The Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Major Authors, 10th ed., vol 2, ISBN 978-0-393-60309-3

Participation: While this online class is "asynchronus," allowing some freedom in the timing of student participation, due dates apply and diligent, engaged participation in discussions is crucial to your success.

Late work: Threaded discussions and critical responses are not accepted late. All other late work loses 5% per calendar day. To reiterate particularly, threaded discussions must be posted prior to the deadline to receive credit.

Minimum course requirements: Regardless of your overall grade average, to be eligible to pass the course you must turn in the formal paper and all corrections assignments, submit at least five critical responses, and take the midterm and final exams.

Content advisory: This is a college class, in a State University, and even though some students may legally be minors, I will treat all students as adults. We may read and discuss material that makes you uncomfortable or that some deem offensive or counter to their personal beliefs, including matters relating to religion, race, sex, and sexuality. If you are uncomfortable with any of the material we cover in or out of class, I encourage you to let me know about it. If you want to avoid the possibility of exposure to ideas and writings that make you uncomfortable, you might do well to take a different course in place of this one.

Reading quizzes: unannounced quizzes testing your close attention to the readings.

Critical response writings: informal writings of at least 200 words responding to the readings before we discuss them in class. Note that each critical response assignment is valid for one class period only, and that critical responses are accepted only by the beginning of the period for which they are assigned. I will post critical response topics on the web and announce them in class the meeting before each reading assignment is due. Grades are recorded for only five critical responses, meaning that you do not have to address every assigned topic, only a total of five over the course of the semester.   

The Writing Matters test covers a variety of rules, conventions, and matters of mechanics outlined in several web pages from my site: the Golden Rules are important rules of grammar and style; the Nuggets cover a variety of conventions and problems, especially in the handling of quotations; a number of common problems in spelling and diction are described in Word Problems; the Quotations page presents basic conventions in MLA-style citation and documentation of sources. 

Terminology test: a test assessing your mastery of literary terminology which we will cover early in the semester.

Exams: Both the midterm and the final will consist of two parts: 1) "short answers," or brief paragraph-length commentary on the significance of specific passages from our readings, and 2) essays on central themes and literary features of the works we cover. There will be one essay on the midterm and two on the final. You will have some choice in the short answer and essay portions of each exam: you might on one exam, for instance, select 7 of 10 short answer questions and 1 of 3 essay options.

Papers: In two essays of 4-6 typed pages (1200-1250 word minimum), you will explore in some depth a subject you choose from a list of paper topics I will post on the web at the appropriate time. You will turn in a topic sentence outline or paper proposal before each paper is due as indicated on the schedule of readings and assignments. Both formal papers will be submitted printed on paper in "hard copy" and also in digital form uploaded to the Brightspace (D2L) online learning management system.

Corrections: For the first two critical responses you submit and the formal papers, after your work is graded you will hand in corrected drafts with all changes highlighted. For specifics, see corrections instructions. 

Conferences: I strongly recommend one-on-one conferences in my office if you struggle with any aspect of the readings and at any stage of the paper-writing process—exploring topics, drafting, revising, or editing. My typical aim in paper conferences is to head off potential problems in your essays and to offer helpful, critical response to your work before you submit it for grading.

Keeping up with grades: You should check your grades periodically in Brightspace (D2L). Let me know if you have concerns about your class average or grades on specific assignments before you consider withdrawing from the course.

A note on note-taking: Although this course involves comparatively little lecture, you should take notes every class period. "A" students typically take extensive notes. Even in class periods where your classmates do more "discussing" than the professor, you should make note of any significant points made by anyone in the discussion. You would also do well to underline, highlight, or otherwise note all passages from the readings that we take special notice of in class, as I usually select short-answer quotations for exams mainly from those we've read or examined in discussion.

For those intent on doing their absolute best: Tutoring is available free of charge in the Writing Center and in Student Success Centers (SSC) on all campuses. The Macon campus Writing Center is in TEB 226 and the SSC is in the lower level of the Library building. The Warner Robins SSC is located in Oak Hall (Room 128).

To check the schedules for subjects tutored and tutor availability, visit the SSC website at http://www.mga.edu/student-success-center/. On the Macon campus you can book tutoring sessions by visiting mga.mywconline.com/. The SSC website also posts tutoring schedules for other centers across the five campuses, including the Writing Center (in Macon, TEB 226: 478-471-3542). All tutoring centers across the five campuses are free of charge. Other services at the SSC include online academic workshops and a robust website with resources for academic assistance. The centers also have computer workstations, free printing, and Internet access.

The Bottom Line: I hope every member of this class gets an A, and I will do all I can to make this happen. Don't get me wrong—the standards for "A" work are high, and I make no exceptions in course policies on absences, missed assignments, plagiarism, or late work. The number-one key to succeeding in this class is that you take responsibility for your own success, meaning that you attend to all assignments with careful, earnest diligence, that you respond positively to any setbacks and heed my feedback on all assignments, and that you seek my help as much and as often as you need it. I guarantee you have one of the most accessible professors at Middle Georgia State: ask for help outside of class, and I'll do my level best to deliver. 

Addenda to the syllabus:
English 21XX syllabus supplement.
English 2000-4000 Grades and Grading Criteria.
English 2122.04 schedule of readings and assignments.