Course Procedures: Ehrlich, Spring 2000

1. Course Objectives, Methods, Reading, and Writing:

You should strive to earn an "A" or a "B" in this course. Your task as a student is to read, respond, and write for yourself. A course in literature is an exploration of possible new ideas and reactions, not a reduction or digest of what already exists. When you read, use your attention, memory, and imagination to initiate your latent responses, Use the class discussions to being these responses into greater focus. When you write, develop these ideas, beliefs, and feelings in such as way as to construct something that did not exist before. Your paper is valuable and convincing when your reaction or idea is meaningfully developed and is supported with convincing evidence--actual quotes from the readings. Written work should not consist of echoes of the class discussions, the editorial notes, or summaries or paraphrases.

Keep in my that my work as instructor and your work as student in the course will be essentially different. I may often try to place works in their broader context or against a social or intellectual background. But your always will work require you to respond narrowly and concretely to specific passages in a text.

Good papers are interesting, sane, disciplined, informative, and engaged. They entail work; they entail risk; they communicate your sense of conviction and discovery. The writer's tone of voice springs from pertinent arguments and evidence. If you have learned something in writing the paper, the result will be valuable. But if you stoop to makework, your papers will be boring, patchwork, self-indulgent, wandering, grandiose, fake.

Please type or print out your papers legibly, avoiding right justification, ornamental fonts, artistic covers, and the use of exhausted printing ink. Always proofread and correct your papers legibly by hand before submitting them. Since reading, writing, and learning are processes, you are welcome to revise and resubmit any paper promptly with your changes marked in hand on the original. Keep in mind that access to Rutgers networks and computer labs may not be available at your deadline.

2. Student Work, Assignments, Attendance, and Grades:

This section will demand the following:

a. Daily reading assignments

b. Class attendance and effective participation

c. Assigned and surprise quizzes and in-class essays

d. Assigned papers of moderate length in 200 level courses (a term paper in 300 level courses)

e. Mid-term and final examinations based entirely on the readings

f. Interaction with class on-line web page, discussion thread, and e-mail list.

3. F grades and failures:

If you miss a scheduled exam or quiz, your grade will be "F" unless you have a documented, major excuse. Late papers received within one week will received a reduced grade, but accumulated late papers will not be accepted. After three unexcused absences, including class meetings during the add-drop period, student grades will be lowered one level for each additional absence. If your work is below average, you will receive a midterm warning. You will fail the course if your grades are consistently well below average, if you have a substantial amount of missing or late work papers, or if your class attendance is unsatisfactory.

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