ENGL 2200
Great Books I
Section 024  9:30:-10:45 TR
Haley Center3196
Section 054  12:30-1:45   TR
Haley Center 2213
Fall 2002

Dr. J. Wylene Rholetter
Haley Center 8044
rholejw@auburn.edu
(334) 844-9053
Office Hours:  7:30-8:00; 11:00-12:00; 2:00-3:00 and by appointment

Readings:  You are required to be well prepared for each class and to have read all assigned work with care. Keeping up with reading assignments is crucial  The sheer volume of reading will quickly overwhelm you if you fall behind. If you are absent, you are responsible for work missed and for completing assigned work for the next class. It is useful to have some classmates' telephone numbers to check on work missed and on any changes in assignment.

Study Questions:  For each assigned work, I will give you a series of questions to guide your reading and to assist you in thinking about what you have read before you come to class to discuss the work, Many of the questions are comprehension questions; others require you to exercise your interpretive and critical thinking skills. You do not need to write answers to these questions, but I encourage you to use them as preparation for talking and writing about the assignments. The study questions are an excellent resource for reviewing before examinations.

Reading Quizzes and Exercises:  I will use informal reading exercises to encourage you to keep up with reading assignments and to give me a sense of how you are interacting with the assigned readings. Exercises will be accepted only from students who are in class for the full class period; no make-up work will be allowed (except in the case of verified excused absences). These are not formal writing assignments, so I am not looking for polished prose. I do expect you to have perceptive things to say, and I expect you to say them clearly and coherently.  You will be given specific instructions for each exercise. 

NOTE:  I reserve the right to substitute unannounced reading quizzes for reading exercises if the quality of reading exercises and class discussions suggest you are not keeping up with reading assignments.

Class Discussion:  This course will heavily stress class discussion. Although I will provide contexts for the works we study and sometimes offer interpretations for you to consider, the heart of the course will be discussion--both small group and whole class. The success of this approach depends on you and your willingness to prepare for class, to attend class meetings, and to participate in an exchange of ideas.

Remember that participation does not mean monopolizing class discussion or overwhelming others with your ideas. Certainly sharing your insights with others is part of class participation, but so too are listening attentively to others, asking relevant questions, and being physically and intellectually present.

Small Group Exercises:  Several times during the semester, you will work with three or four classmates to interpret and criticize a reading assignment and to present the group's ideas to the whole class. A group grade will be assigned for these projects, but the grade of an individual group member may be substantially lower than the group grade if my observation and/or group members' evaluations reveal minimal participation or less in the group process. In other words, group work does not mean a free ride for anyone.

Writing:  Writing is an essential component of ENGL 2200. We will use writing assignments to help us explore and clarify ideas and to communicate them to the classroom community. You are also required to write two formal papers of twelve to fifteen hundred words each. You will receive more specific instructions about these papers later.

Examinations:  You will take two examinations in this course: one approximately halfway through the session, and the other on the final day of class. Both will consist of short answers (identification/definition), brief, focused discussion of significant quotations, and one longer essay question.

E-Mail:  If you do not already have an active e-mail account, you should phone DUC at 844-8500 and activate your Auburn account. You will be required to e-mail some assignments, and I will use e-mail to communicate with you about drafts, make-up work, or other matters. You will also find it easier to use e-mail to communicate with group members who may have conflicting schedules.

Participation (including small- group assignments)

150 points

Reading Exercises and Quizzes

200 points

Formal Essays (2)

250 points

Examinations (2)

400 points

Attendance:  In order to get the most from this class, you must attend class and participate in the intellectual life of the classroom community. Attendance is mandatory, and it is based on a seventy-five-minute class period.

You are allowed two unexcused absences. Upon the third unexcused absence, your grade for the course becomes "FA" (Failure because of Absences). Absences will be excused only with written verification with the legible signature and phone number of the proper authority. Acceptable excuses are generally limited to illness of the student or a member of the student’s immediate family, religious holidays, required court appearances, and required attendance at an Auburn University-sponsored activity. All excused absences require verification, which should be presented upon the day of your return to class. No verification will be accepted more than three class days after your return to class.  It is courteous to call or e-mail me before class when you know you will be absent. Any students with whom you are collaborating deserve this courtesy as well.

Late arrivals or early departures are distracting and discourteous, and they will lower your course grade. Three such incidents count as one unexcused absence.

Make-Up Work and Late Work:  An excused absence does not excuse you from completing assignments; it merely allows you an opportunity to make up the work. It is the student's responsibility to initiate make-up work in a timely manner. Work missed because of an unexcused absence may not be made up; the grade for such work is zero. Remember that regardless of the reason for your absence, you are responsible for material covered in class and for being prepared for class on the day of your return.

Late work will be penalized by a 10% per day deduction.  No work more than three days late will be accepted.

Conferences: Although there are no required conferences in ENGL 2200, I am available to talk with you during my posted office hours and by appointment. If you are having problems with an assignment, need a reaction to a draft, or want further direction on a project, I encourage you to come by my office to discuss your concerns. Don't wait until a grade has been determined to ask for help.

Academic Honesty:  All assignments turned in for a grade should be your own work. The assignments are designed to direct your focus to the texts and to offer you opportunities to demonstrate your developing skills in reading, interpreting, and criticizing texts. Any sources you use in your work must be properly documented. Any attempt to pass off the words or ideas of others as your own constitutes plagiarism, an offense that carries serious consequences. Please refer to your Great Books Handbook and to the relevant sections of The Tiger Cub for more detailed information.

Students with Disabilities: If you have a documented need for special accommodations, you should make an appointment with me as soon as possible so that we can address how best to meet those needs.

The English Center:  The Auburn University English Center, located in Haley Center 3183, is an excellent resource.  Expert writing tutors will meet with you one-on-one, for free, as often as you like. You can take assignments before you even start writing for help with brainstorming; you can take rough drafts; you can take later drafts.  Tutors can help you understand an assignment, brainstorm ideas, organize ideas, get started on a draft, reorganize a draft, check for sentence-level correctness, and more.  You can set the agenda, telling the tutor exactly what kind of help you want. (The only thing tutors won't do is "proofread" and edit papers for you.) Sharing your writing as you work on it is the habit of a good writer. You can drop in, but it’s better to call for an appointment at
844-5749.

Class

Assignment

T August              20   

Introduction to course.

R                           22

The Epic of Gilgamesh 7-30, 61-96; Reading Exercise 1 due.

T                           27

The Epic of Gilgamesh 97-119.

R                           29

Genesis 1-11; Reading Exercise 2 due.

T September        3

The Odussey, Books 1-6

R                            5

The Odyssey, Books 7-12; Reading Exercise 3.

T                           10

The Odyssey, Books 13-18

R                           12

The Odyssey, Books 19-24; reading Exercise 4.

T                           17

Beowulf 7-43; Reading Exercise 5.

R                           19

Beowulf 43-87.

T                           24

Beowulf 87-131; Reading Exercise 6. 

R                           26

Beowulf 131-213

T October            1

Mid-Term Examination

R                           3

The Lais of Marie de France, Prologue and Laustic

T                            8

The Lais of Marie de France Bisclavret and La Fresne; Reading Exercise 7.

R                           10

The Lais of Marie de France:  Lanval and Chevrefoil.

T                           15

Draft of Essay 1 due.

R                           17

The Inferno., Cantos I-XI; Reading Exercise 9.

T                           22

The Inferno, Canto XII-XVII

R                           24

The Inferno, Canto XVIII- XXVIII

T                           29    

The Inferno, Cantos XXIXXIV; Reading Exercise 10.

R                           31

Revised Draft of Essay 1 due.

T November         5

Doctor Faustus

R                            7

Doctor Faustus; Reading Exercise 11 due.

T                           12

Paradise Lost, Book 1

R                           14

Paradise Lose, Book 2 and Book 3, lines 1-371.

T                           19

Paradise Lost, Book 9; Reading Exercise 12.

R                           21

Paper Two due.

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS
 Saturday, November 23-Sunday, December 1

T December          3

Paradise Lost, Book 10 and Book 12, lines 555-649.

R                            5

Preparation for final examination.

ENGL 2200 024 (9:30-10:45)

Friday, December 13   2:00-4:30 p. m.

ENGL 2200  054  (12:30-1:45)

Tuesday, December 10     5:00-7:30 p. m.