| Course details: | ENG 2850 Great Works of Literature II 3.0 Credits Section KTA https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/engl2850s24 |
| Instructor: | Ghenwa Antonios [email protected] |
| Office Hours: | By appointment, via Zoom. Zoom link: https://gc-cuny-edu.zoom.us/j/83237898676?pwd=M1JaajF1WFA0U0wxdzdhUHJMbkJmUT09 Meeting ID: 832 3789 8676 Passcode: See printed syllabus for passcode. |
| Class Format: | This class has a hybrid format. We will meet in person every Tuesday, from 2:55-4:35 p.m. The rest of our coursework will take place asynchronously online. In general, you can expect the following weekly schedule, unless otherwise noted in the syllabus, in class or via email: Readings every Tuesday and Friday. A blog post of 300-500 words due every Friday, no later than 8:00 a.m. Note: I encourage you to comment on your classmate’s blog posts. This is an important way of actively participating during our asynchronous online classes. |
| Reading material: | Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Penguin Classics edition [ISBN: 9780141439518] Please buy a printed copy of this edition, so that we do not struggle to be on the same page during class discussions. This is an easily available, annotated and affordable version that you can find new or used on Amazon and most bookshops. (It’s currently 38% off on Amazon!) Except for Pride and Prejudice, all other reading material will be made available online, via links or PDFs. |
| Course description: | This course presents a global approach to literature by introducing students to a variety of narrative, lyric, and dramatic forms representative of different cultures and historical periods, from the seventeenth century to the present. The body of great literature is massive and inherently full of possibility. It is impossible for us, or for anyone really, to cover it all in one lifetime, let alone a semester. Instead, our aim in this class is to investigate the avenues of possibility and learning that literature offers through a select number of readings. Our discussions will involve both close reading of selected texts and comparison of the values the texts promote. We will engage in a variety of communication-intensive activities designed to enhance our appreciation of literature and our awareness of the way it shapes and reflects a multicultural world. My hope is that you will find at least one text throughout the semester that speaks to you, and that you recognize the importance of raising thoughtful questions and making arguments about any piece of cultural history. |
| Learning Goals: | Students who complete ENG 2850 should be able to: – interpret meaning in literary texts by paying close attention to authors’ choices of detail, vocabulary, and style – discuss the relationship between different genres of literary texts and the multicultural environments from which they spring – articulate a critical evaluation and appreciation of a literary work’s strengths and limitations – present their ideas orally – write critical essays employing a strong thesis statement, appropriate textual citations and contextual and intertextual evidence for their ideas |
| Assignments: | Participation: In person meetings will be heavily discussion-based. This means completing the assigned readings and thinking about them before arriving to class. In class, this grade includes both speaking up and listening attentively to your classmates’ contributions; it also includes showing up on time, prepared, with the reading in hand. For the asynchronous work online, participation includes posting online in a timely manner, reflecting seriously and originally to the blog prompts and responding to your classmates’ posts on the course blog. Blog posts: Each week, you will be asked to complete a short but rigorous guided response to the readings, which will include creative writing, close reading and analysis and preparatory work for essays. These responses will mostly be around 300-500 words and should be posted to the course blog by Friday 8:00 a.m. Feel free to post them earlier in the week: think of Friday noon as the absolute deadline. Your responses will be graded on a scale of 1-10 according to the following criteria: originality (are you saying something new, or repeating what others have said already on the blog without adding to the conversation?), clarity (is the response well written?), and persuasiveness (is the response supported with evidence from the text?). I encourage you to comment on your classmate’s blog posts. This is an important way of actively participating during our asynchronous online classes. Analytical Essay: You will write one formal, argument-driven essay which will ask you to engage in analysis of one or more of our literary texts. You’ll receive a detailed prompt for the essay closer to the due date (the essay will be due in week 10). Multi-part final project: Your final project will include: – a creative piece that builds on the skills learned from the traditional analytical essay while offering broader room for creative thinking. You’ll receive detailed instructions closer to the due date. – a presentation that discusses the creative piece and critically analyzes it – a short, final, argument-driven essay that builds on the presentation and expands it |
| Grade Breakdown: | Attendance and participation: 15% Blog posts: 20% Analytical Essay: 30% Final project: 35% (Creative piece: 10%; Presentation: 5%; Short essay: 20%) |
| Policies and rules: | Attendance is mandatory. Each student may miss up to three meetings with no questions asked; after a third absence, a student’s grade will drop by half a letter grade (e.g., a grade of A- becomes B+, a B becomes a B-, and so on). Arriving late to class will earn partial attendance only. Posting online by the deadline each week counts towards attendance for the asynchronous portion of the class. Missing a blog post = missing a class. Being late for a blog post = being late for a class. Being more than twelve hours late for a blog post = missing a class. Plagiarism I’ll expect you to compose your projects, both short blog posts and longer essays, ethically. One instance of plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the assignment. Two instances will result in a failing grade for the course. All instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Chair of the English Department and to the Dean of the College. Plagiarism is presenting another’s ideas, research, or writing as your own, such as: – Copying another person’s actual words without the use of quotation marks and footnotes (a functional limit is four or more words taken from another’s work) – Presenting another person’s ideas or theories in your own words without acknowledgement – Using information that is not considered common knowledge without acknowledging the source If you ever have any questions or doubts about plagiarism, please ask me. You can also check out the online plagiarism tutorial prepared by members of the Newman Library faculty at http://newman.baruch.cuny.edu/help/plagiarism/default.htm and Baruch College’s academic integrity policy at http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.htm. I have a disability. Are accommodations possible? If you require any accommodation for a disability of any kind, please contact the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities at [email protected], and let me know as soon as you can, ideally during the first two weeks of class, so that we can design the class in a way that is accessible to your learning. I encourage you to meet with me to co-design accommodations. For additional information check out the Student Disability Services webpage. Course Withdrawal If at any time during the semester you have concerns about the course, an assignment, or assessment, or are falling behind for any reason, please set up a meeting to talk with me about it. Although I hope this will not be the case for anyone, rather than suffering the consequences of a failing grade, you may wish to consider dropping the class. If you feel you must withdraw, you must do so by the dates on the academic calendar (usually the 9th week of the 14-week semester). No longer attending class is not the same as withdrawing from the course. You will not be dropped automatically if you stop coming to class; you still will receive a grade for the course if you do not withdraw. |
| Resources for students: | Grammar Resources Questions about grammar, usage, style, editing, and source citations? Check out the Purdue OWL. Baruch Writing Center As a writer you’ll want to seek feedback from many different readers. Writers at all levels of experience get feedback on their writing. Asking for and receiving feedback is not a sign of weakness and it does not equal weak writing; it’s actually a sign of wisdom and makes your writing much stronger. You’ll give feedback to and get feedback from your fellow writers in your writing groups in this class throughout the semester and at all stages of your projects. I also encourage you to get feedback on your writing from professional writing consultants (some of whom also teach first-year writing courses) at the Writing Center. The Writing Center offers free, one-to-one (in-person and online) and small-group workshop writing support to all Baruch students. The Center’s consultants work collaboratively with you to deepen your writing and English language skills. At any step in the process, they’ll help you become a more confident and versatile writer. I encourage you to schedule your appointment well in advance of when your writing is due. You can schedule an appointment at: https://bc.mywconline.com/. The Newman Library Great resource for online sources in your research for this class and all classes at Baruch. Support for English Language Learners Courses in the English Department Tools for Clear Speech (TCS) Conversation Partners Program The Baruch Counseling Center |
