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ENGL 2023 (H40) – American Literature II – 3 Credit Hours

Official Course Syllabus – Spring 2019

INSTRUCTOR: Celia DeWoody

Department: Communications
Office: M134H
Office Hours: Monday: 10:45-1:00; 2:15-3:00; Tuesday: 9:15-11:00; 12:15-1:00;
Wednesday: 10:45-1:00; 2:15-2:45; Thursday: 9:15-11:00. (Posted on Portal and
office door.) Other hours available by appointment.
Phone: 870-391-3309 (email preferred)
Email: cdewoody@northark.edu
Class Time: TR 11:00-12:15 p.m.
Classroom: M137

TEXT:
The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Shorter Eighth Edition. Ed. Nina
Baym, et al. Norton, 2013.
Other handouts or readings provided by the instructor.

CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION:

English 2023, American Literature II, surveys the chief literary works produced in
America from 1865 to the present.

COURSE PREREQUISITE:
A minimum of “C” in ENGL 1023 or permission of instructor. English 2013
(American Lit I) is NOT a prerequisite for English 2023.

AUDIENCE/RATIONALE FOR THE COURSE:

English 2023 is a general education choice on many degree plans.

COURSE GOALS:
Upon completion of this course students should be able to:
 Name influential American authors
 Explain what it means to be an American author
 Explain American writings as a reflection of American culture
 Relate American writings to other writings around the world

NORTHARK GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOMES:

The learning outcomes of general education will be common to all students
regardless of major. When students have completed the general education
component of their studies, they should be able to:
1. Apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills across disciplines.
2. Apply life skills in areas such as teamwork, interpersonal relationships,
ethics, and study habits.
3. Communicate clearly in written or oral formats.
4. Use technology appropriate for learning.
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5. Discuss issues of a diverse global society.
6. Demonstrate math and/or statistical skills.

This course also satisfies the following Arkansas Department of Higher

Education - Arkansas Course Transfer Systems (ACTS) learning outcomes:

ACT EXPECTED STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

The student will:

 Read, analyze, and interpret works by representative American writers.
 Identify various literary techniques, methods, and ideas.
 Illustrate how literature reflects culture and society.
 Write at least one interpretive paper.

RESOURCES (other than texts) NEEDED FOR THE COURSE:

 Access to a computer with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint (or another
similar program for creating presentations), and to the internet for Portal
assignments and announcements and for submitting and editing papers
via Turnitin.com.
 Notebook for taking notes in class.

RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO HELP STUDENTS:

 Free tutors are available in the Student Resource Center to assist
students with writing assignments and review of grammar and punctuation
rules. The Student Resource Center is on South Campus in M154, across
the hall from the Little Theatre.
 Your instructor is always willing to help during office hours or other times
by appointment.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR THIS COURSE

If you are having any issues in your online course, email, or Northark technology,
please access the online Help Desk [ bit.ly/2jnu2iy ] If the published articles do
not solve your issue, please click the Northark Feedback Forum link under the
“Contact Support” section to request assistance.

INSTRUCTIONAL/TEACHING METHODS:
This course will consist of a considerable amount of outside-of-class reading. It
will also consist of lectures, class discussion, hands-on activities, in- and out-of-
class writing, student presentations, peer and instructor evaluation, group work,
and online assignments via Portal.

OUTLINE OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Students will be evaluated over all reading assignments; there will be almost
daily quizzes or required written work over the reading assignments. There will
be three major tests (including the final exam). Students will write one major
multi-source paper on an assigned piece of writing. Attendance and class
participation are critical to success in this course.
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COURSE EVALUATION AND GRADING:
Daily grades (including homework, classwork, short papers, participation, and
quizzes) 40%
Tests – 40%
Paper – 15%
Attendance – 5%

LETTER GRADE SCALE:

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

EVALUATION:
I will evaluate using reading and writing assignments, quizzes, tests, online
assignments, class participation, and classroom attendance. Grades and
attendance will be posted on the Portal gradebook. Papers must be submitted
to Turnitin.com. I will give you the class ID and the password to get on
Turnitin.com. It is free to you, as Northark has a subscription.

WEIGHT OF SEMESTER WORK:

 Daily grades (including homework, classwork, participation, short papers,
and quizzes) 40%
 Tests – 40%
 Presentation – 10%
 Paper – 15%
 Attendance – 5%

ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Students are expected to attend all class meetings. Once a student misses
15% of the class (six class hours in a 3-hour credit lecture course), the
instructor has the prerogative to assign an F for the course.

It is the student’s responsibility to find out what was missed in class in the event
of an absence; the fact that a student has missed the previous class is not an
excuse for being unprepared for the next class. Assignments will usually be
posted on the class page on Portal.

According to the Northark Student Handbook, as well as the North Arkansas

College Catalog:

“Students are expected to attend all class meetings and officially withdraw from
courses they are no longer attending.” Two crucial ideas are presented with this
statement:

1. Attendance is crucial for success.

2. Your instructor will not withdraw you from the course.

Therefore, you should try not to miss any classes, but if you do, you should
understand that absence will eventually affect your final grade.
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However, because I feel that students who represent Northark in their extra-
curricular activities should not be penalized for an absence, I will not count an
absence if a student does the following:

 Provides me with a list of days, in advance, when the student will be

absent
 Provides me with the time, in advance, that the student is leaving on a
particular day
 Comes to see me within two days after the student has returned to
discuss the missed class.

In the event of a snow day, if at all possible, a student should check Portal for
updated announcements and assignments.

TARDINESS:

I will take roll at the beginning of each class. It is the student’s responsibility to be
in their seat by the time the class starts. If a student is not present when I take
the roll, he/she will be marked absent for that day. I will not mark him/her “Tardy.”
If a student is going to be late to class, I highly encourage him/her to come in
quietly and to participate, even though they will be marked absent. Something
important will happen in each class, and it is important that the student be there.

LATE WORK:

Because students will be given ample time to prepare their paper, I expect
papers to be turned in by the deadline. I will deduct one letter grade for each
day a paper is late, and will not accept a paper after it is three days late,
unless there are extreme circumstances that the student has discussed
with me.

MISSED WORK:

My policy is not to allow missed quizzes or exercises (classwork and/or

homework assignments) to be made up; however, I do realize that emergencies
occur, and if a student comes to me with a good reason for missing a class and
the classwork done that day, I may make an exception. Late work will usually not
receive full credit.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: (See Northark Student Handbook, page 15)

 North Arkansas College’s commitment to academic achievement is

supported by a strict but fair policy to protect academic integrity. This
policy regards academic fraud and dishonesty as offenses requiring
disciplinary action.
 Academic fraud and dishonesty are defined as follows:
o Cheating – Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized
materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise.
o Facilitating Academic Dishonesty – Intentionally or knowingly
helping or attempting to help another commit an act of academic
dishonesty.
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o Test Tampering – Intentionally gaining access to restricted test
booklets, banks, questions, or answers before a test is given; or
tampering with questions or answers after a test is taken.
o Plagiarism – Intentionally or knowingly representing the words and
ideas of another as one’s own in any academic exercise. A great
and thorough definition of plagiarism can be found here:
http://www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101/what-is-plagiarism Please
familiarize yourself with these definitions and examples as your
work will be held to this standard.
 Cases of cheating and plagiarism at Northark are considered to be serious
offenses and are subject to one or more of the following alternatives:
o No credit for the assignment or opportunity for makeup.
o Loss of credit and student will be immediately dropped from the
course.
o Permanent suspension from Northark.
 Students may resolve disciplinary action by following this chain of appeal:
o Instructor
o Department/Program Chair or Dean
o Academic Grievance Committee facilitated by the Vice President
for Academic and Student Affairs. The decision of the Academic
Grievance Committee is final
 Student violations of academic integrity offenses will be reported on the
Feedback Forum for tracking and aggregating of data for improvements.

TURNITIN.COM:
Students will be asked to turn in writing assignments to Turnitin.com, a website
that checks for plagiarism. Students will be given the class ID number and class
enrollment password needed in order to register individually to use the website.

CHANGES IN SYLLABUS OR COURSE CONTENT:

If there are any changes in the syllabus or course content, students will be
notified in class and in the Course Announcements on Portal.

INSTRUCTOR’S EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS:

 I expect you to read the college catalog and all materials you receive
during registration. These materials tell you what the college expects
of you.
 I expect you to read this syllabus.
 I expect you to attend all class meetings. Something important to
learning happens during every class period. If you must miss a class
meeting, please talk to me in advance about what you should do.
 I expect you to be in your seat before time for the class to begin. If
you come in after the class has started, you disrupt the entire class. I
understand that circumstances might come up that would prevent
you from being on time once or twice, but habitual tardiness reflects
a lack of respect for yourself, your instructor and your peers. If
tardiness becomes a problem, it may affect your grade. I reserve the
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right to count every tardy as half an absence, and/or to deduct points
for every tardy.
 I expect you to be prepared for each class. Be sure to complete
reading assignments and other homework before class so that you
can understand the lecture and participate in discussion. Always
have textbooks, notebook, pen/pencil, paper, and other specific tools
for class.
 I expect you not to sleep or use any personal electronic devices
during class. You may bring non-messy food, water, coffee, etc., to
class as long as you eat/drink it unobtrusively.
 I expect you to silence your electronic devices before class begins
and to keep them out of sight during class.
 I expect you to take good notes.
 I expect you to allow yourself time to use all the resources available
to you at the college. I encourage you to visit me in my office for help
with material or assignments you do not understand, use the library,
and use the tutoring services in the Student Resource Center.
 I expect you to treat others with respect. Part of the college
experience is being exposed to people with ideas, values, and
backgrounds different from yours. Listen to others with an open mind
and evaluate ideas on their own merit.
 I expect you to take full advantage of the opportunity you have to
obtain a college education, an opportunity which many people do not
have.
 I expect you to successfully complete this course. I will do everything
I can to help you if you work hard and show that you care about your
education.

SYLLABUS CHANGE:
I reserve the right to change the syllabus during the semester and will
announce any changes in class and on Portal under Course
Announcements.

ADA STATEMENT:
North Arkansas College complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities
who need special accommodations should make their requests through Disability
Services.

I look forward to working with you to make

this a productive, successful, and enjoyable
semester. I hope each one of you
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will leave this class with a new
appreciation
and love for American literature!
Remember, I’m here to help you and to learn with you!
Celia DeWoody