ENGLISH 219/220
- World Literature I & II
Winter 2014 Instructor:
Jeffery White
10:30 - 11:20 Office:
R230 Tel: 564-3084
Room C 168 Office
Hour: 9:30- 10:20 M-F
(also
available by appointment)
Required Texts: A Map of Home, Randa Jarrar
The
Dewbreaker, Edwidge Danticat
The
Reluctant Fundalmentalist, Mohsin Hamid
Maps, Nuruddin Farah
Koolaids, Rabih
Alameddine
Oryx and
Crake, Margaret Atwood
You will also need to bring
a blank note card to each class meeting
Course
Description
In this class we
will be reading and discussing works of contemporary literature from various
regions across the globe. While this is primarily a discussion class, it
requires careful and thoughtful reading of the selected works to provide
substance for our daily explorations. To benefit from this work, you will need
to familiarize yourself with and apply the formal elements of literary analysis
in both writing and in-class discussion. We will conduct our work in an informal,
seminar-based format, meeting in both small groups and as a whole class. Your
success in this class will be assessed by quizzes, seminar papers, a mid-term
take-home essay, an in class final essay and your contributions to group and
class discussions.
Course
Policies
Your basic
responsibilities are similar to those given you in the professional world. You
are expected to be engaged and committed to your work, courteous and helpful to
those you work with, and regular and prompt in your attendance.
Third, this is not a "Warm Body"
class -- one of those classes which you attend in varying states of
consciousness, take the occasional note and leave. Expect to contribute regularly, expect to
labor to develop your understanding of the material, expect to be challenged
and prodded on a daily basis. You will need to come to class prepared and ready
to share with others. You will spend a majority of your class time doing
"hands-on" activities and group work both seeking and giving assistance.
If you, for whatever reason, aren't prepared or able to be an active,
responsible member of this learning community, then another class may
more suit your needs. What follows are
our course policies.
Late Assignments
As in the
professional world, all assignments are due in class on the specified date. Seminar papers and Weekly Reviews are due
in-class on the date specified. To receive credit for seminar papers, you must
present a hard copy in-person on the due date. If you are absent or without a
hard copy on the due date, you will receive NO CREDIT for that assignment. No
exceptions, so please don’t ask.
Tardiness
Our class begins
at 10:30. Because, quite often, the first five to ten minutes of class are
crucial to work that follows; and because groups need your prompt attendance to
function properly, let's begin class on time with all members present. You're late if you walk into class more than
5 minutes after its scheduled starting time. Walk into class late 10 times, and
you'll receive no credit for the course.
I'm certain, however, that out of consideration for your peers, you will
do whatever possible to see that we make the most of our daily meetings.
Absences
1.
Miss the first week of class: no credit for course.
2.
Students who miss fewer than 5 classes receive a bonus
on their final participation grade.
3.
Students with ten
absences will receive no credit for
the course.
4.
Those who feel they have exceptional circumstances that
prevent prompt, regular attendance should speak to me in person BEFORE
those circumstances interfere with your work in this class.
Communicating with your instructor
I will address
you by your first name unless requested to do otherwise. When addressing me in
person, you are invited to call me Jeffery, Mr. White or Professor White--which
ever you are the most comfortable with. “Dude,” “Yo,” “Hey,” etc. are not
effective terms of address.
When
communicating with me via email, I will expect the following format: an opening
salutation, followed by the content of your message and concluding with your
name and course number. I will not respond to written communication that does
not follow these conventions. Should you send me an assignment via email,
request an acknowledgement to insure its arrival in my mailbox.
Plagiarism
Should you use
another's words or ideas and represent them as your own, you are plagiarizing.
Should you get help with your writing to such a degree that it, in any part, is
no longer your own; then, too, are you plagiarizing. Please be advised that BCC
contracts with a plagiarism detecting service. Should your work be suspected of
plagiarism, it will be referred to that service. Plagiarism is grounds for
failing the course and possibly for dismissal from school.
Your Work and How It Will Be Evaluated
Preparedness and
class participation (60% of Final Grade): To receive full credit for this component, you
must attend class daily and on time, have with you all written work and texts
relevant to the day’s work, participate regularly in group and class discussions.
Your in-class contributions will be evaluated on their relevance, insight and
the degree to which they advance our inquiry. Keep in mind that what matters
here is the caliber and quality of your comments, not the number of times you
share your views. Preparation and
Participation credit will be broken down, evaluated and awarded credit as
follows.
Seminar papers (6) 15% of
final grade
Weekly Reviews (6) 15%
of final grade
Quizzes 10%
of final grade
Attendance 10% of final grade
Contributions to discussion 10%
of final grade
Mid-Term and
Final Essays (40% of Final Grade): Details to be posted and reviewed in class.
Mid-Term Essay 20% of final grade
Final Essay 20% of final
grade
You will have
one announced quiz and an unspecified number of unannounced quizzes, the latter
of which will consist of a single question posed at the beginning of the class.
You will record your answer on a blank note card along with your name.
Student Code
You will be
expected to abide by the BC “Student Code” outlined in brief in the paragraph
below. Please be aware that I take the expectations for attendance, tardiness
(explained above) and mobile phone usage very seriously. Phones must be silenced and remain out of sight
during class time. Should you need to record information, I suggest
you do so on paper and transfer to your phone after class. Should you fail to adhere to this expectation,
I will give you one verbal warning followed by a written warning. After that
you will be dismissed from class until you have met to discuss the matter with
the Dean of Students. I am willing to discuss individual exceptions to the
above should your circumstances require.
Cheating, stealing and plagiarizing
(using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source) and inappropriate/disruptive
classroom behavior are violations of
the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue College. Examples of unacceptable
behavior include, but are not limited to: talking out of turn, arriving late or
leaving early without a valid reason,
allowing cell phones/pagers to ring, and inappropriate
behavior toward the instructor or classmates.
The instructor can refer any violation
of the Student Code of Conduct to the Vice President of Student Services for possible probation or suspension from
Bellevue College. Specific student
rights, responsibilities and
appeal procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct, available in the office of the Vice President
of Student Services.
The Student Code,
Policy 2050, in its entirety is located at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/policies/2/2050_Student_Code.asp
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 student with a documented autism spectrum disorder, there is a program of
support available to you. 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 or you can call the 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 their website for application
information into our program and other helpful links at www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc
Affirmation of Inclusion
Bellevue
College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the
campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free
from harassment and discrimination.
We value our
different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty, staff
members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect. http://bellevuecollege.edu/about/goals/inclusion.asp
A FINAL NOTE: I am here to serve as your guide and then
ultimately to evaluate your work. I am
interested in helping you do as well as you want in this class. My schedule permitting, I'll assist you in
any way I can. If you're having
difficulty, speak to me about it, and I'll see what I can do to help. If life
interferes in some substantial way with school, let me know. If you show me that you're concerned with
doing good work in this class, I'll do what I can to help you around the
obstacles. Communication is the key
here. Keep me informed of your
circumstances, and you should do fine. Talk
to me after things fall apart, and there will be little more that I can offer
than my sympathy. It will also benefit you the read the Arts and Humanities
“Student Procedures and Expectations” page located here: http://bellevuecollege.edu/artshum/policy.html