ENGLISH 111
FALL 2007

INSTRUCTOR: Steven Wilper
EMAIL: dwilper@siue.edu
OFFICE:  PH 3408
PHONE:  650-5027              
OFFICE HOURS:  Tuesday: 1:45-3:00; 5:00-6:00
                                 Wednesday: 9:00-11:00
                                 Thursday: 1:45-3:00

           
                                                                                                      
Texts:

Course Objective:  English 111 is an introduction to fiction, poetry, and drama.  The objective of the course is to enjoy the readings and to gain increased insight and appreciation of fiction, poetry and drama through reading, discussion and writing.  Note: If you do not like to read and do not think you can learn to enjoy reading complex prose, you should not take this class.  Many classes will require close to 100 pages of reading and you will be quizzed on the readings (quizzes that go beyond Cliff’s Notes).  Further, you can fail this class even though it is a 111 class.  So consider this on the first day.   I do not like to hear students who are struggling in week 8 say “I don’t like to read.” This isn’t an excuse, so you should consider your dislike of reading in week 1.   If you haven’t done the readings for the particular class, you will surely fail that class, as there will be a quiz and writings regarding the readings.  There are no make up quizzes or writing assignments.
    During the first several weeks of class, you will learn how to analyze fiction, poetry and plays by reading a mix of the three.  We will become familiar with the terminology and conventions so that we can carry on informed discussions.  The class will be divided into 3 sections after than.  In each section we will be looking at fiction, plays and poetry that is related to the subject area.  The areas will be: 1. Love;  2. Violence and Death; 3. Science/technology and reactions to it (fantasy, sci-fi, etc.).  

Prerequisites: You must have passed 101 and be in 102 to take this class.  I do make exceptions, but this class will be hard for those who haven’t passed 101 as I WILL GRADE ALL YOUR WRITING, EVEN INFORMAL CLASS WRITING, AS IF YOU HAVE THE SKILLS GAINED AFTER PASSING A 101 CLASS.

Attendance:  I will take attendance.  If you miss 2 classes, you will be dropped from the class list and will no longer be a student in the class.  You need not call me about an absence.  If you get the second absence after you can be dropped, you will get an "F" for the class.  This class meets once a week, so missing 2 classes means you have missed over 1/8 of the semester, which isn't acceptable.   You will sign a contract stating that you understand this policy in the first class.
Plagiarism:  If you present another’s work as your own, you will fail the class.  I will discuss this in the first class, and you will sign a contract that states that you understand the policy.

Course work: You will be required to read for each class and be prepared to discuss and be quizzed over the readings.  In addition, you will have to summarize and analyze a short story, poems, or part of a book or play for each class (depending on what we are reading at the time). These must be typed and presented in a grammatically correct form.   Further, you will have 3 exams covering the three subject areas.

Grades:

Grading Scale:  91-100=A; 81-90=B; 71-80=C; 61-70=D; 60 or below =E


COURSE SCHEDULE

WEEK 1 (8/21)

WEEK 2 (8/28)

WEEK 3 (9/4)


WEEK 4 (9/11) SECTION ONE

WEEK 5 (9/18)

WEEK 6 (9/25)

WEEK 7  (10/2)  SECTION 2: "Violence and Death: Reactions to Human Mortality."
WEEK 8 (10/9)

WEEK 9 (10/16)

WEEK 10 (10/23)

WEEK 11 (10/30) SECTION 3:  Dystopia and Utopia in Science Fiction and Fantasy.

WEEK 12 (11/6)

WEEK 13 (10/13)
WEEK 14 (11/20)


WEEK 15 (11/27)

WEEK 16 (12/4)

FINALS WEEK