john jones | courses

General Information

Texts

Aronofsky, Darren. Pi. 1998.

Gardner, Janet E. Writing About Literature: A Portable Guide. Bedford/St. Martin's. ISBN: 0312412827

Howard, Ron. A Beautiful Mind. 2001.

Tomasula, Steve. VAS: An Opera in Flatland. Design by Stephen Farrell. U of Chicago P. ISBN: 0226807401

Zamyatin, Yevgeny. We. Eos. ISBN: 0380633132.

Additional course requirements

• Access to a computer and printer
• An email account which is checked daily

Evaluation

Course evaluations will be determined using the Learning Record portfolio system. Students will submit a midterm Learning Record and a final Learning Record consisting of samples of their work, observations of their learning process, and an analysis of this data keyed to the course strands and the Five Dimensions of Learning. Additional information about the Learning Record can be found here.

Course activities will center around the following course strands. Students will:

Literary analysis

• develop critical reading skills
• demonstrate familiarity with techniques of character, narrative, and thematic analysis
• demonstrate mastery of the techniques of close reading
• apply analytic skills in unique contexts (blog posts, in-class discussions, formal papers, etc.) to a variety of literary texts

Collaboration

• engage classmates in constructive debate during class discussion
• provide timely and helpful feedback on classmates’ blogs and forum posts
• provide constructive criticism of classmates’ work in peer-revision workshops and demonstrate sensitivity to audience concerns by responding to peer feedback of their own work
• follow guidelines of effective collaboration in group projects

Research

• demonstrate familiarity with the research resources provided by the UT Library System, including print materials and scholarly databases
• discover outside sources relevant to the course material
• integrate outside material into course work, including blogs and formal assignments
• desmonstrate effective techniques for presenting sources as evidence
• correctly cite outside research using the MLA citation format

Writing and revision

• produce a clean, efficient style and adapt it to appropriate writing assignments
• identify, evaluate, construct, and organize effective arguments about literature
• demonstrate familiarity with the stylistic and argumentative techniques introduced in class
• show a clear understanding of the process of revision, including the ability to re-conceptualize written material as it moves from draft to draft
• edit and proofread their own and others’ prose

The course will use the following grade scale (based on this scale):

Course work

During the course of the semester, students will complete three major assignments, regularly post and respond to posts on the class blog, complete in-class writing assignments, and submit both a midterm and final Learning Record.

Major assignments
Each major assignment will consist of two submissions. To pass the course, students must turn in both submissions of each assignment. Though individual submissions will not be graded, students will be expected to turn in good faith submissions. Revision is not merely a process of responding to peer or instructor notes, but of the writer thoroughly and conscientiously re-envisioning the paper while keeping in mind audience feedback and his or her own developing thoughts on the topic. To complete each final submission, students should thoughtfully consider any comments they have received on their previous submission, then act on and attempt to go beyond those comments. In short, excluding exceptional cases, a successful revision process should lead to substantial changes between initial and final submissions.

All copies of all papers must be word processed and will be submitted and commented on electronically. Papers are due at the beginning of class on the day they are listed in the course schedule. Unless otherwise specified, all papers should be formatted according to MLA guidelines and use only standard, serif fonts. Occasionally, I will require additional print materials—such as copies of sources—to be handed in separately.

Students should not discard any drafts, emails, notes, papers, or research materials produced during the semester until they have received a final grade.

Blog posts
Each week students will post an entry to the course blog as well as respond to two of their classmates’ posts. Posts should be responses to the course readings for that week and be roughly 250–400 words long. In addition to these regular posts, students are welcome to use the blog to post any questions or problems concerning the course readings (passages you may not understand, trouble with interpretation, etc.) or as a forum for any other course-related discussion.

Blog posts are due by 5 p.m. on Friday of each week; the responses are due by 5 p.m. on the following Monday, though students are welcome to post or comment on any post at any time.

As with in-class discussions, students should be careful to use proper decorum when responding to each others’ posts. While disagreement is generally healthy, disagreement is not beneficial when it is combined with name-calling, personal attacks and general rudeness. It is helpful to remember that the ideas you are responding to are those of a person, and that that person deserves your respect and consideration.

Attendance

In this class students will be learning a skill—writing—that they will be expected to develop over the course of the semester. For that reason, it is important that they attend class, arrive on time, bring any assigned work, and participate in all in-class writing, editing, revising, and discussion sessions. If a student has more than four (4) absences—excused or unexcused—he or she will fail the course. This includes absences for illnesses and other emergencies. For this reason, students should reserve absences for truly unavoidable emergencies.

If a student finds that an unavoidable problem prevents him or her from attending class or being on time, he or she should discuss this problem with me prior to the absence (if possible). Otherwise, the student should contact me about the absence as soon as possible. Remember, I am generally flexible when I am kept informed of absences, but I am generally not flexible when a student skips multiple classes without contacting me, then shows up wanting to make up missed work.

Late work

If a student cannot attend class on the date an assignment is due, he or she should discuss a make-up date with me before the absence. If you do not contact me before the time an assignment is due, the assignment will be considered late. I will not accept any major assignment that is more than a week late unless the student makes an appointment with me to discuss his or her reason for turning in the work after the deadline. I will not accept any other assignment late.

Research and scholastic honesty

Keep copies of all source materials used in your papers, for you are required to provide me with photocopies or printouts of those sources if I request them. If you have any questions about the use you are making of sources for an assignment, see me before you turn it in.

Turning in work that is not your own, or any other form of scholastic dishonesty, will result in either a major course penalty or, depending on the severity of the violation, failure for the course. A report of the incident will also be made to the Office of the Dean of Students, and filed in your permanent UT record. Be sure you read and understand the Statement on Scholastic Responsibility in chapter 6 of The Student Guide to First-year Writing.

Religious holy days

A student who misses classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day and should inform the instructor as far in advance of the absence as possible, so that arrangements can be made to complete an assignment within a reasonable time after the absence.

Writing center

I strongly encourage students to use services offered by the Undergraduate Writing Center (FAC 211, 471-6222) and the Learning Center (JES A332A, 471-3614). The consultants at these centers are trained to help students resolve their own problems so that their reading and writing for the course reflects what they are learning.

Students with disabilities

The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic adjustments for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TDD.

Technology policy

We will use technology frequently in this class. Although I am assuming that you have some basic knowledge of computers, such as how to use the keyboard and mouse and how to use the web and check e-mail, most new technologies will be explained in class. If you don't understand what we are doing, please ask for help. If you are familiar with the technology we are using please be patient and lend a helping hand to your classmates.

You are free to use the lab-supplied computers prior to class, but please make sure that the content you are accessing is appropriate. Also, if we are not using the computers for an in-class activity please log off the computer when class begins.

In addition to this policy, I welcome you to bring your laptops to class for note-taking or research or to use the lab computers for that purpose. However, I reserve the right to have you put away laptops or turn off computers if I feel they are becoming distracting.

Miscellaneous notes

Please keep the following in mind:
 

• Bring all materials to each session. This includes the course texts as well as printouts of any additional reading, your paper drafts and research sources, lecture notes, and a writing implement.
• Make an effort to check the online syllabus often. Any updates to the course schedule, additional assignment information, or new reading material will be posted on this site. Students are responsible for all assignments posted on the syllabus, so you should be sure to check for updated assignments before each class meeting.
• Here are some links to online resources that you can access as as student at UT. As with all resources, do not depend on these to do your work for you; use them as tools whose output you must evaluate for the purposes of your assignment.