Course Description: This is an introduction to English 203 (American Literature), a course which surveys selected short and long works from American Literature.

Textbook: Required: The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Shorter Seventh Edition. Ed. Nina Baym, et al. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Recommended: Griffith, Kelley. Writing Essays about Literature. [015506617X] (any edition acceptable.) An acceptable alternative, although not quite as student-friendly, is Edgar V. Roberts' Writing Themes about Literature. The ASIN number is [0139707573], and even though it is out of print, you can buy it at Amazon for as little as one penny. Search www.google.com/froogle for the best prices. You can sort your list of results from lowest to highest price.

After you have completed the orientation activities linked above, read all the information on this page, and enrolled in the course through the college, send an email message to me (profshier@yahoo.com) with this information: (1) your full name, (2) your phone number, (3) the course and section number, and (4) any questions you might have about the course. Send this message from the email account you will be using during the semester.

* Submit all reading responses.

* Participate in online discussions of readings. You should check the discussion boards for new posting daily if at all possible.

* Take all reading quizzes.

* Write one 3-5 page analytical essay and revise if necessary. The student also writes a longer researched essay.

* Log on twice weekly, every week.

* Students who do not log on at least twice weekly every week are considered to be cutting class. When the student accumulates more than 4 cuts during a 15-week term, 2 cuts during a 10-week term, or 1 cut during a shorter term, the student may be dropped from the course at the instructor's discretion.

* Work as part of a group to design and produce a website incorporating traditional paper and web research. The group will use small group discussion boards, email, and chat rooms to collaborate on this project. This project will require access to a large college library.

* Submit two essay exams at the Testing Center.

Your grade for the course will be calculated as follows.

Assignment / Percent of Course Grade

Quizzes------------------150 points

Responses----------------150 points

Discussion Board----------100 points

Analytical paper-----------150 points

Research project (group)--250 points

Exam I--------------------100 points

Exam II (Final exam)-------100 points

Here's a quick overview of the course. We begin the semester by looking at the terminology we'll be using in the course--with special focus on the concept of themes, always keeping mind questions such as, What is America and the American mythos? Is there more than one America? Who are Americans, and what makes Americans American? Because an essential component of the American mythos is the individual, this theme also will guide our investigations.

We look at historical narratives, chronicles, sermons, journals and letters, and state papers, as well as Native American stories and tales. We will look at early and middle American fiction and non-fiction prose and poetry, and the literature of realism, including folk literature, regional and local literature. Our readings will include African-American fiction and poetry, Southern fiction and poetry, drama, and literature by women, Asian-Americans and Latinos. We will also examine the mytho-archetypal approach to literary interpretation and criticism.

Throughout the course, you will be submitting weekly reading responses to me for a grade. These average 400-500 words each. You will also contribute to discussions on the class bulletin board. In the last month of the course, you will work in a group to produce a term project, a webquest or web-based research project.

I'll be posting quizzes on the web site weekly. The questions I ask are not demanding, and you can take the quizzes 2 times. I give these reading quizzes only to encourage you to complete the readings on time and to focus the discussion that follows. Doing well on them will help your course grade in a major way.

You will also contribute an objective, 10-question quiz (multiple choice or matching) on one lesson, based on the textbook and 5 of my questions. Five of the questions must be your own, and I will ask you to revise them if they are confusing or too obvious. You must also provide the answer key.

1. Am I an independent learner, able to take responsibility for my own education?

2. Are my reading skills strong?

3. Can I easily follow written instructions?

4. Am I willing to commit a significant amount of time to reading and writing?

5. Do I have strong time-management skills?

If you can honestly and confidently answer "yes" to questions 1-5, then an internet course may be right for you. HOWEVER,

6. Do I need a lot of interaction with the instructor and classmates?

7. Do I need verbal instructions and lots of one-on-one talks with a classmate or instructor?

8. Are my reading skills so-so, or even weak?

9. Am I pressured for time, struggling constantly to juggle work, school and family?

If you answered "yes" to all or most of questions 6-9, then an internet course is probably not a good choice for you. Students who do well in internet courses are independent learners with strong time management and reading skills.

As an instructor, I am committed to delivering quality educational opportunities to Midlands Tech's students, and I want to see all of my students succeed. For some students, that may mean an Internet course is a good choice, and for others, it means that traditional, live classes are a better choice.