English 105--Introduction to Literature: Drama
Spring 2006
CRN 22352; Saturdays 9:00 a.m.-12:20 p.m.; DES 1
This is a hybrid course, meeting 50% online and 50% in person for the first 6 weeks of Spring Quarter (class meetings are Saturday mornings, 9:00 a.m.-12:20 p.m. starting April 8 and ending May 13). This version is equivalent to traditional ENG 105 courses (10 weeks; classroom based): both meet the same number of overall minutes, meet the same course outcomes (see page 4 of this syllabus), and cover the same range of materials; a 6 week course DOES NOT just lop off 4 weeks of work/material from the standard course! Plan your time accordingly.
Instructor: Dr. Eleanor Latham Office: Modoc 213
Office Hours: F 11:00-12:00 online; S 12:30-1:30; Office Phone: 383-7547
E-mail: elatham@cocc.edu
Online course access: http://www.cocc.edu ; then select My login; then select Blackboard and follow the links to CRN 22352 ENG 105.
On-line grading program access: http://web.cocc.edu (then select My login and follow links to your grades in Micrograde)
Required Texts:
Sophocles, Antigone, Oedipus the King; Electra. Oxford Univ. Press (we will be studying Oedipus, which is also available on-line)
Shakespeare, Macbeth: Texts and Contexts. Bedford/SMP (play also available on-line)
Wilde, Oscar. The Best of Oscar Wilde. Signet Classics (play also available on-line)
Norman, 'night, Mother. Hill & Wang
Prerequisites: Students with college-level reading, thinking, and writing skills are best prepared to succeed in this course.
Course Description:
English 105 is a course in reading and interpreting plays. Plays are usually written to be watched, not read, so you will need strong imaginative engagement to read play scripts effectively. Plays combine the length and complexity of short novels with the precise and detailed language typical of poetry: you will find that plays must be read carefully--and possibly more than once. To assist you in developing the ability to move from reading a play to visualizing it, I will show portions of film versions of some plays in class. You are expected to be able to use (in essays and classroom and online exchanges) the terminology covered in class for discussing the types and elements of drama. We will be focusing particularly on concepts of heroism/the hero and villainy/the villain, on issues of deception and illusion, and on drama within the context of its culture.
Regular, timely attendance, and observing basic courtesy regarding late arrivals and early departures, is expected.
Note: The plays were written for adults and contain sexual references, violence and emotionally charged material. Some films may have an "R" rating.
ADA Statement: Students with documented disabilities who may need accommodations; those who have emergency medical information of which the instructor should be aware; those who need special arrangements in the event of evacuation; or those who may require specific instructional accommodations should notify me as soon as possible, or contact the Disability Services office in Boyle Education Center. If you need additional support or documentation for a disability, please contact Disability Services (330-7279).
Course Policies:
Late Assignments:
Late essays are accepted with a penalty of one letter grade (i.,e., AàA-)
per late CALENDAR day. Essays turned in any time after the start of the
class in which they are due are late. Late assignments must be turned no later
than 9 a.m. on the last day of class for this course (May 13).
Documentation
and plagiarism: All essays require
support--from the play(s) at least; all borrowed material (from the plays, from
materials in the assigned text(s) in addition to the plays, from external
printed or on-line materials, from input from other people, etc.) must be
properly documented. Essays with documentation problems (documentation
incomplete; format substantially incorrect, etc.) will be returned
ungraded to be re-submitted with correct and complete documentation (no late
penalty for papers originally submitted on-time and no additional late penalties
for papers originally submitted late, but corrected assignments must be turned
in by 9 a.m. on the last day of class for this course, May 13). Plagiarized
work is not accepted; it receives a grade of zero with no option for revision.
In instances where two or more students turn in substantially the same work but
the work itself isn’t plagiarized, I will split the grade between the students (e.g.,
for an essay worth 84%, each student receives 42% if two students are involved).
I reserve the right to report instances of plagiarism.
Revisions: The first essay may be revised IF it was turned in on time; the revised essay (with the original graded essay attached) must be turned in no later than 9 a.m. on the last day of classes. The assignment will receive the average of the original and the new grade (e.g., an essay originally receiving a C (72%) revised to an A (92%) would receive a B (72 + 92 = 164 / 2 = 82%).
Course Grading
and Assignments:
Mid-Term Test:
20%
Test (week 4) covers drama terms and concepts (week1); Oedipus (week 2) and MacBeth (week 3); test will cover terminology; character identification; plot summary; and similar factual, non-interpretive matters.
Graded Online
Discussion Group Work: 15%
Essays: 40%
(Typed/word processed, professional presentation, and I will grade what you have
written, not what you may have meant to say: proofread carefully.)
· One short homework essay @15% (at least 500 words)
· One term paper homework essay: @ 25% (@ 1000 words/4 pages).
Final Exam:
25%. The final examination (last
class day: May 13) will have two parts: a short answer section on weeks 4 & 5
materials (Importance of Being Earnest and ‘night, Mother) and an
essay section.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE:
Note: unless I tell you otherwise, have the online support materials read for the first class in which we discuss the play and the whole play read by the second class. It is your responsibility to schedule reading time to complete these reading tasks by the time we begin discussion.
Week 1 (April 8): Intro and syllabus; tragedy and comedy; thematic foci of the course: deception, illusion, hubris, villains and victims, drama within its cultural context; basic concepts and terms for reading and studying drama; background for Oedipus. Overview of on-line components of the course.
On-line component: read lecture pages; review overhead notes; discussion post on Oedipus.
Week 2 (April 15): Finish Oedipus; Drama between 500 B.C. & 1642 A.D. Begin Macbeth;
On-line component: read lecture pages; review overhead notes; discussion post on Macbeth. Essay topics & approaches discussion.
Week 3 (April 22) Short essay due start of class. (Ideally, submit essay to your Turnitin account prior to the start of class.) Finish Macbeth; drama between 1642 and 1890 Begin Importance of Being Earnest.
On-line component: read lecture pages; review overhead notes; discussion post on Importance of Being Earnest; mid-term test study sessions.
Week 4 (April 29): Mid-Term test. Finish Importance of Being Earnest; modern drama; discuss Miller's essay "Tragedy and the Common Man" (online); Modern drama.
On-line component: read lecture pages; review overhead notes; discussion post on drama; Essay topics & approaches discussion;.
Week 5 (May 6): ‘night, Mother; modern drama; discuss Miller's essay "Tragedy and the Common Man" (handout); ‘night Mother; review. Term paper due by midnight (11:59 p.m.) Wednesday (May 3). Submit term paper to your Turnitin account.
On-line component: read lecture pages; review overhead notes; discussion post on ‘night, Mother.; Essay topics & approaches discussion;.
Week 6 (May 13): FINAL EXAMINATION: in a computer classroom. BRING BLUE BOOK(S) if you don't plan on using a computer.
Course Outcomes: Content and grading in this course is based on the departmentally established outcomes. Students completing this course with at least a C are expected to satisfy each of the follow outcomes:
A. Build Knowledge of a Major Literary Genre
1. Situate works of drama within their contexts (e.g., literary historical periods and influences, cultural and biographical background of authors, authorial intentions and critical reception).
2. Explain and illustrate how works of drama reflect and shape significant aspects of their contexts.
3. Define and explicate key literary and theatrical elements of drama, such as plot, character, theme, cast, stage, scene, symbol, and style.
B. Develop Skills in Literary Analysis and Evaluation
4. Apply close reading, contextual background information, dramatic and theatrical concepts and approaches, and multiple perspectives to the analysis and interpretation of works of drama.
5. Use comparative analysis to demonstrate significant differences and similarities among works of drama (e.g. between plays by the same or different authors; between one-act to full length; between works of drama from different literary-historical periods).
6. Formulate and apply persuasive criteria to the evaluation of works of drama—appropriate to the context and genre of the literary text, and distinguishing between personal responses and literary-critical judgment.
C. Exercise Effective Communication Skills
7. Use effective oral and written communication to express interpretations and evaluations of dramatic works.
8. Use well-selected evidence from the assigned texts to support one’s literary interpretations, analyses, and evaluations.