Attendance

Regular, punctual, prepared attendance is required.  More than two unexcused absences will result in grade penalties; more than four may very well result in your being dropped from the course.  Bring the appropriate texts to class and be prepared to contribute to discussions.
 

Papers and Examinations

 Seven one to two-page, single-spaced papers are required (you may double-space them, yielding two to three pages, if you’d prefer).  These must be submitted before we begin discussion of the text on the paper due dates indicated above.  Any paper submitted after the due date will be factored into your class participation grade but will not count toward fulfilling your required quota of seven papers.  You will receive study questions for each text.  Pick one of these questions; think it through carefully and develop an argument, citing specific details and quotations from the text as evidence and support for your case.  At least three and no more than five of these papers are due before the midterm; the rest, after.  Papers must be typed, with one-inch margins.  There will be a midterm and a final exam.
 

Protocols

 Each of you will be responsible for one or two protocols.  These are class minutes or notes, written into a sentence (or easily intelligible prose outline) format, which you will send to me via email for distribution to your fellow students one week after the class you've signed up to record (e.g., you’d submit a protocol for an Oct. 11 class to me by 11:30 a.m., Oct. 18, and I’ll send it to your classmates by noon, two hours before class).  The purpose of these is to sharpen your note-taking skills (a skill that you will need for a successful college career) and to make explicit what you're learning in class as you go along (as well as to help you study for the midterm and final).  Protocols will be an important part of your class participation grade.
 

Course Grades

 Course grades will be based on the seven papers (7% each), the midterm (15%), the final (25%), and overall participation (20%).  This last element includes punctual attendance and protocols, as well as informed, considerate class discussion (a discussion class such as Lit. Hum. will only succeed insofar as students both volunteer intelligent insights/observations and demonstrate consideration for the contributions of others.  Disagreement is tolerated--indeed, encouraged--but must be conducted in a mature, respectful fashion).