English 245:
American Literature II
Daily ll:30 -12:20
in Room D-259
Winter 2014
Instructor
Sean Allen
sallen@bellevuecollege.edu
Phone 425-564-2413
Office: R-230H
Office hours:
Monday-Friday 12:30-1:20.
Course Description:
English 245 explores
a period of fiction and poetry ranging from 1865, the end of The Civil War, to
1914, Surveying American literature of the
Realistic period. Authors and works vary, but typically include Dickinson,
James, Adams, Howells, Crane, Dreiser, and Twain. For this class, we will
explore a variety of American writers in multiple modalities: small group
discussion, large group discussion, electronically, and in written essay form. The
texts which we examine, and the authors who write them, represent a variety of
cultural perspectives from an important period in American history. We will
make use of The Bedford Anthology of
American Literature, as well as a variety of in-class and online methods,
to explore a range of writers from within this period.
Course Outcomes:
After
completing this class, students should be able to:
·
Demonstrate an awareness of American history, philosophy, and culture
as reflected in the literature.
·
Identify major themes and ideas
·
Recognize how style relates to content in various writers’ works
·
Apply the analytical process to literary works
·
Apply writing skills to analyzing literature
Materials:
The Bedford Anthology of American
Literature, By Susan
Belasco & Linck Johnson
Course Requirements:
This class
requires you to engage in ten in-class reading discussion assignments, write 5
seminar papers, provide one group presentation on one author, complete one final
in-class exam, and engage actively in all classroom discussions and activities.
Attendance: The BC Arts & Humanities
Division’s policy regarding tardiness stipulates that any student missing more
than twenty percent of total class time for a course may receive an “F” grade
for the course. Since this class meets 5 days a week for a total of 54
meetings, any student missing more than 10 class meetings will automatically
receive a failing grade.
Lateness: I take attendance at the beginning of
each class.
Late papers: All papers and other assignments are
due at the beginning of class on dates specified in this syllabus. Each student
can turn in one paper late without losing points, after which all other later
papers or journals will be assessed -10 points for every day they are late.
Grading procedure
10 in-class
Reading
Discussion assignments 20 points each=200 points
Five 2-3 Page
Seminar Papers 40 points each=200
Group
Presentation 100
points
Final
In-class Essay Exam 100 points
Class Participation 100 points
______________
600
points possible
Arts & Humanities grading
procedure:
100-93% A
90-92% A-
87-89% B+
83-86% B
80-82 B-
77-79 C+
73-76 C
70-73 C-
67-69 D+
63-66 D
60-62 D-
59%--- F
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism,
or academic dishonesty, is the act of using another writer’s words or ideas as
your own. According to the BC Arts & Humanities website, plagiarism “may
take many forms, including, but not limited to, using a paper written by
someone else, using printed sources word-for-word without proper documentation,
and paraphrasing or summarizing the ideas of others without acknowledging the
source. Plagiarism can also occur when non-written ideas are taken
without documentation--using someone else's design or performance idea, for
example. In short, plagiarism is passing off someone else's ideas, words,
or images as your own; it amounts to intellectual theft--whether or not it was
your intention to steal.” Plagiarism in this course may result in a paper’s failing
grade, or further disciplinary action from the Dean of Student Success. Consecutive acts of plagiarism may result
in a failing grade for the class.
Cell phones or other electronic
communication devices:
During class
time, please turn off your cell phones, pagers, or other such devices.
Values Conflicts:
Essential
to a liberal arts education is an open-minded tolerance for ideas and modes of
expression that might conflict with one’s personal values. By being exposed to such ideas or
expressions, students are not expected to endorse or adopt them but rather to
understand that they are part of the free flow of information upon which higher
education depends.
To
this end, you may find that class requirements may include engaging certain
materials, such as books, films, and art work, which may, in whole or in part,
offend you. These materials are
equivalent to required texts and are essential to the course content. If you decline to engage the required material
by not reading, viewing, or performing material you consider offensive, you
will still be required to meet class requirements in order to earn credit. This may require responding to the content of
the material, and you may not be able to fully participate in required class
discussions, exams, or assignments.
Classroom Behavior
What follows is the Arts &
Humanities Division’s policy on classroom behavior:
“The college's ‘Affirmation of
Inclusion’ is posted in each classroom and sets forth the expectation that we
will all treat one another with respect and dignity regardless of whether or
not we agree philosophically. This expectation is in line with the
principle of free speech in a free society: we have the right to express
unpopular ideas as long as we don't show disrespect for reasonable people who
might believe otherwise. In an on-line course, you will be expressing
ideas through the medium of the course site rather than face to face in the
classroom. In that case, these expectations refer to the courtesy with
which you communicate with one another through e-mails and e-discussions.
Part of this respect involves
professional behavior toward the instructor, colleagues, and the class
itself. Disruptive behavior is disrespectful behavior. The Arts and
Humanities Division honors the right of its faculty to define "disruptive
behavior," which often involves such things as arriving late, leaving
early, leaving class and then returning, talking while others are trying to
hear the instructor or their group members, doing other homework in class,
wearing earphones in class, bringing activated beepers, alarm watches, or
cellular phones into class, inappropriate comments or gestures, etc. In
on-line courses, “flaming’ anyone in the class is also considered disruptive
behavior. Such behavior interrupts the educational process. When
you are in doubt about any behavior, consult your instructor during office
hours: we recognize the judgment of the instructor as the final authority
in these matters.
When
disruptive behavior occurs, instructors will speak to or e-mail the students
concerned. Those students are then responsible for ending the disruptions
at once. Failure to do so may
result in removal of the students from class.”
Bellevue College
E-mail and access to MyBC
All students
registered for classes at Bellevue College are entitled to a network and e-mail
account. Your
student network account can be used to access your student e-mail, log in to
computers in labs and classrooms, connect to the BC wireless network and log in
to MyBC. To create your account, go to: https://bellevuecollege.edu/sam .
BC offers a
wide variety of computer and learning labs to enhance learning and student
success. Find current campus locations for all student labs by visiting the Computing Services
website.
Disability Resource Center (DRC)
The
Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array of learning
challenges and disabilities. If you are a student who has a disability or
learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen someone for
treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to be successful
in college, please contact us as soon as possible.
If you are a
person who requires assistance in case of an emergency situation, such as a
fire, earthquake, etc, please meet with your individual instructors to develop
a safety plan within the first week of the quarter.
The DRC
office is temporarily located in the Library Media Center, D126 or you can call
our reception desk at 425.564.2498. Deaf
students can reach us by video phone at 425-440-2025 or by TTY at
425-564-4110. . .
Please visit our website for application information into our program
and other helpful links at www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc
Public Safety
The Bellevue
College (BC) Public Safety Department’s well trained and courteous
non-commissioned staff provides personal safety, security, crime prevention,
preliminary investigations, and other services to the campus community, 24
hours per day,7 days per week. Their phone number is 425.564.2400. The Public Safety website is your one-stop
resource for campus emergency preparedness information, campus closure
announcements and critical information in the event of an emergency. Public
Safety is located in K100 and on the web at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/publicsafety/