| Term:
Fall, 2007
TR 6:10-8:00, 10-126 (OR: on PRACTICUM days, in LIBRARY 35-111b) Office: 47-35G, tel. 756-2636 Office Hours: MW 12:30-1:30, T/R 4:30-5:30, and by appt. |
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Dr. Debora
B. Schwartz
http://www.calpoly.edu/~dschwart Main English Office: 756-2597 e-mail: dschwart@calpoly.edu |
 Calendar
of Assignments
LEASE NOTE that the on-line syllabus (not any print-out you may make) is authoritative. Assignments may be modified in the course of the quarter. Check the on-line syllabus regularly (before each class) to ensure that you are completing the correct assignment. It is accessible at http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl501/501syllf07.html |
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Site Navigation
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Course
Description and Objectives:
ENGL 501 is described in the catalogue as an introduction to the "purposes and methods of literary research in literature." Accordingly, it provides "acquaintance with printed and on-line materials of research and practical experience in collecting material, weighing evidence, reaching conclusions, and writing scholarly articles" (or at least a short research paper!), as well as "analysis of dissemination of scholarly information" and "discussion of ethics of scholarship." By the end of the quarter, then, you should feel confident of your ability to use various research tools to identify, locate and access useful secondary sources on a research topic, incorporate secondary sources into a research paper, and, of course, know how to document these sources correctly. More broadly, however, ENGL 501 is designed to highlight the richness of literary study at the graduate level, to (re)introduce Cal Poly's English department, and to familiarize you with a wider range of subdisciplines and theoretical approaches than you may have encountered as an undergraduate. The objective of this portion of the class is to help you explore the discipline to which you are dedicating several years of your life, enabling you to discover those aspects which will allow you to flourish as a reader, writer, thinker and scholar.
Classroom Meetings: Except as noted on the course calendar, we will meet in our assigned classroom (10-126) to discuss readings, hear guest speakers, and make research project presentations. Our meetings, conversations allowing us to explore the discipline of English studies, will focus primarily on ideas rather than techniques. We will read essays offering a variety of theoretical approaches to one text (Shakespeare's The Tempest), using them to identify interpretive strategies that can be applied across the range of literary studies. In the course of the quarter, we will explore a number of fundamental questions: how do graduate-level studies differ from the undergraduate curriculum? what do we mean by "literary research"? of what different aspects does our discipline consist? what variety of professional engagement does it entail?
Library Meetings: On Thursday of weeks two through seven, we will meet in either Library 35-111h or 35-111b, a computer classroom off of the Reference Room on the first floor of the Kennedy Library (see class calendar for specific location). These days are indicated as "Practicum" on the course calendar. On Practicum days, some part of the class meeting will be devoted to individual work on a series of exercises you will use to conduct basic research on a literary work or author of your choice from the M.A. Exam Reading List. The Research Assignments listed in the right column on the Calendar of Assignments will help you learn how best to use some of the research tools accessible through the Kennedy Library to identify and obtain appropriate secondary sources (scholarly criticism) on your research topic.
NOTE 1: Prior to beginning each research exercise, you should familiarize yourself with the applicable section of Dr. Schwartz's Introduction to Kennedy Library Research Tools (accessible through the links on the course calendar, where it is listed as "homework" to be completed prior to the Practicum meeting). You should also read through the instructions found in the Guided Research Exercise linked to the course calendar, and ask any questions you may have at the beginning of the Practicum meeting. Chances are, if you find something in the instructions confusing, so do some of your classmates!
NOTE 2: Contrary to popular belief, reputable scholarly resources are NOT typically available for free over the Web to anyone. They are found in expensive, subscription-only databases which take an increasingly large bite out of the Kennedy Library's Materials Acquisition budget each year -- so you owe it to yourselves to use them effectively! To access restricted resources from off campus, you will be prompted to log in (using your PolyCard barcode, the 14-digit number beginning 20150 on the front of your PolyCard); or you can log in at MyPolycat when visiting the Kennedy Library site.
Please note that searching the Web with a standard
search engine (such as Google, Lycos, etc.) will NOT typically turn up
resources appropriate for citation in a research paper; you will do better
using more specialized search engines (e.g. Google
Scholar) and/or sites indexing links specific to an academic discipline
(e.g. The Voice of the Shuttle).
With the exception of genuine scholarly work made available on a
reputable
scholarly website by a recognized, academic author (e.g.
unpublished conference papers, previously published essays, book chapters
or journal articles), most material found online is HIGHLY UNLIKELY to
be suitable for citation in your research paper. If you DO choose
to look for other resources on the web, be sure to consult Finding
and Evaluating Websites for tips on how to evaluate the scholarly validity
of a website or resource found online. One sign of a reputable scholarly
source MAY be a URL (web address) ending with ".edu"; but keep in mind
that such web-sites may also be student-authored work (posted on his or
her own or a professor's website) which is not typically suitable
for citation in a research paper. A work cited in an academic research
paper should typically be peer-reviewed
and published
in a recognized publication (whether in a print or online).
| Required
Texts: |
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| Videos: |
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Communication:
You
are expected to have an email account and to check it regularly.
Important announcements will be sent over the class email
alias: engl-501-01-2078@calpoly.edu
. The class email alias is automatically generated using the email
address of each enrolled student found in the Cal Poly Directory server.
If your Cal Poly email account is NOT your preferred email address, you
must
You are also expected to submit regular research
progress reports and records of works ordered via LINK+
or ILL to the
class research archive, located in a Blackboard
"Discussion Board." To access Blackboard, log in at MyCalpoly,
go to "Blackboard Access" and select "ENGL 501" from the classes you are
taking; then click on "Discussion Board" and link to the "forum" for the
topic you are researching. There will be a "forum" for each student
in the class. Keep a copy of your research reports in case of technological
glitches. Be sure to check after each posting to verify that your submissions
have made it into the archive. If you have trouble posting to the
archive, contact the Help Desk (756-7000) and let me know at our next class
meeting. Your complete set of Research Progress
Reports will factor into the participation
component of your final course grade.
Attendance
Policy: Due to the twice-weekly seminar format, any absence
causes you to miss a substantial chunk of material. Regular and punctual
attendance is required. Please note that EVERY absence will
affect the
participation component of your
final
course grade.
Each
student starts out with a 4.0 for attendance. This component of your
final grade drops by .3 for the first UNEXCUSED absence; the penalty
increases by .1 for each subsequent unexcused absence (from A [4.0] to
A- [3.7] to B+ [3.3], to B- [2.8], etc.). Additionally, it drops
.1 for the first EXCUSED absence (4.0 to 3.9) and .2 for the second
excused absence (3.9 to 3.7). Excused absences in excess of
two (a full week, 10% of the class) count the same as unexcused
absences.
Please note that only absences resulting from illness, a family emergency, or circumstances truly beyond your control count as excused. Absences taken for personal convenience are a matter of choice rather than necessity; they will be recorded as unexcused. Please note that deadlines for other courses, work conflicts and job interviews are NOT valid reasons for missing class.
FOR ANY ABSENCE TO BE EXCUSED, YOU MUST SUBMIT A SIGNED, WRITTEN NOTE
with course number, date missed and an explanation of the circumstances
leading to your absence. (Although I do appreciate your courtesy
in letting me know why you have missed a class, an Email or a phone message
will not suffice; a written statement with your signature
is required for an absence to be excused.)
On any day for which a reading has been assigned, be prepared to DISCUSS readings in class. Note that length and complexity of assignments vary, so look ahead when planning your time. Please note that you are responsible for all assigned readings, whether fully discussed in class or not.
On practicum days, please be sure to have completed the research assignment
introduced in the previous week's tutorial AND SUBMITTED ALL REQUIRED REPORTS
TO YOUR FORUM IN THE RESEARCH ARCHIVE. Prior to any day when we meet
in the library, look through the new Guided Research Exercise assignment
and try out the tools; bring your questions with you to the library.
Ideally, you should aim to submit your research reports to the archive
by the Monday following the practicum meeting.
-- Research Exercises: Found on the Practicum listings in the right-hand column of the calendar of assignments, this series of exercises ensures that you are familiar with and have in fact used the most important bibliographic research tools in preparing your oral presentation and research paper. Research Progress Reports are to be submitted to the class research archive no later than one week after the day for which they are assigned. Please endeavor to complete the various assignments on time. Research Exercises will be graded for accuracy and completeness; please follow directions!
-- Prospectus and Working Bibliography (due in class on Th 11/1, or to my mailbox in the main English office no later than noon on Friday 11/2) will allow me to check that you have mastered the various research tools presented in Practicum exercises; to verify that you can write correct bibliographic citations for your primary text and all required types of secondary source; and to give you feedback (on organization and argumentation rather than content) aimed at helping you write a stronger final paper.(Note: failure to submit a prospectus will result in 15% of your final course grade = F.)
-- Midterm Exam (in class, closed book, on Th 11/8) will consist of short answers, objective questions (matching, T/F, multiple choice), and an essay on one or more of the approaches to The Tempest covered in class. It will cover both general issues and specific research methods/tools introduced in class, e.g. various ways of approaching a literary text; the use (and usefulness) of different research methods and tools; the correct bibliographic format for different Works Cited entries; different critical approaches to The Tempest as presented in the essays assigned for class. It may also have a "paper preview" section asking about your final project (so review your paper prospectus when preparing for the exam!)
-- Research paper of 8-12 pages on a literary work or author of your choice from the M.A. Exam Reading List which has been the focus of your research exercises. The paper must present an analytic argument based upon close reading of passages from the text you are researching. Your analysis will be backed up by carefully chosen passages from your secondary sources, chosen to demonstrate your mastery of the research tools and methods covered in this class. The paper is due at our final class meeting (Th 11/29).
-- "Final Exam": our final conversation of the quarter replaces the usual Final Exam. I will ask you to share your suggestions for improving ENGL 501 and your thoughts on how we can better help entering graduate students feel at home in Cal Poly's M.A. Program in English. Finally, I am interested in learning whether and how your vision of the profession and/or your personal goals in the graduate program have evolved over the course of the quarter. While this conversation could take place in our usual classroom at the scheduled exam time -- from 7:10-10:00 PM on Tuesday, 12/4 -- I would much prefer it to take place in conjunction with a Class Dinner at my home, to be scheduled at a mutually convenient time on either the week-end before finals or during exam week. Although it will be graded Pass/Fail (with only No-Shows failing!), this final conversation is a required component of the course, taking the place of a final exam. Failure to participate will result in an "F" (0) being averaged into the exam component of your final grade.
| 15 % | Participation, based on Attendanceand Archived Research Reports (weighted equally) |
| 15 % | Paper Prospectus (5%) and Working Bibliography (10%), due in class on Th 11/2 (or by prior arrangement, to my mailbox by noon on F 11/2) |
| 35 % | Midterm Exam (Th 11/8); closed book; approximately 2/3 objective questions and 1/3 essay. NOTE: failure to participate in Final Conversation will result in a "0" (F) being averaged into this component of the course grade! |
| 35 % | Research paper , 8-10 pages, due at last class meeting (Th12/6) |
NOTE: I reserve the right to reinstate quizzes in ENGL 501, should I perceive that students are not mastering the research tools and bibliographic material as it is assigned. In that case, the course grade would be calculated as follows:
Contents of this and linked pages Copyright Debora B. Schwartz, 2004-7
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