Instructor: Dr. Lydia Whitt (Rice)
HLG 255, 482.2067
Office Hours: T,R: 11:00am-1:45pm and by appointment lydia@louisiana.edu (Include the course name and section number, ENGL 115 0X0, in the Subject line.)
Course Description: In this course we will read American literary texts published since 1975, including flash fiction, short stories and a novel. In particular, we will focus on literary techniques and thematic trends of modern American fiction. Our approaches to the literary texts will emphasize both close reading and historical (cultural, political, and literary) contexts.
Required Textbooks: 30/30: Thirty American Stories from the Last Thirty Years (Editors: Shreve and Ngyun) Publisher: Longman (2005) ISBN: 978-0321338983 Wolf Whistle (Author: Lewis Nordan) Publisher: Algonquin Books (2003) ISBN: 978-1565121102
Assignments
The schedule of daily reading assignments and due dates is available on Moodle.
Assignments on the schedule are subject to change as needs arise during the semester.
All updates to the schedule will be posted on the course Moodle page.
If you miss a class, you are responsible for contacting someone in the class to get any missed notes, assignments or reading-schedule changes.
All reading quizzes will be given at the beginning of the period. I do not give make-up quizzes. However, I will, at the end of the semester, drop your two lowest quiz grades.
Assignment
Percentage of Final Grade
Daily Reading Quizzes
20%
Midterm Exam
40%
Final Exam
40%
Preparation and Participation
You are expected to read the assignments listed on the course schedule before coming to class each day.
You are expected to be able to answer questions about the readings and participate intelligently in class discussions about them. You are also expected to bring any materials necessary for the day's assignments (books, notes, drafts, etc.).
You are expected to be courteous and attentive during class; this means not talking with your classmates or working on other projects (newspapers, homework, cell phones, etc.) during lectures or class discussions. If you bring a cell phone, it must be put away with the ringer turned off during class. Coming to class unprepared, failing to participate in class discussions or disrupting class is not acceptable, and can result in your being asked to leave class for the rest of the period (for which you will be counted absent).
Attendance
You are allowed 3 absences; for each absence thereafter, your final average will be lowered.
You are expected to arrive on time; excessive tardiness will be considered absence.
I do not give make-up reading quizzes; however, I will drop the two lowest reading quiz grades.
Academic Honesty includes doing your own work, both inside and outside of class. Failure to adhere to this policy will result in a grade of F on the assignment in question, and possibly an automatic F for the course. If you have any questions about this policy, at any point during the semester, please see me. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Academic Honesty Policy is on page 396 of The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Undergraduate Catalogue ( 2013-2015), which is available via .pdf on the University’s website:
<http://academicaffairs.louisiana.edu/sites/academicaffairs/files/2013-2015catalog.pdf#page=396&zoom=auto,0,792.> .
Emergency Evacuation Procedures: A map of this floor marking the evacuation route and the Designated Rescue Area is posted near the elevator. The Designated Rescue Area is where emergency services personnel will go first to look for individuals who need assistance in exiting the building. Students who may need assistance should identify themselves to the teaching faculty.
Excerpted from The University of Louisiana at Lafayette