Syllabus for ENGL 4623: Emily Dickinson Spring
2010
ENGL 5653: Emily Dickinson
AMST 5843: Literature & American Society: Emily Dickinson
Italicized
information applies only to graduate students enrolled in ENGL 5653 and AMST
5843.
Class meeting: Tues.
7:20-10:00 p.m., BA G-218 (moved from G-126)
Instructor: Dr.
John Mercer, Professor of English, Department of Languages and Literature,
College of Liberal Arts, Northeastern State University
Mailing address:
NSU-BA, 3100 E. New Orleans St., Broken Arrow, OK 74014
Office: G-280 Office
phone: 918-449-6541 NSU-BA switchboard: 918-449-6000
Office hours (all times p.m. unless labeled otherwise): Mon. 11:30 a.m.-12:50, 4:00-5:00; Wed. 3:00-4:20,
7:20-7:40; Tues. & Thurs. 5:30-7:10,
10:10-10:30
Fax for faculty
in Building G: 918-449-6571 (Faxes must
include a cover sheet with my name.)
Mail box: in
G-261 (Please give items to staff assistant in hallway G-267.)
E-mail: mercer@nsuok.edu or mercer25@att.net (NSU e-mail
is forwarded to ATT account.)
Instructor’s faculty Web page: http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~mercer
Alternative path to Web page: www.nsuok.edu
> Academics > Faculty Web pages > Mercer
E-MAIL POLICY:
(1)
Please do NOT submit a completed assignment by
e-mail unless I specifically ask you to do so or unless it is the only way you
can submit it on time. If you must submit a completed assignment by e-mail,
send it by attachment, but also submit it in hard copy (to me, my
office, my mailbox, or by fax) at your first opportunity with a notation
indicating when you submitted it electronically.
(2)
If
you e-mail a rough draft for feedback, copy and paste it into a message;
do NOT use an attachment.
COURSE
DESCRIPTION:
This course is a study of the poetry of nineteenth-century American writer
Emily Dickinson in the context of her life and times. The course will emphasize principles of
poetic analysis and interpretation.
COURSE PURPOSE: ENGL 4623
counts as an upper-division English elective for a B.A. in English or English
Education or for a minor in English. ENGL 5653 counts toward an M.A. in English
and various other NSU master’s programs.
AMST 5843 fulfills the American literature requirement for an M.A. in
American Studies.
EXPECTED COURSE
OUTCOMES:
In this class you will demonstrate your ability to
(1)
identify
facts relating to the life, times, works, and publication history of the
nineteenth-century American poet Emily Dickinson and apply them to her poems.
(2)
recite
Dickinson’s poems in a way that reveals your understanding of them.
(3)
paraphrase
and explicate poems.
(4)
analyze
a poem’s use of diction, imagery, and figures of speech to communicate meaning.
(5)
analyze
a poem’s use of rhyme, meter, and other sound devices to communicate meaning.
(6)
use
accepted principles of literary interpretation to evaluate competing
interpretations and determine a poem’s meaning.
(7)
write
an analysis of a theme or technique used in several poems.
(8)
make an
effective teaching presentation to the class based on your research.
(9)
write a graduate-level research paper in MLA form.
INSTRUCTIONAL
MATERIALS:
(1)
Textbooks:
a.
Dickinson,
Emily. The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson. Ed. Thomas H. Johnson. Boston: Little, Brown, 1961. ISBN
0-316-18413-6 (paperback). Please
bring this text to every class meeting.
b.
Ferlazzo,
Paul J. Emily Dickinson. Twayne's
United States Authors Series. New York:
Twayne, 1976. ISBN 0-8057-7180-8
(hardcover). Used copies of this book may be purchased at www.amazon.com and other
Internet sites. Also, the Tulsa
City-County Library system owns several copies of this book. One copy is on reserve for seven-day checkout
from the NSU-BA library.
(2)
For
reference at home and in class: a standard hardback college dictionary, such as
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
or American Heritage Dictionary,
and/or a reputable online dictionary, such as www.m-w.com or OED Online (www.nsuok.edu > Libraries
> Dictionaries). Please bring to
class your hardback college dictionary or notebook computer with Internet
capability.
ASSIGNMENTS: Please print
the assignment sheet from the class Web page and bring it to each class
meeting. Assignments are subject to
announced changes. You are responsible
for all such changes whether or not you are present when they are made. If a class meeting is canceled and you
receive no instructions to the contrary, continue to follow the assignment
dates on the sheet; the next week, be prepared on both the old and new
assignments.
COMPUTER FORMAT
AND MANUSCRIPT FORM: For everything written out of class, carefully
follow the form described in the document “Computer Format and Manuscript Form”
under “Documents for all classes” on my home page.
DAILY AVERAGE: Your daily
average will be the percentage of points you earn out of the number possible
for the following assignments:
(1)
QUIZZES: Near the beginning of each class period,
after you have had an opportunity to ask questions, you will be subject to a
quiz on that day’s assigned reading. To
take quizzes, you must be present in class; you cannot make up missed quizzes
for any reason. Usually, each quiz
will be worth ten (10) points. At my
discretion, on days when a significant number of students are absent because of
bad weather, the quiz may count as extra credit.
(2)
WEEKLY
WRITINGS: Each week you will write a short out-of-class paper on one or more
poems. Assignments will include the
writing of a paraphrase, an analysis of figures of speech, an analysis of sound
devices, a scansion, explications, an analysis of allusions, etc. Unless I tell
you otherwise, each weekly writing should be one (1) to two (2) typed,
double-spaced pages in length and will be worth ten (10) points. Always be sure to write exactly what the
assignment and instructions require; ask me if you have questions. If you cannot be present to submit a
weekly writing, please submit it to me in hard copy in advance OR send it by
e-mail attachment by 7:20 p.m. on the day it is due (to show that you have
completed it on time) and then submit it in hard copy (to be graded) the
next time you are on campus.
(3)
LATE
ATTENDANCE: As an incentive to be present for the entire class period, you will
receive five (5) daily points if you are present at the end of the class period
at 10 p.m. To receive these
late-attendance points you must sign the late-attendance sheet that will be
passed during the last few minutes of the period.
EXTRA-CREDIT
DAILY POINTS:
To make up for points you have missed on quizzes and/or weekly writings, you
may earn up to forty (40) extra-credit daily points, and you may submit
up to three (3) extra-credit responses in any one week. Your quiz average, however, cannot exceed
100%. Check with me in advance before
investing a great deal of time in an extra-credit project. The deadline for submitting extra-credit work
is May 4.
When you prepare
to submit extra-credit work, carefully follow the instructions in the
document “Extra-Credit Submissions” on my home page. Of the various ways to earn extra credit that
are discussed in that document, the following apply to this class:
·
PERFORMANCES,
including films and videos relevant to Dickinson’s life, times, and works;
audio recordings of Dickinson’s poems; and Dickinson’s poems set to music
·
CLIPPINGS
OR INTERNET MATERIAL
·
ADDITIONAL
READING, including unassigned poems by Dickinson, Dickinson’s letters,
biographical material about Dickinson, and interpretation of Dickinson’s poems
·
ANALYSIS,
including the different kinds of poetic analysis required for weekly writings
·
RESEARCH
·
CREATIVE
WRITING: One option is to write poems in the style of or in parody of
Dickinson. Include a brief explanation
relating your poem to this class.
·
RECOMMENDATION
OF WEB SITES
You may also
earn extra-credit daily points by
·
PROOFREADING:
Find and correct errors in the Ferlazzo text or in Dickinson’s poems. Identify each error, correct it, and explain
the reason for the correction.
MEMORIZATION: Memorize and
recite at least 48 lines of Dickinson’s poetry.
Recite at least 16 lines by Feb. 23, 16 by March 23, and 16 by April 20.
You may recite your lines privately to me (in my office or in the classroom
during the break) or to the entire class.
Recite at least 8 lines at a time and build up to reciting whole
poems. The criteria for grading this
assignment are found in the document “Evaluation of Memorization” on the class
Web page. If you have a deep-seated
aversion to memorization of poetry, please see me for an alternative
assignment.
FINAL PORTFOLIO: The final
portfolio, submitted at the end of the semester, will contain original and
revised versions of many of your weekly writings, including two explications,
a “complete analysis” of one poem, and an analysis of a theme or
technique used in 7-10 poems. See
the document “Minimum Requirements for Final Portfolio” on the class Web page.
GRADUATE
RESEARCH: If you are a graduate student enrolled in
ENGL 5653 or AMST 5843, please meet with me early in the semester to select a
research topic related to your academic background and interests. If you are a graduate student in English, you
might research one of the poems marked with an asterisk on the assignment
sheet. If you are a graduate student in
American Studies, you might research some aspect of nineteenth-century American
culture that is reflected in a number of Dickinson’s poems. Your research will be the basis for
completing the following two (2) assignments:
·
TEACHING PRESENTATION: Make a 15- to 20-minute
teaching presentation to the class during the period when we are studying the
poem or theme you have researched. When
you make your presentation, submit (1) a list of the amount of time you spent
on each activity connected with the project and (2) a bibliography in MLA form
of at least eight (8) secondary sources you have consulted. The grade for the teaching presentation will
be based on criteria outlined in the document “Evaluation of Teaching
Presentation” on the class Web page. (This evaluation applies to the teaching
of a poem. I will design an alternative
evaluation form for students whose teaching presentation relates to
nineteenth-century American culture.)
·
RESEARCH PAPER: Based on the same topic as your
teaching presentation, in MLA form write a research paper at least seven (7)
pages in length that integrates research from at least seven (7) academically
reputable sources. If you have
researched a particular poem, choose one of the following approaches (or some
other approach approved by me in advance):
o Write a researched explication of the poem,
integrating your own ideas with those of secondary sources. Include a scansion page.
o Identify different interpretations of the poem or
critical disagreements about the poem, evaluating them in light of your own
understanding.
If you have researched an aspect of
nineteenth-century American culture that is reflected in a number of Dickinson’s
poems, show how your research sheds light on the meaning of Dickinson’s poems.
MIDTERM AND
FINAL EXAMS:
You must be present for the midterm and final exam, which will be administered
in a computer lab and which will cover the reading assignments and concepts
taught in class. If you cannot take an
exam at the scheduled time, you must in advance make arrangements with
me or, in case of emergency, leave a message on my voice mail by class
time. Otherwise, you cannot take a
make-up exam.
LATE WORK: All writing
assignments are due at the beginning of the period on the due date. If you cannot submit an assignment at the
scheduled time, to avoid penalty you must make arrangements with me in advance,
or, in case of emergency, leave a message on my voice mail by class time. Otherwise, late work will be penalized. If an assignment is submitted by the end of
the period, the grade will be lowered one-half of a letter grade (5%). If an
assignment is submitted by 10:30 p.m. on the Thursday after it is due, the
grade will be lowered one letter grade (10%).
If an assignment is submitted by the beginning of the next class meeting
(one week late), the grade will be lowered two letter grades (20%). If an
assignment is submitted two weeks late, the grade will be lowered 40%. Assignments will not be accepted more than two
weeks late.
ACADEMIC
DISHONESTY:
In this class academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating on quizzes,
submitting work written or partially written by someone else, using the words
or ideas of sources without proper acknowledgment, or assisting others in these
actions.
According to the
NSU catalog, "Students violating the standards of academic honesty are
subject to disciplinary action including reduction of a grade(s) [sic] in a
specific course, assignment, paper, or project; a formal or informal reprimand
at the professorial, dean, or academic vice president level; expulsion from the
class in which the violation occurred; or expulsion from the university."
ATTENDANCE: Enrollment in
this course obligates you to attend class regularly. Absence from any class period is serious
because it causes you to miss an entire week of class work. Absence from more than two (2) class
periods is considered excessive, indicating that you are not likely to do
well in the class. If you enroll late,
you will be counted absent for each period you have missed from the beginning
of the semester.
Attendance will
be taken from quiz papers. To be
marked present, you must submit a quiz paper with your name, the course
number, and the date. If you
arrive after the quiz or do not attempt to answer any of the questions,
submit a quiz paper with these three items so that you will be counted
present. If you must leave class
immediately after the quiz or before the break, write "ABSENT" in
LARGE LETTERS beside your name on the quiz paper (but you will receive any quiz
points you earn). If you must leave early or during the break, please
tell me in advance.
BAD WEATHER /
CLASS CANCELLATION:
If all NSU-BA classes are canceled because of bad weather or any other reason,
cancellation notices will appear on Tulsa area radio and television
stations. If all classes are NOT
canceled, it is my responsibility and intention to hold class. You, however, must make your own decision
about whether it is safe for you to drive to class. In the unlikely event that my class is
canceled when other NSU-BA classes are meeting, you should be notified through
the class calling tree.
DISABILITIES: If you have a
disability and need special accommodations in this class, please tell me at the
end of the first class meeting you attend.
CLASSROOM
COURTESY:
Out of courtesy to your classmates and me, please do not
(1)
engage
in private conversations when the instructor or another student is addressing
the class.
(2)
eat
in class (unless you bring food to share with the entire class). Drinks with lids or caps, however, are
permitted.
(3)
bring
children or other visitors to class without my prior permission.
(4)
repeatedly get
up from your seat during class.
Please wait until the break or the end of class!
(5)
allow your cell
phone to disrupt class. Please turn
off cell phones in class!
(6)
read or send
text messages in class.
(7)
use a notebook
computer or other electronic device in class for any purpose other than to
take notes or to look up information on the Internet to share with the class.
(8)
leave class
early or during the break without telling me in advance.
CHILDREN ON
CAMPUS: According to NSU-BA policy, children under
age sixteen (16) cannot be left unattended anywhere on the campus,
including the library, café, and student lounges. If in an emergency you feel that you need to
bring a child to class with you, please ask my permission in advance. The appropriateness of a child’s coming to
class depends on the child’s age and behavior and on the content to be covered
in class.
WITHDRAWAL FROM
CLASS:
Nonattendance does not constitute withdrawal.
To drop a class, you must process an official drop slip. If you drop a class by January 26, you will
receive a 100% refund of tuition. If you
drop a class after January 26, you will receive no refund. If you drop a class by April 14, you will
automatically receive a W. If you
drop a class after April 14, you will receive a W if you are passing or an
F if you are failing at the time you drop. The last day to drop a class is
May 7.
COURSE GRADE (subject to
announced changes):
Undergrads Graduates
Daily
average (includes quizzes, weekly writings, late attendance,
and extra credit) 22.5% 12.5%
Midterm exam 22.5% 17.5%
Final exam 22.5% 17.5%
Final portfolio 22.5% 17.5%
Memorization 10% 7.5%
Teaching presentation ----
10%
Research paper ---- 17.5%
100% 100%
A
= 90-100% of total points possible
B
= 80-89%
C
= 70-79%
D
= 60-69%
F
= 0-59%