Instructor: Ann Warren
Office Hours: Via Zoom, by appointment. Email me to make an appointment to meet.
E-mail: annw708@gmail.com
Welcome
English 207 is a course designed to improve a student's skill in reading carefully, writing effectively, and thinking clearly. This course will focus on American Literature from the Colonial period to 1865, and will examine the ways in which the literature reflected the culture of its time, and helped create an "American Culture."
This course is fully transferable to UC and CSU.
This class is an on-line version of Los Angeles Harbor College's English 207, American Literature to 1865.To register, or for more information, contact L.A. Harbor College.
General Nature of the Course
The online version of English 207 involves the same readings, writings, exercises and information as the traditional English 207 course; only the delivery system has changed. Instead of submitting hard copy essays which will be read, commented on, scored and returned, students will submit assignments and have them returned via e-mail; instead of "live" class discussion, students will post answers to discussion questions and respond to others' ideas on a class message board. Lecture material, course deadlines, and assignment information are available via the Internet.
You will need to keep track of assignment (reading and writing) due dates by referring to the Class Schedule. It is up to you to keep up with assignment deadlines, especially since late essays will be penalized (see note under Assignments), and late answers or responses to discussion questions will not be accepted at all.
- Specific Writing Assignment instructions can be reached here: Writing Assignments.
- Specific Discussion Question instructions can be reached here: Discussion Questions.
Read these instructions carefully, and always e-mail or phone or visit me with any questions you might have.
There is also a series of Lectures on topics related to your reading and writing. Be sure to read the lecture material for each week because this should help you to understand the readings, and will give you valuable information to help with the writing assignments. Lecture information can be reached through links in the Class Schedule and in the Writing Assignments.
So it's up to you to keep up with the reading, to turn in assignments on time, to look at online lecture material and to ask questions when you don't understand what we're doing. I will read the written work and questions you e-mail to me, and I will respond (also via e-mail) with comments, corrections, discussion items, and (I hope) useful answers.
Required Texts
The Crucible. Arthur Miller. Penguin Classics, 2003 reprint edition. ISBN #: 0142437336
(Okay to use any edition, as long as it's unabridged.)
Specimen Days. Michael Cunningham. Picador, 2006 reprint edition. ISBN #: 0312425023
(Okay to use any edition, as long as it's unabridged.)
NOTE: Many of the works we are reading in this class are in the public domain and can be found on the Internet; links are provided in the Schedule.
Assignments
- Essays: 100 points each
- Final exam: 50 points
- Discussion questions: 20 points each.
(For more information about how and where to submit answers to the discussion questions, see the Discussion Questions page.)
At the end of the semester, your grades will be averaged to determine a final grade for the class. Late Discussion Questions will receive 0 points. Writing assignments are due on the date assigned on the schedule. Late papers will be penalized 10 points, and will not be accepted at all after one week.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is using the words, ideas, or information of another without acknowledging the source. Plagiarism, in a college environment, is the equivalent of grand larceny, and as such, it is unacceptable behavior. Anyone caught plagiarizing will fail the class. Each student is responsible for knowing the rules of correct citation and documentation; for more information, see the following guidelines from The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University. These provide clear and complete information as to what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it.
Grading Scale for Writing Assignments
100-90=A
89-80=B
79-70=C
69-60=D
59-0=F
How to submit your work
Your assignments will be submitted to me via e-mail. Save your file as a Word file (.doc or .docx), a Rich Text File (.rtf), or a PDF, and attach the file to your message. Attach the file containing your paper to your e-mail message. When sending assignments, your e-mail message should include your name, the class number (English 207), and the name of the assignment which is attached. Use correct MLA format and make sure that you eliminate spelling, grammar, and other proofreading errors from your writing. Send your e-mail to me at annw708@gmail.com.
NOTE: always keep copies of all of your assignments. If there is a problem with e-mail, you will need that copy to re-send for credit.
About Wikipedia, SparkNotes, and Databases
DO NOT cite Wikipedia in academic essays. Since it is not edited by reputable experts, it often has errors and isn't reliable. It's okay to use it as a starting point for your own research, but go on and find other sources to verify the information, and cite those in your essay.
Also avoid SparkNotes, ENotes and similar sites. Teachers hate them since they provide only the most superficial analyses. Avoid citing them in academic papers; instead, go find analyses from more reputable academic sources: university and scholarly websites, peer-reviewed journals in library databases, and books. Don't be scared by that word "databases." The databases are just collected electronic versions of articles published in print magazines, journals, and newspapers. They also sometimes contain e-books. You can search them and find tons of good material. There's more about how to use the databases on the Writing About Literature page.
For more information, use the links at the top of the page to go to any of the Class pages you want to see; I've also given you a page of links to related literature sites.
To get in touch with me, use my e-mail. My office hours are listed at the top of this page and on the Class Schedule.