English 151L – Mid-Spring 2017Runs 10 Weeks: Feb 27 through May 8

(work accepted thru the 14th)

Highlights from the Syllabusdetailed schedule & policies in the main syllabus

Hi! Welcome to the class. I am Kathryn Gordon (you may see Elizabeth

in places – same person!)

My email is kgordon@northampton.edu Backup e-mail is walk33@gmail.com

Office hours: Mon 10-12:30 and Wed 7-9 PM Working then? No problem.

We’ll find a time that works for you.

Office hours by phone, skype, text or email.I do not mind texts: 518/364-6813

Clear communication is

a form of respect!

My Nitty Gritty slam team from Albany, NY after winning a poetry slam this fall

in (coincidentally) Northampton, Massachusetts. I’m 2nd from the left.

Our BookThe Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature, 10th Edition, by Michael Meyer ISBN: 978-1-4576-5050-5

There are eBooks, rentals and used books at good prices. There are some lower cost options here. NOTE: The bookstore suggests two tip sheets. These are not requiredby me and are not used at all in the course.

Get the book ASAPYou need the book from the start. This is an intensive, compressed course. There is no "Intro" week, unless you choose to start early.

Find a way to have the book at the start. Those who don’t tend to fall behind. Give yourself the tools you need to succeed.

Part of the course

1,100 Point Scale

Point-earning chances

Pace

Essays 400/450 4 essays. All essays earn points. No essay turned in “fails”

See next slide “Pace for Essays”

Forum discussion

200 + many extra point opportunities

Up to 20 points per week with many extra point & Bonus Point chances. Not your usual forum

One forum with 3-4 threads per week. Forum closes Sunday 11PM.

Response Journal

200 + optional double-post weeks

Up to 20 points per One post per week, plus up to 2 catch-up posts in any week. Journal always open. No late penalty

Reading Checks

200 + occasional Bonus Point Opportunities

20 points each. Test your memory of readings & lectures.

One test per week. Closes Fri 11 PM. Moved to Sunday in heavy reading weeks & weeks with holidays

Creative Blog 100 + 2 extra posts accepted after maxing out

Up to 25 points each post. Topic options given each week

Self-paced

Bonus point opportunities

No maximum. Worth 10-50 points each

In all above areas Self-paced

Pace for essaysWeek 1 – Read essay #1 guidelines, so you can planWeek 2 – Write & turn in (short) essay #1Week 3 – Read essay #2 guidelines, make choices, planWeek 4 – Settle on your 2 pieces to compare & contrastWeek 5 – Write and turn in essay #2Week 6 – Optional revisions & Bonus Pts from #1 & #2Week 7 – Read essay #3 guidelines, make choices, planWeek 8 – Write & workshop on rough draft of essay #3Week 9 – Turn in final version of essay #3Week 10 + Finals week – Make portfolio (essay #4)

What is a Portfolio? Also called Essay #4, the Portfolio is a collection of your best writing. To make it you gather a total of 4 pieces – one post each from your Response Journal, Creative Blog, Discussion Forum, plus a part of what you feel is your best essay.

You then write an introduction where you reflect on your writing – what works for you, for example, or which themes interest you most. Detailed guidelines for this and all essays provided.

About those Bonus Point OpportunitiesWhere points go Ways to earn Bonus pointsEssaysAdded to your points for that essay. No max

Essay guidelines describe ways to earn bonus points. Could be an amazing title, extra sources, or adding an extra story/poem/play.

Weekly Forum DiscussionsAdded to your Forum points for that week, which adds to your forum total for the semester

10 xtra - Go above & beyond the 3-5 required posts. Talk a lot. Write a lot & interact well with other posts

10 xtra - Scavenger hunt: Check announcements for things to look for in the past or current weekly forum. Email in answers for the bonus points.

20 xtra - What we Said - Summarize all our posts on a certain thread.

20 xtra – In some weeks I invite students to start a thread. Moderate to keep it going and get the full 2

Improve the course pointsAdded to the Bonus Pts column in the gradebook

Flag a schedule glitch, suggest a link, or in any way improve the course for 5-10 bonus points. Let me know by well-written email. The quality of the email effects the points, and there is a mistake in this sentence. Find it for 5 bonus pts. (Hint: some nouns try to act like verbs). Thanks for alerting me to typos (two-finger typist here) but no bonus points for typos in the forum. Elsewhere = 5 pts.

Journal and BlogAdded to your post for that week

Exceptional journal and blog entries can earn an extra 5 or even 10 points.

Once you have maxed out in points, up to 2 extra posts will be accepted up until May 14th.

Reading checks Some reading checks have bonus questions. Look for bonus offers in essay feedback too.

Q & A about Bonus PointsQ: What if I have enough points for an A before the end of the semester?A: You can skip the last essay, or other work. You earned it. But please do stay around

in the discussion forum.

Q: Do I have to try to earn bonus points? A: No. Bonus points are not in the grading scale. You can earn none and still get an A.

Bonus points provide a buffer if you have some crisis or a busy time during the semester. If you can earn them early, why not? Plus, less experienced writers who score low on essays can still do well in the course, because bonus points.

Q: Where do bonus points go?A: Most go into the Bonus Point column in the gradebook. Forum bonus points go in

the forum column. Essay bonus points just add to an essay’s overall score.

Q: What is the maximum bonus points I can earn?A: There is no maximum! Some students last semester earned close to 20% of their

total from Bonus Points. Some earned none or very few yet still received a high final grade.

Q: How come we can turn in only 2 Bonus Point opportunities in a week?A: I don’t want people disappearing and then bulking up on points at the end. And it

would be unfair to those with busy schedules who don’t have time to do much extra work at the end yet have worked steadily all along.

Schedule NoteOur week runs Monday morning through Sunday at 11 PM. Students have persuaded me over the years that this works the best. If you prefer your week to end on Friday or Saturday, great. You’ll always be early.

Avoid weekend-only discussion forum posting. If you must do most of your forum posts on the weekend, post in the next week when you can (i.e., early rather than late). This way more of the class gets to hear what you have to say.

You can post in the forum even before you finish the reading/viewing. Respond to others. Look for general threads (we may need to complain about the weather lol).

Summary of the schedule Reading Checks close Fri. 11PM. May be

moved to Sunday in weeks with heavy reading or a holiday.

Forum closes Sun. at 11PM. A journal post should be done each week,

but the deadline is flexible. Two catch-up posts can be done in any week.

Creative blog is self-paced. Posts can be done any time.

Bonus point opportunities are self-paced. Can be done any time. No semester maximum!

Where & When to turn in Essays

Essays are due Sundays at 11PM (unless announced otherwise). One-hour grace period. Sunday a bad day for you? Give yourself an earlier due date. I’ll read yours first!

Turn in essays through the Learning Content folder for that week. It’ll be right on top and easy to spot.

If you have to turn an essay in late

Don’t panic! The late penalty is only 10 points, or less than 1% of the overall semester grade. You can make that up easily with a Bonus Point Opportunity.

Do get moving! Essays are accepted late for only one week.

If you have to quit on an essay, don’t quit on the course! The 4 essays are different. One may be hard for you, the next easier. Many students find the last essay, a portfolio, the easiest.

You could miss a whole essay and still earn an A or B. There are many ways to earn points. Don’t quit.

E-mail details I’ll get to know your writing through

your essays. I’ll get to know you through your forum posts & e-mails.

This is a writing class. Take care with words. Think about your tone. Revise before you send.

To help me keep track of what you send, use a clear subject line such as Question, Bonus point opp

I will lose a few emails. My apologies in advance. It’s fine to send a follow-up e-mail or text after a few days if you have not received a response.

Forum PostingTo earn the 20 weekly points, aim for 3-4 posts totaling about 800 words. Post early in the week and come back to read replies. Finish by Sunday 11 PM. Weekend-only posts may earn less points. Good rule, if you come to the course for anything, post something.

Posts should be interactive: Comment directly on assigned reading. Quote the

reading and other students’ posts Connect someone’s post to the reading, your life,

world events Compare and contrast posts Point out a theme running through the posts that

week Ask questions of the other students Answer questions Use people’s names

Mine is not a post-once reply-twice type forum.Take more time, get more back.

Forum posting continuedPosts should be respectful: Good communication is a sign of respect. Be clear

and readable. Casual is fine for the forum, and some texting-type shortcuts are ok, but keep your readers in mind. Explain & clarify where needed.

You can edit or even delete your own posts. Are you a weak typist/speller? Try writing in your

word processing software first, then post. If you are an ESL student, put in the time to be clear. Perfection isn’t necessary, but be clear.

Contact me if you feel attacked or disrespected. Our studies will generate lively discussions. Disagreement is fine; disrespect is not.

Be respectful in what you write and how you react to others. I read/skim all posts. Personal attacks will lose the attacker the points for the week. Continued disrespect will lead to withdrawal.

Response Journals Up to 20 points each post for a max

of 200 Do one post per week on the

assigned reading. Two “catch-up” posts accepted in any week

Learn and practice skills needed in the essays

Other students cannot see journal posts

We write 3 types of responses React & Reflect Compare & Contrast Analyze an Element

Creative Blogs – a self-paced part of the course

Up to 25 points each for a total max of 100 points

Do about 4-5 posts in the semester – self paced

Try out creative writing. Creative options to choose from each week

Other students can see blog posts (commenting optional and not expected/required)

Are you the more creative type? Write 2 extra posts any time for another 50 points.

That’s half an essay!

Mid-term and final there is no mid-term & no final (0:

My teaching approachI revise the course regularly to make it: Interesting & Enriching Fair & Bias-free Challenging but Supportive Low-stress Useful to you in your career and life goals

I respect my students. You work hard, often juggling one, two, even three jobs while caring for family and carrying heavy course loads. I’m here for you not you for me. I take pride in my work.

Quotes from recent course evaluations

The class structure & content spoke to my mind & heart. My classmates and I connected on all levels. Professor Gordon’s feedback on assignments was detailed, encouraging, and positive. The selected literature allowed us to delve into technical terms and concepts, but also addressed major social issues.

Loved this course. You can tell [Prof Gordon] really loves what she does and cares about her students!

Quite frankly, I yawned when I selected this course. I thought for sure it would be boring. As it turned out, of all the courses I took this semester, I enjoyed this one most.

What I most appreciate is that Prof. Gordon selected a variety of literary types which made the course very interesting. She also helped us engage in thought provocating [sic] discussions.

The course outline doesn't appeal to just one type of student. There's an area for everyone to excel in: weekly discussions, quizzes, essays, a free-write response journal, and a creative blog. Professor Gordon definitely doesn't make it easy for you to fail. While you do have to maintain a steady work ethic, there's always a desire to be part of the class and let your voice be heard.

Earn Bonus Points already!

Explain the use of brackets on the previous slide, “Quotes from recent course evaluations.” They are used twice. Earn up to 20 points for thorough answers in a well-written email. May take some research.Strategy Note: All Bonus Point Opportunities can be turned in at any time during the semester. Please include a brief cover letter explaining what points you’re trying for. Clear cover letter = more points. If I have to search to remember what was asked for = less points. Communicate clearly. I offer many Bonus Point Opps and add new ones unique to your class, so help me help you get the most points as fast as possible.

These are highlights from the syllabus presented in a way that I hope is

Clear Encouraging Inviting Low stress

Send questions and comments any time to kgordon@northampton.edu or 518/364-6813.

I do not mind texts

Let’s all make it to the end of the semester. Everyone starts with 25 bonus points. Because zero is so, well, zero. Let’s go!