Please Note: This Class Syllabus is an important step in updating the format of our distance courses. If for any reason the Class
Syllabus does not match the print Course Guide or online course information, the Class Syllabus shall be taken as correct.
CLASS SYLLABUS
COURSE TITLE:
Literature and Composition: Reading Culture, Reading the Family
COURSE CODE:
ENG 114.3
TERM:
Winter 2016
COURSE CREDITS:
3
DELIVERY:
Online
COURSE SECTION:
W02-W99
START DATE:
January 5, 2016
END DATE:
April 7, 2016
Course Description
This course provides an introduction to historical and contemporary cultural forms in English.
The course links the reading of literature, the study and practice of writing, and the tools of
critical analysis. Works of literature have been chosen to give reasonable representation to
writing by men and women, and to writing from different national and cultural settings.
Note: Only 6 credit units of 100-Level English may be taken for credit.
Course Learning Outcomes
This first-year English class will promote critical engagement with literature involving the family
unit, occupying a variety of historical periods and literary genres. Secondarily, this is a skills
class, concentrating on improving students’ abilities to read critically and write well. The more
specific purposes include the following:
1. Through the careful reading of poetry, drama, and narrative literature, students will engage
with the ways in which creative writers have explored and explained the family unit.
2. Through the writing of essays, students will develop the writing skills necessary for
successful advanced work in the university and beyond.
Please refer to the online modules which include discussion material about your required
readings, for which you will be responsible in the online postings, essays, and final examination.
The Appendices contain Required Resource Works that are not available in your other texts.
Class Overview
This class will introduce students to cultural studies and the major genres of poetry, drama, and
narrative. Students will be asked to read critically and write effectively about those literary works.
November 25, 2015 gm ck rm cb rm
ENG 114.3 - Literature and Composition: Reading Culture, Reading the Family
Your Instructor
Rita S. Matlock, Sessional Lecturer (English Department, University of Saskatchewan).
Contact Information
You should call or email me about any problems you may have with class content or essay
writing.
Office
306-966-4594 (M, W, F afternoons)
Home
306-220-0659
Email
[email protected]
Contact Hours
Generally, I will be available for phone (CCDE Writing Centre, 306-966-4594) or email
consultation Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons from 1-4 p.m. I will return your call or
email as soon as I am able (usually within the next academic day).
Profile
I have been an off-campus lecturer since 1990, and I have travelled more than 700,000 kms in
the province. I have taught face-to-face classes and offered writing workshops in many
locations, including Melfort, Nipawin, Tisdale, Swift Current, Kindersley, Rosetown, Warman,
Prince Albert, North Battleford, Regina, and La Ronge. I hope that I have not forgotten any of
the sites that I have visited! I enjoy travelling the province, except when I have to drive in a
blizzard!
During the fall/winter session, I also teach first-year English for SUNTEP at the University of
Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, and, in Spring/Summer session, I often teach a first-year class on
campus. I have worked as an Independent Studies facilitator and a Tutor/Marker for the firstyear televised English class for more than 25 years, a class that I now teach. As well, I created
and have recently begun facilitating three web-based first-year English classes. Currently, I am
the coordinator for the CCDE Writing Centre for students who study at a distance (DOC).
My academic interests include nineteenth-century literature and history, especially the American
South and Victorian England. My non-academic interests include reading Anne Perry’s novels
and struggling with Sudoku. In my off-time, I enjoy riding motorcycles and walking my dogs.
Walking your dog or someone else’s dog is a good stress reliever, even in the winter months!
Some might say that this is the way to embrace winter in Saskatchewan.
Required Resources
Textbooks
Required Textbook List (alphabetical)
Browning, Robert. “My Last Duchess” and Other Poems. Dover Thrift Edition. ISBN:
9780486277837
Chopin, Kate. “A Pair of Silk Stockings” and Other Stories. Dover Thrift Edition. ISBN:
9780486292649
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ENG 114.3 - Literature and Composition: Reading Culture, Reading the Family
Concise Oxford English Dictionary or Oxford Dictionary of Current English.
Or http://www.oed.com
Faigley, Lester, Roger Graves, and Heather Graves. The Brief Penguin Handbook. 3rd
Canadian Ed. Toronto: Pearson, 2014. ISBN: 9780205937523
Or digital version: www.coursesmart.com/students
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. Ed. Philip Smith. Dover Thrift Edition. ISBN: 9780486270623
Joyce, James. Dubliners. Dover Thrift Edition. ISBN: 9780486291215
Lewis, Janet. The Wife of Martin Guerre. Ohio UP-Swallow P. ISBN: 9780804011433
Marken, Ron. “Explicating a Poem.” Permachart. ISBN: 9781554312092
Marken, Ron. “Free Verse Poetry.” Permachart. ISBN: 9781554312443
Matheson, Terry. “Understanding the Short Story.” Permachart. ISBN: 9781554312511
Negri, Paul, ed. Great Sonnets. Dover Thrift Edition. ISBN: 9780486280523
Pollock, Sharon. Blood Relations and Other Plays. Prairie Play Series 22. NeWest Press.
ISBN: 9781896300641
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Roma Gill. Oxford School Shakespeare. ISBN:
9780198320517
Optional Text List
Marken, Ron. “Punctuation in Formal Writing.” Permachart. ISBN: 9781554312412
Marken, Ron “Writing Succinctly.” Permachart. ISBN: 9781554312429
Textbooks are available from the University of Saskatchewan Bookstore:
www.usask.ca/consumer_services/bookstore/textbooks
Electronic Resources
Some readings in this class will be available electronically. The links and PDFs will be
provided for you in your online class.
Department of English. Requirements for Essays.
http://artsandscience.usask.ca/english/pdf/RequirementsForEssays.pdf
Downloads
Some downloads may require Adobe Reader. To install this software, click this link and follow
the download and installation instructions: http://get.adobe.com/reader.
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ENG 114.3 - Literature and Composition: Reading Culture, Reading the Family
Mobile Access
Blackboard Mobile LearnTM is an app that is available on many devices
including iOS® and Android™ for those occasional times when you may want mobile access. It
is still recommended that you use a laptop or desktop computer for the majority of your online
studies.
Supplementary Resources
See the modules in Blackboard.
Update your Contact Information.
Log on to PAWS at http://www.paws.usask.ca and click the Address icon to ensure that your
contact information is correct. Your instructor will use this information to contact you.
The University communicates with students through PAWS and through the student’s University
e-mail account; it is the student’s responsibility to check for such communications. You are
required to use your PAWS email for all U of S communications.
For this class the instructor will be emailing weekly important class updates;
you are encouraged to check your U of S PAWS email daily.
Reading Actively and Making Notes
Be an active reader. Study actively.
To read actively, you need to make notes in the margins of the texts, underline, and highlight.
Get to know the texts so that you can find things easily.
To study actively, you should also make notes outside the text: i.e. a synopsis, character lists,
ideas as you read, connections and parallels between one work and another.
And, most important of all, make lists of questions you think might be on the final exam. If you
were making up the exam, what would you want the students to think about? Devise interesting
and challenging comparative questions.
Syllabus / About Discussions Quiz
START HERE. Students are required to complete the Syllabus / About Discussions Quiz with a
grade of 10/10 before the Modules for the class will open up. Click on START HERE in the
Menu on the Blackboard Class homepage.
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ENG 114.3 - Literature and Composition: Reading Culture, Reading the Family
Class Schedule
No Class Days for this Class in Winter 2016
Feb. 15-19, 2016
Family Day and U of S Winter Mid-term Break
Friday, March 25, 2016
Good Friday
Week
Module
1
Jan. 5-8
2016
Essay
Writing
Required Readings
(see modules for supplementary
readings/resources)
Formal
Evaluation Due
Dates
Faigley, Graves, and Graves, “Planning, Drafting,
and Revising;” “Read and View with a Critical Eye;”
and “Write About Literature,” The Brief Penguin
Handbook
Syllabus / About
Discussions Quiz
Dept. of English, Requirements for Essays,
http://artsandscience.usask.ca/english/pdf/Requirem
Introductory
entsForEssays.pdf
Informal Online
Dept. of English, “Plagiarism,” Class Syllabus,
Posting
Additional Information section
Jan. 1115 2016
“Integrity Defined,” Class Syllabus or Module 1 in
Blackboard
“Basic Patterns for Effective Sentences,”
Appendix A in Blackboard
Jan. 1822 2016
Jan. 2529 2016
2
Cultural Criticism/Short Fiction
Cultural
Studies/
Ross Murfin, “What is Cultural Criticism?”, PDF in
Blackboard
Short
Fiction
Laura Reitz-Wilson, “Race and Othello on Film,”
PDF in Blackboard
Jan. 5-8
Module 1 Quiz
Jan. 11-15
Student
Discussion
Forum Posts
Jan. 18-22
Evaluated
Stephanie Coontz, “‘Two Birds within One Nest’:
Sentimental Marriage in Nineteenth-Century Europe Online Post 1
and North America,” PDF in Blackboard
Jan. 25-29
Short Fiction
Terry Matheson, “Understanding the Short Story,”
Permachart
James Joyce, “Araby,” Dubliners
D.H. Lawrence, “The Rocking-Horse Winner,” PDF
in Blackboard
As soon as the
class begins
Online Library
Orientation
Due no later than
Friday, Feb. 12
William Faulkner, “A Rose for Emily,” PDF in
Blackboard
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ENG 114.3 - Literature and Composition: Reading Culture, Reading the Family
Week
Module
Required Readings
(see modules for supplementary
readings/resources)
Formal
Evaluation Due
Dates
Kate Chopin, “Desiree’s Baby,” “A Pair of Silk
Stockings” and Other Stories
Learning Materials—Reading Notes
3
Feb. 1-5
2016
Modern
Drama
“Ibsen as a Dramatic Artist,” Ibsen Voyages, PDF in Student
Discussion
Blackboard
Forum Posts
Plant, Richard, “Drama in English.” PDF in
Feb. 1-5
Blackboard
Henrik Ibsen, A Doll’s House
Feb. 8-12
2016
Sharon Pollock, Blood Relations, Blood Relations
and Other Plays
Essay 1
Tuesday, Feb. 9
Learning Materials—Reading Notes
(Friday, Feb. 12
with Extension)
Online Library
Orientation
Due no later than
Friday, Feb. 12
Feb. 1519 2016
Feb. 2226 2016
Feb. 29Mar. 4
2016
Mar. 7-11
2016
Mar. 1418, 2016
No Classes—Family Day and U of S Winter Midterm Break
4
Janet Lewis, The Wife of Martin Guerre
Novels
Learning Materials—Reading Notes
Evaluated
Online Post 2
Feb. 22-26
5
Shakespear
-ean Drama
William Shakespeare, Othello, Oxford School
Shakespeare ed.
Faigley, Graves, and Graves, “Planning Research
and Finding Resources;” “Incorporating and
Documenting Resources;” and “MLA,” The Brief
Penguin Handbook
Learning Materials—Reading Notes
Student
Discussion
Forum Posts
Mar. 7-11
Essay 2
Tuesday, Mar. 15
(Friday, Mar. 18
with Extension)
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ENG 114.3 - Literature and Composition: Reading Culture, Reading the Family
Week
Mar. 2124 2016
Module
Required Readings
(see modules for supplementary
readings/resources)
6
Ron Marken, “Explicating a Poem,” Permachart
Poetry
Ron Marken, “Free Verse Poetry,” Permachart
Formal
Evaluation Due
Dates
Evaluated
Online Post 3
“A Short History of the Sonnet,” Folger Shakespeare Mar. 28- Apr. 1
Library, PDF in Blackboard
Mar. 28Apr. 1
2016
Robert Browning, “Porphyria’s Lover,” “My Last
Duchess” and Other Poems
Robert Browning, “My Last Duchess,” “My Last
Duchess” and Other Poems
William Shakespeare, “My mistress’ eyes are
nothing like the sun,” Great Sonnets
Edmund Spenser, “One day I wrote her name upon
the strand,” Great Sonnets
Edwin Arlington Robinson, “Reuben Bright,” Great
Sonnets
Theordore Roethke, “My Papa’s Waltz,” PDF in
Blackboard
Margaret Atwood, “you fit into me,” PDF in
Blackboard
Seamus Heaney, “Mother of the Groom,” PDF in
Blackboard
Louise Halfe, “The Boarding School,” PDF in
Blackboard
Louise Halfe, The Residential School Bus,” PDF in
Blackboard
Louise Halfe, “Wagon Ride,” PDF in Blackboard
Learning Materials—Reading Notes
Apr. 4-7
2016
Exam
Preparation/
Strategies
Online
FINAL
EXAM
Appendix B in Blackboard
April 9-30 (Exact
date/time TBA)
Note: If for any reason the Class Syllabus Reading List does not match the Module Reading
List, the Class Syllabus shall be taken as correct.
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ENG 114.3 - Literature and Composition: Reading Culture, Reading the Family
Grading Scheme
Module 1 Quiz
5%
Essay #1
15%
Essay #2
20%
Evaluated Online Postings (3)
15%
Students’ Discussion Forum
Posts (3+3)
15%
Final Examination
Total
30%
100%
Information on literal descriptors for grading at the University of Saskatchewan can be found at:
http://students.usask.ca/current/academics/grades/grading-system.php
Please note: There are different literal descriptors for undergraduate and graduate students.
More information on the Academic Courses Policy on course delivery, examinations and
assessment of student learning can be found at: http://policies.usask.ca/policies/academicaffairs/academic-courses.php
The University of Saskatchewan Learning Charter is intended to define aspirations about the
learning experience that the University aims to provide, and the roles to be played in realizing
these aspirations by students, instructors and the institution. A copy of the Learning Charter can
be found at: http://policies.usask.ca/documents/LearningCharter.pdf
Evaluation Components
CCDE Writing Centre - Quality writing help for free!
Anyone taking a distance class (online, independent studies, televised, or multi–mode delivery)
administered by the CCDE can use this free service. The Writing Centre provides tools and
support to help you write effective essays, reports, or reviews. Simply submit a project draft, and
a qualified tutor will assess your work and offer advice to improve your project. Contact the
CCDE Writing Centre at http://www.ccde.usask.ca/writing
Formal Requirements
1. Study the required texts.
2. Submit 2 essays on the assigned due dates.
3. Submit 3 Evaluated Online Posts within the assigned dates.
4. Complete 1 Module Quiz within the assigned dates.
5. Participate in Modules 2, 3, and 5 in the online Student Discussion Forum (3 + 3 Posts)
within the assigned dates.
6. Complete an online Library Orientation (3 Modules, 4 Quizzes, and the Student Evaluation
of the Online Library Orientation).
7. Write a two-hour online final examination in April.
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ENG 114.3 - Literature and Composition: Reading Culture, Reading the Family
No essays will be accepted after April 7, 2016. Incomplete class work (without consultation
with the instructor) will result in a grade of not exceeding 49%.
Written Assignments
The assignments are posted online in Blackboard.
Online Library Orientation
You are required to complete the online library orientation. You may earn a 3-day extension for
your second essay if you earn 80% (40/50) or more in each of the 4 Module quizzes.
You do not need to complete this bonus assignment.
Module 1 Quiz
You are required to complete a 20-minute 10-question online quiz on the Learning Materials in
the Module on Essay Writing. The questions will be randomized. The Quiz is worth 5% of your
final mark.
Evaluated Online Post 1
Value:
5% of final grade
Due Date:
See Class Schedule
Purpose:
One 100-150 word paragraph (marked on content and expression) responding to
one of the Study Topics in Module 2
Description: See the evaluated postings assignment for the details of the questions, etc.
Evaluated Online Post 2
Value:
5% of final grade
Due Date:
See Class Schedule
Purpose:
One 100-150 word paragraph (marked on content and expression) responding to
one of the Study Topics in Module 4
Description: See the evaluated postings assignment for the details of the questions, etc.
Evaluated Online Post 3
Value:
5% of final grade
Due Date:
See Class Schedule
Purpose:
One 100-150 word paragraph (marked on content and expression) responding to
one of the Study Topics in Module 6
Description: See the evaluated postings assignment for the details of the questions, etc.
Essay 1
Value:
15% of final grade
Due Date:
See Class Schedule
Purpose:
The essay will ask students to discuss an assigned topic in response to one of
the literary works in Module 2.
Description: See the essay assignment for the details of the topic, expectations, etc.
Essay 2
Value:
20% of final grade
Due Date:
See Class Schedule
Purpose:
The essay will ask students to discuss an assigned topic in response to one of
the literary works in Modules 3 or 4.
Description: See the essay assignment for the details of the topic, expectations, etc.
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ENG 114.3 - Literature and Composition: Reading Culture, Reading the Family
Student Discussion Forum
Value:
15% of final grade
Due Date:
Twice in each of Modules 2, 3 and 5
Purpose:
This semi-formal Student Discussion Forum is meant to create the experience of
classroom interaction that you would find in a face-to-face classroom. This Student Discussion
Forum encourages you to engage with the literary texts and the topics among yourselves.
Description: You must post one response of some depth to one of the Study Topics in the
assigned Modules, and you must post at least one response to other students’ posts in the
Student Discussion Forum for that week. See About Discussions for the details of the topic,
expectations, etc.
A mark will be provided at the end of the last Module.
I will monitor but rarely involve myself in this Student Discussion Forum. Write in a semi-formal
manner. Have fun with it but be respectful of the ideas of other members of the class. (I will let
you know privately if you are writing in too informal a way etc.)
Final Exam
Value:
30% of final grade
Due Date:
See Class Schedule
Purpose:
The exam is comprehensive and will cover all of the class readings.
Length:
Two hours
Description: In the online final exam, students will write 5 paragraph answers, identifying and
analyzing characters, images, or quotations from the class readings and 1 essay on
Shakespeare’s Othello. This exam’s questions will be randomized. The exam will be delivered,
written, and submitted online through Blackboard, is closed book, and will be checked for
plagiarism using Grammarly.
The final exam period runs from April 9-30, 2016. The day and time of your online final
examination will be listed in the Final Examination schedule in your PAWS account.
Extensions and Late Assignments
1-day extension: One will be granted to each student to be used at your discretion for the Quiz,
Evaluated Online Posts, and Student Discussion Forum posts. You do not need to contact me if
you use your 1-day extension.
Late postings (Evaluated or Student Discussion Forum), after you have used your 1-day
extension will not earn marks unless you have a documented medical or compassionate
situation (a job and heavy class load are not compassionate situations).
3-day extension: One will be granted to each student to be used at your discretion for Essay 1
or 2. The extension cannot be used for the Quiz, Evaluated Online Posts, the Student
Discussion Forum Posts, or the Final Exam. You do not need to contact me if you are going to
use your extension. Simply type into the Submission Box that you are using your 3-day
extension.
Students may earn a second 3-day extension for completing the online Library Orientation with
marks of 80% (40/50) or more on each of the 4 Library Module Quizzes.
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ENG 114.3 - Literature and Composition: Reading Culture, Reading the Family
Late essays (after you have used your extension) will be penalized at 3% per day, including
weekend days.
If you have a documented medical or compassionate situation, you will need to make
arrangements with me to submit your assignments in a timely manner.
All Evaluated online posts and essays must be submitted, and students must participate
in the Student Discussion Forum and write the final exam in order to be considered for a
pass in the class.
No assignments will be accepted after April 7, 2016.
Submission of Assignments
Electronically to your instructor in the Blackboard Learn system. No emailed essays or posts will
be accepted.
Additional Information
English Department Standards for Composition
To pass English 114.3 a student must by the end of the class have shown competence in the
following:
1.
organizing an essay on a set topic, developing ideas logically and systematically, and
supporting these ideas with the necessary evidence, quotations, or examples;
2.
organizing a paragraph;
3.
documenting essays using the MLA method;
4.
writing grammatical sentences, avoiding such mistakes as the following:
i. comma splices, run-on sentences, and sentence fragments
ii. faulty agreement of subject and verb or pronoun and antecedent
iii. faulty or vague reference (e.g., vague use of this, that, or which)
iv. shifts in person and number, tense, or mood
v. dangling modifiers;
5.
spelling correctly; and
6.
punctuating correctly.
Students with Disabilities
Students who have disabilities (learning, medical, physical, or mental health) are strongly
encouraged to register with Disability Services for Students (DSS) if they have not already done
so. Students who suspect they may have disabilities should contact DSS for advice and
referrals. In order to access DSS programs and supports, students must follow DSS policy and
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ENG 114.3 - Literature and Composition: Reading Culture, Reading the Family
procedures. For more information, check http://www.students. usask.ca/disability/, or contact
DSS at 966-7273 or [email protected].
A Friendly Reminder about Plagiarism
You are plagiarizing if you present the words or thoughts of someone else as if they were your
own (Exceptions are proverbial sayings or common knowledge), or if you submit without
approval of the instructor any work for which credit has previously been obtained or is being
sought in another course.
Avoid charges of plagiarizing by acknowledging your sources in the essay and including them in
the list of works cited. When quoting, make sure that all words and phrases from the source are
in quotation marks. When paraphrasing, acknowledge the source of the idea but rewrite in your
own language. For further information see the Department of English Requirements for Essays
online document.
Plagiarism, whether from the Net, from other students, or from published sources, is a serious
academic offense that bears severe consequences. Instructors will report such offenses to the
dean of the student’s college, and any allegations will be reviewed by the university’s committee
on Student Academic Dishonesty. Penalties can range from a “0” on an essay to a reduced
mark for the course to expulsion from the University. Records of penalties assessed are kept on
file by the University Registrar; penalties become more severe for subsequent offences. For
more information on plagiarism, see
http://www.usask.ca/university_secretary/honesty/
Integrity Defined (from the Office of the University Secretary)
“Integrity is expected of all students in their academic work – class participation, examinations,
assignments, research, practica – and in their non-academic interactions and activities as well.”
(Office of the University Secretary)
It is your responsibility to be familiar with the University of Saskatchewan Guidelines for
Academic Conduct. More information is available at
http://www.usask.ca/secretariat/student-conduct-appeals/IntegrityDefined.pdf
Acknowledgements
Class Author
Rita Matlock, B.A. Hons. (University of Saskatchewan); M.A. (University of Saskatchewan);
Sessional Lecturer, English Department, University of Saskatchewan; Coordinator, CCDE
Writing Centre, University of Saskatchewan
In consultation with:
T.J. Matheson, Ph.D. (English Department, University of Saskatchewan)
Instructional Design and Class Development
Margareth Peterson (Extension Division, University of Saskatchewan)
Revisions 2012-2013
Jeanette McKee, M.Ed. (Centre for Continuing & Distance Education, University of
Saskatchewan)
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