SYLLABUS



SYLLABUS

HUMNS 205 – Contemporary Literature: Cultural Perspectives

Class Meets Thursdays 1-5pm

Course Description

Students examine selected readings of fiction, essays, and novels by important contemporary writers with an emphasis on social and cultural issues. The course takes a humanities approach in the exploration of culture and its origins, values, and changing status. Discussions, essays, group projects, presentations, and peer critiques assist students in developing the skills to present sensitive and controversial topics to an audience. Students write a minimum of 5,000 words in essays, response papers, and a final research project. 4 units

Prerequisite

ENGL 155 College Composition and Research

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Analyze cultural aspects of various types of literature including prose, poetry, music, film, and drama.

2. Identify analogies, metaphors, and symbols within written and visual texts.

3. Write coherent analyses of literature in academic essays.

4. Analyze issues raised in literature for both discussion and academic essays.

Instructor Information

Karen Zandarski

January Quarter 2015

E-mail: kzandarski5@

Topics Covered

• Understanding Literature

• Poetry

• Contemporary Media

• Fictional short stories and novel(s)

• Drama and film

• Oral communication

Textbook(s)

Bundle ISBN: 1111348839

This bundle consists of:

• Kirszner, L.G., & Mandell, S.R. (2012). LIT, 1st Edition. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. ISBN: 13-978- 1-11134883-0.

• Novel –

Grading

Exams 30%

Projects and Assignments 60%

Participation 10%

|90% |- |100% |

|FAIL |= |Fail (Internship/Externship) |

|IP |= |In Progress (for Internship/Externship six-week extensions only) |

|W |= |Withdraw (after the Add/Drop Period) |

|WZ |= |Military Withdrawal (active duty student deployed or training) |

|TR |= |Transfer Credit |

|PE |= |Proficiency Exam |

†Satisfactory completion of most courses is based on achieving a grade of at least “D”. However, satisfactory completion of some courses is based on achieving a grade of at least “C”. Students earning less than 70% in these courses will receive an F. Courses that require a passing grade of “C” are identified by a “†” in the Academic Program Descriptions section within the Academic Catalog. Students are encouraged to review the Academic Catalog and current Addendum to determine whether they are required to earn 70% to pass this class.

Students whose cumulative grade point average is below 2.0 will not graduate.

Heald does not grant “extra credit” points. Students can view their final grades online using the Heald Student Portal.

Students' participation grade is based on adherence to Heald and instructor classroom rules, and participation in discussions. Students’ participation grades are in flux until the end of the term. Students may lose points due to tardiness, absences, failure to maintain professional dress standards, and disruptive behavior.

Course at a Glance

|Date |In-Class Activites |Homework |

|Week 2 Feb 5 |Introductions |Read Chapter 2: “Reading and Writing about |

| | |Literature” |

| |Review of Understanding | |

| |Literature: Theme |Type a list of any key terms and their |

| |Review of Writing Literary arguments |definitions from the chapter. Upload this under|

| |Literary Devices |the Ch. 2 assignment in Engrade |

| |Review of Short story |Read Chapter 19: “Understanding Poetry” |

| | | |

| |What is a reader response? |Choose a poem or song that you find |

| | |particularly poetic to discuss in class next |

| | |week. Note which kind of poetry this poem or |

| | |song might be classified as. Include a list of |

| | |key terms and definitions from the song/poem. |

| | | |

| | |Upload your chosen song lyrics/poem on Engrade |

| | |under the Ch. 19 assignment. |

|Week 3: Feb 12 |Review Ch. 2 |Read Chapter 30 “Understanding Drama” |

|Poetry |Review Ch. 19 | |

| |How to read poetry and analyze poetry using |Read: Death of a Salesman |

| |form, speaker, tone, language, imagery, irony |Pg 605 |

| |Poetry: The Open Mic | |

| | |Write 1 page reader respone on Death of a |

| | |Salesman. Upload your typed response on Engrade|

| | |under the Ch. 31 assignment. |

|Week 4: 2/19 |Drama and film: |Bring Novel to class next week |

|Drama |Review Ch. 30 | |

| |Discuss Death of a Salesman |Read: Chapter 9: “Understanding Fiction” |

| |Dramatic readings & interpretations | |

| | |Type a list of key terms and their definitions.|

| | |Upload this under the Ch. 9 assignment in |

| | |Engrade. |

| | | |

| | |Read Chapter 11: “Plot” Type a list of key |

| | |terms and their definitions. Upload this under |

| | |the Ch. 11 assignment in Engrade. |

|Week 5: 2/26 | |Read Chapter 12: “Character” |

|Fiction |Review Ch. 9 |Answer Question #1 of Writing Suggestions on |

| | |page 146. Upload your typed response to the |

|Controversial issues |Review Ch. 11 |Ch.12 assignment in Engrade. |

|Components of fictional readings including | | |

|narrator, character development, plot, setting,|Watch Film Adaption of Triffles and discuss. |Read: The Hunger Games Chapter 1-5 |

|conflict, and climax/abyss | | |

|Symbolism, analogies, and metaphor |Things to think about as you start reading this|Context Assignment: For a more complete |

| |novel |understanding of the novel, present some |

| | |information on what was happening at the time |

| | |the novel takes place. Where in the world does |

| | |this take place? If the US, who is president? |

| | |What are the social/political issues at the |

| | |time? |

| | |How do these impact the events of the novel? |

| | | |

| | |Benchmark Outline: Choose option 1, 2, or 3 and|

| | |outline project |

|Week 6: 3/5 |Review Ch. 12 |Read Chapter 13: “Setting” |

|Fiction | |Answer Question #1 of Writing Suggestions on pg|

| |Hungar Games discussion |168. Upload your typed answer to the Ch. 13 |

| |Identifying thematic development |assignment in Engrade. |

| |Distinguishing plot from theme. | |

| |Identifying character development and its |Read Chapter 15: Style, tone, and Language pgs.|

| |contribution to themes |204-208 |

| | | |

| | |Read Chapter 16: Symbol, Allegory, and Myth |

| | |pgs. 241-245 |

| | | |

| | |Benchmark Rough Draft – Due March 12 |

| | |Read The Hunger Games Chapter 6-13 |

|Week 7: 3/12 |Review Ch. 13 |Read Chapter 17: Theme pgs. 269-272 |

|Fiction |Review Ch. 15 | |

|Cultural Viewpoints Shown in Literature |Review Ch. 16 |Read The Hunger Games 14-20 |

|Individual Impacts on Society | | |

|Critical thinking |Applying cultural lenses to literary analysis | |

|Cultural and historical context | | |

|Multiple interpretations of a single text | | |

|Week 8: 3/19 | |Sign up for benchmark presentation |

| |Final Benchmark Assignments and Presentations |Complete Final Benchmark Assignment |

| | | |

| | | |

|Week 9 March 26 |Complete benchmark |Final Benchmark Due April 2 11:59 PM |

| | | |

| |Presentations |Rehearse presentation |

|Week 10 March April 2 |Presentations | |

|Week 11: April 9 |Benchmark presentations | |

| |Final Exam Review | |

|COURSE AT A GLANCE |

Instructor’s Biography

It is my hope that you will complete this class seeing purpose for the humanities in your life. I hope to help you see how readings and writings can help a person (or you) to communicate with across space and time. I hope that I am able to help you see how the humanities can be used to better the world you live in and the world beyond your life. I hope that this class helps you to see how the humanities can help you understand both your world and the world beyond your walls.

Online Library and Learning Resources

• Found at , in your Internet Explorer favorites, and the student portal.

• Off-campus remote username is: heald_college; password is: student. (No login required on campus computers.)

• The Library and LRC contains resources, including EBSCO and online tutoring, needed to complete course work.

• For more information about all available resources, contact a Library and LRC staff member.

Instructor’s Classroom Guidelines

• Participation: In this course, you will learn skills that will be used in virtually every future course and your chosen career. There is a lot of information to cover and your participation is vital to your success. Participation is more than just showing up for class; it includes, but is not limited to attendance, journal writing, peer workshops, group presentations, and participation in class discussions.

• Late Assignment Policy: Late assignments are not accepted past the first week of class without a medical note. To accommodate for add/drop and technology issues late work will be accepted for week 1 ONLY until Jan. 30th.

• Electronic Equipment: Electronic equipment seems to have become an essential part of everyday life; it is often difficult to separate ourselves from our equipment. However, electronic equipment is allowed in class ONLY for class participation.

• Emails: Emails sent Monday – Friday will be answered within 24 hours. Emails sent after 5 PM on Friday will be answered the next business day (Monday).

-----------------------

Education

California State University, Stanislaus

M.A., English TESOL Concentration

B.A., English CSU Stanislaus

A.A., English Modesto Jr. College

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download