Brief Academic Bio:

With a BA in Political Science and an MA in Literature, I culminated my formal studies with a PhD in Rhetoric in 2002 at Texas Woman's University, thus juxtaposing a life-long love of literature with rhetorical studies of power, language, and political action. My teaching and research interests include cross-cultural, feminist and protest composition/rhetoric; American, feminist and multi-cultural literature; the novel; historical and social movements; and technology and pedagogy. I have taught courses in composition, rhetorical analysis, literature, advanced grammar and composition, developmental writing and college learning skills, and the humanities.

Now in my fifth year at Rogers Sate University, I teach First Year Composition, Humanities II, Studies in the Novel, Advanced Composition, Women in the Literary and Visual Arts, and the Senior Capstone under the umbrella of the Humanities and Liberal Arts.

Consideration of the work of major novelists. Course will be comparative and based on concepts to include theme and artistic expression. In this course students will

1. Read, discuss, interpret, and analyze novels written in the English language from the 19^th and 20th centuries.
    
2. Discover the literary and historical importance of the novel genre as exemplified by the selected works.
    
3. Examine individual literary elements of each assigned novel and understand how these elements reflect the time period in which they were written.
    
4. Compare and synthesize the literary and historical elements of the novels as the genre evolves.
    
5. Demonstrate acquired knowledge of the individual works and the genre as a whole through analytical papers and examinations.

The following is a list of the required texts for this class. Discussion will be taken up in this order. Please use the required edition of each novel, so that page numbers and editorial information will be consistent.

Required: Sense and Sensibility -- Jane Austen
Oxford World Classics (July 1998), 1811. ISBN:0192833588

Required: The Mill on the Floss -- George Eliot
Oxford World Classics (June 1998), 1880. ISBN:0192833642

Required: Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man -- James Joyce
20th Century Classics – Penguin (1993), 1914. ISBN: 0140186832

Required: Native Son -- Richard Wright
Harper Perennial (June 1989), 1940. ISBN: 0060809779

Required: Sula--Toni Morrison
Knopf (2004). ISBN:1-4000-3343-8

Required: One Hundred Years of Solitude -- Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Harper Perennial, 1969-70. ISBN: 0060929790
 

Reading Schedule—The Novel

Students should have read and be prepared to discuss these readings as outlined below. This schedule is subject to change. All changes will be announced.

Origins and Rise of the Novel through the Development of the Modern Novel

Unit 1 (1/8-1/14) Introduction to Course
  History of Novel

Unit 2 (1/15-1/21) Sense and Sensibility
  Introduction, Vol. I

Unit 3 (1/22-1/28) Sense and Sensibility
  Vol. II, Vol. III

Unit 4 (1/29-2/4) The Mill on the Floss
  Introduction
  Book First, Book Second, Book Third
 

 Unit 5 (2/5-2/11) The Mill on the Floss
  Book Fourth, Book Fifth, Book Sixth, Book Seventh

Early 20th Century (Modernism): Exploration and Experimentation in the Novel

Unit 8 (2/26-3/4) Midterm Exam

Unit 9 (3/5-3/11) Native Son
  Introduction, Book One, Book Two

Unit 10 (3/12-3/18)Native Son
  Book Three

Spring Break (3/19-3/25)

 The Contemporary (post WW II) Novel

Unit 11 (3/26-4/1) Sula

   Part One

 Unit 12 (4/2-4/8) Sula

   Part Two

Unit 13 (4/9-4/15) Last Day to Withdraw with a “W” (April 13)

  One Hundred Years of Solitude
  Through page 218

Unit 14 (4/16-4/22) One Hundred Years of Solitude
  End

Unit 15 (4/23-4/29)

Unit 16 (4/30-5/2) Final Exam Period (Exam will close on the 2nd)

Teaching Methods and Evaluation Instruments

Learning is a cooperative and collaborative activity. Each student has an important and unique role in this class and should prepare him or herself to contribute fully throughout the semester. This course will consist of lectures, weekly student participation through Threaded Discussions and Reading and Responding activities, exams, outside readings, abstracts, and papers.

Standards of Achievement
All student work will be held to the following academic criteria:
Accuracy of information
Organization and clarity of thoughts
Depth of critical thinking and observation
Satisfaction of defined requirements (deadlines, etc.)
Acceptable writing mechanics
Fidelity of work (no plagiarism, cheating, etc.)
Evidence of creative or innovative thinking
Effective cooperative learning

Turning in Assignments

All outside assignments will be turned in as a Rich Text Format (.RTF) file. Any word processing program should have this option (in the 'Save As' mode). Once you have typed and saved your document appropriately, use the Dropbox feature, located on the Tabs, to turn in your work. Documents, especially formal papers, must adhere to MLA standards of formatting and documentation. Please adhere to all stated deadlines for each of your assignments.

Late Work

Reading and Responding activities and Threaded Discussions are part of your weekly participation and are subject and time sensitive. For that reason, I will not accept them late. Except where otherwise noted, Reading and Responding activities are due each week by midnight Sunday. Threaded Discussions close weekly on Sunday. Please refer to the detailed descriptions of these assignments below. (All due dates and times are Central Standard Time.)

Formal papers are due by the posted dates. For each day they are late, five points will be deducted from the final paper grade. No papers will be accepted later than one week (seven calendar days) past the posted due date.

Contacting the Professor

My communication information is posted at the top of the syllabus. When sending an email, please include your name, class, and question in the subject line. All emails should be signed with your full name. Otherwise, I can not guarantee that your email will receive appropriate attention. I will make every effort to respond to emails within 48 hours. Emails received after noon on Friday will be attended to the following week. Should you wish to call or come see me, please adhere to my posted office hours. To assure that I am not in a meeting or meeting with another student, appointments are encouraged.

Student Conduct

I encourage free and open exchange of ideas and opinions in this class. To ensure that each student has this opportunity, each of us must respect every student’s right to meaningfully contribute to the current discussions at hand. No overtly hostile, sexist, racist, or other xenophobic language or behavior will be tolerated.

Closure Statement
The schedule and procedures in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.

Final Grades will be based on the following. For details of each assignment, click on the link.

• Active Participation 300 points
  • Threaded Discussions (150)
  • Reading and Responding (150)
• Formal Papers 400 points
  • Abstracts (100)
  • Critical Analyses/Responses (300)
• Exams 300 points
  • Mid Term (150)
  • Final (150)

Total Course Points

900-1000 =  A

800-899.9 = B

700-799.9 = C

600-699.9 = D

0-599.9     = F

Academic Profile

Grading Scale
The following is the breakdown of the grading scale.