American Literature I ENG 221

Instructor: Acacia Morrell 2nd Semester 2019Office Hours: M-F 7:15-7:40; 2:40-3:00Email: Morrell-a@troy.k12.oh.usWebpage: http://amorrell.weebly.com

From ENG 221 Syllabus Part IPrerequisites & Requirements: Successful completion of ENG 121. A study in the reading of fiction, poetry, and drama. Students will learn to respond to literature from a critical perspective in both the class discussions and in their assigned writings

Core Values:The Core Values are a set of principles that guide in creating educational programs and environments at Edison. They include communication, ethics, critical thinking, and human diversity, inquiry/respect for learning and interpersonal skills/teamwork. The goals, objectives, and activities in this course will introduce/reinforce these Core Values whenever appropriate.

Course Goals:1. Analyze and interpret selected texts through reading and oral communication among peers.2. Assess the literature for moral and ethical insight.3. Analyze individual works from the historical, social, political, and religious perspectives of

the era.4. Identify the literary techniques the writers employ to create literature.5. Critique the similarities and differences of selected writing movements.6. Evaluate the literary themes for ethical and moral human truths.7. Evaluate Internet websites and databases for research purposes.8. Analyze through critical thinking the criticism of authors.9. Practice and apply respect for learning through teamwork and projects.10. Compare human diversity and relationship of the historical era to those of the present.11. Analyze and interpret selected texts through reading and oral communication among peers.

About This Course:As suggested by the title of this course, this is a literature course. We will be doing a lot of reading, then discussing what we’ve read. On a typical week one can expect up to 60 pages of reading. Since most of the readings are short stories and poems, the reading load can be divided up in the week. There will be weeks where we are reading longer works and you will be asked to read more. Please plan ahead.

In addition to the reading, there will be many discussion about the works and what they mean. A course like this requires your own understanding of the work, rather than reporting the accepted interpretation of what we have read. In this course, your interpretation—how you read a piece—matters! As you know, we can all interpret the same piece differently. This is because reading literature is a private act, between you and the writer. What you get out of it depends on what you bring to the reading. Please take the time to seriously consider the work before reading about it from an online source. Do not be afraid to reread a piece. Rereading is not a dirty word. It is necessary to explore and understand the nuances of literature.

American Literature 1 covers a large period of time. Literature records and reflects on the time period in which it was written. It reflects the social and political ideas of the time. Our role is to study what those works meant then and how they are still relevant today. We will discuss such topics as slavery, religion, and women’s roles in order to see how they developed into our present day ideas of these topics.

Submitting Assignments: Submit a paper copy even if you have shared an electronic copy with me prior.

Late Work: All work needs to be submitted on time. I will accept Google Classroom assignments one day late for ½ credit. This is a college level course. For essays and other assignments worth 100 points or more you will lose 1 letter grade per day late. If you are absent on the day a major assignment is due it is your responsibility to get your assignment to me via e-mail (as proof that it was in fact completed by the due date) or hard copy. If you are absent and choose to email your paper realize it will count as a placeholder only, it is your responsibility to get me your hard copy on the next class date.

Unless otherwise noted, all assignments are due at the start of class on the date listed. All assignments listed on the syllabus are due on the due date despite any minor illness (those not necessitating an immediate doctor or hospital visit).

Google Classroom and Participation: Discussions on Google Classroom are for a grade. Responses must be thoughtful and written in complete sentences. I do not want an obligatory yes or no, but an eloquent and insightful response. To join Google Classroom utilize the following codes 1st period-xf0pj18; 2nd period-bfhw57.

Reading Journals: Throughout the course, you will be asked to submit polished responses to our reading assignments. These journals are expected to be pieces of formal writing. You will be applying your interpretation and critical thinking skills when you write these assignments.

Criticism Reviews: In addition to your own and your classmates’ ideas, I’d like you to read some criticism from literary scholars. You will be asked to use the library databases (Academic Search, for example) to read essays scholars have written about works from the course. You will research two of the works from this course, then provide an 800-word summary and analysis of the article(s) you have read. You get to choose which two works you research so due dates will vary. You must complete one third quarter and one fourth quarter.

Literary Analysis Paper: Your final project will be a literary analysis paper. This paper needs to include research from the library databases and should be at least 1,250 words in length (approximately 5 pages).

Presentation: You will present your literary analysis paper to the class. Your presentation should be 5 minutes and include a visual aid. You will also respond to other students’ presentations.

Paper Format: All papers will be in MLA formatting. This means I expect in-text citations and a works cited page for the journals and analysis papers. A works cited is not required for the discussion board posts, but please include page numbers for quotes or paraphrases in your discussion posts. Review MLA formatting here: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_general_format.html

Attendance: Attendance is required in this class, not for my benefit, but for yours. Being present and participating in classroom activities will greatly contribute to your learning experience.

Circumstances sometimes arise that require you to miss class. If you need to miss class, you will be responsible for any material you may have missed. I expect you to be prepared for the next class.

Grades: Student grades will be viewable in Powerschool. Please check your grades frequently. Let me know if you have any questions.

Your grade for the course will be based on the following distribution:A (90-100) B (80-89) C (70-79) D (60-69) F (below 60)

Assignment Breakdown:Discussion on Google Classroom 200 points (8 in total)Reading Quizzes 300 points (6 in total)Reading Journals 150 points (2 Journals)Criticism Reviews 150 points (2 Reviews)Literary Analysis Essay 150 points Presentation 100 points

Classroom Etiquette: Use common sense when it comes to classroom rules. No cell phones, texting, Snapchat, Twitter, etc. Be respectful of your classmates’ opinions, beliefs, and thoughts. There may be a time where you depend on them to do the same. I encourage you to discuss, disagree, and debate. However, I expect your communication to be respectful.

Contacting the instructor: I check my email multiple times throughout the day. I make it a point to respond immediately and usually within 12 hours, and no more than 48 hours. Keep in mind that any email sent during the weekend may not be read until the next Monday. If the situation is urgent remember to utilize the Remind app. Please do not send a Remind message after 11 pm. After 9, I may or may not be able to respond, otherwise expect a response. If you do not hear from me, please resend the message as it could be a technological glitch. If you do not understand something, or have a question it is your responsibility to reach out to me to clarify. Do not wait until an assignment is due to ask an important question.

Remind: Please join our class at remind.com/join/troy221 this will allow you to receive updates and reminders about class assignments and activities, as well as contact me with any concerns or questions.

Needing Help: You may visit the Writing Center in the Library, located in the Emerson building at the Piqua Campus. Edison also participates in eTutoring through etutoring.com. This is a free, online tutoring service available to all students in all subjects.

Revision Policy: I am more than happy to review and offer constructive criticism and suggestions on all major assignments. Students are asked to send me work at minimum FIVE days before the final draft is due. There are no exceptions to this rule. If you will be busy the night prior to this deadline, plan ahead. All work sent to me for revision must be final draft quality. The only exception to this is if a student wants to simply know if they are “on the right track”. This would mean the paper would not receive editing suggestions, but rather a yes or no response. I realize that to have a final draft quality paper ready five days before the final draft is due can be difficult. You will have to determine if the effort of completing your paper early is worth the benefit. I will mark each error I see in your essay once. I will not correct the same issue over and over. I hope this will encourage a thoughtful reading of my comments and suggestions.

Disability Statement: Edison Community College will make reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.  Any student who feels he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately with your Self-Identification Letter to discuss your specific needs. If you do not have a Self-Identification Letter, contact the Coordinator of Disability Services, Velina Bogart, at 937-778-7854 in room 160 West Hall or vbogart@edisonohio.edu. For additional information, visit the Disability Services website.

Academic Integrity: Edison Community College expects students to submit original work for each assignment. The Student Handbook http://stage.edisonohio.edu/digipub/2017-2018StudentHandbook/index.html, clearly defines academic dishonesty and how Edison handles cases of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism is generally accepted as being any the following for any assignment: 1) Copying and pasting text from any electronic media or website, transcribing text from any printed material 2) Using words, phrases, information, or ideas from any print, electronic, or audio-visual media without proper citation or acknowledgement of the source, 3) Using passages from other texts while only changing a few select words within that passage 4) Submitting work that originates from another student or commercial source such as a paper mill, 5) Resubmitting an assignment used in another class without the expressed permission from the current and previous instructor, and 6) translating a work from one language to another without proper quotations and citations.

Consequences for plagiarism can vary by instructor, but can include failure for the assignment and failure for the course. In addition, since it is difficult for an instructor to determine instances of accidental plagiarism from intentional plagiarism, it is incumbent upon students to use all available resources to guard themselves against plagiarizing.

Any assignment found to be plagiarized will receive a zero.

If you have any questions about plagiarism, please ask. I am more than happy to help you properly cite and paraphrase your sources.

Important Links:Edison’s Homepage: www.edisonohio.eduLibrary: www.edisonohio.edu/libraryLearning Center: www.edisonohio.edu/learningcenterStudent Handbook: www.edisonohio.edu/handbookCareer Development: www.edisonohio.edu/careerTechnical Support Email: helpdesk@edisonohio.edueTutoring: www.etutoring.org

Save your work in more than one place: your computer hard drive, a memory stick/flash drive, or burn to a CD. Computer crashes happen and do not excuse you from meeting deadlines.

Final Note: I reserve the right to change, revise, or adapt this syllabus when necessary in order to better suit the needs of this class.

Tentative Schedule1

Jan 14-Jan 18

● Introduction to Course, Q & A

● How to close read

● What is American literature?

● Readings: Introduction & Stories of the Beginning of America

● Native American Origin Myths2

Jan 22-Jan 25

● Huck Finn begin pages 1-30 (chapters 1-6)

● Assign Criticism Review 1

● 1st Discussion assignment

● Textbk: Bradford

3Jan 28-

Feb 1

● Huck Finn pages 30-70 (chapters 7-12)

● Assign Journal 1

● Readings: Mary Rowlandson, Adams, Winthrop, A Bradstreet

● Textbk-Bradford, Edwards, A Bradstreet

4 Feb 4-Feb 8

● Huck Finn pages 70-104 (chapters 13-17)

● Readings: Paine and Jefferson

● Textbk: Franklin, Henry

● Quiz 1

● 2nd Discussion assignment5

Feb 11-Feb 14

● Huck Finn pages 104-144 (chapters 18-21)

● Textbk: Longfellow, Thoreau, American Romanticism (137-150)6

Feb 19-Feb 22

● Huck Finn pages 144-178 (chapters 22-26)

● Readings: Equiano, Wheatley, & Irving

● Reading Journal 1

● 3rd Discussion assignment

7Feb 25-Feb 29

● Huck Finn pages 178-218 (chapters 27-31)

● Readings: Poe & Sinclair

● Quiz 28

Mar 4-Mar 8

● Huck Finn pages 218-250 (chapters 32-36)

● Textbk: Emerson, Hawthorne

● Assign Reading Journal 2

● 4th Discussion assignment9

Mar 11-Mar 15

● Huck Finn pages 250-293 (chapters 37-the last)

● Readings: Douglass

● Criticism Review 1 due

10Mar 18-Mar 22

● Readings: Whitman, Dickinson

● Begin Research Paper (Lit Analysis)

● Quiz 3

11Mar 25- Mar 29

● Readings: London● Reading Journal 2● 5th Discussion assignment● Begin The Scarlet Letter