English 214

In English 214, we'll read and analyze contemporary short stories, novels, poetry, and plays. The reading will introduce you to a wide variety of literature and the analysis will improve your thinking and writing skills.

This course is fully transferable to UC and CSU.

General Nature of the Course

This course functions much like a correspondence course; the chief difference is the electronic environment and your relatively immediate access to your instructor (me). The online version of English 214 involves the same readings, writings, exercises and information as the traditional English 214 course; only the delivery system has changed. Instead of submitting hard copy essays which will be read, commented on, scored and returned, students will submit assignments and have them returned via e-mail; lecture material, course deadlines, and assignment information are available via the Internet; students will participate in class discussions using a message board.

You will need to keep track of assignment (reading and writing) due dates by referring to the Class Schedule. It is up to you to keep up with assignment deadlines, especially since late work will be penalized (see note under Assignments).

Answers to Discussion Questions will be due on specific dates. Please read the directions on the Discussion Questions page carefully, and take note of the due dates for both the questions and your responses to other students' answers.

Specific Writing Assignment instructions can be reached through the links on the Class Schedule. Read these instructions carefully, and always e-mail, phone or visit me with any questions you might have.

There is also a series of Lectures on topics related to your reading and writing. Be sure to read the lecture material for each week because this should help you to understand the readings, and will give you valuable information to help with the writing assignments. Lecture information can be reached through links in the Class Schedule, as well.

So it's up to you to keep up with the reading, to turn in assignments on time, to look at online lecture material and to ask questions when you don't understand what we're doing. I will read the written work and questions you e-mail to me, and I will respond (also via e-mail) with comments, corrections, discussion items, and (I hope) useful answers.

Required Texts

--Tobias Wolff, ed., Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories
--Bebe Moore Campbell, 72 Hour Hold
--Michael Chabon, ed., McSweeney's Mammomth Treasury of Thrilling Tales
--Foer, Everything Is Illuminated
--Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain
--Tony Kushner, The Angels in America
--Sherman Alexie, Flight
--Tim O'Brien, In the Lake of the Woods
--Julia Alvarez, In the Time of the Butterflies

Buying your Books

All texts can be found in the college bookstore under my name and the course title
...OR...
you can buy your books online. The novels and the play you can get on Amazon.com or any other online book vendor. For textbooks, there are several sites you can check out:

You can also comparison shop, by trying FetchBook.Info, a free service, which allows you to compare prices of any book among 70 bookstores (in the US and Canada), and find a price which is 30% - 80% off the market list price.

CampusBooks.com offers used textbooks and college textbooks price comparisons and shopping.

Similar services are

Another good service is Textbook Coupons, which provides information on discounts from online booksellers. This might save you even more.

Assignments

3 essays: 100 points each
Final exam: 100 points
Discussion questions: 20 points each.

(For more information about how and where to submit answers to the discussion questions, see the Discussion Questions page.)

At the end of the semester, your grades will be averaged to determine a final grade for the class. Writing assignments are due on the date assigned on the schedule. Late papers will be penalized 10 points, and will not be accepted at all after one week.

Grading Scale for Writing Assignments

100-90=A
89-80=B
79-70=C
69-60=D
59-0=F

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is using the words, ideas, or information of another without acknowledging the source. Plagiarism, in a college environment, is the equivalent of grand larceny, and as such, it is unacceptable behavior. Anyone caught plagiarizing will fail the class. Each student is responsible for knowing the rules of correct citation and documentation; for more information, see the following guidelines from The Writing Tutorial Services at Indiana University. These provide clear and complete information as to what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it.

How to submit your work

Your writing assignments will be submitted to me via e-mail. Save your file as a Word or RTF file, and attach the file to your message. When sending assignments, your e-mail message should include your name, the class number (English 214), and the name of the assignment which is attached. Use correct MLA format to set up your pages; for more information see The Writing Tutorial Services at Indiana University. Make sure that you eliminate spelling, grammar, and other mechanical errors from your writing. Send your e-mail to me at annw708@earthlink.net.

NOTE: always keep copies of all of your assignments. If there is a problem with e-mail, you will need that copy to re-send for credit.

About Wikipedia

Avoid citing Wikipedia in academic essays. Since it is not edited by reputable experts, it often has errors and isn't reliable. It's okay to use it as a starting point for your own research, but go on and find other sources to verify the information, and cite those in your essay.

For more information, use the links below to go to any of the Class pages you want to see; I've also given you a page of links to other Contemporary Literature sites, and a supplemental book list, in case you want to keep reading even after the class is over.

To get in touch with me, use my e-mail (annw708@earthlink.net), call me the old-fashioned way, on the phone: (310) 233-4247, or come and see me in person at my office: Office Village 4. My office hours are in the Class Schedule.

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