English 43 -- British Literature II

Dr. Eric Sonstroem Office: WPC 137 Phone: 946-2619  Office Hours: TBA, or by appointment.  Email:

Spring 2012 M, W, F 12:30 - 1:45 WPC 131

Overview:

Required Texts:

The books should all be available at the bookstore.  If not, you can use the ISBN numbers to purchase them online at your favorite discount book dealer. 

You might notice that we have no anthology for this class.  Instead of a very expensive anthology, you will be downloading and printing out the shorter readings for this class.  You will be required to print out readings from the web and bring them with you to class.  Failure to do this will lower your class participation grade.

Some of the readings to print out will be located in the "Resources" section of our Sakai course site, and some of them are available right off this syllabus.

• Mary Shelley. Frankenstein. Norton. ISBN:0393964582.
  
• Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre. Signet, 1997. ISBN: 0451526554
• Joseph Conrad. Heart of Darkness. Norton. 0393926362
• Jean Rhys. Wide Sargasso Sea. Norton, 1998. ISBN: 0393960129
• Geoff Ryman's on-line "novel" 253 at www.ryman-novel.com
  

Policies:

Course Policies:

You will notice that there is a web page for the class, which you are reading now.  This more or less takes the place of both a syllabus and a coursepack.  You will be required to access this web page throughout the semester, for readings, assignments and other material.  Some reading assignments will be placed in the �Resources� section of our Sakai website.  Computer access, internet access, and access to a reliable printer are therefore vital to the class.

Written work will probably be submitted to me electronically.  Hard-copy assignments should be printed on white paper, in a standard 12-point font, with one inch margins. Your papers should be double spaced, and should contain my name, your name, the course number, the date, and a title.

Late papers will be marked down 1/3 of a letter grade for each calendar day they are late.  I will consider giving short extensions on assignments if you contact me ahead of the due date and you have a good reason for wanting the extension.  All assigned work must be completed to pass the course.

Attendance is required.  You may miss three "personal days" for any reason (and I don't want to know the reason).  After that, your final grade will drop 1/3 of a letter grade for each additional day missed.

You need to show up for class on time.  I may count excessive lateness as absences.  Reading quizzes are given at the beginning of class, and cannot be made up.

No cell phones.  No text messaging, etc.

No open computers in class, unless we are doing an activity that requires them.  This means that class readings from the web must be printed out and brought to class on paper.  I may periodically check to see if you've brought in the class reading.

Grading Policy:

Most of your grade will be determined by two papers and two exams, a mid-term and a final.  The final is non-cumulative.   There will also be a number of unannounced reading quizzes, which will be no problem if you have kept up with the reading. 

Since discussion will be an important part of class, it will also be an important part of your grade.  We are here to read these works as a community--that's the reason people take literature classes instead of just reading things on their own.  It's your responsibility to be an active part of this community.  Students who contribute thoughtfully to discussion, and who listen respectfully to their classmates, will be rewarded.  Students who don't contribute, or who attempt to dominate discussions at the expense of their classmates, will not be rewarded.  Here's how to prepare for discussion:

• Read the assigned material before each class.  Reading assignments are designed to be reasonable, usually less than five or six hours of reading per week.  This should give you time to read thoughtfully, and re-read passages that seem important. Remember that poetry especially can require rereading for a thorough understanding.
  
• Take brief notes as you read.  The margin of the book works well for this.  Jot down questions or observations that occur to you as you read.  These will help you contribute to class discussion.
• If you are particularly tongue-tied, you may consider writing out a couple of thoughts, questions, etc before class.

Students with Disabilities:

If you are a student with a disability, who requires accommodations, please contact Mr. Daniel Nuss, Coordinator of the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities in Bannister Hall, room 101, for information on how to obtain an Accommodation Request Letter. Contact:SSD@pacific.edu or (209) 946-2879. Then please schedule a meeting with me during office hours or some mutually convenient time to arrange the accommodation(s).

"STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES           

Grading:

Schedule of Classes:

Discussion instigation group numbers are in the gray squares.

This schedule isn't entirely set in stone.  I may change around the readings somewhat to better meet the needs of the class.