Instructor: Jim
Roth
·
Office: Main Building, 211T ·
Office Phone: 533-7058 ·
School e-mail: jroth@scc.spokane.edu ·
Web site: http://ol.scc.spokane.edu/jroth Required Texts: ·
Perrine’s Literature,
Seventh Edition—(You’ll need this
immediately.) ·
A folder—(You’ll need this immediately.) ·
An inexpensive copy of Hamlet—(You’ll need this later in the quarter.) OVERVIEW
This
course is an introduction to literature in order to develop an appreciation
for its value in our lives. You will
need special skills to do well in this course including a college reading
level and a willingness to experience, discuss, and
write about what you read. Class time
will include both small-group and general discussion. Please remember that this is not a lecture
course, and so, to profit, always read assignments in advance and come to
class willing to discuss them; please do not attend if your intention is only
to have other class members or me tell you what we think the assignments
mean. Expect an occasional pop quiz to
encourage participation and reward those who complete assignments on time. EXAMS (EXPERIENCES)
There will
be three exams, one after the fiction section, one after the poetry section,
and one after the drama section. Each
is worth 100 points and cannot be taken
late unless you make arrangements in advance. JOURNAL
ASSIGNMENTS (Up to 10 POINTS EACH) Occasionally,
prior to a discussion class, I will ask you to write a one-paragraph to
one-page journal entry concerning the reading (or one of the readings) for
that particular class. Number and date
the entry, and be sure to put the name of the work it is about at the top of
the page. Be ready to share your
entry and turn it in at the beginning of the class. Journal entries are due at the beginning of class and will not be accepted late for any reason. This is because they only have value if
they are written before the
discussion and the writer then participates
in the discussion. The keys to
a successful journal are the following: ·
Read the assignment carefully
and answer the specific question the journal assignment poses. ·
Always have your entry written before
class. I will be calling on each of
you to share your entries throughout the quarter. ·
Be honest. Write what you really feel, not what you
think you are supposed to say. ·
Show respect for the English
language—use it correctly. MAKING
UP ASSIGNMENTS
There
are no make-ups unless you make arrangements in advance. However, to allow for the unexpected, I
will schedule a make-up day later
in the quarter when you can make up one
missing assignment without penalty.
Make-up guidelines DO NOT apply to Discretionary Points, which cannot
be made up in any way. In addition,
arrangements in advance CANNOT be made for Discretionary Points since they
are often spontaneously awarded. NOTE:
Make–up guidelines apply ONLY to
journals. Experiences cannot be
made up.. THE WEB SITE
Please visit my school web site
often. On it you will find
announcements, assignments, due dates, calendar updates, handouts, and
additional resources. Just go to http://ol.scc.spokane.edu/jroth. If you need help getting to this site,
please stop by my office for a demonstration. ATTENDANCE POLICY I do not take attendance because I
believe that at the college level, attendance is the student’s
responsibility. Unlike earlier,
required school participation, enrolling in college is a choice you freely
make; in addition, it is a privilege, not a requirement. Therefore, if you choose not to take
advantage of it by not attending, that is your choice. DISCRETIONARY POINTS
On occasion throughout the quarter I
will award points at my discretion for work we are doing in class or at
home. For example, after a
particularly rewarding class where all of us have done our best and actively
participated, I might award five discretionary points to everyone
present. Please remember that
Discretionary Points do not fall under the make-arrangements-in-advance
guidelines. In other words, you cannot make arrangements to earn
Discretionary Points on days when they are awarded and you do not
attend. In addition, even though
Discretionary Points cannot be made up,
they do, in fact, become part of the total course points used to determine
your grade. YOUR FINAL GRADE: S.C.C. uses the decimal grading
system. I will first convert your
grade to percentage by dividing you total points by the total points
possible. I will then convert your
percentage grade to a decimal grade using the chart below. The decimal value will appear on your grade
sheet and transcript.
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