A Survey of World Literature

English 111-- section OAS

Winter 2013

Instructor: Rhonda Gilliam	E-mail:rgilliam@bellevuecollege.edu (M-F)
Office:B200-F*	Phone:(425) 564-2123*

*This quarter I am teaching from my home. Though I will probably be on-campus one day each week, please make a specific appointment with me BEFORE you decide to drop by my office. Unless the Canvas server is down, the fastest way to contact me is via the e-mail tool on the class website. Please do not contact me at my BC e-mail address unless you have an emergency, such as the Canvas server is down. Only in this case should you send an e-mail to my BC address. You may also choose to leave me a message on my office voice mail.

Required Text

Rosenberg, Donna. World Literature: An Anthology of Great Short Stories, Drama and Poetry. Glencoe Edition. ISBN: 0-07-860352-8

Introductory Remarks

This online section of English 111 offers students a survey of world literature, including fiction, drama, and poetry. The course is designed to help college students develop their analytical and critical thinking skills as well as their ability to write about literature.

English 111 is a completely online class; therefore, you are not required to attend classroom sessions. However, English 111 is not a correspondence course, completed on your own timetable in isolation. A successful student in this course will submit work according to the deadlines published on the class calendar AND fully participate in group discussions of the literature.

Online education is not for everyone. At this time, this online classroom is a totally visual medium. Therefore, your ability to read, comprehend and infer at college level is essential for successful completion of this course. If you signed up for this course thinking that it would have less work than a course in the classroom, you are mistaken. I teach this online course exactly like the classroom-version; however, because of the online modality, this class may take more time than the same course in the classroom. How well you manage your time, understand written materials, ask questions of me and your classmates, and follow written directions will be a good indicator of your success in this class.

Recommended Prerequisites: Placement in English 101 or higher; college-level reading skills.

Minimum Equipment Recommendations: Microsoft Word 2003 or better; Internet Explorer 9 works best with Canvas; the current versions of Firefox and Chrome are also supported. At this time, it is best to avoid that browser when accessing the class website. For more information on the equipment and software requirements for online classes, please RUN the Browser check and update or correct any software issues that it brings up. The Getting Started page also asks you to complete this task. Also please read the information on the Distance Education homepage in regard supported software. You can find that page at http://bellevuecollege.edu/distance/skills.asp.

Student Responsibilities

Because of the special method of course delivery, several requirements must be considered.

First and most important, the student enrolled in this course MUST have not only a computer and the attendant software and services, but also be familiar with the use of the above-mentioned items, including the ability to upload and attach Word files, to follow simple directions, and to problem-solve issues which arise with his or her own computer system. You should also have an emergency backup plan, in case some computer catastrophe should occur.
Always keep me informed if you have problems, and I will try to find help for you. I do my best to establish what our challenges will be within the first two weeks of the course, but I expect that you bring some expertise with you to help in solving any problems that arise on your end. Ultimately, that is your responsibility.
I cannot emphasize enough that you, the student, must have at least a basic level of skill in using these tools and feel comfortable while using them. Please don't count on others to teach you as you go.

Course Policies

The following list of policies, along with the Arts and Humanities division policy, will govern this course. Please read both policy statements carefully.

I expect that you will participate in all class activities as assigned on the class calendar and described in the lectures, the syllabus and on the assignments page on the website.
I expect that you come to this class with some basic readings skills, such as

the ability to identify most main points and key information in a text (i.e. the literal meaning of the text),
the ability to distinguish a main idea from a less important idea,
the ability to recognize obvious symbolism and other inferences,
the ability to accurately rephrase an original passage from a text, and
the ability to write a paper that fits the conventions of modern English grammar and mechanics.

I expect that you will "attend" class at least 5 days per week. Attendance in an online course constitutes a minimum of reading new postings in the discussion area and checking your private mailbox for important messages.
I expect that you will save and backup your files. In case of a computer catastrophe, you must still produce the work on time as requested.
I expect that you will show respect to everyone by responding to his/her e-mail/discussion/chat transmissions in a way that is not judgmental, degrading, or derogatory. I also expect tolerance for others. Even though you may disagree with the interpretations of others, please use some self-restraint and compassion in dealing with these situations. Logical and questioning responses are encouraged.
I expect each paper and test will be submitted to the location and in the manner specified in the learning module by the date shown on the class calendar. Papers submitted after that date will lose 5 points per 24 hour period that they are late. I will accept late papers up to 3 days late. Late tests will not be accepted.
I expect honesty. I expect that you will neither do work for others nor use work done by others. Cheating and/or plagiarizing will not be tolerated. Plagiarizing is cheating, as is copying answers on a test, glancing at nearby test papers, swapping papers, buying papers, using ideas from other sources without proper documentation, writing papers for others, or having them written for you.
As a matter of routine, I submit ALL written work in this class to Turnitin.com (a plagiarism detection service). Do not get caught using other people's ideas or words without proper documentation. If you cheat or plagiarize, the following actions will be taken:

You will receive a grade of "0" on the work (period).
A report of the incident will be filed in the Dean of Students Office. This report may become part of your permanent record or the Dean may choose to pursue further disciplinary action.

I am available for face-to-face conferences on your work if we can arrange a mutually convenient time to meet on campus. Otherwise, e-mail, chat or phone conferences may be scheduled.

Work Required:

Papers: You will write 3 papers in this class. Each paper assignment is structured around one of the literary genres we will cover (i.e. poetry, drama, or fiction). Each 600-800 word paper is worth 100 points.
Papers Total -- 300 points

Exams: You will take one required exam this quarter: a Literary Terminology Test. This test will consist of multiple choice, short answer and paragraph length responses that ask you to define, apply and/or explain the usage of literary terms. Though I have published a glossary from the textbook on this website, YOU must have the textbook in order to take the test. Get your textbook immediately as this test comes very early (week 2) in the quarter. Last, while this test is open book, I strongly recommend that you study for the test, as it is timed and you cannot submit answers after the time has run out.

Exams Total -- 100 points

Literature Discussions: The bulk of your work this quarter will come from our discussion of the literature. I have created a topic forum on the discussion board for each genre of work we will be reading (drama, fiction, and poetry). Your discussion assignment is to post three (3) original questions on three different works (your choice) from our reading list for each genre. For example, you will post three questions (on three different poems) from the poetry section. To fit the originality requirement, your question should not be the same as one posted by someone else. For each discussion (drama, fiction, poetry), you will also need to post a substantive response to twelve (12) other questions or comments by other students.

Please spread your discussion responses around among the various short stories, poems, and plays, so that you will benefit from the discussion. I will NOT grade posts that exceed these limits, so please do not post more than three responses on the same work and expect to get credit. Of course, you may post as many postings on any one work as you wish; however, I will not give credit for more than three. Keep this fact in mind, as this requirement is the only way I have to check that everyone is reading the assigned works.

Each student question/answer/comment is worth 3 points. A total of fifteen (15) responses (including the three questions and 12 responses) are required per section (poetry, drama, fiction). The class calendar will publish a date and time for each discussion to begin and end. Late work will not be accepted in this area. Each section is worth 45 points. Please carefully read the "Literature Discussion Requirements" in the Fiction Module (or its backup copy under Resources & Tools/Backup Pages) for more specific instructions on this task and how I grade it. These discussions are worth about 28% of your grade, so please do not fail to participate completely and with quality substantive responses. These terms are defined in the instructions for the discussion.

Though I cannot respond to everyone's question or comment, I will participate in the discussion as much as possible. If I see a discussion getting too far off-track, I will try to gently guide it back in a suitable direction. However, I do not wish to be the "police" or the "ultimate authority."

Total -- 135 points

Total Points for Course: 535 points

* NOTE. To figure out your grade at any time, simply add up then divide the total points you have earned at that point by the total points possible on those graded assignments. I use standard percentage markings: 94-100% = A, 90-93% = A-, 87-89% = B+, 84-86% = B, 80-83% = B-, and so on.

Learning Outcomes

According to the English department at Bellevue College, the learning outcomes for English 111 are as follows:

Demonstrates an increased level of comfort with the genres: poetry, drama, fiction.
Identify and use terminology specific to literature.
Recognize some major authors.
Read, analyze, and explicate complex literature at both the literal and inferential levels.
Practice inferential reading skills to analyze and synthesize difficult literature, both orally and in written assignments.
Show ability to identify, analyze, and synthesize elements of literature in interpreting works, through oral (discussion) and written (paper writing) activities.
Develop a process of analyzing works of literature.
Use evidence from text to support a thesis.
Enjoy literature and appreciate unique characteristics of each genre.
Apply writing skills to analyzing literature.

This course is designed to instruct the student in the reading, writing, and critical thinking skills that are required in order to meet the learning outcomes set by the college. Therefore, by the end of the quarter, you should be able to:

Respond, in discussion and in paper writing, to literature in appropriate public and private manners.
Possess a sense of open-minded inquiry about written works and respond actively and imaginatively to those works.
Analyze poetry, drama, and short fiction.
Use various approaches to analyze and write about poetry, drama, and fiction.
Identify your own assumptions about the world, its literature and its people.
Distinguish between your own and the writer's assumptions in a piece of literature.
Plan, write, revise, and edit focused, unified, coherent and well-developed papers with and/or without using secondary sources.
Recognize similarities in the human experience through the diversity of the world's literature.
Appreciate various authors and forms of literature.

Participation/Communication Requirements

The discussion area for the class provides an asynchronous place for student discussions regarding course materials. I have divided the discussion area into three categories: Class Communication, Literature Discussions, and the Writing Workshop. Some of the prominent threads in these areas are noted below.

o Questions for Instructor forum - Here you post questions for me. I will check this forum at least twice per weekday, (morning and afternoon) if not more often. Use this forum for the types of questions that you would raise your hand to ask in a classroom. However, if your question is of a very personal nature, please feel free to use my website mailbox.

o Student Union - Here you will have discussions with your classmates. I rarely read this area, so please do not post anything for me here.

o Drama/Fiction/Poetry - These topics will house the discussions in which you need to participate. As noted above, you and your classmates will participate in the discussion according to the opening and closing dates on the class calendar. I have allowed time for you to do this work; don't fail to do it before the deadlines posted on the class calendar. Late work will not be permitted.

o Writing Workshop - Here you may post rough drafts of your papers to ask classmates for help. Since this is not a writing class, this activity is optional. However, you will benefit from utilizing this forum, whether you post your paper or merely help out a classmate. Anyone who posts a paper and ask for help should also give help to others who post their papers. See the Composition Help area under Resources & Tools for instruction material on writing.

You are responsible for posting the discussion messages into the correct area depending on its purpose. You must also handle the postings, downloading messages you wish to keep to your home computer and creating folders to store that information. Please do save any messages you wish to keep.

o A mailbox has been provided for private e-mail communication between you and I or you and other classmates. Since I get between 40 and 50 e-mail messages every day at my various work addresses, I will appreciate "URGENT" notices in the subject line, if you have a real emergency. I check my class email morning and afternoon in order to respond in a timely manner to all messages, whether or not they are urgent. Please do not use e-mail to submit your work unless you have contacted me for approval FIRST.

o The Who's Online Tool will show you who, in our class, is online at the same time as you are. One handy feature of this tool is that you can request a chat with whomever is online at the same time. This tool is particularly helpful if you have a question for me and I am online. Please feel free to use it to ask any questions that you may have about the course.

o The Chat room is a great place to have real time conversations with your classmates or with me. I do not require that you use this room, but it is available if you wish to use it for discussing anything about our class. In past classes, some students have organized study groups and used the chat room for their meetings. Just so you know--a transcript of all conversations posted in this area is available to me and BC course administrators if we wish to read them. I tend not to read them, but I want you to know that your conversations here are recorded.

o The My Grades link will take you to the gradebook for this class. This area will contain all of the grades for your work WHEN I have completed the grading.

Bellevue College
URL: vista.bellevuecollege.edu
Site Updated and Maintained by R. Gilliam
Last Updated: 12/27/11