English 41L Introduction Welcome to English 41L! This course focuses on helping you to build skills in reading, writing, and speaking in academic English. In addition, the course presents a sampling of the literary heritage of Britain from the Old English period (449 1485) through the period of the Enlightenment (1625 1798). British literature portrays the events, values, conflicts, and accomplishments of a remarkable country s rich history, a history that directly and indirectly exerted a profound influence on the birth and evolution of the United States. The required textbook for this course is Prentice Hall Literature: The British Tradition, 9 th edition, 2010 (ISBN: 978-0-133-66655-7). While time will not allow us to read every selection in the textbook, we will read several works from each unit. This course offers a variety of literature, authors, and assignments. It is my hope you will not only gain a better understanding of British literature but enjoy the assigned readings and assignments as well. Lesson Format Each lesson is presented in two study sessions. The lessons contain the following components: Objectives: Each lesson begins with a set of objectives. The objectives signal the kinds of things you ll be able to do after you successfully complete the lesson. Reading Assignment: It s essential that you carefully read and then reread all parts of the reading assignment. It s also essential that you think about what you read. Check Your Understanding: Each reading assignment includes an ungraded self-test to review the texts you've read. Although these quizzes are not graded, this kind of self-assessment will only serve to help you succeed in the course by making sure you truly understand what you've read. Discussion: This section ties together the readings and points out key ideas, important literary terms, and main themes in the assigned texts for the lesson. Assignment Instructions: Each study session ends with a set of assignments that you must complete. Assignments may include formal essays, reader-response journal entries, speeches or videos, creative writing, or other choices that ask you to think beyond the text. Each lesson will include specific instructions and expectations for the assignments. When you have completed all the assignments for the lesson, you will submit them to your instructor for grading. 1
Required Materials and Technology Prentice Hall Literature: The British Tradition, 9 th edition, 2010. ISBN: 978-0- 133-66655-7 Your choice of a children s book. Ability to use the computer to record audio and video for projects. Dead Poets Society (1989) Note: The Academy-award winning film Dead Poets Society is assigned for lesson 6. You will need to plan in advance to reserve the film through your local library or video provider. Please note that the film is rated PG. How to Read the Textbook Prentice Hall Literature: The British Tradition does a fine job of helping promote your thinking by raising questions about each of its selections. For example, turn to pages 17 32, where you ll find the poem The Seafarer. Before You Read on pages 18 19 introduces you to the essential questions, key literary terms, historical background, and vocabulary for the assigned reading. It also provides specific strategies for reading to assist you in understanding the selections. While you are reading, you ll find many useful notes, questions, and vocabulary in the margins of the textbook. Reading Strategy, Literary Analysis, and Reading Check appear throughout each selection and contain questions that will help you focus on the selection s most important literary elements. Critical Reading appears at the end of most selections (for example, the boxes on pages 25, 29, and 31). These valuable sections ask you to respond to, interpret, analyze, connect, synthesize, generalize, and evaluate the selections, and will help prepare you for each lesson s assignment. After You Read provides tools for literary analysis, including graphic organizers to help you analyze what you ve read. This section asks you questions to help you focus on literary elements, such as theme, character, setting, form, and so on. Be sure to use each of these features to guide your reading and promote a more meaningful understanding of the assigned readings. You ve paid considerably more than a few dollars for this book. Why not get your money s worth from it? How to Write an Essay Please refer to the following instructions for assistance with the format of an essay. Purdue s Online Writing Lab (OWL) is a great resource for any questions you may have with writing in general. 2
The Five-Paragraph Essay Paragraph 1: Introduction/Thesis Statement The introduction should begin with a good topic sentence that catches the reader s attention. The introduction should introduce the topic and main ideas and preview the essay. It should be one paragraph in length and include the thesis statement. The thesis should be the last sentence of your introduction. Thesis Statement: The thesis statement is typically one sentence (the last sentence of the introduction) and should be debatable. It is the roadmap for your entire essay. All of the paragraphs in the essay should support the thesis. Paragraph 2: Supporting Paragraph This is your first main idea, developed and supported. Use quotations from the assigned literature as well as additional resources to support your claims. The supporting paragraph should prove your thesis to be true. The supporting paragraph should contain organized thoughts, be free from grammatical and punctuation errors, use MLA citations, and have a nice flow from one sentence to the next (cohesiveness). When using quotations and/or consulting outside resources, you must cite your sources using MLA style. If you write something that is not common knowledge, it needs to be cited. Properly citing your sources gives you credibility as a writer, and simultaneously you gain the reader s respect. Purdue OWL is a great resource for learning about MLA citations. Please refer to the OWL s MLA Formatting and Style Guide. Paragraph 3: Supporting Paragraph This is your second main idea, developed and supported. Use quotations from the assigned literature as well as additional resources to support your claims. The supporting paragraph should prove your thesis to be true. This paragraph should contain organized thoughts, be free from grammatical and punctuation errors, use MLA citations, and have a nice flow from one sentence to the next (cohesiveness). Paragraph 4: Supporting Paragraph This is your third main idea, developed and supported. Use quotations from the assigned literature as well as additional resources to support your claims. The supporting paragraph should prove your thesis to be true. The supporting paragraph should contain organized thoughts, be free from grammatical and punctuation errors, use MLA citations, and have a nice flow from one sentence to the next (cohesiveness). Paragraph 5: Conclusion This is the last paragraph of your essay. It should review the main highlights of your essay while leaving the reader with a sense of completeness. The conclusion is the last impression you will leave your reader with, so finish strong! The Five-Paragraph Essay from The Guide to Grammar and Writing may also assist you. 3
Essay Writing Tips You can improve your essay writing by avoiding common mistakes. Follow these tips for better essays and better grades! Use third person for essays. Don t write in the first person (don t use I ). The thesis should be a matter of opinion rather than fact. Develop and expand your essays using at least five paragraphs. Quote the assigned readings to support your claims. Use in-text quotations in MLA format. Refer to the OWL s page on MLA in-text citations. Avoid retelling or summarizing the assigned reading. If you get information from a resource, cite it! Put the titles of poems in quotation marks. Books, plays, and longer works are italicized. What Is Plagiarism? Google certainly has made it easy to find information. Type a question, and you will get an answer! Web-based knowledge has also made it much easier to use others words as our own; this is plagiarism. As a conscientious writer, it s best to know what plagiarism is so you can avoid its consequences. IUHS Plagiarism Policy states, Plagiarism is stealing someone else s work and presenting it as your own. If you use the ideas, words, or statements of another person or source to support your ideas, you must always give credit to the person or source. Giving credit simply involves citing sources. In this course, you should use MLA citations. You can find information about MLA citations on the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) website. Should you choose not to cite, the following consequences may occur: Reduced grade for the lesson or exam No credit for the lesson or exam Reduced grade for the course Failing grade for the entire course (forfeiting all course fees) So be sure to cite your sources, and give credit where credit is due! Turnitin Your instructor will be using Turnitin to check the originality of your essays. Turnitin is an online system that automatically checks the text of your essay against sources in Turnitin s database (e.g., web pages, books, journals, periodicals, archived student papers, etc.). It helps your instructor see where you have used sources and whether you 4
have properly cited those sources. It also helps your instructor detect plagiarism, which is presenting someone else s words and/or ideas as if they were your own. To avoid plagiarism, be sure to use quotation marks for direct quotes, cite your sources when you refer to other people s ideas and words, and provide a list of works cited using MLA Style. For great tips on how to cite your sources and avoid plagiarism, check out the following links to the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL). When to cite your sources: Is It Plagiarism Yet? How to avoid plagiarism: Safe Practices How to cite your sources: MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics Important: For assignments, you will be submitting a variety of file types wordprocessed documents, videos, audios, and/or slideshows. Turnitin does not examine videos, audios, or slideshows. However, you must upload all required files as part of the assignment, and you should be sure to properly cite your sources for those projects whenever necessary. Audio and Video Instructions Some assignments require you to submit an audio or video. Other assignments give you the option of doing an audio or video project. Audio Files To submit audio projects for this course, you will need to create audio files on a computer and submit them for grading. Please take some time now to read the instructions for Creating Spoken Audio Files on Your Computer found at the SCS Help Portal. What Video Recording Device Should You Use? Many devices can make video recordings. To make a video for an assignment, you may be able to use a phone, Webcam, digital camera, digital camcorder, or other device that can record video. New video devices go on the market every month, so we really can t recommend one. If you need to buy one, do an Internet search for inexpensive video cameras. Be sure to look at reviews before investing in any particular piece of equipment. The device you use must be able to: create a video recording of sufficient quality. The instructor must be able to easily and clearly see and hear you. If in doubt, send a short test video to your instructor. 5
create a video recording of sufficient length. Some assignments require a 1 2 minute recording. For other projects, you may want to make a longer video. save the video as a digital file. Video cameras that use film or tape will not work, unless you have the means to digitize what is on the tape. How Do You Record and Submit Videos? 1. Following the instructions that came with the device you are using, 1. shoot the video. 2. transfer the video file to your computer. 3. save your video and, if necessary, prepare it for uploading. For more details about uploading videos and making your file sizes smaller, read Preparing Video Files for Upload. 2. Log in to Oncourse and go to the ENG 41L ISP course site. 3. Go to Assignments and find the assignment for which you are submitting the video. Click the name of the assignment to open it. 4. Attach your video file(s) and your Word document for the written part of the assignment, and click Submit. Note: If it is taking a very long time to upload your video, you may need to adjust the settings on your video recording device and/or convert the video file. For help, read Preparing Video Files for Upload. Video Recording Dos and Don ts Set the camera so you and the important action are the focus of the shot! Eliminate distractions (phones ringing, televisions in the background, noisy pets, etc.) that will interfere with the sound quality. Avoid background distractions during filming. Do not film in a messy bedroom, in front of a cluttered closet, etc. Strive for minimal distractions for your audience. To be heard on the video, you will probably need to speak more loudly and clearly than you usually do. Use proper lighting. Make sure that there are no dark shadows over your face or body. Indirect light, bounced off the ceiling or a light-colored wall, is best. If possible, use a tripod or place your camera on a steady surface to keep it from moving. You are responsible for the quality of the video! If the sound and/or picture quality is so poor that the project cannot be evaluated, the assignment will not be accepted. Grading Each lesson is worth 100 points. Grading criteria are provided with each assignment. Your final grade will be calculated by totaling all of the points you have earned and determining the percentage of the total points possible. The grading system is as follows: 6
100 A+ 94 99 A 90 93 A 87 89 B+ 84 86 B 80 83 B 77 79 C+ 74 76 C 70 73 C 67 69 D+ 64 66 D 60 63 D 0 59 F Lesson Outline Introduction Lesson 1: History and Autobiographical Writing Lesson 2: Anglo-Saxon Elegies and Storytelling Lesson 3: Beowulf Lesson 4: The Sonnet Lesson 5: Macbeth Lesson 6: Carpe Diem! Lesson 7: Nonfiction and Editorials Lesson 8: The Study of Humanity 7