English 2327: Survey Of American Literature I Syllabus

Dr. B. ForsythProfessor of EnglishOdessa College201 W. UniversityOdessa, TX 79761Ph: 432-335-6661 ofcEmail: bforsyth@odessa.eduURL: www.odessa.eduOffice Hours:Posted OC WebsiteNeed Blackboard Help?Call 432-335-6878"Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself."-- Chinese ProverbEnglish 2327:Survey of American Literature ISyllabusCourse Description:English 2327: Survey of American Literature I consists of reading and analyzing significantworks of American literature from the Colonial Period through the Romantic Period. Thiscourse views literature through a historical perspective. The objective of the course is toenable students to appreciate literature by developing their critical and aesthetic senses andby acquainting them with the rich, literary heritage of the United States. Three credit hours.Prerequisite: English 1302.

2This syllabus is tentative and may be changed to accommodate studentneeds.Textbook(s):Anthology of American Literature. Vol. I. 10th ed. George McMichael, et al. Pearson.Prentice Hall. 2011. ISBN: 9780205779390Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.To purchase less than the required components of a course is your sole responsibility,and such an action may mean that you do not always have full access to the sameonline information in test preparation, postings, and papers. As such, your grademay be negatively impacted.Learning Outcomes Determined by Odessa College English Department (Aug. 2010):Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to Demonstrate the ability to think critically about notable works of American literaturefrom the colonial period up to the Civil War;Demonstrate the ability to read assigned texts closely, develop interpretationalanalyses of these texts, and clearly articulate the findings of these criticalinterpretational analyses;Recognize the major movements and periods of American literature from thecolonial period up to the Civil War;Discuss the basic and more abstract elements of different genres of literature of thisperiod using appropriate literary terminology;Recognize recurring cultural and literary themes as they appear in selected works ofthis period of American literature;Communicate this understanding of American literature using well-organized, lucidprose.****************** Core Syllabus ******************All of my courses utilize Blackboard (BB). Unless a course is designated as a full Internetcourse, a student must meet at the scheduled class time as determined by the College. Onlya full Internet class is conducted entirely via the Internet. A full Internet class has mandatoryattendance in the virtual environment. An Internet-Enhanced or hybrid class has mandatoryclassroom attendance on campus.Students enrolling in this course will be expected to have a good command of standard

3written English. Students with severe grammar problems should expect to be assigned timeoutside class in the Tutoring Center.The course is divided into units, and I direct the coursework for each unit as we progressthrough the semester. The course is not self-paced. The student will have frequentassignments with due dates. The student will complete course units on the schedule that Iprovide through regular announcements.I present the same material in a course regardless if it is traditional (face-to-face) or nontraditional (e.g. hybrid, Internet-Enhanced, Internet). The same material is presented in thecourse regardless of the semester length (mid-winter, four weeks, eight weeks, or sixteenweeks). Regardless of the medium, students are required to read the same material, take thesame exams, and fulfill the same course objectives. Since the course material and courseexpectations are the same, I do not have a different syllabus for a different medium.This syllabus is tentative and may be changed.It is mandatory that you check Blackboard (Message Center,announcements, updates) and your OC student email daily.Technology Requirements:Students must have daily access to the Internet and be proficient in word processing as wellas emailing and sending attachments. The Student Success Center (Tutoring Center) hasnumerous computers available to students, free of charge, during the week and on theweekend. The Student Success Center (Tutoring Center) is located on the first floor of theLearning Resource Center.If a computer crashes, the student is still responsible for accessing Blackboard and doing theassignments in a timely manner. Blackboard is accessible anywhere there is Internet access.Travel is NOT an excuse for missing a deadline.Required Materials:Storage device such as thumb driveYellow Highlighter -- Highlight important material in your textbook.Purchase the required textbook for the course. See textbook section.To purchase less than the required components of a course is your sole responsibility, andsuch an action may mean that you do not always have full access to the same information intest preparation, postings, and papers. As such, your grade may be negatively impacted.* If you are enrolled in a traditional or hybrid class, purchase the physical textbook -- not anebook. I strongly recommend a hardcopy textbook regardless of the medium. You will berequired to bring the textbook to class. The textbook can be purchased at the OC Bookstore.

4Office Hours:A student may call or visit during office hours.The instructor's office hours, which are updated each semester, are posted on the OCwebsite: www.odessa.edu. Office hours vary each semester.Appointments are strongly encouraged. If already enrolled in the course, leave a message inBB’s Message Center. I check BB’s Message Center several times during the day.Response time to an email/phone call is 24-48 hours during normal college operating hours.If you email over the weekend, holiday, or anytime the main campus is closed, I will respondto your email immediately when the campus reopens. (An exception to this would be a midwinter class where the campus is closed but class is in-session.) If you do not receive aresponse from me, please assume that I did not receive your email and resend it.A student does not need to email me to say that s/he is enrolled in a course. You shouldlogin to Blackboard on the first day of class. If there is a Blackboard or email issue, thestudent needs to contact the OC Tutoring Center for assistance.Blackboard Communication: I have designated sections (Message Center andDiscussion Board) in Blackboard where I respond to students’ questions regarding thecourse or a personal concern. The student is required to leave a personal message for theinstructor in the Message Center. However, most, in fact, nearly all questions are in someway course related; those questions should be posted in Discussion Board. I check BBseveral times each weekday. The Message Center and Discussion Board are located inBlackboard. Once the student is enrolled in a course, all communication should beconducted in BB – not email. Do not email the Instructor. I will tell you to pay attentionto the instructions, and I will tell you to post your message in BB’s Messsage Center.If you need to know if the campus is closed for a holiday or weather related event, check theOC website: www.odessa.edu.If a student should email the instructor, s/he is required to send email from the OC studentemail account—not a personal account. A personal email may be directed to a junk mailsite and the instructor may never even know that there was an email. Read the informationregarding creating a student signature when you send an email.Go to the OC website to activate your OC student email account. The OC email accountneeds to be activated before the first day of class. If you need help, the Student SuccessCenter (Tutoring Center) will be glad to assist you in activating your OC student emailaccount.Important: Once class begins, I will send numerous emails in a week in regard to theclass. If you do receive any emails from me regarding Blackboard, then you are notreceiving emails. If you experience any problem with your OC email, immediately contact

5the Student Success Center (Tutoring Center) to correct the problem.Voice Mail:My office phone has voice mail. If you lose contact with me (i.e. you cannot contact me viaBlackboard), you need to call my office during my office hours. An instructor’s office hoursare posted on the OC website. If you should need to leave a voice message, please followthe following points: 1. Leave your full name. 2. Identify the course (and section) in whichyou are enrolled. 3. Explain the reason you cannot contact me and leave a phone number soI can return your in-area call. 4. Repeat the phone number twice. 5. Speak clearly.Important: I cannot return an out-of-area or long distance phone calls from my officephone. You are welcome to call me during my office hours, which are posted on the OCwebsite.In Blackboard, I have established areas where students can leave questions regarding thecourse or a personal message to the instructor.Preparation for Computer Emergencies:Each time you work on a document save it on the computer’s hard drive as well as a thumbdrive for backup.Not having a working computer or a crashed computer during the semester will NOT beconsidered as an acceptable reason for not completing course activities at a scheduled time.The Student Success Center (Tutoring Center) has numerous computers and printersavailable to students free of charge. All you need is a thumb drive to save and/or access theinformation.If a computer crashes, the student is still responsible for accessing Blackboard and doing theassignments in a timely manner. Blackboard is accessible anywhere there is Internet access.If you choose to travel during a test or assignment due date, it is your responsibility to meetall course deadlines. Go to the public library, the LRC/computer center, an Internet Cafe, ora friend's house. Travel is NOT an excuse for missing a deadline. Internet access is alsoavailable in most hotels. If the student does not have a functional computer or access to acomputer, that student is in jeopardy of failing the course.Testing Requirements:A student is expected to read the test requirements in Blackboard before attempting eachexam. Test requirements may vary for different tests.Important: You must allow yourself sufficient time to take a test online. I suggest that youallow at least two to three hours test time before the exam deadline. A test ends at thedesignated deadline. A test exceeding the deadline will result in a zero.