New York City College of Technology                                   

Professor Rodgers

English 2001

Office:  Namm 503

Introduction to Fiction

jrodgers@citytech.cuny.edu

Fall, 2012

Office Hours:  Wed.  2-4,                                                                                                                                                      and by appointment              

Course Description           

 

An introduction to reading, analyzing, and writing about fiction, our course will focus on a study of the fiction as a genre, its history and development, its relationships to other literary genres, and its socio-cultural functions.

 

Course Web Site

openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/introtofiction
You will find all of our course assignments and links to or copies of additional course readings on this site.

Required Texts

1)      Rodgers, Johannah.  What is Writing? A Brief Introduction to Writing as an Act of Communication
This text will be distributed free of charge to you.  Please bring it and all class handouts to each class session.

2)    Charters, Ann.  The Story and Its Writer. You will need to purchase a copy of this book. It is available in the college bookstore and online.

3)      An English/writing handbook.  Feel free to use one that you have, or to use one online.  I recommend the following should you choose to go the online route:  Purdue Online Writing Lab:  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/.  However, please make sure that you HAVE some English handbook and familiarize yourself with it.

4)      A College-level English Dictionary.  You can use reliable dictionaries on the web, e.g., Merriam Webster (http://www.merriam-webster.com), Oxford, and/or a dictionary that you already own.

 

In addition to the books listed above, we will be using several different texts for our course this semester, many of which are available on the Web.  I have made every effort to ensure that the required books for this course are both affordable and portable.  Please make sure that you bring whatever books/handouts that we will be discussing to class with you, and that you purchase the required texts for our course by the end of the first week of classes.

 

Course Requirements

 

Reading and Writing Assignments (RWA):  Related to the writing process, research methods, and course readings and themes, these assignments will be discussed in class before they are due and, once completed, will form the basis of various discussions and writing projects. See Course Schedule for details and due dates.  These assignments must be typed.  Please make every effort to get these assignments in on time.  The work in our course is cumulative and it is very important to keep up with the assignments.  If you hand in an assignment within one to two classes of its due date, I will generally give you full credit for the assignment.  However, in general, late assignments  WILL BE GIVEN 0-50% CREDIT and will be reviewed and returned at my discretion.

 

Essays:  We will be discussing, drafting, and revising essays for several weeks before they are due.  You will be given a letter grade for these essays based on a grading rubric assessing various issues related to academic writing, all of which will be reviewed and discussed during the course of the semester.  There will be two formal Essay assignments:

 

1/ Textual Analysis Essay (4-5 pages)

2/ Final Project  (5-10 pages)

 

Novel Reading Journal:  Over the course of the semester, I would like you to read an American novel and keep a reading journal about your experience of and thoughts about reading this book.

 

Exams:  The English department requires that our course include two exams:  a midterm exam and a final exam.  We will discuss and prepare for these exams in the course of the semester.

 

Grading

This course is about the practice of reading and writing, your exploration of that practice, and your engagement with it.  As a result, grades for the course will be based on a student’s progress throughout the semester, as well as on the following:

 

10% Class Participation

10% Novel Reading/Writing Journal

25% Reading and Writing Assignments (Completion=50%; Grade=50%)

35% Essays/Final Project

20% Midterm and Final Exam

 

Although grades will be calculated based on the percentages listed above, this calculation, and your ability to receive a passing grade for the course, are dependent both upon your completion of all essays and assignments, upon course attendance, and upon passing the final exam.

 

You are expected to arrive on time and attend all classes; City Tech’s attendance policy states that more than three absences can result in a WU grade. Arriving late or leaving early will count as a partial absence. Please remember that being absent is not an excuse for missing or late work, so be sure to get notes and assignments from a classmate so that you can be informed and prepared for every class.  The work for this course is also cumulative, which means that one assignment builds from the next and it is difficult to catch-up once you fall behind.

 

While I plan to attend each one of our classes, I am also aware that illnesses and emergencies arise.  As a result, it is my policy to grant students three absences to manage over the course of the semester.  Grades for those students who have no absences will be positively impacted; those with three absences will not be affected; and those with more than three absences will be negatively affected.  With four absences, a student cannot expect to receive a grade higher than a B, with five, a grade no higher than a C, with six, a grade no higher than a D.  With seven absences, a student will receive a failing grade for the course.  Please also keep in mind that three latenesses are the equivalent of one absence and that leaving a class before its completion will be counted as an absence.  Finally, if situations arise that are beyond your control and that will result in a prolonged absence, please come talk to me.

 

A Note on Course Workload: Per CUNY guidelines, please calculate two hours of work per credit hour per week, EXCLUSIVE OF CLASS TIME.  This means that for a 3 credit course, you will need to budget 8.5 hours/week (2.5 class hours plus 6 hours independent study/class preparation).    Taking into consideration your other professional, educational, and personal obligations, please make sure that you have the time to do the work for this course and successfully complete it.  If you do not have the time to accommodate the work for this course, I STRONGLY encourage you to consider taking this course at some point in the future when you will have the time to successfully complete it.

 

 

Course Policies

                                   

Participation: Class participation is vital to lively and focused discussions. Everyone must speak at least once each class period, no matter how shy or nervous you might be. Be respectful to your classmates, and please be free of distractions such as cell phones, food, or other non-course material.

 

Preparedness:  Preparedness means that you will have read the text scheduled for that day and underlined passages you feel are important or about which you have questions and respect the voices and opinions of your fellow students.

 

Essays and Assignments:  Essays and writing/reading assignments are due at the BEGINNING OF CLASS on the date indicated.  Late essays will not be accepted. Essays and assignments must be typed.  Essays should be formatted according to MLA guidelines, which will be reviewed in class and are explained below and on our course Blackboard site. Please make sure that you retain a copy of all assignments, essays, and handouts.  If you must miss a class, please consult with one of your classmates or our course Blackboard site regarding any assignments you may have missed.

 

Formatting papers:  Use MLA guidelines, which include the following recommendations:

Double-space the text of your paper, and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). The font size should be 12 pt..  The left and right margins of your document should be 1.25 inches.  In the upper left-hand corner of the first page, list your name, your instructor’s name, the course, the date, and the assignment title.  Include a title for all essays and for any assignments for which a title may be appropriate.

 

Contacting Me:  The best ways to contact me are in-person before and after class and during my office hours.  If you need to get any assignments or essays to me, please either leave them in my mailbox, which is located in Namm 503, or bring them to class.  I am unable to e-mail assignments to students and unable to receive assignments or essays via e-mail.

 

Students with Disabilities:  If you have any type of disability, please come discuss this with me so we can make arrangements to tailor any course policies or assignments to your specific needs.

 

Plagiarism: Any part of submitted work that has appropriated another’s ideas or language, intentionally or unintentionally, without proper acknowledgement of the source, is considered plagiarism. You will receive a failing grade for work that is plagiarized, and the English Department will be notified. No excuses, exceptions, or rewrites.  Please see our course Blackboard site for the complete City Tech plagiarism policy and please do not hesitate to talk to me if you have any questions about practical or theoretical issues related to plagiarism.

 

Cell Phones, Computers, Other Electronic Devices, etc.:  Cell Phones, computers, and other electronic devices need to be turned off and stored away during class.  Students are welcome to bring beverages to class, however, please refrain from eating during class-time.

 

Semester Course Schedule :  Over the course of the semester, I will be handing out a Weekly Course Schedule  that will list assignment and reading details and due dates.  The Semester Course Schedule is for reference purposes, e.g., course beginning and end dates, holidays, etc.

 

Draft Course Schedule