Papers
There are four papers due in this class, which
are intended not only to give you the opportunity to explore the books we
are reading, but also to give you practice with some of the critical
skills necessary for the study of the British novel.
All of your papers should tell your audience something they didn't already
know about the text(s) in question--no plot synopses or chapter summaries
allowed. In addition, remember that characters in a novel are just that:
fictional creations with no ability to choose a path beyond that which the
author allows them. Therefore, be sure to avoid arguments that treat the
characters like real people. Essays should generally restrict themselves
to one novel; students who want to read one book against another should
get my approval first (having a tightly focused thesis will help here).
You're free to develop your own topics and theses, but I'll also provide
some ideas to help you brainstorm. Brief accounts of the three essays
follow; you'll be given more detailed instructions on each one at least
two weeks prior to its due date. See the Class Home
Page for some helpful tips on paper writing.
E-Mail Instigators
The listserve is a place for all
of us to ask questions and continue discussions begun in class, but there
will also be a more formal component to the list. Once during the course
of the semester, I will ask each of you to set the tone for a given day's
discussion by sending an instigator post to our class listserv. This
instigator should be a 250-word paragraph (approximately) that will prompt
discussion on the reading assigned for that day. It can take several
different forms: a detailed question that you would like the class to
address, comments on a problematic passage in need of interpretation, or a
sample reading presented for evaluation. Keep in mind that these
paragraphs are not papers--their prime purpose is to open up ideas for
discussion rather than make a specific argument. The instigators give you
a chance to shape the agenda for the course and to do so in a forum (the
class listserv) that isn't directly controlled by the instructor. For this
reason, I'd like to encourage those of you not posting on a given day to
respond to the "official" instigator with your own opinions and thoughts
about the reading assignment. Instigators offer you a space in which to
have fun and be creative (or even quirky); I hope you take advantage of
that opportunity. The instigator assignments will begin when we start
reading Moll Flanders and run through the rest of the semester.
Once you sign up for an instigator slot, you're responsible for posting
your remarks to the class listserv by no later than 5 p.m. on the day
prior to the class discussion you're instigating, or bringing copies to
class if you do not have email access. Once the population of the class
has settled, we'll create a schedule for the instigators. I'll also ask
each of you to respond at least twice on the listserv to instigator posts
written by your classmates. These responses will be unscheduled, but will
be counted as part of your participation grade.
Class Participation
I expect everyone to take part in
class discussions. We can all benefit from what others in the class have
to say, and I anticipate learning a lot from each of you. The classroom is
a place to test out ideas and comments that may find a place in a paper
later on, so speak up! Class participation will figure into your final
grade.
Quizzes
We'll have a short quizz for each of the
books we read after Oroonoko. These quizzes should be easy for
anyone who has finished the reading.
Late Papers
I will subtract 2/3 of a letter grade for
each day, including weekend days, that papers are late. So if your paper
ends up at "B" quality, but you hand it in a day late, you will receive a
C+ for that paper. There are no exceptions to this policy without prior
arrangements. If you are having any trouble meeting any deadline in this
class, please contact me.
Tardiness, Attendance
Please be on time for each
class. Attendance is required. Because I know that emergencies and
accidents do occur during the semester, I allow you two absences. Your
final grade will drop by 1/3 of a letter grade for each absence beyond the
first two. More than 12 absences will constitute failing the course. If
you have extreme emergencies--such as a death in your immediate family, or
an extended illness requiring hospitalization or more than 10 days of
bedrest--please contact me. For every class missed, you are responsible
for finding out what you missed and making up the work. Please see me if
you have any questions about these policies.
Plagiarism
All writing submitted for this course is
expected to be original. All borrowed material must be acknowledged,
including materials found on the web, or ideas that I or your classmates
bring up in class or on the listserv. Neglect to acknowledge indebtedness
for facts, ideas, or expression will be interpreted as plagiarism. The
University of Pennsylvania requires that any paper containing plagiarized
material receive an F. There are no exceptions to this rule. Be sure,
therefore, that you know exactly what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.
If you are unsure about whether or not you need to acknowledge a source in
your writing, make sure that you ask me in advance. As Penn's Code of
Academic Integrity states, "If a student is unsure whether his action(s)
constitute a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity, then it is that
student's responsibility to consult with the instructor to clarify any
ambiguities." Please see the Class Home
Page for further explanation of the Plagiarism Policy. I take this
issue very seriously, and will not only give an "F" to any paper that has
been plagiarized, but will fail a student for this course in an
extreme case.
E-mail and the Internet
It will be necessary for you
to have an e-mail account to participate in this class. If you already
have an account, then you have probably been automatically subscribed to
the listserve for this class (jacobson60@english.upenn.edu). For those of
you who have not been automatically subscribed, you need to get an e-mail
account and subscribe right away (see me). You are responsible for
checking your e-mail regularly, as there might be announcements about
changes in the assignments. I will always post such announcements by 5:00
p.m. the night before a class. More importantly, the list is intended for
discussions. When replying to a message that was sent to the whole group,
please make sure that you
indicate whether you are sending your mail to the whole group or to the
individual who sent the message. (Often, we don't want everyone to see a
private reply.)
Grading
All of your papers will receive letter grades.
There will also be a letter grade for class participation, based on the
quality and the extent of your involvement in the classroom and on-line
(your e-mail instigators and any other messages you post), and a
cumulative quiz grade. As mentioned above, absences after the two
"freebies" will lower your final grade. Here is the break-down of the
final grade (all percentages are approximate):
. .
September 7: First Class, Introduction ========================================================= 12: Oroonoko 14: Oroonoko ========================================================= 19: Moll Flanders 21: Moll Flanders ========================================================= 26: Moll Flanders 28: Moll Flanders 29: FIRST PAPER DUE, 4 PM ========================================================= October 3: Pamela 5: Pamela ========================================================= 10: Pamela 12: Pamela ========================================================= 17: Emma 19: Emma ========================================================= 24: Emma 26: Emma ========================================================= 30: SECOND PAPER DUE, 4 PM 31: Great Expectations November 2: Great Expectations ========================================================= 7: Great Expectations 9: Great Expectations ========================================================= 14: Dracula 16: Dracula 17: THIRD PAPER DUE, 4 PM ========================================================= 21: Dracula 23: No class, Thanksgiving Break ========================================================= 28: To the Lighthouse 30: To the Lighthouse ========================================================= December 5: To the Lighthouse 7: Last Day of Class FOURTH PAPER DUE at start of class =========================================================