2. Five (5) Reader Responses (50 pts. possible) before midterm exam. Choose five classes before Mar. 23rd for which to write your reactions to the material. E-mail these Responses to your discussion group members and professor by Tuesday at noon. These are comments written after you have read the assignment due for that Tuesday evening's class. These should be loose -- free-writing, free association, gut reaction, or unabashed opinion about the material as well as some critical analysis -- and can have moments of wild rants. Don't worry about consistency or organization. See Criteria Sheet.

3. Two 3-5 pp. Critical Papers (225 pts. possible) as take-home examinations (Critical Paper #1 is half of your midterm; Critical Paper #2 is your final exam). From your Reader Responses, but using strong textual evidence and organized analysis, you will present a critical opinion of a work or a group of short works on the syllabus. You should worry a lot about consistency and organization.  See criteria sheet.

4. Research (50 pts. possible). A 7-minute individual presentation, 20-minute group presentation, or 3 pp. paper. All require a bibliography using MLA format (at least four sources). A short handout for MLA style is available from instructor. See AResearch Topics" and Criteria Sheet.

5. In-class Midterm Examination (100 pts. possible). Mostly identification and explication of quotations from the literature.

6. Additional Response (25 pts. possible). A short Reader Response of the book you did not choose for Critical Paper #2 C Sula or Woman Hollering Creek. (Turn in with critical paper for final exam, not by e-mail.)

Reader Responses: 50 pts.*

Research Pres/Paper: 50 possible pts.

Midterm Examination: 100 possible pts.

Critical Paper # 1: 100 possible pts.**

Critical Paper #2: 125 possible pts.

Final Exam Response: 25 possible pts.

*Each response earns either full points or none. It either meets the minimum requirements, as described in Course Guidelines below, or does not. (The first response will be returned to you if it does not earn credit. You may rewrite for credit within one week of its return to you.) Your Response points for the course will be accumulated as follows:

**Critical Paper #1 may be revised and resubmitted for extra points within one week of its initial return to you.

Papers: Papers and the research bibliography must be wp/computer printed and in MLA format. Do not rely on outside research for your critical papers. They should be just you and the work, with help from class discussions and the introductory sections of Norton. Use quotations from the work as evidence to back up your views. You may use outside research minimally if it is well-documented. Grades will be based on (1) extent of critical and original thinking, (2) close reference to the text(s), (3) clarity of expression (organization around a thesis and correctness of grammar, usage, spelling, etc.), and (4) use of proper format. See Criteria Sheet and attach to your paper.

Responses: Reader Responses should be spell-checked and submitted by e-mail to discussion group members and professor. (Compose using your wordprocessing program, save as a file to your disk, block & paste to your e-mail message space, & send.) Printed responses will be accepted the night of class if e-mail accessibility is a problem for you (discuss with professor). It is recommended that you come to every class with reading notes (a mix of notetaking with your reactions, opinions, and questions). Add class notes to this "reader's journal." On five occasions you are asked to refine them a bit and turn them in as Reader Responses. This procedure will help you study for your midterm and write your critical papers. Keep copies for yourself since they will not be returned to you (see Basis for Grades above). You will earn full credit if (1) you reach the required length of approximately 350 words, (2) you show evidence that you are involved with the material, (3) you attempt to make some critical analysis of the literature (this differentiates a reader response from a personal diary entry), and (4) you include comments on all the reading assigned for that class.

Late Work: For each day a written assignment is late, 10% of pts. will be deducted (approximately one letter grade). For each class session a presentation is late, 10 pts. will be deducted.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated: If you submit any work which is not the product of your own study and efforts, you will receive a grade of F for that work and probably for the course. Extreme violations will be reported to the appropriate university agencies.

Absence: Absence and tardiness are strongly discouraged. For each unexcused absence above ONE, 30 points will be deducted from your final grade. A night class is the same as one week of classes. Absences beyond one will be excused only if documentation from a dean or doctor is provided or in the case of dangerous road conditions due to weather.

Class & On-line Participation: Learning in this course relies heavily on spirited conversation and debate. Superior contributions to discussions and activities in class and/or on-line may add 10-15 pts. to your total point accumulation. You are encouraged to add comments or questions (particularly excerpts from your Reader Responses) to our web-based discussion threads (access from course syllabus).

Conferences: You are invited to initiate discussion with the professor during office hours, after class, and by appointment. This is a good way to get feedback on your Reader Responses. At least one conference regarding your first critical paper and your presentation is highly recommended.

Computer Use: Although this course is designed to assist learning with computer technology, your level of proficiency with computers upon entering the course will not hinder your success. Since one of the university's goals for its graduates is computer literacy, you should use this opportunity to become more proficient. There are several computer labs on campus for your use. If you have little or no experience with wordprocessing, e-mail, the internet, the campus network, or interactive webpages, ask classmates and take advantage of the professor's offer to help you during office hours and after class.

Dr. Rachela Permenter

312C Spotts World Culture Bldg., 738-2358

Office Hours: TTh 1:30-2:30, W 9-12

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