis; follows directions and format
D=Poor work; riddled with compositional issues, inaccurate analysis or use of plot; does not follow directions or format
F=Sloppy, incomplete, or careless work, inaccurate analysis or plot; does not follow directions or format

Scholastic Responsibility

Please take active measures to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarizing (submitting work that is not your own or failing to document other people's analyses or using their words without citation) 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. This is a serious act and it can involve failure of the course. Please note that I report all such cases to my Department Chair and, if necessary, to the Dean.
Plagiarism frequently happens when students are not prepared, when they are confused or rushed, or when they assume that the professor will not know. If you make time to read and study and if you consult regularly with A Writer's Reference, you should be able to avoid this problem.
Please see me during office hours or email me if you have any questions about an assignment.
Please document any outside sources, including web sites, and be sure to distinguish between quotation, paraphrasing, and outright plagiarism. Again, if you have questions about using a source, please use A Writer’s Reference.

Format of Work

Please 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 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

World Literature II

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.