Course Requirements:
Exams: We will have two exams, one at the mid-term and one at the end of the semester. Both exams will ask you to demonstrate familiarity with the terms and texts we have covered and both will include essay questions which will require you to discuss particular themes, literary techniques, or aspects of thought that are characteristic of a historical period, and to illustrate your claims about them by referring appropriately to the texts we have read. The final exam is not cumulative, though it may include an essay question that permits you to draw on your reading for the entire semester. Practice exam questions appear on the Longman website:
< http://www.ablongman.com/damroschbritlit3e>
In-Class Writing: To encourage and reward careful reading and regular attendance, I will periodically give you a topic to write about for 10-15 minutes at the beginning of the class period to get discussion rolling. I will collect such in-class writing and apply it toward your grade. Do not worry – I will not be looking for beautiful prose and flawless organization in these mini “essays.” I intend this as a help to those who may not be comfortable speaking out frequently in class discussions. This is an opportunity to participate on paper. Practice writing prompts appear on the Longman website:
< http://www.ablongman.com/damroschbritlit3e>
Quizzes: Some reading assignments lend themselves particularly well to quizzes, based on the characters and main plot action or argument of the text. We will likely have several such quizzes over the course of the semester. Although I drop broad hints from time to time about the sort of material that might be good quiz fodder, you are not notified prior to the day that an in-class writing assignment or a quiz will be given. Moreover, if you are late to class or have an unexcused absence, you will not be permitted to make up the quiz. Practice quiz questions appear on the Longman website:
< http://www.ablongman.com/damroschbritlit3e>
Reading Journal: I also suggest that you to maintain a reading journal over the course of the semester where you record your impressions of the reading material as you work your way through it. This will be an invaluable study aid to you as you prepare for exams, and a fruitful source of ideas for your critical essays. You should also note any questions that you have about the reading that we did for homework, and raise them in the class discussion of the text. You should always bring your journal with you to class, as you may do group work for which your notes will be useful, and you might also record questions there that can be fruitfully discussed in class.
Essays: To give you an opportunity to reflect critically on the material we’ll be covering in class, I will ask you to write two essays of approximately 5-6 typed, double-spaced pages. For each of these, you will be given several topics to choose from which will be drawn directly from the reading that we have already completed. Your papers will be evaluated on the basis of their critical insight, their development and organization, and their overall clarity and mechanical correctness.
Grade Distribution: