Course Policies and Procedures
University of Maine at Fort Kent / Division of Arts and Humanities

ENG 203: English Literature II: Romantics to Twentieth Century

E-mail: joseph.becker@maine.edu

Office: Nadeau 236

Office Hours: MR 11AM - 1PM W 8AM-11AM (By appointment)

Office Phone: 834-7588

Website: http://academic.umfk.maine.edu/jbecker/index.htm

Prerequisite
Eng 101 or instructor's permission

Required Texts:

• The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Seventh Edition—Eds. M. H. Abrams & Stephen Greenblatt.
• A good collegiate dictionary
• A pack of 3 x 5 index cards for quizzes and other assignments (please be sure to get the right size!)

You will be required to maintain an active email account and check it at least daily. Panel members working on the same text can exchange and discuss their responses, which will help create more dynamic whole class discussions. I will send any class related announcements to your email accounts.

Purpose of the Course
From the UMFK Catalogue: "Surveys English authors of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries." I plan to introduce you to the major works of British literature produced between 1785 and the 1990s. You will be introduced to the basics of literary analysis and utilize analytical skills in examining the various literary texts. These analytical skills may be transferred to other fields e.g. engineering, medicine, law, business, science, education, etc. You will also practice literary analysis, independent research, and expository prose through the production of a short paper or two.

Goals

Some of the primary goals of our course will be to:

• Gain familiarity with some of the major figures in British literature throughout the periods studied.
• Understand the contributions of lesser known figures from the periods studied.
• Explain the basic literary tendencies and predominate philosophies of the Romantic, Victorian, Modernist, and Post-Modernist periods. We will also seek to understand the limitations of such labels.
• Explore the often uneasy relationship between British culture and authors from areas dominated by it during the colonial period (e.g., Joyce, MacDiarmid, and Rushdie)

Class Format
We will primarily discuss the assigned texts via lecture-discussion and student-lead panels. I will provide introductory and guiding talks to supplement discussion and provide relevant background material. Active involvement in class discussions and panels is a major component of your course participation grade. Absences and poor involvement will severely compromise this component of your final grade.

Academic Honesty
See University of Maine at Fort Kent Academic Policies: "Honesty and integrity are vital to the functioning of the academic process. Students are expected to follow the procedures established in each class, in each assignment. Each student will submit only his or her own work with inclusion of proper attributions when appropriate. Faculty must be clear about their expectations for individual and collaborative assignments. Students who work collaboratively with other students must acknowledge the work of all students to a project. Students who plagiarize work from any source are subject to serious consequences ranging from failing an assignment to being dismissed from the University depending on the circumstances. Normally, students will not fail an entire course because of one incident, but repeated incidents will result in more serious consequences."

Definition of Plagarism
The spectrum of plagarism is a wide one. At one end of the spectrum is word-for-word copying of another's writing without enclosing the copied passage in quotation marks and identifying it in a footnote or reference. More often, plagarism results from patching together passages from various sources, the writer's major contribution being the cement to hold the pieces together. Another example is the paraphrasing or abbreviation of someone else's ideas or the restatement of someone else's analysis or conclusion without acknowledgment that another person's text has been the basis. Weaving these "borrowed" ideas into the text without referencing the original source is plagarism. Today's electronic sources make it easier to download material and present it as one's own without making any or only minor changes. It is the responsibility of each student to make himself or herself familiar with the definition of plagarism and not commit this error out of ignorance.

Attendance
Students are expected to attend class regularly. All absences are recorded. Your class participation score will be lowered for unexcused absences as follows: 1=95, 2=85, 3=75, 4=65, 5=55, 6 or more=0. It is your responsibility to make arrangements concerning activities, employment, family situations, and other courses. If health, job, other classes, other activities, and/or family responsibilities are going to present a constant conflict with class attendance, drop the course now. You are responsible for all material, work, or assignments made when absent whether for personal or university related reasons. Inform family and friends of this policy, and keep it in mind when making travel arrangements or reservations. You must provide corroborating evidence (doctor’s note, etc.) to have an absence marked "excused." Even if an absence has documentation, an excessive amount of "excused" absences can also adversely affect your overall participation grade. If you miss two consecutive weeks of class and/or two major assignments, you are strongly advised to drop the course by the appropriate deadline. If I believe such action is warranted, I may initiate a "Withdrawal by Faculty" as explained in the University of Maine at Fort Kent’s Academic Policies.

Tardies
You are responsible for notifying me of your presence, and if you fail to do so, you will be marked absent for that meeting. Coming in late is terribly disruptive, but if circumstances arise that force you to come in late, please do so as unobtrusively as possible. Also, if you are late and miss a reading quiz (usually given at the start of class), it may not be made up. Consistent tardiness will affect your attendance grade (3 tardies=1 absence). Remember to make adequate allowances for weather and parking conditions.

Students with Disabilities
Students with a documented disability, who need academic accommodations, are encouraged to meet with an Academic & Counseling Services representative (207-834-7530, Cyr Hall Rm. 107) to develop a plan for their accommodations. To ensure the timely availability of accommodations, students should request services well in advance of the start of the semester.

Paper
A 5-7 page (1500-2100 word) paper submitted by e-mail will be required. You may use analysis of a text ported by secondary sources as the prime approach to producing the paper—a more extensive set of guidelines and instructions will be provided on a separate handout. All secondary sources must be documented according to current MLA documentation guidelines. Papers failing to do so will be considered plagiarized.

Important Dates

1. Wednesday, September 8, 2004: Last Day to Add a Class.

Disclaimer
Material contained on these pages is subject to alteration or modification at the instructor's discretion or as University policy dictates. Check with classmates or the instructor for addenda, emendations, or alterations, especially if you have been absent.