English 347

American Literature to 1900

Summer 2007 – Kate Scheel

 

Office: AQ 6148                                                                         Telephone: (604) 291- 3672

Office Hours: Tuesdays, Thursdays 10:30 – 11:20 a.m.                email: scheel@sfu.ca

course web page: www.sfu.ca/~scheel                                     

Week

Date

Author/Text

Presenter

2

May 15

Emerson - Essays

 

May 17

Emerson - Essays

Nadia Chu

Jasjeet Sidhu

3

May 22

Thoreau – Walden

Jeanette Low

May 24

Thoreau – Walden

Cass Picken

4      

May 29

Thoreau – Walden

Sylvia Lee

May 31

Thoreau – Walden, “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience”

Sam

Todd Eberts

5

June 5

Hawthorne – The Blithedale Romance

Vicki Haynes

June 7

Hawthorne – The Blithedale Romance

Lauren Dey

Trevor Fallis

6

June 12

Hawthorne – The Blithedale Romance

June 14

Hawthorne – The Blithedale Romance

Amy Gill

7

June 19

Dreiser – Sister Carrie

Short essay due

 

June 21

Dreiser – Sister Carrie

Lindsay Fleming

8

June 26

Dreiser – Sister Carrie

Library room 2105 - Research Methods @11:30 a.m.

Hannah Choo

Jessica Morneau

June 28

Dreiser – Sister Carrie

Una Miljevic

Michelle Wooton

9

July 3

Poe – “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Tell-tale Heart,” “Leigia

Lynn-Anne Gapik

July 5

Poe

Brian Kinnisson

Nick Obretenov

Brandon Arkell

10

July 10

Poe - “The Cask of Amontillado,” "The Pit and the Pendulum"

guest lecturer - Emma Pink

Carla Simpson

July 12

Poe - guest lecturer - Emma Pink

Heather Davies

11

July 17

Poe

Proposal/Annotated Bibliography due

Ashley Hubert

Erynn Reitmayer 

July 19

James – “Turn of the Screw”

Nina Rousta

Rupi Banga

12

July 24

James – “Turn of the Screw” - Proposal returned

 Derek Wu

July 26

James – “Turn of the Screw”

 

13

July 31

James – “Turn of the Screw”, Major Paper Due in class

 

August 2

Exam Review

 

 

August 8

Final Exam

 

Assignments:

Grade Assignment

Seminar Presentation                            10%

First essay (1500 words)                        25%

Proposal/Annotated Bibliography           5%

Second Essay (2500 words)                  35%

Final Exam                                            25%

 

The penalty for late papers is 5% per day. No extensions will be given without valid mitigating circumstances (ie. a doctor’s note).

 

It is your responsibility to be familiar with SFU policy on plagiarism and intellectual dishonesty.

 

Seminar Presentation:

The seminar presentation should last approximately 10 minutes and facilitate discussion. Bring a one-page (maximum) handout outlining your topic for each member of the class (including the instructor). The presentation may focus on an aspect of a novel or essay from the reading list that you find problematic, investigate an issue or aspect of the literature or the period in more detail, research an intertextual reference, review a critical essay, consider thematic concerns, trace the use of an image or emblem in a work, or include a skit presenting a dramatic rendition of a portion of a text staged in contemporary terms. Feel free to use transparencies, music, slides of art, computer web pages, costumes, and/or video clips and to enlist the assistance of your colleagues. Media equipment is available from the LIDC in the south-east corner of the AQ (near the hotdog stand) or in the West Mall (WMC 2262). Avoid reporting on biographical information about the author. When considering your presentation topic, it may help to envisage your presentation as a web link for the text under consideration.

 

Short essay (1500 words):

The short essay is due in class on June 19, 2007. The short essay must no be on the same topic as the individual presentation.

 

Proposal/Annotated Bibliography:

The proposal and annotated bibliography for your major essay are due in class on July 17, 2007. Detailed instructions for the proposal will be handed out later in the semester. Proposals will be returned to you in class on July 24, 2007. If you wish to get an earlier start on your major essay, you are free to submit your proposal and bibliography at an earlier date.

 

Major Essay (2500 words):

The major essay is due in class on July 31, 2007.

 

Final Exam

The final exam is scheduled for August 8. You are expected to be available for the exam.


English Department Grading Scheme

Grade

Percentage Range

Evaluation Criteria

A+

A

A-

96 -100

90 -  95

85 -  89

Outstanding performance.  Represents work of exceptional quality.  Content, organization, expression, and style all of a high standard.  Comprehension of the subject and use of existing research and literature has been abundantly demonstrated.  Uses sound critical thinking, has innovative ideas on the subject, argues the topic convincingly and presents sound evidence to back up claims. Shows personal engagement with the topic.

 

 

 

B+

B

B-

80 -  84

75 -  79

70 -  74

Good performance.  Represents work of above average quality with no major weaknesses in argumentation or expression.  Writing is clear and explicit and topic coverage and comprehension are more than adequate, although occasional lapses in reasoning or style may be present.  Shows some degree of independent critical thinking and personal involvement in the work.  Good use of existing knowledge on the subject.

 

 

 

C+

C

C-

65 -  69

60 -  64

55 -  59

Satisfactory performance.  Represents work of competent quality.  Shows some comprehension of the subject, but has more frequent weaknesses and/or problems in content, style, argumentation, expression, or organization.  Minimal critical awareness or personal involvement in the work has been demonstrated. Only adequate use of the literature and/or addressing of the topic.

 

 

 

D

50 -  54

Marginal performance.  Represents work of a barely adequate quality.  Serious flaws in content, organization, and/or style. Grammatical errors tend to be frequent and often reflect a lack of basic linguistic competency. Argument is mostly off-topic and/or evidence is contradictory or poorly marshaled. Poor comprehension of the subject and engagement with existing research and literature.  Minimal critical/personal involvement in the paper.

 

 

 

F

0  -  49

Failing performance. Represents work of substandard quality. Either clearly does not respond to the assigned topic or contains errors in grammar, organization, and expression that do not meet the minimum acceptable academic standards. Work that has been plagiarized should automatically receive a failing grade.

 

 

 

N

----

Did not complete all assignments.  An N will not convert to an F, but will stay as an N on a student’s transcript.