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Spring 2022

ENGLISH 2030 ONLINE: THE EXPERIENCE OF LITERATURE

3 CREDIT HOURS

Instructor: Dr. Allen Hibbard Office Location: Peck Hall 234 Office Phone: 615-494-8809 Office FAX: 615-898-5098 (English Department FAX) Email Address: D2L E-mail only Office Hours: by appointment I am available through D2L email at all times, and I am also available via Zoom or SKYPE by appointment. My SKYPE user name is allen.hibbard; if you want to set up a time to chat with me via SKYPE, simply e-mail me and I'll confirm a time that is mutually convenient.

During the week, I check D2L email several times a day— in the morning, before noon, and in the afternoon or early evening. I try to respond to emails within 12 hours. If I need to depart from this schedule, I will let you know via D2L announcement and D2L email. On Saturdays, I check once daily, and on Sundays, I usually don't check in until early evening.

Mine is a "read, discuss, and write" approach for The Experience of Literature. Each step of the way there will be discussion questions, a literary analysis paper at the end of each unit, and a quiz at the end of each unit. I encourage students to do ALL the elements, as scheduled and in the manner required (whether Discussion response, via Dropbox or e-mail), as part of your grade is dependent upon working the steps.

English Department Contact Information:

Mailing Address: Department of English Middle Tennessee State University Box 70 1301 East Main Street Murfreesboro, TN 37132

Main Office: Peck Hall 302 Department Chair: Dr. Stephen Severn Telephone: (615) 898-5644 Fax: (615) 898-5098

Hibbard / 2030 Syllabus 2

Course Description:

English 2030, The Experience of Literature, consists of “the reading of a variety of literary types which illuminate themes and experiences common to human existence.” Prerequisites are English 1010 and 1020. Additionally, this course fulfills part of the Tennessee Board of Regents requirements for the General Education category of Humanities and Fine Arts. Above all, my hope is that we will all gain a better appreciation for literature and ENJOY our reading and discussion of particular works. 2030 Course Objectives:

• Students will improve their ability to read, think, and write critically and analytically about a wide variety of texts. • Students will be able to identify basic structural and/or technical elements and strategies and to discuss how those elements

contribute to the overall effect of a literary work. • Students will gain a greater sense of the range and sorts of texts that are available to them as readers and, hopefully, of the

sorts of texts that they most enjoy and wish to continue reading. • Students will gain a greater sense of the “conversations” between texts; that is they will have a sense of the ways in which

texts respond to earlier texts, develop ongoing cultural conversations about key issues, develop genres and style, etc. • Students will gain a greater sense of the ways in which texts function within culture(s), of the ways in which texts can be

used to understand and gain insight into cultures/historical movements, and of the ways in which cultural context shapes both the production and reading of texts.

• Students will develop a sense of themselves as readers; they will gain greater independence in their interpretations and become more aware of their own approaches, assumptions, and interpretive strategies. Conversely, they will become aware of the range of possible reading strategies, encounter and test out new ways of working with texts, and increase their interpretive repertoire.

As a General Education requirement for students at MTSU, this course will ask students to (1) develop the critical vocabulary and reading skills necessary for discussion and analysis of poetry, fiction, and drama, and (2) demonstrate mastery of certain basic skills in the area of writing about literary texts and the ability to use MLA documentation style correctly and consistently. It also includes the ability to (3) write essays and exams that are free from basic errors in sentence construction, punctuation, and spelling. Errors of this sort will reduce the grades on these assignments. There is a lot of material to cover; the online format means you will have reading and writing assignments due nearly every other day. Expect plenty of both. This is not a class in which you can put off doing assigned work for a week or so and expect to catch up and do as well as if you had been working steadily. Specific Course Requirements:

• Competence in basic grammar, usage, spelling, mechanics, punctuation, and stylistic elements of writing, as well as citation conventions for MLA.

• Competence with Microsoft Word, including creating, saving, and revising documents, and managing documents and files. • Competence performing tasks such as logging on to the internet, MTSU Pipeline and D2L, sending and responding to e-mail,

and attaching files to e-mail messages. • Students who do not have these competencies will have problems keeping up with the work schedule.

Prerequisites: English 2030 meets a General Education requirement for students at MTSU. Students must have completed English 1010 and English 1020 or have appropriate transfer credit—six hours of freshman composition—prior to enrolling in this course. Any student who has not met the prerequisites will be dropped from the class roll by the English department. Consult with the Lower Division Office if you have questions. Required Textbooks (may be ordered online at Phillips Bookstore): Meyer, Michael, ed. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 11th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2017. Print. (ISBN: 9781319002183; or perhaps 9781319037321) Albert Camus, The Plague. Vintage; ISBN: 978-0679720219. (Available free, in electronic form, via Walker Library.)

Hibbard / 2030 Syllabus 3

Other Materials:

• Your EasyWriter, Research Matters, or Writing in Action handbook from 1010/1020 will prove useful! If you don’t have a handbook from 1010/1020, use the Purdue OWL at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

• Any other texts assigned in class, via e-mail or D2L, including printed material, film, TV or graphic works • USB Flash-Drive, Notebook, Pen, Highlighters • Access to D2L and to Microsoft WORD (Uploaded documents must be in either .doc or .docx format. DOCUMENTS

SUBMITTED in .wps or .pdf will NOT be accepted!!!

Course Requirements, Assessment and Grading

NOTE: • This class requires careful reading and the willingness to discuss sometimes difficult themes. However, if you keep up with

your reading and the discussion questions, you can do well. • Content-based reading quizzes are assigned for each section. They will open at certain times, after the reading has concluded,

and close at certain times. I won't reopen the section quizzes so plan carefully; however, I will give you a couple of days to take the online quizzes.

• Discussion questions (DisQs) allow you to respond to my prompts and to the thoughts of your classmates. These are a good way for me to assess whether or not you understand the literature. I do not grade the DisQs based on your grammar and punctuation, although of course you are expected to write with correct grammar and punctuation. If you do not, I'll give you a gentle nudge—clear writing makes it easier on your classmates to read your work and I find it easier to assess. I grade DisQs based on CONTENT—be thorough and thoughtful. See the "DisQ Rules and Regs" handout.

• I evaluate each major written assignment according to the requirements of the assignment. I will provide guidelines and rubrics for each major paper.

• To pass the course, you must complete all the written work with a D (65%) or higher average.

ASSIGNMENTS & GRADES:

Students in this course will read fiction, poetry, drama, and a novel. Each student will complete: • 19 discussion responses to the readings and various questions, via D2L, worth 15 points each (total of 285); • 4 essays, worth 100 points each, for a total of 400; and • 4 unit quizzes covering the content of each unit, worth 75 or 80 points each, for a total of 305 points; • Bonus of 10 points, awarded at the outset of the semester, for a total of 1000 possible points.

Use this scale to convert points to final letter grades: 92-100% = A 89-91.9% = B+ 84-88.9% = B 82-83.9% = B- 79-81.9% = C+ 74-78.9% = C 72-73.9% = C- 65-71.9% = D 0-64.9% = F Each of the essay assignments must be approximately 1200 (4-5 pages), double-spaced, and must relate to assigned topics found in class readings and class discussions; they must be shaped to meet the needs of academic readers. All must be formatted per MLA guidelines. Please make sure that your sentence construction, punctuation, and spelling exhibit your mastery after your ENGL 1010 and 1020 classes. Serious mechanical problems in these areas or in the use of MLA documentation will result in failing grades on these paper assignments. For detailed essay grading standards, “Standards for Judging Written Work in General Education Courses: MTSU English Department” at: http://www.mtsu.edu/english/forstudents/GuidelinesandStandardsforGeneralEducationCourses2010F.doc

Online Discussions (DisQs) and Unit Quizzes: Your online discussion work is worth 285 possible points, and will be a means of measuring your attendance and participation. I expect you to take notes on your readings regularly. DisQs will be composed and posted online, on the Discussions widget, on the class shell on D2L. The unit quizzes will be posted online under the Quizzes widget. The DisQs comprise a large portion of your grade as a whole, so do not ignore them—there’s no “catching up.”

Hibbard / 2030 Syllabus 4

There will be two sets of discussion questions (DisQ) per week (except for weeks with unit quizzes and papers), and these discussion questions will help us establish rapport with each other and create a dialogue between all of the students and the students and the instructor. The due dates for the DisQs will be posted to the D2L calendar function. They open when the readings are assigned and close when the corresponding assignments are due, NO EXCEPTIONS—that gives you nearly two days or sometimes up to a week for the readings. I won't reopen the DisQs or Quizzes once they are closed. DisQs are due on Sundays and Thursdays; check the calendar daily! Late Papers: Due dates for each major writing assignment are marked on the syllabus. I will accept ONE (and only one) major graded assignment late, without penalty, provided it is submitted into the appropriate dropbox within 48 hours of the due date. Any other late assignments will receive no more than 50% of the maximum number of points. Major assignments are the four unit essays. DisQs are NOT major assignments. The unit quizzes are not eligible for late submission. Class Participation: Student participation is required in all interactive aspects of the course. Students must:

• communicate with the instructor as a learning resource; • check the course bulletin board frequently for announcements; • actively participate in threaded discussion events.

Course Ground Rules: Remember that the following is required for a successful online experience:

• students must learn how to navigate D2L; • participation is required; • communication with other students is expected; • communication with the instructor is required; • keep abreast of course announcements; • use the MTSU student email address as opposed to a personal email address; • address technical problems immediately; and • observe course netiquette at all times.

Communication Guidelines: Email:

• Per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), all course communication will be conducted using D2L email. Faculty will not respond to student emails via a non-institutional assigned email account. After the term, please communicate via your MTSU assigned MTMAIL account.

• Always include a subject line. • Remember that without facial expressions some comments may be misinterpreted. Choose your words carefully when writing

your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases. • Use standard fonts. • Do not send large attachments without permission. • Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an

assignment or other communication. • Respect the privacy of other class members

Hibbard / 2030 Syllabus 5

Discussions: • Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant. • Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic. • Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other's ideas. • Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks. • Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks. • Be positive and constructive in group discussions. • Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Writing Center: The University Writing Center, located on the third floor of Walker Library, Room 362 (www.mtsu.edu/uwc), is available for students to receive valuable one-on-one assistance with their writing. Conferences are available by appointment or for walk-ins (if the UWC isn’t fully booked); don’t wait until the last minute to seek their help! Online writing assistance is also available. Please visit the Web site for hours and more information. Seeking assistance at the UWC shows strong commitment. (During this Corona Virus era, Writing Center access will no doubt be mainly, if not exclusively, on-line.) Attendance: MTSU Administration requires that instructors complete an attendance report for each course each semester. Regular class attendance is required and will be monitored by: the D2L system report; participation in the discussion board; and timely submission of course assignments. If several class assignment submissions are missing in a row, your attendance will be reported as “no longer attending.” Academic Integrity: Learning to use source material responsibly will be a focus of this class. In your compositions and presentations, you must give credit for text, ideas, and images that did not originate with you. Your handbook distinguishes between unintentional and intentional plagiarism. Unintentional plagiarism, or misuse of sources, is a “teaching moment”; intentional plagiarism—such as downloading a paper, having someone else write your essay, or cutting-and-pasting with no acknowledgement of the source—is a form of academic misconduct.

I am required to report all instances of academic misconduct to the Provost’s Office. See the MTSU student handbook for an explanation as well as the possible consequences of engaging in academic misconduct. In this class, sanctions range from a mandatory rewrite for partial credit to an F in the course. The Provost’s Office may impose additional sanctions such as probation or suspension. To avoid such penalties, always do your own work, and ask for help when you are using source material. You can get help in class, during my office hours, at the University Writing Center, from a librarian, or online at Purdue’s OWL.

The use of a third party to submit a student's work is only allowed when accommodations are approved by the Disabled Student Services Office. Students found to be in violation of this policy will be reported to the faculty member and Dean of Student Affairs. Students should be familiar with the "MTSU Students Rights and Responsibilities" handbook which outlines academic misconduct including plagiarism, cheating, fabricating or facilitating any such act. The Handbook also provides a statement of community standards of civil behavior and code of computer use. Student Resources: Frequently Used Student Resources

Technical Support: Students who experience problems logging into their course, timing out of their course, using the course web site tools or experience other technical problems, should be encouraged to contact the MTSU Help Desk online (24/7) or at 615.898.5345.

Hibbard / 2030 Syllabus 6

Students with Disabilities: Middle Tennessee State University is committed to campus access in accordance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Any student interested in reasonable accommodations can consult the Disability & Access Center (DAC) website www.mtsu.edu/dac and/or contact the DAC for assistance at 615-898-2783 or [email protected]

Hope (Lottery) Scholarship Information: Do you have a lottery scholarship? To retain the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship eligibility, you must earn a cumulative TELS GPA of 2.75 after 24 and 48 attempted hours and a cumulative TELS GPA of 3.0 thereafter. A grade of C, D, F, FA, or I in this class may negatively impact TELS eligibility.

If you drop this class, withdraw, or if you stop attending this class you may lose eligibility for your lottery scholarship, and you will not be able to regain eligibility at a later time.

For additional Lottery rules, please refer to your Lottery Statement of Understanding form (http://www.mtsu.edu/financial- aid/forms/LOTFEV.pdf) or contact your MT One Stop Enrollment Coordinator (http://www.mtsu.edu/one-stop/counselor.php).

I think that should do it!! Very best wishes. If you have any questions about what is expected or about anything related to your work in the class, let me know.