Syllabus ENG 280 Fall 2 2013 October 21-December 14

Online Coming of Age Literature Nell Novara: nmnovara@mckendree.edu Required Texts (in the order we will read them): Jhumpa Lahiri. The Namesake. Mark Salzman. Lost in Place: Growing Up Absurd in Suburbia. Joy Nicholson. The Tribes of Palos Verdes. Sue Monk Kidd. The Secret Life of Bees. Janis Hallowell. The Annunciation of Francesca Dunn. Winters Bone This film can be rented on Amazon.com for a minimal amount. You may also get it from Netflix, a video rental store, etc. I know there are different editions of these novels out there, so I have tried to separate the readings by chapter where possible. For those that have page numbers indicated, I am pretty sure there are only one edition of these books, but just let me know if you need clarification as to how far you should read. Also be aware that when posting in the discussion board about these novels, it would be helpful for you to indicate page number and chapter place if directly quoting. So something like pg. 227 (end of Chapter 3) could really help your fellow students (and me) if we have different editions. While you can use an e-reader, I do not recommend it. Most students find that they do not remember what they read as well, and it is much harder to take notes in the margins, and to find relevant passages later on. The general goal of this class is to develop the ability to read and interpret coming- of-age literature critically, to develop the ability to identify and analyze themes and ideas typically found in this genre of writing. During the course of the semester we will examine a range of novels, short stories and films that focus on childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, and we will try to define what these terms mean in the latter half of the twentieth-century. What does it mean to come of age? At what age does one become an adult? What (if anything) has changed over the years about the way young people grow up in America? Do men and women grow up differently in American society? How do you own personal experiences relate to the texts? We will be discussing a number of issues experienced by adolescents in the late twentiethcentury, many of which deal with sensitive issues such as sexuality, drugs and alcohol, language, etc. These are contemporary novels so they are dealing with contemporary problems. The single best way to read literature is with a pen or a pencil in hand. Underline ideas that seem strange, unusual, confusing, important, even if you dont fully understand what is going on. Put question marks in the margins next to ideas that are not fully explained. Online Class vs. Face-to-Face Class

Virtually all of the work we do will be through Blackboard. I will also expect you to check your McKendree email at least every other day. We will use the discussion boards, groups and quizzes extensively, and you should be prepared to log on at least three times a week. Remember that each day in a Session unit counts for one hour of face-to-face time, plus the 610 hours of homework that you might typically be asked to do in a literature class. Ideally you should be spending 9-12 hours per week, although most weeks you will not spend nearly that amount of time. The most important folder is the Course Sessions folder. All of the readings, quizzes, etc. for each novel will be in this folder. You will find additional materials about the authors and novels in Course Documents and in External Links that might be helpful, but are not mandatory. Email I will email you several times a week with reading suggestions, ideas about the novels, things to think about, so it is important that you log on to both Blackboard and email every other day. I will check my email at least twice a day, so feel free to email me any questions. Discussion Boards In an online class, discussion boards are our primary way of communicating about the literature. For each novel, there will be a discussion board, on which you must post at least three times to be eligible for the full amount of points: you must post twice in some substantial way (refer to the grading rubric below) and post at least once in response to somebody elses post (not just I agree or I dont like this book or This book is hard to read.). You will need to read everybodys posts each time you log on, so you are not just repeating what somebody else has already said; this will be difficult to do if you are just logging on the discussion board on the final day. Ask questions on the discussion board if you are confused about anythingthis is the only way I can tell that you are having trouble. These must be written in your own wordsnot just copied from a website or book. Quizzes For each section of reading, there will be a five point quiz, for a total of fifteen quizzes (worth 75 points). The quizzes will include both short answer and multiple choice questions since this is the primary means of assessment in the class, and all answers must be in your own words. You will need to read your novel closely because there will occasionally be quote recognition questions. Quizzes will probably take you less than 15 minutes to complete. Exams There will also be an online midterm and a final exam. These will be in two parts: the first is an essay (more details below) that you will have 2-3 days to complete and the second will consist of timed short answers. Essays

You will write a total of three essays in this course. The first is a personal essay detailing your own coming of age experiences. The second and third will each be a literary analysis paper, one as part 1 of your midterm and one as part 1 of your final exam. For these papers, I will provide a prompt a few days before they are due. All answers are expected to be in your own words and to follow appropriate MLA formatting guidelines. Information about literary terms and literary analyses papers can be found under the Course Documents section in Blackboard. Grading: ALL assignments must be completed to pass the course (this includes both the short answer and essay parts of the exams). Total number of points is 370. Letter of Introduction (in Discussion Board) Personal Essay Midterm Exam Quizzes (15 quizzes worth five points each) Discussion Boards (6 at 10 pts. Each) Final exam 5 points 30 points 100 points 75 points 60 points 100 points

Late Work The class is set up to allow you to work flexibly with your own schedule; most of the work, other than the midterm and final exams, is done asynchronously. You will have 3-5 days after we finish with a Course Module to complete quizzes and discussion boards (depending on the length of the book). If you do the discussion board after the closing date, however, it will be difficult to get the full ten points because most of the other students will have moved on to the next novel. The exams must be taken within the date windows assigned, although even here, there is at least a 48 hour turnaround to accommodate anyone who works long shifts. Academic Honesty As stated in the catalog, students must exercise integrity and honesty in all aspects of their academic work. Plagiarism consists of presenting the words or ideas of another without proper acknowledgment. This applies to direct quotations, paraphrases, or summarized ideas. Plagiarism will result in a minimal consequence of failing the assignment, and more likely will result in failing the course, depending on the level of dishonesty. All quiz questions and exam answers must be in your own words (nothing from an external site, nothing taken verbatim from the novel). Anything taken from an internet site will automatically receive a zero on the entire quiz/exam.

Assignment Syllabus Coming-of-Age Literature This is a suggested breakdown of the reading assignments, although since this is an online class, you can do the work in the manner and time most convenient with your schedule; just keep in mind that we doing the work of a fifteen week semester in eight weeks. All quizzes, discussion boards, etc., however, will be shut off 5 days after we complete the novel. If you post after the suggested completion dates, you wont be engaging in a real discussion with your peers on the discussion board, so this will also limit your chances of receiving a full ten points. While you might be able to find study guides to help with the reading of these novels, reading only the study guide will make it difficult for you to take quizzes and really understand the literature; some quiz questions will include a passage from the novel for you to identify or respond to, which will make it necessary for you to read. I will give you chapter questions for each novel that will help you tease out important ideasall of these will be linked in the Course Sessions folder. Make sure to do all the reading before logging on to take a quiz. Once the quiz is launched, it must be taken in its entirety, and you will have 10-20 minutes to take it (depending on the questions). It is important that you read closelytake notes or underline in the book as you read. We will begin with our longest and most complex novel, so make sure to allow plenty of time to get the reading done in an accelerated way. Really try to follow the syllabus below so you dont get behind on the reading. There will be two reading catch up days before each exam. Unit 1: The Namesake Mon. Oct. 21 Log on and post letter of introduction (in discussion board). Read Successful Student Tips and prompt for Personal Essay (both under course documents)- due Nov. 1 The Namesake Ch. 1-3 Quiz 1 The Namesake Ch. 4-6 Quiz 2 The Namesake Ch. 6- pg. 227 (ends with When relatives come from India come to address letters and cards to Mrs. Moushim Ganguli) Quiz 3 The Namesake pg. 228-end (begins with They put the money toward a security deposit) Quiz 4

Wed. Oct. 23 Fri. Oct. 25 Mon. Oct. 28

Wed. Oct. 30

Unit 2: Lost in Place Fri. Nov 1 Lost in Place Ch. 1-8 Quiz 5 Submit Personal Essayemail it to me Mon. Nov 4 Lost in Place Ch. 9-14 Quiz 6

Wed. Nov 6 Fri. Nov 8

Lost in Place Ch. 15-end Quiz 7 Lost in Place (reading catch up day)

Unit 3: Winters Bone Mon. Nov 11 MIDTERM Tues. Nov 12 Midterm Exam Part 1 The essay question will be posted today and you will have until Saturday at noon to email me your midterm essay (Saturday Nov. 15) Midterm Exam Part 2 The short answer part of the exam will open at 6 a.m. today and remain open until Thursday Nov. 14th at 11:59 p.m. This part of the exam must be taken in its entirety once it is launched. Winters Bone (film discussion board) Quiz 8

Wed. Nov 13

Unit 4: Tribes of Palos Verdes Fri. Nov 15 Mon. Nov 18 Tribes of Palos Verdes 3-92 Quiz 9 Tribes of Palos Verdes 93-158

Unit 5: The Secret Life of Bees Wed. Nov 20 Fri. Nov 22 Mon. Nov 25 Wed. Nov 27 The Secret Life of Bees Ch. 1-5 Quiz 10 The Secret Life of Bees Ch. 6- 9 Quiz 11 The Secret Life of Bees Ch. 10-13 The Secret Life of Bees Ch. 13-end Quiz 12

Unit 5: The Annunciation of Francesca Dunn Fri. Nov 29 Mon. Dec 2 Wed. Dec 4 Fri. Dec 6 Mon. Dec 9 FINAL The Annunciation of Francesca Dunn 3-71 Quiz 13 The Annunciation 72-184 Quiz 14 The Annunciation 185-266 The Annunciation 267-310 Quiz 15 Reading catch up day and prepare for final exam.

Tues. Dec 10

Final Exam Part 1: The essay question will be posted today and you will have until Saturday at noon to email your final exam essay (Saturday Dec. 14) Final Exam Part 2: The short answer part of the exam will open at 6 a.m. today and remain open until Thursday Dec. 12th at 11:59 p.m. This part of the exam must be taken in its entirety once it is launched.

Wed. Dec 11

Thur. Dec 12

Complete your course evaluation