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Donna M. Campbell Courses & Resources

English 210 Readings in American Literature (Fall 2023)

English 210, Readings in American Literature, Fall 2023

Dwelling in American Literature: Immigrants, Outcasts, and Exiles (Online)
Global Campus 

3 credits; meets HUM requirement 

Dr. Donna Campbell
Avery 357 • 335-4831
campbelld@wsu.edu
https://hub.wsu.edu/campbell

Office Hours: 12-1 T-Th in Avery 357 or via Zoom; and by appointment

DRAFT – – – DRAFT – – – DRAFT – – – DRAFT – – –  (NOT FINAL UNTIL AUGUST 21, 2023)

About the Course

Overview

English 210, Dwelling in American Literature: Immigrants, Outcasts, and Exiles, is an introduction to short fiction, poetry, and nonfiction narratives from the nineteenth- through the twenty-first centuries. It has been approved as an American literature elective for English Education majors. We won’t read work from all periods and movements in American literature, but you’ll learn about important movements and trends through our course theme “Immigrants, Outcasts, and Exiles,” since many works of American literature address the issues of inclusion and exclusion from a dominant culture.


Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

The goals for students in the course are as follows:

  • To read and analyze a number of works of classic American literature in the areas listed above.
  • To compare the social attitudes of our own time with those in the past by analyzing how social perspectives were revealed in literature of earlier centuries.
  • To recognize how systems of reading shaped or resisted attitudes about culturally marginalized people–people of color, immigrants, outcasts, and exiles
  • To become familiar with some significant movements and trends in American literature (realism, naturalism, and modernism, for example).
  • To review and implement techniques of good academic writing through writing workshops.
  • To work with and learn to evaluate primary and secondary resources, including locating primary print sources and digitized versions online, learning to use the MLA Bibliography and other databases to find secondary sources, learning to assess web materials for reliability, and locating primary source materials.
  • To synthesize the knowledge thus gained into papers and presentations in order to disseminate those insights to the class.

English 210 satisfies the HUM requirement for WSU’s University Common Requirements (UCORE), which is designed to help you acquire broad understanding, develop intellectual and civic competencies, and apply knowledge and skills in real world settings. Upon completion of UCORE, you will have the tools needed to seek out information, interpret it, share it, and make reasoned and ethical judgements on a wide array of issues. With these broader goals in mind, English 210, Readings in American Literature, as a Humanities course, will help develop skills to analyze, interpret, and reflect on questions of meaning and purpose as they related to the human condition in all of its complexity. The learning outcomes grid at the end of this document shows the relationship between the American literature topics and assignments on the one hand, and the course- and UCORE-level learning outcomes on the other hand.

There are no tests in this course; there are three optional, extra-credit quizzes.

Required Text

Levine, Robert S., ed. The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Shorter Ninth Edition, Volume 2: 1865 to the Present. W.W. Norton, 2017. ISBN 978-0-393-26453-1

Additional readings are available in Canvas.

Schedule of Assignments

All readings are from the Norton Anthology of American Literature, Shorter Ninth Edition, Volume 2: 1865 to the Present. The headnotes at the beginning of each selection are included; these can be skimmed, but the stories and poems should be read carefully. 

Coursework is due at 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time (PST) on the date indicated.

Readings are from Levine, Robert S., ed. The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Shorter Ninth Edition, Volume 2: 1865 to the Present. W.W. Norton, 2017. ISBN 978-0-393-26453-1.

Note: According to Global Campus policy, all assignment dates are in this Course Schedule. You won’t see dates written in the materials and modules.

Coursework is due at 11:55 PM Pacific Time (PST or PDT) on the date indicated.

Readings are from Levine, Robert S., ed. The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Shorter Ninth Edition, Volume 2: 1865 to the Present. W.W. Norton, 2017. ISBN 978-0-393-26453-1.

You can also schedule individual conference times (30 minutes each) by emailing me (campbelld@wsu.edu) or by signing up through Calendly.

Course Schedule

Schedule of Assignments
Week Unit / Reading Assignments Due Date (Pacific time)
1
Aug. 21– Aug. 25
Please read the Welcome message under Announcements. Assignment: Introduce yourself to the class in the Discussion Board. Canvas Discussion Posts Initial post: Wednesday, Aug. 23, 11:55 p.m.  

Responses to Others’ Comments: Friday, Aug. 25, 11:55 p.m.

2
Aug. 28 – Sept. 1

 Unit 1, Lesson 1: Poe and the Gothic (Readings in Canvas)

  • Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher”
  • Poe, “The Philosophy of Composition”
  • Poe, “The Raven”
Canvas Discussion Posts Discussion Assignment 1: Canvas

Initial post: Wednesday, Aug. 30, 11:55 p.m.
Responses to Others’ Comments: Friday, Sept. 1, 11:55 p.m.

3
Sept. 4 – 8
Unit 1, Lesson 2: Enslavement and Resistance (Readings in Canvas)

  • John Rollin Ridge (Yellow Bird), excerpt from The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta, the Celebrated California Bandit 
  • Douglass, Chapter X, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
  • Twain, “A True Story” (.pdf in Lesson 1)

Go to Assignments and click on the Perusall Assignment link for this lesson.  You can also look at the Perusall Getting Started Guide.

Perusall Discussion Posts Discussion Assignment 2: Perusall

Initial post: Wednesday, Sept. 6, 11:55 p.m.
Responses to Others’ Comments: Friday, Sept. 8, 11:55 p.m.

4
Sept. 11 – 15

Unit 1, Lesson 3: Realism

  • Howells, “Editha” (316-326)
  • Wharton, “The Other Two” (524-539)
  • Wharton, “Roman Fever” (540-549)

Go to Assignments and click on the Perusall Assignment link for this lesson.  You can also look at the Perusall Getting Started Guide.

Perusall Discussion Posts Discussion Assignment 3: Perusall

Initial post: Wednesday, Sept. 13, 11:55 p.m.
Responses to Others’ Comments: Friday, Sept.15, 11:55 p.m.

5
Sept. 18 – 22
Unit 1, Lesson 4: Race, Environment, and Regionalism

  • Jewett, “A White Heron” (432-441)
  • Hopkins, “Talma Gordon” (497-509)
  • Chopin, “Désirée’s Baby” (441-446)
  • Mena, “The Vine-Leaf” (also in Canvas)
Canvas Discussion Posts Discussion Assignment 4: Canvas

Original Discussion Post: Wednesday, Sept. 20, 11:55 p.m.
Two Responses to Others’ Posts: Friday, Sept. 22 11:55 p.m.

6
Sept. 25- 29
Unit 1: Writing Review and Individual Conferences #1 

Review the materials in this week’s lesson. You can meet with me during student office hours to discuss your paper, if you wish. See the top of this page for the Zoom link.

You can also schedule individual conference times (30 minutes each) from 12-1 on Tuesdays and Thursdays for Individual Meetings via Calendly.

Paper 1 Due No Discussion Assignments

Optional Writing Workshop Refresher Quiz #1 (Extra Credit) due by Friday, September 29, at 11:55 p.m. 

Paper 1 due Sunday, October 1, by 11:55 p.m.

7
Oct. 2 – Oct. 6
Unit 2, Lesson 5: Reading Poetry

Emily Dickinson (82-100)

Go to Assignments and click on the Perusall Assignment link for this lesson.

Perusall Discussion Posts Discussion Assignment 5: Perusall

Initial post: Wednesday, Oct. 4, 11:55 p.m.
Responses to Others’ Comments: Friday, Oct. 6, 11:55 p.m.

8
Oct. 9 – 13
Unit 2, Lesson 6: Naturalism

  • Crane, “The Open Boat” (611-630) and poems (631-632)
  • London, “To Build a Fire” (639-652)
  • London, “What Life Means to Me” (590-592)

Go to Assignments and click on the Perusall Assignment link for this lesson.

Perusall Discussion Posts Discussion Assignment 6: Perusall

Initial post: Wednesday, Oct. 11, 11:55 p.m.
Responses to Others’ Comments: Friday, Oct. 13, 11:55 p.m.

 

 9
Oct. 16 –  20
Unit 2, Lesson 7: Silent film, Immigrants, and Exiles

  • Watch Making an American Citizen and The Immigrant (links are in the lesson)
  • Sui Sin Far, “Mrs. Spring Fragrance” (549-558)
Canvas Discussion Posts Discussion Assignment 7: Canvas

Original Discussion Post: Wednesday, Oct. 18, 11:55 p.m.
Two Responses to Others’ Posts: Friday, Oct. 20, 11:55 p.m. 

10
Oct. 23 – 27
Unit 2: Writing Review and Individual Conferences #2

Review the materials in this week’s lesson. You can meet with me during student office hours to discuss your paper, if you wish. See the top of this page for the Zoom link.

You can also schedule individual conference times (30 minutes each) from 11-12 and 1-2 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for Individual Meetings via Calendly.

Paper 2 Due No Discussion Assignment

Writing Workshop Refresher Quiz #2 (Extra Credit) due by Friday, Oct. 27 at 11:55 p.m.

Paper 2 due Sunday, Oct. 29 by 11:55 p.m.

11
Oct. 29– Nov. 3
Unit 3, Lesson 8: Modernism

  • Hemingway, “Hills Like White Elephants” (1030-1035)
  • Fitzgerald, “Winter Dreams” (973-990)
  • Faulkner, “A Rose for Emily” (1005-1015)
  • Jean Toomer, from Cane (967-972)

Go to Assignments and click on the Perusall Assignment link for this lesson.

Discussion Post: Perusall Discussion Assignment 8: Perusall

Initial Post: Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 11:55 p.m.
Responses to Others’ Posts: Friday, Nov. 3 at 11:55 p.m.

12

Nov. 6 – 10

Unit 3, Lesson 9:  Legacies of Injustice and the Harlem Renaissance

  • Dunbar, poems: “We Wear the Mask” and “Sympathy” (636-637)
  • McKay, poems pp. 934-938: “If We Must Die,” “America,” “Africa,” “Harlem Shadows”
  • Hughes, poems pp. 1036-1043: “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” “I, too,” “The Weary Blues”
Discussion Posts: Canvas Discussion Assignment 9: Perusall

Initial Post: Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 11:55 p.m.
Responses to Others’ Posts: Friday, Nov. 10 at 11:55 p.m.

13
Nov. 15 – 17
Unit 3, Lesson 10: Legacies of Injustice, continued: Reclaiming a Heritage

  • Apess, “An Indian’s Looking Glass for the White Man” (.pdf)
  • Walker, “Everyday Use” (1568-1574)
  • Zitkala-Sa, “Impressions of an Indian Childhood” (655-660)
  • Li-Young Lee, “Persimmons” (1636-1638)
  • Tretheway, “Native Guard” (1685-1689)

Go to Assignments and click on the Perusall Assignment link for this lesson.

Extra Credit Discussion Post

Discussion Post: Perusall
Research Paper Topic DueOptional Paper 3 due
Discussion Assignment 10: Perusall

Initial Post: Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 11:55 p.m.
Responses to Others’ Posts: Friday, Nov. 17 at 11:55 p.m.

Optional Paper 3 due Sunday, Dec. 3 by 11:55 p.m.

Research Paper Topic due: Sunday, Dec. 3, 11:55 p.m. 

14

Nov. 20 – 24

No Class – Thanksgiving Break
15
Nov. 27 – Dec. 1
 

Unit 4: Writing Review and Individual Conferences #3

Review the materials in this week’s lesson. You can meet with me during student office hours to discuss your paper, if you wish. See the top of this page for the Zoom link.

You can also schedule individual conference times (30 minutes each) from 11-12 and 1-2 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for Individual Meetings through Calendly.

 

No Discussion Assignment

Writing Workshop Refresher Quiz #3 (Extra Credit)

 

16

Dec. 4 – 8

Unit 4, Lesson 11: Cultural Anxieties Then and Now

 

Discussion Posts: Canvas Discussion Assignment 11: Canvas

Original Discussion Post 11: Wednesday, Dec. 6, 11:55 p.m.
Two Responses to Others’ Posts: Friday, Dec. 8, 11:55 p.m.

Optional Discussion Post

 17
Finals Week (no final in this class)  Research Paper Research Paper: Wednesday, Dec. 13, 11:55 p.m.

Course Work

This course is designed to enable you to meet the course goals listed above through a combination of reading assignments, writing assignments (papers), and discussion postings.

As in a face-to-face classroom, you’ll need to set aside time in your weekly schedule to complete the assigned readings, post to the discussion board, and write your papers. Because the information in this course is cumulative and discussion is an integral and valued part of it, this is not a self-paced class in which you can complete the assignments for several units all at once. The weekly deadlines are listed in the Course Schedule.

Allow plenty of time for posting your replies to the discussion board and uploading your papers to the Assignments drop box. If you wait until the last minute, a computer failure or internet outage could delay the transmission of your assignment, which would then be considered late.

Reading Assignments

The reading assignments for this course are listed under Modules. In order to gain practice both in close reading and in analytical synthesis of multiple texts, some weeks the discussion will be in Perusall, an application that permits you to closely read and annotate individual words in texts and to comment on each other’s analyses; in alternate weeks, you’ll write a substantial discussion post of a few paragraphs in length to discuss the readings. Based on feedback from previous classes, the discussions will be about 2/3 in Perusall and 1/3 in the Discussion Board.

The assignments have been divided into four units, usually with 3-4 lessons per unit. As you’ll see by clicking on the Lessons link, each lesson includes reading assignments from the textbooks that you’ve purchased for the course as well as a “Context and Questions” page. Suggested questions for the discussion board, possible topics for response papers, and brief lectures will be posted on the “Context and Questions” pages.

The “Context and Questions” page link on the Lessons pages will be made available at the beginning of each unit, as will any video lectures.  Although all lessons are open at the beginning of the course, additional materials may be added to any lesson before its official opening date, Monday morning at 8 a.m. on the week it is due.

In addition, several lessons have “For Further Study” links at the bottom of the page, and the “Contexts and Questions” pages will have embedded links as well. All the required course materials can be found in your books or in the course space, but these optional links have information that may be helpful or interesting to you.

In accordance with Global Campus policy, all dates for assignments are listed in the Course Schedule but not in the materials themselves.

Writing Assignments

Over the course of this semester, you’ll write the following:

  • 12 discussion or Perusall responses and additional responses (the self- introduction will receive full credit; the other 11 will be graded based on the discussion post rubric);
  • two response papers;
  • one proposal for your research paper;
  • and one research paper.

The assignments in this course should reflect your own thoughts and words rather than material generated via ChatGPT or similar AI sources.

Response Papers

Response papers are meant to be a way for students to explore an aspect of the assigned reading that they found to be of interest. The papers should include critical analysis of some portion of the texts read in class. Response papers can be based on and developed from your discussion posts.

Requirements. You’ll write two short response papers (750-1,000 words, or about 2 1/2 to 3 typed, double-spaced pages). You have the option to write a third response paper, in which case the lowest grade Papers 1, 2, or 3 would be dropped and only the top two grades would be counted.

Submitting papers.  Submit your assignments through the Assignments Dropbox (on the navigation bar at left) by the due dates and times listed on the Course Schedule. All due dates are based on Pacific Standard Time (and when appropriate Pacific Daylight Time). For more information about submitting assignments, click on the “How to Submit Assignments” link on the Course Information page link on the navigation bar.

Formatting papers.   Papers should be typed and double-spaced with 11-12 point fonts and 1″ margins.  They must be saved using either Word format (.doc or .docx),  rich text format (.rtf), or .pdf format, which are commonly available under the “Save As” function of all word-processing programs. Papers using any other format cannot be read and will not receive credit. For more information, see the “Paper Formatting Guidelines” link under Course Information. All submitted response papers, proposal, and research paper should follow the naming format as follows: last name, first initial, course number, assignment name. For example, if Julia Sanchez submitted her first response paper in Unit 1 it would be saved as SanchezJ_210_Paper1.doc.

Topics. You’re encouraged to write response papers on topics of your own choosing, but you will also find some suggestions for topics on the “Questions for Discussion and Response Papers” page listed under Lessons and the “Context and Questions” page for each unit.

Due Dates. Response papers are due on the date listed in the Course Schedule. See “Late Papers” below for the penalties for late assignments.

Grading. Response papers will be graded on the quality of the argument and the critical depth with which students engaged the text. The short response papers don’t require the use of outside sources, but they need to offer an argument, make an observation, or attempt to answer a question that the novel raised for them as they read. Good sentence structure and attention to mechanical features such as capitalization and punctuation are important, as is supporting a strong thesis.

Academic Integrity Policy. Work submitted in this course must be your own; it shouldn’t be copied from external sources without attribution or generated from AI sites such as ChatGPT, both of which count as plagiarism. An assignment plagiarized in whole or in part receives a 0.

Research Paper and Research Paper Topic

You’ll write a research paper with at least one outside source (critical article or primary source) near the end of the course. You’ll be able to collaborate in groups and write a single paper, if you wish; all members would receive the same grade.

Before the research paper, you’ll submit a brief (100-200 word) description of your research paper topic, which will receive full credit and comments.

Discussion Postings

In order to demonstrate participation as well as to contribute to the climate of intellectual exchange, students are expected to respond by discussing each segment of reading assigned. One third of these discussions will be on the Canvas Discussion Board, and two thirds will be through Perusall, a platform that lets you annotate a specific piece of writing and respond to others’ thoughts.

Requirements. During the Discussion Post weeks of this course, you are responsible for one original posting of 200-300 words and two responses of 100-150 words each to others’ postings. These are the minimum word requirements and number of postings; you are welcome to write longer posts or to post more frequently if you feel so inclined. For information about using the Discussion Board, go to Course Information and click on “How to Use the Discussion Board.”

Topics. Although you’re welcome to post on topics of your own choosing, you will also find some general suggestions for topics on the “Questions for Discussion and Response Papers” page listed under Lessons in the navigation bar at left. Specific questions will be available in the “Contexts and Questions” page for each unit, which will contain the lecture material for the course.

Discussion topics from these sources will be posted in the forum for that lesson shortly before we begin each week’s discussion.

As the general questions suggest, the discussion board is a space in which you can write speculative, reaction-based, and imaginative posts as well as analytical ones.

Due Dates. The due dates for original posts and response posts are listed in the Course Schedule.

In general, assignment days are as follows:  

  • Wednesdays by 11:55 p.m.: Read assigned materials; listen to or read the lecture under “Context and Questions.” If it is a Discussion Board week, write a solid post (200-300 words) on the reading you’ve done for the week.
  • Fridays by 11:55 p.m.:
  • If it is a Discussion Board week, write two replies (100-150 words each) to other people’s discussion posts.
  • if it is a Perusall week, complete your annotations on the reading selection in Perusall. Information on Perusall is here: https://support.perusall.com/hc/en-us/articles/360033995074-Getting-started. You’ll also be responding to others’ ideas in Perusall, but in a less formal way. We’ll alternate weeks between Perusall and the Discussion Board.
  • Sundays by 11:55 p.m.: Papers are due on the due dates on Sundays by 11:55 p.m.
  • Late initial discussion posts received by the Friday deadline receive a -5 points penalty. This penalty isn’t applied to the first lesson, to allow everyone time to become familiar with the course, but it applies after that.
  • Posts and responses will only be counted during the week when they are due; anything added to the week’s discussion after that time (Friday by 11:55 p.m.) will receive a 0 and no comments.

Attendance: We don’t meet in a set time in a classroom, so you can complete class assignments at a time that’s convenient for you and that works for the deadlines. If you fall ill or otherwise aren’t able to complete an assignment, please email me (campbelld@wsu.edu) so we can work out an accommodation.

Grading. Discussion posts and responses are graded holistically (by their overall quality and style) each week and will not typically receive comments on grammar or content. However, please use proper spelling, capitalization, and so on for your discussion posts. See the Grading section below for more specific information on grading discussion posts.

Although I will be reading all the posts and responses, I will not reply on the board to each post but will respond to selected posts from different students each week. For more information, please read carefully the section called “What Makes a Good Discussion Post?” on the Course Information page.

The writing assignment deadlines and reading assignments for this course will remain the same once the semester has started. Information may be added to the “For Further Study” sections of the course, however.

With rare exceptions, grades are only posted and emails answered during normal business hours (8-5, M-F) to comply with WSU’s directive of February 1, 2022: “Avoid sending emails, texts, and messages to employees during off hours or while on leave.”

https://news.wsu.edu/news/2022/02/01/no-standing-meetings-on-fridays/

Papers will generally be graded and returned in Canvas. Most comments will be typed, but some side comments may be handwritten. If you are not able to read cursive handwriting, please let me know.

Extra Credit. To allow for missing discussion posts or other assignments, there is extra credit available in this course: each of the three Writing Workshops has a 10-question “Refresher Quiz” that gives you up to 10 points of extra credit if you take it. These quizzes are only available during the week of the Writing Workshop, and taking them is good insurance in case you later need those points.

Grading

Use this chart to convert the points to a letter grade. If the assignment has X points, the grade equivalent will be in the column next to it. For example, a B+ in an assignment worth 100 points would be 88, 220 points if the assignment is worth 250, and so forth. Note: WSU does not permit grades of A+ or D- on final grade reports.

 

Grades and points
 Letter grade and percentage out of 100%) 25 Point Assignment 150 Point Assignment 225 Point Assignment   Combined Response Papers (300 points total)  Combined Discussion Board Postings (300 points total)
A+ (100) 25 150 225 300 300
A (.95) 24 143 214 285 285
A/A- (.92) 23 138 207 276 276
A- (.91) 23 137 205 273 273
B+ (.88) 22 132 198 264 264
B/B+ (.87) 22 131 196 261 261
B (.85) 21 128 191 255 255
B/B- (.82) 21 123 185 246 246
B- (.81) 20 122 182 243 243
C+ (.78) 20 117 176 234 234
C/C+ (.77) 19 116 173 231 231
C (.75) 19 113 169 225 225
C/C- (.72) 18 108 162 216 216
C- (.71) 18 107 160 213 213
D+ (.68) 17 102 153 204 204
D/D+ (.67) 17 101 151 201 201
D (.65) 16 98 146 195 195
D/D- (.62) 16 93 140 186 186
D- (.61) 15 92 137 183 183

 

Course percentages
Course Work Points Percent of Final Grade
Response Papers
(2 @150 points each, with the option to write a 3rd paper and have the lowest grade dropped)
300 35%
Research Paper Topic 25 3%
Research Paper 225 27%
Discussion Board Postings
(11 + Intro @ 25 pts each)
300 35%
TOTALS 850 100%

Your final grade for the course is then determined as follows:

Points and Percentages
Final Grade Total Points Percent of
Final Grade
Final Grade Total Points Percent of
Final Grade
A 791-850 93-100% C 628-654 73-76%
A- 765-791 90-92% C- 595-627 70-72%
B+ 740-764 87-89% D+ 544-594 65-69%
B 714-739 83-86% D 510-543 60-64%
B- 680-713 80-82% F 509 & Below 59% & below
C+ 655-679 77-79%

Grading Criteria

These are the general grading criteria for this course. Response papers and the research paper are held to higher standards of analysis, good style, and grammatically correct sentences than the discussion posts. You can find a more specific version of the grading criteria here: http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/grading.html.

I will use abbreviations as references to grammatical principles on your corrected papers. The abbreviations and accompanying explanations are available on the “Key to Comments” document here: h ttp://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/keyto.htm. You may want to download and print out the .pdf version of this document for easy reference.

  • A / Excellent
    Shows that the writer has treated the subject matter in an original manner and has developed the thesis thoroughly and with insight, using a clear organizational plan. This essay develops its argument with incisive, in-depth analysis and supporting evidence from the text. Although outstanding and pleasurable to read, this essay is not necessarily completely flawless; it is, however, virtually free of grammatical or spelling errors. The writer demonstrates a clear understanding of her or his audience and conveys a strong individual voice.
  • B / Good
    Includes a clear focus that is supported by evidence; it also demonstrates correct sentence construction for the most part. Ideas may be good but perhaps not as insightful or well developed as those in the “A” essay. The organization is easy to follow. The essay has a good sense of individual voice and awareness of audience expectations.
  • C / Proficient
    Exhibits logical organization and a focus, but often does not provide clear evidence to support the thesis. It may demonstrate little sentence variety or careful word choice. Instead of revealing fresh and insightful ideas, the writer of this paper responds to the assignment in an adequate but highly predictable or superficial way, such as summarizing the plot of the work or stating obvious points, without developing analytical or descriptive ideas.
  • D / Deficient
    Usually demonstrates one or more of the following: it lacks adequate organization, offers insufficient or irrelevant support for its argument, lacks focus, or shows no audience awareness. In addition, a deficient essay often contains many errors in sentence construction, punctuation, word choice, and spelling, such as confusing the spelling of women (plural) with woman (singular).
  • F / Unacceptable
    Usually difficult, frustrating, or confusing to read. This paper typically contains neither focus nor support for generalizations. It generally contains numerous errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.  A paper will receive an “F” if it is plagiarized in whole or in part.

Grading for Discussion Posts

Discussion board posts are awarded points based on how substantial and thoughtful they are. They are graded holistically and will not typically receive comments on grammar or content. However, please use proper spelling, capitalization, and so on for your discussion posts. You can see the rubrics for Discussion Posts and for Perusall under Course Information.

  • The discussion board grades don’t reflect “taking off points” but rather “building points.” Each post starts with a 0 and builds up to a 25 depending on its thoughtfulness, insights, and engagement with the assigned texts–its level of excellence, in short.
  • Although I will be reading all the posts and responses, I will not reply on the board to each post but will respond to selected posts from different students each week.
  • Discussion board posts need to be posted within the time frame of the lesson and by the deadline listed in the Course Schedule in order to count.

The points are awarded as follows:

  • 23-25 points: a substantial, thoughtful post that specifically engages with the reading plus at least two replies posted to another’s initial post.
    • Post (up to 15 points) + 2 replies (up to 10 points) = up to 25 points for the week.
  • 20-22 points: posts and replies that may be have good points but that may be insubstantial in length or content, may not engage sufficiently with the readings, or may have grammatical problems.
  • Up to 15 points: an initial post but no replies.
  • 5-10 points: one or two replies but no initial post.
  • 0 points: no entries posted to the discussion board by the deadline

Policies

WSU Expectations of Course Time Commitment: Academic credit is a measure of the time commitment required of a typical student in a specific course. For the WSU semester system one semester credit is assigned for a minimum of 45 hours. The anticipated time commitment for this course is 3 hours of work per week for each credit hour (a minimum of 9 hours per week). Students can expect your weekly time commitment to be as follows:

Class time (lecture, discussion, activities) = 3 hours/week

Research/write papers =                               1.5 hours/week

Prepare other assignments  =                       1.5 hours/week

Reading class materials =                               3 hours/week

__________________

Total hours  =                                                  9 hours/week


UCORE Goals and Course Goals (Please see the .pdf document for the alignment of ENGL 210 Course Goals and UCORE HUM goals.)

UCORE Goals and Course Goals


Instructor Interaction

Discussion Board: You should check the “Announcements from Instructor” section of the Discussion Board when you log in to this course, since I will be using that space for general class announcements. Also, if you have a question that you think others in the class might also have, please use the “Questions for Instructor” section of the Discussion Board so that I can write a response for everyone. As mentioned above, I’ll have office hours in Zoom on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Student Hours/Office Hours are Tuesdays and Wednesdays 12-1:00; see the Zoom links in the sidebar.

I’m also available to talk via email, Zoom, phone, or text at other times. Email me to set up a time or start a Zoom room and invite me.

Email: campbelld@wsu.edu

Phone: 509.335.4831

Emails sent Mondays through Fridays will receive a response generally within 24 hours. Emails sent from Friday at 5 p.m. to Monday at 8 a.m. will receive a response after the weekend. Assignment grades are not posted over the weekend but during the week so that you can reach me if you have a question.


Late Work Policy

The late work policy for this course is as follows:

  • Late papers (response papers, research paper topic, and research paper) are penalized at the rate of one letter grade (10 points) per class day late. Since our “class days” for this course are Wednesdays  and Fridays by 11:55 p.m. (the discussion post days), a paper that was due at 11:55 p.m. on a Sunday would be considered one class day late if handed in by the following Wednesday and two class days late if handed in by the following Friday. For example, a response paper that would have received an “A” if handed in on the Sunday night due date would receive a “B” if handed in by the following Wednesday, a “C” if handed in by the following Friday, a “D” if handed in on the following Sunday, and so forth.
  • Late papers, if less than three class days late (handed in by the following Sunday), will receive a grade with the above lateness penalties applied but will not receive any comments. Late papers that are more than three days late will receive a 0. Paper submission portals close 1 week after the paper is due.
  • Extension policy. You have one 48-hour extension in this class to be used only on papers (not discussion posts).
    • This extension means that your paper can be turned in without penalty on the next class day. Since writing assignments in this class are due on Sunday nights, the extension would be valid until Wednesday night at 11:55 p.m.
    • You must request the extension ahead of time.