Engl 2342: Short Story & Novel Spring Semester Syllabus

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CAMPUS POLICY: Campus regulations do not allow food and beverages in the classroom.
Please do not ask for exceptions to these regulations.

RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS: In accordance with Section 51.911 of the Texas Education Code, Collin College will allow a student who is absent from class for the observance of a religious holy day to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time. Students are required to file a written request with each professor within the first 15 days of the semester to qualify for an excused absence. Please visit or telephone the registrar's office for additional information on procedures and rules.

COLLEGE REPEAT POLICY: You may repeat this course only once after earning a grade, including W. Should you drop the course before the current semester's census date (insert date here), you will not incur a penalty. Should you withdraw from the course after the census date, however, a grade of W will be posted to your transcript and noted as one attempted enrollment in the course.

INCOMPLETE GRADES: "Incompletes" require that you have a minimum grade of "C" and completed a minimum of 80 percent of the course requirements at the time you request an incomplete grade. Incomplete grades can occur only if the instructor deems a situation serious enough to warrant them. A change in job schedules does not qualify for incomplete grades.

CLASSROOM POLICIES: Please be courteous and turn off cell phones and beepers before entering the classroom. You may bring water, not food and beverages, to class. Please note: I do not accept electronic attachments of essays as substitutes for in-class submission of work due. If you cannot attend class when an essay is due, make arrangements for someone else to deliver it to me.
PREREQUISITE: English 1302 Composition/Rhetoric II. Please see me immediately if you have not learned how to document sources using MLA style.
COURSE DESCRIPTION (CATALOG): A study of short stories, novels, and non-fiction. Analysis and evaluation of major writers in these genres, along with their techniques and their contributions to our literary heritage. Three credit hours; three lecture hours.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: English 2342 is a critical writing/reading/thinking-intensive sophomore-level course designed to introduce students to the pleasures of exploring fiction, of accepting literary conventions with a "willing suspension of disbelief" (Coleridge) or, if you will, an "eager entrance with belief" (Joyce M. Miller). It is also designed to introduce students to the pleasures and challenges of interpreting, confronting, and discovering human experience. However compelling and attractive the parts of a short story or novel may be in isolation (plot, character, theme, point of view, symbol, style, etc.), and acknowledging, certainly, that sound criticism never loses sight of any of the parts, at the completion of this course, students will be able to evaluate the interrelationship of all of the elements for their total effect and interpretive value. In addition, students will have gained a greater appreciation of the philosophic and stylistic diversity of a number of authors, and they also will have strengthened their critical writing, reading, and analytic skills through instruction/review in literary analysis, writing, and research methodology.
INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS: Lectures, class discussion, small group discussions, computer-assisted instruction, audio/visual materials, personal conferences.
REQUIRED TEXTS: Cassill & Bausch, eds., The Norton Anthology of Fiction (Shorter 7^th ed., ISBN 0-393-92612-5); Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (Norton Critical Edition); the write stuff (4^th ed., Joyce M. Miller). Because editions change from time to time, please verify selections before purchasing.
RECOMMENDED TEXTS: On reserve, LRC circulation desk: Edgar Roberts, Writing Themes About Literature (Prentice-Hall); Sylvan Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing About Literature (Little, Brown); Gibaldi and Achtert, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: Two examinations over short stories; final examination; and critical essays. Brief in-class literary analyses. (Even though the in-class papers are not used in the computation of total points, they are evaluated.) Oral reports must cover the salient points and research of the critical essay. Excluding the final, the examinations will consist of writing an essay in class along with interpreting as well as identifying (by author, title, and context) brief passages excerpted from our studied works. You will also respond to a number of questions over the major stylistic and philosophical differences among the major authors. The final examination will consist ENTIRELY of responding in essay form to two topics relating to the novel. Because you will have to support your assertions with textual evidence, you may use your novel during the final exam.
CRITICAL ESSAYS: At sophomore level, you should possess competent reading and writing skills. If you stand on somewhat shaky ground here, please see me immediately for instruction (you may also wish to schedule an appointment in the Writing Center). Because one of your critical essays will include at least three literary criticisms (see attached guidelines), follow the suggestions set forth in your handbook or in Barnet's Writing About Literature. Failure to include your primary as well as at least three secondary sources will result in a failing grade. Using outside sources requires skills in documentation that you are expected to possess; this course will therefore follow the college's general policies on plagiarism. More specific to this course, any paper containing plagiarized work will earn a grade of zero; the student who submits plagiarized work may face additional disciplinary action as set forth in the Collin College's Student Handbook. I also adhere fully to the policies set forth by the University of Texas (click HERE to READ). Note: Research papers require a minimum of four or five double-spaced typed pages and three secondary sources in addition to primary source(s). Further, papers require clear internal disclosures of sources (authors /page numbers/URL). Any paper omitting sources in the works cited page and/or parenthetically will result in a failing grade. Students cannot, for example, credit an author’s source but fail to credit the page number(s) of the source: “The author further notes that Shelley pities the monster" (Bloom). Although you are should ask questions in class about correct documentation, you probably can locate any pertinent information you need in your text unless you prefer, of course, to access a guide to documenting sources on the Internet. Please review The Critical Paper and The Finished Paper as well. Finally, please retain copies of ALL typed essays.

ATTENDANCE AND MISC. POLICIES: Attendance in a course, whether meeting once, twice, or several times a week, is critical. Naturally, you can only gain the vital instruction you need to achieve the course objectives by attending class in a timely and regular fashion (tardiness always disrupts classroom instruction). The perspective of others, moreover, is an integral part of one's education. Therefore, please note carefully the following course policies and information.An absence from class on the date an essay or other work is due does not automatically excuse the timely submission of your work. I do not give make-up exams or "extra credit" assignments. An essay will lose one letter grade for each day it is late (weekends included); I shall not, however, accept work after the third late day. Three late arrivals equal one absence. Note also that you will lose ten points for each absence beyond the second hour of class time, and if you miss five hours, regardless of the cause(s), I may not accept any work you submit. Keep a record of your tardiness and absences to compare with my record at any point during the semester. Your contribution to class discussion, along with your timeliness and participation in the writing assignments, will be noted and thus considered in the event your total grade points border narrowly between an A and B, a B and C, etc. Finally, you are responsible for notifying the registrar should you withdraw from this course. (The last day to withdraw with a W is April 15, also posted in your class schedule.) Because the successful completion of this course is important to both you and me, I shall do my best to help you to resolve the difficulties, academic or otherwise, that may lead you to consider withdrawing. Please see me first.

Short Story & Novel Resource Links	A Condensed Guide to Writing an Essay
Short Story & Novel Topics & Review	Grammar Matters Editorial Matters
*the write stuff*	Audio Links