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Syllabus for LIT–291

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF LITERATURE

Description | Objectives | Materials | Structure | Assessment | Grading | Strategies | Integrity

Course Description

From the formal cadences of a Shakespearean sonnet to the echoes of everyday speech in the poems of Nikki Giovanni, literature records our purest emotions and our keenest observations. Literature both reflects and shapes our view of the world, spanning many cultures, time periods, and levels of learning. Students can embrace the great richness and diversity of literature through Analysis and Interpretation of Literature. This course incorporates both contemporary and traditional works in its selection of literary texts. It also places a strong emphasis on writing about literature, allowing you both to refine compositional techniques and to apply advanced literary analysis.


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Course Objectives

After completing this course, you should be able to: 


  1. Apply essential literary terminology, including terms such as character, irony, point of view, symbol, tone, and theme.
  2. Assess the ways that language, literature, and written expression bring meaning, understanding, and order to experience.
  3. Interpret and analyze works of literature in terms of elements such as theme, imagery, setting, use of language, and character development.
  4. Compare and contrast themes in different works of literature.
  5. Compare the ways that different genres express meaning differently and draw conclusions about effective literary expression.
     
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Course Materials

You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.


Required Textbook


  • Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing, 10th ed., by Edgar V. Roberts  and Robert Zweig (NY: Pearson/Longman, 2012).

    ISBN-13: 978-0-205-00036-4


  • Study Guide: Literary Visions, 10th ed., by Elizabeth Penfield; revised by Jose Flores (NY: Pearson/Longman, 2012).

    ISBN-13: 978-0-205-06029-0


Video Programs
Literary Visions, 24 half-hour programs produced by the Instructional Telecommunications Consortium.

Note: The video programs are being offered via streaming video technology through this course site. Each reading and viewing assignment includes the necessary links for accessing the video stream.


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Course Structure

Analysis and Interpretation of Literature is a three-credit online course based on the telecourse Literary Visions. It consists of five (5) modules.


The course requires you to complete five written assignments, take a proctored midterm examination, and take an unproctored online examination. You are also required to participate in five graded online discussions and an ungraded "Introductions" forum during the first week of the semester.


Modules include learning objectives, study materials, online discussions, and written assignments. Module titles are listed below.


  • Module 1: Introduction

  • Module 2: Short Fiction

  • Module 3: Poetry

  • Module 4: Drama

  • Module 5: Conclusion

Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.


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Assessment Methods

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, take a proctored midterm examination, and an unproctored online final exam. See below for more details.

Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.


Discussion Forums

In addition to an ungraded "Introductions" forum, Analysis and Interpretation of Literature requires you to participate in five (5) graded online class discussions.


Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct assignments: an initial response to a posted question (discussion thread) and subsequent comments on classmates' responses.


You will be evaluated both on the quality of your responses (i.e., your understanding of readings, concepts, and ideas as demonstrated by well-articulated, critical thinking) and quantity of your participation (i.e., the number of times you participate meaningfully in the assigned forums). Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.


Meaningful participation in online discussions is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement.


For posting guidelines and help with discussion forums, please see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site.


Written Assignments

You are required to complete five (5) written assignments. The written assignments are on a variety of topics associated with the course modules.

The written assignments are the primary means for you to express yourself verbally, controlling content and meaning. Due dates for each assignment are listed in the course Calendar.


Take the time to familiarize yourself with the Assignment Modules area of the course Web site, and read through the written assignment questions before you begin each reading assignment. Also, be sure you read the Writing Assignments section of each lesson. It provides general guidance and will help you complete your assignments. In preparation for the examination, you may wish to outline answers to writing assignments not assigned in the syllabus. Do not, however, send these additional writing assignments to your mentor. Only the questions within the Assignment Modules section of this syllabus are required and should be sent to your mentor.


Your answers to the assignment questions should be well developed. Formulate responses in your own words. Do not merely copy answers from your reading materials. When quoting or paraphrasing from the text or other sources, be sure to cite the source of information properly according to MLA or APA guidelines (see also Basic Documentation Rules).


Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.


Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.


For help regarding preparing and submitting assignments, see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site.



Examinations

Midterm Examination

The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers all reading and assignments from Modules 1 - 3 of the course, as well as through Study Guide Lesson 13. The test is made up of identification items, essay questions, and analyses of literary works.


You may take the examination only during the designated exam week, at an approved location, and with an approved proctor. In this regard, you need to schedule your exam and submit your "Proctor Request Form" with the necessary documentation during the first week of the semester. (See Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site).


If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken the midterm exam, you must let your examination proctor know when you plan to take the exam and contact the Office of Test Administration (609-984-1181) two weeks in advance to request that your exam be sent to the proctor.

 

Final Examination
The final is a closed-book, unproctored exam. It is two hours long and covers material from Modules 4 & 5 as well as Study Guide Lesson 14 onward. The test is made up of identification items, essay questions, and analyses of literary works.

The final exam is taken online. An exam link will be activated and made available to you in the Final Exam Module at the beginning of the final week of the semester. You may take the exam at any time during that week, but no later than midnight Saturday (eastern time). If you are on a course extension, you will need to arrange with your mentor a time to reschedule the final exam.

 

Statement about Cheating
You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:


  • Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.
  • Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
  • Plagiarizing answers.
  • Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.
  • Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.
  • Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.


Grading and Evaluation

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:


  • Online discussions (5)—10 percent
  • Written assignments (5)—40 percent
  • Midterm exam (proctored, modules 1–3)—30 percent
  • Final exam (unproctored, modules 4–5)—20 percent

All assignments will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:


A = 93–100
A– = 90–92
B+ = 88–89
B = 83–87
B– = 80–82
C+ = 78–79
C = 73–77
C– = 70–72
D = 60–69
F = Below 60

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).
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Strategies for Success

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:


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Academic Integrity

Students at Thomas Edison State College are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.

Academic Dishonesty
Thomas Edison State College expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the College insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty takes the following forms:


Academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action and possible dismissal from the College. Students who submit papers that are found to be plagiarized will receive an F on the plagiarized assignment, may receive a grade of F for the course, and may face dismissal from the College.

A student who is charged with academic dishonesty will be given oral or written notice of the charge. If a mentor or College official believes the infraction is serious enough to warrant referral of the case to the academic dean, or if the mentor awards a final grade of F in the course because of the infraction, the student and the mentor will be afforded formal due process.

If a student is found cheating or using unauthorized materials on an examination, he or she will automatically receive a grade of F on that examination. Students who believe they have been falsely accused of academic dishonesty should seek redress through informal discussions with the mentor, through the office of the dean, or through an executive officer of Thomas Edison State College.

Plagiarism
Using someone else's work as your own is plagiarism. Although it may seem like simple dishonesty, plagiarism is against the law. Thomas Edison State College takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing will be severely penalized. If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > "Citing Sources.")

Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else's. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.

Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.

Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.


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