English 358: Writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences (3 credits)          Fall 2008

Class Meets: TTh 12:30-1:45 pm in Dolve Hall 115                               

Office Hours: TTh 10-11:00 am, W 10:00am-noon and by appointment

REQUIRED TEXTS

Albom, Mitch. Five People You Meet in Heaven. Hyperion. ISBN-10: 1401308589, ISBN-13: 978-1401308582

Didion, Joan. The Year of Magical Thinking: The Play. Vintage. ISBN-10: 0307386414, ISBN-13: 978-0307386410

Mitford, Jessica. The American Way of Death. Vintage. ISBN-10: 0679771867, ISBN-13: 978-0679771869

Roach, Mary.  Stiff. W. W. Norton. ISBN-10: 0393324826, ISBN-13: 978-0393324822

Roach, Mary. Spook. W. W. Norton. ISBN-10: 0393329127, ISBN-13: 978-0393329124

Sartre, Jean-Paul. No Exit and Three Other Plays. Vintage. ISBN-10: 0679725164, ISBN-13: 978-0679725169

Note that Additional Reading Assignments and Recommendations have been provided at the bottom of this syllabus and will be made available via Blackboard or the Internet. All assigned reading needs to be printed out and brought to all class meetings following the assigned due date (see daily schedule for due dates).

COURSE OVERVIEW

Writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences builds on the writing practices of English 110 and 120 and helps students prepare for the kinds of research, writing, and analysis they will experience in upper division courses in the humanities and social sciences.

This section of English 358 will examine and engage with death, dying, grief, and the decay of the body as themes of scholarly-literary, socio-historical, and cultural inquiry as well as probe, test, and explore human reactions (emotional and scientific) to human demise. Besides reading a number of primary fictional and non-fictional accounts, we will also delve into theoretical research and introduce you to the discourse used by professionals in your field. Our focus this semester will lie with reading research and producing writing assignments that will allow you to explore and practice composition skills, styles, and techniques used in your profession. All of the assignments for the course will require you to think critically about professional discourses and encourage you to criticize, imitate, and analyze writing in and for the discipline. The documents we produce this semester will include both technical and professional documents, stretching the compositional range from the summary to the job résumé/curriculum vitae.

In addition to reading and writing, we will also consult other media that engage and explore death, dying, grief, and the decay of the body as themes. As such, we will watch clips from movies and TV shows, view posters and advertisements, and (maybe) conduct a field trip to the Human Bodies exhibit in Watertown, SD. Notice, please, that the work completed for this course is graded as a portfolio; this means that you need to hang on to everything you do and write this semester, as everything will be resubmitted for (re)evaluation at the end of the course.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Our focus this semester will lie on fostering a professional environment in which we can read, discuss, and write about texts freely and competently. At the end of this course you should be able to:

OUTCOMES FOR UPPER-DIVISION WRITING COURSES

COURSE POLICIES

Read these guidelines carefully--they are crucial to your successful completion of English 358.

DEPARTMENTAL ATTENDANCE POLICY

In compliance with NDSU University Senate Policy, Section 333: Class Attendance and Policy and Procedure, located at <http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/policy/333.htm>, the English Department has established the following attendance policy. All English Department courses require active learning. Students are expected to speak, listen, and contribute. Therefore, prompt, regular attendance is required. Students who miss more than four weeks of class during the standard academic semester (e.g. twelve 50 minute classes, eight 75 minute classes, or their equivalent) will not pass the course. Moreover, each student is accountable for all work missed because of absence, and instructors have no obligation to make special arrangements for missed work. Additional attendance requirements may be implemented at the discretion of the individual instructor.

In addition, the following policies are applied to English 358: Timely attendance in class is a requirement for all students in English 358. Two late arrivals will count as one absence. Students with four absences will earn an F for the course; again, no exceptions are made. Keep track of your absences; regular and timely attendance is an absolute must.

If you do not understand these policies, you must ask me for clarification or stop by my office at your earliest convenience. By staying in this class, you are showing your acceptance of and compliance with these guidelines.

ABSENCES AND CONTACT INFORMATION

You are responsible for finding out what you missed on the days you are absent; this should not take place by asking me at the beginning of the next class period. Gather the names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of at least two other students (preferably four) in class so that you may contact them to find out what happened in class. I suggest that you record this information below, so you will have it handy when you need it.

Name/Phone: ______________________                                  Name/Phone: ___________________________

E-mail: ___________________________                                   E-mail: ________________________________

Name/Phone: ______________________                                  Name/Phone: ___________________________

E-mail: ___________________________                                   E-mail: ________________________________

GRADED ASSIGNMENTS

Written Assignments:
In addition to daily reading assignments and research write-ups, you will be asked to complete several shorter essays, varying in length from 1-6 pages, and one longer term paper (8-12 pages) on a research topic of your choice, i.e. within your discipline and pertinent to your profession. The written assignments will consists of a sequence of exercises that are geared toward honing your composition and analytical skills: Summary Analysis, 1-2 pages (10%); Rhetorical Analysis, 3-4 pages (10%); Stylistic Analysis, 2-3 pages (10%);  Annotated Bibliography, 4-6 pages (10%);  Résumé, 1-4 pages (5%); Portfolio Cover Letter, 1-2 pages (5%); Term Paper, 8-12 pages (15%). All of these assignments together will account for 65% of your final grade for the course.

Oral Presentations:
You will also have to prepare two longer oral presentations and one shorter oral presentation; the long presentations will consists of one group presentation (15-20 min.) that relates a critical, scholarly article about one of the themes we are discussing in the course to the rest of the class, and one individual project presentation (10-15 min.) that replaces the midterm and provides the class with an overview of the project you have chosen for the course; the short presentation will be a brief (5-10 min.) recap of your class project. The midterm-presentation may be an extension of an earlier shorter essay, a substantial draft of your longer term paper, or a critical review of research that will lead to your term paper and that includes a discussion of how that research and the course as a whole will help shape the final project. Note that the two longer presentations will have to include a 1-2 page write-up, outlining and describing the work that went into gathering material and assembling the presentation. To sum up: Midterm Presentation, to be accompanied by a 1-2 page report (10%); Group Presentation, to be accompanied by a 1-2 page report (10%); Final Portfolio Presentation (5%).  All three oral presentations together will account for 25% of your final grade for the course.

Participation and Homework:
Please keep in mind that participation is not synonymous with attendance; passive attendance is equivalent with being in absentia and that no or inactive participation will affect your overall grade for the course.  Regular attendance, active class participation, and completed reading/homework assignments will account for the remaining 10% of your final grade.

Portfolio Grading and Revision Policies:
Since this course takes advantage of the portfolio system, your final project will not only include your term paper but also all other written assignments that you have completed for the course; in addition, it will have to be accompanied by a professional résumé/curriculum vitae, cover letter, and a brief presentation of your research findings and learning outcomes. Note, please, that two of your written projects may be revised for inclusion in the course portfolio and re-evaluation at the end of the semester; a new grade will be applied to those two papers and your overall standing in the course adjusted in accordance to those new (and improved) grades.
 

GRADING

This course and all its assignment will be graded on a standard scale from A to F, with A representing work greater in quality than 90% and F lower than 50%. Paper grades are determined by applying standards of logic, coherence, style, and mechanics. Class assignments, exams, and course projects are clearly marked with percentages; refer to the assignment section of this syllabus for assignment criteria and individual grade/percentage allotments. You may also consult http://www.ndsu.edu/ndsu/theile/grades.html for a description of standards applied in the grading of written/oral assignments.

CAMPUS RESOURCES

Center for Writers: The Center for Writers is located in the library. The Center employs student tutors who will talk to you about your writing. Note, please, that the Center is not a proofreading service; expect tutors to offer suggestions for the overall improvement of your paper—no more, no less.

Library: You will need to familiarize yourself with the library this semester as you conduct your research for your oral presentations, both individual and group. Besides the general catalogue/search engine, notice the database link on the NDSU Library home page; this will take you to all of the databases to which you have free access as an NDSU student (such as Project Muse, JSTOR, ProQuest Direct, and the MLA Bibliography).

Reference Librarians: The reference librarians are another important resource for you; they are some of the most competent and helpful people on campus, and they will be happy to help you locate whichever information you need.

Minard Hall 322 F: I guarantee that I will be in my office during my scheduled office hours, but I am in my office or somewhere in or around Minard Hall quite a bit. If you have questions about assignment instructions or expectations, please come and see me. The quickest way to get in touch with me is by finding me in my office; option 2 is sending me an E-mail inquiry. I rank phone messages as option 3, because NDSU phones do not support long distance calls, which disqualifies most of your cell phone numbers, I’m sure; leave local numbers or email addresses only, please.

A Note on E-mail Etiquette: I am always happy to answer questions and discuss research topics, your progress in the course, and course assignments via e-mail. I do trust, however, that all e-mails are written in a respectful, professional tone and that they are proofread before they are sent. Remember please that this is a university level English course; your writing needs to reflect that. I do not respond to unprofessional or sloppily composed e-mails.

ACADEMIC HONESTY AND PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY

Plagiarism is grounds for failing the assignment and this course. All incidents of plagiarism and/or collusion will be reported to the department chair, the dean, and Student Affairs. There are no exceptions to this rule. Academic dishonesty is not acceptable in this or any other class at NDSU. All work for this course and all NDSU courses must be completed in a manner consistent with NDSU University Senate Policy, Section 335: Code of Academic Responsibility and Conduct; see www.ndsu.edu/policy/335.html for policy details. Note that action will be taken immediately and that dismissal from the university lies at the discretion of the Dean of Student Affairs. Save drafts, notes, and outlines for all of your written and oral assignments. You are expected to provide evidence of significant invention and revision for all work produced for English 251; be prepared to do so, and keep track of your work notes.

SPECIAL NEEDS

In keeping with the Americans with Disabilities Act, I encourage students with special needs, who need special accommodations in this course, to share these concerns or requests with me during the first week of class.

PORTFOLIO RECOMMENDATION FOR ENGLISH MAJORS
During their senior year, English majors generally enroll in the English Capstone course (Engl 467), during which they assemble a portfolio containing representative written work from NDSU English courses.  The English Department evaluates these portfolios to assess its undergraduate programs, analyzing how student work meets departmental outcomes.  In order to facilitate the preparation of senior portfolios, English majors are encouraged to save copies of their written work (in electronic and hard copy) each semester.

ADDITIONAL READING ASSIGNMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Essays and Short Stories: Amy Hampel, In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried; Lorrie Moore, Canonical Babblings in Peed Onk; Bernard Malamud, Idiots First; Leo Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Ilych; Kazuo Ishiguro, Family Supper; Ambrose Bierce, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge; Kate Chopin, The Story of an Hour; Bharati Mukherjee, The Management of Grief; Joan Didion, On Morality; Ernest Hemingway, Hills Like White Elephants; George Orwell, Shooting an Elephant; Gabriel Garcia Marquez, The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World; Richard Ford, Under the Radar; Flannery O’Connor, A Good Man is Hard to Find, Everything That Rises Must Converge; Edgar Allen Poe, The Cask of Amontillado; etc.

Poetry: Ben Jonson, “On My First Son”; Emily Dickinson, “After Great Pain,” “Because I Could Not Stop For Death”; Marge Piercy, “Barbie Doll”; Robert Browning, “Porphyria’s Lover,” “My Last Duchess”; William Wordsworth, “Ode: Intimations of Immortality recollected from Early Childhood”; Wallace Stevens, “The Emperor of Ice Cream”; Dylan Thomas, “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”; John Donne, “Death Be Not Proud”; Thomas Gray, “Ode on the Death of a Favorite Cat, Drownedin a Tub of Goldfishes”; Billie Holiday, “Strange Fruit”; e. e. cummings, “Two Poems”; William Shakespeare, Sonnet 12; etc.

Selections from: Homer, The Odyssey (Odysseus and Kalypso); The Bible (Revelation 21:1-22:5); Lucretius, On the Nature of Things (Book III); Francis Bacon, Essays (Of Death); Seneca, Moral Epistles (On Meeting Death Cheerfully); The Epic of Gilgamesh; Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels; Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlastin; Hans Jonas, The Burden and Blessing of Mortality; etc.

TENTATIVE LIST OF DAILY READINGS FOR ENGLISH 358

Unless instructed otherwise, you are expected to complete all of the reading by the day it is listed on the syllabus, announced in class, and/or posted on Blackboard. As in all classes, the schedule will occasionally need to be shifted to accommodate class discussion. Changes will be announced in class and/or posted on Blackboard or the course website: http://www.ndsu.edu/ndsu/theile/eng358.html. Be sure to check Blackboard regularly and contact your classmates when you miss class. It is your responsibility to keep track of reading assignments and scheduling updates.