American Literature I: ENGL 251
Ocean County College
Professor's Syllabus
Contact Information | Course Start Date | Course Objectives | Teaching Strategies
Course Requirements | Grading | Learning Disabilities | Plagiarism | Texts
Dr. Bordelon
Office: Russell 103
Email dbordelon@ocean.edu
Tel: 255-0400 x2408
Campus mailbox: R214
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Send an email (dbordelon@ocean.edu) to me as soon as you register (It's tough in an online course to "see" who's in the class) so I will have an address to send you logon instructions. You can expect the instructions a few days before class begins.
Our 15 week semester begins and ends at the same time as on campus college courses. See your registration information or the college's online calendar for specific dates.
The course work begins the first week: see Announcements on course site for more information – or email me.
Remember, if you have any questions or would like a "face to face" meeting to discuss the course or your work, just make an appointment to see me.
Online chats will be conducted every Thursday night (starting on Sept. 11th) from 8:00-9:00 PM. While attendance at these chats is optional, students in my other courses have told me they are both fun and help in the understanding of course material. The chats will be saved and posted online.
Upon successfully completing this course, you will have
My usual teaching method involves class and group discussion, but since this is an online class, our "discussions" will be written and take place primarily asynchronously (not at the same time). While we'll meet in a weekly chat, the lack of a class time and my smiling face encouraging you to dig more deeply into a particular literary work means that you will rely on your own initiative to both spur your imagination and, more practically, complete the work in a timely manner. To help you pace your work, I include required dates for each assignment.
Since this is a online literature course, most of the instruction (and thus most of the learning) will take place through reading. While I will supply visual images and we'll be viewing a few online films, the bulk of the teaching will involve reading and then thinking and writing about the words on the page (or on the screen as the case may be).
All assessment will be in essay/paragraph form, and all assignments will be sent via email or electronic bulletin/discussion board.
You must complete all of the essay assignments in order to receive a passing grade.
Your understanding of the material will be evaluated in a variety of ways including short responses to weekly questions, a mid-term, a cumulative final exam, and a research essay (4-5 pages). Instructions for these are found online. In addition, students are required to participate weekly discussion boards.
Course work is due on the date noted on the weekly assignment. Grades for work submitted after the due date will be lowered. Using a paper from another course to fulfill a paper requirement for this course is not allowed.
Proctored Exam |
You must save all work generated in this course for the entire semester .
Understanding of the course material will be assessed in a variety of ways, including weekly questions, a mid-term, other short writing assignments, a research essay, and class participation (chat and discussion board). Your final grade will be based on the average of these separate grades which are equally weighted.
Unless otherwise noted, your written work will be grading according to the depth and range of your ideas and the clarity of your expression.
If there is any student in this class who has special needs because of learning disabilities or other kinds of disabilities, please feel free to discuss this with me.
Plagiarism is defined as taking the words or ideas of another person without documenting them. A form of academic theft, the college holds that any instance of plagiarism may result in a failing grade. If you ever have any questions about getting help on your work or citing a source, check with me. Follow the link to a more detailed description of plagiarism -- and more importantly, how to avoid it.
All texts can be purchased in the OCC Bookstore -- students enrolled through the Virtual College Campus should contact book store (732-255-0333) about having texts mailed to them.
The texts have been bundled for a reduced price if purchased through the book store
Norton Anthology of American Literature: Vol. A&B. Seventh Edition.
Walt Whitman: Norton Critical Edition
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Norton Critical Edition
Last revised 7/27/08
David Bordelon