The Course: This course will focus primarily on analyzing and interpreting literary texts for the purpose of writing about them. Our guiding focus for the semester will discussions of the complex and often erroneous processes of thinking that take place in our minds. You will be encouraged to think openly, beyond the boundaries of the field of literature, and to explore materials in other fields, such as philosophy, history, and theology; this has been traditionally termed "history of ideas." We will do a good deal of reading and writing–mostly essays which analyze your reading–and we'll look at some film. Since the chief purpose of a college education is to acquire the ability to analyze, we will spend a good deal of time reading texts, some more difficult than others, and then explore issues raised in discussion in the written essay. We will also go over the development and writing of a research paper based on some of the materials we discuss. This will include intensive training in using the library and learning how to do research.

Attendance: Students are expected to attend class regularly. Your final grade is in danger of falling one full grade for every three classes you miss. If you miss more than nine classes, you will fail the course. Lateness will have a similar effect. If you are sick or have an emergency which forces you to miss more than two consecutive classes, call the Office of Student Affairs and let them know. This way, they will contact all of your instructors, and you might not be held accountable for those absences. Don't disappear for two weeks and then reappear, expecting everything to be all right.

Grades:
a)Four out-of-class essays (each 5-7 pages) and one short writing 3-5 pages)
b)Four in-class reading quizzes, unannounced; the lowest of the four will be dropped at the end of the semester; missed quizzes cannot be made up
c)One library assignment
d)One research paper (8-12 pages, using at least 3 secondary sources)
e)Final Exam
For those who like to know this type of information, a=40% b=10% c=10%, d=20%, e=20%. All of these numbers are, of course, approximate.

N.B. Papers must be handed in on time. Papers handed in late will receive a one grade deduction for each class late. If deadlines weren't important, they wouldn't have "dead" in them.

Texts: All are available in the Black Hills State bookstore, and all are required for the course. Every effort has been made to keep text costs down.

• John Fante, Wait Until Spring, Bandini (Black Sparrow)
• Ernest Hemingway, In Our Time (Scribner) 
• James Morrow, Blameless in Abaddon (Harcourt)
• Ann Beattie, The Burning House (Vintage)
• Rebecca Stott, Anna Staith, and Rick Rylance, eds., Making Your Case: A    Practical Guide to Essay Writing (Longman) includes the September 11, 2001 Readings for Writers
• Diana Hacker, Writer’s Reference (if you already own The Little Brown Handbook, you need not buy Hacker’s book
• A good college dictionary

E-mail and the Internet: As a Black Hills student you are entitled to an e-mail account. You should have an account for class. I can always be reached by e-mail. My e-mail address is listed at the top of this sheet. Do not abuse this! I don't want e-mail excuses, i.e., missed classes, late papers. But please do use e-mail to ask questions or set up appointments, etc.
A World Wide Web page for this course can be found at
http://www.bhsu.edu/dsalomon/eng201/fall2001/home.html

Special Accommodation: Reasonable accommodations, as arranged with the disabilities coordinator, will be provided for students with documented disabilities. Please contact the BHSU Disabilities Services Coordinator at 642-6099.

Academic Honesty:
Plagiarism is the theft of someone else's ideas and work. Whether a student copies verbatim or simply rephrases the ideas of another without properly acknowledging the source, the theft is the same. In the preparation of work submitted to meet course requirements, whether a draft or a final version of a paper, project, or computer program, students must take great care to distinguish their own ideas and language from information derived from sources. Sources include published primary and secondary materials, the Internet, and information and opinions gained directly from other people. Whenever ideas or facts are derived from a student's reading and research, the sources must be properly cited.

It is the student's responsibility to learn the proper forms of citation according to standards delineated by Black Hills State University. Students who have questions about the standards of scholarly writing should speak with their instructors before beginning research on assigned papers and projects. Violations include, at the discretion of the instructor, failure for the individual paper to failure for the course; such violations may be entered in the student's permanent academic record, and upon multiple offenses the Dean may recommend expulsion from the University.

Grading Guidelines: If you are enrolled in the course to get a grade, drop now. Education is about more than grades. Unfortunately, grades are a necessary evil. Your work will be graded on a scale from A to F with pluses and minuses. Although BHSU does not use pluses and minuses in semester grades, I believe they are helpful in evaluation throughout the semester. If, at the end of the semester, your grade is teetering between two grades, attendance and class participation become important factors.

A range: The work is extraordinary. It has said something different or is conceived in an interesting and unusual way. If written, the paper is virtually free of errors in writing or fact. Conventionally, an "A" means the work is perfect.

B range: The work is above average. It presents the material more than competently and, if written, is well-written and well-organized.

C range: The work is average. If written, it might have some problems in writing or conception. Organizational problems may also be present as may some misunderstandings of the texts or topics.

D range: The work is below average. If written, it probably has serious problems in writing and organization. It might show severe misunderstandings of the texts or topics.

F: The work is failing. If written, it probably has severe problems in writing and shows little or no understanding of the texts or topics. Note: a grade of F is an earned grade and will not be awarded if work is not submitted or completed (that type of performance "earns" a 0).