DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH – FALL 2024
ENG 3000 – INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE – ONLINE
Course Description: The purpose of this course is for students to read and write about contemporary issues in literature. Special attention will be given to the ways in which race, class, gender, ethnicity, nationality, and sexuality (among others aspects of identity) shape personal and social realities in literature. Themes of poverty, immigration, education, music, art, racial profiling, identity, friendship, relationships, and family are central in these selections of literature. Students will understand that critical reflection is essential to cultural critique. Students will do close readings and analytical writings regularly in this class. In addition, students will engage in open discussion about the literature read. By the end of the term, students will create journals and portfolios in which they interpret social issues in their lives and in the literary works read. This course fulfills a writing intensive requirement.
Catalog Description: The purpose of this course is to learn to read literature with pleasure and understanding. The course emphasizes close reading of texts in a range of forms, including poetry, short stories, and drama, and provides an introduction to the tools of literary studies.
Required Texts:
•All readings are online.
•Additional writing and citation help available at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
Course Goals:
•Students will do close readings of literary texts, including summarizing and annotating, and understand theoretical, historical, and literary contexts and terms.
•Students will create central arguments that include a clear topic, a solid stance, and provide support for their main ideas by quoting, paraphrasing, and analyzing passages from texts.
•Students will recognize their writing processes, receive feedback from their professor and peers, and revise their major writing assignments.
•Students will engage in rigorous discussion that fosters critical reflection about their lives, the world, and the texts through collaborative interaction.
•Students will write grammatically and mechanically correct papers and cite in MLA format.
Requirements:
•A creative writing journal consisting of regular prose (i.e., essays, letters, diaries, etc.), poetry, and/or music lyrics about the realities of the race, class, gender, ethnicity, and/or sexuality in the world, reflecting on personal and/or social concerns, totaling approximately five to six pages
•A reader response journal consisting of responses to selected literary work, reflecting on passages, characters, themes, motifs, symbols, etc.
• A reader response portfolio consisting of the students’ favorite reflections of at least two literary works in their journals, developed to approximately five to six pages
• Participation and conferences
All written assignments must be submitted online.
Grade Distribution:
Creative Writing Journal 30%
Reader Response Journal 10%
Reader Response Portfolio 50%
Participation (Discussions, Workshops, & Conferences) 10%
Writing Procedures:
•Students will engage in a process of composing (i.e., prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading) for all writing assignments.
•Students will receive a wealth of feedback on their essays from their peers and their professor. Before students submit their final drafts, they will produce several drafts for each essay, including for peer review and professor review. All students will present their papers to the class during writing workshops once during the semester for feedback. If students fail to complete their rough drafts on time, they will have a letter grade taken off for each one late.
•Students will have the opportunity to revise their essays after their initial grade is recorded so long as they discuss their writing in informal conferences with their professor, preferably before the next essay is due. Other drafts also may be revised after the first revision, but again, only after students have met with their professor. Essentially, students have unlimited revision possibilities. Revisions have the possibility of replacing the previous grade, but only if substantial improvement is evident. In other words, simply changing mechanical errors (i.e., commas) in essays will not raise grades.
•Students will be given ample feedback on each essay before the next essay
is due. This feedback will allow them to learn from the comments and apply the comments to the next essay.
Discussion Procedures:
•Students will be well-prepared for all class discussions by doing all the assigned reading and writing prior to class.
•Students will demonstrate their understanding and analysis of the readings by being fully
engaged in class discussions.
•Students will be respectful of other students’ and their professor’s ideas.
•Students will who are using cell phones in class will not receive participation points.
Civility: Kingsborough Community College is committed to the highest standards of academic and ethical integrity, acknowledging that respect for self and others is the foundation of educational excellence. Civility in the classroom and respect for the opinions of others is very important in an academic environment. It is likely you may not agree with everything which is said or discussed in the classroom, including online meetings, yet courteous behavior. and responses are expected. Acts of harassment and discrimination based on matters of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, religion, and ability, etc., are not acceptable. I promote strict enforcement of these rules. All students, faculty, and staff have a right to be in a safe environment, free of disturbance, and civil in all aspects of human relations.