English 0347-001

Professor Beth Ann Rothermel

Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 2:30-4:30, and by appointment, Bates 213, #572-5336.

Meeting place and time: Mon, Wed, Fri 12:30-1:20, Bates 210

• The Tempest. By William Shakespeare. The Arden Edition. Edited by Frank Kermode. Sixth Edition. London: Methuen, 1958.
• Goblin Market. By Christina Rossetti.
• Housekeeping. By Marilynne Robinson.
• Wings of Desire (Film).
• Selected Critical Articles (on reserve).
• MLA Handbook. Fifth Edition.
• File folders for handing in individual papers.

Welcome!

General Course Description: Designed to develop formal writing ability on scholarly topics. Intensive library research will precede all writings. The goal of the course is to provide students with the research and writing skills necessary in the preparation of papers of publishable quality.

• Understand and work more easily with a variety of genres associated with English Studies, including explication, the research review, and critical analysis.
• Become a more skilled close reader and interpreter of text.
• Engage in the research process with confidence, evaluating, using, and documenting source material skillfully.
• Write with power and precision, tailoring your style for particular audiences.
• Work collaboratively, coordinating writing and revision activities within a group.

 Attendance: This class requires collaborative learning. Attendance is vital and absences will be recorded. If you miss more than three classes your grade will be affected.

Much of the work that we will be doing in this class involves discussion. Your success, as well as the success of your peers, depends upon your regular participation. This is especially true on days when rough drafts are due. Failure to attend class on these days will most certainly affect your grade.

Assignments: Assignments will include explications, critical reviews, one short critical analysis, one extended critical analysis, and a final portfolio. Research will be required for most essays.

Assignments handed in late will be marked down (five points per day). Failure to hand in rough drafts and peer critiques will lower the grade on your final draft considerably (see section on grading). All drafts should be typed and double-spaced. Papers should be documented using MLA guidelines. You will always need at least 2 photocopies of your rough drafts. Consider this an additional course expense. Students should also retain a photocopy of all their final drafts. Conferences with the instructor will be arranged when necessary. Any exceptions to the above guidelines must be discussed with me in advance of due dates.

Grading: Please note the criteria for grading distributed to you during class. Your final grade will be based on the following assignments:

• One Explication: 75
• Two Critical Reviews: 200
• Short Critical Essay: 150
• Long Critical Essay: 225
• Final Portfolio: 150
• Homework: 100
• Participation: 100

For a total of 1000 points.

Most papers will receive two grades: the first grade, for product, will be added into your essay grade accordingly; the second grade, for process, will be added into your participation grade. Note, however, that failure to pass in a rough draft on the date the rough draft is due will not only leave you with a process grade of zero, but also will lower your final product grade by one grade.

When I compute grades at the end of the semester, numbers will correspond to the following letters (i.e., 925 and above equals A, 900-924 equals A-):

• A = 925
• A- = 900
• B+ = 875
• B = 825
• B- = 800
• C+ = 775
• C = 725
• C- = 700
• D+ = 675
• D = 625
• F = 624 and below

Scholastic Dishonesty: Scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated. See the college's policy on plagiarism in the current course catalogue.

Assignments

All readings are found in the required texts unless otherwise specified. Additional informal writing assignments will be given throughout the semester. Note that assignments and due dates are subject to change.

September

• 1: Introductions. For 9/3 do library assignment.
• 3: Genre and English Studies. For whom are you writing? For 9/8 read xi-xxiv and Act I of The Tempest.
• 6: Labor Day.
• 8: Context and explication. For 9/10 read Acts II and III of T. Explication assignment due 9/10.
• 10: Explication. For 9/13 Finish T.
• 13: Language and historical contexts. Themes. For 9/15 read handout and selections from introduction.
• 15: The research review. Research review one assigned, due 9/22. Reading TBA
• 17: Critical lenses. Reading TBA.
• 20: The sample review. Working on final draft of research review for 9/22.
• 22: Final draft of research review due. For 9/24 read Goblin Market. See version with pictures on reserve at library.
• 24: Rossetti. Explication assigned, due 9/29. Read handouts for 9/27.
• 27: Group debates.
• 29: Finding sources. Explication due. Read handouts for 10/1. Research review 2 assigned (group 1). Final draft due on 10/4.

• 1: More on critical lenses. Group one working on research reviews. Bring 3 copies of your review and article to class on 10/4.
• 4: Research reviews for group 1 due. For 10/6 read articles and reviews.
• 6: Group discussions. For 10/13 read HK, 3-108.
• 8: I am at a conference. No class.
• 11: Holiday, no class.
• 13: HK. For 10/15 read handouts. Research review for group 2 assigned, due 10/18.
• 15: HK continued. Group 2 working on research reviews. Bring 3 copies of your review and article to class on 10/18.
• 18: Research reviews for group 2 due.
• 20: Developing topics for critical analyses. For 10/25 list of research topics for short critical analysis.
• 22: Group discussions. Short critical analysis assigned. Rough draft due 11/8.
• 25: Wenders film. For 10/29 working on a topic proposal. Read handouts.
• 27: Wenders film.
• 29: Wenders film. Read handouts. Response assignment.

• 1: Writing about film. For 11/3 working on informal reviews (for short critical analysis). Bring three copies of reviews to class.
• 3: Discussion of Wenders continued. Informal reviews due.
• 5: Presentations to groups on short critical analysis.
• 8: Library workshop. Rough drafts of short critical analysis due. Bring three copies to class.
• 10: Revision workshop.
• 12: Revision workshop. Final draft of short critical essay due 11/15.
• 15: Extended critical essay assigned. Developing topics. Writing an abstract.
• 17: Evaluating sources. Creating an annotated bibliography Abstract due on 11/22.
• 19: More on sources. Working on abstract for 11/22.
• 22: Abstract and preliminary bibliography due. Working on annotated bibliography for 11/29.
• 24: Thanksgiving break.
• 26: Thanksgiving break.
• 29: Conferences. Annotated bibliography due.

• 1: Drafting the paper
• 3: First draft due.
• 6: First draft of extended critical essay due. Revision workshop.
• 8: Revision workshop.
• 10: Revision workshop.
• 13: No class. Conferences.
• 15: Party and presentations. 

Portfolios are due Tuesday, December 21, in Bates 213, no later than 12:30 p.m. With your portfolio you must also turn in a self-addressed manila envelope large enough to hold your work.

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