General Expectations For Learning and Writing:

The English Department takes the study and practice of writing and literature seriously. We expect students to take these just as seriously. I expect students to understand and observe Course Policies. I also expect students to take seriously the College of Arts & Humanities Mission Statement that studying the humanistic disciplines teaches skills in critical reading, writing, and thinking, and engages them in creative and expressive processes. If you are not familiar with this statements, please see: College of Arts & Humanities Mission Statement (click on the "Mission" button, top right).

For Literature

Every discipline has its tools and this includes the technical language and strategies for analysis and understanding. The student's is to learn these and when they are taking a literature class I expect students to:

1. Become skilled in close reading of and informed explication of literary texts and be able to demonstrate it in their writing.
2. Learn and recognize and correctly use concepts and terminology used in literary analysis, literary theory, and formal written compositions.
3. Acquire a working knowledge of literary genres, literary movements, historical contexts, and the major literary figures within these movements and how literature links to other forms of human artistic expression, such as visual art, music, theater, history, philosophy, and religion.
4. Gain knowledge of literature produced outside of their own experience, including in some cases outside of American and England.
5. Gain familiarity with literary traditions, forms and perspectives from a "world" or "non-western" body of literature which may include minority writers (for example, African Americans, Native American, Hispanic, Asian Americans) and women writers.
6. Gain a working understanding of the major movements in literary criticism and various analytical approaches to interpretation which includes an understanding of American and British literary history, but also encompasses major movements and periods such as the Medieval period, Romanticism, Transcendentalism, and even Post-Modernism.
7. Produce good quality written work of various types, including researched & supported, analytical, critical and interpretive essays.
8. Employ appropriate MLA or other Style formats when writing about literature (see below).
9. Acquire effective critical thinking skills that produce all of the above.

For Writing

When students study literature they are asked to write about it. This promotes clarifying their comprehension and understanding, gives them pracitce in working with, analyzing and articulating ideas and provides opportunities for improving their writing skills. I expect students to:

1. Carefully read and accurately follow specific assignment criteria and any models provided.
2. Follow and practice the principles of clear writing. You will find these discussed in any writing handbook, but for quick reference see: The Ten Principles of Clear Writing, and also see the link for Effective Writing at the Purdue Online Writing Lab (choose the Handouts bar at top of page).
3. Choose and effectively use one of the writing modes to communicate your ideas (i.e argument, comparison-contrast, definition etc)..
4. Recognize and employ grammatical forms, punctuation convention, vocabulary, and sentence construction appropriate to formal writing and knows how to use formal language (as opposed to colloquial language).
5. Recognize and critique in an balanced, well supported, impartial way an idea or line of argumentation presented in literary texts, professional documents, or formal essays.
6. Analyze by means of comparison and contrast the content and form of two or more written texts or documents, regardless of historical period.
7. Use drafting and revision strategies to avoid mechanical errors in final copies of essays and professional documents.
8. Learn effective strategies for discussing & analyzing ideas. You want a paper with a substantive idea (as opposed to a general topic). Ideas allow you to analyse and discuss one focus that you can support and illustrate with direct evidence from several works. When you have an idea of substance, you inevitably find yourself discussing effects, consequences, contrasts, comparisons, results and levels of meaning.
9. Avoid topics that are merely observations or statements of fact. For example: "Robert Frost uses nature imagery in much of his poetry." This is a statement of fact about much of Frost's poetry. This does not present and idea nor offer an argument. Instead, strive for substantive ideas in your thesis . This gives your paper more depth and reveals your deeper understanding of works as well as close reading and engagement with the texts.

   Instead, say something like: "Frost's use of 'complex simplicity' resolves internal dissonance and offers the reader an exploration of nature imagery that is both light and dark.” This has much more rhetorical power and cachet than “Frost uses symbols well in his poetry.”

10. Create and implement effective organizational strategies for structuring written documents.

11. Use and document information appropriately from primary and secondary sources (and demonstrate that you can distinguish between General and Scholarly sources) in written documents. Especially learn to cite sources properly using MLA citation format.

For Example:

For in-text citations, provide author’s name and page numbers in your citations (Norton, 6th ed. 1124). Leave one- inch (no more) margins at the tope, bottom and sides of your paper.

Works Cited & Citation Conventions :Within your essays, use MLA format for end citations and in-text or parenthetical citations. For your essays, you are required to include a Works Cited page on a separate page following the last page of your essay. Just title it Works Cited. An entry generally has three main divisions—author, title and publication information--each followed by a period and two spaces. Entries are alphabetized by author’s last name.

For Example: Note works are arranged alphabetically (not numbered):

Clemens, Samuel L.(Mark Twain). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn . The Norton Anthology of American Literature . Sixth Edition, Vol. C. Ed. Nina Baym et al. New York: Norto n, 2003.

James , Henry. Turn of the Screw: A Norton Critical Edition . Ed. By Robert Kimbrough. W.W. Norton and Company, New York, 1991.

Wharton , Edith. Age of Innocence . New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. 1998.

For more specific MLA Guidelines see:

For further support and information see MLA Citation Guidelines at MSUM's excellent Write Site at: The Write Site

 

PLAGIARISM: KNOW WHAT IT IS AND KNOW HOW TO AVOID IT

Plagiarism as defined by the The Modern Language Association Style Manual (New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 1998):

Plagiarism is the use of another person’s ideas or expressions in your writing without acknowledging the source.  Plagiarism is to give the impression that you have written or thought something that you have in fact borrowed from someone else, and to do so is considered a violation of the professional obligation to acknowledge academic debts.

The most blatant form of plagiarism is to reproducing someone else’s sentences, more or less verbatim, and presenting them as your own.  Other forms include repeating another’s particular apt phrase without appropriate acknowledgment, paraphrasing someone else’s argument as your own, introducing another’s line of thinking as your own development, and failing to cite the source for a borrowed thesis or approach.   

In scholarly writing, everything derived from an outside source requires documentation-not only direct quotations and paraphrases but also information and ideas. Of course, good judgment as well as ethics should guide you in interpreting this rule.   Although you rarely need, for example, to give sources for familiar proverbs (“You can’t judge a book by its cover”), well-known quotations (“We shall overcome”), or common knowledge (“George Washington was the first president of the United States”), you must indicate the origin of any appropriated material that readers may otherwise mistake for your own.

There are two types of citations:

1. The most practical way to supply this information is to insert brief parenthetical (or also called in-text citations acknowledgments in the manuscript wherever you incorporate another’s words, facts or ideas. Usually, the author’s last name and page reference is all you need. For example:  Ancient writers attributed the invention of the monochord to Pythogoras in the sixth century BC (Marcuse 197).

2. Footnotes for which styles vary per discipline and are preferred in historical essays and books rather than literary essays. Cite internet sources:  (Author, project or page title) You must first write author and then project title for citations within the essay (Abilock, Research Advice).

In a Bibliography (also called the Citations Page) you cite a webpage in the following order: Author (Last name, first name), Title of web page, Part of a group of documents entitled, date created or last revised, sponsoring or associated institution, date you saw it, address.  The citation allows the reader to find the complete text name and information in the alphabetically arranged bibliography.

Bibliography Samples

Abilock, Debbie. “Research Advice for a Complex Topic.” Nueva Library Help .  9 Sept. 1997.  Nueva School. 1 November 2001.

Achtert, Walter S. and Joseph Gibaldi. The MLA Style Manual .  New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 1985.

Marcuse, Sibyl.  A Survey of Musical Instruments .  New York:  Harper 1975.Spear, Karen. “Building Cognitive Skills in Basic Writers.”  Teaching English in the Two-Year College 9 (1983): 91-98.

 BASIC MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION GUIDELINES

1. Create a Cover Page: Jane/John Doe Student (your name) Dr. S. Coghill (Professor’s name)American lit. 372 (course name & number) February 15, 2002 (due date: month, day, year). Not all instructors want a cover page, but I do.

On Center of Title/Cover Page Place two-part evocative title (see No. 2 below). In Bottom Right Corner put identification material: Jane/John Doe Student (your name) Dr. S. Coghill (Professor’s name) American lit. 372 (course name & number) February 15, 2002 (due date: month, day, year). This page is NOT numbered.

2. Create an Evocative Title on the Cover Page: In middle of paper create an evocactive (vs a literal) title.

An evocative title has two parts: the first part has or connotes an image (from the work(s) discussed). The second part is more literal and descriptive of the analysis.

For example:

A. Trapped Sensibilities; The Terrible Presence of Absence in Henry James’ Beast in the Jun gle and Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome.

B. Killing the ‘Angel of the House’: Satirizing the Domestic Ideal in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn While Shedding Light on its Dystopic Proportions in Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome.

3. Repeat the title of your paper on the first page of your manuscript; center the title. There is no need to underline the title or put quotation marks around it. This is where you start the prose of your paper. This is Page 1 but is NOT numbered. After this number all subsequent pages starting with page two. Place the numeral in the upper right hand corner.

4. Unless Otherwise Instructed On Your Assignment, Double-space your paper throughout, though you may collapse quotations to one or one and a half spacing. Use a reasonable font and font size. Please remember the first line of your manuscript begins on the first page not the Cover/Title Page

5. Use MLA Style: See: MLA: Modern Language Association

 

INTERPRETING YOUR GRADE by Dr. S. Coghill @ 1990

Here is a general guide to interpreting a letter grade on your writing assignments. The observations below are meant to be representative, not definitive. Your instructor will make comments on your paper similar to these or closely related to them, because when instructors put letter grades on your papers, they usually have the following things in mind :

The "A" Essay Demonstrates creative thinking rather than reliance on a predictable, formulaic style—the writer has gone beyond the scope of the assignment and has made it his/her own in some way	1. Offers detailed and appropriate, thoroughgoing analysis using a focused thesis and supporting evidence. 2.Has a clear, controlling idea that is sophisticated in both statement and insight (a direct statement such as: "In this essay I will be discussing…" is the mark of an amateur) 3. Shows insight—it appears the writer has discovered something through the act of writing. 4. Consistently develops the controlling, substantive idea (as opposed to staying on the surface of a topic) and does not digress or weight one part in discussion over another. 5. Entices the reader with an introduction that makes the reader want to keep reading. 6. Is titled thoughtfully or has an evocative title that captures an image from or the spirit of the work(s) analyzed. 7. Includes well-chosen examples without stacking or distorting them ( and avoides consecutive phrases like "For example…" and "Another example is…" Since this can easily become monotonous, vary them.) 8. Makes and gracefully articulates connections between ideas, or ideas as they evolve over time and does so in an informed, impartial but well illustrated, supported and lively manner. 9. Demonstrates particularly apt arrangement of paragraphs that gives the essay and the disscussion of the thesis within that essay a coherent flow. 10 Consists of meticulously crafted sentences that are clear, compelling and elegant. 11. Keeps surplus words and filler to a minimum, showing due care to dazzle the reader with innovative word selection * Has a strong voice and tone—in other words, the personality screams "Read me!" 12. Contains very few errors in mechanics and usage * Shows substantial growth from the first to the final draft, unless I have assured the person they’ve achieved near-perfection prior to the final draft Additional Characteristics: The introduction explodes like a bomb. The writer has chosen a very original topic or has taken a fresh perspective on an already much discussed issue or common experience. An A paper may complicate the text, experience, or issue at hand and may try to resolve the resulting complication. The paper is relatively free of mechanical errors, which are slight. There is excellent detail and a tight focus. Outside sources if not required may have been used (where applicable) but not overused. In-depth analysis and a strong voice are present. The paper flows. The conclusion does a good job of tying up the paper and perhaps pointing in a new direction but does not merely restate or bring up new issues. The writer enlightens me about something or offers me a perspective I had not thought about before reading the paper.
The "B" Essay:   Shows some creativity and independent thought, but less successfully or not as thoroughly executed as an the ‘A’ essay	1. Has a clear, controlling thesis idea. 2. Is titled thoughtfully and contains a strong introduction. 3. Might have a few inconsistent facts or concepts or demonstrate an incomplete comprehension of them. 4. Includes major points with appropriate supporting detail. 5. Shows effort to link ideas rather than to stack them, or does link them in some places but not others. 6. Is less sophisticated than an "A" essay in its exploration of an idea, or not as thorough or waivers between analyzing and idea and merely discussing the surface of a topic. 7. Contains well-arranged paragraphs. 8. Has some grammatical and/or mechanical problems (verb tense, point of view, etc.) 9. Has a few spelling or punctuation errors 10. Might exhibit problematic word choice or syntax errors and may not demonstrate awareness or consistency between choice of formal and informal phrasing. 11. Lacks the strength and confidence and may even seem a little "stiff" or "canned" in parts. 12. Shows some growth between first and final drafts. Additional Characteristics: In a "B" paper the assignment is fulfilled. Good detail, good analysis, relevant examples. The paper is fairly focused and seems strong though a few inconsistencies occur. There are some errors, but they are relatively minor things such as misuse of possessives. The paper has a sense of structure, but does not demonstrate superior organization. A voice is either present or beginning to emerge.
The "C" Essay: Fulfills the assignment with little (if any) creative and original thought or does not exhibit any effort beyond the bare minimum of assignment criteria.	1. Displays factual, interpretive, or conceptual inconsistencies 2. Sometimes veers far, far away from topic. 3. Contains a general main idea, but not an insightful one. 4. Is titled appropriately, but it may be too literal or even lackluster. 5. May introduce the essay thesis in a formulaic manner. 6. May conclude the last page with a summary or very cursory re-cap 7. Offers shallow (if any) analysis. 8. Leaves some ideas undeveloped or unsupported. 9. Contains weakly unified paragraphs 10. Is frequently wordy or uses word choices that obscure meaning. 11. Contains clumsy sentences and imprecise words. 12. Has an awkward or stiff paragraph arrangement 13. Relies heavily on passive voice 14. Uses a bland tone and weak voice 15. Displays one or two major grammatical errors 16. Shows little to no change from the first to final draft Additional Characteristics: The "C" paper minimally fulfills the assignment. There is little detail, little analysis, and few to no examples. Significant portions of the paper seem to be filler, but the filler is related to the paper; it may be, for example, information that is common knowledge. The transitional sentences are weak or nonexistent. There is a conclusion, but it does little more than restate the issue or rework the introduction. The paper seems too broad and brings in meaningless examples. Furthermore, a C paper may have fair to good use of examples but might not expound upon the significance of those examples.
The "D" Essay: Does not respond directly to the demands of the assignment &/or is riddled with errors that detract from clear communication.	1. Has significantly confusing or inconsistent concepts or interpretations. 2. Has a vague thesis idea or is missing it entirely. 3. Digresses from one topic to another (unrelated) topic. 4. Is simplistic and superficial—it summarizes rather than exploring an idea or taking the reader inside the subject. 5. Is made up of language marred by cliches, colloquialisms, repeated and inexact word choices 6. contains immobilizing errors that interfere with readability 7. Consists of illogically arranged ideas * Shows inattention to previous corrections Additional Characteristics: A "D" paper usually does not fulfill the assignment in part or in total. Or it is too off of the topic, and likewise the paper is too short (25% or more of the essay is missing). In addition there are serious global and local errors. The level of writing overall is poor. The reflection and/or analysis is superficial at best.
The "F" Essay Does not fulfill the assignment at all &/or has deeply serious flaws	1. There is no paper. 2. The paper is half of the required length. 3. Mechanical errors interfere to such a degree that the reader cannot tell what the writer is saying. 4. The paper is blatantly plagiarized in part or in total.