Non-Western Literature

I enjoy teaching this class on-line each fall and often teach the identical material face to face in the Spring.

If you check the weekly assignments for the sixteen-week, face-to-face course, you will discover that both classes read identical material; everything gets compressed into half the class time, which means that everyone must read a considerable amount of material and complete a good deal of writing whichever section in which you enroll.

You will find, however, that the intensity of the focus will result in a memorable experience, for you will read and discuss exciting material this term, readings that bear directly on world events. So read with enthusiasm and share your thoughts with your fellow writers each week on the discussion threads.

Remember: you want to begin quickly and approach each week with energy and curiosity; make a strong effort, and you will do fine in this class. Get to the discussion threads before you complete all the reading and read all of what your fellow class members have to say.

Especially if this course marks your introduction to on- line learning, you should 1) contact me or someone with appropriate experience and 2) check from time to time for updates as the term progresses to ensure that you keep up with the "ins and outs" of the class experience.

Make sure, too, to look over the announcements for each week; as a rule, you will find new announcements each Sunday or Monday.

And ask questions as they arise--I promise to reply to your queries quickly, certainly within a day. Even when I am out of town, e- mail and internet connections generally allow me to keep "plugged" into the class.

I will do all I can to ensure an enjoyable and a rewarding experience.

Please take the time to read through the various sections listed in Blackboard and duplicated on the class web page, from Notes to Discussions , from Wring and Reading Assignments to your Class Syllabus, for here I endeavor to present a general introduction to this particular on-line course.

Get a feel for where to find necessary information.

You will discover many of the documents and other material found in Blackboard duplicated on the class web page and on the numerous links provided throughout this document.

Look each time that you log in at the Announcements, which aim to keep you updated about changes of interest to you; listen as well to the weekly announcement on the Class Blog. And please contact me if you have any suggestions and/or concerns, especially as this year I teach the class during the second eight weeks and not the first.

As the preceding sentences indicate, each week you must check with the Class Blog to listen to my audio-video messages--here you will find some information, links, and a discussion of the quiz; you will find a link to this site in each week's announcement and on the class web page. I will also update the videos this year as I will alter some reading assignments and the quizzes.

Depending on the situation, I might make as many as three videos a week. But in general, I offer an introduction to the week (usually posted on Sunday or Monday) and a quiz review (usually posted on Thursday or Friday). And many of the videos come from last year--take care to remember the date differences.

Read through the following sections of special importance to the class.

I organized the sections to reflect the template that greets you when you enter English 335 on Blackboard. The following material will help you learn more about the course's organization.

As you read, click on the links to look around and become familiar with your course.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

As previously noted, you should look at least a couple times a week at this section of your class, for you will find various and important information about the course, including due dates, special messages from me to the class, corrections, schedule changes, reminders, etc.

COURSE INFORMATION-- Click on the icon to reveal the following folders:

Class Welcome--This document also contains some useful links and other information.

Class Syllabus--Read this document thoroughly and contact me if you have any questions about any aspect of the course, from required texts to weekly quizzes, from course objectives to revision policy.

The syllabus seeks to provide you with an overview of what to expect from me as well as what is expected of you over the course of the semester. Again, if you have any questions about the course, please contact me.

Mission Statements--These documents are also found in the Peru State College Catalog and on the college web site in various places.

All classes offered through the English Department at Peru State must uphold and reflect the college's and the department's mission. See OTHER OBJECTIVES in the Class Syllabus for a brief discussion of how Non-Western Literature supports the college and department mission statements and goals.

Course Schedule: Here you will find some information about the course schedule and your schedule--an internet course offers you considerable freedom and requires as much responsibility.

In addition, this section presents you a tentative schedule of events as the weeks and units unfold. And as the semester turns, so to speak, the chronology will become more specific as all of us become more familiar with the various challenges and aspects of on-line teaching and learning.

 

NETIQUETTE FOR DISCUSSION THREADS AND FOR ALL E-MAIL TO YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Please use correct Netiquette as described in this document.

If you have additional suggestions, do let me know. And follow the suggestions for all your e-mail communications to me and to your other instructors.

COURSE DOCUMENTS--Click on the icon to reveal the following folders:

Course Notes and Documents: These documents play an important role in the class.

As you will see, the central folder contains eight folders, one Class Notes folder for each Week/Unit of the semester.

Each folder includes information about all the work required of you each week--while not exactly lecture notes, the information serves a similar function. Here you will find suggestions about how best to appreciate the specific reading material--hints on what aspects, for example, of the novel on which to concentrate. Weekly videos will reinforce this material, which includes links to help you understand the issues with which the literature grapples.

At the beginning of each week, read this material first or after you finish reading, which ever method works best for you.

Quiz questions derive from the class notes.

Each week's notes are "chunked" for easy reading.

Each document offers you an overview of week's expectations of you, explanations of the reading material, numerous suggestions about reading and writing exercises, brief descriptions about the discussion groups, and other relevant data for your consideration.

Read the document with care, as the paragraphs seek to make connections among the various assignments.

Reading the notes prior to undertaking the reading assignments will also provide you with a more informed perspective on the material, which will help you do well with quizzes, examinations, discussion groups, and writing assignments.

And the exercise also helps you generate excellent questions.


ASSIGNMENTS-- Click on the icon to reveal the following folders:

Class Assignments for Each Week/Unit of the Semester:

Each of the folders is keyed to the Course Notes folder for the identically numbered week/unit. Inside each of the folders, you will discover Reading Assignments and Writing Assignments that you are expected to complete by assigned dates--and see Announcements for a reminder of these dates.

The Reading Assignments alert you to the week's required reading from the novels and from the anthology.

As the Class Schedule indicates, you will read four novels and a wealth of other material over the course of the next eight weeks.

Complete the reading early in the week so that you can reread some of the material, especially those sections of importance for the discussion thread(s). And rereading will also ensure success on the weekly quizzes--as will watching the weekly video presentations.

The internet format provides you with a certain flexibility in your schedule; the class, however, assumes that you do work over the course of the week--do not, therefore, fall into the trap of waiting until the last day of the week to complete your assignments. As you will discover, you are required to take part in discussion threads over the course of the week.

So pace yourself.

Here you will also find a link to the week's quiz; generally, you will have from Thursday morning to Sunday at midnight to complete the multiple- choice, true-false quizzes; each contains fifteen to twenty true/false and multiple choice questions keyed to the assigned reading.

Written Assignments will also be explained in the folder in which you find weekly reading assignments--and when an examination or short writing assignment is scheduled, Course Notes will also contain important information.

On returned writing, from examinations to short essays, you will discover numerous comments and suggestions; they are there to help you improve the essay. As noted in the Course Syllabus, with the exception of the final couple assignments, you will have ample opportunity to revise your short essays and your examinations.

When you get back my comments, you might make a hard copy from which to work on your revisions.

Unless directed otherwise (which is sometimes the case owing to various cyberspace problems and interruptions), send me your assignments via the appropriate link.

Do not fall behind on your assignments.

Quizzes:

You will take sixteen quizzes, two each week. Remember that each week, I will provide video discussions of the quiz material. Reading the assigned material, looking over the class notes, partaking in the discussion threads, and listening to the weekly video will ensure success.

For each unit, I will alert you to the material for which you are responsible. Each week's quizzes are worth 2% towards your final grade.

Because you can use notes and all other material, the questions will at times be very specific. And you must complete each quiz in 30 minutes.

To prepare for your quizzes, read the Class Notes and other Reading Assignments very carefully and listen to the video lecture.

See your Class Syllabus for information on how much quizzes count for your overall grade. By working hard and taking notes as you read, you will become very familiar with the reading material and do a good job on this important aspect of the course.

Discussion Threads:

I take Discussion Threads seriously.

You will over the course of the term take part in numerous discussion threads, two each week. Each week's discussion is worth Ten (10) points and each is weighted at 2%@ of your final grade.

To earn full credit, you must take part in the discussions--which includes responding at least three times in paragraph form to each of the prompts to receive minimum credit. To earn full points, you must make a strong effort. So begin to discuss matters early in the week, even before you have completed all the readings.

You must explain your ideas and respond in paragraph form--at least five to six sentences--to the ideas your fellow readers provide. Where appropriate, use quotations from the texts in questions and provide internet links to add to the discussion at hand. Remember to discuss and not simply to post.

And as the first Discussion Thread description indicates (See Class Notes for Week/Unit One), you should show enthusiasm, respond with specifics, support your assertions, be polite and honest, provide quotations to support your points, share related links, and follow instructions.

These discussions will aid you, helping you better understand the material we have read and prepare you to take examinations and write essays.

Remember that you must respond three times to each thread--each week will have two threads--to receive minimum credit. And waiting until Saturday and especially Sunday will not aid your cause and will preclude your earning an excellent grade for your efforts.

As with the Quizzes, the Discussion Threads allow you to control a good percentage of your grade, 16%, in fact.

So take these sections--Quizzes and Threads--of the course very seriously, for you control 32% of your grade.

Unless otherwise indicated, you must complete quizzes and discussion threads by Midnight Sunday of the week assigned.

Turning in Work :

Send all your assignments via the appropriate link found in the Weekly Assignments; you will also find there a folder that contains links for your revisions. When you send a file, your name appears along with the document's arrival time.

Title your document with something specific and always include your name on your document. When you send a document, do not use a hyphen (-) or a # (Number) in the title.

We have in the past had problems with this aspect of Blackboard; but do not get frustrated. If you encounter a problem, contact me right away. But do not e-mail the assignment to me as an attachment. We will work through these cybernetic obstacles.

And as Blackboard rules indicate, you must send all documents in Word.

BE FLEXIBLE

And to avoid confusion, each time you send a document, place your name in the file name and on the document.

For example, name your file something similar to the following: Jones.midterm or Tamara.achebe essay.

This strategy will assure that every document that reaches my computer will have a different title

Again, put your name on every document you write.

For example, when I open a document, the writer's name should appear near the top of the page, along with the nature of the assigned material:

Ferble Tingate
Non-Western Literature
"The Return" Essay

Blackboard and PSC requires that you use Microsoft Word for all course work.

If problems arise, ask questions.

Unless asked to do otherwise, turn in all documents, using the appropriate link(s).


More on Weekly Discussions

In addition to taking a weekly quiz, you will also take part in one or two discussions based on class readings at times related to events that take place in the world, which might require your reading articles on line.

You will be informed each week about the subject of these discussions; and the Course Notes will also provide you with additional and necessary information.

Take all these discussions seriously, for in many respects this exercise coupled with Course Notes generally replace in-class discussions.

Each week, you are required to respond at least two times, and in paragraph form, to each forum's topic. And you might also find yourself placed into groups, depending on class size. Remember, respond in paragraph form; in addition, responding three times to each forum is a minimum.

Use this arena to ask your fellow readers questions; and reply with honest responses.

I will also take part in these discussions and suggest avenues of improvement and to offer other means of support. You should therefore read all posts, including those addressed by me to specific writers, for I try in my responses to address the entire class.

Your grade for these weekly exercises is not based so much on getting things right as on your ability and willingness to respond in a manner that articulates your particular point; on your capacity to illustrate and otherwise support your ideas; on your initiative; and on your enthusiasm while engaging your fellow readers.

Avoid plot summary, for all members of the class read the identical material.

Waiting until Saturday afternoon and Sunday to respond will ensure a low grade, for you want to discuss and not simply to post. To receive full credit, post often and begin early in the week.

The weekly discussions should prove fun for you--the exercise, as you will come to discover, is very painless.

Again this particular aspect of the class offers you the opportunity to develop ideas that will help you fulfill other assignments, from short papers to examinations.

When you have questions, e-mail me.

I look forward, to paraphrase something e. e. cummings wrote, to a puddle-wonderful term.

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http://www.hpcnet.org/peru/schoolartsandsciences/language/clemente/fall2006/nonwestonline/intro

Last Modified: 10/25/2011